Happy Go Lucky

Being a longtime journal writer and a blogger, I regret that I haven't been documenting my pregnancy. Well, first of all, I was too afraid to write anything down. I don't want to jinx anything. I actually kept my pregnancy a secret for a long time. I didn't even tell my family until when I was 12 weeks along. Having suffered a miscarriage before, I don't want to get "too happy" and then be disappointed along the way. But now that I've passed my 1st trimester, I should not stress about everything and I guess it's still not too late to write....

I refused to take a home pregnancy test for the longest time because I didn't want to get disappointed again. But I tested the very morning before my flight to Paris on Oct 10. I got one of those digital tests and the result came back "Pregnant." I was scared and in disbelief. After so many negative test results in the past, I was shocked. Digital tests are more black and white, not like those with pink lines that are always open to interpretation, but they can still be wrong, right?? I boarded the plane, in denial. I had menstrual-like cramps all week so there was no way that I was pregnant!

I had a 2-hour lay-over in Chicago O'Hare airport and decided to stop by a McDonalds to get something to eat. I ordered a Happy Meal. The cashier said, "Boy or Girl?" When I first heard that, I was like..."WTH??" Does she know something?? How did she know that I was pregnant??!? I stood still. She repeated, "Boy or Girl? I responded, "It doesn't matter," without really understanding what and why she was asking. After my response, she then stuck a green little toy into the paper bag. Ooooooh.. so she was asking what toy I wanted (totally spaced out that I ordered a Happy Meal that comes with a toy....)!

Inside the bag, besides my Happy Meal, was a tiny Build-a-Bear stuffed animal. It was a green froggie. The label on the toy read, "Happy Go Lucky." I smiled to myself. My baby will be Happy Go Lucky. It's a sign. My froggie stayed with me throughout my whole Paris trip and continues to be my side. I'm saving the froggie for my baby. It will be baby's first toy. :)

Jury Selection

You know how some people have their passport flagged by the government so whenever they pass through security, they will always go through tough scrutiny? Fortunately, I don't have that. But what I think I have, is a "Flagged Juror status." I feel like every year I get summoned (the joy of living in SF). Last time I got summoned (and served) was back in Nov 2008. So it has been 14 months. I guess I missed my 1 year exemption by 2 months!

So of those 500 people or so sitting inside the Jury Room, I will most likely get called into a court room. And then, among those 50 people inside the courtroom, I will get "randomly" chosen to sit inside the jury box for questioning. I've served on 2 cases before, 1 criminal, 1 civil. And I've been called into the jury box about 2 times now, including today. Today, I got excused though I was in Seat 17 but would have easily qualified as an alternate or move up the ladder as other jurors get struck out by the attorneys.

I actually don't mind sitting in a jury - especially when the case is short. Some cases are just dead boring, and the afternoon slump is hard to get through especially inside a stuffy, windowless room. I sometimes question my impartially. I don't know - I doubt my fairness and biases to some level. I guess everyone is a little bias...just depending on what level?

Backyard Construction - Part I

On our never-ending quest of home construction projects, we finally worked on our backyard. When we bought our house, our backyard is filled with plants, shrubs, and flowers. We had over a dozen bushes of roses, trees, green lawn, climbing honeysuckle, etc, etc, etc. Over the years, due to laziness and a lack of garden knowledge, our backyard has gone from a vibrant garden to a jungle. Weeds were rampant and out of control. So we finally decided to clean it up! Here is a picture of a "cleaned-up" backyard. All the weeds and grass are gone.

BEFORE: Backyard from 2nd floor bedroom window

Ground level views: Left of yard, back of yard, right of yard

So the construction begins...

Step 1: Layout

Step 2: Concrete

Step 3: Fence

Backyard Construction - Part II

Step 4: DeckStep 5: Trellis

Step 6: Shed
Step 8: COMPLETION!! Voi-la~!

We're about 95% done ... just because we have a couple of windows on the side of the shed that still need to be installed. And there is massive clean-up to do! Not to mention some planting! Learning from our previous green experience or lack thereof, we're going to pick some native and easy to grow shrubs and plants. We want to get some climbing plants for the trellis. Oh yeah, backyard furniture too... hopefully, we'll get all of this done by Spring so we can enjoy the deck with some sun!!

Holey-Moley!

It has been over 4 months since I last posted an entry on the blog! Bad, Bad, Bad me! Well, one of the reasons is that my 4-yr old laptop died. I have a Tobisha and over the past few months before, the battery was dead. I have to plug in my laptop with the cord no matter where I went (so much for wireless). But one day, even the cord (transformer) died. It could not be revived.

We tried to find a replacement cord online but haven't had much luck. So I want to buy a new laptop instead. But between holiday gifts, parties, car insurance, and not to mention, property taxes, our expenses were sky-high in November/December. So we decided to wait. We're still searching for a good, reliable laptop that won't cost me a fortune. I don't do much on my laptop - mainly write on my journal, organize photos, and go online. Sometimes, maybe a couple of Excel projects for work. So nothing too fancy. Any recommendations? I really want to buy one soon so I can start blogging again!