It's an...eartthquake!

Last evening, we had our first taste of an earthquake having lived in the Bay Area for almost 3 years. It occurred at 8pm, measuring 5.6 on the magnitude scale. It was considered a moderate one, but it was clearly felt as it only occurred 5.7 miles under the ground.

I had just strapped Shaayla in her car seat and started the car to pick up Suresh from his client's place. When I felt the violent rocking of the car from side to side, my first thought was something was terribly wrong with the car. I quickly pulled the handbrake, by which time, the shakes had subsided. Shaayla was not disturbed or affected at all.

Immediately, I received a call from Suresh who was with his colleagues. Suresh's first instinct had been to dash out of the building, but his 'more experienced' colleagues told him to duck under the table. It was nothing to them and they were all trained from young to duck under the table. After that the security guard told them to pack up and leave.

We made a brief stop at the PW Supermarket and saw that a few items had fallen off the shelves, but no serious damage at all.

In that split second when everything was shaking, it was perhaps more than a sign from a greater power up there. Everything that we hold so dear to our heart, our worldly possessions, all so nicely packed away, would have meant nothing. We were all subject to the mercy of the forces of nature, who, in it's unpredictable way, remind us of how vulnerable we really are. It was a humbling experience, to treasuring what we have taken for granted.

Princess Aurora aka Shaayla

This morning was Shaayla's first Halloween trick-or-treat. Her ballet class at the recreation center had organized a trick-or-treat for all the students of the class. Although she hardly knows what Halloween is about, one thing is for sure...she knows it's all about dressing up in a costume and getting candies.

Since she's into a Disney Princess craze phase, we bought her a Princess Aurora costume (aka Sleeping Beauty). She looked really adorable in it.

What's been going on...

I admit, I had been lazy and neglected this blog for the past month. But then again, so many things had happened in just this one month...unbelievable.

First, the most exciting news was the confirmation of my pregnancy (yeah!!!!). So, I'm now about 12 weeks pregnant, and finally ready to put the nausea behind me. The unpleasant experience so far had been the 3-hour glucose test. Because I'd failed the 1-hour glucose test, I had to endure the longer test to confirm that I wasn't at risk of gestational diabetes. Thank goodness everything turned out fine after the test.

Then, on Oct 13, it was Hari Raya and we had a 'Singapore-style' celebration at Wan's home....complete with sayur lodeh, ayam masak merah, beef rendang, satay, and nasi kunning. Nora had also ordered a marble cake and a banana cake from me for the occasion.

And on Oct 14, after 6 months here in San Jose, CA, it was time for Suresh's Mum to go back home to Malaysia. She had come in mid-April and the 6 months had passed in a flash. Shaayla had enjoyed playing with her Pati, not to mention, bullying her as well. we hope she brought back wonderful memories of her short stay, especially our visits to Yosemite National Park, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and not forgetting, Disneyland.

With Shaayla's 3-year old birthday less than a month away, we've decided to organize a birthday party for her. She's been to so many parties of her friends and it just seems about time she had her own. So, we went ahead to order the Disney Princess package from BirthdayExpress.com. Also got a few sets of Disney cars for the boys who'll be at the party. Hope the weather holds up on that day.

Now, she's going on and on about a princess costume for Halloween next week. Her ballet class has a trick-or-treating session so we're trying to get her a costume for that. It's her first 'memorable' Halloween anyway.