Langkawi Trip Dec '08 (Part II)

...continued from here...

Day 2
We drove out for breakfast. But there wasn't much choice nearby so we settled for mamak food at Telaga Harbour Park (where The Loaf is). Nice and cheap.

The only itinerary that I've planned for this trip is the cable car ride. When we were at the ticket counter, we're told we've to wait for 2 hours. We can't see how big the crowd was as they were all queueing on the upper floor. But to wait in line for 2 hours with 2 restless kids? No way! So we decided to come back later (in the evening, when there's usually not so many people).

While in Oriental Village, we visited the deer farm (only 3 deers). I bought a packet of deer food for the kids to feed them. But the deers were really hungry (or greedy?) as one came to 'disturb' me when it saw that I've a packet in my hand. The kids weren't afraid of the deers but didi doesn't know how to feed them as he kept his fist clenched. The poor deer could only lick his fist.


Since we've no other programs for the day, we decided to go hotel hopping (as it's not suitable to go island hopping with young kids). We dropped by The Datai. It's really secluded. The long stretch of road leading to the hotel is surrounded by nothing but trees. It'd be quite eerie to drive there at night. Nothing impressive about the hotel from our short tour. The beach is not in sight, it's so far down from the swimming pool (we didn't explore further in the hot sun).

On our way to town for lunch, we stopped by a waterfall (Air Terjun Temurun), just to look see look see and take pictures. When we're in town, a lot of shops were closed coz it was a Friday (a weekend in Kedah. Their Fridays are equivalent to our Sundays). We managed to find a Chinese restaurant and ordered rice with dishes. The food's okay and their pricing is like KL's.

Next stop, The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa. Hubby said the view here is much nicer compared to our hotel's. There're 3 swimming pools and the kids pool is so much bigger too.


It was almost 6 pm so we decided to try the cable car ride again. The last ride up is 7 pm. We didn't have to queue at all to go uphill. We stopped at Middle Station to snap some pictures before going all the way up. But at the Top Station, a lot of people were queueing to go downhill. The sun was almost setting but we didn't witness it as we didn't want to go down too late. It's getting dark and the wind's getting stronger. There's foot reflexology and hand-waxing (that's still operating at that time) at 705m above sea level but we didn't try any of it. Busy lining up.


We had dinner at Telaga Harbour Park. It's on our way back to the hotel. We had spanish food in Tapaz. Nice food. But I don't understand why they only accept cash. In a tourist spot, you can't expect tourist to carry so much cash with them, right? And the food's quite pricey too.


We've been out the whole day, so we're all dead tired by the time we're back in the room. A quick shower and zzzzz.

Day 3
In the morning, PaPa spotted many monkeys from our balcony. They were all hanging around the tree by the beach. Apparently they are a common sight at the resort. There are 2 species, black ones and brown ones. Suddenly a brown monkey appeared on our roof. We quickly went back into our room and closed the balcony door. That monkey was very daring. It came down and stood by the balcony door. So the kids and the monkey were separated by the glass door. Then it showed us its fierce look when XY tapped the door. I heard from the staff that the brown ones are more fierce than the black ones. Now we've experienced one up-close and personal.

After a tiring Day 2, we decided to relax in the hotel. We had late breakfast at the same mamak shop. Then back to the hotel for the kids to have some water play at the pool.


The hotel has a Kids Club so we checked the place out. There are many toys and a tv where the kids can watch CDs/DVDs or play PSP. There's an outdoor playground but not many equipments. You can leave your child at the Kids Club if he/she is above 4 years old. The lady on duty was very friendly. She even offered to look after the kids if we want to go back to take a rest.

We went for a snack (sandwich and spaghetti) at Feast restaurant before bringing the kids back to the room for a nap. While I napped with the kids, PaPa went exploring on his own. Went to check out the Fitness Centre, sauna and had coffee in the pool.


After our nap, brought the kids to the other side of the resort where the Fitness Centre is. Not many people at this beach, just us and another family. Didi still doesn't like sand but he likes to play with the sea water. But he doesn't want to stand on his own, so PaPa had to carry him. We cleaned ourselves in the Fitness Centre and headed straight for dinner at Captain's Grill, which is just next to the centre. We sat on the boardwalk. But there wasn't much to see - too dark.

We went for a car ride to Pantai Cenang area after our showers. There are many shops, restaurants and pubs along the road. The place is quite happening. Drove all the way to Awana Porto Malai but didn't get down to walk around. That's our last night there.

Day 4
We had buffet breakfast in Feast. Food was ok, but not as much variety as their dinner spread. Initially we wanted to let the kids have some water fun before going back to pack our things. But we spent too much time at the restaurant (waiting for them to cook the food).

I asked PaPa to bring the kids to the Kids Club so that I can pack in peace. Gosh, there were so many things to pack, especially dirty clothes. Didn't buy any souvenirs. Just some chocolates. After we checked out, we saw some black monkeys outside the lobby, on the trees. One was carrying a baby and I overheard the staff saying that she's never seen one carrying a baby at such close range. So we quickly snapped the mother eating leaves while the baby hugged her. We joked that our camera was full of monkey photos, hairy and non-hairy ones. hahaha

~ hairy monkeys ~

The Air Asia flight back to KL was delayed. Same case with our flight to Langkawi. It seemed as though every time we took an AA flight, it's delayed. So frustrating. Really not worth taking their flight unless you manage to get free tickets or super low fares.

That's the end of our Langkawi trip. Overall, it was quite relaxing. The kids sure enjoyed themselves and the parents weren't too tired. We spent more time in the hotel so we didn't have to run around (visit places) with kids that can get tired and cranky easily without enough rest.

Uber Amazing Award

Just remembered I got this award some time back, before I went for my holiday. Thanks, Fussy Mum! I'm truly honoured.


So here are the rules:

*start copy here*

Uber (synonym to Super) Amazing Blog Award is a blog award given to sites who: inspires you, makes you smile and laugh, or maybe gives amazing information, a great read, has an amazing design, and any other reasons you can think of that makes them uber amazing!

The rules of this award are: Put the logo on your blog or post, nominate at least 5 blogs (can be more) that for you are Uber Amazing, let them know that they have received this Uber Amazing award by commenting on their blog, share the love and link to this post and to the person you received your award from.

*end copy here*

Would like to dedicate this award to all of you with Uber Amazing Blogs!

Langkawi Trip Dec '08 (Part I)

Time flies especially fast when you're on a holiday. Our 4D/3N trip to Langkawi zoomed by so fast that before we know it, we're back home already.

Day 1
Upon reaching Langkawi airport, we rented a car. Car rental's cheaper there (as compared to Penang and KL) so we rented a Nissan Sentra 1.6. Check-in at Sheraton Langkawi Beach Resort was very leisurely. We sat at the lounge, enjoying the complimentary drink (lemonade, I think) while they processed our check-in. They brought the form for hubby to sign so we just sat and relax there. At some point, I just let my 2 monkeys run loose at the lobby.

welcome drinks & Christmas tree in the lobby

We rode a buggy to our room. If you're lazy to walk, you can ring for their buggy service. According to them, you'll need to wait 10 - 15 minutes. But most of the time, we didn't ask for the buggy when we go out. The walk to the lobby is only about 5 minutes. We usually rode the buggy back to our room from the lobby, with short waiting time. So far, we only asked for the buggy upon check-out. And it came within 5 minutes.

By the time we reached our room, it was about 5 pm. Tried to get the kids to nap but they refused. Our room has a private balcony overlooking the sea and it's on the first floor. Although it's facing the sea, it's called a Partial Sea View room coz it was blocked by trees. I think the rooms (max 2-storey high) are scattered all over the resort but good thing we're quite near to the lobby and restaurants. The room has a wooden interior and the wooden floor is very slippery. And it creaks too! I wondered if the guests staying downstairs could hear the kids jumping, running, rolling or sliding on the floor. :p

There's a window between the bedroom and washroom, where you can
see the bathtub and basin. Further in are the shower stall and WC.

The beds are called The Sheraton Sweet Sleeper Bed. But we don't
find anything 'super' about them. :D I like their soft pillows though.

Hubby went out to a nearby petrol station and bought some bread and biscuits. We had some snacks then brought the kids to the beach. It wasn't nice as the sand are very coarse and there're pieces of broken shells all over. Was afraid of getting cuts on the feet, especially the kids'. I had brought along the sand play set. Thought the kids would enjoy building sand castles. But didi doesn't like sand at all. He refused to step on them. As a first-timer, he didn't like sea water too. Jie jie, on the other hand, was very excited. She went into the water with PaPa and played with sand.

Since didi doesn't like the beach, we went to the kids swimming pool. The water was very cold as it was already 7 pm and it was very windy too. The kids played for a short while then headed back to the room to shower. Too tired and lazy to drive out for dinner, we ate at the restaurant (Feast). The food was not very nice, too salty. The noodles that I ordered from the kids menu came in such a big serving that even I can't finish it myself. PaPa had buffet which has a lot of variety but didn't taste fantastic.

...to be continued...

Here's wishing you and your family
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year !

Absolutely Satisfied

Just before leaving for the airport last Thursday, the courier man came with the photos that I've sent for printing at eoe Online. Although the taxi was waiting outside, I couldn't resist to take a peep at the photos. I was very satisfied with what I saw. At a quick glance, the photos came out very nice.


Now that I'm back from my holiday, I took a good look at the photos and the print quality is very good. At first, I had some doubts on the print quality. But now that I've got hold of the end product, I am very satisfied. The glossy paper used produces high quality photo prints with excellent colour reproduction. I know it's hard to believe that you can get such quality prints at the price you're paying. You've just got to try them yourself to believe it.

I'm also very impressed that they were able to fulfil my special request of printing the date the photos were taken, at the specified corner. I was having a hard time setting this up with the printing software that I used to print my photos at home. Now with this printing service from eoe, I don't have to fiddle with user-unfriendly printing software, buy my own papers or wait for the photos to dry after printing. I don't even have to spend too much time selecting which photos to print as their online print promotion of RM0.30 for 4R and RM0.50 for 5R are just so affordable. Would I use their service again? Definitely!

31 Months Old

~ dip, dip and eat ~

Food Lover
He loves rice and noodles. When we eat out, he prefers to eat plain white rice than the food that we've prepared from home. And he looked as if he's really enjoying his food. It's quite easy to fulfil his hunger when we eat out or on holiday. He eats most stuff and food that definitely won't go wrong are rice and noodles/spaghetti.

Little Parrot
After watching so many episodes (including repeats) of WordWorld on PHDC, he can now spell some musical instruments. G-U-I-T-A-R... guitar! T-U-B-A... tuba! H-O-R-N... horn! But don't know why he can't really get drum right. He goes D-U-B-A... drum! hahaha

His vocabulary has improved a whole lot although he's still speaking in short sentences like "PaPa and jie jie sleeping", "Didi eat biscuit", "You see, no more phone" (after hiding my phone under his hanky), and a lot more. I can't keep track of what he says anymore.

His singing has improved too. Now he doesn't just sing the last word of the sentences but most of the words. He makes song requests too. His current favourites are Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Wheels On The Bus (while making circle movements with his finger) and Happy Birthday.

Safety Patrol
He likes to wear safety belt when we're in the car. If there's no car seat, he prefers to sit on his own (instead of sitting on our lap) and strap himself in. He even asked me to put on mine when I leaned forward, helping PaPa with the directions when we were in Langkawi. "Mommy, wear belt. PaPa driving." :-|

PaPa's Boy
He's getting more attached to PaPa. When we are out, he wants PaPa to carry him, sometimes rejecting me. But when it comes to bedtime, he only wants me. So PaPa's very happy for being wanted and Mommy's very happy for having a little more time without the clinging koala bear.

Handphone Keeper
I've got my very own personal handphone keeper. Whenever he sees my phone lying around on the table or sofa, he'll bring it to me. Or when he sees the lights blinking (incoming call as it's usually set to silent mode) or hears the beep (incoming sms), he'll inform me about it.

Others
The first thing he does when he comes down in the morning is to switch on the tv by himself.
He's not so resistant to brushing his teeth anymore. He lets me brush his upper teeth now. He used to tell me it's painful.
He's very "helpful", to the extent of wanting to help us remove our shirt or pants. Sometimes he'll take out clothes from the wardrobe when we want to change.
It's still impossible to get him to take medicine willingly.

Didi Is *tooot*

I'm so relieved! There was no additional 'casualty' at home. Both kids are *tooot*. In case you're wondering why the censorship, it's because I don't want to jinx it. Very the pantang one. hehehe So I'd better keep my big mouth shut.

As for me, I'm still coughing. Didn't manage to recover fully in time. But usually cough will take a longer time to recover. Oh well, never mind, I can live with that. Most importantly the kids are *tooot*.

All packed and ready to go. We'll have lunch at home before leaving for the airport. See you all next week. You have a great week too!

Langkawi, here we come!

The Masked Woman

Timing couldn't be worse to fall sick as we're leaving for Langkawi in a few days' time. XY's fever started on Saturday morning and it hit all time high in the wee hours of Sunday (40ºC). She's not been having fever higher than 39ºC for many years already. Apart from fever, she showed no other symptoms. So I was really worried. After putting in the suppository, I dabbed her with a cold hanky. The temperature went down a bit. Luckily her fever broke the next morning. Phew...

This is how I look like at home, unless I'm eating or bathing. I even wear this when sleeping as I don't want to pass the germs to the kids, especially didi. I started to have sore throat on Friday and it got really bad on Saturday night. I had the whole package of sore throat, cough, fever and my whole body ached.

Yesterday, XY and I went to see the doctor together (a GP coz her paediatrician was away). The "never mind" doctor was very "reassuring". Everything also he said "Never mind. It's normal. It'll heal by itself." I have a feeling he's the type that doesn't encourage medication (for mild cases) and prefers the body to fight on its own. He diagnosed XY with viral fever (which is common, according to him). He just advised her to drink lots of water and if the fever persists for 4 or 5 days, get a blood test. (Duh... can you please tell me something I don't know?)

As for me, he said I've got bacterial infection. I was surprised my throat wasn't red, just some ulcers. He said I don't really need antibiotics as it'll heal in 4 to 5 days' time. But I asked for it (I normally would refrain from taking them) as I wanted to get well fast. My biggest worry now is didi. If he gets infected, how are we going for our holiday? And at his age, recovery will be slow. So even though it's not very comfortable, I've become the Masked Woman.

Printing Made Easy

I have so many photos of the kids in the hard disk so I decided to do a little project some time back. I bought two photo albums, 1 for jie jie and 1 for didi. But there are thousands of photos. It took a lot of time to go through them and select which ones to print. That's why my project, which started more than a year ago, has been abandoned.

When I read about this home-grown Malaysian site called eoe Online that provides printing online, I was really thrilled. I can make orders via their website and the photos are delivered to my doorstep. Talk about convenience! I'm even more thrilled because their charges are really low. You can print 4R and 5R photos at 30 sen and 50 sen respectively. Wow! Their pricing is just unbelievable! That's so much cheaper than using my colour printer at home. And if you order above RM35, you get free delivery. Isn't that great?

XY is already 5 years old but I've only selected and printed the photos up till her first birthday. I haven't even started on didi's album. However, with eoe's pricing, I don't have to spend so much time selecting the photos as I can now afford to print more.

Apart from ordering prints online, you can shop online for a wide range of photographic products. There are also camera reviews and competitions with attractive prizes. I've already sent in my orders for printing. I'm very glad my little project is back on track.

The Fun Google Tag

I got this fun tag from Mummy Gwen and Doreen.

"The rules are simple. Use Google Image to search the answers to the questions below. Then you must choose a picture in the first page of the results, and post it as your answer. After that tagged 7 people."

1. The age of my next birthday


2. A place I'd like to travel to


3. A favourite place


4. A favourite thing


5. A favourite food


6. A favourite colour


7. The city I live in


8. The city I was born in


9. A nickname I had


10. College Major


11. Name of first lover


12. A bad habit


13. A hobby


14. Current wish list (max. 3 items)


Here's tagging Adrine, Hazel, MummyInVain, Rose, Oliveoylz, Mery & Irene. Hope you girls have fun!

Art Workshop

XY went for a 3-hour art workshop organised by her kindy on Thursday. She made and decorated a box. When I fetched her home, she told me she wanted to bring it along on our holiday - to put the shells she's collected from the beach. And when I told her the box will get squashed during the long journey (it's made of manila cardboard, quite flimsy actually), she said she'll hold them herself. Looks like she's had it all thought out. :D

She's also painted an apron. I thought she painted the one she used. But she was given a new apron to paint. The teacher drew the picture on it, then she painted it herself.

~ fruity apron and ladybird box ~

For RM38, she got to have some fun, a box and an apron. And I got a peaceful and quiet morning. :D

Complete The Sentence Tag

This tag comes from a very "old" friend of mine. Thanks Oliveoylz!

1. Life is full of surprises.

2. I smile when I feel like it.

3. I can't sleep when I'm excited.

4. I love the smell of new notes.

5. When I can't sleep, I get up to watch tv.

6. I often dream about anything under the sun.

7. I get irritated when my 5-year-old cries for no valid reasons.

8. I like the sound of baby's laughter.

9. People often call me when my handphone's not by my side.

10. I wish I could live life with no regrets.

11. The best creation in the world is the internet.

12. 1st 3 words that comes to my mind: good health always.

13. I've discovered that the whole department/staff must be split into different flights when you're going for a company trip.

14. When I'm in love, I give my all.

15. A baby is born with a lifetime's responsibility for the parents.

16. Before I met my husband, I had to buy my own perfume.

17. A good marriage requires communication, sacrifice and compromise.

18. I dislike watching movies with sad endings.

19. I say 'I Love You' not often enough.

20. My favourite subject in school was Maths.

I'm passing this tag to :
Mummy Moon, Doreen and Sting

Shopping Sunday

Last Sunday, it was shopping day at Mid Valley Megamall (MV). Mission of the day was to get a scooter for XY. That's her "official" reward for doing well in kindy. Anyway, we just used that as a reason, hoping she'd be motivated about learning and school. But while we're at Toys"R"Us, we bought a few more things for her.

First thing we did when we reached MV (at 12+) was to have lunch. We had a satisfactory meal at Madam Kwan's - Nasi Bojari, beef rendang and sambal petai with prawns. Ordered fish and chips for XY. Didi ate steamed white rice and a bit of fish and chips. He preferred the plain rice than his home-cooked steamed egg.

After lunch, we went to look for the scooter. XY liked the pink ones with 3 wheels but they're rather small for her height. So we got her the metal type with 2 wheels. It's not easy to balance but I guess with more practice, she'll get the hang of it.

~ XY's scooter and pink helmet ~

Apart from the scooter, we also bought a safety helmet and toy handphone (with sound and light and comes with a cute pouch) for her. In preparation for our coming beach holiday (going to Langkawi Island in the middle of the month, yay!), we bought the sand playset and Max Liquidator (a water pump that shoots up to 30 feet, to be played in the pool).

We went to Jusco next. Didi fell asleep in his stroller (which rarely happens) while we were there. PaPa offered to let me go shopping while he took over the stroller (with didi sleeping inside, of course). So I went back into Jusco with XY and 2 maids (was maid-sitting for BIL last weekend). After 2 hours, I was RM150 poorer. And I've got 3 t-shirts and 3 shorts for myself and a Puma t-shirt for XY. Not too bad, right? :D

Didi has just woken up when we met up with PaPa. Since it was a little early for dinner, we went for a walk at The Gardens. Wanted to see what to have for dinner. But we ended up eating at Dome Cafe in MV. The restaurant was rather empty. I wonder how long they can survive.

Alphabet Tag

Thank you Mummy Moon for this easy tag.

A. Attached or single? Attached
B. Best friend? Very lucky to have more than 1
C. Cake or pie? Cake
D. Day of choice? Holidays
E. Essential item? Money
F. Favorite color? Blue
G. Gummy bears or worms? Definitely not worms
H. Hometown? Penang
I. Favorite indulgence? Junk food
J. January or July? January, a new beginning
K. Kids? Two
L. Life isn’t complete without? A loving family
M. Marriage date? 01/01/01 (ROM)
N. Number of magazine subscriptions? None
O. Orange or apple? Apple
P. Phobias? Kids falling sick
Q. Quotes? Don't do to others what you don't want others do unto you
R. Reasons to smile? Anytime I feel like it, don't need a reason :-)
S. Season of choice? Can't decide coz haven't experienced all
T. Tag 5 people Wen, Ling, Dora, Oliveoylz & Alicia
U. Unknown factS about me? Violent :-|
V. Vegetable? Have to eat coz they make you healthy
W. Worst habit? Indecisiveness
X. X-ray or ultrasound? Ultrasound
Y. Your favorite food(s)? Crab, prawns, dim sum
Z. Zodiac sign? Scorpio

Wondah Woman & Lemonade Awards

I received these 2 lovely awards from Mummy Gwen. Thank you very much!

The rules of this award:

* Put the logo on your blog.
* Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
* Let them know that they received this award by commenting on their blog.
* Share the love and link to this post.

Would like to share some lemonade with these Wondah Women. ;-)
Anggie, Jacss and SueSue

8 Random Things About Me

I owe Mummy Gwen this tag for quite some time already. I've done it last year, but would like to share more about me so we can get to know each other better. Apart from this 8 Random Facts About Me, here's another 8 :

1. I feel guilty if I don't brush my teeth at night. So sometimes if I've fallen asleep with the kids, I'll get up to brush them if I happen to wake up in the middle of the night, even at 3am. Siao or not?

2. I attended 2 years of kindergarten (2 different kindy), which is quite rare for my generation. I don't know, maybe my parents thought I'm a nuisance staying at home. LOL

3. My ambition when I was in secondary school was to be a policewoman. Too much influence from the Hong Kong TVB series at that time, especially with very good looking male cops. :p

4. I'm rather quiet, a person with few words. My girl definitely didn't inherit this trait of mine. When in a big group, I tend to be the listener. Maybe in a one-on-one conversation, I'll have more things to say. :D

5. I have sweaty palms. Very troublesome during school examinations (need to bring along hanky) and rather embarrassing when need to shake hands with people or hold hands on dates.

6. Since I got my motorcycle license at 18 years old, it has been my common mode of transportation till I started working in KL. I'd go anywhere in Penang on my bike. And during my Uni days, I'd go around campus on my bike too. But after so many years of not riding one, I don't dare to ride on my own anymore. Don't mind riding pillion, though.

7. I don't have good fashion sense. When I try on clothes, I need to 'consult' hubby if they look good on me. Usually I need his green light before I buy them. Hubby always complain that I can't make my own decision.

8. I have small feet, size 4. Soon, XY and I can share footwear already. hehehe

Would like to tag some "rather new" blogger friends, hoping to know you better.
Fussy Mum, Mummy Moon, NomadicMom, Irene, Mummykhong and Doreen

2½ years old

CE turned 2½ years old yesterday. I was supposed to scrap his photo and upload it after the kids have fallen asleep but I fell asleep with them. :p Here's the 1-day late updates.

Statistics (measured on 14-11-08)
Weight - 13.6 kg
Height - 97.5 cm

Alphabets
He's now familiar with all the capital letters. Some of the small letters (that look different from the capital letters) which he can recognise are e, n, r and t.

After he's arranged the ABCs like a choo choo train on the floor, he likes to say out the alphabets. He also likes to read out the alphabets on boxes, bottles and cards that he's playing with. When he's spelling the word while looking at it, he sometimes reads them from right to left. At times when I correct him, he doesn't want to follow but insisted on spelling from right to left.

Speech Development
He can now recite the numbers 1 - 10 in Mandarin. 1 - 4 needs a little prompting but he can 'sing' (coz he speaks with a slang :D) from 5 onwards.

He likes to ask questions and answer himself. For example, while holding a blue hanger, he'll ask "What colour dis (is this)?" and answer himself, "Blue!" Another game he likes to play is the wrong answer game. He'll come tap PaPa's hand, "Kakak! No... PaPa!" Then he'll go to Kakak, touch her then say, "Jie jie! No... Kakak!" He thinks it's so amusing. :-)

Colours & Shapes
Colours that he can recognise are blue, green, red, pink, purple and black (white is black to him too :-|). He gets mixed up between yellow and orange.

Shapes he knows : circle, oval, square, triangle, diamond, heart and star.

Motor Skill
While I hold his hand, he tries to walk up the stairs by taking 1 step with 1 foot, instead of placing both feet on a step, before going up the next step. Meaning one foot on Step 1 then another foot on Step 2. He cannot balance very well without assistance. As for walking down, it's still 2 feet at a step.

Gargling
Now he's not so resistant to brushing teeth. I keep telling him that if he doesn't brush his teeth, his mouth will be smelly and Mommy won't kiss him. hahaha Still haven't introduced toothpaste to him yet. Sometimes he doesn't want to gargle. So I've to fill 2 cups, 1 for him and 1 for me. We gargle together and take turns to spit the water out.

Kisser
He thinks that a kiss can ease away the pain. If I'm in pain (either because he's hit me or my own clumsiness), he'll give the affected area a kiss, even the legs. o.O If he's hurt himself on any part of his body, he'll come to me and demand for a kiss. Any kiss is acceptable - wet kiss or flying kiss, as long as it has a smacking sound.

Every now and then, he'll come near me and say "Kiss, kiss" then give me a smack on the lips. Sometimes it's by force where he'll turn my head with both hands to face him. Makes me feel so loved. :-)

Movie Day

Yesterday, SIL and I brought the kids (XY, CH and CE) and our maids to watch Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. We went out in the morning. As planned, we shopped around for awhile (and spent some money at Jusco's amusement centre), had lunch (the food at Food & Tea Hong Kong Restaurant isn't very nice), then watched the movie. Also did some grocery shopping and spent some more money on the battery operated horse rides.

SIL bought 2 large popcorn. The kids started to enjoy their popcorn before we entered the cinema. Even the one who's just recovered from flu and cough (yes, that li'l CE) can't stop asking for more popcorn.

This time, CE didn't nap in the cinema, unlike the last 2 movie outings. At the beginning, he watched the show while munching the popcorn. But his attention didn't last long. Apparently he's more interested in the popcorn than the movie. He wanted to hold the popcorn box himself and when I put my hand in to take some, he barked "No!" o.O

I was afraid he'll get sore throat from eating so much popcorn so I gave the box to jie jie. Of course he protested and kept hitting me. So I whacked him back. Then he cried loudly. :-| Luckily he was pacifiable and didn't cry too long. I gave him a few more popcorn and after he's finished those, he played with the empty box. When he remembered jie jie has some more, he tried to grab hers. When I stopped him, he hit me again. That started the cycle of boy hit mommy, mommy whack boy, boy cry, mommy pacify boy, watch movie. Somehow, we survived the whole show.

XY, on the other hand, enjoyed the movie thoroughly. How not to when she got to eat popcorn, raisins and sweet, so much junk within that short 1.5 hours? CH, who's been to the cinema many times, were very well behaved. He enjoyed the movie while eating popcorn but fell asleep towards the end of the show.

Here's a photo taken last Friday. PaPa bought the headgears from McDonald's. When he got back from work, he wore them for the kids and took their photos. But they (especially didi) weren't very cooperative. They had their eyes glued on the tv (watching PHDC).

~ the tv addicts ~

Traumatised

CE is almost fully recovered. Thanks for all your get-well wishes. It was really traumatic feeding him medicine. Not sure if he was more traumatised or I am. :-|
I tried to bribe him with junk food/snacks. "Dowan!"
I used the cute Grover spoon. "Come, Grover give you medicine." "Dowan!"
I threatened him, "You eat it yourself or else PaPa will catch you later." *shake his head and sulk/run away*
So no choice, have to force feed him.

This round, he was on medication for 2 days (3 times a day, 3 types each time). I only fed him twice. After that, I waited for PaPa. The little fella's just too strong for me. I can't hold him down, even with Kakak's help. His struggling and crying got worse with every feeding. So when he was much better on Sunday, we decided to stop the medication.

Then he had runny nose again yesterday - watery mucus kept flowing out of his nose. Since he only needed the flu medicine, I added it into his milk. Good thing he didn't realise it. *phew*

Annual Concert 2008

We attended XY's kindy's 6th Annual Concert cum Graduation Night on Saturday. For such event, the digital camera and video camera are a must. Unfortunately, the cameras decided to go on strike. :( Before we left the house, PaPa was checking the video camera and then the tape compartment can't close back. It was faulty the last few times we used it, but somehow we still managed to make it work. But this time, it just 'die-ded'. So we asked BIL to bring his video camera as they're going for the concert as well.

Anyway, the school has engaged a professional videoman to capture the event and I've already put in my order for the DVD. But with a personal video camera, we can zoom in on our 'star'. hehehe As for the DSLR, its battery 'die-ded' halfway while PaPa was taking photos during her dance. Yeah, the smart me charged the (faulty) video camera but forgot to check the digital camera. *knock on own head*

~ the tape got stuck ~

XY was involved in 2 performances - percussion and dance. As there weren't enough Year 6 students, some of the Year 5 students were included in the percussion. I think she was playing the clarinet. Can't see what she's holding from where we're seated.

~ mickey ears for the percussion performance ~

There were some hiccups during the event. They had technical problems with the curtain. Some of the children were a bit lost on stage, especially the 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds. Some got too nervous and forgot their speech. But I'd say being on stage in front of so many audience and not cry is already a big achievement for the kids. Must give a big applause to all the teachers and students for their great effort.

Luckily XY did fine. She came out in her rabbit costume and introduced her dance, Tarzan. While practising at home, I kept reminding her to speak loudly and clearly. And boy was she loud! She was holding the microphone too close to her mouth. So her voice came out too loud in the auditorium. This happened every time the student held the microphone themselves. If it was put on the stand, the volume was alright.

~ "rabbit" introducing her dance ~

~ Tarzan dance ~

We stayed till the end for the prize giving ceremony. For the colouring contest organised by her school, she got 2nd in her class. Once we got home, she immediately asked me to open up the present.

~ the masterpiece ~

~ the prize : stamping set ~

Phew... the much anticipated concert night's over. Here starts the one and a half months school holidays. Will I survive? :-)

Back From The Clinic

Yesterday night at 10, didi developed fever (37.8ºC). Gave him a dose of paracetamol. Good thing the fever hasn't returned since then. He was tossing and turning the whole night. And was breathing loud and hard and fast. I was so worried something's wrong. Wished that the hours would pass by faster so that we can bring him to see his paediatrician in the morning.

At the clinic, he was as active as ever. We were the only patient there so he was playing happily with the balls and slide. He didn't fuss much when the doctor checked him. Doctor said his right ear is slightly red. Arrrgh! Ear infection again! Must have spread from the throat. Dr prescribed flu, cough and wheezing medicine and ear drops. I took the antibiotics to standby, in case his condition gets worse.

Didi waved and said "Bye" to Dr when we asked him to. Dr commented that he was behaving much better compared to jie jie when she was his age. I guess he could still remember her screaming and crying the minute she went into his room. :D

Back home, I gave him the medicine. Had to force feed coz he wasn't cooperative. Sweet talking to him didn't work. Letting him fill up the syringe with medicine didn't work. Letting him pump the medicine into his mouth didn't work either. But he didn't mind taking and pumping water into his mouth. :-|

45 minutes after taking all the medicine, you get this...

~ too tired ~

Health Update

Thank you all for your get-well wishes for XY. She's much better now. Just a bit of mucus but still coughing, especially when napping and sleeping at night. But the inevitable happened. Didi got the same 'package' on Tuesday (2 days after jie jie).

For the past 2 nights, I didn't get a good night's sleep. Didi didn't sleep well. Woke up a few times crying. I think he's having stuffy nose so he can't breathe properly. I've applied Vicks during bedtime but maybe the effects have worn off. Luckily it didn't take long to put him back to sleep. Then a few hours later, XY started coughing non-stop. I've to go downstairs (with my eyes half closed) to pour a cup of slightly hot water for her to 'burn' her throat. Thank goodness it eased her cough and she went back to dreamland after that.

This morning, didi suddenly vomited (stained the sofa a bit). I think it's good coz it helps to get rid of the phlegms. He doesn't want to spit out the phlegms (or don't know how to). He also refused to sneeze when I asked him to. He used to be able to sneeze out the mucus. So the mucus and phlegms are swallowed back into the stomach. *eeeyuck!*

Speech For Concert Night

After XY finished her exam, her teacher passed me a piece of paper. It was a speech, for her to introduce her dance on concert night (this coming Saturday). She was selected last year and I thought they would select another student this time. I'm wondering how come they don't give the chance to other students to speak on stage. But of course I'm very proud of her. The fact that she's been selected again shows that the teachers have confidence in her. Last year, I had to read to her but this time, she can read most of the words.

Within a day, she was able to memorise the speech. However she doesn't stop at the right places and tend to mumble to herself sometimes. Now I can say she's ready. Her speech's loud and clear, pausing at the right places. I just hope she'll not panic when she's standing on stage, facing so many audience. Although she's had the experience, now that she's older, she's more aware of her surroundings and may be a little shy when the time comes. Anyway, just have to prepare her for that night, and hope for the best.

She skipped school today coz she's having runny nose and coughing. Good thing she's as active as ever, with no fever. I doubt she'll be fully recovered by tomorrow. They're having full rehearsal for the concert at the venue tomorrow. Hopefully she won't be too tired. Have to be in tip top condition for Saturday night.

Affordable Stylish Eyewear

This is a sponsored post.

Everywhere we go, we hear people talking about the current economic situation. Times are bad, our spending power has decreased. We need to save more for rainy days. We must cut back on our spending and spend wisely.

We no longer spend unnecessarily on luxury items like replacing our current mobile phone or digital camera with a more high-tech model. We don't keep up with the latest fashion in clothing. We plan ahead when running errands so that we don't have to drive out just to buy one loaf of bread. At home, we teach the kids not to waste resources like water and electricity. Do not keep the running when not in use and switch off the lights when there is no one in the room.

But when it comes to eyeglasses, we can still afford to change according to the latest trend. ZenniOptical.com offers high quality and stylish prescription eyeglasses. And they're very affordable too, from as low as $8. They have many varieties of stylish frames - full rim, half rim, rimless and sunshades. Without middlemen and virtually no advertising budget, they are able to sell their own manufactured frames direct to customers at a very low price. Therefore, we can still afford to be trendy when it comes to eyewear.

Trying To Be Funny

My handphone rang.
It showed an unfamiliar mobile number.
I answered.
Heard hubby's voice over the other end.

Me : Your phone out of battery ah?
CB : This is yi lai's (mistress) handphone. (we always joke about him having a mistress, especially now that he works late quite often)
Me : Why call me with her phone?
CB : Next time if you can't get me on my handphone, you can call this number loh.
Me : Oh, what's your yi lai's name?
CB : BB. (my brain trying to recall which colleague of his has this initial)

Continued to bla bla bla about other things...

Me : (still curious) Eh, what does BB stand for?
CB : BlackBerry.
Me : Oh.

Hubby got his BlackBerry this morning. So he was testing his phone. And trying to be funny at the same time. XY overheard our conversation. Now she calls his phone BB. :D

Wrong Ratio

When I read LittleLamb's post about Philip accepting the new milk (Enfagrow), it suddenly hit me that I've been giving the wrong milk powder and water ratio to CE. I immediately checked the instructions on the box (650g) - add 4 scoops of milk powder to 6.4 ozs of water. As I still have the old 1.8kg tin (used it to store coffee powder), I checked that as well. It was 4 scoops of milk powder to 8 ozs of water.

Ooops! I didn't realise they've decreased the amount of water. When did they change the mixing instructions? Since they introduced the new packaging? Oh dear, which means I've been giving CE diluted milk since then. But better diluted than too thick, I suppose. Anyone as 'oo long' (careless) as me? :p


This image is copyrighted by kktatters.

Fun Chopsticks

During my trip back to Penang, I was supposed to meet up with an online friend, Joanne. I bought the Edison chopsticks and Crocs shoes (for CE) from her online store and she was kind enough to deliver them to me (as my house isn't too far from her office).

I got a 10% discount for the Crocs and I think that's quite a good buy. Even when there's a storewide sale, the Crocs are not on sale (well, I've never seen them on sales). If you register as a member in the website, you can get a 10% discount (not sure about other items though).

Too bad she couldn't arrive on our agreed time. As she was running late, I went ahead with my plan to Botanical Garden (with my brother) and hubby waited for her.

When XY saw the chopsticks, she couldn't wait to use them. I only let her use them after we're back in KL. Although she can pick up food with the normal chopsticks, her grip isn't very correct and I was hoping this Edison chopsticks can correct it. And eventually, correct her pencil grip (the pencil rests on her 4th finger when she writes).

~ I'm a pro already ~

I only bought one pair coz they're out of stock then (new stocks has arrived now). Didi was also very excited to see the rabbit chopsticks. But he treats it more like a toy. I tried to fit his little fingers in the rings but they're too small to grip properly.

~ "How does this work?" ~

Superior Scribbler Award

Thank you Dora and Kylie for this award.






So the rules are :
Every Superior Scribbler will name 5 other Super Scribblers.
If you are named you must link to the author & the name of the blog that gave you the award.
Then you must display the adorable award and link to This Post, which explains The Award.
Finally you must visit this post and tell your name to Mr. Linky List.
Then they will have a record of all the people who are Super Scribblers!

I'm passing this award to :
Ling
Mummy Gwen
Doreen
Judy
Wen

Proximidade Award

I got this award from Mummy Gwen and Anggie. Thanks, girls!
The translation of "Proximidade" (Portuguese) means “This blog invests and believes, in proximity”.

"They all are charmed with the blogs, where in the majority of its aims are to show the marvels and to do friendship; there are persons who are not interested when we give them a prize and then they help to cut these bows; do we want that they are cut or that they propagate? Then let’s try to give more attention to them! So with this prize we must deliver it to 8 bloggers that in turn must make the same thing and put this text."

As most of you have received this award already, I'll not be passing it to anyone in particular. But if you haven't got it, please feel free to pick it up. Cheers!

Progress In Kindy

Last Saturday, I went to XY's kindy for Parent-Teacher's Day to collect her 2nd semester's progress report. Her teacher is very satisfied with her progress in school. There was a lot of positive remarks for her :
- Independent in her work.
- Very helpful in class. (To the extend she helps her friend do his homework and teach the friend next to her after she's handed in her test paper. :-|)
- Able to follow the lessons well in all the subjects.
- Exam result is brilliant.
- Has displayed leadership quality in class. (Act like 'tai kar cher'?)

The only complaint is that she's very talkative (still the same from Day 1 :D). Anyway, her teacher has sort of accepted that fact. hehehe And also, she likes to speak English during Chinese lesson and speak Mandarin during English lesson. o.O

Here's what she got for her 2nd semester exam...

~ full marks for English, Mathematics,
Bahasa Malaysia and Science; 81% for Chinese ~

I asked her teacher if they were guided during the exam. She told me they have 2 categories of students.
Category 1 ~ just read the instructions and they'll do the questions on their own.
Category 2 ~ read the instructions and guide them on the questions.
She said XY belongs to Category 1 so I'm even more impressed with her results.

She came out 2nd in class this semester (the 1st student scored all 100%). Last semester, she was number 4. PaPa and I are very happy that she's doing well in kindy. It's not so much the results that we're concerned about (really? hehehe) but the fact that she's learning well and doing fine socially.

We haven't gotten her a gift yet. Planning to get her a scooter (she's been asking for it). Keep up the good work, girl! PaPa and Mommy are so proud of you!