Pest Control

The pest control people are coming tomorrow. And every time they come, we’ve to find a place to ‘hide’ for the rest of the day coz the smell is too strong. So usually, we’ll go shopping or go to my BIL’s place to hang out till night time. Of coz the smell is still there, but at least it’s bearable.

We engage them every 2 to 3 months. Actually we can see some cockroaches in the house within a month after the service. But they are usually quite stoned and easy to whack. I’m really scared of cockroaches, especially those that can fly. So whenever I see one, I’ll shout for help and hubby will come to the rescue. If hubby’s not at home, my next saviour is Kakak. She’s not afraid of roaches, but is very afraid of lizards. So when it comes to lizards, I’ll be her heroine. hehehehe

Another nuisance in the house is ants. Once the chemicals wear out (normally 2-3 months’ time), I can see ants trails coming in through the kitchen window and door. I really hate those tiny ants. They’ll conquer your food within minutes if you leave them uncovered.

I’m actually worried about the chemical smell and how it can affect young children. According to the pest control people, it’s not harmful but may make them nauseous if exposed directly. How do you handle those pests in your house? Do you engage a pest control service or you use some products that can keep them away?

Mid-Autumn Festival 2007

My parents-in-law (PIL, from Johor) came on Saturday for a visit and to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival. We had dinner at home yesterday - buffet-style. We bought most of the food, just cooked some. There were 6 adults - my PIL, BIL (CB’s younger brother) and wife, CB and me, and 3 children - XY, CE and their cousin brother, CH. We had it outdoor, at the car porch, so we can eat, sip some tea and enjoy the full moon. Too bad it’s quite a hot night.

PIL bought Hello Kitty and Doraemon balloon lanterns for their grandchildren. The kids weren’t too interested to take lanterns. After awhile, they went inside to enjoy the air-cond and cartoon. Soon we followed suit and continued our mooncake session inside. Ahhh... what a heavy meal.

~ food prepared: No. 2 and No. 9 ~

~ Doraemon and Hello Kitty balloon lanterns ~

~ CE playing peek-a-boo ~

~ XY playing with her paper lantern ~

16 Months Old

Statistics
Weight - 10.4 kg (measured on 14-9-07)
Height - didn't take measurement at the clinic

Diet
About the same as last month. But for his morning snack, he takes 1 piece of bread now. Can even finish 2 pieces, especially after his ‘fasting’ episode when he had mouth ulcers.
His favourite food is Honeystar. When he had ulcers, he can’t eat nor drink coz he had difficulty swallowing but he can eat Honeystar. o.O

Sleep
Still the same... 2 naps a day. Total sleep time 11-12 hours.

Teeth
16 teeth in total. However, the 4 cuspids and 4 first molars have not come out completely yet.

Verbal
Nothing much has changed since last month. He’s not babbling much nor saying anything that sounds like words. So he’s communicating with gestures. He’ll point at things, indicating that he wants them. If he wants your attention, he’ll push your face (at the cheeks) to look at him.
On rare occasions, he’ll point at his diaper to tell us he wants to do his small or big business. Anyway, he now has a regular potty routine.
If he hurt himself like knocked his head or twisted his legs, he’ll come and rub his injured part and expect us to soothe him. So we’ve to kiss or sayang (touch) his head/leg then he’ll go and continue with whatever he was doing. If we ignore him, he'll shout at us. Yeah... he's the king of the house now.

Mobility
His most significant milestone achieved in the past month... walking! He’ll walk all over the house. From the living room to the kitchen, exploring everywhere. He’s still not a pro yet, so sometimes will just plop down on his buttocks.

Vocabulary
“Tuck!” That’s the only ‘word’ he knows. Everything is called “tuck”. No matter how hard I try to teach him, he’ll not repeat after me. I say “balloon.... bababalloooon”, he’ll say “tuck!” sigh...
Makes the ‘no more’ sign - palms opened and raised up to shoulder level (see picture above). He does this when his plate is empty or when we switch off the fan.

Music Skill
He likes to dance when he hears music. Will swing his hands horizontally at chest level (like doing the twist... hahaha).
He can shake his bum bum and bend his knees up and down without holding on to anything.

The Fake Bookworm

This little bookworm loves books. But he’s a fake coz he doesn’t read them. He loves to flip the pages. Flip each page from front to back. Close the book then flip again. He’s not very interested with what’s in the book. Whenever I try to teach him by pointing at an object, he’ll grab the book and flip the pages. So how to teach him leh?

He’ll flip any book that he can get his hands on. Sometimes he’ll accidentally tear it if he flipped too hard. Accidents usually happen to story books or ABC books... his kind of books. But when he’s flipping magazines or Astro guide or newspapers, he sometimes purposely tear the pages out. Naughty boy... destroy other’s stuff but not his own.

Word Verification

Yesterday I received a comment in a foreign language with many hyperlinks. For the first time, I got spammed. To avoid getting spams in the future, I’ve added 'word verification' in my comment settings. I hope you don’t mind typing the extra alphabets when leaving comments for me. Your understanding is much appreciated. Thank you! ;)

Cod Liver Oil

Hubby bought Scott’s Emulsion cod liver oil (original flavour) today. It comes with a free gift – a small orange umbrella. Just perfect! XY’s been asking us to get her an umbrella after seeing one at her cousin’s house.

After dinner, I gave the kids their first taste of cod liver oil. XY’s fine with it. But CE doesn’t really like it. I hope he’ll get used to it after a few tries. I don’t understand how come children love cod liver oil. I’ve tried it before and nearly vomited everything out, including the meal I ate earlier. Eww...

Now with this supplement that can "strengthen body’s natural resistance" (as written on the box), I hope we’ll have less visits to the clinic.

The ‘2’ Tag

Jesslyn tagged me on this. It’s been raining tags lately. Pheww.. luckily this one’s not too difficult. Just 2 only mah.

Two names you go by:
1) slavemom
2) ginie

Two things you are wearing right now:
1) t-shirt
2) shorts

Two things you would want (or have) in a relationship:
1) trust
2) sacrifice

Two things you like to do:
1) sleep
2) watch tv

Two things you want very badly at the moment:
1) sick-free kids
2) go for a holiday

Two things you did last night:
1) watched AOD
2) updated blog

Two things you ate today:
1) coconut tart
2) ang koo kuih

Two people you last talked to:
1) Kakak
2) CE

Two things you’re doing tomorrow:
1) eat
2) blog hop

Two favorite days of the week:
1) Saturday
2) Sunday

Two favorite holidays:
1) Chinese New Year
2) Christmas

Two favorite beverages:
1) milo
2) horlicks

Two things about me! Things you may not have known:
1) I’m very short-tempered
2) I have a bad habit of twirling my hair

Two jobs I have had in my life:
1) IT Consultant
2) Office Administrator

Two movies I would watch over and over: (and do)
1) Mrs Doubtfire
2) Barney shows (forced to!)

Two places I have lived:
1) Penang
2) Selangor

Two of my favorite foods:
1) prawn
2) crab

Two places I’d rather be right now:
1) in bed
2) bathroom (haven’t bathed yet after workout)

2 persons I’d like to tag:
1) Shireen
2) Sweetpea

Magical Flying Carpet Ride!

Thank you Anggie for sending the genies my way. My wish is your command? Fantastic! It's a very simple wish. Hope they can make mine come true.

***Start Copying Here***

Rules:

1. Write a short paragraph about your visit by the two Genies and include a link to the blog that passed on the Genie Symbol to you.
2. COPY the Rules and ENTIRE List below and post it on your blog.
3. List down your wish.
4. Place your name below the last name on the list and pass on the Genie Symbol to at least 5 other bloggers.
5. Please put up either one (or both) of the Symbols of the Genies on your blog to show that the Genies have visited your blog:

Genie Princess

Genie King


The Genie King, the Genie Princess and their trusty Genie Buddy have visited:
Mariuca would like to wish for happiness and success.
Adrian would like to wish for good health and happiness.
Emila would like to wish for happiness and success.
Trinity would like to wish good health for Jan’s brother and Yah and Wan and success.
MPG would like to wish for love and peace.
Jean would like to wish for stress free work environment and happiness.
Cbenc12 would like to wish for health, happiness and luck for my family and friends and me too!
Paris Beaverbanks would like to wish for more publicity! Hooyah! (taps swollen head)
Giddy Tiger would like to wish for longer weekends and never-ending holidays!
Shooi would like to wish for peace on earth, love, good health and happiness.
Chinnee would like to wish for happiness and good health forever!
Hui Sia would like to wish for love, health, wealth and happiness.
Chew Lee would like to wish hubby for a successful business venture in Singapore.
Anggie would like to wish for dream and wish come true.
Slavemom would like to wish for happiness and good health for her loved ones (and of coz for herself too!)

Welcome aboard the Magical Flying Carpet for the Ride of your Life!

Alakazam!

***End Copying Here***

Now the genies are off to make your wishes come true.
1. Wen
2. Healy
3. Hui Sia
4. Sharine
5. Zara's Mama

Most Embarrassing Moment

This is the most difficult tag I’ve received so far. Have to really crack my head this time as memory’s not serving me very well these days. Thanks Shireen, for adding a few white strands to my thinning crown. hehehehe Just kidding. This is a great opportunity to walk down memory lane.

Once upon a time... we were at a dim sum shop in Anson Road, Penang. It’s self service so you take the dim sum yourself from the table near the kitchen. Hubby was holding a tray and we both walked around to see what to take. From the corner of my eye, I saw a ‘tai chek lou’ (big-sized guy) holding a tray next to me. So I put a few plates of dim sum onto the tray. When I’m done with that section, I looked up and saw the man next to me wasn’t my hubby! Felt so embarrassed... took the plates out from his tray and apologised at the same time. That guy also one kind wan, people put wrongly he didn’t even voice out. I guess he must be stunned too. hahaha Lucky thing I didn’t hold his hand or worse, touch his b*tt. If not, I would’ve been sued for molestation! LOL

Please share with us your most embarrassing moment:
* Chanel
* Anggie

Brunch & Haircut

Yesterday we had bak kut teh (BKT) for brunch at Balakong. It’s only open in the day time. That’s why we didn’t get to try it for dinner the week before. In case you are wondering if we’re die-hard fans of BKT... well, we’re not. It’s just that there aren’t many choices for brunch around my area. So tired of the same food – noodles, dim sum, porridge. It’s a big headache to think of what to eat during weekends. Since we’ve not eaten BKT for quite some time already, we went to give it a try.

We ordered BKT and fish head cooked in ginger gravy (‘keong yung’). The soup is not very thick (which is fine with me) and it’s a little salty. But we liked the fish coz it’s fresh and tasted very good. The shop is actually a corner lot terrace house. So there aren’t many tables, less than 15 I think. It was packed on a Sunday morning (not sure about other days). We sat at a small table (that’s the only one available) so it was not very comfortable. Hubby said he’ll patronise the shop again for the fish, not BKT. And we must wait till we get a bigger table next time.

On our way home, I brought XY to the hair saloon to get a haircut. Luckily we didn’t have to wait long and the aunty cut her hair quite fast. I think we spent less than 15 minutes there. Have to be fast coz hubby was waiting in the car with CE and Kakak. That boy was very cranky during our meal coz he didn’t take his morning nap. Now XY’s hair is very short. At the moment, I don’t intend to keep her hair long coz this mummy very lazy to tie and manage her long hair. With short hair, just need to comb, comb, comb and off she goes. Sometimes don’t even need to comb. hehehehe

~ from short to very short hair ~

Nice Matters Award

Thank you so very muchie, Wen for this wonderful award. *hugz* Feel so happy and honoured. That’s the beauty of blogging. You meet lots of nice people who are kind, caring and generous. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve known each other or where you are, you can be very good friends.

The originator of the Nice Matters Award states that it is meant for “those that are just nice people, good blog friends, and those that inspire good feelings and inspiration! Those that care about others, that are there to lend support, or those that are just a positive influence in our blogging world!”

Every nice blogger out there deserves this award but since I can only award 7, here’s to Wen, Jazzmint, Tracy, Rachel, Michelle, Jesslyn and Sharine.

8 Random Facts About My Mum

Got double tagged by Sharine and Wen. Here’s to the woman I love, respect and admire.

1. My mum’s a very capable woman. When we were still children, she can run the coffee shop business all on her own when my father was a little slack in his duties... a one-(wo)man-show.
   


2. As she’s a very understanding woman, there’s minimum MIL-DIL conflict in the house.
   


3. She has 6 brothers and 1 sister, and she’s no. 5.
   


4. She has always been chauffeured around. She had a driving license when she was young but never used it. After awhile, she stopped renewing it.
   


5. My mom’s not a good cook. Well, she doesn’t cook often as she’s busy with the coffee shop business. I think she has no interest (nor time) in cooking. This is definitely something I take after her. So you can guess that I’m quite a lousy cook. :D
   


6. Unlike most women, my mom’s not into shopping. She’d only go shopping if there’s something to buy.
   


7. She’s not interested to go for holidays or tours. She likes to visit family and relatives but not places of interest.
   


8. She used to drink Tiger Stout during wedding dinners. Don’t play play! But of coz not now when she’s 60+.

Horrendous Ulcer

CE’s fever has subsided on Wednesday but he has not been eating or drinking much these 2 days. Went to see the doctor again this morning. His throat is still a little red. As for his ear infection, the left ear has improved but it has spread to the right side.

He’s got ulcers all over his mouth and tongue. No wonder he’s in pain every time he tried to swallow, even his own saliva. So he’s drooling a lot coz he doesn’t close his mouth. In just 2 days, he’s lost 200g... so pitiful. Doctor said the ulcers may take a week to clear (oh no!) but the pain may not be so intense as time goes (thankfully). My heart sinks every time I see him in pain when he tries to eat or drink something. I’m praying hard the pain will become bearable so that he can at least drink his milk as normal.

Sick Again :(

August was a terrible month for the kids, health wise. They’ve been sick on and off. XY has just recovered from fever (which luckily lasted for just a day). And CE had high fever due to ear infection and red throat.

His fever started on Monday night. His temperature was at 38+ºC. It’d go down after taking paracetamol or the suppository but when it came back, it’s very high. Yesterday it hit a high of 40.2ºC. Thank goodness it has subsided today.

He gave me a scare at 5+ yesterday evening. His finger nails and toe nails turned blue black. He was also shivering. His temperature was 39ºC. Luckily he was still acting normal... not drowsy. After half an hour or so, the nails turned pinkish again. Brought him to see the doctor at night. Doctor said his throat is very red. He prescribed antibiotics.

I’m still very tired and sleepy now as he woke up at 3am and didn’t really sleep after that. He’s crying and whining non-stop. His throat must be very sore as he doesn’t even want his milk. Whenever he swallow, can see that he’s in pain. I think he’s got ulcers too. Took the drop and medicine for sore throat from the doctor this morning. Hope it’ll relieve the pain fast. It’s really disheartening to see him like this. It’s the first time he’s having such bad sore throat. To the extend he doesn’t want to eat or drink anything. Will tomorrow be a better day?

Milwaukee Steak Corner

We wanted to try the bak kut teh that Chin Nee blogged about earlier. So yesterday night, off we went to Balakong in search of AmBank. When we turned into the shoplots where CB thought has an AmBank, we didn’t see it. Then we passed by Milwaukee Steak Corner (same row as Public Bank) which was quite packed with people. Anyway, food outlets are normally packed on Sunday nights. Decided to try that instead.

CB ordered a mushroom soup and spaghetti carbonara (seafood). The soup was delicious and it came in a big bun. So you can’t simply tear the bun to eat or you’ll spill the soup! I had New Zealand lamb tenderloins. Nice too... juicy and tender. And XY had Baby Smurfs – ABC fries, 2 tiny sausages, ham, egg and baked beans. All her favourite food, so she ate properly and finished everything. The servings are just right. So we had a good dinner and still able to move after that. :D The price is reasonable but for that kind of ambience and settings, I’d say it’s not cheap.

On our way back, we saw an AmBank and turned in to see. I think we found the bak kut teh shop (a corner house converted into a restaurant) but it’s closed. Guess they don’t operate at night. Eat you next time!

Bouncing Fun

As mentioned here, we bought a trampoline recently. Actually, XY was the deciding factor when we bought it. I’ve seen one in XY’s kindy. So I suppose it’s safe enough for her to use. It’s also a good way for her to release some of her energy. Sometimes I just can't stand her being so active! It can keep her occupied and at the same time, tire her out a bit. Anyway, she loves to jump on it.

Even didi’s curious with the big round thing. He’ll climb onto it, try to bounce, but couldn’t move. Then climb down, and climb back up again. He must be wondering how come jie jie can bounce so high but he’s not moving at all. hehehe

Uninvited Visitor

A visitor came to my house uninvited on Wednesday. My maid was the one who spotted it... in her room! Luckily she was not inside when she saw it otherwise she would have freaked out. I suspect it came in through my kitchen door. Another entrance is through the room window. But can it climb vertical on the wall?

My maid is so afraid of it. So I came to the rescue. What to do... the only man in the house is only 15 months old. :D I used the magic mop’s long stick to chase it out of her room. It was not easy coz it hid under her wardrobe. Luckily it’s the PVC type so I can move it about or lift it up. After much drama and effort (and guts... hehehe... drama coz got 2 ladies screaming whenever it tried to dart towards us), I finally managed to get it out of the house. Unfortunately, it ran into the drain and hid in the hole. And it’s still there today. Every time we open the back door, it’ll run back to the drain. Want to catch it and dispose it elsewhere but don’t know how. Sigh... how can we get rid of it without causing any harm?

Can you guess what I'm talking about? Taaadaaa! Here's the uninvited visitor.

~ look at its long tail ~

After CB saw the picture, he said it's a biawak (monitor lizard). I don’t know where it came from but my housing area is like a jungle. We’ve spotted a snake and a 2-feet iguana before. Must be from the empty lot nearby that has thick bushes. A snake was caught in my neighbour’s house a few months back. Scary hor?

Ice Cream

We passed by a Baskin-Robbins (BR) outlet last Friday. As BR has the 31% discount on the 31st of the month, I wanted to try their ice cream. I don’t remember eating BR before. We'd usually go to Häagen-Dazs for premium ice cream... which is not often. :p

It was an eye-opener. They have a queuing system where you’ve to take a number and wait for your turn. Wah... felt like I was in a bank or government offices. Anyway, I think it’s a good system as you don’t have to wait in line. Can sit comfortably and wait for your number to be called.

Here’s the process:
Take no. --> No. called --> Make order --> Pay --> Collect ice cream
Simple, right? But I spent almost half an hour at the outlet although there were only 4 customers before me. Well, it takes time to decide what you want to buy. There’re so many flavours to choose from. Then you also have to wait for them to pack your ice cream. Some are quite hard to scoop out coz they've just been taken out from the freezer. And to make matters worse, impatient hubby’s waiting in the car with the kids. So every second counts!

Would I take advantage of their discount again? I don’t know, but definitely not when hubby’s waiting. By the way, I only bought 2 pints. *pai seh* Not enough savings for the long wait hor?

Workout Regime

I’ve not been exercising for 2 years already. I took up yoga for a few months but stopped due to a back injury and soon after, I was pregnant with CE. So I’m really deprived of exercise. I know there are some exercises that can be done at home but I’m just not motivated to do it alone.

With age catching up and high cholesterol, I have to start exercising again. We bought a trampoline recently. I had my first session of bouncing this morning. It lasted 20 minutes, with breaks in between... to play the MP3 songs on my PC. I think it’s a good start. I really hope I can keep to this workout regime for a long long time. Boink... Boink... Boink...

Cheers!

CE was introduced to straw drinking early this week. He didn’t know how to suck at first. He just put the straw in his mouth and drank nothing. After half a day of trying, he succeeded.

Very excited with his new skill, he kept drinking and drinking from the water bottle. On some days, he can finish 2 bottles of water, which is good coz he normally doesn’t drink much plain water. His diapers are very full whenever I change him. I wonder how long this fascination will last.