Building Blocks

Careful....careful....

Push! The tower is falling down now! 

Yay! I like the feeling of building and destroying.

Everything is under control, mum.
By the way, did you manage to take a snap on my masterpiece just now?

The Five People You Meet in Heaven

The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a novel by Mitch Albom. It recounts the life and death of an old maintenance man named Eddie. After dying trying to save a little girl, Eddie finds himself in heaven where he encounters five people who have significantly affected his life.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven was published in 2003 by Hyperion, and remained on the New York Times Best Seller list for 95 weeks. 

Plot Summary
On his 83rd birthday, Eddie (Voight), a war vet and a maintenance worker at the Ruby Pier amusement park, dies while trying to save a girl who is sitting under a falling ride. When he awakens in the afterlife, he encounters five people with ties to his corporeal existence who help him understand the meaning of his life.


Full Story line
The story opens with Eddie, in his twilight years, working as a maintenance man at Ruby Pier. Ruby Pier has been a constant location in his life: his father worked there before him and he used to play there as a child and teenager. It is here that he dies, trying to save a girl from a falling cart on a broken ride.

The first person Eddie meets in heaven is "The Blue Man", real name Joseph Corvelzchik. When Eddie was a boy he stepped out into the street causing Joseph to swerve and crash. This caused him to have a heart attack and affected his life connecting him to Eddie eternally.

The second person Eddie meets is "The Captain," Eddie's commanding officer in the Philippines during World War II. In life, the Captain had made a promise to his troops: No man gets left behind. He makes good on this promise one day by saving Eddie's life, shortly after which he is killed by a land mine.

Ruby is the third person Eddie meets. As a young woman, Ruby's husband Emile sought to capture her eternal youth and the happiness of their marriage by building an amusement park in her name: Ruby Pier. Emile injures himself in a firework accident at the pier and subsequently meets Eddie's father in the hospital. Because of this, she is able to recount to him his father’s final living moments. Ruby helps Eddie understand the importance of forgiveness.

Eddie's fourth meeting is with Marguerite, his wife. Eddie recalls their life together, simple but happy, until the events of Eddie's 39th birthday. After an argument Marguerite attempts to drive to Eddie to apologize for yelling at him on his birthday, but she never made it — instead, a terrible car accident put her in the hospital. After that tragic event, Eddie and Marguerite's marriage changed. They often sat in silence that was permeated by sullen tension. As time passed, however, they were eventually able to overcome their emotional disconnection and became loving companions once again. In Heaven, Marguerite teaches him about their love, bringing him consolation.

The final person Eddie meets is Tala, a young girl Eddie saw in a burning hut during the war in the Philippines. He tried to run into the hut to save the child but was stopped, shot in the leg by his captain, thus saving Eddie's life. In heaven, Tala teaches Eddie that he had a big role in keeping people safe at Ruby Pier and should know that his life was useful in many ways.

Eventually, Eddie drifts away to his own personal heaven: Ruby Pier and he reunites with Marguerite atop a Ferris wheel at Ruby Peir. (copied from Wikipedia)

A different story line. I wonder if this is true, who will be the 5 people I meet then?

Merry-go-round

Yoohoo! I'm a cowboy girl. Yee hah!

Hello, mummy~

Mummy, I think I saw something weird over there.

1st experience for my princess to sit on the mini carousel (Merry-Go-Round). She was so excited and happy. Nice memory for all as she can stay put at one place for quite some time. ^^

Munchy at Imperial Shopping Mall, Miri

Walking with Mickey Mouse Toddler Harness in the shopping mall.
Let my princess lead the way. 

Suddenly, she just stopped and looked up for a  very long time.

Full concentration without complaining neck-ache.

This is the TV she was starring at. The Munchy's advertisement. 

Oh dear! She is totally into the advertisement. Look at her wide opened mouth!
I am just glad that she doesn't know how to make us buy anything she wants yet.
Poisonous + brain washing advertisement. Better avoid it next time. 

Shopping with my princess, Miri (23-month-old)

Tip-toeing in order to push the shopping cart which is higher than her. 

"Mummy, please don't take my photo!"

"Let's go, daddy. Sorry for the delay."

"Huh?! Mummy is still..."

"Mummy!!! Please stop taking my photo! Give me a break! I need some privacy! "

I am a spinning top

Let me teach you how to shorten the belt of the harness and become a toddler spinning top. 

It's easy. Just turn around, and around, and around.

If daddy pull the harness belt, I can be a spinning top. Hahaha!

Princess with her Mickey Mouse Toddler Harness

Wow! Canon cameras....

This one looks nice!

Can my sweet smile change for one camera, daddy?

Hey, I think I saw a better one....

So many choices....

Life is full of choices. And it starts from very early age.

23-month-old princess with her Mickey Mouse Toddler Harness + Sesame Street Elmo shoes. Her favorite characters makes her shopping goes perfect. Happy mood throughout the day! ^^

Sweet Memories with Sesame Street Friends, Singapore

Silly face with Cookie Monster

Yes! This is my Cookie Monster!

Cookie Monster, let me drive you to somewhere which is fun. Vroom  vroom...

Look! I have teeth but Oscar doesn't. 

He can laugh like this, I can laugh like that. Hahaha!

Have to be serious while driving....

Hahahah! It's so FUN!!

Computer Expert

Hmm...Let's see...

I just need to type in what I want and...

....click 'Search'.

I want to close this tab. Opps. I forgot this it not a touch-screen computer.

Key-in the numbers of copies I want for this item.

Oh. I had changed my mind. I want something else. Let's search it again.

My princess's first International (flight) trip is to Singapore before her 2-year-old birthday this year (excluding her countless Brunei trip of course). We brought her to the National Library and she loves being there. The books are wonderful and the facilities are great! She spent a long time playing the computer too. The way she 'plays' the computer is quite gentle and she did look like a IT specialist. Haha~! ^^

Meal time at 龙的传人, Mid Valley

Some shots of my princess enjoying her food. She knows how to dig the paste from the bun and enjoyed slowly. Are you curious on what bun was she eating?

Tadah~ It is this beautiful and cute piggy. (Steamed bun with red bean paste). This little fellow (Mrs. Piggy) come in a pair. My princess had managed to take one and now left this lonely piggy in the tray.

Let's see what happened to Mr. Piggy after my girl tried to finish it with her spoon?

No Mercy! Yucks!