SLAVERY BLISS

Back To School

2012-01-16T23:59:00.001+08:00

Just into the 2nd week of school, didi had to skip class due to health reason. Sigh... He was the stronger one during the school holidays. Apart from having mild running nose, he was overall quite healthy. On the other hand, jie jie got sick (with fever) twice in December. But last Thursday, his eyes were swollen when I picked him up from kindy. Brought him to see the paediatrician in the evening as his condition got worse. Doctor suspected that he was bitten by some insect and was having some kind of allergy reaction. So I let him skip school the next day to rest at home as he was also having running nose and cough. Then red patches/dots (non-bulging) started to appear on his ears, hands and neck, then body and legs. But the funny thing is, the patches/dots will appear, then disappear a few hours later. And reappear again. The cycle kept repeating. It was like that throughout the weekend. When the swelling around the eyes subsided a bit, it was replaced with big red circles. He looked like he was punched in the eyes.

~ look terrible hor? picture taken on Thursday, 5:21pm ~

Then yesterday evening, he developed fever after we came back from lunch. Luckily it subsided after a dose of paracetamol. That's why I let him attend school today. The red patches/dots are gone. I'm praying hard the kids will recover fully for CNY. Yup, jie jie's also having a flu. :-( With all the "nice" food and travelling, it's going to be tough if they're not in tip-top condition.

As for the back-to-school routine, didi adjusted to it very well. He didn't have any problems waking up in the mornings. Anyway, he rarely had such problems previously. On the first day of school, I brought him to the gate, waved him goodbye and he walked in himself. This is his 3rd year in that kindy and I would expect him to be independent. When I picked him up, his teacher said he was well-behaved. She was worried at first as his cousin brother (who was his companion there last year) has graduated from kindy.

As for jie jie, I find that her honeymoon years are over. Now that she's in Std 3, there are more homework, but I'm sure nothing compared to those from Chinese schools. I was so surprised when she got her timetable on the first day of school. I remember they took about 2 weeks to give out the timetable when she was in Std 1.

She's been selected to be a prefect. I think they are on probation now before they officially become one next year. She'll still wear the same uniform but will be given a badge and tie. Some of her duties are to "take care" of the students in the classroom during the teacher's absence and before school starts, when they line up to go to their respective classes. She'll have an earlier break coz she has duties when the others are having their break. That means she'll have less time to finish up her work in school and I hope she won't miss any lessons.

CNY is just around the corner. Here's wishing you a prosperous, healthy and happy Chinese New Year! Gong Xi Fa Cai and happy holidays! If you're travelling during the festive season, have a safe journey!

Goodbye 2011

2011-12-31T22:38:00.003+08:00

How time flies! 2011 zoomed by so fast without us realising it. I wonder why time seemed to crawl slower when we're younger. Is it because we can't wait to grow up but we seriously don't look forward to grow old? hehehe I'm very thankful it's been a good year for us. As long as nothing bad happened and everything's smooth sailing, it's indeed a good year. I hope we'll be blessed with another good year in 2012 and thereafter.

~ the kids with MV's Christmas decoration ~

Here are some updates for the month of December :

4th (Sunday) ~ Went to watch Puss In Boots in 3D. This time, CE was okay wearing the 3D glasses. And I think he enjoyed the show as much as the popcorn. Coz he didn't come and disturb me after he's finished his popcorn. :D

After we reached home, XY complained of stomachache in the evening. It got worse the next day. She also had fever, diarrhea and vomiting. Brought her to see the paediatrician and he suspected viral infection, not food poisoning. Since she couldn't really take solid food and she's been vomiting, I made the Oral Dehydration Salts water for her. And she really hated it, both the original and orange flavour. I tried a packet myself, it tasted fine. It was really difficult to get her to finish a cup (in a day) and I had to bribe and force. Luckily she got much better after a day and her appetite was back to normal 2 days later.

8th (Thursday) ~ I won 2 tickets to watch Jacky Cheung's concert via an sms contest. SIL was very kind to offer to babysit the kids so hubby and I can go. This is the 2nd time we went for his concert. The 1st was more than 10 years ago, I think. I took the train to meet up with hubby at the stadium. It was an awesome performance with great dance moves. Jacky can dance and sing fast songs 2 to 3 songs continuously. Very good stamina (for his age hehehe). I sat next to 2 ladies (in late 20s or early 30s) and we acted like teenagers -- shouted his name out loud and moved the blinking wands to the rhythm of his songs. *giggle giggle* He sang for 3 hours with minimal rest in between. The concert ended before 11:30pm. We were stuck in traffic for quite some time after exiting the parking lot and it was already past 12 midnight when we picked the kids up. Many thanks to SIL for the opportunity to go 'pak thor' with hubby. Ever since XY's arrival, we've not been on a proper date.

~ inside the stadium ~

11th (Sunday) ~ We finally decided to get a second-hand piano for XY. As we do not know how long her interest will last, we didn't want to invest heavily on a new one. She chose the piano herself. She prefer Kawai over Yamaha, maybe because she's been playing on a Kawai (CH's) all this while. We got her a Kawai BL-31, about 32 years old. It was delivered on the 13th. Her teacher was asking if we'd like to register her for the Grade 1 practical exam next year (between June and August). After getting her teacher's feedback on her progress, I've decided to let her take the next one in March 2013. By then, she would've learnt for 2 years. There's no rush, better give her more time, less stress for her (and me).

21st (Wednesday) ~ After the pest control service, we went to Tesco for sundry shopping. Then lunch at McD and the kids played at the indoor playground. Since Giant is just nearby, we continued 'shopping' again as I couldn't get all the things I wanted from Tesco.

26th (Monday) ~ I had a gathering with 3 of my secondary schoolmates. We had dinner at my place. So nice of them to come all the way (1 from Seremban, 2 from KL) to my ulu town. It was really great catching up with old friends over good food. I haven't met L since she left school after Form 5. We had BBQ marmite crabs (*yummy yum yum* which A brought from Seremban), satay and home-cooked fried bihun. XY was very excited that night and kept my friends entertained. Actually, she was over-excited till she got out of control thus getting a good scolding from me the next day. The girls commented that she's totally opposite from me as I'm a very quiet person. The funny thing is, PaPa's also a very quiet person. So where did she get this outgoing trait from? hmmmm...

28th (Wednesday) ~ Brought the kids for a haircut. School will reopen soon and it should still look neat enough for Chinese New Year. XY agreed to cut her hair short (not tie-able anymore). Wanted to get a new school bag (without trolley) for XY as her classroom is located on the 1st floor next year. There wasn't much choice and she didn't like the ones we saw. So didn't manage to get the bag yet. To split the weight, I got her a sling bag too.

XY fell sick (again) the next day -- fever and runny nose. Luckily her fever only lasted a day. Actually, CE and I are also recovering from runny nose. Hopefully everyone will be fully recovered before school starts.

Retail Therapy

2011-12-18T23:59:00.002+08:00

How invigorating! I was given a day off to go shopping for CNY clothes. Most of the time when we go to the malls, I don’t really have the mood to buy my own clothes. When PaPa’s not there to control them, the kids like to play hide and seek among the rows of clothes. Or play catching. Or just run around, making a lot of noise. *shake head* So I can’t look at my stuff in peace.

As Christmas is just round the corner, the malls are packed with people doing last minute shopping. After walking around (from MV to The Gardens) for 4 hours, I’m quite satisfied with my loots. Nothing fancy, mainly casual wear coz I’m a ‘si lai’ mah, don’t need fancy attires. :D

I also took the opportunity to meet up with my ol’ pal (we’ve been friends since primary school). She came all the way from Seremban with her 11 year-old daughter. I’m so glad she could make it coz I only buzzed her yesterday night. We’ve not seen each other for many many years already, but we’ve been keeping in touch. We had an early dinner at Yuzu Japanese Restaurant at The Gardens. Food was really good! And as usual, sorry ah, no pictures coz slavemom is NOT a professional blogger. hahaha

I came back with bribes for the kids – lollipops from Starbucks, doughnuts and a book for XY. So no complaints from them that I was out almost the whole day. Thank you, PaPa for taking care of the kids. I really enjoyed my day off. Errr... can we do this more often? :p

Proud Moments

2011-12-03T13:55:00.000+08:00

So fast 2 weeks of school holidays have passed. The kids have been fully occupied so far. They attended a Science Camp organised by CE's kindy last week (for 3 days). Their grandparents were here for a week, just went back on Wednesday. During their visit, the kids have been playing at their cousin's place from morning till night, with a break during naptime.

Now for some backdated events, CE had his Annual Concert cum Graduation Night on 12th Nov. He participated in 2 performances -- percussion and dance. It was a big relief that he didn't play a fool on the stage (remember his teacher's complaint during practice?). In fact, he was very serious with his dance moves -- very serious in shaking his bum bum. hahaha He seemed to be really enjoying himself on stage. It was also CH's (my nephew) graduation night. He was chosen to give a speech in Bahasa Malaysia. And he did it fluently and clearly. *clap clap clap*

* shake shake shake *

On 19th Nov, we went to XY's school for the Excellence Awards Ceremony. She got first in class and also a prize for Best Subject: English. She had to be in school by 7:30am so PaPa sent her to school first. Last year, all of us went at the same time and wasted time waiting for the VIPs to arrive. Then we had to endure the ~~boring~~ speeches. So this time, I thought we could skip all that and reach just before the prize-giving event starts. Unfortunately, they were ahead of schedule. By the time we reached the venue, she was about to go for her second round. I was just in time to take her picture. *phew* Just like last year, she received a certificate and a RM20 cash voucher for each of the award.

~ just in time to capture this ~

Singapore Trip Oct '11 (Part II)

2011-11-20T17:51:00.000+08:00

Day 2 ~ 25th Oct

Had breakfast at the hotel as our package came with buffet breakfast for 2 adults. So we had to pay for the kids' buffet. Food was alright. Not too much variety but good enough for eating 2 days straight. I read a lot of reviews about very long queues, waiting for a table in the mornings. But we didn't face such problems, probably because it was off peak season.

We reached USS entrance at about 10am, its opening time. Saw that the 'candy tree' area was empty. Quickly brought the kids there for some photo shots. The day was so hot although the weather forecast said thunderstorm. But better be hot than raining, right? I brought along the kids' caps and a folded umbrella. But silly me, forgot to check the umbrella as it's been sitting in the cupboard, unopened, for years. It was a bit faulty, with a broken rib and I had difficulty closing it. So we didn't use it. Woah... we were being baked under the hot sun. Came back a few shades darker. :-( Although we went on a weekday, it's still very crowded. A lot of Indian tourists. But luckily the queues are still manageable. Nothing exceeding 30 minutes, mostly 5-10 minutes. If you're going during peak season, I'd suggest you buy the express pass to avoid spending all your time queuing.

~ under the 'candy tree' ~

~ Universal Studios Singapore ~

There are 7 zones in USS. As compared to Hong Kong Disneyland, the place is not very big and the rides are of a smaller version. We covered all those rides that we CAN ride, except the extreme roller coaster rides at Sci-Fi City. I can still accompany XY for the milder ones like Enchanted Airways and Canopy Flyer. While riding the Revenge of the Mummy, I almost freaked out. Just can't wait for the ride to be over. But XY really enjoyed it. What a daredevil she is. She wanted to go for second round but no one can accompany her. Coz I give up! Getting old lah. And don't count on PaPa, he's worse than me. hahaha We skipped Donkey Live show and missed Monster Rock due to the timing. Transformers The Ride will be opening in December 2011.

Some of the interesting shows are WaterWorld (the explosive and thrilling death-defying stunts water show), Shrek 4-D Adventure (with water spray and sensory effects) and Lights, Camera, Action! (special effects stage show).

We had dinner at Din Tai Fung. Had siew lung bao, noodle soup and fried rice. We enjoyed this much more than our meal at HRC. So cinapek hor. hahaha

Day 3 ~ 26th Oct

After our buffet breakfast, we went to check out Hard Rock Hotel's pool. As a hotel guest in the Resort, you're allowed to use any of the hotel's pool. I thought the kids would be thrilled with the man-made beach but they weren't interested to play with sand that morning. They went for the slide first but got bored with it quite fast. CE kept getting stuck in the middle of the slide, probably coz it wasn't steep enough. But I don't know why XY didn't have such problems. I don't really like the feel of sand in the pool so we moved to the shallow pool (without sand). Tried the jacuzzi, the pressure was so strong I had a hard time sitting still. :D

We didn't spend much time there. Headed back to the room to shower and pack and got ready to check out. We managed to get a late check-out at 1pm. Left our luggage at the reception and went for a light lunch at Toast Box as we're still quite full from breakfast.

Next on the itinerary is Underwater World. Although we've been there in '07, XY wanted to go again. And I thought CE would be able to appreciate it more now that he's older. The kids really enjoyed looking at the sea creatures and they are actually familiar with some special types of crabs/fish as they've seen them in Octonauts. hehehe Since it's our second time there, I don't find it interesting, except for the seals and dolphins show. They are really adorable, well-trained and entertaining.

~ Underwater World Singapore ~

~ interesting performance by the seals and dolphins ~

There was still time to kill so had a tea break at a restaurant there. Then we went back to The Forum and had a drink at Coffee Bean, to wait for dinner time. Ate at Din Tai Fung again. This time we ordered noodle soup for the kids and snacks for ourselves.

We were really frustrated when we found out our flight was delayed for 2 hours. The only good thing that came out of this is that I finally found the Faber-Castell finger printing art pads. Have been searching for a very long time already. Couldn't find this in their outlets in KL/Selangor. Due to the delay, I had time to check out the book store. Sooooo happy when I saw the art pads. There are 4 or 5 sets of different colours but I only bought one -- quite expensive leh after conversion. :p Also bought Crayola washable markers since I didn't get any souvenirs for the kids from USS. The welcome pack (consisted of a hand puppet, toothbrush, rubik's cube and plastic inflatable noise-maker) they got when we checked in at Festive Hotel doesn't count, right? :D Oh oh, got one souvenir from USS -- the popcorn bowl. Their cheapskate Mommy kept the bowl after they finished the popcorn. hahaha

Singapore Trip Oct '11 (Part I)

2011-11-11T15:18:00.000+08:00

Day 1 ~ 24th Oct

We reached Festive Hotel in Resorts World Sentosa at about 12 noon. I've requested for an early check-in but it's subject to availability. As our room was not ready yet, we were asked to come back at 2+. So we registered ourselves and left our baggage with reception. Went for lunch at The Forum. It's less than 10 minutes walk from the hotel. We had hainanese chicken rice, hokkien mee and fish and chips at Lunar Cafe (serves local and western food). Food was ok, up to standard.

After we've filled our stomach, we took the Sentosa bus to Imbiah Lookout. Bus service within Sentosa is free. The bus stop is located at the carpark, about 15 minutes walk from the hotel. It's quite stuffy at the carpark. The buses are rather frequent, wait time less than 10 minutes.

We tried the Skyline Luge. I rode with CE coz he's too young to ride on his own. XY was on her own. PaPa was following her closely. She crashed at the curb once coz she let go of one hand to wipe her sweaty palm. hehehe No worries, she wasn't hurt. Pulled the cart back on track and she continued her ride. It was really fun. But it'd be more fun if we could go faster. PaPa had to slow down to accompany XY and I had a "passenger" with me. :D After the Luge, we took the Skyride back to the platform. XY, CE and I went 2 rounds as we bought the Family Deal (4 rides). Had to top up 1 person's fare to accompany XY.

Back to the hotel to check-in at 3+. As expected, the first thing the kids did was to check out the bunk bed. Like what the reviews said, the room is smaller than the pictures shown in their website. Although there's a sofa bed that can open up to be a queen size bed, we didn't use that. On the first night, XY slept on the bunk bed. It's actually big enough for both of them but I didn't allow CE to sleep there as I was afraid he'd have problems (blur blur/half-awake) climbing down in the middle of the night to pee. The second night, PaPa had to sleep there (yeah, it's long enough for him) coz XY doesn't want to be "alone" anymore. hahaha The hotel is very generous with bottled drinking water. There're 3 bottles of 500ml drinking water in the room. Every time you make a request to housekeeping, they'd send up 3 bottles. I actually requested for a pool view room. But during check-in, being near to the lift was priority to us coz I dread walking a long way to our room after a tiring day. So we got a room VERY near to the lift but the view was terrible, overlooking a construction site. :-(

~ Deluxe Family King room @ Festive Hotel ~

We didn't waste time and went to the pool for water play. Didn't spend very long there as we need to rush to go out again to watch Songs of the Sea. We missed that during our last trip to Singapore in '07 so this is on my must-do list. But unfortunately, in my personal opinion, it wasn't that spectacular.

We went back to the resort for dinner at Hard Rock Cafe. Ordered mushroom burger and I ate less than half. I didn't have any appetite, probably coz I was too tired. PaPa had BBQ ribs -- nice, not as jelak as my burger. The kids shared cheesy mac.

~ dinner at Hard Rock Cafe ~

The kids fell asleep quite fast when we're back in the room. It was a long day for them and they know they need to recharge for another long day the following day.

2nd Semester Progress Report

2011-11-05T23:59:00.000+08:00

At the Parent-Teacher's Day in CE's kindy, we discussed about his progress in the 2nd semester. His class teacher has just resigned so we spoke to her assistant, Ms V. She said he's good in class, no complaints. Gets along well with his friends and teachers. He did well in the 2nd semester exams. He scored full marks for English, BM and Mathematics. And got above 90% for Science and Mandarin.

Some of the things Ms V highlighted :

1) He likes to help his friends by giving them the answers. Although the teacher has specifically told the class not to help others, he'll still tell his classmate and show him the page (where the answer is). Sometimes when he's so "helpful", the teacher will ask him to teach his friends, but he'll just give them the answers directly, instead of telling them how to get it.

2) He sometimes daydreams during lessons. But surprisingly, he can catch up and respond to his teacher's questions.

3) Ms V noticed that recently he's always having a troubled look on his face, like he's very stressed. I've asked him before, but couldn't find out what's bothering him.

4) As the school concert is drawing near, Ms V is worried about his dance coz at times, he doesn't cooperate during practice. Earlier this week, he was punished by another teacher for not dancing properly when it was his turn but was dancing at the back when another class was doing theirs. Hope he won't be so playful on the actual day.

5) We agreed that his chattiness depends on his mood. If he's in a good mood, he'll talk a lot. But when he's not in the mood, he doesn't communicate much and it's like he's living in his own world.

6) He didn't seem to grow much in half a year. His height remained the same and his weight increased only by 1kg. Hope to see better growth next year as he's taking Pediasure now.

7) His coloring has improved a lot (not so much out of the lines) and the principal complimented on his handwriting. Yeah, he can write very nicely if he puts his heart into it.

~ This is part of his Science paper. Quite neat and
nice hor his handwriting? *hehehe syiok sendiri* ~

I also spoke to his Mandarin (extra class) teacher, Ms L.
* He's very quiet in class and doesn't mix much with his friends. He'll talk to them if they approach him but most of the time, he prefers to be alone. It's probably due to the language barrier as he's more comfortable conversing in English. At the beginning, he speaks to Ms L in English but now he tries to speak more in Mandarin.
* He sometimes doesn't want to read out loud together (as a group) although he knows how to read the passage/book. Yup, that's my stubborn boy.
* A bit slow in his work. He's quite fussy with his Chinese writing. When it's not very nice, he'll rub it off and write again.

The teacher's note in his Report Card :
CE interacts more with his peers now. He is a fast learner, catch up things fast, especially in phonics. With more practice and encouragement may help him to converse better in Mandarin!

Another Year Older Wiser

2011-10-27T23:59:00.001+08:00

When the clock struck 12 midnight, we were at the Immigration check point at LCCT. We just came back from Singapore. The main intention was to bring the kids to USS. Will blog about it in a different post. But I'd like to write about an unpleasant incident of the trip here. Our 9:20pm flight was retimed to 11:20pm. That's TWO hours delay! Gosh, we were already so tired and can't wait to get home. Although our baggage has already been checked in, we managed to change to the next flight, which was slightly earlier at 11pm. Luckily everything went smoothly after that -- 11pm flight was on time, boarding was swift, our baggage didn't get lost and we didn't have to queue for a taxi. We reached home at 1am.

We all slept till 10 in the morning. Didi skipped school to get a good rest. The kids are more excited than me. They said they wanted to behave on my special day. Although they failed miserably (especially didi), I guess I should appreciate their effort. :-) PaPa surprised me with a bouquet of flowers. Actually it was jie jie's idea and PaPa executed the plan. In August, I made a new pair of spectacles and PaPa paid for them. So when he asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I said the spectacles are considered my present. I'm so kind to him hor?

~ a dozen gerberas ~

PaPa asked me to decide where to go for dinner. Since it's a weekday and we just got back from Singapore (have been eating a lot of "restaurant food"), I decided to just have a simple meal at home. We had pandan kaya cake for dessert. The kids love it. Less than a quarter of the 0.5kg cake is left for tomorrow's breakfast.

~ pandan kaya cake from Tong Kee -- nice! ~

Aaaah... I feel so blessed and loved. Received so many greetings via phonecall, sms and FB wall from family, relatives and friends. The greetings in FB were really overwhelming. Thank you so much for your warm wishes.

Passport Renewal

2011-10-20T23:40:00.000+08:00

Woohoo! Exam's over! I mean my girl's exam. hehehe Today is the last day. So after sending her to school, I can breathe a sigh of relief. She's having a one-week (Deepavali) break next week and we'll be going for a short holiday. Will tell more after we're back, okay? :-)

While discussing about the flight tickets with PaPa, I realised my passport and didi's have less than 6 months validity. *ooops!* At first, we wanted to go to Immigration Department on Monday. But on Saturday night, while checking their website, I found out that the branch near us opens on weekends. We went on Sunday morning so that didi didn't have to skip school.

Reached Immigration Department at 8:10am. The queue was already very long, all the way to the staircase. Heard from the officer that the applicants that day were more than usual. I got my number at 9:30. Good thing we have a place to sit. Waited with didi while PaPa went for breakfast with jie jie. Kept him occupied with his Maths workbook (his choice). After jie jie came back, they kept each other company and made a lot of noise.

Documents were processed at 11:40. The officer checked to made sure the documents were complete. Thumb print was also taken. Next is payment. My number was called at 11:55. And at 12:30pm, our passports were ready for collection. Luckily we don't have to come back the next day as they close at 1pm. It took about 4.5 hours to get our passports done. Considered efficient, right? :D

For those who plan to go to Immigration Department to renew your passport, these are what you need :
1) Form - can be printed from their website (print on A4 paper, on both sides) or obtained from Immigration Department
2) IC - original and 1 copy (photocopy front and back of IC on the same side)
3) 2 passport-size photos
4) Current passport

And for applicants below 18 years old :
1) Form
2) Birth Certificate - original and 1 copy
3) 1 copy of guardian's IC (photocopy front and back of IC on the same side)
4) 2 passport-size photos
5) Current passport

I Went Too!

2011-10-09T23:30:00.000+08:00

Went where? To the much talked-about book sale -- the Big Bad Wolf sale. Since Friday, I saw many posts about the sale in FB. I also ' beh tahan' already so I applied "leave" from hubby today. I brought XY along while CE stayed at home with PaPa. We went after lunch, reached the venue at 2+. It was very easy to find the place using GPS. Along the way, I saw many "wolf" signage too.

Good thing I've read about others' experience, so I knew we had to wait for the shuttle bus to bring us to Hall A (where the sale is) from the parking lot. When we reached Hall A, there was a queue but I think we waited for about 5 minutes only. We headed directly to the Children's section. We "systematically" covered the whole section. As expected, some of the tables were quite messy. I think we spent almost 2 hours at the Children's section. Then I wanted to look for my books. But they are quite difficult to find, unlike those advertised in their website and bestsellers. There are so many tables for General Fiction and they don't seem to be arranged by author. I didn't see any Dan Brown books and the John Grisham book I bought, I just picked it up from a non-related pile. :-)

After 3 hours in the hall, the damage to the pocket was only RM106. Felt quite out of place coz other people's boxes or trolleys were filled to the brim. hehehe

~ RM3 each ~

I like the toy clock coz it looks quite "durable". I've bought educational clocks made from paper and wood before. The paper one got torn very soon and the wood one, its minute and hour hands can be moved separately. This one, it's like a real clock. You wind the button behind, it'll move the minute hand and the hour hand will move accordingly. CE immediately "played" with it when he saw it. He has always been very fascinated with time. He likes to keep track of time. He moved the toy every 1 or 2 minutes, to be the same as the digital clock in our living room. The problem is, he finds it a bit tight to wind it from behind, so he moves both the hands on the face. Thus making the hour and minute hands go out of sync. :-|

~ top : RM5 each, bottom : for hubby (RM15) ~

~ RM8 each ~

This being my first time to the BBW book sale, the experience was very pleasant. The place is air-conditioned. It didn't feel hot at all although there was a big crowd. There are many payment counters so it didn't take long to pay. I've waited much longer in Tesco. :p And for a public place, the toilets are very clean. *thumbs up*

Note : I'll go MIA again (what's new eh? :p) as CE is having his exam starting tomorrow and XY's will start the following week. Here's wishing "All the best!" to the children who'll be having their year-end exam.

Malfunctioned

2011-08-23T23:59:00.001+08:00

What malfunctioned? Not any electrical devices... but my brain. hahaha I was super blur today that I thought it's Wednesday. After calling SIL and made arrangements about fetching the boys back from kindy, I spoke to Kakak about changing bedsheets. Then XY corrected me that today's only Tuesday. Change-bedsheets-day is Wednesday. Ooops! Then I had to call SIL back to cancel what I've told her earlier. I'll fetch didi back myself coz CH has to stay back for Mandarin class.

Normally, I'll bring jie jie along, fetch didi from kindy and go straight to jie jie's school (she's in the afternoon session). But today, I forgot about didi and took the turn to jie jie's school. Ooops! I only realised it halfway through the journey. I didn't turn back as I was worried jie jie would be late for school. So I called the kindy and informed them that I'll be late. I was rushing like mad coz I've never been so late to pick him up. I was 20 minutes late but didi wasn't the last one. There were still some kids waiting for their transportation. Anyway, he didn't seem to be bothered that I was late.

Gosh... I can be quite absent-minded at times, but this is the first time I was late to pick didi up. Throughout jie jie's kindy years, I was never late (ermmm... I think :D). I'm sure you have your fair share of "blur" moments, but forgetting to fetch your kid? Sigh... Must be getting old, brain not functioning well. Or can I blame the mosquitoes? Didn't sleep well the night before because of mosquitoes attack. hehehe

Water Fun

2011-08-21T23:59:00.000+08:00

The kids (especially jie jie) have been bugging us to bring them to Sunway Lagoon. PaPa suddenly became so 'hardworking' and decided to bring them this weekend. And the timing was considered good coz they are not sick or anything. Well, we tried to ignore didi's (occasional) sneezes and jie jie's (very) slight runny nose. :p We told them yesterday night that we'll be bringing them to some place fun in order to get them to fall asleep fast. Anyway, didn't want to disappoint them in case we cancel the plan if their condition got worse. But jie jie could already guess the destination after listening in to our conversations. :-)

Before going to Sunway Lagoon, we had lunch in Puchong, at our usual bak kut teh restaurant. By the time we're in the water park, it was already past 1pm. Although we only intended to play at the water park, we had to purchase the 3 Parks tickets (normal rate : Adult - RM80, Child - RM65) because there are only 2 types of tickets -- 3 Parks or 5 Parks. MyKad holders are entitled for 25% discount. You need to show a MyKad for EACH adult so we had to pay full amount for Kakak (coz obviously she doesn't have one).

After putting on sunblock (it was scorching hot), the kids are ready for some serious water fun at the water playground. Didi isn't the very adventurous type so jie jie (the daredevil) and I went on some of the 'chi kek' slides. She's tall enough (above 1.1m) and can slide on her own. I think she'd like to go for more rounds if not for the long queues. She doesn't want to waste time queuing coz she knows we won't be spending a very long time there. We went on the steep slide (lying belly-down on the mat) and the winding slide (sitting on the double tube). We also played at the wave pool. The kids love to sit on the rented double tube and be pushed by the wave. At 3+, the sky was getting gloomy. So we headed to the man-made beach for sand play. It looked like it was going to rain so they had their last round of sliding at the water playground till the guards shooed everyone out of the water when it started to rain.

We had an early dinner of pizzas and pasta. The kids fell asleep shortly after we left the car park. Reached home, bathed, read some story books and they slept early at 9+, which is quite rare nowadays. I bet they had a FUNtastic day and I'll be reminding them to be a good girl/boy next week (and for as long as it works) as a way to thank us. muahahaha

Their Favourite Toys

2011-08-17T23:08:00.000+08:00

The kids love to draw on the drawing board. I think they use it (almost) everyday. This is the second Fisher-Price (FP) drawing board we bought as the first one was spoilt already -- the eraser got a bit stuck. Jie jie loves to draw on it while didi loves to write alphabets and numbers. Sometimes they take turns to give each other questions like maths and fill in the blanks. We've bought a non-branded one before but the FP one is definitely more durable.

~ setting and answering his own 'fill in the blanks' question ~

Another favourite toy is the alphabets from the alphabets mat. This is one of didi's favourite. He likes to build words with them. If I'm not mistaken, he started having this interest when Word World was first introduced on PHDC. He also likes to use the Jenga blocks (wood block game) to build words. They are just not interested to play Jenga the "right" way.

~ building words with foam alphabets and Jenga blocks ~

When he was still a crawling baby, I arranged them at one corner of the house as his play area. I even used the alphabets to decorate the wall during his birthday this year. 1 toy, so many usage. What a fantastic investment. :-)

~ didi at 13 months old, playing on the colourful mat ~

The push car is also a big favourite. Although they've outgrown it (their legs are too long for the small car), they still like to zoom around the house with it. I redeemed this with Anakku points before didi was born. It was in good condition when jie jie was using it. We kept it in the store room till didi was old enough to ride it. And the "buffalo" broke the steering wheel within days of playing. o.O So it can't control the wheels anymore.

~ so big already but still want to sit on the small car ~

Happy Birthday, Princess!

2011-07-18T16:45:00.001+08:00

Today is ah girl's 8th birthday. She's 130.9cm tall, weighing 23.05kg (measured on 6/7). Looks like she'll soon be taller than me. :-) We had a mini celebration yesterday night with a simple dinner at home, together with Po Po and BIL and family. Po Po came to KL to attend a wedding dinner last weekend and she'll be staying till Saturday. The menu was chosen by XY and mostly very unhealthy. hehehe We had KFC, pizza from Pizza Hut, satay and Kakak's fried noodles. As usual, we ordered too much food and had to clear the leftovers today.

~ balloons decoration requested by birthday girl ~

After dinner, she opened her presents. Chik Chik and Sen Sen gave her a Swatch watch and a tiara. My kids are so lucky. Chik Chik and Sen Sen always shower them with very nice gifts. Didi got a blue Swatch for his birthday, now jie jie received a pink one. CH already has an orange one. Wow... we've got a bunch of Swatch kids. :D

As promised, we bought her a bicycle. Brought her to the shop on Saturday to choose. I asked about Raleigh and LeRun. The guy said Raleigh is of better quality. Decided on BMX instead of mountain bike coz I think a higher handle is more suitable. Moreover, it's just for city riding, the mountain bike may be underutilised. There're only 2 colours -- white and blue (don't have pink as there's no market for it) and she chose blue. :-) I also gave her a "surprise" gift. I wrapped up the stamper pen set which I bought in Hong Kong Disneyland 2 years ago. I've kept it aside and almost forgot about it. Luckily the ink hasn't dried up. It's a surprise coz she doesn't remember it at all. She also received angpows from Po Po and Zi Mai Po (Po Po's younger sister).

~ Raleigh Laguna ~

~ posing with her cake and presents ~

This year, I managed to convince her to get a normal cake, without fancy pictures on them. I really don't like those sugar sheets. I usually remove them before the kids eat the cake. She chose a blueberry cream cake (one of our favourites) and requested for a number "8" candle. Easy peasy.

~ 'tai kar cher' blowing the candles ~

Today is also Slavery Bliss' 4th Blogoversary. Although I've not updated much recently, I hope to keep this blog alive. Through the years, it has given me many great friends. Really appreciate the friendship we have and even though some of us don't blog that often nowadays, I hope to keep in touch in other ways (I probably have to be more active in FB :p). Blogging is really helpful for someone who has a terrible memory like me coz in the ~~near~~ future, I can read back about the kids and my life.

Boring Weekend

2011-07-04T02:23:00.000+08:00

Didi was sick (red throat with fever) since Thursday and he's skipped school for 2 days. Then the next day, my throat started feeling "tight". As we have 2 unwell people at home, our food were mainly soupy and a bit bland. So guai-guai stayed home to "recuperate" over the weekend -- no jalan-jalan (shopping) and no makan-makan (feasting). Moreover, the chauffeur's away on business trip. :D

I suppose didi's almost fully recovered. His fever subsided on Friday and he doesn't complain of sore throat during mealtime (except when eating fruits, which I find really weird coz he likes fruits). I'm also feeling much better already.

I brought XY to her school to collect her report card on Saturday morning. She was so shy in front of her teachers -- hiding behind me and just giggle giggle when teacher asked her questions. o.O Haiyo... I really beh tahan when she "acts" timid in front of people she's familiar with. If with strangers, I can understand lah. *shake head*

Her class teacher, who's also her Math teacher commented that she :
* is quiet in class (that's shocking news to me! hahaha).
* is focused during lessons.
* will try to finish up her homework in class.

Her English teacher said "she's good" BUT she "tends to rush through her work", thus making spelling mistakes. She also stresses the need for checking her work before passing them up.

I'm so relieved the teachers didn't have any complaints about her. I'm very happy with her results and behaviour in school. Hopefully she'll keep it up and do just as excellent in the year-end exam. Deep down, I'm very proud of her but I try not to show it too much. Coz I know she'll become big-headed if we praised her too much. Well, there's always room for improvement, right? hehehe But of course, we'll reward her accordingly. She wanted a bicycle so we're planning to get it for her (as a birthday gift as well). I bet if she has another request, PaPa will comply if it's not unreasonable. Have to start planning for her birthday which is in 2 weeks' time. Nothing much to plan actually, just got to decide on the cake and menu for dinner. We usually just have a simple celebration at home with BIL and family.

Her Version

2011-06-27T13:01:00.000+08:00

XY wrote a 'story' of her Sports Day and showed it to me this morning. I think she did quite a good job (ahem... syiok sendiri, obviously :D) although there were some spelling and grammatical mistakes.

In case you can't see it clearly (too colourful for your eyes hahaha), here's the original script :
Today was sports day.
Papa sent me to school.
Me and my friends lined up in front of my class.
My class teacher brought us to the field.
We waited till it was finally our turn.
We lined up and walked to the starting line.
We sat on the soft grass as we waited for a while.
After a while, it was time to play.
After the others played, It was time for me and my partner, Vinutana to play.
After the whole class played, it was announced that I was forth.
After that, I went for prize giving. I was fourth but still get medal. He He.
After prize giving, my family was ready to go.
I was tired, but happy.

She even wrote "He He" for laughter. Coz she saw that in the blog. :D Yeah, she likes to read blogs. Will stand next to me when I'm drafting a post or blog-hopping. Hmmm... since I'm quite slack in updating my blog these days, maybe I could "outsource" it to my little writer. hehehe

First Sports Day

2011-06-25T19:18:00.001+08:00

XY had her 1st Sports Day (in primary school) today. It's her first because she missed it last year due to a mild case of HFMD. Her class' event is three-legged race. Her team got last. But everyone still got a medal. The weather was quite good, not too hot. Moreover, a big part of the field was shaded by a tall building near the school. I doubt there's any shade in the afternoon. Imagine them being "baked" while having activities on the field (for afternoon sessions). No wonder she's not as fair as before. :-)

~ waiting for her event to start ~

~ jie jie with funny-looking didi ~

Exam Pointers

2011-06-23T01:48:00.001+08:00

XY's mid-year exam results are all back except for Art. I'm really satisfied with her results. I try not to make a big deal out of the marks (of coz the higher the better hehehe) but more on how she fared in the subjects. I'm very happy that she showed improvement in terms of careless mistakes. A good gauge is the Maths papers. For Paper 2 (subjective paper), she made 1 mistake and lost marks for 2 questions because she didn't show the complete workings. Definitely a big improvement. And that's truly rewarding for her "tutor". *big smile*

Everyday during the exam, I had to keep reminding her about the pointers we've discussed. Well, I'm no expert, just helping her to score better. :p Do share with us your exam pointers too. Some pointers that I drill into her :
* read the questions carefully.
* check back all your answers after you've finished the paper, as many times as time permits. Or at least 2 rounds.
* in Maths, use different calculations for checking. For example, if the question is an addition, take the answer to do subtraction for checking.
* for fill-in-the-blanks or matching questions, fill/match the answers that you are very sure of first. If you're lucky, whatever's left is the answer for the question you've left out. If there are more than 1, no choice but to make the best guess. :-)
* check your spelling. Although you choose the right answer, you may/will not get any marks for spelling it wrongly.
* check the back of the paper. Some are printed on both sides. Don't miss out any questions.
* for Maths, show the workings (how you get the answer). Otherwise, even though you get the right answer, you won't get full marks for that question. This was how she lost some marks. (Refer to picture below.) That was really tricky. So after this "lesson", I told her to show ALL the workings in future tests/exams, to be on the safe side.

~ so tricky, got the right answer, but no full marks ~

School Holidays With Grandparents

2011-06-15T10:50:00.001+08:00

We went back to Penang to visit Po Po in the first week. Then Ye Ye and Mah Mah came to visit in the second week. The kids had lots of fun playing with their cousins. We didn't go out much when we're back in Penang. They spent a big chunk of time playing with PSP and my SIL's handphone. *shake head* Brought them to Youth Park to play at the playground one evening. There's quite a lot of people, although it was a weekday. I haven't been there for many many years already and the place has changed so much. The playgrounds and exercise equipments are well-maintained. Especially love the big trees surrounding the area, providing shades everywhere.

I also had a gathering with my secondary schoolmates. Finally got to meet Olive, SP and sweetie DQ, after a few unsuccessful arrangements. I think we haven't seen each other for 7 years. Had a great time catching up with the gang at McD. Did the right decision to choose a venue with an indoor playground (although that was just a mini one). I brought XY along and left didi at home with SIL. Smart move coz I was able to truly enjoy the food and company. Just needed to keep an eye on her from our table (we sat very near to the play area).

Ye Ye and Mah Mah stayed at BIL's house. The kids are very happy every time they are here coz they get to spend the whole day (except nap time) playing together with their cousins. And they also love the fact that we go out for breakfast often when their grandparents are here.

CE complained of toothache since Sunday (5/6). Brought him to the dentist on Wed (8/6) and was told there was nothing wrong with his teeth. But there's an ulcer on his gum. Glad to hear his set of teeth are in good condition but have to take note that his upper left molar is a bit dirty. Got to make sure we brush and clean it properly. I asked the dentist to clean his teeth and he was very cooperative, considering that was his first dental visit. But he disliked the taste of the toothpaste so he had to gargle very soon after the dentist started the cleaning work. So it was a few rounds of cleaning and gargling, with the chair adjusted up and down, up and down.

Within a week, XY lost 2 teeth. They came out on their own. And she's really cool about them, although there was a bit of blood. Upper right lateral incisor on 5/6 (just dropped out by itself) and upper left lateral incisor on 9/6 (while playing rough with didi). So now she's RM1 richer. Yes, this tooth fairy is quite stingy one. Only 50 sen per tooth. hahaha

CE's Birthday Celebration

2011-05-24T03:52:00.001+08:00

CE turned 5 on Sunday. We had a small do for him at home, together with BIL and family. The birthday boy wanted to eat pizza so we had pizza, KFC and fried noodles for dinner. I did some simple decorations with alphabets (from the alphabet mats) and balloons (a must-have for their birthday parties). I don't think the balloons are hung nicely (and always at the same boring place) but I doubt the boy minded. As long as there're balloons, he's a happy camper.

~ I asked him to pose near the wall deco, he wanted
to "pose" with his artwork from Art class ~

~ the very simple balloon deco ~

As for the cake, he actually requested for a number 5 cake. I checked with the bakery, the minimum weight is 2kg. Last year, we got him a 2kg number 4 cake and we took many many days to finish it. I'm not going to torture ourselves again. So I drew a big circle with a number 5 inside it and showed it to him for approval. Luckily he agreed. Phew... problem solved. I ordered a mango cake from Suki Bakery. It was very nice -- soft and fresh, with mango chunks inside and mango slices on top.

~ mango cake with number 5 on top ~

In order to make the kids sit still after dinner, I let them do sand art. Haiyo! It's not so easy to do when you don't have big containers for sprinkling the colours. And messy too! Luckily I covered the table and floor with newspapers. I'm not sure if those are of low quality stuff (RM3 per pack), but the boys had difficulty peeling it off. So I peeled for them but they decided on the colours to use. Good thing jie jie can do it all by herself. They really enjoyed it and were very proud of their masterpieces. Now that I know they like it, the next time we see sand art at the malls, will let them try again. No more doing sand art at home. :-)

~ sitting still doing sand art ~

After the arts and crafts activity, it's sing-birthday-songs (have to sing in 3 languages -- I guess they followed the custom in kindy :D), blow-candles, cut-cake and eat-cake time. XN (CH's mei mei) missed this part coz she was napping on the sofa.

~ halfway through singing the 3 birthday songs, he put his
hand around jie jie's shoulder. Awww... I think he was shy ~

~ the boys giving their thumbs-up ~

~ his presents -- the t-shirt he's wearing, a ~~cheapo~~ tool set with
belt and helmet, and a Swatch watch (from CH and family) ~

1st Semester Progress Report

2011-05-21T23:59:00.001+08:00

Went to kindy to collect CE's exam results and discussed his progress with his class teacher, Ms W. He did quite well in his exam. His scores are all above 90, with full marks for English. Anyway, I'm sure the teacher helped/guided him during the exam coz I saw some erased pencil marks for the wrong answers. hehehe Anyway, to me, exam at this level is not important. It's just to gauge how much the children understood what was being taught in class.

In the developments grading (social and emotional, language, cognitive and motor), he got mostly average and good. The teacher highlighted that he's not very good at cutting with scissors and doing tear and paste work.

Behaviour wise, he's generally ok in school. Ms W commented that he's not the talkative type. She said 5-year-olds are usually quite talkative (probably coz they're more familiar with the surroundings, especially for those who started at 3 or 4 years old). He doesn't really mix and talk much with his friends. He'll answer when teacher asked him questions in class but he usually won't initiate a conversation. I suppose he's the type that only opens his mouth when necessary. :-) In a way, isn't that good? hahaha

The teacher's note in his Report Card :
CE gets along well with his classmates. He can follow teacher's instructions very well. He is good in BM & English reading. He can further improve in Mandarin writing.

Hello Everybody!

2011-05-11T20:52:00.000+08:00

Long time no see! Wow... this is the longest break I've taken in the cyber world. Whoosh! 3 months just flew by. Better clear the cobwebs and get back in action before I lose all my blogger friends. hehehe As it is, some have already given me warnings. o.O But seriously, it's really heartwarming to know that there are friends out there (you know who you are) who care and wonder how you're doing when you've been "missing" for some time. Thank you so much for your warm thoughts, girls!

Hmmm, where do I start? Ok, here are some random updates :
* Mother's Day 2011 -- we went back to PaPa's hometown on Saturday to attend his grandma's 80th birthday celebration. We only spent a night there. Didn't even celebrate Mother's Day for MIL as we left after lunch. No celebration for me either. No mood anyway coz CE was sick. I got a card each from the kids.

* CE had his first exam last week. But he has 2 more papers to go because he was sick. Had high fever due to throat infection/gastroenteritis -- diarrhea and stomach cramps.
* Due to his prolonged cough, doctor suggested that CE take Alvesco Inhaler (started on 24 Mac). It's not sprayed directly into the mouth, but used with the AeroChamber. His condition improved after 1 month of usage. He still coughs every now and then, but for a much shorter period compared to last time.
* 19 Mac -- went to the dentist to extract XY's lower right lateral incisor.
* XY started piano lessons in March.
* CE started Mandarin classes in April -- once a week after school hours in his kindy.
* Brought the kids for a haircut in April. Finally snipped off XY's over-the-shoulder-length hair to chin level.
* I went back to Penang for Cheng Beng, alone. It was a good 3D/2N trip away from the kids. :D But too bad I had diarrhea so didn't get to enjoy all the hawker food that I've been craving for. Never mind, will be bringing the kids back again end of May, during the school holidays. Then it's payback time. muahahaha
* Have been watching a lot of tv series -- Hong Kong and Singapore dramas.
* Started eating oats for breakfast (not everyday though) and exercising on the trampoline 2 to 3 times a week to control my cholesterol level. Really hope to keep this up.
* Will be busy preparing XY for her mid-year exam, which will start on 23 May.

CNY 2011

2011-02-14T23:59:00.002+08:00

The weather's been rather crazy. As written in my previous post, it was a wet wet pre-CNY down south. It was flooded (luckily PIL's place not affected) due to non-stop rain while it's hot hot hot up north. When we travelled back to KL on the 2nd day of CNY (Friday), we passed by a short stretch of flooded area in Parit Sulong. Luckily it was not very bad as cars can still pass through.

~ the houses by the road were flooded up to knee height ~

The next morning (Saturday), we took the flight to hot hot Penang. It was a short trip as school will start on Monday for XY. She had to skip school for a day. Although it was only 3D/2N, this trip was quite fruitful -- gathering with schoolmates and Uni-mate, visiting relatives, hanging out with very 'old' friends (some I haven't seen for almost 20 years!). I didn't get to enjoy much of Penang food this round. For our family dinner on Sunday, we tried Young Heart Restaurant @ Pulau Tikus, which promotes healthy and delicious food. Unfortunately, the food wasn't as good as the published reviews. Probably coz it was during CNY and the sets were prepared much earlier. So the reheating must have affected the taste.

Tuesday (back in KL), we attended the CNY party organised by CE's kindy. This is our first time as we missed the event the past 4 years (not back from my hometown yet). But this year due to XY's school schedule, we managed to make it. It's a potluck party, I contributed nuggets. There was lion dance, a short drama by the 6-year-olds, games and food.

~ lion dance ~

Saturday, visited my relatives in the morning. At night, dinner at BIL's house with friends and their families. That was the first time (and last, I guess) I 'lou sang' this CNY. Luckily still got chance to 'lou' this year.

Monday, Valentine's Day. Hubby's away so no celebration. :-( Anyway, I doubt we'll dine out even if he's in town. 'Lou foo lou chai' already, we don't really celebrate V-day. But I got a pleasant surprise when a van honked at my gate this afternoon. Flower delivery! *big big smile* So what did I get for my Valentine? Only a card. hahaha I put it in his luggage bag pocket, without his knowledge of coz. Last night after 12 midnight, I sms-ed him to tell him where to find it. Well, at least still got some element of surprise. :D

We don't have any programs for the rest of the week. Will just laze around at home and prepare XY for her assessment next week. Happy Chap Goh Meh in advance!

A Wet Wet Pre-CNY

2011-02-01T21:31:00.000+08:00

When we travelled back to PaPa's hometown yesterday, it was raining all the way. Luckily not too heavily. And one small part of the highway was a bit flooded (half a lane). It's been raining non-stop for a few days. Good thing the sun came out to play today, otherwise the clothes cannot dry. And the dirty clothes are piling up very fast. Hopefully the weather wouldn't be too gloomy and wet the next few days. Moreover, going visiting is not so convenient during rainy days.

Our last trip back was during CNY last year. So we've been savouring the local food as much as we can, before they close for the festive season. And there'll be continuous feasting the whole week. Ahhh... happy happy stomach. :-)

To those who celebrates CNY, here's wishing you...

Picture courtesy of http://chinese-new-year-cards.blogspot.com

Have a safe journey, wherever you're travelling to!

And to those not celebrating, have a good holiday!

Art Class & Lemon Cake

2011-01-27T23:59:00.000+08:00

Didi attended his first art class today. The art lessons are conducted in his kindy after school, once a week. He had catered lunch from kindy. I'm glad to hear the principal commented that he ate his lunch on his own and very fast too.

~ posing with his lantern ~

So he came home 2 hours later than normal. By the time he finished bathing, it was already 3+. I decided to let him skip his nap so he can sleep earlier at night. Since I don't have to accompany him for his nap, I baked a cake, using the cake mix which I didn't buy. So who "bought" it?

During our last shopping trip at Tesco (3 weeks ago), didi put a box of Pillsbury cake mix into the trolley without me realising it. I had a trolley-full of stuff, so I didn't notice it when the cashier was scanning the items. When I looked through the receipt and saw the item, I remembered that he was holding the box and checking it out. That's the problem when the kids offer to help put things into the trolley. Sometimes they just dump whatever they fancy without asking our permission. However, this is the first time he did that. I must warn/remind him not to do it again the next time we go sundry shopping. Luckily it's not something that we don't use. Just that the "slave" got more work to do. hehehe

~ Pillsbury cake mix ~

I don't know what other flavours are there, but he took the lemon one. Good thing it's very simple to do. Just mix all the ingredients together (cake mix, water, oil and eggs). But I tried to be smart and didn't use up all the water as the mixture was quite runny with just half the amount. So the cake turned out to be quite dry. :-( Taste wise, it's quite alright, not too sweet. The kids have no complaints though, they love it. Well, they are very easy to please, where cakes are concerned. :-)

~ the end result ~

Lanterns

2011-01-26T00:31:00.000+08:00

I saw many DIY lanterns in the blogsphere and since I was in the mood, I made some to decorate the house. Our house usually has minimum decoration -- just a pair of lanterns hung in the porch and some wall decorations indoor. So this year, we have some DIY lanterns hung indoor. Must give credit to XY for helping me out. I gave her simpler jobs that doesn't require much precision, although she had wanted to help more.

~ ball lantern ~

I've made this before but have forgotten how to. When I read about Merryn's colleague making it, it sort of triggered my memory after I looked at the lantern closely. And lucky for those who doesn't know how to make this, she's just posted the guide in her blog.

The red looked quite dull to me so I cut out some round pattern from other red packets and stuck them on the "ball". The end result looks rather weird to me, but never mind lah, lazy to change it already. :p

~ 6-point star lantern ~

~ CE's school project ~

Also referring to Merryn's blog, I made this star lantern. But it's slightly different from hers as I used the bigger red packets (length = 2x width) so I needed 6 to make one side of the star. Later I found some smaller red packets (length < 2x width) so I made another one. I let CE bring the 5-point star lantern to school as his school project, although he didn't help at all. Actually he wanted to help, but I didn't want him to ruin MY lantern. hahaha

~ "grand" lantern :D ~

This is my favourite. It looks very complicated, but thanks to Angeline's step-by-step guide, it wasn't that difficult actually. But I'd like to add a note here, when you are sticking the red packets to get Step 12 and Step 34, don't stick them too close together. Leave a small teeny weeny gap (less than 1mm). Reason being, they are the outer layer, so the little extra space will make it look tidier after fitting the inner section. Errr... you've got to read her post first before you know what I'm talking about. :-)

Now there's just the porch lanterns that need changing. Still haven't found nice and not-too-expensive ones. :p

Oh ya, thank you for your feedback on the bracelet. Looks like it's a close fight between the twisted and as is version, with as is winning by 2 votes. hehehe So this CNY, I'll be wearing it as is. And say, a few months later, it's twisted's turn. :-)

First Week Of School

2011-01-08T21:28:00.000+08:00

Day 1
PaPa played chauffeur, fetching didi to school in the morning and jie jie, in the afternoon. So I got to goyang kaki (relax) at home till my "shift" in the evening (to fetch jie jie back). :-)

He didn't accompany didi, the little boy walked to his classroom by himself. He's just like jie jie when she was in kindy, quite independent. At home, he told me they played dough and games in school.

As for jie jie, PaPa accompanied her to the classroom as he needed to settle the school fees with the teacher. Jie jie cried in the classroom because she didn't manage to get a seat at the front. She was sitting behind and was afraid she can't see the white board. The manja girl needed to be pacified by PaPa before she stopped crying. *shake head*

She received the time-table. I didn't expect that coz last year (in Standard 1), she only got the time-table in the 2nd week. Looks like they are not THAT slack actually. hehehe

Day 2
Jie jie forgot to bring back her Science pack (I prepared individual plastic bags for her to put her books according to subject). Her text book and note book were inside the pack. She claimed she left it under her desk.

Day 3
Couldn't find the books. So when I picked her up from school, I spoke to her class teacher and she said she'll help me look for it the next day.

Jie jie wore her rain coat for the first time. It was raining very heavily. I bought it last November and since then, she's been waiting for the chance to wear it.

Didi wet his pants in the school toilet. He didn't position "it" properly, so ter-sprayed on his pants too.

Day 4
Jie jie found her Science pack. *phew*

After sending jie jie to school, we (didi, Kakak and I) went to Tesco. Had lunch at The Chicken Rice Shop. We shopped till it was time to pick jie jie up = spent 4 hours in Tesco. I've never shopped so long there. You must be wondering if I bought the whole Tesco huh? :p Actually we spent quite some time at the clothes department coz Kakak was looking for some t-shirts.

Day 5
Didi started having runny nose in the morning and woke up with a fever after his nap. :-( First week of school already fallen sick. Haih... Up till now (Day 6, night), he's taken 3 doses of paracetamol. Highest temperature recorded was 38.2ºC. Hope his fever will not come back later.

Jie jie forgot to bring back her water tumbler. Aiyo... so forgetful like an old lady.

1.1.11

2011-01-04T02:11:00.001+08:00

It was our 10th Wedding Anniversary (ROM date). The day started (at midnight) with a gift and card from hubby. He was upstairs accompanying the kids in bed while I was watching tv downstairs alone. After the clock struck 12, I got an sms to "check the bookshelf". When I read the card, I was so touched and my eyes were watery (well, they do get watery very easily :D). The wordings made me felt so loved and appreciated. You see, hubby's been very busy with work and his own stuff that I felt a little neglected at times. I know I shouldn't feel this way or complain but it's just that sometimes, the hormones are playing tricks on me. No, not pregnancy hormones, in case you're jumping to conclusions. hahaha Probably aging hormones. :p

This is the gift. Nice or not? :-)

~ gold bracelet ~

~ Which do you think looks better? Twisted or as is? ~

And you know what I got for him? Nothing. Not even a card. Terrible or not, you say? So I'll just do my "declaration" here.
S**** B***, Happy 10th Anniversary! Thank you for... everything! I wish to spend many many more 10 years with you. I love you!

Then in the morning, I went to Critter Land for a mini bloggers meet with Jacss, Chin Nee, Anggie and Alice. It was the first time meeting Alice and the Little Sprouts. I saw Juan Juan first. So I asked her where her Mama and little brother were. She was very friendly and showed me where they were. Both the Little Sprouts are so adorable. Juan Juan speaks very fluent English and Ah Xuan was very generous with his "hi"s, together with the waving gesture. He even gave us a flying kiss before we left. Alice also gave us some yummy gifts. So thoughtful of her. I felt so 'paisay' coz I didn't prepare anything for her kids. Thanks again, Alice!

Jacss came with Sean only coz Scot wasn't feeling very well. The poor boy didn't seem to have fun as he missed his brother and partner-in-crime. I think he was bored as he preferred to play with his electronic gadgets.

Chin Nee's twins are so grown up already. The last time I met them was when they were just born. This June, they'll be turning 3. And like the rest, I can't differentiate who is kor kor and who is didi. :-) Their loving jie jie, pretty QQ, helps her mommy to take good care of her little brothers in the play land.

I finally got to meet the super cute and chubby little Jareth. Anggie and I have met twice during our boys' school events but I have yet to meet little J. He's now walking already, and quite fast too. Jeremy was playing excitedly that he lost one sock in the pool of balls, not long after he got in. Must let him wear tighter socks next time ya. hehehe Sorry, no photos to share here. For more updates and photos, you can check out Anggie & Jeremy boy Online Journal and My Little Sprouts!.

After 2 hours plus of play, we went separate ways as we have our own plans. I had a lunch date with hubby. Jie jie requested to eat dim sum. So we went to Cheras for dim sum lunch and ~~spent money~~ shopped a bit at Leisure Mall.

For dinner, I wanted to eat crabs so we headed to our usual go-for-crabs restaurant (not too far away). Unfortunately, they ran out of crabs! :-( So I can only look at the next table's crab dish... and drool. No lah, just kidding. hehehe Never mind, I'll get my crab fix another day.

Kids Photoshoot

2010-12-27T23:38:00.000+08:00

Exactly a year ago, I participated in TwoPixels Photography's 1st Anniversary Giveaway. I was very lucky to be chosen as one of the 3 lucky winners. We had a photo session with Jazz and Sue at the end of November. We went to Taman Tasik Permaisuri in Cheras. The backdrop is very nice -- got trees, lake and colourful playground.

We reached there at about 9 (sorry we were late, girls), and the place was very crowded on a Sunday morning. We chose to wear a little formal for the session and I brought a change of casual clothes for the kids. The main purpose was to shoot the kids and while we're at it, take some nice family portraiture. As mentioned in my contest entry, hubby dislikes to be photographed. So this was a great opportunity to get him involved. Thank you, TwoPixels, for making my wish come true. ;-) And of course, must thank hubby dearest for his cooperation. hehehe

When we were walking around the (crowded) park, I felt so out of place. I can feel people (who're there to exercise) staring at this bunch of weirdos in formal attire. But what the heck, we have a mission to accomplish, so I tried to imagine we're the only ones there. :-) Jie jie warmed up to Jazz and Sue quite fast. But didi started to show his angry face after a few shots coz he wanted to go to the playground. Earlier, I'd promised to bring him to the playground after the photo session but he was getting impatient. Maybe he was only expecting a few shots. :D

~ didi showed his angry face while folding his arms ~

Jazz and Sue are very patient with the kids. We just couldn't get didi to cooperate. Things/words that normally tickle him didn't work. Thanks to Jazz's brilliant idea and Sue's iPhone, they managed to cheer up the grumpy boy.

~ Talking Tom Cat saved the day :-) ~

~ lovey dovey shot ~

From then on, the photo session went rather well. When we reached the playground, the kids were like monkeys off the leash. Jie jie went climbing high and low, swinging on the monkey bar, trying out all the slides. Didi, on the other hand, was rather cautious at the beginning. Once he's warmed up, he did his spiderman stunts as well. He loved walking on the "bridge" and playing slides. It was definitely a fun day for the kids. And as usual, tiring for the old folks. hahaha

~ the toothless monkey :D ~

~ spiderman in action ~

Oh, I almost forgot...
Happy 25 Months Old, TwoPixels!

Holiday Activities

2010-12-20T01:52:00.001+08:00

There're only 2 weeks left of the long school break. How time flies! We didn't plan for any vacation this year end -- no budget and no time (PaPa's very busy). :-( Apart from playing tv games EVERYDAY, doing a lot of colouring and minimal writing, and revising with jie jie (mainly on BM and Maths), these are some of our activities so far.

1) Visited Petrosains StreetSmart Exhibition in KLCC.

2) Did science experiments. (a) Stole the idea from My Little Sprouts! and built balloon jets. (b) Grew dinosaurs in water.

3) Played and had a good workout at Critter Land.

4) Water play at home, in the rarely used 3-ring pool.

5) Had a great time ~~wasting money~~ at Sunway Pyramid's mini amusement park. I think their favourite is the bumper car.

6) Jie jie had her first try at ice-skating. We got her an instructor to coach her for 30 minutes (fee = RM60). She was taught how to balance herself, get up after falling down and of course, to skate. Not much she can learn and master in 30 minutes. At least she's mastered how to walk (on normal floor) with the skates. :-) She really enjoyed herself. Too bad it's quite far for us, if not, I'd let her take lessons. Never mind, we'll try to allocate time for ice-skating whenever we go to Sunway Pyramid. I'd love to try it too.

7) Watched Rapunzel: A Tangled Tale. As usual, didi was there just for the popcorn. He could not concentrate fully on the show. After he's finished his popcorn, he started to disturb me -- asked for more snacks, sat on my lap. Luckily he didn't roam around. I started warning him a few days before the outing. If he wants to follow me to the cinema and eat popcorn, he mustn't walk around or disturb me after he's finished his popcorn. Well, he kept half of his promise, ok lah. :D

Mommy The Dentist

2010-12-12T14:43:00.000+08:00

XY's upper right central incisor had been loose for quite awhile already. A few days ago, she showed me her very loose tooth. On Friday afternoon, she came to me crying and there was blood on her finger. She said she knocked her mouth on didi's head and I saw blood at the gum around that loose tooth. While trying to wipe off the blood in her mouth with tissue paper, I just pulled out that tooth, without telling her first. It came out at my second try. She was still crying. I doubt it was due to pain. Must be because she panicked when she saw blood earlier. Then didi started crying and asked me not to pull out jie jie's tooth. hahaha Since when my boy became so "drama" one? Later jie jie told me it just hurt a little when I pulled it out. After that it was not painful anymore. Then I let her bite a gauze to stop the bleeding. 1 gauze was enough.

~ the bloody gauze ~

She was very excited as she knew she'll be getting a little something from the tooth fairy at night. She asked for a plastic bag to keep her little tooth and happily put in under her pillow at bedtime. The "tooth fairy" couldn't find the plastic bag in the dark and didn't want to disturb her sleep. So the "tooth fairy" just left the coin there without taking the tooth. As expected, XY was satisfied with her 50 sen reward. But she asked me how come the tooth fairy didn't take the tooth away. I think I mumbled something like, "Oh really? Never mind lah. Just give it to me." coz I was still sleepy. hahaha

She's been a really brave girl and never gave me any problems when it comes to dental care and dentist encounters. I hope didi will be the same too. Haven't brought him for a check-up before. Maybe I'll start psyching him and bring him before the holiday's over.

Big Eaters

2010-12-05T23:59:00.000+08:00

We had Domino's pizza for dinner just now. For 2 adults (PaPa's not home) and 2 kids, I ordered 2 regular pizzas and 1 chicken crunchies. The chicken crunchies are quite spicy. Comes with tangy cheese dip. I don't really like it, prefer KFC's nuggets.

There's a promotion where you get a regular pizza for RM3 with purchase of any regular/large/extra large pizza. I received the info via sms. The coupon code is SM9. Feel free to use it if you want, as the delivery guy didn't ask to see the sms for verification. You can order online (under Redeem Coupons) or through their hotline. This promotion expires on 19/12/2010.

The kids ate 3 slices of pizzas each, the same portion as what we ate. That's equivalent to half a regular pizza. Oh my, they are really big eaters. And just less than 2 hours before dinner, each of them had 2 pieces of gardenia bread and biscuits. o.O Nowadays when we dine out, they'd have their own servings, instead of sharing. Of course I'm more than happy with their good appetite. Better have big eaters than picky eaters. :-)

I doubt their super big appetite has got anything to do with their water play in the morning. I took almost half an hour to set it up and fill it up with water (less than half full). We bought this 3-ring pool from Toys"R"Us in March. This is the 3rd time they're playing in it. Luckily SIL has an electric pump, if not I cannot imagine how long it'd take and how tiring it'd be to pump up the pool manually.

~ having a tea party ~

~ then pour water on each other ~

~ riding on jie jie ~

Critter Land

2010-12-03T15:28:00.002+08:00

SIL and I brought the kids to Critter Land (knew about this place from Irene) on Wednesday. We reached there at 10+ and we're the only customers there till the time we left. So nice to have the whole place to ourselves. :-) The boys spent a lot of time at the Lava Dome, where they erupt a volcano with foam balls and play shooting game -- shoot foam balls from compressed-air guns. XY loved the Sponge Drop, doing the flying fox (I enjoyed it too) and swinging on the rope. There are also slides, big and small. Funny that they're not too interested in the big trampolines but they always bug me to let them jump on the small one at home. *roll eyes* There's a dedicated area for little tots -- small plastic seesaws, ball pool, padded obstacles, etc.

Baby XN who's 7+ months old, didn't play much. Don't know why she didn't really enjoy the ball pool. But she loves to munch on the foam balls. hahaha She was model of the day as her mommy clicked away, practising her photography skill. The colourful backdrop is very nice for a photoshoot.

Since we have the whole place to ourselves, the big kids (the mommies :D) tried some of the slides and games too. shhhh... It was quite tiring for the adults to move around the place as we've to bend almost 90 degrees with crawling/walking tunnels above our head.

~ "wheeee!" into the pool of balls ~

~ isn't baby XN super cute? ~

~ 3-storey high slides, very "chi kek" ~

~ the high spiral slide ~

~ shooting game ~

~ trampoline area ~

~ the flying fox, this is fun! ~

~ "Jane" in action :D ~

Critter Land is located at The Heritage Village (opposite Mines).The entrance fee (for kids 1 to 12 years old) is RM15 on weekdays, RM22 on weekends, school and public holidays. They open daily from 10am. When we're there, got ample parking space. And it's free after you validate your ticket at Critter Land. After 3 hours of play, we went downstairs for lunch, at a Kopitiam. There's also a cafe and Persian Restaurant. That's all we can see near the Kopitiam area. Didn't explore the place as we're very hungry already. Hopefully can bring the kids there again before the school holiday is over.

Growing Dinosaur

2010-11-30T01:40:00.000+08:00

When we visited the Petrosains StreetSmart Exhibition, the kids participated in a game and received a goodie bag each. One of the gifts is a growing dinosaur. According to the note, it'll expand 600% in size when it's put in the water. It takes up to 72 hours to fully expand. When removed from the water, it'll shrink to its original size. Interesting, eh?

~ original size, about 2.5 inches ~

~ submerge in water for 72 hours ~

~ after 72 hours, about 5 inches ~

When I took it out of the water, it's a little slimy. All covered by something gel-like. After 72 hours, it only expanded 200%, so I soaked them in the water for another 4 days. But it didn't really expand some more. Well, maybe just a teeny weeny bit. And the orange dino cracked up like this due to over-soaking...

~ disfigured dino ~

A Memorable Day

2010-11-25T14:58:00.001+08:00

The kids are having their long school break. I haven't planned anything for them. So far, they've been having a good time at home, watching tv, playing with toys and tv games all day long. Brought them to MegaKidz @ Mid Valley during the Hari Raya Haji holiday and the Petrosains StreetSmart Exhibition last Sunday.

Let them fully enjoy their holidays for now. I think I'll start giving them (especially XY) some work next week, just so they don't lose track of school work. Anyway, I won't burden her, maybe just spend half an hour a day for "revision". Got to prepare for Standard 2, right? She has to work hard and keep up her effort next year, to maintain her results. She exceeded my expectation by getting 1st in class. And she surprised me further when she was selected to receive the award for Best Subject: Mathematics. Unbelievable! Although she did some careless mistakes in some papers, looks like she really checked her work thoroughly in Maths.

We attended the Excellence Awards Ceremony at her school in the morning (very early, had to be there by 7:30 am) on 13th November (didi's concert was at night). She received a certificate and RM20 cash voucher (from a bookstore) for each of the award. The school awards the top 6 students in each class. Quite odd hor, usually it's just 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Maybe because there are only 4 classes per year so they can afford to award more students from each class. :-)

~ so proud of you, ah girl ~

As for her reward, she wanted to go to Kizsport. We brought her to MegaKidz instead. And she's just as happy.

His First Concert

2010-11-15T23:30:00.001+08:00

CE had his first concert last Saturday night. I thought it was going to be difficult to put lipstick for him. Surprisingly, he didn't make much fuss. Although he said "No" at first, he was very cooperative when I told him everyone will have to put on make-up for the concert. I applied lipstick for him at home and SIL applied blusher for him at the venue (waiting room). We left the boys (CE and CH) with the teachers and went to wait at the hall, where I bumped into Anggie. It was really great chatting and catching up with her, without any distraction from the kids. :-) Hmmm, Wyson's mommy, where were you? Missed you again this time.

Jeremy's performance was the 2nd one, while CE's was the 4th. Jeremy was the leader of the pirates and the introducer of their dance. He did very well, giving the speech fluently. He's one very cheerful and smiley pirate. I didn't recognise him in front of the microphone because he was wearing fake hair with long curly locks. I was thinking, "Why is this girl giving the introduction, instead of Jeremy?" Ooops! But my question was answered when he started giving the speech. hehehe

I didn't know what is CE's performance as he didn't show me much at home. For his costume, I was only given a plain white round-neck t-shirt and a pair of black long pants (sheer-like material). Only at the venue I saw the teacher putting on a yellow shiny vest for him. So I was really surprised (and amused) when they announced his class is performing an Indian dance. He walked out looking around for me. I was below the stage, taking his photos. I waved at him and he saw me. Then while dancing, he kept looking at me. *shake head* But it was rather entertaining to see my cool boy shaking and dancing on stage. *syiok sendiri* hahaha

~ check out my Bollywood star :D ~

~ having fun on stage ~

CH took part in 2 performances -- percussion and pom pom dance. His dance was the last performance. It was accompanied by a fast-paced Chinese song. Very entertaining and they looked quite coordinated too. Well done to all the kids and teachers!

School Shoes

2010-11-15T22:55:00.000+08:00

This is a sponsored post.

We bought XY’s first pair of white school shoes 2 months before the start of the school year (Standard 1) because she needed it for her kindy graduation ceremony. I chose the PVC type as they are easier to clean, without the need to put shoe whites. I also bought another pair made of canvas as a spare, in case of rainy days. The PVC shoes are double the price of the canvas ones. However the PVC pair only lasted half a year. I don’t really like the canvas shoes as they get dirty very easily. Now I’m waiting for the year end ‘Back to School’ sales to get her another pair of PVC school shoes. How nice if their school shoes are black in colour, then we don’t have to worry so much about white dirty shoes.

I always have problems buying shoes for my kids, especially boys shoes because my son is very impatient and fussy. Even though I bring them along for trying, I don’t really know how to check if the shoes fit them perfectly. Sometimes I can’t even feel their toes so I’m not sure if it’s too tight, too loose or just right. And kids being kids, it’s difficult to get a proper feedback from them. But after watching this video on YouTube that shows how to fit buckle-up school shoes for girls, I now have a rough idea. It shows you how to check around the ankle, sides, front and top part of the shoes. Now I have more confident in buying shoes that fit them perfectly and comfortably.

Kindy Progress Report

2010-11-08T15:18:00.000+08:00

=== backdated post : 30 October 2010 ===

I went to CE's kindy for Parent-Teacher's Day to collect his progress report. 4-year-olds don't have any exams. So we just discussed about his progress in school. His class teacher, Ms. S, is generally happy and satisfied with his work. He's improved a lot compared to beginning of the year, in terms of behaviour and school work. She said he's ready and would have no problems in Year 5 next year, where there are more writing work, etc.

Some of the feedback :
* Can write alphabets and numbers on his own.
* Got used to the routines in class, e.g. lining up. He used to stray away from the line. :D
* Can concentrate better during lessons.
* Greet the teachers at the gate in the mornings and say bye when they bring him to the car after school. Last time, he just kept quiet and gave the cheeky look when the teachers greeted him.
* Participates well in class, to the extend the teacher has to ask him to give others the chance to answer. hahaha

The teacher's comment in his Report Card :
CE is a smart and cheerful boy. He is able to focus better during lessons now. He is now more confident in writing alphabet and numbers on his own. He is also good in phonics and he is able to do counting from 1-20.

I'm glad he's doing well in kindy and mixing well with his friends. At home, we have difficulty in getting him to answer or talk to us when he doesn't feel like it. He's very good at ignoring people too. :-| I was worried his "cool attitude" would be a problem. But looks like it's not so "severe" in school and he doesn't bully his teachers like how he bullies his Mommy. o.O

Lost And Found

2010-11-02T21:33:00.000+08:00

Yesterday was the day to return XY's school books. As she's lost her BM Activity book, I had to see the teacher-in-charged to see what can be done. We've checked the local bookstore but it's out of stock. She actually lost it 2 weeks before her exam. She told me she passed it up to her teacher, Puan J (on a different day than the class as she forgot). So I asked her to check with Puan J and also ask her classmates. I went to see Puan J before the exam, in case she doesn't take my girl's words seriously. But she can't find them anywhere. I was told by the class teacher that I've to replace the book, otherwise, XY won't be getting next year's books.

So I waited and waited, hoping her book would somehow appear. But it didn't and it was time to return the books. I spoke to the teacher-in-charged and she asked me to see the Penolong Kanan at the office, Puan R. Had to wait 45 minutes to see her as she was doing an interview (overheard it's for Head Prefect). Puan R was really nice and helpful, said I don't have to replace the book coz it's the Activity book (they'll write off anyway).

On the way out, I passed by XY's classroom so I decided to tell her class teacher what Puan R said. Surprise, surprise! The book has been found! One of her friends had taken her book, obviously without XY's knowledge. The girl took it to copy some work which she didn't finish. And she said she didn't understand what Puan J said when she was asking the class about the book. Fine, even so, shouldn't you return your friend her book so that she can do revision for her exam? Or anytime earlier than return-school-books-day?

When she was back from school, I found out the teacher didn't say anything to that girl. So I told her to explain (nicely, of coz) to her friend that she shouldn't do that. Cannot take other people's things without permission (if the person didn't hear you, it's not considered asked :p) and must return to them as soon as possible. Actually I'm quite pissed because of the trouble I had to go through. Luckily we didn't really go hunting for the book. And XY was worried about losing her book. Worried her teacher will scold her. Although I told her I'll handle it, she was still worried. And every time she mentioned about the book, she'd get an earful from me. "If you hadn't passed up the book on a different day, you wouldn't have lost it... blablabla." Poor girl. It was not her fault at all. Anyway, I'm just glad things got sorted out and she received next year's books already.

So Blessed

2010-10-30T17:48:00.000+08:00

I feel so blessed. I received so many birthday wishes via Facebook, sms, e-mail and phone call. The wishes started coming in as early as 3 days before the actual day (Wednesday). It really made my day(s). ;-)

Although I didn't get any presents from hubby (to be redeemed later :D), I'm very happy that :
1) Hubby made it a point to come home for dinner even though he was supposed to have dinner with his bosses.
2) CE wished me Happy Birthday the moment he woke up in the morning. *sweet*
3) XY tried very hard to be a good girl. Although she didn't really succeed (or maybe my expectations were too high), I'll give her credit for trying real hard. hehehe

Hubby bought back a green tea cake from Tong Kee. We had a simple dinner at home together with SIL #1, CH, baby and FIL. MIL is currently in Hong Kong visiting SIL #2. CE kept pestering me to let him eat the cake, from the time PaPa brought it home till after I finished my dinner. So I had to keep asking him to wait as we're still full from dinner. Finally it was time to cut the cake. The kids helped me blow the candle. Everyone loved the cake. It's very nice, not too sweet and has red beans in between layers.

~ green tea cake with layers of red beans ~

Being at home full time with the kids, life isn't very "interesting". And sometimes it feels like I'm trapped (with them) within the four walls. But there are many things to be thankful for. So even though life is pretty routine and uninteresting, I am very contented. Yes, I feel so blessed.

Of Examinations

2010-10-24T23:59:00.001+08:00

Follow-up Eye Examination
Brought the kids for their eye check-up at ISEC yesterday. The last time they had their eyes checked was at Optimax in December last year.

Result for XY :
Previously : myopia (shortsightedness) of 25 degrees for each eye and astigmatism (left -0.75 and right -1.00).
Now : myopia (left 100 and right 50 degrees), astigmatism (left -0.75 and right -0.25).
She'll definitely see better with glasses but at the moment, can still do without them. Have to make sure she doesn't strain her eyes too much, otherwise she may develop headache. So she cannot sit too far from the white board in class to avoid straining her eyes.

Result for CE :
He has astigmatism of left -1.75 and right -1.00. At his age, he can still make do without glasses. Will have to do regular check-up to make sure his astigmatism doesn't increase too much till it affects his vision. It's a relief to know he doesn't have lazy eyes or squint coz during his previous check-up, the doctor said his right eye was weaker than his left.

So they won't be wearing glasses for now. Will continue to monitor their progress. They're advised to get their eyes checked again 6 months later. I guess eye examinations will be a half-yearly affair for us from now on.

School Examination
XY will be having her year-end examinations starting Tuesday (till Friday). So I'll be busy doing revision with her. And that calls for a short blog break. :p This is the exam season, so here's wishing your children (and you) ALL THE BEST!

The Hat Hunt

2010-10-21T22:46:00.000+08:00

The other day, I was helping my sister-in-law to look for a hat for her baby girl. They will be attending a wedding dinner and she wanted to get a hat for baby, who doesn't have much hair now. :D I was browsing the net and I came across this website which has a wide selection of really cute kids and baby hats. Those are winter hats so it's not suitable for our weather here. But for those who are staying in countries with 4 seasons or you are planning a winter holiday, do check out Winter Hats Boutique.

There are so many designs to choose from and I particularly love this bright and colourful Kids Sunflower Beanie. Maybe I can get this as a gift for my niece. I heard that they are planning a holiday to Korea during winter next year. It will be perfect for my cute little niece.

Apart from kids and baby winter hats, Winter Hats Boutique also has a wide selection of women winter hats and men winter hats. You’ll be spoiled for choice. And at a very good bargain too. With this coupon code, "15OFF", you can get 15% discount off your purchase. Good news for folks in USA and Canada, shipping is free! I am sure the shopping experience with them would be a pleasant one as they are committed to providing the best customer service. Happy shopping!

** Note : I was compensated for my time. All opinions are 100% mine. **

Almost

2010-10-17T10:28:00.000+08:00

That's one of CE's favourite words. My almost 53-month-old boy uses it very frequently.

Happily announcing the time, "It's 2:43. It's almost 3 o'clock."
He heard thunder. "It's almost going to rain."
After his evening bath, he saw that it's getting dark outside. "It's almost night time."

And sometimes used inappropriately :
CE : Today is 16 October already ah?
Me : Ya.
CE : It's almost 17 October ah?
Me : Ya. Tomorrow is 17 October.

He's learnt to read the time. I say read coz he's just reading the numbers. I doubt he understands the concept of time. He can read the digital clock quite well but for the analog one, he can only tell if the long hand is pointing at 12 (something o'clock). He knows for the hours, after 12 is 1. And for the minutes, after 59 is 00.

It's time to go upstairs to sleep. I told him it's 10:05 already.
"How come past 9:59 already?"
I just kept quiet. I reckon that's a question that doesn't require an answer. :D

He currently has an obsession with time. He loves to press the INFO button on the Astro remote control to see the time display on tv. Or look at my handphone screen. Or check the time on the computer screen. And then reads it out loud. He's become our official time announcer. Sometimes he'll stare at his Ben 10 watch (from KFC's chicky meal) to see the minutes change. hehehe... my funny boy.

This Time I Remembered

2010-10-06T01:23:00.000+08:00

... to take back her tooth. Brought XY to the dentist again on Sunday afternoon as her upper left central incisor was bleeding a little. I think she was touching it and shook it too hard. So it became very loose and bled. She has been complaining that it was a bit painful when she ate. I was hoping it'll drop out by itself. But because it bled, off to the clinic we went.

We were told we had to wait very long for our turn. So I took her to the next block for a haircut. Cut her fringe short and trimmed the back a little. I prefer her to keep short hair but she's very reluctant to cut them short. Short hair is easier to maintain. Moreover, she doesn't know how to take care of or tie her own hair. Anyway, I gave in this time. Told her the next time we visit the hair salon, it'll be a proper haircut (= short hair).

~ with a missing front tooth and very short fringe :D ~

That night before sleeping, she asked for her tooth, so that she can put it under her pillow. She was very happy the next morning to find a 50 sen coin in its place. Although I've told her before that I (or PaPa) was the one who left the coin for her, she still believes in tooth fairies. Too much influence from fairy tales, I guess. hehehe

Life's Back To Normal

2010-09-27T11:51:00.000+08:00

Hello everybody... I'm back! I've been away for almost a month and I'm really happy to know that I've been missed. *big grin* Now that Kakak's back from her Raya break (just got back yesterday midnight), my life is back to normal. No more housework. Yay! No more eating salty catered food. Yay! More time for myself and the kids. Yay! More time for blogging and blog-hopping. Yay! There are 900+ unread posts in my Google Reader. *pengsan* I'll visit you real soon ya... slowly, but surely. :-)

Before I continue, I must say a special thank you to hubby who's been really helpful during Kakak's absence. I'm so lucky to have such a "domesticated" hubby who has no issues with doing house chores. And very good at it too. ;-) Also a big thank you to my ever helpful and thoughtful SIL, who took care of most of our meals. It really saved me a lot of work and brain cells (thinking of what to cook). hehehe

As mentioned in my previous post, I was back in Penang for the 1-week school/Raya holidays. Didi complained of mouth pain on Wed (8/9) and doctor confirmed it was HFMD. He must have been infected before the trip. This round it was more serious, with rashes on his hands and legs (previous infection was in January, a mild one). Luckily he didn't have any fever, just mouth sore for 5 days. Good thing his appetite wasn't affected although he was in pain when eating. The mouth drop given wasn't really working. Jie jie's mouth pain came 2 days after him, on the day we got back home. She had fever that evening, but it went away after 1 dose of paracetamol. *phew* She also had rashes on her hands and legs and her mouth sore lasted almost 6 days. She relied mainly on ice and cold drinks during meal times. I'm so glad it's all over now. Please please please spare them from mouth ulcers in the future. It's such a torture!

Jie jie's school holiday was extended for another 2 weeks because the classrooms were used for the UPSR examination. I brought her to the dentist last Wednesday as her lower left lateral incisor was loose and painful (when she eats) and it bled sometimes. Her 2 upper central incisors are loose too but they're not causing any pain and there're no signs of new teeth coming out. So the doctor said they can wait. He extracted the lower left lateral incisor (using only the numbing gel) and filled up a hole in her upper left second molar. This is the 2nd time she got her tooth extracted by the dentist and she behaved really well. She did as instructed. All she requested was that I hold her hand while the dentist was attending to her. She even sat still on the chair behind the dentist when I got my teeth checked. Previous trip she was all over the place trying to see what he was doing and checking out the equipments. o.O

When I was making payment, she asked me a question. I had a hard time understanding what she said as she was biting on a gauze. After repeating many many times, I finally got it. "What's my reward?" A lollipop, which she "claimed" 3 days later. She was quite sad that her forgetful mommy didn't take back her tooth (how to get coins from the tooth fairy?). I forgot to tell the dentist I wanted to keep it. When we went back to the clinic about 30 minutes later (after packing lunch), they said they've thrown it away already. I told her not to be sad, as she already knew the tooth fairy is actually her parents. hahaha After thinking about it, I decided to put a coin under her pillow yesterday night, just to make her happy. Then she got confused with who's the REAL tooth fairy again. :-D Luckily I have her first two extracted baby teeth. Note to self : Must not be so forgetful next time.

Blog Break

2010-09-06T23:59:00.001+08:00

I have been missing in action from the blogsphere for quite awhile already. Doubt anyone missed me. huhuhu Anyway, I'd better write something (will keep this short) before you all think that I've disappeared into thin air or I've gotten preggie (sorry Olive, your prediction didn't come true this time). hahaha I close shop already loh (for now). :-D

Here are the reasons for MIA :

#1 Was down with flu 2 weeks ago, with fever for 5 days (38+ºC to 39+ºC on the first 2 days). Went for blood test and nose swab -- got the Influenza B virus. Luckily PIL were around -- FIL helped to send the kids to and fro school. And that leads to the next reason.

#2 PIL were here to help take care of my 4+ month old niece. She was advised to be 'quarantined' as my nephew got the chicken pox (from kindy). So they stayed and took care of baby at my place. Unfortunately, SIL discovered spots on her the day PIL left (after taking care of her for 10 days and CH's spots have dried up). Poor baby, whole body and face covered with spots and I heard she's coughing and developed fever 2 days ago.

#3 Kakak has gone back to her kampung for Raya. I've been maidless since 29/8. She'll be away for 4 weeks. It takes awhile to adjust to life without that extra help at home. But so far so good. We've been "catering" food for lunch and dinner from SIL so it really saves me a lot of work from preparation, to cooking, to cleaning up. I'm so thankful for her help. I don't even have to think about the menu and the kids love her (or her maid's) cooking. From next week onwards, we'll cater dinner from outside for 2 weeks, till Kakak comes back.

#4 I'm now back in my hometown for the school break. First time bringing the kids back myself (by flight) without hubby. Luckily they didn't give me much problems -- minimal toilet visits and they held my hand ALMOST all the time. :-D

All these reasons = limited online activity. So I'm officially declaring a blog break till end of Sept. Have a good holiday and Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri!

A Typical Saturday

2010-08-21T23:59:00.001+08:00

After breakfast, the kids will be asking for games. They usually play Wii games because nowadays I minimise their time on the computer. Want them to avoid staring at the computer for too long. That reminds me, I've to bring them for a follow-up eye examination. During the check-up in end December '09, didi's right eye is weaker than his left. So the ophthalmologist suggested that I bring him back after 6 months coz he was only 3+ years old then. As for jie jie, she has slight shortsightedness and mild astigmatism. Have to ensure that her condition didn't get worse.

Before they get to play games, I made them do some "work". Didi doesn't have any homework from kindy. It'll start next year. I bought some writing books for him but I don't really make him practise. He does them whenever he wants to. So he hardly does any writing exercise on weekdays.

I asked him to write the alphabets and numbers, from 1 to 10. But he said there's still space so he continued till 30+. Then he wanted to erase the numbers from 22 onwards. Don't know why, maybe they don't look nice. hehehe But I stopped him from erasing further as I wanted to record it down.

~ didi's alphabets and numbers ~

As for jie jie, she was exempted today. Yeah, some Saturdays, they are lucky that they get to play games straight away without having to "earn" it. :-) Usually, I'll do revision with her. And if we're not revising school work, I'll prepare some Maths questions for her to do.

Then it's time for games. They played for 1+ hours, stopped coz lunch was ready. After a short rest, time for nap. On Saturdays when jie jie has swimming lessons, she'd skip her nap. They ate fruits for tea-time and then went out to play at the porch. I'm so excited coz didi finally succeeded in pedalling the bicycle with training wheels. I was starting to get worried because he couldn't get it when I taught him months earlier. And he wasn't really interested in cycling or learning to pedal. Mind you, he's already 4 years old and this kind of motor skill should've been mastered at age 2. Moreover he's a boy, I thought this kind of activity should come more naturally? So it was a big relief when he "suddenly" know how to pedal on his own.

We had noodles for dinner as PaPa wasn't home. Usually we'll eat out on Sat nights. I prefer to eat out on weekends as I'm tired to think of what to ask Kakak to cook. :p Sometimes PaPa will pack food back so we don't have to bring the whole gang out.

This is how our typical Saturday goes. How do you spend your Saturdays?

Member's Mark At Sam's Club

2010-08-21T19:58:00.001+08:00

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One-week Break

2010-08-19T23:18:00.001+08:00

Huh? School holiday's not here yet. Well, it's CE who's having a "break". He's been skipping school this whole week. He was suspected of having HFMD. It started on Saturday morning. He woke up with a fever of 38+ºC. Brought him to see the paediatrician. He's got ear infection (left ear) and slight red throat. Doctor prescribed antibiotics, ear drop and flu medicine (Peace syrup -- anti-histamine and decongestant). His fever was very high (most of the time above 38ºC) on Sat and Sun. And came back very fast too, I had to give him paracetamol every 4 hours. Luckily the fever subsided on Sun night.

Brought him to see the doctor again on Mon afternoon because since Sun, he complained of pain when he eats and drinks. Doctor said there are some ulcers in his throat and some dots on the sides, near the throat. They look like HFMD but he can't be sure. Asked me to monitor him for the next 2 days. Apart from his throat ulcers, there are no rashes on his hands and legs. I checked with the kindy, there are no reported cases of HFMD. So, I'm not sure if it's really HFMD. But to be on the safe side, I kept him at home for the whole week. The pain in his mouth is finally gone today. Before this, I relied on the throat drop (pain killer) to make his meal times more pleasant.

I'm so glad he's almost fully recovered now. And he can go back to school next week. At least I can have some peace of mind in the mornings. When both the kids are together, they play rough, laugh loudly and quarrel too. Sometimes I pity them as they don't get to spend much time together on weekdays. Can only play together after jie jie's back from school and weekends. But sometimes I think, it's good also -- good for my sanity. hahaha

Genting Trip Jul '10

2010-08-05T23:36:00.001+08:00

We went to Genting Highlands last Saturday for a 1-night stay. It was one of the birthday surprises for XY. She didn't know we're going till that morning itself -- when she saw the stack of clothes (hers and didi's) on the bed. We were contemplating if we should go ahead with the plan coz it was MyFM's 12th Anniversary Concert that night. I'm sure the place would be crowded. But surprisingly, it was quite alright. There are many vehicles in Genting but the crowd in the outdoor theme park and restaurants were better compared to school holidays. However, there was a jam on our way there (on MRR2) and we reached the peak at 3+.

Check-in at Theme Park Hotel was a breeze. Maybe because it was quite late already. I didn't manage to book the Family Room (2 queen beds). So I booked the Deluxe Room (1 queen and 1 single bed) coz the room size, according to Genting website, is bigger than the Superior Quad, which has 2 queen beds. For now, the 3 of us (2 kids and I) can still fit in the queen bed. I requested for a room away from the noise so we were given the KL view. The theme park view would be noisy because of the concert.

~ deluxe room ~

If you don't like the idea of using 3-in-1 soap for washing your hair
and body, remember to bring your own shampoo and body soap. :-)

~ view from the room ~

Next, we had tea-break at Hainan Express (something like Toast Box), near the hotel lobby. This is the kids' second trip to Genting. Their first was in June '08. That time, we only went to the indoor theme park and the pool. So this trip, we skipped the indoor one and went for the outdoor theme park (the entrance is just next to the hotel). By then, it was already 5pm.

The kids had only about 2 hours of fun coz it rained. :-( We only rode in 3 rides, kids had some fun at the playground and they played 2 rounds of the Junior bumper car (had to leave coz the electricity for that section was suddenly cut off). When we were checking out the game stalls, a guy won a big dragon soft toy and was very kind to give it to XY. We think he must be a high level staff or he won't be able to win anymore soft toys as every customer is limited to winning 3 big prizes only.

~ back home, XY with her dragon ~

It was very cold as it was night time and raining. The rain was getting heavier so we left the theme park and went for dinner at First World Plaza. After that, back to the hotel to prepare the kids for bedtime. Then hubby went to make "donations" at the casino. hahaha

The next morning, the kids and I had breakfast in the room as hubby was still asleep. Ate the bread and biscuits I brought from home. The kids just can't wait to go to the pool. The Rainforest Splash Pool is located near First World Indoor Theme Park. With the cool weather, it's really nice to soak in the heated pool. The water level is only at the knee so you've to sort of lie down to "soak" in it. There's a mini playground in it (refer to picture) and 2 big water slides that adults can play too. Remember to bring along your hotel passbook to entitle free entry for 4 pax. With First World Hotel passbooks, you're entitled for some discounts.

~ mini playground in the pool ~

We spent less than an hour at the pool then went back to the hotel to check-out. After a simple lunch of fried rice and noodles at the hotel's Chinese restaurant, we headed home. Initially, we wanted to stop by the strawberry farm on our way downhill but looking at the tired kids (didi already fell asleep before we reached Gohtong Jaya), we skipped that. All in all, we spent less than 24 hours in Genting but the kids sure had a great time.

Superb Memory

2010-07-28T01:35:00.000+08:00

... when it comes to her favourite food (particularly snacks) but she can be quite forgetful in every other things.

She forgets what I've just taught her, when we do revision.
She forgets that she shouldn't shout into didi's ear.
She forgets that she shouldn't run in the house.
She forgets that she shouldn't jump on the bed/sofa.
She forgets to pass up her work in school.
She forgets to wear her watch to school.
She forgets to sit nicely when she's wearing a skirt.
... and the list goes on.

Some days, I let her drink milk or vitagen in the car on the way to school. I'll usually take it out from the fridge 10-15 minutes earlier so that it's not too cold. The kids have sensitive lungs when they were much younger (CE still) so I don't let them take cold drinks/fruits/food straight from the fridge. XY has no problems taking cold stuff now. But I guess it has become a habit (for me), that's why she still has to wait awhile before consuming the drinks/food.

Anyway, back to the story. The other day, we were already in the car, getting ready to go out of the house, then XY exclaimed that I've forgotten to take her drink (which was left on the dining table). So I've to get out of the car, unlock the house door, take her drink, then lock the door (again) and get into the car. This has happened twice and BOTH times, she reminded me when we were in the car, before I reversed it out. Superb memory huh... when it comes to her favourite drink. :-)

Versatile Blogger Award

2010-07-25T18:13:00.000+08:00

I've got an award. I've got an award. The Versatile Blogger Award! Wooh-hoo!

To accept this award I must:

1. List 7 random things about yourself
(a) Nowadays, I scold (the other drivers) a lot when I'm behind the wheels. :p Bad influence from hubby. hahaha
(b) I don't have any decorations in my car -- nothing on the dashboard or dangling from the mirror. Don't know why, but I guess it's a good thing as there's no obstruction of view.
(c) Currently, I'm using 12 types of products for my facial regimen (of coz, not all at the same time lah). Errr... but but but how come my face not smooth like tofu. :p
(d) I like to hug a bolster to sleep.
(e) I don't really know how to whistle.
(f) Recently, I discovered that it's very easy and convenient to download English movies/series from the internet. Looking for the right subtitles (that sync with the show) is a breeze too.
(g) I have difficulty sleeping after drinking chinese tea.

2. Share the award with up to 15 other bloggers
3. Link to each of the recipients and let them know they've won via comments on their blogs
Won't be tagging anyone as most of you have done it already.

4. Thank and bring the love back to the person you won the award from by linking back to them
Thank you Joanne, for the award and tag! I'm truly honoured. And sorry for taking so long to complete it. :p

On Her Birthday

2010-07-22T14:50:00.002+08:00

~ take picture first before going out ~

We ate dim sum for brunch at Tai Thong. As usual, she had dessert after she's finished her meal. But for her special day, I allowed her to finish the whole portion herself. She chose jelly with longan dessert and was very generous to give me a few mouthfuls. :-) Later on, she had another treat of ice-cream cone when we passed by McD. She was very happy coz she had the whole cone to herself.

After that, we headed home for the kids to have some rest as there'll be a "party" at night. As usual, I've to make balloon decorations. I think it'll be a ritual for years to come (till they outgrow it) as when you do it for one sibling, you've to do it for the other. This time, I just hung the balloons at the curtain rail -- a bit lazy lah. Well, as long as the lil boss gave the green light, anything will do.

~ standing on the sofa ~

It was a very simple dinner. We had Domino's pizza and Kakak's fried bihun. As for the cake, XY chose the design (she's starting the "princess" phase) and I chose the flavour -- blueberry vanilla sponge cake. First time I ordered from Sugar Bun. Not bad, not bad.

~ princess cake ~

~ didi was crying coz he got scolded and whacked
by PaPa for breaking one of the candles ~

Knowing that she loves presents (who doesn't, right? :D), SIL and I purposely wrap her gifts individually. So she got 6 pressies all together. I even wrapped the swimming suit which we bought the week before (she tried before buying) and treated it as her birthday present. hahaha

~ she especially love the musical jewelry box
and custom-made bracelet from MLTB ~

3 & 7

2010-07-18T04:45:00.003+08:00

Slavery Bliss is three! It has survived another year. Yay! Although the postings are getting lesser and lesser, I'm very thankful to you all, my loyal readers (real and virtual friends) for your continuous support.

Since I got bored with the old header and template, I decided to give this blog a facelift. For the header, I must give credit to Jazz for the inspiration. Her tutorial on collage pictures was a good guide.

This is my old header and template, posted here for my keepsake. :-)

Today is also XY's birthday. We were supposed to go for a 1-night holiday but because didi just recovered from flu and PaPa's extremely exhausted (been working REALLY late this whole week), we decided to postpone the trip to 2 weeks later. She wasn't disappointed coz she didn't know about the trip in the first place.

She didn't change much compared to last year. Apart from being helpful, loving sister and rude girl, this is her at seven years of age :
Weight - 22 kg
Height - 123 cm

Big Crybaby
She's a big crybaby at home. Cries easily when she doesn't get what she wants. When didi bullies her (whack or say something that irritates her). When we scold her or raise our voice. Sigh... she sometimes cries for no valid reasons.

Independent
She can bathe by herself. Still not good at washing her own hair though. Before she goes to school, she'll bathe and change into her uniform on her own.

Nap
Now that she doesn't nap on school days (she's in the afternoon session), she prefers not to nap during weekends too. I sometimes force her to nap when I know they won't be sleeping at their normal bedtime. Basically she doesn't need a nap when we stay home the whole day. But she'd surely doze off in the car, on our way home after an outing.

Vain
She's getting more and more vain by the day. Every time we go out (even to the coffee shop), she wants to change into something nice. :-| If we go kai kai, she'd surely ask for a dress. She loves to accessorise herself. Even tying a string around her neck (to act like necklace) would make her happy.

Teeth
She's lost 2 baby teeth (lower central incisors) and although the permanent ones were very visible before the extraction, they are nicely aligned now (luckily). The upper central incisors are loose now. But no sign of the permanent ones. Hopefully they'll drop off by themselves without visiting the dentist.

Nosy
She's very interested to know what we're talking about, what I'm writing/typing. Sometimes when I'm drafting my post, she'll be next to me, reading and asking questions (really irritating!). She can read quite well. Although she doesn't know the meaning of all the words, she can roughly understand the content. So better not write too many bad stuff about her here. hahaha

~o~o~o~ Happy 7th Birthday, XY ! ~o~o~o~

Crybaby Didn't Cry

2010-07-13T02:35:00.000+08:00

Last Friday, XY was given 2 injections and an oral vaccination in school. She was so proud to tell me she didn't cry at all while some of her classmates did. (Then why is she such a crybaby at home? hmmm...) She repeated it many times coz she wanted me to praise her many many times. *shake head* I found out from our paediatrician (when I brought CE for consultation) the vaccines are MMR, Triple and Polio boosters. She complained her left arm hurts and doctor said it could hurt for 1 to 3 days. I think the pain subsided on the 3rd day.

Rewind to 3rd July...
PaPa went alone to collect her report card. I was home with the kids. We're very pleased that her teacher didn't have anything to complain. When PaPa asked about her talkativeness and restlessness, her teacher said it's normal for Standard 1 students. In other words, she's within the "tolerance limit". hahaha

For the mid-year results, only 4 subjects (BM, English, Maths and Science) are calculated to determine the position in class, although 8 were tested. She made us so proud by getting 4th in class (out of 41). Position in the whole standard will only be calculated after the year-end exams. Before her exam, I told her it doesn't matter what position she got, as long as she doesn't do careless mistakes. I'm really happy she did less (not totally none) careless mistakes as compared to her assessments earlier. And she's also getting the habit (with constant reminder) of checking her work before passing up her papers.

So as to reward her, we'll be going for a short holiday (just 1 night) to celebrate her birthday (coming soon). I've also bought a pencil box (the rectangle box type. It's one of her "nice-to-have" things) and custom ordered a bracelet from Mom's Little Treasure Box as her birthday gifts. The pencil box would be a surprise but not the bracelet coz she chose the charms herself. Now the only thing pending is the cake. The "boss" hasn't decided on the design she wants. The "party" (to the kids, birthday = party) will be a simple dinner at home with her cousins (staying opposite).

Sports Day 2010

2010-07-05T14:50:00.001+08:00

Yesterday was CE's kindy's Sports Day. It was held at Stadium Universiti Tenaga. Although it rained at the beginning, it soon stopped and the weather was just nice. It wasn't a windy day but wasn't hot either. The events were held on the track, right in front of the spectators stand (which has a roof). That area was shaded as the sun was behind the stand.

~ waiting at the students' camp for guests to arrive ~

CE is in the blue team. He was very happy with his blue t-shirt when his teacher distributed their sports tee. You see, blue is his favourite colour. But the funny thing is, when we went to buy his sports shoes last Wednesday (last minute thing coz the teacher said Crocs shoes are not suitable for running on the track), he chose a red and black pair (instead of the blue and yellow one). He loved his shoes so much he wore it in the house (while it's still new, if worn already, I won't allow it :p). At first, he refused to wear socks but I told him he has to wear socks with sports shoes. Otherwise he cannot go to the stadium. He was still fussing and complaining but I ignored him. Don't know why he hates wearing socks so much. Luckily he didn't complain anymore when we're at the stadium.

~ his 1st pair of sports shoes ~

In his event, squeezing sponge with water into a small bottle, CE's team came out first. And he got a gold medal. Every student who participated will get a medal as there're only 3 teams. Jie jie was very envious of his medal and when they got home, she got him to trade it with the trophy she got 2 years ago. hahaha And he agreed! She's been "wearing" the medal the whole day. *shake head*

~ prize giving ceremony ~

I met Anggie for the first time. Jeremy's in the same kindy as CE, but different branch. The pretty mommy is very friendly and Jeremy's such a smiley boy, like his mommy. When we introduced the boys, they waved and said "hi" to each other and shook hands (as per our request hehehe). I guess we'll be seeing more of each other as there are some combined events for the kindy (annual concert or excursions).

There's Always A First Time

2010-06-26T23:58:00.001+08:00

As a SAHM, I hardly buy new clothes, especially when there isn't a need. But I do make sure I have at least SOMETHING new to wear during Chinese New Year. :-) Shopping for clothes at the malls is just too troublesome with kids in tow. You can never shop in peace when the kids are running all over the place or complaining and whining because you're looking at something they're not interested in.

Although there are many online boutiques, I've never shopped for clothes online because... I just don't know how to. I'm very small-built and petite (with spare tyres at the wrong places *blush*), so it's actually very difficult to find clothes that fit me perfectly (especially dresses) off the shelves. So I'm wondering how can I actually purchase clothes without trying them on?

When I heard that Malaysia Online Boutique - Irenelim Fashion is giving out free dresses for bloggers and website owners, I knew I had to grab this chance. A real-life practice. I pick what I like (from their huge selection), imagine how I look in it, make sure the measurements fit and then wait for the delivery. I get to go through the whole process, WITHOUT paying for it (just need to pay for postage)! Cool, eh? Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to continue browsing their catalog.

School Holidays June '10

2010-06-22T14:28:00.000+08:00

School started yesterday after a two-week break. Didi had no problems waking up in the morning as before. He seemed happy to be back in school. But jie jie was a little manja. She complained she didn't feel very well and said she didn't want to attend school. Well, she's actually coughing a little and having a little runny nose but is overall fine and not having any fever. So too bad, no valid excuse for extending her holidays. hahaha

I've been away from the blogsphere for almost a month now. Have been busy with visits from our family during the holidays and rushing for the submission of income tax. Phew... finally it's done, and so near to the deadline. :p And we've been nursing a very stubborn cough (we = the whole family *sigh*). Still not completely healed yet. Yup, even didi, who's been coughing for more than a month already. And when he seems to be getting better, his condition worsens the next day. Then better again. *scratch head*

PaPa recently bought a HD MediaBox (multimedia player). So I downloaded some movies for the kids to watch on tv. We watched Alice In Wonderland, How To Train Your Dragon and Shrek (all the 4 movies).

Tuesday, 8th June ~ The kids went for a Happy Camp (half day) organised by CE's kindy. It's open to siblings aged 4 to 8 so we decided to let XY join them. They attended a session of Kid's Yoga before visiting High 5 Bread Town in Shah Alam. I was at the recreation club where they had the yoga class but said bye-bye to them when their bus left for Shah Alam. They had fun stretching and running around in yoga class. And I guess the Bread Town wasn't too interesting for them. All they remembered was the magic door where they had to say "High 5" to make it open. :-)

~ doing yoga ~

Thursday, 10th June ~ Po Po (my mum) and WQ kor kor (my 11-year-old nephew) came visiting from Penang. They stayed till Sunday. The kids played Wii games from morning till night. :-| I brought them to the amusement centre in Jaya Jusco on Friday (at least that kept them away from the tv for awhile). They had no problems finishing up RM30 worth of tokens (mainly used by XY and WQ coz CE can still be cheated -- let him play without putting any tokens hehehe. He especially love steering wheels).

Tuesday, 15th June ~ PIL were here for 2 nights in conjunction with Duan Wu Jie (Dumpling Festival) and school holidays. They bought dumplings from Johor and we've been eating dumplings for breakfast/lunch the last few days. And I've still got some in the fridge.

Sunday, 20th June ~ Father's Day. We didn't have any celebration for PaPa. Gave him a day off. So he's off duty from fetching us around (for food or shopping hahaha). In the morning, I guided the kids to make a craft for PaPa. The template was given by CE's kindy and I made a copy for XY. They coloured the hearts and circles and wrote the words themselves (I had to spell for didi). I did the cutting, gluing and stapling for them.

~ artists at work ~

~ dragonflies for PaPa ~

3-in-1 Post

2010-05-27T18:31:00.000+08:00

#1 His First Progress Report

Last Saturday, I went to CE's kindy for Parent-Teacher's Day. Discussed with his class teacher (Ms. S) on his progress in school.

This is her feedback :
* Good with numbers, alphabets and phonics.
* Can follow the lessons and do the work given.
* His writing is a bit weak. Needs more practice.
* Quite soft-spoken when answering questions in class.
* His attention span is very short during Chinese lessons. After a short while, he'll walk around or chat with his friends. :-| But he's not really like that in other lessons. O-oh, does this mean he's not interested in learning Chinese?

Overall, the teachers have no issues with him. And to my question if he's a samseng in school, Ms. S answered "No". *phew* :D

#2 Didi's Cough

Didi is still coughing. He didn't attend kindy this whole week. He developed fever on Monday morning and today is already the forth day. But his fever is stretching longer and getting milder. Hopefully that dosage of paracetamol taken this afternoon would be his last (for this round of sickness). Have brought him to see his paediatrician twice (Mon and Wed). Doctor suspected lung infection and prescribed antibiotics (Zinnat). He's using the nebuliser twice a day as his cough is quite chesty. He doesn't know how to spit out the phlegm. Although it breaks my heart to see him cough till he vomits, I guess it's a good way to get rid of the phlegm.

Ever since he took Singulair in early 2009, he's not had serious cough till now. I guess when you've not had it for long, it'll hit you hard once you get sick. *sigh* And just for the record, his weight dropped 0.45 kg in 1 week's time. I know it's normal, and he'll gain them back in no time, but still a teeny weeny bit "sam thong" (heartache) loh. :D Good thing is, he's still active as ever and behaving like normal, while taking up to 6 types of medicine in a day.

~ using the nebuliser (loan from SIL) ~

#3 Busy Week Ahead

XY's having her first exam starting Monday. The two assessments she had previously (for 4 subjects only) weren't calculated in the overall results, but this one is. So it's "important". And this time, all the subjects will be tested, 8 altogether, including Chinese. *Mummy sweating already* We'll be doing intensive revision from now till end of next week. So blogging and blog-hopping will have to take a backseat. Will sssslowwwly catch up with you all ya. And please, wish US luck! :-)

Lastly, have a great long weekend, everyone!

4 Years Old

2010-05-24T02:37:00.000+08:00

Statistics (measured on 18-5-10)
Weight - 16.35 kg
Height - 107.2 cm

22nd May, 2010 ~ CE turned FOUR.
We had a simple celebration at home. Invited BIL and family over for dinner. Menu for the night : Kakak's fried bihun, sate (bought) and pizza (called delivery). Dessert was longan jelly.

This year, the birthday boy knew how to request for things. He wanted a cake in the shape of number 4. The minimum weight for that design is 2kg. So 2kg cake it is, just to fulfill the boy's wish. With so much leftover, we've to eat that chocolate sponge cake everyday, for the next few days. *jelak* He also requested for balloon decoration in the house (coz I did that for the past birthday parties at home).

We didn't get him any present. Totally forgot about it. :p Never mind, owe him first. Before his nap, I asked him what he wanted for a present and he said "Balloons". hahaha So while he was napping, I went downstairs to work on his "present". After some pumping, tying, climbing and sticking, he was very happy to see this when he woke up...

~ balloon decoration as requested by the birthday boy ~

He opened his (only) present before cutting the cake. CH gave him a Diego Mega Bloks set. Jie jie was very eager to help him unwrap the present but we told her to let didi do it himself. When he saw what was inside the wrapper, he went "Wah!". And they immediately played with it.

~ opening his one and only present ~

When I was getting the cake ready, the kids wanted to help with the candles. I guess to them, it's fun to poke the cake. So 2 candles for didi, 1 for jie jie and 1 for CH.

~ singing the birthday song ~

~ blowing the candles ~

~ cutting the cake with jie jie's help ~

Swimming Lesson

2010-05-17T14:38:00.000+08:00

XY went for her first swimming lesson on Saturday. We've been talking about sending her for lessons since end of last year. But dilly dally until now. Shame on her parents. :p

We've enrolled her for lessons once a week. Her class has about 6 students. We actually wanted another time slot but the instructor said that class has more students. So it's better to go for the smaller group, more attention on each student.

PaPa fetched her there while I accompanied didi at home. Didi protested and cried but no choice, can't bring him for water play as he's coughing a little. Hopefully he'll be fully recovered soon, so both of them can go together -- jie jie learning to swim while didi playing in the children's pool with PaPa. And where will Mummy be? Enjoying fries by the pool side. *bliss*

~ learning to kick in the water ~

Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-10T14:23:00.000+08:00

Last Friday, when I fetched CE back from kindy, he gave me the gift he made in school. Then I asked him what he has to say. As usual, he didn't want to open his mouth. His teacher reminded him what she's taught him earlier and whispered in his ear. But he still kept quiet, stuck out his tongue and gave his cheeky smile. His cousin, CH, on the other hand, was very verbal. He kept chanting "Happy Mother's Day" and "I love you" in the car. Even though I kept prompting CE, teasing him that I'm very envious of CH's mother, he still didn't want to say the words.

Then for no reason, after lunch, he came to me while I was at the laptop.
CE : Happy Mother's Day!
* Pushing my luck further *
Me : Some more? I...
CE : I love you.
Awww.... sent me straight to cloud 9. hahaha

And on the actual day, he also didn't want to say it when PaPa asked him to. But whenever he felt like it, he'd wish me Happy Mother's Day. This boy of mine, can never force him to say anything. He'll decide what and when he wants to say it.

~ He pasted the shapes. The rest, done by teacher. ~

XY made a card for me in school. She gave it to me in the middle of the week. She wanted to keep till Sunday to surprise me, but couldn't wait any longer. hehehe

~ XY's card : the wordings were given by teacher ~

There was no big celebration nor any present for me. It's okay coz usually I don't even get hubby a Father's Day present. :p As PIL are here, we all gathered together for dinner at BIL's house. It was just an ordinary day... and I'm not complaining. :-) How was your day?

Photo Tag - Cheeky Girl

2010-04-30T13:48:00.001+08:00

It's been so long I've not done tags. This time, I was tagged by a new friend, Alice Law. New coz I only got to know her (via her blog about her 2 lovely kids) this year. ;-)

The game is to look in my first photo folder from either Picasa or hard drive for the 10th photo, tell a story about it, mention the blog that tagged me, and tag five other blogs.

The story
It was December 2006. We've just bought our very first DSLR camera and I was taking pictures of little CE (7 months old then). XY, the kepoh girl (3½ years old then), requested for her pictures to be taken too. She posed, I snapped. *chik chak chik chak* And that's one of her cheeky pose.

I won't be tagging anyone but if you're interested, feel free to share with us your stories about the 10th photo in your first photo folder. :-)

Cute Maternity Clothes

2010-04-27T17:04:00.000+08:00

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I Am Sad

2010-04-21T10:29:00.000+08:00

XY's having an assessment on 4 subjects today and tomorrow, AGAIN. She just had one last month, before the school holidays. But these assessments are not calculated in the overall results. So I'm trying very hard not to stress her up. :D

She's rather weak in Bahasa Malaysia (BM). She can spell and read, but she doesn't know the meaning of the words. I guess that's normal due to lack of exposure and usage. I heard that reading more BM books will increase her understanding of the language but I've yet to shop for them.

What I've done is to get her to check the words (from the textbook or activity book) in the dictionary, then write down the meaning in English. She's using a cute Pooh notebook for this purpose. I believe she'll remember better when she looks for the words herself and writing it down reinforces the memory. Anyway, I haven't really tested her on the words she's written but so far, I think it's quite helpful.

~ the contents of her notebook ~

The other day I was doing BM revision with her. PIL were at my place then. After testing her on Ejaan (spelling), Ye Ye asked her to use those words to construct sentences. With the word pilu (sad), she constructed this :
Saya pilu kerana ibu sudah mati.
[ meaning : I am sad because my mother is dead. ]

All of us were speechless, then burst out laughing. I guess I should be happy she really understands the meaning of pilu and that she'll be sad when her mother's gone for good. hahaha Then we taught her to substitute ibu with pets like dog, cat or rabbit. Well, in case you're wondering, I'm NOT sad. The title of this post simply refers to XY's 'fantastic' sentence. hehehe

Playing Rough

2010-04-17T23:16:00.001+08:00

SIL gave birth to a pretty baby girl on the 13th of April. PIL were here to help take care of CH. They've gone back this afternoon, after spending a week here. The kids (XY, CE and CH) have been playing together frequently the past week. So naturally there are lots of noise, laughter, crying and scolding (not just from the adults, among themselves too). These days, didi's favourite phrases are "I don't want to friend you", "I don't want to play with you", "I'm angry at you" and "I don't like kor kor/jie jie". But kids being kids, after he said such things, he'll be playing happily with them again the next moment. Then there'll be some peace till someone (or 2, or all of them) decided to throw tantrums again. Kids...

This morning, XY got scratched on her face when she was playing the iPhone games with CH. I wasn't there when it happened. I was told they were snatching the phone when she got scratched by CH's fingernails. Well, it was partly her fault as she was snatching the phone which belongs to CH's mother. Moreover, she's the jie jie (big sister), so she should give in to the younger ones. Sometimes, accidents like this are unavoidable coz they are very rough with each other. That's why we have to keep an eye on them at all times. The scratches aren't deep and I doubt they'll leave any scars. But to be on the safe side, I'd better apply some cream or lotion. Do you have any to recommend, that has worked for your child?

While snapping jie jie's "injury", didi asked me to take his pictures too. Then he made funny faces, with tongue sticking out. :-D I asked them to hug and got this...

His First Field Trip

2010-04-10T13:38:00.001+08:00

CE went to Zoo Negara yesterday. He wasn't overly excited about the trip but he'd answer "Yes" every time we asked him "Do you want to go to the zoo?" Before the trip, I kept reminding him to follow his teacher and don't run off himself. If he needs to pee, must tell his teacher. When I picked him up, the principal told me he wanted to pass motion during the trip (aisay... he just HAVE to poo during outings *shake head*). I'm glad he didn't dirty himself (in any way) as his spare clothes were not used. And he didn't lose anything. His cap, hanky and water bottle came back with him. :-)

I don't know how much he enjoyed the trip. He didn't talk much about it. Anyway, he's a boy with few words, sometimes. Unless he's really in the mood to talk, he'd not respond when you talk to him. He'd purposely look at you blankly or look up high (yeap... the dude's got an attitude problem). He didn't talk about the animals but told me he sat on the train. hahaha Looks like the the highlight of the zoo for him is the train ride.

~ I wanted to take a photo of him with his Zoo Negara
wrist band. But obviously he didn't like the idea :p ~

Cheaper Airfare

2010-04-06T02:23:00.000+08:00

Kakak will be going back to Indonesia in August (for a month) to celebrate Hari Raya with her family. She's been with us for 2 years already and we've just renewed her contract. Every time I think about her long leave, I'd be wondering how I'm going to survive a whole month without her. I know, I know, I'm terribly pampered. :p Too dependent on her already. Anyway, I'm sure we'll be fine. Definitely more work to do than usual but it's just for a month. Sure can survive one. :D

She told me the nearest airport to her kampung is Semarang but AA doesn't fly there. Based on my "research", there's no direct flight from KL to Semarang. She'll have to transit Jakarta. I finally decided on Garuda Indonesia. It's better to get the ticket from one airline, just in case of delays. When buying from different airlines, if the first flight is delayed, causing her to miss the second (or connecting) flight, the ticket is considered burnt and she'd have to buy a new one. And there's the risk of the tickets being sold out.

Garuda has a special fare for Indonesian passport holders. I've checked with a tour agency, for the same flight, the price was very much higher (more than double). With the special fare, it's also cheaper than buying from 2 separate airlines. Purchasing the ticket is hassle free. I don't have to go to their office to make payment or to collect the air ticket. I made the booking via telephone and given 3 weeks to make payment (bank-in or transfer funds online to their Citibank account). After payment's been made, just fax to them the payment slip and they'd e-mail to me the e-ticket. So simple.

By the way, this is NOT a paid post. Just want to share this with you. So if you plan to buy flight tickets for your Indonesian helper, do check out Garuda Indonesia for comparison purpose.

Charter On Demand

2010-04-01T22:52:00.002+08:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Charter. All opinions are 100% mine.

When you have to take care of children at home, you don't have much time to do your own things as you have to fulfill the children's endless needs. The only time we can sit down and do our things, undisturbed, is when they are asleep.

I love watching tv series but when I've missed some episodes here and there, I can't really follow the show and would give up watching it. I can use a tape recorder but with so many interesting shows to watch, the recording schedule can be quite confusing. It would be difficult to keep track of the many recorded shows.

Do you know that if you have Charter digital, you have On Demand, which is free to access? Just select the show you want, and it will start immediately. With over 6,000 shows and movies, and hundreds of HD shows to pick from, you can watch any show, anytime you want. Your children can also watch their favourite cartoons anytime they want. With these at my fingertips, I don't have to go through the hassle of renting movies or buying dvds. Hop on to their site and learn more at charter.net/ondemand. You can also get updates and fun extras on Charter’s Facebook page.

Candle Light Dinner

2010-03-28T02:43:00.000+08:00

We went for Japanese buffet at Kampachi, Equatorial Bangi. It was a romantic candle light dinner. By "we", I mean hubby and I AND the two noisy monsters. hehehe The hotel participated in Earth Hour and switched off the main lights. There were some dim lights and candles. But we didn't get to enjoy the so-called romantic atmosphere as we're busy getting food for the kids, getting food for ourselves, helping didi feed himself or bringing didi to the washroom for big business (whenever we dine out, he LOVES to poo right after he's eaten, even though he's done his business at home. A really weird habit). Anyway, how to be romantic with two bright "spotlights" on the table? :D

And we're terrible earthlings. I totally forgot about Earth Hour when we left the house. So I didn't instruct Kakak to switch off the lights. Anyway, I don't think it's a good idea to leave her alone in the house with candles. I'm sure she'd freak out. Never mind, I'll try to do my part another day.

Back to the dinner, I think the kids enjoyed it the most. As we're not a big fan of raw food, the rest of the food are just normal. XY ate some fried rice, then started enjoying the desserts (wafer rolls, marshmallows, muar chee, fruits and ice cream). Didi ate more 'proper' food (fried rice, vegetables and noodles) before he attacked the desserts. He doesn't really like cold stuff. When he takes cold stuff, he'd tell me it's very cold. He'll leave them for later or eat just a teeny weeny bit at a time. I think he prefers melted ice cream.

~ jie jie enjoying her double scoop ice cream ~

~ didi eating ice cream like drinking soup :D ~

New Bed

2010-03-25T19:45:00.001+08:00

The kids have been sleeping in the same room as us since they were born. As XY's already 7 years old, we thought she should have her own room. After looking around (not actively, though) for many many months, we bought the 5 in 1 Multi Option bed, from the SlumberKIDS range (Slumberland). Price = RM1,600 including 2 mattresses. It's a super single bed (3½ feet) with a pull-out bed (3 feet) at the bottom, which can be raised up to the same level as the super single bed.

Although she likes (no, loves) double decker beds, we don't want to get it as we're afraid she'd fall down when she wakes up to pee in the middle of the night (still blur blur mah). She's very interested in the ladder. Every time we're at the furniture shop, the kids would definitely check out (read: climb up and down) the double deckers. :-| They like those fancy beds (car design, carriage design, etc) too, but we don't think they are practical. That said, we still got her "approval" before buying this one. She also chose her own bed sheet with comforter set.

~ obviously a girl's bed :D ~

The bed was delivered on the first week of January. We took the opportunity to "kick" didi out of our room so he can keep jie jie company. I'd still have to put him to sleep. When he woke up in the middle of the night, he'd be crying for me. End up, I'll have to bring him back to my room to sleep. It was disrupting jie jie's sleep so after awhile, I asked jie jie to sleep on her own. She managed to do so, although reluctantly, but she woke up very early in the morning. When she was sick in the third week of January, she slept in our room. And since then, we put that project on hold till the school holidays, when I can train them to sleep in their own room without worrying about them not having enough sleep on a school day.

Now that the 1-week break is over, how did it go? Total disaster, total waste of time. Sigh... they're now sleeping in our room again. To cut the story short, I think didi's still very attached to me. There was a lot of crying during the week. And it got worse as the days passed. Maybe I'm not persevering enough but I've tried for the whole week. No point insisting on it when everyone's not getting a good sleep. And we're thinking, when the kids are in their teens, they'd automatically want their own space. So might as well let them stick to us now. :-)

But I still want to train them to be a little more independent, especially didi. Now the new strategy is to let them sleep on a separate bed in our room. So far so good, although not fuss-free. At least he doesn't have to "smell" me to sleep. I just need to lie next to him, on the mattress on the floor (he's on the bed). The next target is to get him to sleep without me. When oh when will that day come? However, nap time in the afternoons is still the same as before -- sleeping together on the same bed. Coz he said jie jie is in school, so I have to sleep with him. And I don't have the heart to say "No". hehehe

Dictionary

2010-03-23T17:08:00.005+08:00

We went to Popular with the intention to buy a Malay (BM) dictionary for XY. I was looking through the BM-English, English-BM dictionary from Oxford and Longman. Decided on Oxford as it seemed more comprehensive. The one I was holding was already unwrapped. So I chose the nicest new one (wrapped in transparent paper) I can find.

As I don't have the member card, I wanted to apply on the spot. But for the Student Membership (the cheapest rate), I need to show XY's student card, which of course I didn't have it with me (who'd carry that around?). In fact, I'm wondering what I should bring the next time I want to apply for the membership card. Will they accept the registration letter from the school?

At the payment counter, the lady in front of me was very kind to allow me to use her card. Otherwise I won't be entitled to any discounts. Then later, I realised the cashier didn't give me the appropriate discount. Luckily we're still inside the bookshop. After asking the relevant person and getting the more senior guy to make the adjustments, I got back RM1.50. Yup, we waited an extra 10 minutes just for that small amount. Needless to say, hubby gave me THAT look. hahaha

And after all that trouble, I actually bought the WRONG book. I took the English-English-BM one. The covers are all so similar, that's my excuse. Sigh... not sure if I can change it but anyway, the shop is not near where we stay. And since I may need to get another one, can you recommend any good BM dictionary (with explanations in English) that's suitable for primary school level?

Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go bang my head on the wall... again.
:-(

Poor Attendance

2010-03-12T14:16:00.001+08:00

CE has been back to school for 2 weeks now. After the CNY break, it was like starting from square one coz he's only attended 5 days of school in January (due to HFMD) and skipped the whole of February. We let him skip the whole month because we need to travel a lot during CNY and I wanted him to have as much rest as possible. Also to avoid any infection from school. Based on XY's track record when she first started kindy, I knew that was a critical month. So to be on the safe side, I kept him at home. And I'm really glad I did coz he was in 'good' condition throughout the whole month.

I was worried about how he'll adapt after being absent for so long but luckily he's doing fine in school. He doesn't resist going to school but it's quite hard to wake him up in the mornings. He'll usually say "I want to sleep" and today he said "I want to go kai kai". :-| Some mornings, he'll cry. But I think it's getting better as I threaten that he won't get to play games (Wii or computer) after lunch if he cries. And I really mean it. If he cried that morning, I won't let him play those games no matter how he fussed/cried/protested. And I keep reminding him why he doesn't get to play.

As he was away in Feb, I asked the teachers to pass me some worksheets so that I can guide him at home. I don't want him to be left too far behind compared to his classmates. He eventually learnt how to hold the pencil the correct way. I was trying so hard to teach him last year but he just refused to follow. But once he started kindy, he's learnt to grip correctly. He can't control very well though. So his tracing and writing are quite horrible and his colouring is really messy (way out of the line). Anyway, I'm not worried. It takes time and lots of practice.

~ he's learnt to grip the pencil properly since end of January ~

It was difficult to get him to do his "homework" during the self-declared holidays (in Feb). He can tell me the correct answers (which is taller/which is more) but he doesn't want to follow the instructions. He was supposed to circle the answer but he only wanted to colour them. He just coloured whichever objects that he fancied. And I let him be, as long as he's interested in those worksheets. :-) Luckily we still managed to complete all the "homework" in time.

He's wet his pants a few times in school. He hasn't mastered the art of peeing into the toilet bowl by himself. He tells me he goes to the toilet himself, without the teacher's help. He probably didn't pull his pants down properly before aiming. But last Friday, his teacher told me he peed in his pants, inside the classroom. Haiyo... When he's too engrossed in something, he has a tendency to pee in his pants. I guess it's normal, at this age.

Oh by the way, jie jie's ulcer at her chin has almost fully recovered already. Thanks everyone, for your concern. The cream the doctor gave was very effective. Within 2 days, I can see results (drying) already. Now she has some light marks, which hopefully will disappear eventually.

Awaiting The Tooth Fairy

2010-03-05T23:59:00.000+08:00

XY's two permanent lower central incisors have started to grow on the inner side but only her left baby tooth was loose. It bled yesterday while she was having dinner but it didn't come out. She complained of pain when she bit on it. So I brought her to the dentist to extract the tooth and to check again (we went 2 weeks ago but the dentist, Dr C, said can still wait, as I preferred her teeth to drop out by itself) if the other one should be extracted as well. This dentist (Dr L) suggested removing both as it may cause her pain later on (when the permanent tooth grow bigger, I suppose).

He injected her gum to make it numb. It was very easy to pull out the loose tooth but I saw him twist and twist with the other one. Although XY didn't feel the pain but I think she can feel the tug so she was going "nggg... nggg..." with her mouth wide open. But I'd say she was very brave throughout the procedure. The dentist asked her to close her eyes but she kept them opened. I was so afraid she'd freak out when she saw the needle or the forceps. The only thing she hated was biting the gauze to stop the bleeding after the extraction. She said it tasted funny. :D

~ the two little teeth ~

Note : Dr L explained that when the permanent tooth pushes out the baby tooth (making it loose), it'll dissolve the roots. Thus the loose tooth doesn't have roots.

She's put the two teeth under her pillow, waiting for the tooth fairy to give her some 'change' (coins). hehehe

~ two baby teeth gone ~

If you look carefully, there are some red/orange patches on her chin. Here's a clearer view...

Yikes! That looks horrible huh. The skin specialist said it's ulcer, some kind of bacterial infection (not known to be contagious though). A week ago, it was just a patch in the middle. We thought she scratched her skin so didn't bother about it till it spread to her whole chin. It doesn't look "normal" so I brought her to consult the doctor. Doctor prescribed a cream (name cannot be given coz that's the clinic's policy) to apply and oral antibiotics (Amoxil). I think the medicines are working as the patches are drying up. Hopefully it'll continue to heal fast and not leave any scars.

Mini Bloggers Gathering

2010-03-02T17:49:00.001+08:00

For the first time, I met up with the family of Doreen, Sharine and June. Oh, I've bumped into Doreen at Bali Hai in Oct '08. But this is our first official meeting. :-) Hubby didn't join us coz he had another appointment. Doreen was already at Ko Fu Loft, Gurney Plaza when we arrived. Ryan was such a good boy as he didn't hesitate to share his precious toy cars with XY and CE. Although he was a little shy at first, he warmed up soon after. But he's not camera-shy at all. This handsome lad is ever so willing to pose for pictures, and very good at it too.

Sharine's En En is so pretty and 'see man' (lady-like). It was interesting to see Zheng in action. He's one very cute eating machine (it's better to have a kid who loves food than a picky eater, right?) and he's a pro at the steps. CE was more interested to play with him than the others. Maybe he thinks Zheng's a moving baby toy. hehehe I was very worried for Zheng coz my boy can be quite rough.

Rachael (June's princess) is a very active girl. When she came in, she totally ignored the chair. She was off to explore the steps and the bamboo decoration area, which eventually became the kids' play area. XY soon joined her and played 'catching' with her. They clicked instantly, I guess coz they're the same cannot-sit-still type. hahaha

At one point, the boys were sitting at the table eating while the girls were running around the place. Gosh... what has the world become? :D Although there were only 6 kids, it was enough to create havoc. Luckily Doreen chose a strategic place where we sort of have a bigger area to ourselves (the table next to us was unoccupied). The kids had a blast walking, running and exploring the whole place. Laughing and shouting too. As for the husbands, they are very friendly and very hands-on with the kids.

I didn't take much pictures (not that I usually do :D) as Doreen's and June's husbands came with their BIG toys. They were busy snapping away while we had our meal, chatted or followed the kids around. Actually, we didn't chat much as most of the time we were distracted by the kids. Hopefully we'll be able to do this again and get to know more about each other. To the 3 pretty mommies, thank you for the wonderful company and it was really great seeing you all in person.

These are some of the pictures taken by Alan (Doreen's hubby). Very candid, natural and clear.

~ from left to right : Rou En, Yong Zheng and Rachael ~

~ CE playing hide and seek with Mr Photographer ~

~ 2 cute obliging models (Rachael & Ryan) putting
their heads in between the bamboo sticks ~

~ 'tai kar cheh' with her little friends ~

CNY 2010

2010-03-02T17:36:00.001+08:00

Chinese New Year's over and it's now the exam period for school-going children (except kindy, I guess). XY is having an "assessment" today and tomorrow, on 4 subjects -- BM, English, Mathematics and Science. She hasn't done much revision as we were travelling again last long weekend.

This year, I went back to my hometown a little late (on the 12th day of CNY) coz there's a long weekend and to celebrate my mom's birthday in advance (actual day tomorrow). It was also good to split the travelling so the kids (and us "old folks") can have a good rest in between. For the past few CNYs, we drove back to KL from hubby's hometown (down south) on the 3rd day, then catch a flight up north (to my hometown) on the same day. With the hot weather, lack of rest and lots of unhealthy food/snacks, it's very easy to fall sick, especially for the kids. I'm very glad they've been doing fine so far, although they ate quite a lot of cookies, chips, sweets and what-nots.

Here's a summary of our activities during CNY :

Johor, hubby's hometown
Eve of CNY ~ drove back to hubby's hometown. This is also considered late. We usually go back a few days before the eve but hubby was away on a business trip and only came back on Friday night.

2nd day ~ MIL's side of the family came over. There were about 30 odd people in the house. But it wasn't too chaotic as there're only 4 kids below 10 years old. :-)

3rd day ~ FIL's brother and family came over.

5th day ~ left hubby's hometown.

Kajang, home sweet home
6th day ~ visited my aunt and cousin sister in Shah Alam. Also to see the newborn baby girl (my cousin sister's granddaughter). In fact, we've all been promoted. I'm now a grandaunt. How cool is that?

7th day ~ gathering at BIL's house with some friends.

12th day ~ back to my hometown.

Penang, my hometown
13th day ~ mini bloggers meet at Ko Fu Loft, Gurney Plaza. Details in the next post.

14th day ~ small gathering at my house with schoolmates. Then family dinner cum birthday celebration for mom at Starview Restaurant. Can't comment about the food coz I was having stomach discomfort. General comment -- food's ok and the serving's big.

Chap Goh Meh ~ fly back to KL.

Welcoming The Tiger

2010-02-13T06:43:00.000+08:00

And for those who don't celebrate CNY, Happy Holidays!

Will be leaving for hubby's hometown soon. I think I'll be MIA for awhile, at least for a week. Till we "meet" again, have a great reunion dinner and wonderful celebration!

From Missy, Master, Big Master & the slave :-)

Play Then Eat

2010-01-30T23:41:00.000+08:00

As the kids woke up quite late today, I decided to let them skip their nap, so that they'll sleep a little earlier and fall asleep faster at night (very fast indeed, in less than 10 minutes). How to occupy their time, apart from watching tv or playing electronic games? We baked cookies. It's the first time they "helped" in the kitchen and jie jie was super excited.

I saw this cute Horlicks Doggies Cookies at Giddy Tigress' blog some time back and referred to the original recipe. But I was too lazy to make cute cookies (didn't have chocolate chips at home anyway) so I used raisins and cornflakes (simply experiment lah). Ended up with a variety of flavour, shapes and sizes.

~ my version of the Horlicks cookies ~

The kids had a fun time "playing" dough. Jie jie was quite helpful, very good at making the round balls. It was difficult to cut the dough with cookie cutters coz the dough was too soft. When I beat in the flour, the dough turned lumpy so I added low fat milk (not in the recipe). Maybe I added too much, so it became very soft, so I put in extra flour. So the measurement's all out.

~ jie jie busy at work ~

Didi, on the other hand, was a real nuisance. He only wanted to "stamp" the rolled out dough. If the cut dough came out together with the cookie cutter, he screamed and fussed. He even cried when we wanted to take his "masterpiece" to make proper ones for baking. *shake head*

~ didi's "masterpiece" ~

The verdict : The kids love them. But I find them too dry and hubby said a bit tasteless. Guess raisins are not as tasty as chocolate chips. Moreover, it's only relying on Horlicks' sweetness. Never mind, the kids can slowly finish them (just have to make sure they drink LOTS of water). Let's see if I'm hardworking enough to bake again before Chinese New Year. :-)

Rumour In School

2010-01-29T20:56:00.000+08:00

Thank you so much for your well wishes. Jie jie has fully recovered already. But the inevitable happened. Didi was infected as well. He's recovering now and like jie jie, he has throat ulcers and blisters in the mouth, but no rashes on his hands and legs. I'm so so so thankful their infection was a mild one, without any problems in eating and drinking. *phew* At the same time, his left eardrum was a bit red (possibly ear infection) so the doctor prescribed antibiotics. With antibiotics and ear drops, he didn't suffer any ear pain.

Jie jie was back to school on Wednesday. I called up the clinic to check on Monday. Although her throat doesn't really hurt anymore, the doctor advised that she should stay home for another 2 more days.

Yesterday on the way home, she told me her classmates are talking about hantu (ghost) in the toilet. So she's afraid to go to the toilet. *sigh* The description of the hantu :
。has 3 hands, 2 legs and 1 eye [sounds more like a monster, no?]
。wears white shirt and pants
。vomits milk (coz everything has to be white wor) [I can't help but LOL :D]

Our explanations and suggestion :
。Hantu doesn't come out in the day time. Coz it'll melt. [Hard to explain vapourise to her]
。Maybe her friend is just being naughty, trying to scare everyone.
。Believe us, her parents, instead of her naughty classmate.
。Get a friend to accompany her to the toilet, if she's really scared.

Our explanations didn't help much. She said it's in her mind already and she can't stop thinking about it, although she wanted so much to believe us.

So when I sent her to school today, I brought her to the toilet and showed her there's nothing to be afraid of. Hoping she'd be able to overcome the fear. It's just not possible to avoid the toilet for so many hours.

When I fetched her back just now, she gave me good news. She said she's not afraid anymore. She went to the toilet a few times and there's no hantu there. What a relief!

Her Teacher Called Me

2010-01-24T15:08:00.000+08:00

... because she cried in school
... for one hour plus
... and teacher doesn't know what's wrong with her.

Wednesday, 3+ in the afternoon
Her teacher (Puan A) asked me to pick XY up as she's crying non-stop. I asked if she's sick or something, Puan A said she's fine. I tried talking to XY on the phone but I cannot understand what she's saying as she was sobbing uncontrollably. So I rushed to school to pick her up.

When I saw her, she was sitting alone in the canteen (it was recess time). Once she saw me, she started crying again. She told me a girl knocked her head and "she didn't even say sorry". And that made her upset. Aiyo... she's so sensitive and emotional. But I think what actually triggered her outburst was FEVER. She wasn't feeling well. I was surprised the teacher didn't realise it coz when I touched her body, it was very hot. But her hands were icy cold. I took her temperature when we reached home, it was 40C. :-| No wonder she cried like a baby... my poor baby.

Brought her to see the paediatrician at night. Doctor said got ulcers in the throat. Suspecting HFMD coz CH (her cousin brother) was infected the week before. Her fever was on the high side and it came back rather fast after medication (3-4 hours). Luckily it subsided on Thursday night. So far, she doesn't have rashes on her hands or feet. Just sore throat which is getting better now. She's rather happy with the privilege of taking cold stuff (milk, vitagen, yogurt -- which is very rare) and ice-cream. I think she should be well enough to attend school on Monday. She missed her first Sports Day in primary school yesterday.

I'm feeling rather "stressed" because I'm worried for didi. Am trying very hard to keep him away from jie jie but they'll eventually end up playing together, in close contact. It's just so frustrating when the kids are getting sick one after another (thankfully not at the same time). I know this is common when they start schooling. It takes time to build up their immune system, especially in didi's case. Sigh... it's part of growing up, I know. They'll get stronger after each attack. I'm also fed up my recent posts are about the kids being sick. But no choice coz I want to jot down their health records as future reference.

New Routine

2010-01-14T17:45:00.001+08:00

I've been rather busy since school started. The kids are not the only ones adjusting to their new schools, Mommy also need to adjust to the new routine. Now I've to go in and out of the house more times in a day. Luckily PaPa is sending CE to school in the morning. I just need to fetch him back from kindy (take turns with SIL) at noon, fetch jie jie to school and pick her up in the evening. Kakak and didi will follow me when I fetch jie jie. I don't feel very comfortable leaving them home alone as I'll be gone for at least half an hour. But I left them at home today coz didi has just recovered and the weather was very hot. Better not let him walk under the hot sun.

Although the traffic is much heavier and chaotic compared to the kindy area, it's still manageable. It's just a matter of getting used to. Most of the time, I can find a parking lot (50 sen per hour), which my skill can handle. :D Parking is not an issue coz there's an open-air car park a bit further away. I just need to pay more (RM3 per entry). The walk from the car park to her school is about 5 minutes.

Jie jie ~ She was fine the first few days of school. Towards the end of the week, she was teary-eyed when I left her there. Why? Because she wants Mommy. I guess she's just being manja. She didn't mix with the other girls and just stick to her buddy from kindy. Maybe she needs a little more time to open up and make new friends. However, I'm happy to see improvements over the week. She's not teary-eyed anymore when I leave her there and she told me her new friend offered her some snacks during recess time. :-)

On Tuesday, she came back with some "souvenirs". Someone accidentally pushed her and she fell into the small (dry) drain near her classroom. She got some scratches on her knee and hand. Luckily it's nothing serious. She was really brave as she said she didn't cry at all (surprisingly, coz she can be a cry baby at times hehehe).

~ minor scratches ~

Didi ~ He's been away from school since Monday. Started coughing badly last Saturday. Got fever from Monday till Wednesday. Started antibiotics (for chest infection) on Monday but as his fever kept coming back, I brought him to see the paediatrician again yesterday evening. Good thing his chest is clear. He was fine with doctor checking his chest and ears. But he refused to open his mouth. I had to hold him tight and doctor pried his mouth open. *sigh* As his cough was very chesty, doctor ordered the use of the nebuliser and he fussed big time. He didn't like the mist in his nose. Anyway, he survived the whole session, with breaks in between, to talk or cry or "smell" me. hahaha My lousy boy.

His fever has subsided today but he won't be going to school tomorrow. Might as well let him have a good rest at home, wouldn't want to risk an infection again while his immune system is still low. That means he's skipped school for the whole of week 2. I see history repeating itself as jie jie also skipped school a lot when she first started kindy. Hopefully the broken momentum wouldn't affect him much and he'll settle down just fine.

First Two Days Of SchoolS

2010-01-05T23:59:00.000+08:00

Morning Session
The day started well as I didn't have any problems waking CE up. I told him it's time to go to school. He didn't get up immediately, but at least he didn't make any fuss. He's usually alright when awoken from his sweet slumber as the magic words were "Let's go kai kai." I hope "school" would continue to be a magic word as well. hehehe

All of us (PaPa, Mommy and jie jie) accompanied him to kindy. The kids lined up at the school compound for assembly while the Principal gave a short speech and introduced their class teachers and the new teachers. The boy was so bored (or didn't know what was happening), he looked here and there, squatted down when everyone was standing, stared at a "friend" (no, not a girl hehehe) standing next to him. They were then brought to their classrooms. He doesn't get the idea of lining up. Doesn't like to stand in line, waiting for others. He'll somehow "stray" away. :D

After awhile, it was snack time. He sat at the bench together with the other students. He was given kuih and a cup of soya bean (that's what he told me). I waited near the canteen and suddenly he appeared in front of me, telling me he wanted to pee. After that, he didn't want to go back to the canteen. Instead he found some toys nearby and sat there playing. When snack time's over, he refused to line up. Luckily he was ok when his teacher held his hand and led him up to the classroom.

The kids were given some toys (building blocks) to play. He was hogging all the blue colours. I pity the girl next to him. He gave her only 1 yellow piece. hahaha Seeing that he was playing happily, I went to join PaPa at the nearby coffee shop for breakfast. Of course I got his permission first. hehehe Anyway, he was left there for only 1 hour. I guess he didn't cause any problems coz the teacher didn't say anything when PaPa fetched him after school.

~ the hogger :D ~

He skipped school today because he's sick. :-( Actually he started having runny nose yesterday morning. Then fever in the afternoon. Luckily his fever didn't come back today. Hopefully after resting at home for a day, he's fit enough to attend school tomorrow. Jie jie is also having runny nose. But since she doesn't have fever, she doesn't get to skip school.

Afternoon Session

~ pose for pictures before leaving home ~

Sent XY to school in the afternoon. The traffic was chaotic, as expected. I didn't even bother to go to the main door. Even around the side door, traffic was crazy and can't find any parking nearby. I brought XY to her classroom first while PaPa went to look for parking. Passed the booklets and forms (which was taken/bought during orientation day) to the class teacher. There was so MANY things to fill up.

She was sitting next to her friend from kindy but the teacher rearranged their seats today so she's no longer sitting next to her "old" friend. PaPa went to check on her during recess time. She's getting RM2 pocket money per day. And she's learning how to use money. She doesn't really understand the concept of change so she doesn't know how much she should get back if she's paid more than what the item costs. Angeline shared with us how to teach pre-schoolers about money. Her self-created lessons are very helpful. I wanted to go through the lessons with XY during the holidays but we are only halfway through Lesson 2. Firstly, I didn't have enough coins. hahaha And secondly, I didn't have enough patience. :p She seems to like the "big" school because she gets to buy food during recess time and bring snacks to eat. Wait till the real lessons begin and the homework starts piling. *nyek nyek nyek*

Eye Examination

2009-12-31T09:56:00.001+08:00

I brought the kids to Optimax for their (long overdue) eye examination on Tuesday. Although XY didn't show any symptoms, I thought it'd be good to just check and make sure there's really nothing to be concerned about. They watch too much tv since young and both parents are "four-eyed", so I'm a little bit paranoid. :D

I made appointment for both kids although I'm not sure how the boy would react at the clinic. But surprisingly, he was very eager to get his eyes checked when he saw jie jie with those "special gadgets". He must be fascinated with the equipments. When the ophthalmologist (Dr Y) was checking jie jie with the eye chart, he read out the alphabets on the wall. What a busybody! hehehe Then he can't wait to climb onto the chair to "read the alphabets".

When jie jie was being checked, it was very difficult to keep him out of the room. He didn't want to stay outside with Kakak. Even snacks didn't help so I had to carry him near the door, at an angle where he can't see the projection on the wall. Sigh... it was quite chaotic, especially when Dr Y was trying to explain the results to me. The kids were touching the lenses, the slit lamp machine, climbing up and down the chair. It was really hard to concentrate on the conversation when you're worried the kids may break something. Arrrgh!

The results :
XY ~ She's got myopia (shortsightedness) of 25 degrees for each eye and astigmatism (left -0.75 and right -1.00). Her myopia's quite mild but because of her astigmatism, she cannot see the smaller prints very clearly. It can be corrected with glasses. But Dr Y said I can still wait and continue to monitor her. If she has problems seeing the white board in class, then she'll probably have to wear glasses. Not wearing glasses now will not cause further damage so we'll just wait and see.

CE ~ His right eye is weaker than his left. Dr Y commented that at his age (when the eyes are not fully developed yet), both eyes should be EQUALLY good or bad. She's worried the weaker eye will become a lazy eye. But it's still too early to tell. Will have to bring him in for a follow-up examination 6 months later. I'm wondering if it's a good idea to use an eye patch (if the boy allows it). Dr Y didn't suggest that and I forgot to ask her.

At the meantime, I'm definitely not allowing close range activities for too long without any break like playing computer games and electronic games. And when they watch tv, have to make sure they don't go too near. I really hope they won't have serious vision problems later on.

This will be my last post for the year. And I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a very...

H a p p y N e w Y e a r !

Who Do You Call?

2009-12-27T00:48:00.001+08:00

Do you want to capture your pregnancy moments?
.
Do you want to take precious photos of your newborn?
.
Do you want a perfect family portraiture?
.
Do you want spontaneous and beautiful
photos of your active children?
.
Do you dislike conventional posing?

If you answered "Yes" to any of the above AND your photography skill suck, who do you call?

TwoPixels!

The women behind TwoPixels Photography are Jasmine and Sue. These two talented ladies are really incredible. On top of their full-time job and their responsibilities to their families with young children, they can still excel in what they love to do, photographing. And they're really good, as evidenced by the many satisfied customers they have. They love shooting with natural lighting, at the comfort of your own home or any (suitable) location you choose. I especially love their creativity when taking pictures of newborn babies, using baskets and bins as props. Totally unconventional!

And if like me, you have a husband who dislikes to be photographed, then grab this opportunity! To commemorate their 1st Anniversary, they are having a free photo session giveaway to AT LEAST 3 lucky bloggers. I wish I'm one of them so that I can convince hubby to participate (free mah hehehe), for family portraits and have professional photos of the kids taken. They grow up so fast, I'd definitely want to have some beautiful photos as keepsakes.

Happy 13 Months Old, TwoPixels!

Got Their Uniforms

2009-12-23T14:53:00.001+08:00

A few months back, we paid the deposit to secure a place for CE in XY's kindy. I didn't go kindy-hunting for CE this round. Since jie jie was okay in that kindy and we're familiar with the teachers and principal, we decided to put him there as well. Moreover, my nephew (who's 1 year older than CE) is there too.

Last Saturday, I brought the kids to the kindy to collect CE's books, bag, cap and uniform and to settle the first scheduled fees. He has never explored the place. But he knows the kindy as he follows me whenever I fetch jie jie back. It was his first time getting hands-on with the apparatus there. I also brought him up to see his classroom and teacher. He didn't socialise much with the teacher (well, he can be very good at ignoring people), just gave a very enthusiastic "hi!" and "bye!" when I asked him to. :-|

Ah boy was very happy there coz he got to play some "toys". Those are actually the tools for training their motor skills like picking up beads/macaroni and pouring beads from one jug to another. He seems to like it there (main reason : there are things to play hehehe). In fact, he didn't want to leave when it was time to go. Nowadays he'll say he wants to bring his school bag and pencil case and go to school with jie jie and kor kor "to play". I wonder how long his enthusiasm will last. :-)

~ tried on the uniform at home for PaPa to see ~

Later in the afternoon, we went to get XY's uniform. The blue pinafore comes with a belt (which I don't recall using during my time) and I've to sew the hook and snap button again for a proper fit. Next, we've to hunt for a school bag and another pair of school shoes as spare.

To Keep Or To Cancel

2009-12-21T13:40:00.000+08:00

Would like to share with you this information, if you haven't already known. :-)

I have called up CIMB card centre and I was told that the RM50 service tax will be charged only when your credit card expires in year 2010. For example, if your card's expiring in June 2010, as long as you cancel before June 2010, you will not be charged the service tax.

The lady told me that this applies to all banks. I hope I'm given the correct information. Please let me know if you've heard otherwise. I wouldn't want to be surprised with a RM50 charge for each of my cardS next month. Have you sorted out all your credit cards yet?

Hong Kong Trip Nov '09 (Disneyland)

2009-12-18T23:42:00.001+08:00

Phew... the post on Disneyland, the last part of our Hong Kong trip, is finally up. Thank you very much for your patience. :D

We checked into Disneyland Hotel at 2+ pm. The moment XY entered the room, the first thing she checked out was the tv. After 4 days without their normal cartoon (Park Lane only has 1 cartoon channel and most of the time, they watched Scooby Doo), they were seriously deprived of PHDC and Disney channel. Naturally, they were glued to the tv showing their regular channels, which comes in 3 languages.

I am more interested in the room amenities. There aren't many Mickey stuff in the room and hotel (as compared to Hollywood Hotel), more of the 7 dwarfs -- on the boxes of the toiletries, the Do-Not-Disturb sign and furniture in the washroom. I thought the hotel is very attentive to detail but I was a little disappointed. They already know how many adults and children will be staying. But they only prepared 3 sets of things like the towels, slippers and bathrobes. Even after asking for an extra set on the first day, they still provided 3 sets the next day. However, we love it that they provide free internet service in the room and they didn't charge us for our boarding pass print-outs (we did web check-in) although we were told each print-out will cost HKD10 the night before.

Disneyland Hotel :

We checked into the hotel on Tuesday, went to Disneyland on Wednesday (whole day) and Thursday (after breakfast with Mickey and friends) and left Hong Kong on Friday. We managed to cover all the rides and shows, except Autopia. We went 2 rounds of Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Mad Hatter Tea Cups and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. The first ride we tried was Space Mountain (roller coaster ride). PaPa didn't want to go with us and the 3 of us still went in, thinking maybe we can sit 3 in a row. But XY had to sit alone while I sat with didi. Didi was very scared, I held his hand and he pulled my necklace, almost strangling me. Honestly, I was scared (basically closed my eyes the whole time) and worried about XY as she was sitting alone. But she was really brave. She thinks it's fun and wanted to go another round. We told her maybe we'll go again the next day. That didn't happen coz no one wanted to accompany her. hahaha Her parents are just too chicken! :p

We had brunch at Plaza Inn, a Chinese restaurant inside the park. We ordered a set for 2 persons (comes with noodles, roasted meat, mushrooms and vegetables) and some dim sum.

~ fountain on the way to the park ~

~ my 1st time sitting ON the carousel ~

Photo session with the characters :

Let It Snow Christmas Parade :

~ Sleeping Beauty Castle at night ~

~ night view of the entrance ~

Didi was so friendly, he kept saying (and waving) hello and goodbye to strangers, especially taxi drivers and bus drivers (Disneyland's shuttle buses). It can be quite embarrassing (for me) when he does that to other tourists or people who are not in the service industry. He insisted to wear the safety belt whenever he sat in the taxi or the bus. But on the flight back to KL, he refused to wear his belt and didn't allow me to wear mine. :-| He's one weird fella!

Breakfast at Enchanted Garden :

We went to the park for 2 days but we only watched the parade and fireworks once. The second day, we had early dinner and left before the parade. PaPa brought XY to the pool at 9pm. Didi wasn't feeling well so I fed him dinner in the room. Ordered room service (kid's meal of dried noodles and desserts) coz he was asleep when we had dinner in the park. Luckily his appetite was normal despite being sick. XY went to both the outdoor and indoor pools but only for a short while coz it was very cold outside and the indoor pool's very deep (didn't bring her floats along). Actually, we shouldn't have gone to see the Big Buddha on the day we arrived at Disneyland (since it was such a rush). Should have utilised more of the hotel facilities like the pool and activity room.

Bye-bye Hong Kong Disneyland!

Hong Kong Trip Nov '09 (Macau)

2009-12-10T18:18:00.003+08:00

Since we're not too interested to go shopping and we've covered most of the places I have planned, we decided to make a day trip to Macau on Day 3. We planned to go to Senado Square, Ruins of St Paul's (which is within walking distance) and visit their casino (only hubby of course, as I'll be taking care of the kids). So we thought we wouldn't have to spend the whole day there. We took our own sweet time having dim sum breakfast (eating dim sum is always time consuming).

We took the cab to Shun Tak Centre. By the time we bought the tickets at the TurboJET counter, it was almost 12:30 pm. It didn't cross our minds that the seats may be sold out. So many people going to Macau on a Monday afternoon? *scratch head* We got the 1:30 pm ferry. So we killed time at a coffee house. By the way, the ferry departs every 30 minutes although their website says every 15 minutes.

The journey takes 1 hour. I was warned by Olive that we may get seasickness but I didn't prepare any pills. Anyway, they do provide vomit bags. I got them ready in case the kids got nauseous. But they were okay coz they fell asleep soon after. The sea wasn't too choppy. It sometimes felt like you're going through thick clouds while flying in a plane. I didn't feel too good though. I suspect it was because I was hungry. :p

3 pm ~ From the ferry, we went straight to Senado Square by cab. The architecture in Macau is very different from Hong Kong. The place has a more cultural feel. After all, it's in UNESCO's World Heritage List. Ate at one of the restaurants there. We ordered wantan and fish ball noodles and tried the famous pork chop bun. Very tasty and yummy!

~ pork chop bun : comes with a big bone too ~

After our late lunch, we walked to Ruins of St Paul's where we took more pictures.

~ Ruins of St Paul's ~

Next stop, The Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel, a luxury hotel and casino resort in Macau owned by the Las Vegas Sands corporation. It houses the largest casino in the world. We found out there's a kids play zone so the kids can play while PaPa tried to get some "subsidy" for our trip. :D However he ended up making "donations". HAHAHA

It was so difficult to find the play zone. We kept asking for directions and I think we only found it half an hour later. Along the way at The Grand Canal Shoppes (mall with a Venetian theme), we did stop every now and then to take pictures.

Qube (similar to Kizsports) charges MOP90 per child for 2 hours. Each child can be accompanied by an adult. So for the 2 of them, it was almost RM80. It's money well spent coz the kids had a blasting time, I got to rest a bit (just have to follow them around) and PaPa got to explore the casino.

There are slides, climbing towers, computer games (free internet), pool tables, Wii games and a play area for smaller children (below 5). XY climbed high and low and tried all the slides. She was so daring she even tried the 90° slide (for a few times). Didi loved this particular big slide, that slides into a pool of balls. They went many many rounds of that, maybe 20 or more? I've lost count.

~ sliding down ~

~ into the pool of balls ~

~ covered in balls ~

~ climbing out ~

8+ pm ~ PaPa came to get us. After a drink at the food court, we went to the hotel concierge to buy the ferry tickets. The CotaiJet ticket counter is there. While lining up to buy the 10 pm ticket, didi declared that he wanted to do his "big business". So we had to take the 10:30 pm ferry. We took the free shuttle bus to the Taipa Ferry Terminal. The ferry ride is also an hour. By the time we reached Hong Kong (Shun Tak Centre), it was almost midnight already. And we've not even had dinner yet. :-| So we packed some nuggets and burgers from McDonald's and ate in the hotel room. What a loooong day!

Next up : Disneyland.

Annual Concert 2009

2009-12-05T23:59:00.000+08:00

Let's take a break from the holiday posts. This is backdated as XY had her Annual Concert cum Graduation Night on 14 Nov 2009. My PILs were here to give support to their 2 grandchildren. This is the first time they attended the kids' concert.

As I've mentioned earlier, XY was the student emcee for the night. There was another emcee, a teacher. She gave the opening speech and took over whenever XY needed to be away -- to get ready to receive her graduation certificate and to change into her performance costume. Although she was reading from the paper, she didn't show any nervousness at all standing in front of such a big audience.

I know she can remember some parts of the speech by hard, especially the beginning where she introduced herself. I told her to say it without looking at the paper, to have eye contact with the audience but she totally forgot about it. Anyway, she did remember to look up once in awhile when she was reading from the paper. Overall, she did wonderfully and made us all so proud. As a token of appreciation, her principal gave her 2 story books on the last day of school (party day).

~ in her graduation robe ~

She was involved in two performances. She played the triangle in the percussion and her class dance was a kungfu dance.

~ in the changing room ~

~ walking out with the baskets at the beginning of the dance ~

~ kungfu dance ~

CH, my nephew who's in the Year 4 class, was selected to introduce his dance. He did a great job too. His speech was fluent and clear. And for the colouring contest held in school, he won the 2nd prize in his class.

~ CH giving the introduction to his dance ~

XY has really grown up. She'll be going to the BIG school next year. It'll be a new chapter for her (and us, the parents). Hopefully she'll adapt well to the new environment as she's been so pampered all these while. Have to start to hunt for school uniforms and bag soon. We've already bought the white shoes because she needed it for the concert. But will have to get another pair as spare. My little girl will be wearing the dark blue pinafore soon. How time flies! (Sorry, I just HAVE to say it. hahaha)

Hong Kong Trip Nov '09 (Attractions)

2009-12-03T18:46:00.000+08:00

By the time we checked into the hotel room, it was already 3 pm. PaPa went out to buy some bread so we had a light tea-time in the room before going out to explore the city. It gets dark very early (6 pm) in Hong Kong. By 6:30 pm, it's total darkness.

Lan Kwai Fong (LKF)
We took the MTR to let the kids experience taking the train. From Causeway Bay station, we stopped at Central station and walked to LKF. On the way there, we saw a Crocs outlet. I knew the shoes are a little cheaper compared to our home country. For those above RM200, the price difference is bigger. Currently, they've having a promotion where you can be a member if you purchase above HKD800 and you're entitled to a 10% discount instantly (not for latest designs and cartoon designs though). We came out with 3 pairs. By the way, that's not the end of our Crocs purchase. hehehe

The place is not as happening as Bangsar. Not many people there although it was 6+ on a Saturday evening. Still too early?

~ a rather quiet Lan Kwai Fong ~

Repulse Bay
I checked the internet for some tour agency's itinerary. All of them included Repulse Bay as an attraction. So as tourists, we decided to go there as well. I know there's a temple (no joss sticks are allowed) with giant statues of Kuan Yin and other deities.

Surprisingly, the cab driver doesn't know about the temple and he dropped us off at The Repulse Bay, which "houses designer shops and award-winning restaurants and resembles the luxury hotel built in 1920 that originally occupied the site". We asked a guard and he didn't know either. We walked around that place as they were having a carnival. Then we spotted another guard. Luckily he was able to help us and directed us to the beach. The temple is just higher up along that beach. In my opinion, if you don't have time to waste, you can skip Repulse Bay. :D

~ the beach @ Repulse Bay ~

~ the temple @ Repulse Bay ~

The Peak
We took the Peak Tram. Bought tickets that included the Peak Tower Sky Terrace. It's the highest 360° viewing platform in Hong Kong. The view from the platform was magnificent. But very worried for the kids. The fencing is only about 4 feet high. Was holding tightly to didi and kept asking jie jie to stay next to me.

~ view from the Sky Terrace ~

~ sunset @ The Peak ~

~ the wok-like top : Peak Tower Sky Terrace ~

We didn't go into the wax museum (Madame Tussauds). Somehow we're not too interested to take pictures with "fake" famous people. hahaha Moreover, I'm sure the kids wouldn't appreciate it. Might as well save the money. :-) So we just took photos with Bruce Lee at the entrance.

Avenue of Stars & A Symphony of Lights
It was already dark when we reached Avenue of Stars. So we didn't see much of the handprints. The lighting show was quite interesting but spectacular? Not really. Maybe we didn't see it from the best angle. However the kids went "wah... wah...".

After that, we took the ferry back to Hong Kong island. We didn't explore much of Kowloon or the New Territories. That's the only time we stepped foot in Kowloon for the whole trip.

~ night view from Avenue of Stars ~

~ picture taken from the jetty ~

~ picture taken from the ferry ~

Big Buddha
After checking into Disneyland Hotel, our plan was to see the Big Buddha. It's on Lantau Island too. We took the MTR to Tung Chung (from Disneyland to Sunny Bay, then to Tung Chung). Must let the kids (us adults too) experience sitting in the train with Mickey ear windows. We didn't take the cable car (Ngong Ping 360) to the Ngong Ping Village (where the Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery is). Instead we took a cab. The road was hilly and winding.

~ Disneyland Resort line train ~

It was a mad rush coz we had late lunch in Tung Chung. And thanks to MY bad planning, we're running late. The Big Buddha closes at 6 pm and the last entry is 5:30 pm. The cab doesn't go all the way in to the gate. We had to walk in. Reached the entrance at about 5:40 and the guards were kind enough to let us in. So it was a quick climb up (268 steps!), took a few photos and we were shooed down shortly (already past their closing time). Didn't even get the chance to circle the platform. In less than 30 minutes, we're back on ground level again. Gosh, that was streneous!

~ steps leading up to Big Buddha ~

Po Lin Monastery also closes at 6 pm and the shops are closed too, it's like a dead place. As there's nothing else to do, we took a bus back to Tung Chung station. There are many factory outlets there so we walked around to kill time before dinner. Saw a Crocs outlet and went in to look see look see. They don't have many choices, mainly the old models. Some with limited sizes. But they're a very good bargain -- about half the price of what we're paying here. Moreover, I got an extra 5% discount as a member. So we left with another 3 pairs (1 for my nephew, WQ). Bought bigger sizes for the kids to keep but I made a mistake of getting a current size for didi. Sigh... his current one was just bought recently. All in all, we bought 6 pairs of Crocs, a crocs o-dial (for keeping handphone) and a packet of jibbitz for RM640. Quite good deal, no? :D

~ clockwise from top left : Baya Kids, Gabby Girls, Beach, crocs o-dial,
jibbitz, Dora Flowers Kids, Crocband and Santa Cruz Corduroy Men ~

~ United Colors of Benetton for jie jie ~

Also bought a long sleeve top and long pants for jie jie (about RM60). We went to a shopping paradise and came back with only Crocs and a pair of clothes. hahaha Seriously, it was no fun shopping with the kids. Can't look at things in peace. We didn't even go to any night markets. On the day we arrived, we went to check out Sogo, which was very near to Park Lane. They were having a Jumbo sale (that weekend was the last 2 days of sale). It was so crowded. We followed the crowd in, just walked one round and couldn't wait to get out. :p It's like things were free of charge!

Next up : Day trip in Macau.

Hong Kong Trip Nov '09 (Hotel & Food)

2009-12-01T16:01:00.004+08:00

We were in Hong Kong from 21st to 27th November. Stayed 3 nights in Hong Kong island and 3 nights in Disneyland Hotel. We took the 9:15 am flight with MAS. Although the kids woke up at 6+, they didn't want to nap in the plane coz they were hooked on to the in-flight electronic games. Their batteries only ran out after breakfast and they napped for about an hour. The choice for breakfast was omelette with potato and sausage or nasi lemak. The food was quite yummy.

~ in-flight food ~

At Hong Kong airport, we bought four Octopus cards (for 2 adults and 2 children) as it can be used on MTRs and at selected merchants like 7-Eleven, Mannings (Guardian) and food outlets. We took a cab to our hotel, The Park Lane in Causeway Bay (HKD340). We travelled by cab most at the time as it's more convenient with young children. Although their MTR system is very efficient, the distance between the entrance/exit and the train itself can be quite far, especially for a 3 year-old. It's even worse when the little boy demanded to be carried. PaPa and I suffered backaches at the end of everyday (what a torture :p).

The hotel is strategically located, with shopping malls and food outlets nearby and the MTR station within 5-10 minutes walk. Our room overlooks the Victoria Park and has a partial sea view. It's quite spacious (by Hong Kong standard) -- big enough to fit a king-size bed, an extra single bed and a lazy chair.

Everywhere you look, there are high-rise buildings with large and small businesses such as a reseller hosting company. And they can be quite near to each other. Also there are many people on the street. It's usually very crowded, especially at intersections, where the pedestrians wait and cross the roads at the same time.

~ look at the amount of people on the street at 10+ at night ~

The weather was quite cold on the first few days. But it was very sunny when we were in Disneyland. I guess with the sudden change of temperature, lack of rest and insufficient water intake, it was hard not to fall sick. Luckily the kids only fell sick on day 5 and it was a mild case (didi had fever which went away after one dose of paracetamol). Thank you for all your well wishes. We are almost fully recovered already.

The air was also very dry. I washed didi's jeans and let it air-dry in the bathroom. It dried within a day. Our lips were dry and cracking. The skin too -- my hands are very rough now.

Hong Kong is a food haven but we didn't indulge much. Didn't particularly go in search for the famous and must-have food. We ate at odd hours most of the time -- late breakfast (after 10 am), late lunch (after 2 pm) and late dinner (after 9 pm). The servings are quite big so I usually order 2 portions to be shared among the kids and I. I really like their fish balls (nice and huge) and wantans (with big prawns). During the trip, we ate a lot of fish balls and wantan noodles coz these won't go wrong with the kids.

Here are some of the restaurants/shops we went to :

Tsui Wah ~ hor fun (flat rice noodles) soup with fish balls, fish cakes and wantans, hainanese chicken rice and pork chop udon soup. This restaurant is right opposite Yung Kee Restaurant, which is famous for roast goose. I read the reviews that it's overrated but their century eggs are really good. However, we don't fancy that so we went to Tsui Wah instead.

Café De Coral ~ fast food chain. Serves western and chinese food. It's like our Kim Gary or Wong Kok Char Chan Teng. Had American breakfast of toast, eggs and sausage, fried noodles, porridge and pau.

~ fried noodles in soy sauce : a bit dry ~

Hong Kong Day ~ stir-fried rice noodles with sliced beef (so-so only) and nissin noodle soup with ham and egg. This is one of the restaurants at The Peak Tower. We didn't go for those restaurants with a view. But I'm sure it'd be a memorable experience dining while overlooking the great view of Victoria Harbour.

Fung Shing Restaurant ~ dim sum. Their selection is quite different from what we have here. The bowl of porridge was really huge. And the glutinous rice is quite special, looked like a hamburger and it's fried. Don't like their fish balls though.

Jardine's Bazaar ~ this street has many local restaurants. Ate fish and pork porridge, sticky rice, pancake and fried rice.

Food Republic ~ food court in Tung Chung. We ordered fish ball hor fun, fried rice, braised pork (and braised what-nots) with rice.

Next up : Places we visited.

Dead Tired

2009-11-28T19:33:00.000+08:00

Hello everybody! We're back from our 1-week holiday in Hong Kong. Apart from the fun and souvenir (very minimal) we brought back, we also came back with their virus. *sigh* Yup, all FOUR of us are sick -- with mild cough and/or runny nose. Didi had fever in Disneyland. Luckily it lasted only for one day. *phew* We all need lots of rest to recuperate.

So I'll still be MIA for awhile. Moreover, need some time to sort out the pics we took (almost 800 of them). I'll be visiting you soon (but at a slower pace yeah). Till then, you have a great weekend and Happy School Holidays!

Egg Lovers

2009-11-11T13:52:00.000+08:00

The kids love eggs, especially jie jie. Every time we pass by Purple Cane (or any similar shops) in shopping malls, she'll ask us to buy the herbal eggs.

~ herbal eggs, 3 for RM2.50 ~

But they have different ways of eating. Jie jie will attack the egg yolk first as she loves the yolk. Even without soy sauce or gravy, the hard-boiled yolk is still very tasty to her. I don't usually finish the yolk because of cholesterol. So she always eyes on mine. :-) As for didi, he eats the egg white first. And leave the yolk for later. Well, at least he finishes up the whole egg.

I've made my own herbal eggs before, many many years ago. Just buy the ready-packed herbs. Will try that again when there are more people around to consume many eggs. At the meantime, buying from the shop is more convenient. *lazy bum talking* :-D

Final Progress Report In Kindy

2009-11-07T23:59:00.000+08:00

I went to XY's kindy for Parent-Teacher's Day. Her teacher showed me her exam papers and discussed about her progress for the 2nd semester.
* She has no problems with her school work.
* She's very friendly and helpful.
* She likes to raise up questions in the class.

BUT...

* She's very slow in her work (writing and colouring). Her teacher raised her concern because when she enters Primary school, the teacher will write on the white/black board and if she copies too slowly, she may not know what she's required to do.
Note to self : Have to befriend her classmates' parents. So we can exchange information on homework, etc. :-)

* She's a bit confused in solving Mathematics problems -- additions and subtractions. Very careless sometimes.
Note to self : Have to practise more (but that can wait till next year lah :-D)

As for her exam, she got quite good results (as expected, since she got some help from her teachers) with 100% for English and the lowest, 89% for Science. Her teacher stressed that the exam is not really a measurement of anything. It just reflects how much they understand in class. I really like it that the kindy isn't too results-oriented.

She definitely deserves to be rewarded. Throughout her 3 years in kindy, she never gave us any problems. Time and again, she made us proud. We'll be going to Hong Kong Disneyland this school holiday. PaPa wanted to bring her there before she enters the "big" school next year. So that'll be considered her reward. hehehe She's very excited about the trip. Started to count the days already.

An Extra Special Day

2009-10-30T22:38:00.001+08:00

On Tuesday, the kids were very excited, particularly XY. She was waiting anxiously for PaPa to come back (from work) with the cake. Kids love to blow candles, cut cakes and eat them. That's why PaPa bought a whole cake. When they were younger, we bought just a few slices of Secret Recipe cakes for our (the adults) birthday because we can't finish a whole cake. Now a small cake would be gone by the next day. The kids can't wait to blow the candle but PaPa was still taking pictures and fixing the tripod. hehehe

~ yummy tiramisu cake ~

~ waiting to sing the birthday song ~

We had dinner at home. PaPa has already treated us to a buffet lunch at Sun & Surf Café, Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa on Sunday. As a Citibank credit card holder, you get 40% discount (offer valid till 1st Nov). The buffet spread is just normal. I chose this restaurant because it stated "kids' mini buffet and chocolate fountain" in the website. The kids had never "experienced" a chocolate fountain. But it turned out to be a big disappointment (to me, that is. The kids didn't know about it, so no expectation). It was just a big pot of chocolate, for dipping marshmallows and fruits. What the kids enjoyed most are the pumpkin soup, marshmallows (even without chocolate dipping) and ice-cream.

Although it wasn't much of a celebration, this year was extra special. I was really blessed coz I received lots of wishes via SMS, phone call, instant messaging, e-mail and Facebook on the actual day. XY wished me many times and she tried really hard to be a good girl (started days before) coz that was the present I wanted. :-) Didi wished me when asked to and he's very good at singing the birthday song. CH (my nephew) sang to me the birthday song (without a cake) when I was at his house for lunch. It was a truly special day. No surprises from hubby this year but he got me a lovely card and a facial treatment package. What more can a girl ask for? *happy smile*

Extracurricular Activities

2009-10-24T10:46:00.000+08:00

Yay! XY has finished her exam already. Thank you all for your good luck wishes. I think she'll get very good results this round. Wah... this mommy so confident ah? You know why? Coz she told me when she passed up her papers, her teachers pointed out her mistakes and she changed the answers. I think one teacher even told her the answer. :-| I guess exam at kindy level is just a formality. Not with the intention to measure the children academically, which is fine with me. I think the important thing is to find out if they understand what's being taught in class.

She has quit her ballet lessons already. She told me last month that she doesn't want to learn ballet anymore. Her reason -- it's not fun anymore. I spoke to her teacher and she said XY's doing fine in class. She can follow the instructions and lessons. But maybe because she's now in Primary level, the exercises are tougher and the class is more serious. Not like in Pre-primary where they have story-telling and pretend-play.

As we have a month's deposit with the centre, I let her continue this month (October), with the hope that she'll change her mind. But she's just looking forward to finish the 4 classes. So we decided to let her skip the last 2 classes. Don't see a point in sending her there just because we've paid for it. It's a pity she's stopping now (and a waste of money too) but it's pointless to force her if she's lost interest in it. Anyway, she can continue later if she develops the interest again.

She'll be attending a trial class for I-Clay (something like play dough) this afternoon. If she wants to continue (I think she'll love this), we'll enrol her in this class. And I'm also thinking of sending her for swimming lessons. At least some activities to look forward to during the coming long school break.

Emcee For The Night

2009-10-18T01:50:00.000+08:00

XY has been selected to be the emcee for her kindy's Annual Concert cum Graduation Night (in mid November). When her school principal told me a few weeks ago, I was a bit worried but felt proud at the same time. Well, as a parent, whenever your child is selected (to do anything), you'd definitely be very proud of him/her, no matter how easy or difficult the task is. After some thoughts, I wasn't so worried anymore as she's had two years of experience speaking on stage (to introduce her dance). Moreover, as an emcee, she doesn't have to memorise the speech. She can read from the paper. So I think it shouldn't be a problem for her. *keeping fingers crossed*

She'll be having her exam the whole of next week. This lazy bum of mine has been complaining every time I ask her to do revision. Can't blame her though as doing revision is definitely no fun compared to playing games and watching tv. hehehe Sorry girl, you can play all you want after the exam. But for now, DO AS I SAY!!! So during her exam period, her mommy will also be very busy. If you don't see me at your blog, you know the reason. :-)

Special Walmart Store Brand Formula On Sale

2009-10-14T21:36:00.000+08:00

As parents, we want the best for our child. When we are looking for infant formula as an alternative to breast milk, we tend to choose name-brand formulas over store-brand ones. Although store brand formulas comply with the FDA standards, some consumers would prefer name-brand formulas.

One of the reasons being companies that produce name-brand formulas are specialised in producing baby food or formula. To be competitive in the market, they have the research and development team to produce the best formula milk. As for store-brand formulas, they may lack the R&D and they are not specialised in these baby foods. Therefore, some parents are not so confident with store-brand formulas.

As of October 1, 2009, a new Women, Infants and Children initiative aimed at increasing breastfeeding rates among families reallocates funding for all currently provided foods, including infant formula, baby foods, juices, and fresh fruits and vegetables. With a reduction of infant-formula subsidies, parents who previously had most of their formula paid for by WIC, may now have to purchase formula on their own.

If you are worried the new WIC program will affect you financially, Walmart is having a promotion on their store brand Parent’s Choice Infant Formula. For a limited time, parents can buy two cans for just $10!
* Parent’s Choice Milk Infant Formula is on sale in a 15.5 oz (440 gram) can for $5.00 each.
* Parent’s Choice Gentle Infant Formula for babies with fussiness or gas is on sale in a special 12.9 oz (366 gram) can for $5.00 each.
These special cans are available exclusively at Walmart.

Movie & Karaoke

2009-10-14T02:35:00.000+08:00

We brought the kids to watch G-Force on Sunday. The story line's quite good, very entertaining (in my opinion). The feedback from XY? She said the movie's good, but she doesn't know what it's about. :-| As for didi, he's there just for the popcorn and snacks. *roll eyes* Luckily he didn't ask to leave when he finished all the snacks. Still got 20 minutes or so to go before the show ended. He started to walk around so I put him on my lap and hugged him.

After we came out of the cinema, we went straight to Green Box Karaoke. We were charged 2 headcount at RM26++ per person. Free for kids below 140cm in height. We had free flow of drinks (soft drinks, juices, coffee, etc) and snacks (6 types). I only chose 2 types for the kids as the others are spicy or looked uninteresting. :D They ate a lot of junk food that day. I think they've exceeded their quota for two whole weeks. But no choice, that's the only thing to keep them occupied. We also had our (late) lunch there. Ordered fried rice and cheese and ham sandwich. The rice was too oily for my liking but hubby said not bad.

~ junk food party -- see how he stuffed himself with
the snacks; the hand on the right belongs to jie jie ~

There was a games session for the customers at the main area but only 3 groups turned up. We didn't win the lucky draw (don't know what's the prize) but hubby won the drinking contest -- to gulp down the soda drink in the shortest time. The prize is a bottle of sparkling juice.

Honestly, it's not so enjoyable bringing the kids to karaoke because they're very noisy. When they're not singing or eating, they can't sit still. We should have expected that, right? Anyway, it's an experience for us. But no more next time.

Bedtime Necessity

2009-10-08T23:12:00.000+08:00

Throughout their growing-up years, children go through different phases, different likes and dislikes. There's no definite length for these phases and it's different for every child. My boy is currently going through a 'must have air conditioner during bedtime' phase.

It started some time last month. I usually switch on the air conditioner (AC) when I put the kids to sleep. Both of them sleep with us in the same room. Once the boy has fallen asleep, I'll switch it off then sneak out of the room. I'm still waiting for the day when he can sleep on his own. Sometimes if he's not in deep sleep, he'll wake up immediately when he hears the 'beep' sound when I turn it off. Back then, I just need to reassure him that I'm still around and he'll fall asleep again without fuss. But recently, he can't sleep back if he sees that the AC is off. If I'm not in the room, he'd get up and cry. It's the really pitiful kind of cry, as though he's been cruelly tortured. All I have to do is to switch on the AC again, cover him with the blanket and ask him to sleep. Then I leave the room. He has no problem sleeping without me when he's blurry.

There was a few nights he woke up at 5+, asked me why the AC was turned off. I told him it's cold and ignored him. He didn't sleep back till about 2 hours later (of course, disturbing me every now and then). :-|

To avoid the drama, what I do now is to switch on the ioniser (on the AC unit) when he disturbs me in the middle of the night. He's fine with that, although it's not cold. I guess he just wants the buttons on the AC unit lighted up. I doubt he's afraid of the dark as I leave the bathroom light on when they sleep.

Now that he can't live without the AC, I've got a very good 'weapon' during bedtime. If he makes noise/talk, I point the remote control at the AC and he'd keep quiet. If he plays with jie jie or moves around, I just point the remote and he'd behave. Seriously, like magic! hahaha But of course, he'd forget the threat after awhile. So got to threaten him a few times before he finally fell asleep. Sigh... when will this phase be over? One thing for sure, the electricity bill will be higher during this period.