Haircut Week

Last week, all of us had a haircut. Me and didi on Thursday, PaPa on Saturday and XY on Sunday. Didi needed a haircut so I brought him to our regular salon (the one with the toy car). When I told him in the morning that he's going for a haircut, he said "I dowan". I didn't expect that as when I asked him just for fun, he'd say "Ok". I reminded him about the toy car at the salon. And that did the trick. :-)

At the salon, I didn't see the toy car. So I asked the lady if they still have it. She pushed it out from behind and it was very dusty. I guess they've not used it for a long time. While didi's hair was being cut, I sat next to him, getting mine cut too. I just needed a trim, so I knew it wouldn't take too long. And I figured he'd be happy waiting in the toy car if he finished first. Kakak was there to help 'reinforce' the girl's instructions -- don't move, look down, look straight, etc.

I can now conclude that to CE, haircut is NOT equals to lollipop. :-D Although he's been rewarded with a lollipop every time after a haircut, he didn't ask for it when he got home. I think we did mention it during the haircut but he totally forgot about it.

~ asked to pose for photos after we got home ~

As for jie jie, she was not too happy to get a haircut. She wanted to keep her hair a little longer so that she can tie them up. But I prefer short hair, much easier to manage. So I asked the girl to cut back the same hairstyle (bob cut) and this time, with a straight fringe. XY was happy again when I told her she looks like a China doll. hahaha So easy to pacify a vain pot.

~ the vain pot ~

I Dowan

The little boy is getting really rebellious these days. Every day, he makes life difficult for me. He no longer obeys when I ask him to do something (keep his toys, bathe, brush teeth, etc). The only thing he'll be very fast to respond is when I say it's time to play games. He'll immediately change the tv channel and switch on the Wii console. :-|

I go through these on a daily basis (almost) :
* When asked to bathe ~ I dowan to bathe. I want to be stinky boy.

* When it's time to brush teeth ~ I dowan to brush teeth. I want my teeth be broken. or I want my mouth be stinky.
I managed to resolve these two protests by introducing 'stinky' soap and 'stinky' toothpaste. :-D Since he wanted to be stinky, I told him I'll use 'stinky' soap/toothpaste. However, this trick worked for a few days only.

* During meal times at home ~ I dowan to eat. I want my stomach be pain pain.
Don't know where he got this idea. I've only told him if he eats with dirty hands, the germs will cause stomachache. Luckily he doesn't fuss anymore (most of the time) once he starts eating.

* During naptime or bedtime ~ I dowan to sleep. Don't off the lights. I want to read books.
Jie jie says the same thing too. Actually reading is just an excuse. He'll choose his book(s). Then leave them on the bed and continue to play with jie jie. Sometimes he does flip through it, for a short while. Then continue playing again.

So how to manage him?
* Sweet-talking ~ ask him nicely, praise him for being a good boy (rarely works).
* Rewarding him ~ with snacks, games, favourite clothes.
* Threatening him ~ no tv, no games, no smelling mummy to sleep.
* Faking a cry ~ who? ME! Tell him I'm sad, make the "huhuhu sob sob sob" sound, he will obediently do as asked.
* Scolding and using the cane ~ when we raise our voice or wave the cane in front of him, especially PaPa, he will quickly budge.

However, all these doesn't work all the time, except using the cane. *nyek nyek nyek* What worked today, may not work tomorrow. So every time I've to try the different methods and when all else fails, wave the cane. :-D

Locked Out Of The Room

The kids were playing with the computer room door and accidentally locked the door, with nobody inside. What do you do?

Step 1 : Scream at the kids for playing with the door.

*steam still coming out of the head*

Step 2 : Search for the key. Try your messy storeroom.

No luck?

Step 3 : Try the bunch of spare keys. Although you're almost 100% sure the key isn't there, who knows, it could be your lucky day. Or maybe miraculously, some other key is able to open the door.

No such luck. *start to get frustrated already*

Step 4 : Call your hubby to see if he knows where the key is. But don't count on it. Most of the time, he'd be clueless. :p


Step 5 : Search the internet for "How to open a locked door". One of the links given.


Step 6 : Start looking for expired credit cards or membership cards.

I used the iTalk phone card as it's not as hard as a credit card, so it's more flexible. Slide the card between the door and the frame. I started higher up where the gap is slightly bigger. Slide it down to where the lock is. Push and bend and twist the card, while pushing the door slightly.

Ta-daaa! The door's open!

Many Firsts

A new record was created yesterday. I guess to most of you, it's no big deal and nothing to shout about. But for me, it's a personal achievement. :-) I managed to drive out of my comfort zone (my ulu town). I drove MYSELF for a distance of 30 kms to reach the destination (normally I'm chauffeured around by hubby). Before that, the furthest I've driven one-way is less than 15 kms. Actually, I'm quite familiar with that area coz we've been there many times to eat bak kut teh. In fact, we just went there for lunch the day before. It was like a 'rehearsal' (hubby drove), though that wasn't the intention. :D

So where did I venture to? I went to Jacss' house, then hopped into her car and she drove us to Centre Point. Met up with Wen and Chanel for a mamak breakfast. So nice to catch up with the girls (my 2nd gathering with them), without the kids' "music" in the background. hehehe And thanks Wen, for the treat! After one round of yakking, our next stop -- Paik Ling's house, to visit her and newborn Bradley. The 2 kor kors (Bryan and Brandon) are starting to look like twins.

Coincidentally Jazzmint and Sue were there for baby photo shoot session. So glad to have finally met these 2 talented mommies, especially the ever helpful Jazzmint. I "knew" her way before I started blogging. She never hesitated to offer her help whenever needed. Faythe was there too, just as pretty as in photographs but smaller size in real person. She was so well-behaved while mommy was busy at work. However, she wasn't very talkative. Guess it's because she's not familiar with these group of aunties.

I also met this young leng lui and her family for the first time. Her 3 angels are so sweet and lovely. Aly, the 'tai kar cheh', was very 'guai' and quiet. True to her nick, Ms Social Butterfly, Sher was the friendliest one. She even waved goodbye to me when we left. You'd be surprised bb C is quite garang. She'll 'scold' you if you touch the toy she's playing with. hahaha

from left, Top : Jazzmint, Sue, Jaclyn, Wen, Paik Ling & bb
Bradley (the thorn among the roses); Bottom : me, Alycia,
Chanel, Shireen, bb C, Sherilyn (behind Shireen) & Faythe

When so many women get together, there was no quiet moment. It was really great catching up with everyone. I hope we can do this more often. Maybe next time can arrange to meet down south (south of KL lah hehehe)?

Shop Till You Drop

We are terrible parents. During this critical time, we're suppose to avoid crowded places. But we still brought the kids shopping the whole day on Sunday. Although we didn't intend to stay too long at the mall, we somehow ended up going home at 9+, with a humongous hole in PaPa's pocket. :p

We spent a lot of time at Robinsons (toys and shoes department) and the camera shop. Our loots included toys, sandals (2 for me, 1 for XY), a video camera and a digital camera. The cameras are low-end models with basic functions. Our MiniDV camcorder has spoilt since last year and we've yet to burn any of the cassettes (since XY was born) to a CD. Instead of repairing the old unit, might as well spend a little more to get a new one. We bought the digicam so that we'll be more hardworking in taking pictures when we're out of the house. No more lazy-to-bring-the-DSLR excuse. :-)

We wanted to try Tony Roma's for dinner but we may have to wait for an hour. Forget it! So we walked around and decided on Purple Cane Tea Restaurant. It's our first time eating there. The dishes are cooked with tea. They're really nice and tasty but can't really taste the tea.

Here's what we ordered...

~ jasmine tea ~

~ burdock chicken tea soup ~
*So special, it comes in a teapot -- this soup I likey!*

~ ½ crispy duck ~

~ fish slices with salted radish ~

~ spinach with anchovies ~

~ braised bean curd ~

Eating Spree In Historical City

We went to Malacca for a short holiday (2D/1N) last Friday. The journey took less than 2 hours. The first thing we did when we reached the town was to look for lunch. First stop, Jonker Street. Thus the start of our eating spree...

The Food
We had chicken rice balls for lunch on both days. Day 1, at Hoe Kee. This restaurant was featured on Taste With Jason. Day 2, we went to Famosa restaurant, which has food critic Choi Lan's poster. Hubby preferred Famosa's rice balls because it's not so wet. I'm fine with both. I'm not good at testing food, either love 'em or hate 'em. :D

* Sorry, no picture to share because the one I took (almost at the end of the meal) looked very miserable. Only 1 rice ball and a few pieces of chicken left. :p

We had cendol for dessert. Day 1 at Jonker Dessert 88 and Day 2 at Famosa restaurant. Very nice, with strong gula melaka (palm sugar) and santan (coconut milk) taste.

~ this was taken at Famosa ~

Hubby's colleague recommended duck noodles at SS Food And Beverage Station (located opposite SJK Ping Ming, Jln Tun Sri Lanang). The noodles have slices of duck meat (with lots of skin too) and you can choose a variety of ingredients -- braised stuff, fried stuff, fish or meat balls, etc.
Verdict : Johor's duck noodles taste better. :-)

~ duck noodles with the side dishes ~

Supper was satay celup at Ban Lee Siang. Even at 11pm, there was a queue at Capitol Sate Celup (the famous one), so we went to the other recommended shop. The gravy is rather spicy so we asked for some hot water and the guy asked if it's for washing off the gravy for the kids to eat. Looks like they are well prepared to cater to children's needs.

~ satay celup ~

By the way, when we were having supper, didi was sleeping in my arms. He was so tired he fell asleep in the car on our way there and didn't even stir when I carried him out of the car. He slept till the next morning, only woke up a short while when I changed him into pajamas in the hotel.

We also managed to pack back some putu piring (@ Jalan Tengkera) which was featured in Taste With Jason too (just realised we are followers of Jason :D). The flour used are very fine and they're not stingy with the gula melaka.

~ the place that sells putu piring ~

* inset photo courtesy of superpages.com.my

Another food introduced by Jason was Nyonya Dumplings @ Bukit Serindit. The dumplings are the sweet type. And they are not stingy with the fillings too.

~ photo courtesy of thestar.com.my ~

We went to so many places looking for food to the extend that jie jie asked "Why we go eat again?" hahaha

The Attractions
Apart from eating, we visited some tourist spots too. Although the kids don't appreciate the historical sites, what else is there to do? hehehe

~ Malacca river ~

~ the Stadhuys ~

~ Eye On Malaysia ~

The weather was so different on the two days. Day 1 was rainy and cold. That's why you see the kids in their jackets. Day 2 was soooo hot but luckily it was windy. We walked from the hotel to Jonker Street (under the hot sun coz lazy to bring the umbrellas), stopping by at A Famosa and a plane and commuter train display on the way. Equatorial Hotel is quite strategically located. There are a lot of attractions within walking distance nearby. Then we took the trishaw back to hotel, just for the kids to experience the ride.

~ A Famosa & St Paul's Hill ~

~ trishaw ride ~

It seemed like this trip is more for the grown-ups. Doubt the kids appreciate the food and historical sites. But they did have fun at the hotel's swimming pool in the evening. It was so cold (gloomy day) and they were shivering but they didn't want to get out of the pool. Anyway, I'm sure they're happy to be out of the house, even for just two days. I know I am. :-)