Earth Day

Standards by Steve Tyrell

Chele and I have been waiting for quite a while now for this week to arrive. Once again, we got tickets to see Steve Tyrell this Friday at Buffalo State College's Rockwell Hall Performing Arts Center. If you are a frequent reader/follower of this blog - you would know that I enjoy listening to Standards and Steve Tyrell is one of the standard crooners whom I follow religiously.

If I have not already converted you into a fan - then please enjoy several of my favorite selections by the man of the hour himself on this blog :P

Easter 2009

This year at Easter...

Husband made me a beautiful Tiffany blue dyed Easter egg...


And here's our Easter egg-ies labor of love...

Created with flickrSLiDR.

Allergist's Verdict

To the allergist I went today...

Blood work came back all negative. This is good - I am healthy as can be according to my blood. I am on day #5, also the last day of me completing the Z-pack (antibiotics). I have already cut back on the codeine so I am no longer a groggy zombie!

So this means the chronic hives I have are idiopathic and I should keep Zyrtek close to me a all times.

My allergist did a skin allergy test on me - this is the part where I had about 40 tiny needles with 'stuff' on it injected onto four sections on both my arms. I survived but then the tingling, itching sensation began. Nurse said no scratching or rubbing of any kind for 10 minutes for the doctor to see.

Not even a few minutes... I can see tiny mosquito bite size bumps appearing and redness around certain test areas. You know what this mean... I am showing positive reactions to the 'stuff' they are testing on me.

Verdict from the skin allergy test, I am allergic to the following:
1. Cats
2. Dust mites
3. Weed (the ones sprouting dandelions not the other kind :P)
4. Trees.... TREES?? Which one?! In our northeast region, there's oak, hickory, birch, syacamore, cottonwood, walnut, ash, beech, maple, elm to name a few - so which one??

All of them!!

Most people are of the above...

I, on the other hand....

So it's continue on with Benadryl and Zyrtek plus some newly prescribed cream to sooth any itchiness from the hives and the mentioned allergic reactions.

Two year anniversary!!

Happy Anniversary to US!!

Bronchitis go away!

So the cold that started two weeks ago - which I have been suppressing with all sorts of home remedies, western and Chinese medication had led to bronchitis. The doctors finally prescribed me some antibiotics and some fancy-smancy medication with codeine in it (that's pretty much Robitussin in layman's term). The codeine stuff knocked me out instantly and while I slumbered, I did not get enough rest - if you know what I mean. So in addition to fighting some idiopathic allergy of chronic hives - the cold and now bronchitis, they were really no help at all in my fight to just feel normal and healthy again.

Day #3 on the antibiotics - much improvement. The coughing and funny nose have lessen and no more pressure on my pressure points and t-zone. Thank you all for the get well wishes and you stay healthy too!!

Ayu & Kyle's Wedding

Last week, we celebrated with Ayu & Kyle as they exchange their vows. Here are pictures from my camera.

Congratulation newlyweds!
Wishing you both a lifetime of adventures and happiness.

P.s. - We captured your entire wedding ceremony on our camera - let us know where to send it :)

Created with flickrSLiDR.

Meeting up with friends...

While in Chicago, last week, Peter and I managed to meet up with several old friends...

We met up with Meera who used to attend University of Illinois-Champaign with Peter. They met in their freshmen semester and have not seen one another for a decade now.

Peter and I picked up Claire and Dan from the airport and its straight to a lunch date with another couple from our college days at KDU, Penang. Here's Hui Chin who is glowing with happiness, just like Claire, from her very recent civil marriage.

And here are the men in our lives.... our husbands! Don't they look handsome?!! One has to give them credit for all the patience they have :P

Congratulations to John and Hui Chin on their civil marriage and we look forward to the end of year wedding celebration back home!

And here is our beloved 'Uncle' John with his girls... wife and two tag-alongs from home. And it only took us 10 years to get together all at the same time!!

My 2010 Mazda3

April's Fool or not... we picked up my car today!! It came all the way from Japan by way of California with only 3 miles on it! It has so many features and add-ons on it! I love it!!

zoom Zoom ZOOM!!

It’s official… I have my new ride… and a zoom Zoom ZOOMING I will get to do! Thanks to husband who took a somewhat extended lunch time today to go to the dealer, work out the deal and did all the paperwork! As he put it, this going to be like an early anniversary present to me us ME!

I love, LOVE it and I cannot wait to go pick it up tomorrow!

Here's a preview of the car...

2010 Mazda3

It's smiling at me!! :P

Under the weather...

Caught a cold over the weekend... on top of that, all the anti-histamine I have been loading up on each day is really wearing me down. I have been getting these itchy red blotches all over my body each day late afternoon for the past 8-9 weeks and Benadryl has been my temporarily relief and comfort. While it totally knocks me out each night and then me waking up feeling groggy all day - that's better than me scratching the living daylights out of my own self.

I could not take any cold meds over the weekend since I have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday - have to be 'drug' free for tests to be done. It was also the earliest doctor's appointment date I could secure!! What do I have? Absolutely no idea - and as the allergist said... "I see this in healthy women - I can definitely rule out food allergies and therefore what you have may be idiopathic."

Idiopathic = arising spontaneously or from an obscure or unknown cause.

GREAT! Even she has no idea what the cause is!! :(

I had to have some blood drawn for tests and they took a lot of blood!!! If you don't already know, I am terrified of all things medical and dental! Thank goodness husband was there with me for moral support! The kind nurse started on my left arm - band tied over arm, squeeze ball in hand, alcohol swabbed, vein found, needle in, now waiting for Sher's precious blood... nothing! "Hmmm... it appears you are dry on your left side." Is that good? Bad? Fine?!! "Let's do the other arm then!" Icks! I am punctured on the left arm and there was nothing to be drawn... okay.. no panicky... same little feeling of a slight prick. Band tied over right arm, squeeze ball in hand, vein found, needle in. OOwwww!!!! She missed the alcohol swab part!! Okay.. blood flowing this time and I was just counting down the seconds for it to be over only to realize there were 3 other vials to be filled and they are in different sizes.

There are reasons why I do not and can not donate blood... and I really should (give me some more time to warm up to them needles!)

1. My fear of needles.

2. Underweight - therefore making me ineligible ( I tried before!)

3. I come from a country where there is Malaria. Conditions are to wait 3 years after living in a country or countries where Malaria is found and/or wait 12 months after returning from a trip to an area where malaria is found .

4. My fear of needles!

Anyway... I am still awaiting to hear the results to all the blood tests they are doing. They are testing for everything. Until then, I have been presribed Zyrtek which is also an anti-histamine but one that would not knock me out as fast as Benadryl. Even so on day #2 of taking this Zyrtek - I do feel somewhat drowsy! But guess what.. no more hives and itching last night. Whoohoo... even if I was - I was too knackered out from the meds to realize anything since I literally passed out after dinner.

Bye bye Cougar...

SOLD! The time has come when I say farewell to my baby Cougar... no more zoom-zooming in it but the new owner will!

Bye bye baby...

Moving...

It's official... we will be moving! Fact of the matter is that the three of us, have totally outgrown this cosy townhouse. Peter and I have found this amazing 3 bedroom 2 bath ranch with an attached 2 car garage that is in the same neighborhood and we are moving in early May.

The Milizia's on the Move

Ivan's Birthday

Many happy returns of the day
and a
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you Ivan!

Tai Boon's Birthday!

Happy Birthday Tai Boon!

Punam Bean: Finding Dreams

Of all the blogs I follow... several I am devoted too... one of them is from my amazing wedding photographer Punam Bean.

Punam documents and shares with future and past clients, and readers; wonderful pictures and moments she captures and also pieces of her life with her talented musician husband Andy Bean of The Two Men Gentlemen Band.

Her recent post is on her journey of how she came to be a wedding photographer, her love for her Husbone and her passion in capturing special moments of ordinary couples such Peter and myself.

Punam has a way with words and I love reading her posts - it's always hearfelt and not only do I get inspired about life and love - I get a dreamy, lovey feeling after reading it.

To read her post on how she became a wedding photographer... CLICK HERE!

Our Wedding (Part deux) by Whizarts Wedding Photography

We finally (thank you Raymond for lugging it back to NY) received all the pictures from our Penang wedding celebration... photo albums and prints from the bridal studio and all our pictures & this slide show from Ke Wynn. Enjoy...

Anniversary wishes...

Dearest Jerry & Andrea...
We wish you both a happy anniversary
and heartfelt wishes
for joyful happiness and love
in everything you do!

with love,
Sherene & Peter

Chele's Birthday

A day of birthdays...

Many happy returns of the day
and a
Happy Birthday to you Michele!!

lots of love,
XoXoX
Sher & Pete

* * * * *
Birthday wishes goes out to Joe Milizia as well as he celebrates his birthday on this special day!

Mary Anne & Dan's Wedding

Peter and I were in Fort Lauderdale over the weekend to attend Mare (Peter's cousin) and Dan's wedding on board Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas.

Here we are all dressed for the wedding. We boarded the ship as non-cruising visitors. Mom, Aunt Julie (Mare's mother), Aunt Mandy & Uncle Phillip all went along for the cruise as with some of Dan's family members and friends. If only Peter and I had some vacation days to tag along the cruise to the Carribean! :P

Legan/Zottoli Wedding

Congratulations Mare & Dan on tying the knot!

We wish you much happiness and joy as you begin your life as husband and wife.

XoXoX

Created with flickrSLiDR.