Journey of My Life

I have Moved!

2011-11-08T21:58:00.000+08:00

I have a new Blog effective now....

Come and visit me at www.journeyofmylife.org.

See you on the other side!!!!

Detoxify: Day 9 to 14

2011-03-20T16:40:00.002+08:00

Read my earlier post on Master Cleanse, Day 1, Day 2 & Day 3-8.

For health purposes, its best to go on minimum of 10 days. For some reason.

So, I am going to do at least 10 days which just ended.

But.

I am challenged to continue because I have not lost the weight that I had expected and because I am not having much difficulty extending it.

Infact, I find that my mind is more focused and I can think better. Without all the carbohydrate as an obstacle.

But how much longer?

Well the how much longer has been answered when on the 14th day, I kinda cheated. Its not supposed to be like that. But. Anyways.

The whole detoxifying experience has been mostly pleasant. And surprisingly achievable. It was easier than I expected. I was not too tired, not too hungry, not too obsessed thinking about food and going without solid food for 14 days was a great achievement. A personal record.

I lost a total of 10 pounds. Not bad.

The Master Cleanse program is encourage to be done every 4-6 months.

Now, will I do it again?

You bet!!!

How about you?

Detoxify: Day 3 to 8

2011-03-14T16:06:00.009+08:00

To read Master Cleanse, Day 1, Day 2.

They always say that the 1st 3 days of fasting or abstaining from food are usually the hardest. I could not agree more.

After the 2nd day of going on this Master Cleanse program, everything is pretty routine. Almost ritualistic.

The killing part of the whole thing is having to cook meals for hours and not being able to eat it!!!! The smell of the food really annoys me! Not for any reason other than that I cannot taste it...

A word of advice on purchasing sugar cane. If you are buying fresh sugar cane, it has to be refrigerated within 3 hours. Of course its good to keep it frozen but that makes it difficult to drink. What I do is to immediately refrigerate it upon purchase (freshly 'squeezed') and get at least 3 jugful. It usually last me 2 days before I have to go and buy again.

Going to the toilet 300 times a day and having to look for one, almost everywhere I go are the annoying part of drinking bottles and bottles of water. I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I almost wet myself! Especially in the car! So, try to hang around the toilet. Safe yourself from turning blue. If not, bring along some diapers ;-)

On the 8th day of the Detox, I noticed a sensitive patch of skin near my face suddenly disappeared. That was amazing. I didn't know it concerned my diet. But anyway, I was happy. My friends commented on my skin and how it 'glows'. So, can you imagine the junk I have been consuming which is called Food?

I can say that the Lemonade concoction has been really helpful in giving me energy. With enough intake of it, I can go through the day without much difficulty. Not even having to fantasize about food. You know what I mean.... I have not thought about it...... much. I am human, OK?

So, have you thought about joining me on this program?

Come on, you can do it!

Detoxify: Day 2

2011-03-11T16:04:00.000+08:00

The Lemonade with Sugar Cane is actually a delicious drink. The cayenne pepper adds a spicy flavour to it. The Lemonade covers the actual flavour of the sugarcane.

Today I did the same routine as yesterday.

Drank one litre of salt solution. The night before, I drank a laxative tea aka slimming tea. That woke me at about 6am. To... you know what. I had to sit there for at least 30 mins. So naturally I took something to read.

I still drank heaps of water to take away the hunger pang which doesn't really wants to go away. Shoo!! Go away!

Today was much better than Day 1 because I replaced the drink with Sugar Cane rather than water mix with maple syrup.

Detoxify: Day 1

2011-03-10T02:09:00.000+08:00

I started the morning by drinking 1 litre of water with 2 teaspoons of sea salt. That is suppose to flush the system.

Then the concoction of lemonade, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. It tasted OK. Then immediately gargled my mouth. Apparently the lemon is bad for my teeth. I will do that each time when I drink the lemonade concoction.

Each time I feel hungry, I will drink The Lemonade. So on this day, I drank 6 glasses of it.

Actually, the maple syrup and water can be replace with sugar cane. I was overjoyed! Its delicious!

Today was tough because my body was adjusting to no food. The water bill must be sky high this month, at the rate I am gobbling down water. That's the only way I can fool my hungry stomach.

No food means loosing the joy of living. So, do I eat to live or live to eat? No. Please don't answer the question.

posted from Bloggeroid

Detoxify: Master Cleanse

2011-03-08T05:09:00.000+08:00

All the hype about cleansing and detoxification. Its a huge industry. I personally find it quite a hassle. Some of it just too complicated.

So naturally I have not done a serious one, till now.

I was reading someone's blog and she was doing this program called master cleanse. I did some research and found it simple enough to do it. Even the concoction sounds delicious!

So two days later I was full fledged on the journey of having my body rid of toxins, feel and look healthier and hopefully loosing some weight. That's the motivation!

I will blog about it and maybe motivate some of you to join me...

posted from Bloggeroid

Congratulations, Sis!

2011-03-07T03:14:00.000+08:00

My Elder Sister who have been studying for her Social Works studies for the past 4 years just took her finals.

She did extremely well and was eventually invited to do an Honours program with the University.

Her finals result came out and she had gotten First Class Honours!!!

Wow!

Woo hoo!

Well done, Sis!

You deserved it.

So that's where all the family brains went to.

Yes, that's my Sis.

posted from Bloggeroid

Tips on Driving to Thailand - Part 3

2011-03-05T18:53:00.001+08:00

To read Part 1 and Part 2

I am glad you are still following on the third part of Tips on Driving to Thailand.

Here's more...

At the Border
===========

It took about 5+ hours to reach the border at Kota Bahru from Selangor. With very little stops in between. Upon reaching the border, park your car on the reserved parking lots on the left.Don't simply stop anywhere. We learnt our lesson....

Each and every passenger is required to disembark and queue up at the Immigration Counters.Cars and Buses are different. Make sure you queue correctly.After getting a chop on the passport, the Driver can proceed to go to the counter to get his approval to Enter Thailand. Make sure you bring the documentations for your car along.Only the person stated on the Car Card can register the car.

Once that is completed, you can board your car. After passing the Immigration and upon entering Thailand, there is a small counter on your left whereby you are required to purchase Insurance. Just tell them how many days you need and they will process accordingly. I am not sure if this is a mandatory procedure but we have done this each time we enter Thailand.

Welcome to Thailand!!!

Map
===

Its good and almost a must to have a map with you. You can either purchase one from bookstore eg MPH. Alternatively, you can buy one in Thailand.

We have a very simple map of the whole of Thailand with routes of highway. The map was purchased at one of the 7-11 outlet many years ago.

To get detailed map of each town, its a good idea to visit the Thailand tourism office at each town. They are very helpful and have heaps of brochure for local destinations. We have taken most of ours from them. Be warned that most staff can speak English or at least broken ones but not all.

You might be able to get from hotels too. If you find a large hotel, they sometimes provide.

Language
========

Language is a huge barrier at small towns. I scraped through with my little Thai. So there were almost no incident.

If you don't know the language there are few ways to go about

1. Bring a dictionary. Worst case scenario, point to the word in your bilingual dictionary.

2. Find out someone who speaks English reasonably well in the hotel you are staying and keep his number with you. Explain to him that you might need translation help in case of emergency. Quite often they are more than willing to assist. After all, Thailand is well known for being the Land of Smiles.

3. If you have a local friend, keep his number with you. Make sure you buy a local pre paid number. It is very cheap but useful. We always do that. In fact, we even bought two numbers, the last time.

Food
====

One of the best things about driving adventures in Thailand, is trying out local food. Needless to say, the Thai enjoys eating as much as we do, if not more.

I discovered while residing in Bangkok, that they are an eating- out-culture. Many houses does not even have kitchens. There are heaps of small peddlers selling food which provides for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and desserts. Every corner.

Food are packed in small plastics which provides for a one person meal. Rice too.

Experience tells me to enter a crowded restaurant, if I am not familiar with the area. I know its a little wait. The Thais, like Malaysian, stick with the value-for-money mantra.

With this in mind, we discovered a restaurant along the way from Phatthalung to Nakhon Si Thammarat. It was absolutely delicious and the queue was horrendous, the service good, the food even better and value for money! Till today, I still think about it.

Another way of finding good eateries is to ask the hotel staff. Don't be shy. They are not offended if you don't eat there. Even if they are, they will not show it. Its the Land of Smiles. I learnt that from local Thai friends. They seemed to do it at each hotel rather than scouting around.

Ordering Food
============

This can be tricky. I have a hard time remembering names of food. Very often we order by pointing at photos of food. Of course there were costly mistakes.

Once at Phatthalung, last year, we ordered a cray fish with Thai salad. It was totally disgusting that we abandoned it after one bite. Other times we took recommendations from the waiter and ended up eating a whole platter of raw vegetables with a "sambal belacan" type of dip. Who wants to eat raw eggplants?

There is part 4 to come!

posted from Bloggeroid

posted from Bloggeroid

Tips on Driving to Thailand - Part 2

2011-02-28T22:23:00.000+08:00

Read Tips on Driving to Thailand - Part 1

So, you are thinking about it, huh? Its OK to think about it.

Here are some tips on preparations before embarking on your Adventurous Journey of a Lifetime to Thailand!

When Do You Want To Go?

You might want to check out the public holidays and seasons before deciding the timing of your trip. What are the monsoon seasons and rainy seasons. Or maybe winter.

Do Your Research

Do some homework by researching on the internet. Decide a route. Be flexible though.

With a rough guide on destination, then research the tourist attraction places. You can collate a few places of interest. Accumulate the information first and finalise it later.

Look up a few hotels/chalets. If you do not want to book them, just get their numbers and address down, just in case you might need it when you get there.

Route

There are 2 options on route from Malaysia into Thailand. One of them is from Alor Setar and the other from Kota Bahru. I have gone on both.
If you have a long holiday, then, you can go further up, towards Bangkok. But we didn't because we wanted to relax more rather than spending too much time on the road. Daily, a maximum of 3-4 hours of driving. And by 3pm, you should already be looking or have confirmed accommodation. If you don't already have bookings made. If its your first time driving to Thailand, you don't want to be over stressed thinking about where to stay.

Accommodation

There are various accommodations ranging from THB1,000 (RM110) to THB10,000 (RM1,100) per night. Depending on high season or low season... or normal chalets or luxurious self pampering 5 star resort and spa.

We try to stay a few days on normal accommodations and then pamper ourselves silly on a few nights in a nicer place. But for your sanity, try to stay in a non luxurious place first and then upgrade to a nicer hotel and not the other way round. If not, you might have some whiny and complaining kids. Or you might even feel the difference....

My personal experience on accommodation... so far, I have not slept in the car. No matter how busy - even on the 1st of Jan, I have always managed to get a place to stay. But, it might not be the ideal location or luxury but it was good enough. On both 1st of Jan in 2009 and 2010, we were in Hatyai en route home. It was the probably the busiest time of the year but we still managed to get a room in the middle of town.

My 2010 trip was from Selangor - Kota Baharu - Sadao - Hatyai (1 night) - Phattalung (1 night) - Nakhon Si Thammarat (1 night) - Khanom Beach (3 nights) - Nakhon Si Thammarat (1 night) - Hatyai (1 night) - Home

Car

Ensure you serviced your car. All your spare tires, tools and general condition of the car is good.
Must bring along your Car Registration card and documentations regards to the car. Ensure you are the owner of the car. I am not sure if its OK to bring a borough car into Thailand.

More coming up....

Tips on Driving to Thailand - Part 1

2011-02-24T22:37:00.006+08:00

Amazingly delicious Thai salad. Fried anchovies, dried shrimp, cashew nuts, lemon grass, roasted squid, lemon and wrapped with that green leaf. Mouth drooling....

Driving holidays to Thailand can be fun to those who are adventurous and enjoy the flexibility.

Its not just a holiday. Its life experiences.

Venturing to small little towns, restaurants, shops and chalets. Even discovering 'treasures' which money cannot buy. How do we put a price tag on life experiences that enriches our soul and makes us feel, "been there, done that" sense of achievement.

My family and I have driven to Thailand from Selangor, Malaysia twice for 2 consecutive years - 2009 and 2010. It has been an enjoyable experience. To say the least.

When I tell people about the driving holidays to Thailand, they will usually give a bewildered look. Something along the lines ....

"Are you crazy?"

"Who do you usually hang out with? Well, whoever it is, you gotta stop!"

or maybe

"Its been some years now that the aeroplane has been invented. You know?"

and occassionally

"How awesome is that?! Not."

I would have reacted the same way if I had not experienced 3 years of numerous inter-state holidays in our faithful Mazda Tribute SUV... From Bangkok to Phuket. Even to Chiang Rai.

But.

Driving from Malaysia was a whole different experience.

I will try to compile some information which I think will be useful.

Till the next post.....

New Blog.... Journey of My Gardening

2011-02-22T13:01:00.004+08:00

I have started a new blog and hope to share my gardening experiences.

Please visit it at Journey of My Gardening.

I will continue to keep this current blog, Journey of My Life on normal stuffs about my life and the other will be about Gardening.

Organic Garden: Progress of Plants

2011-02-16T13:54:00.004+08:00

A pumpkin (I think) sprouted near the Compost Bin, so, I built a trellis for it to grow.

Will let you know later if its really pumpkin.

French beans is well but seems to be drying out....

I don't know the name for this vine plant but if direct translation from Chinese, it would be Emperor's Vegetable. (anyone who knows, can write at my comment box)

I bought this rose plant from Ikea. It started flowering again with this
small rose buds. How wonderful can this be!!!

Bamboo Plant Snitched!

2011-02-14T16:52:00.012+08:00

The Bamboo plant is my second favorite plant after the water lilies.

I was just staring at it today and saw it 'thinned-out'. Quite unusual. It used to be bushy-er.

This is how it looked now

This is how it looked previously

Guess the shock on my face when I saw 4 small little bamboo plants, across the fence.

Plant 1

Plant 2

Plant 3 and 4

Its common sense, even ethical, that when you take something, you gotta ask first. Its polite. Especially if you know it belongs to someone. Even if its borrowing. What more 'taking' without permission. I feel so violated!

Is this even allowed?

Is there nothing sacred?

Hmmmm.... Now, what would they think if I were to 'take' their bunch of bananas that is drooping over to this side of my fence?

Then again, its going to dirty my face if I stoop that low, to their level.

The Garden: Completed

2011-02-10T21:27:00.020+08:00

The journey of the house renovation has almost come to a full circle.

A process which started some time in March 2010, last year, is now completed. I think. There are things which I could still find to renovate but as of now, it will do.

I had probably put my life on hold for almost one year, just to build a home for our small family. Trying to make sure every minute detail is according to dream and budget. I assure you, that is no easy feat :-). Because. Dream AND budget don't really mix. Both of them should be allocated a box on its own. Dream. Budget.

Anyways.

To celebrate the completion of the renovation, we had a house warming cum Chinese New Year party. Had some good friends over. It was wonderful to be able to "mark the moment" with friends.

Completed Privacy fence, Pergola and cute little things hanging down.
There is a transparent roof to keep away the rain.

The Privacy fence which was a family project, has blocked most of the mess from the backyard and dog house. It also created a woody look, which is what I really like. It enhances the Pergola. To make it look like one-of-a-kind, I got 30 sticks of bamboo from Sg. Buloh. Its about 8-9 feet long. Presently, its still green and needs to dry out a little before it turns yellow.

The bamboo idea was not originally mine... I saw it in Thailand and just needed to have that look. Its a common look in the village due to the easy accessibility of bamboos.

According to my brother, I could have chopped down some bamboos near Pulau Indah. But. I had to pay a hefty price for it, instead. Oh well. Have to get the economy going, right?

Mini garden with a small pond, miniatures and plants.

The idea to create the mini garden started with the small pond. It was actually a water fountain which was damaged. So, I converted it into a pond with water lilies. Surrounded it with plants and all the miniatures I collected over the years from Thailand.

The stones makes the area easy to maintain (keeping away the weeds) and also gives it a clean look. Inspired by the gardens in Thailand.

These days, I can just sit there and relax. Infact, I had an evening sitting under the Pergola with my Mum and Brother, sipping some wine, munching on peanuts and cracking a whole load of lame jokes. How a few pieces of wood and bamboos can bring family bonding together.

Overview of the garden

A masterpiece of colored stones and plants.

It took me some time to figure out what I wanted to do at the small piece of empty land in front of the porch. I sketched it out in a piece of paper, researched in the internet... And I figure that some thing which is simple to maintain and yet brings joy.

So, while shopping at Sg Buloh, I passed a large shop selling stones. I looked through every corner of that huge area and found some 'out-of-stock' stones. Left with 2 bags each, I took home the purple and orange stones. I have not seen it anywhere but its exactly what I am looking for.

To bring bright white color into the masterpiece, I added the shells which I collected at the beach while holidaying in Thailand, last December. Yes, I am pleased.

My next aim is to get my organic vegetables and fruits garden going. The french beans are great but the passion fruit and four edged beans are yet to produce. I saw some flowers on the chili plant. I might be able to enjoy some chili soon. I will try to get some photos and update on my organic gardening later.

To view more photos of The Garden, go here.

Water Lily

2011-01-29T21:03:00.002+08:00

Are there more glorious color and beauty?

My favorite flower, ever!

.... and I can admire it everyday!

The Garden: The New Look

2011-01-17T12:15:00.002+08:00

My camera is down and these are much better photos taken by the Official Photographer.

Did I mention that I had obsession of Aloe Vera?

Front view of the Pergola

Hilly landscape in front of the house. Keep it simple!

On the left: Pebble blocks as a driveway for the car

There are some stuff to do in The Garden, but I have hurt my back due to too much of gardening. Need to rest it before I continue.

The Garden: More Photos 3

2011-01-14T18:14:00.001+08:00

The Garden: Frangipani

2011-01-14T18:07:00.001+08:00

Front porch has a Frangipani and some flowers to cheer it up. Not fully completed yet.

New Year Resolutions

2011-01-09T22:10:00.002+08:00

After all the celebrations of Christmas and the new year, things are quiet.

Holidays are over.

Children back to school.

And the routines of life sets in.

"What's your new year resolutions?" An almost predictable question resounded everywhere. From TV, radio, newspaper, friends and even churches.

I used to do it. Write a list. I don't anymore.

Everyday is an opportunity to be resolute to change, live and fulfill that dream.

The big question is...

Which day in 2011 will be The Day?

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

The Garden: compost bin

2011-01-07T22:01:00.002+08:00

Look what's growing in the compost bin.

Some Papaya, pumpkins and chili, I think.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

The Garden: French Beans

2011-01-07T21:58:00.001+08:00

I am so happy that when I returned from my holiday, little French beans were growing.

I plucked some and ate it raw. Absolutely delicious and organic!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

Day 6 - 8: Khanom Beach to Hatyai & Home

2011-01-06T17:50:00.002+08:00

Our last night in Khanom beach, we went to Hid Lad waterfall about 10 minutes from our accommodation. Its a small waterfall, not impressive in any way. Just fun for the kids to play. They had heaps of fun and... me too.

Cold... cold.... cold....

Brotherhood at its best!
To carry each other, literally :-)

The next day, just before we left for Nakhon Si Thammarat town, we met a good friend from Bangkok days, Taka, Nus and Jin. Its our first time meeting their cute little toddler, Jin. He is so cute!

Cheese!

We used to travel together with this couple and some other Thai friends. Nus used to plan everything and we just hop along. It was great fun! I will always cherish those fun moments. Taka and my kids used to play like crazy! It was a great reunion.

This is the "Perfect Peace" photo shot...
"A Son sleeping on the shoulders of his Daddy"

After catching up over lunch, we drove towards Nakhon city for a night and then drove towards home with a sleeping-stop at Hatyai.

To sum the trip, it was relaxing. The trip was neither too short nor too long. The food was fantastic! Absolutely undeniably incredibly great!!!! The food sealed the trip. Talking about love of food...

I managed to practice some Thai words for a week, the people of Thailand never failed to make my heart warm (except those in Hatyai).

Welcome was always on their faces, adorned with a smile.

Anyone for a road trip to Thailand?

(The 2010 Thailand Trip was taken from 25 Dec to 2 Jan 2011)

Day 5: Khanom Beach, Nakhon Si Thammarat

2011-01-05T17:26:00.006+08:00

Khanom beach is not too touristic, unlike Pattaya and Phuket. Its basically quiet and does not have entertainments similar to Pattaya or Phuket. The way I like it :-)

If lazing by the beach with a book and enjoying Thai food is something you like, this is your place. There are many hotels to choose from. Tomorrow we will go around to admire some of the other hotels along the same stretch of beach.

Our family room. Bed separated by a large glass partition

Pool is a few steps away from the room

The small pool just infront of our family room. The kids played

a lot in it.... including me

Baan Civilize has 8 rooms, 2 of which are family rooms. Quiet and private. We were probably the noisiest people around,.. er, I mean, my kids.

The restaurant by the beach. Every morning for breakfast, we sit by those tables and look out to the beach

Day 4: Photos at Khanom Beach 4

2011-01-01T17:16:00.002+08:00

Monkeys by the beach

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.2

Day 4: Photos at Khanom Beach 3

2011-01-01T17:15:00.001+08:00

Strong waves

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.2

Day 4: Photos at Khanom Beach 2

2011-01-01T17:14:00.001+08:00

Sitting by the beach

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.2

Day 4: Photos at Khanom Beach 1

2011-01-01T17:12:00.001+08:00

View from room

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.2

Day 4: At Khanom Beach

2011-01-01T17:08:00.001+08:00

Khanom beach is very famous in Nakhon Si Thammarat. The beach is nice. Its quite near to Koh Samui. Some pass through here before they go there.

There are many types of hotel available. Infact we were on this same beach last year. Found it by accident or rather was recommended by the lady at the tourist information centre.

The waves here are stronger than usual.

But its nice. Looking forward to some relaxing days here.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.2

Day 3: Patthalung to Nakhon Si Thammarat

2010-12-31T18:45:00.001+08:00

We decided to move on to Nakhon Si thammarat. That's the great thing about not following any tour or having fixed booking. We are free to be impromptu.

The only confirmed booking we have is at Khanom beach.

We stayed a night at a city hotel in the heart of Nakhon. Its not a public holiday or any sort of holiday, so its kinda empty. But hotels near the beach are fully booked on 31 Dec to 1 Jan.

One thing that I have learnt about the Thais , they work hard and play even harder. During public holidays, their resorts are fully booked with holiday makers.

We did some shopping of silver products and other stuffs.

I ate my cheapest meal of "khanom chin nam ya" green curry with noodles. At THB10. Record breaking. My cheapest record was at THB14 in Chiang Mai.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.2

Day 2: Photo at Thale Noi

2010-12-31T18:43:00.001+08:00

There is a museum and watch tower at the Conservation head office. And also accommodation for officers.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.2

Day 2: Thale Noi - Cycling

2010-12-30T00:43:00.001+08:00

The boys riding the 2 seater bike.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.2

Day 2: To Thale Noi, Patthalung

2010-12-30T00:25:00.001+08:00

Thale Noi is the largest bird sanctuary and conservation in Thailand.

Its not exactly crowded because you would have to love nature to enjoy this place. I do.

We took a long tail boat at 5.45pm. Because according to a write up I read in the internet, it gets really hot in the afternoon. So its better to ride either early in the morning or evening. My preference would have been early morning because the water Lilies closes in the evening. Anyway.

It took up to 30 mins to reach the other side of the lake with a bridge and water buffaloes. Yes, its that huge. So the whole trip was about 1 hour and cost THB 400.

The evening ride was amazingly peaceful, cooling and in awe of the effort put in by the Thai to give the birds a sanctuary.

Pink Water lilies growing everywhere. Not many birds, though.

We spent a night in a chalet called Lan Bua Resort for THB800. Has 2 queen beds. Just perfect for us.

This is a small and peaceful town. Nothing much to do but we did get to a two seater bicycle and rode along the town. Which was really interesting for the boys. And fun too.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.2

Photo at market 5

2010-12-29T15:05:00.001+08:00

Ice cream made from coke for THB0.50

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.2

Photo at market 4

2010-12-29T14:48:00.001+08:00

Busy scene at the market. Everyone buying and selling

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.2

Photo at market 3

2010-12-28T22:04:00.001+08:00

Sitting in the market enjoying a drink while Joel had Pad Thai and I, the noodles.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.2

Photo at market 2

2010-12-28T21:51:00.001+08:00

Frog meat sold in the market. Its a common meat sold at the market

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.2

Photo at market 1

2010-12-28T21:47:00.001+08:00

Had "khanom chin" with green curry. One of my favorite. Its noodles eaten with fresh vegetables eg basil, cucumber, mint and other type of leaves. Free flow. Help yourself.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.2

Day 2: In Hatyai

2010-12-28T20:00:00.001+08:00

Early in the morning, we went to the biggest morning market in the South of Thailand. It was a mini Chatuchak. Located in Songkla, about 30 mins drive from Hatyai town, near the junction of Chana Road.

Stuffs sold was mainly food and clothes for the locals. Not exactly for tourist. But its really interesting to see all types of local food and fruits being sold. There are even a few antique sellers.

I bought an old iron and. steamboat container. Since forever I have been fascinated with antiques.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.2

Day 1: Malaysia to Hatyai 1

2010-12-27T19:22:00.001+08:00

We left home at 8am and arrived at the border of Bukit Kayu Hitam at about 3pm, Malaysian time.

Spending a night in Hatyai was the first option. its the nearest town to the border of Malaysia and we wanted to eat all the food we have been missing.

Yes. A lot of the reasons for the road trip includes food.

We managed to get a hotel room and spent a night even though the internet bookings said that it was fully booked.

We stayed at the same place ar last year.

Evening was spent hanging around Carrefour. Dinner at Fuji, the famous Japanese fast food franchise all over Thailand.

The palate was satisfied with basil with pork. Yummy.

Other than food and maybe some shopping, I don't particularly favor this place.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.2

Onward to South Thailand, Again

2010-12-25T11:32:00.001+08:00

We made a similar trip last year. So this year being the second trip, we are more confident, I think.

Last near I didn't really blog about my trip, as a result, there are many places which I have forgotten. Hopefully, this year my information on the travel will be more complete.

The whole family never got bored of Thailand. Three years of residing, annual trips and still going strong on wanting to return whenever possible :-)

Thailand has that effect on all its visitors.

2009 Driving Adventure to South Thailand

2010-12-24T23:26:00.000+08:00

Well, what do you know, I had this post in draft mode since forever .... Posting it now.

While staying in Bangkok, Thailand for 3 years, we did not manage to go to the most Southern part of Thailand due to its distance from Bangkok. But now that we have returned to Malaysia, its not that far away. So, we have decided to drive up.

There are many benefits of driving e.g. it gives us a lot of flexibility and possibility of adventure into small little towns, waterfalls and places which are not "touristic". Enjoying some of the local small towns. Cheap accommodation.

We didn't really draw up the whole route but we tried to be flexible.

Following were the route taken:

Day 1 - Selangor to Alor Star, Kedah
Day 2 - Alor Star to Thailand via Wang Kelian. Overnight in Pak Bara, La-ngu, Satun
Day 3 - Pakbara to Had Samran, Trang
Day 4 - Had Samran, Trang to Pak Meng Beach, Trang
Day 5 - At Pak Meng Beach, Trang
Day 6 - Pak Meng Beach, Trang to Khanom Beach, Nakhon Si Thammarat
Day 7 - At Khanom Beach, Nakhon Si Thammarat
Day 8 - Khanom Beach, Nakhon Si Thammarat To Town of Nakhon Si Thammarat
Day 9 - Town of Nakhon Si Thammarat to Hat Yai
Day 10 - In Hat Yai
Day 11 - Hat Yai to Home Sweet Home

The above trip was taken from 23 Dec 2009 to 2 Jan 2010.

The Garden: Driveway and Pathway

2010-12-24T13:51:00.000+08:00

There are more cement blocks made. Some for the driveway and pathway leading to the pergola.

In teory, this is how a pebble block is made.... Mix the base material with cement and rough sand. Make the cement block. After its dried overnight, then, mix pebbles with cement and lay a coat on top of the cement block which has been dried overnight. These pebbles can be purchased from the nursery. It ranges from RM12 - RM22 per bag. I bought a total of 10 bags. Which was more than enough.

Cement blocks for the driveway. Good for one car. The other one can be parked
outside the house. Everyone in the neighborhood does it too.

The cement block had pebbles with papaya leaves printed on it. Some
turned out nice but others were not as good as expected.

This is how it looks after the leaves were taken away

Decided to just use pebbles without the Papaya leaves. This pathway starts from
the front door and leads to the Pergola in The Garden

After this, the pebbles need to be 'washed' with acid then polished with shellac. The real beauty of the stone will be seen. So much of work, huh?

A full Year of Schooling

2010-12-22T16:48:00.001+08:00

This marks the end of his first year in public schooling.

He started in the beginning of January 2010.

Its been loads of ups and downs.

But mostly up.

Joel has enjoyed this schooling year immensely. Even though its his first time to public schooling.

Many learning and growing opportunities.

His friends has provided heaps of friendship and fun throughout the year.

He is blessed with many good friends and wonderful teachers who are committed.

If you ask me, I think he is really really blessed to be it this school. I think he realizes it too.

Well, next year is just around the corner. It seems as if it was just yesterday....

Oh, forgot to mention that Ethaniel too had a good year :-)

New Phase, New Journey

2010-12-14T12:53:00.000+08:00

I have titled my blog as Journey of My Life.

I feel that I am in a new phase of my life, a new Journey.

I need to remind myself that its the journey, not the destination. I am TRYING to enjoy the journey.

This new journey has a lot to do with leaving 'working from home - part time' stage to 'working outside the home - full time'.

Let's see how I am going to manage all this.

Happy 9th Birthday, Ethaniel!

2010-12-11T19:52:00.002+08:00

The days pass too quickly. Not that I am complaining. Glad that the diaper days, waking up in the night, potty training and all the drudgery of taking care of young babies has passed by. Gone.

Not sure when the baby in them actually grows up but outwardly, I have this cute little Ethaniel, all grown up.

He actually wanted to have a party for his birthday but since the The Garden was not ready, I told him that we will do it next year and he readily and cooperatively agreed.

We did a few things to celebrate his birthday over the last few days. Let's see... what did we do...

On the day of his birthday, he had a bad headache, so I excused him from school. For lunch, I took him to his favorite food, Bah Kut Teh (Pork soup). He ate 3 plates of rice!

The next day, we went to Shah Alam Park to try out the Skytrax but unfortunately we did not make bookings, so, they had no place for us. So, we went around the park on the mini bus, since we were already there. Mum had a great idea! Let's play ATV! A new place just opened near our home.

The boys love ATV and played it often throughout our 3 years stay in Bangkok, Thailand. Its difficult to get such an opportunity in Malaysia. Well, what do you know? One opened up 5 months ago, just 5 mins away from our home :-) The route is not as challenging as the ones in Thailand but it will do.

He had heaps and heaps of fun. With all the mud everywhere, due to rain.

The birthday ended with a meal at TGIF and his birthday monies put into his bank account, requested by him.

This year, most of the activities was haphazard because Mum was pretty occupied with other things on her mind... But all the same, I LOVE YOU, BABY! Err, I mean, little boy :-)

The Garden: Cement Block - Walking Path

2010-12-09T21:44:00.001+08:00

There is a 10 feet walking path from the roadside in front of our house to the small gate. It was basically sand and red topsoil.

As ideas was evolving, we decided to make cement slabs. The ones being sold at nurseries were quite small and costly. So, since the Indonesian worker was around, he made it. It was 1.5 feet by 3 feet.

To color it, we could buy colored cement but I could not decide on the shade. Too dark and it will appear dirty. Too light and it looks awful. So, I decided that we use Papaya leaves to leave a creative imprint on the wet cement.

I love the effect!

Undecided if will paint it eventually.

Any suggestions?

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.2

Care vs Indifference

2010-11-30T13:22:00.000+08:00

A few days ago, I was at the Indian Mamak shop packing food.

The queue was long and the space was tight.

After getting my rice, I wanted to backtrack to get some vegetables, so, I request for the young man to excuse me, while I needed some standing space. He was kind enough to let me through. While I was taking the stuff, which will total 5-10 seconds, the Restaurant Waiter gave an impatient remark because I was kinda in the way.

I was busy trying to hurry, so, I neither heard his remark or saw his face reaction.

But.

I heard the young man clearly rebuking him to be patient, for it will only take awhile.

I paused for a second and did not know how to react to this young man, standing up for a stranger, like me.

I was touched.

I went up to him and thank him for standing up for me and he gave me a very gracious, "Its OK".

Another scenario:

We were having family lunch at the same shop and have been trying to order something from the waiter for quite awhile. Then, a waiter stopped at the table next to ours. I kept waving to him but he did not take notice.

Strange.

The couple sitting on that table heard us clearly and even turned to give an indifferent stare. After looking at us a few seconds, knowing clearly that we were trying to get the attention of the waiter who was still standing next to their table, they returned to whatever they were doing.

I was shocked.

Such indifference.

The waiter walked away.

Now, I have a big question in my head.

Why the indifference or care. What causes someone to take the trouble to stand up for a stranger and another to totally ignore.

The Garden: Privacy Fence

2010-11-26T13:02:00.001+08:00

Few weeks ago, I posted about The Garden.

There was this and that plan.

A privacy fence was one of the idea. The reason is to block and separate the back portion of the house from the front.

The Resak Wood was purchased from the local hardware store. The sizes of wood was 2 x 4", 4 x 4" and 1 x 4"

4 x 4" pillars as foundation

4 holes of about 1 feet wide and 1.5 inch deep was dugged. Instead of digging up the hole in a day, bit by bit was dug up over a period of few days. Just as I was ready to mix the cement to put the foundational pillars, the Indonesian worker was available to assist for the next few days. Hooray! So, he helped to fix the foundational pillars.

2 x 4" was fixed on by Joel and I, when he was off from
school during the recent Public Holiday

The foundation was allowed to dry for about 2-3 days. Then, I solicited Joel's help. Both of us took the late morning and most of the afternoon to cut the 1 x 4" plants to exactly 5 feet length with the circular saw. Then we measured and cut to appropriate lengths, the 2 x 4". That was hard work. Galvanized bolt of 3" was used to fasten the 2 x 4 " to the 4 x 4". We used the drill to make the holes.

Apparently (after everything was done), according to Hubby (who is the actual Engineer and Expert), we used the wrong drill bit size. It should have been smaller hole. Never mind, a learning process. That day, I used the drill for the 1st time in my life. Not bad.

The privacy fence and there is a plan to make a Pergola
using the same pillars

The next day, Joel had to go to school. So, I was left alone to do up the fence. All geared up and gung ho, I proceeded to fix the fence. How hard can it be? After all, I have researched in youtube and internet.

After taking 1 hour to fix 2 planks and realised that the bolts were not aligned and the drill holes were too big... As a result, the bolts was not strong and the plank begins to fall when knocked. The Engineer and Expert stumbled upon me, the Gung Ho, youtube educated Fence Installer.

A quick lesson ensued.

Oh.. I see. That's how its done.

Eventually when Joel came back from school, all of us fixed the fence together and I must say, it turned out beautifully!

It was great fun for me... I am a Handy-Woman... by accident.

Tree House - Part 1

2010-11-20T14:24:00.000+08:00

The Tree House is up and running!

After talking for about 1 year, planning for a few months, its finally been realised. Watch the youtube movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlCGa_02xpA

Will update as and when more stuffs are added to the Tree House.

Organic Garden: What's growing?

2010-11-17T10:59:00.001+08:00

The organic garden is coming along.

I have planted some seeds which are growing.

Left: Tomato

Right: Mulberry shoots

Left: French beans
Right: Seeds are placed on the window grills to get proper sun and
easy for me to monitor

Plant on the right is Passion Fruit. Mum bought a plant for me at RM5. I am also
using some seeds to grow. So far, no signs of growth yet. I loveeeee Passion Fruit

My new compost bin.

Let me share a little about my new compost bin.

It was just by mere coincidence I discovered this product when I met up with a Malaysian friend who was visiting from Bangkok. He is currently marketing an amazing product. I am just so excited!

Well, the product promises to de-compose my Compost Bin in 3 days. What???!!! Three days? That is some amazing product. I was hoping to be able to use my compose in 4 months or so (at the rate its going). Not only it de-compose waste like these but its actually for industrial purposes. The other amazing thing is, it kills salmonella, E-coli and other bacterias which normal composting are not able to kill.

These microbs was a result of a 15 years research by a Thai Scientist. So brilliant!

I had some samples from him and have just started trying it out yesterday. Its going to be liquid fertilizer, which is the best form of fertilizer because it gets absorbed almost immediately.

So, let's just see how it turns out.

Organic Vegetable Patch

2010-11-11T15:14:00.003+08:00

For the longest time, I have wanted to plant my own vegetable.

You might ask, "why?".

Well, nothing gives me more joy than to be able to go to my garden and be able to pluck some fresh vegetables to serve to my family. Healthy, organic and readily available.

Even better if someone would plant it for me and I just harvest it. I know, I live in this bubble of fantasy.

Anyways.

I seize the opportunity, now that I have space for a vegetable patch, time AND interest. I have gone into Youtube.com and have researched extensively on how to plant an organic vegetable patch. So interesting! So much of information!

Now that I am packed with all theory about planting, the practical should follow soon.

So, I have started a compost bin. Its all about recycling and creating healthy soil for my organic vegetables. All the banana peels, apple cores, pineapple skin and cut grass goes into the bin.

My recycle bin before it goes into the Compost Bin

The Compost Bin. Its chicken wire (3 feet high x 9 feet long) which I bought from the hardware
shop for RM2.50 per feet (Total RM22.50). According to the youtube.com instruction... its one layer of brown (dried leaves) and one layer of green (household rubbish e.g. banana peels & etc) or green grass/leaves freshly cut

Contents of the Compost Bin

I thought it will be smelly but surprisingly, no smell. Apparently, the chicken wire gives a lot of ventilation, so it will not smell. So far, so good.

The Garden is not done yet, so, its difficult to have a permanent location for the vegetable patch. But still, I have a make-shift location for the next few weeks, till The Garden is completed.

Make-shift Organic Vegetable Patch

Honey Dew plant

Chili plant

Baby Aloe Vera. I bought a pot for RM4 which has 6-7 baby plants in them. So, I transplanted
it onto the ground. I think I will move it later when The Garden is completed, not sure, yet.

I have a serious obsession with aloe vera

Jack fruit tree. The only plant left from previous owner

I think I will have to go through this with trial and error, since I have not had a successful garden patch before.

The Garden

2010-11-04T13:52:00.021+08:00

Eventhough I titled this post as "The Garden"... actually it should be "What Garden?".

It was basically a disgraceful heap of mess. A real eye-sore to the inhabitant of the home-dwellers.

Therefore, no one was invited over to our new house, unless they insisted to invite themselves (No one will be named here).

In April 2010, it was a heap of mess. About 4 cars of dump was needed to
get rid of all this mess

View of the rubbish from another view

In May 2010, it was getting better but works were still going on here and there.

So, it was impossible to totally get rid of the mess. Please note that
by then, we had moved in (For info, the One Big Mess in white shirt and
black shorts, above, is still around. Don't think I will be able to rid of him for the next 30 years or so ;-))

Then "The Garden" was just there.

Yes.

Just there.

Mess and all.

The initial plan was to plant grass for the whole 2000 sq ft. Then, it was stalled.

Did I want to spend RM5,000.00 to plant, just grass? The guy was charging RM2.50 per sq ft. Its probably reasonable. It would have been more worth it (according to me) if it was lettuces or pak choy or kai lan. But then again, no one actually ask a grass planter to plant vegetables instead of grass on their lawn. Also, the kids might have difficulty walking on it.

So, I sat on the idea.

And sat.

And sat.

Then suddenly.... Yes. Suddenly.

... I was finished "sitting on the idea"!

(I can hear the family members screaming from the background, "Its about time!!!")

So.

1 week ago, I got 2 workers to clear all the mess and filled a whole load of dump truck with all kinds of rubbish from The Garden.

... The Garden is *drum roll*

Cleared!!!

No more Rubbish!!!

See, I told you... clean... desert...

Full... of rubbish

I will let you know what we are going to do with "The Garden". Its going to be a family project. Its a DIY thing. I am so excited! Just thinking about it (makes me tired), er, I mean adrenaline rush.

Stay tuned.

Happy 14th Birthday, Joel

2010-10-12T13:54:00.001+08:00

To My firstborn son,

You are fourteen
A number neither big nor small
A season of fun and all
Life of carefree calls

I have enjoyed your company
Not denying that your tricky
behaviour at times equates to the monkey
Drawing me to the point of insanity

Since you and i
Are still alive
We must have worked a partnership

I have enjoyed the jokes you churn out
You have overtaken me with your sarcasm and wicked sense of humor
Making me laugh with your lame remarks
Like the one about the hospital having a HOSPITAL sign on it
Kept me amused for weeks

This year has been a year of change
Good changes
New friends, school and house
Hope you continue to enjoy your life
I hope awesomeness becomes your life
For today and always

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.2

From blogger-droid

2010-10-03T07:59:00.001+08:00

I am testing this feature from my Samsung galaxy 5.

I wonder if its working properly.

Test.

Test.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.1

Goodbye Sony, Hello Samsung

2010-10-02T08:29:00.012+08:00

I have gazed into the screen of my Sony Ericsson various times and promised everlasting...

... faithfulness

.... loyalty

.... never to look upon another phone with the intention of longing to purchase....

It was my companion through the ups and downs in the journey of life for almost 2 years.

I have to admit that it was no celebrity phone with iphone features or look.

It didn't matter. I was happy. Satisfied.

I kept my promise.

....till death did we part....

It was a horrible death. No one should die like that. Drowned in pee. But I believe it was quick and painless. But still.

The grieving totalled a full day.

I never really bid goodbye. I was busily thinking of ways to replace it... Er... I mean, how to function without a phone.

The male members of the household basically decided on the type of phone. Not only that, they joined the bandwagon. Hopped in. Took the same ride. Returned home with one exactly the same.

So, goodbye Sony, hello Samsung.

Four Eyes

2010-09-20T23:28:00.003+08:00

I never had the opportunity to be teased "Four eyes"!

You know what I mean right? In school... If you wore spectacles, you must have been teased with that. Surely. I have teased numerous "Four eyes" persons.

Well, I am now enrolled in the club. Sent my applications. Accepted. Full membership. Reluctantly.

I am "four eyes" whenever I need to read.

I mean, its really amazing.

Blur.

Clear.

Blur.

Clear.

Now you see.

Now you don't.

Now you see.

Now you don't.

Whoever created the spectacle is a genius. Allowing people like me to enjoy a good book.

Sometimes reality hits hard. Eventhough I would like to blame it on my reading positions (I have read lying down, on my back all my life), the lack of lightings, blah, blah, blah...and etc. But still, its dawning on me that I am no longer 21 years old (Er... Actually I am just a little over 21 years old..plus... plus x 10 ...).

Ah well, what's the fuss and big deal about putting 2 pieces of glass (magnifying glass) in front of my cute Chinese eyes?

Just do it when no outsider is watching ... Brilliant idea.

"Mummy, you look farnee with the spectacles... Like Grandma... Ha ha"

I hear my son whispering into my ears.

I think he is the one who is having the bigger eye problem.

Hummpph!

Full-Time Employment

2010-08-17T12:01:00.010+08:00

I recently decided that I was ready to market myself for full time employment.

The last time I worked full-time was 10 years ago. Since then, I have been working part-time and from home. That gives me flexibility to cook inbetween emails, wash the toilets and then make calls to Suppliers, run to grocery shopping and return to my filing, sending out faxes to the Media at 1am in the morning, etc.

How does it feel again to be able to totally concentrate on work without the kids fighting at the background?

Heavenly.

Peace.

Tranquility.

Sanity.

Well, all those wonderful thoughts were dashed like a broken vase, today... Apparently, according to the potential Employer, he is NOT flexible for me to pick my kids up everyday at 3pm.

Looks like I have to find a Transporter or I will have to say 'bye bye' to this new excitement which is bubbling over (or is it the Rootbeer which was too gassy in my stomach?)

Anyways.

Never mind.

Surely something will come along. Soon.

*fingers and toes crossed*

Shrinking

2010-08-03T13:22:00.015+08:00

Have you ever wondered why children's book fonts are size 20 or more, while adult books are about size 10 or 12?

Would 4 years old children have problem looking at words, that publishers actually print such huge fonts?

No!

On the other hand...

Would a 40 years old and above adult have problems looking at words with font size 10?

A huge, "Yes!"

Of late, I realised the font sizes of most books are shrinking.

Are they cutting down on ink cost?

Are papers expensive?

Are the Extreme environmentally friendly people turning publishers?

What is wrong with this world?

They are making life difficult for me.

Not only do I have to squint my eyes to read those books but somehow, they (the publishers) have incorporated some kind of magical papers in them, as well. But this only happens with book having small fonts ... E.g. If I usually hold the books about 1.4 ft away while I read. I would have to hold it 1.8 ft away. Any nearer, it becomes blurry and unreadable. It has to be at the right distance.

Shocking?

Indeed.

Honestly, just a year ago, it was OK (publishers were great people) and suddenly overnight they start shrinking fonts. This is causing a lot of frustration.

Since I am on the subject of shrinking.... They did that to the needle hole, as well! It used to take me 5 seconds to get the thread into the needle hole but since the shrinking, it took me 10 mins before I gave up and asked my elder son to do it for me.

What is wrong with this people??!!!

Moved!

2010-06-06T17:50:00.000+08:00

On May 10, 2010, Monday, was probably one of the happiest day of my life.

Eventhough…..

Boxes everywhere.

Sandy porch.

No cabinets to put my clothes.

No kitchen cabinet to hold my plates.

No stove to warm my food.

No curtains to dress my windows.

Only one properly working toilet.

Yet.

The joy of staying in our new place.

The anticipation was fully realized.

The expectation was met.

The discomfort of the pest infested rented place is forever left behind…….

The beginning of a wonderful journey….

… for my family and I.

Probably the last time I will ever have full view of the floor

Excitement!

The Movers recommended by a friend was truly reliable and up to expectations.

None of my goods was damaged or missing :-)

RM350 per trip for a 3 ton lorry. More pricey than normal
but worth it since my goods were handled well

Interesting Facts

2010-06-03T12:59:00.003+08:00

At School, Joel was in a team of 3 boys. They were required to do a write-up of a particularly famous person for History class. The group leader wrote additional essays in case his team members forgot to do it. Well, EW did forget his essay. Before he was to read the essay, he was encouraged by the teacher to read it first before presenting it to the class.

Unfortunately EW did not.

He just picked up the essay and started reading it to the class.

After EW finished reading … The Teacher thought that the ending sentence had very interesting facts. Even she did not know it….

"…… and he wore purple underwear and was fat."

Teacher SC turned to Joel who was sitting beside EW. He was holding his stomach and controlling a huge laughter from bursting out.

She then took the essay piece to look and realized that the last sentence was in a different writing.

The whole class burst out in laughter…

….when they realized that Joel added the "…… and he wore purple underwear and was fat" to teach EW a lesson… "Read before presenting", as Teacher SC has instructed.

This story was related to me by his principal.

No, he was not sent to the principal's office. Incidentally the group leader is the principal's son. They had a good laugh over the prank.

I raised Joel to be humorous, able to take pranks, jokes and not to feel offended when his peers play jokes on him.

But.

I did not expect him to exceed way beyond my expectations!

Have I created a monster?

Joel & friend schoolmates enjoying a game of Twister

Renovation Update: Day 22 to 27

2010-05-10T08:23:00.000+08:00

Sorry for having very little update lately on my Renovation. I have been really really busy. At the end of everyday, I am so pooped that when I reached home at about 8pm everyday, I just hit the bed. Literally.

I have decided to put more photos on my update on my picasa online album so that you can see more photos of it.

To read and view photos of my house update from Day 22 to 27, click here.

Mission Possible

2010-05-09T07:31:00.012+08:00

The house is almost completed. Yes, almost.

You know, the feeling when you get at a meal. When you think you are almost full but you can still stomach something. A dessert for sure but also something else (like the food the person sitting next to you is enjoying).

Well, the house is almost completed.

Its still a work-in-progress.

We don't have much of a choice but to move in soon. Our current rented place has new owners who would like to take possession by 15 May 2010. So, just like how urgent we were in taking ownership of our property, the new owners here also are looking forward to "do up" their new home.

So, ready or not, we are moving.

Hooorrraaaaayyyyy!

There are bits here and there to be done but we do have 1 perfectly working toilet.

Kitchen cabinets to be coming in on Monday (hopefully).

Air-cond to be installed on Monday or Tuesday.

The modus operandi is....

Clean up the house....

Pack. Pack. Pack.

Move the house in stages .... maybe one lorry load a day....

Totally out by Friday, 14 May 2010.

You will see Mission Possible unveiled before your eyes.... Ta Da!

Father and Son at work... Mostly Father doing the work...

Job's Friend

2010-05-01T07:10:00.007+08:00

Due some recent events happening in my life and out of frustration with myself, I expressed it to my older son, Joel during our regular breakfast sessions.

Me: I feel like kicking myself.... Sometimes, I just feel like kicking myself...

Joel: Do you need any help?

Me: *blink blink*

There you have it, a complete replica of Job's Friend (Job from the Bible who had lousy friends who were not helpful at all in his time of need).

Just what I need....

I still feel like kicking myself.... and him too.

Plaster Ceiling

2010-04-29T22:46:00.006+08:00

The Plaster Ceiling was done by a young Chinese guy by the name of Ah Soon. He has been in this profession since he was 14 years old. He did a good job and gave me a reasonable price. The workmanship was also nice. One of the very few things I am happy about the Renovation.

Hard at work

Tarzans hanging from the ceiling

Putting on metal casing

The Plaster ceiling was completed within 1 week, both upstairs and downstairs.

There are some part uncompleted due to a missing wall near the back of the toilet. The Contractor's Indonesian workers didn't do a very good job on that. As a result, Ah Soon could not put up the ceiling. So, that will be done a little later. That part was supposed to be paid by the Contractor and the latest update - he refuses to do it. Looks like I have to get it done myself.

Electical & A little more of Plumbing

2010-04-26T23:50:00.000+08:00

Electrical work started around the 24th day of the Renovation, which was 6th April. Till today, it has not been completed. There seems to be a great number of hacking for concealed wiring. I have not worked out the cost for the wiring due to addition here and there. So, I shudder to think what the cost might be... *shivers*

The Electrician is a Supplier of Hubby's. Gave us a good price and good service. A very nice humble guy. Even told me his nightmare stories about his own renovation. About how his 2x2 tiles 'floated' out of the flooring and causing damage amounting to RM80K for raw material and RM60K for workmanship. I didn't really need to know it, after all, I am in the midst of my own Renovation. I need more comfort stories....

Thank God, I didn't get my Contractor to do the electrical stuffs! He would have charged everything from switches to installation. I saved some $$$ there.

Wire cost seems to be very high - especially the ones that is being run outside the house for the auto gate, doorbell and lights. The "aman" (not sure of spelling) cable are said to be strong and last for a very long time compared to the normal wiring fitted into normal casing. Its too expensive for my liking but it has to be done according to the Electrician ... if we don't want any 'shorting' or termites chewing it for a snack (I didn't know termites chew on wires). Anyways.

Wiring for the kitchen

"aman" cable running on the outside of the house

Plumbing works started around the same time as the electrical works. Just 1 or 2 days earlier. This plumber is by the Contractor. I was fortunate enough to be around when he was doing his work. If not, I would have to put my fridge where the washing machine was suppose to be and some other really annoying mistakes. So, I spent half of the day supervising his work. So, since then, I never trusted any of the workers. I ensure that I poke my nose into everyone's work.

Dish washing water from the kitchen sink will go into a gully and then into
the sewerage. Apparently, this is ideal and clean way to do it.
The Plumber did the 'right' way by accident. According to the Contractor,
he finds the easiest exit. If the drain is easiest, the drain it is!

Piping for the kitchen sink. I was so smart to buy a mixer at a warehouse sale
when I only need cold water.... But it was 50% discount!

Plumbing

2010-04-25T22:19:00.000+08:00

The pipes needs serious changing. I didn't realise how badly till I saw some of the old pipes which was replaced.

It will be concealed underground

Going into the house

Piping from the mains outside the house

The poly pipe is said to be so hardy that even if a car ran over it, will not break it. Good. We need something like that. Anyway, this house is 10 years old. Its overdue to have some clean pipes. I have this paranoia about drinking yucky rusty water. One of the 1st things I bought even before this house was ready, was a good external water filter. Which I purchased last year November at the CIMB Home Exhibition.

See the rust!

Now with good piping going all over the house, especially to my kitchen - I am a happy woman!

Chicken Run... Contractor Run... Whatever!

2010-04-24T12:02:00.000+08:00

My house Contractor, Ah Pang, called it quits and I am left with the rest of the 20-25% of the Renovation hanging.... On 14th April, into 32th day of Renovation.

Stress!

Stress!

Stress!

I have been targeting for 1 May 2010, Saturday for the move into the new place.

Due to some misunderstanding, he has refused to continue and to shorten the headache and heartache with him, I have decided to drop him altogether. Its sad because he started well and slowly deteriorated. I guess that happens when they have received enough money and more jobs are queuing up.

Of course the downside is that, I have given him all the money except for RM1,000. Unfortunately, its not enough to finish all the remaining stuffs. I could have kicked myself for not keeping more money. I had insisted but he was more persistent in wanting the payments. Now, I understand why.

I am giving up on Contractors!!!! I am going to do the job myself!

The Government should seriously regulate this profession. 8 out of 10 persons who encounter Contractors have problems.

BTW, to those whom I have recommended this Contractor... I am sorry!

Termite Treatment

2010-04-22T22:03:00.000+08:00

On the 24th day of our Renovation, before the wall was fully plastered, the Termites People came over. They sprayed an odourless chemical which was equally as lethal as the smelly one, I am sure. Anything chemical, just beware.

The thing about the odourless chemical, which is the latest technology, are costly. So, a 3-4 hours job cost me RM1,350.00. I did quite a bit of comparison before I took on the company Aneka. He was both professional and seems to know what he is doing. My brother in law also engaged him for his termites problem.

Spraying the unplastered wall

Mixing chemical with water before spraying

Spray here, spray there, spray everywhere

He drilled the untiled floor, sprayed on the garden, wet the roof and the whole works. I was there for a few minutes and I quickly scram when I realised that I was having breathing difficulty. I have this hyper sensitive nose to anything offensive e.g. cigarette smokes, dog poo and all kinds of detergent.

Renovation Update: Day 16 to 21

2010-04-20T23:14:00.001+08:00

The roof is up

Left: Cheezy's home
Right: Where Cheezy's poo will be "drained". A pipe will be installed

Side of the house was quickly built

Front of the house with extension being done. They will build the new wall before knocking off the old one

The Day Our Home Was Violated

2010-04-18T22:53:00.000+08:00

The Robbers came and went. But look what they left behind for us to 'savor'....

Clothes were pulled out of the cupboard and drawers. Looks like
the secret hiding place is not that 'secret' after all

Awful mess

They broke the metal attached to the gate. Make sure you do something
about your gate at home

Pried open

Temporary measure for the night... Rock climbing rope with 3 carabenas

Renovation Update: Day 11 to 15

2010-04-16T22:33:00.001+08:00

We are building a place for our dog, Cheezy. Its coming up...

The extension for the back of the house

The fence having a coat of cement

The children building their own fence

Renovation Update: Day 7 to 10

2010-04-14T20:22:00.001+08:00

I have not been able to update the renovation of our house till now. I am going to continue from were I left of, so that you can see the continuation.

Day 7: The fence going up

Day 7: Left: The back of the house is ready to be 'bricked' up
Right: Cement & sand being mixed up

Day 8: The fence looking more like one

Day 9: Concrete with metal was inserted into the middle of the pillars and covered with cement to keep it sturdy

Good Mum

2010-04-12T17:20:00.009+08:00

I picked Joel up from school today. We had to wait for Ethaniel... so while waiting, both of us shared a snack. The snack was given by his classmate's Mum.

I casually commented ......

Me: She is such a nice person. I wish I have a Mum like her.

*Silence*

*waiting*

I turned over and looked at Joel....

He turned and looked at me.....

Me: Yes?

*silence*

Me: This is the part where you were suppose to answer... "You are a good Mum too"

Joel looked at me and both of us burst out in laughter....

Me: Yes??? *still laughing*

Joel: *laughing* You.... *laughing* You..... *laughing* ..... are.... *laughing*

Me: Yes?? *laughing*

Joel: *laughing* You.... *laughing* You..... *laughing* ..... are.... *laughing* a good Mum too....

I was about to open the car door and push him out!

I had a good laugh.

He was pulling my leg....

Weren't you, Joel? I am a good Mum, right?

RIGHT??????!!!! Say 'yes' if you want a lift to school tomorrow.

Renovation Update: alarm system

2010-04-07T23:00:00.001+08:00

As of yesterday, BRNO sent their people over to do the wiring for the
alarm system. All the windows, doors, roof and openings in the house
has either wiring or sensor. We purchased this special package at the
Home Exhibition organised by CIMB Bank sometime last year November.
The price is pretty standard but she gave some extras eg motion sensor
for roof and unlimited sensors for all windows. Sometimes its good to
go to those places to hunt for good deals.

--
Sent from my mobile device

Sign

2010-04-06T19:45:00.002+08:00

'My butt is super big and I mean BIG!!!!!'

This note was stuck on my butt without my knowledge. No other than by my most
appreciative son. . . towards my rear end.

By the way, he wears high powered glasses, so, I would discount some of his judgement about the magnitude of my er . . er . . you know where.

--
Sent from my mobile device

Quick Tips at Internet Cafe

2010-04-06T00:03:00.002+08:00

1) You are encouraged to rent an Oxigen tank if need to surf more
than 5 mins

2) Unlimited opportunity to grasp all types of
'flowery' language, especially in Chinese

3) One no longer has to wonder why our young people does not enjoy reading

4) Spending RM2 per hour is still much cheaper than buying a computer,
paying tmnet RM110 every month and worry your laptop gets stolen.

5) There are grown up adults who sits there for hours playing
games.

6) Avoid loosing your laptop to Robbers as much as possible, especially if your life revolves around it.

7) Do not get overly bothered with the girl at the counter for her lack of courtesy while talking to you. Just remind yourself its not Hilton Hotel reception. After all she was not wearing an Oxigen tank. Maybe all the cigarette smoke clouded her personality.

8) Be thankful for mobile internet because that will give you as much pause as possible from having renewed experience of the above points of numbers 1 to 7.

--
Sent from my mobile device

Renovation Update: Wiring

2010-04-03T21:03:00.001+08:00

Wiring started today. He is hubby's contractor from work. The
locations for plug points, internet, lights, fan, down lights, wall
lights, water heater and air cond points has been told to him. This
should take 3 days. Hopefully it will be completed by next week
Tuesday.

--
Sent from my mobile device

Blessed Good Friday

2010-04-02T09:28:00.001+08:00

Blessed Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday to all. Due to so much
of hussle and bussle I have not taken much time to meditate.
Sometimes my weary mind and tired body wonders when are things going
to settle down. . . Anyway. Have a good weekend.

--
Sent from my mobile device

Mobile blogging

2010-03-30T00:03:00.001+08:00

I am getting a hang of using my mobile to do email, facebook and
blogging. Its not as good as my laptop but for the moment it has to
do. Its too bad that i am not able to post the update of my house.
But i hope to be able to do it when I get the chance.

--
Sent from my mobile device

Black Friday, 26 March 2010

2010-03-28T19:01:00.009+08:00

On Friday at about 11pm, we came home from Cell Group and discovered that the whole house was in a mess. The back gate and door was pried open.

Clothes and books were strewn everywhere.

Cupboards and drawers were opened.

Shock and disbelief that our place of solace was intruded.

What a violation of privacy.

What a betray of trust towards humanity.

A realisation of what greed does.... from one Greedy to Another.

Anger? Yes.

Fear? Yes.

Frustration? Yes.

The children was upset. They have every right to be. So was I.... to discover the laptops, Hubby's expensive camera and foreign currencies were taken.

It was Black Friday because we have not really got over Pastor Mark's passing (the funeral was in the morning) and then this. This is emotionally draining....

Thank God, we are safe but I want to leave this house now!!!!

P.S. I am blogging from an internet cafe.

Laptop less

2010-03-27T20:21:00.002+08:00

Its a long story . . . But the short version is . . . Yesterday, the
robbers came and went away with my laptop. I am blogging from my
mobile. Testing how this will turn out. Here goes!

Till We Meet Again

2010-03-23T23:23:00.001+08:00

I just heard the news that the friend whom I visited on Sunday had passed away.

Pastor Mark is home.

He is at a better place as of 9.30pm tonight. Left this journey on earth to start a new chapter in eternity with his Maker.

They say that place is a magnificent place. The "in" place to go after our expiration date on earth.

Rose (wife) & Pastor Mark

I am trying to imagine Pastor Mark having the time of his "new" life without the confine of a sick, aching and aging body. I am happy. But I am sad.

Such contradicting emotions.

Pastor Mark (in the middle) and all of us

When we were in the hospital on Sunday, Ethaniel said a beautiful prayer for Pastor Mark. He laid his small little hand on his frail hand. It was all about asking God to make him stronger, able to leave the hospital, feeling better and never sick again...

Was this an answer to his prayer?

By the way, Pastor Mark, I never really had a chance to Thank You for being a patient, kind and loving Shepherd. You alternated your role as a Pastor, counsellor, Shepherd and Boss. Your care and concern towards my family and I, has made an impact and helped in ways I am not able to articulate. Indeed, you have been a blessing.

P.S. Since you will not be able to visit me in my new house, I will visit you instead... In due time.... Till we meet again...

My New Neighbor

2010-03-22T13:31:00.000+08:00

Guess who came by to say, "Hi" today.... I wonder if he left the whole clan behind and how many more of them who might pay me a visit...

Please... Let it be

2010-03-21T22:25:00.012+08:00

I was at the hospital today afternoon visiting someone. He is in a critical condition due to the late stages of cancer of the intestines.

I was quite overwhelmed with emotions.

The last time I saw him, a few months ago, he looked well and chirpy. But today. He was weak and unable to speak clearly.

I was overcome with sadness. Split between the feeling of wanting to cry and being brave. For his sake and the others around me.

When we arrived, there was already a crowd. Eventhough he was not very aware of his surroundings, I greeted him and he nodded. He knows me. I was happy, eventhough it was an awkward moment with more than 10 other people standing quietly and solemnly inside the hospital room and beside his bed.

The last time we spoke, he asked about my house and me. So, I really wanted to continue that conversation. I wanted to let him know that I have already received my house keys, I am a proud owner of the house, he and and his wife went over to pray for... I have also started renovation of the place and I wanted to show him the pictures of the progress.... I also wanted to invite him over to the house after we moved in....

And I did.

I told him about the house, how Joel & Ethaniel are doing in school and that I wanted him to visit us when he gets better.

"If God is willing", he said softly.

So, God... Are you?

Please... Let it be.

Day 3 & 4: Clearing debris & foundational works

2010-03-20T13:45:00.000+08:00

There were heaps of debris as a result of the demolition of walls & removing of old tiles. The contractor has arranged for a lorry. According to him, they get a package of RM300 for 10 trips. While I pay RM270 per 3 tan container from Alam Flora.

Its compulsory regulations by the MPSA (local council) to get from them. So, I ordered one for formality sake. After all, I had to put down a RM1,000 advance payment for those bins. Whatever bins I rent, they will minus from the RM1,000 and the rest can be taken back later.

Tractor clearing the debris onto a lorry

The Tractor did a good job of digging a long trench for the foundation of the fence and the back of the house. I specifically told the Contractor that I wanted to have a proper foundation and didn't want the house to crack in a matter of years. Yes, its cheaper just to have a wall up without proper foundations but I think, in the long run, its more expensive to have a house destroyed together with all the furniture inside. After all, there are earthquake tremors reaching Malaysia too.

Bakau wood for soft foundations/soil

The Bakau wood is used to strengthen soft foundations and apparently the wetter the soil, the stronger it gets. So, these woods were used to keep my house afloat for a long long time.

Metals were also used for the beams structure

I am clueless when it comes to construction, so, the experience of seeing what they do its really educational for me. But I am not going to be in a hurry to go through another shop-buy-renovate-move house experience in the next 20 years or so.

Master bedroom toilet tiles practically done. They broke the toilet bowl cover :-(

Ethaniel & Joel having fun burning dried leaves

They get such 'kick' out of that... Hmm... I remembered when I was young, I used to love burning dried sticks and leaves too. What happened? I no longer enjoy it. Maybe its because I start fires everyday while cooking lunch/dinner. I guess, when you do something that often, it takes the joy out of the activity.

Ethaniel is lovessss playing that and can spend hours sitting around a camp fire.
Marshmallows, anyone?

Write Upside Down

2010-03-19T13:27:00.000+08:00

I know this is quite meaningless but thought that it might be fun...

¿noʎ uɐɔ ˙uʍop ǝpısdn ǝdʎʇ uɐɔ ı

http://www.typeupsidedown.com/

Try it if you are bored or curious.

Day 1 & 2: Demolition & Hacking

2010-03-18T13:53:00.000+08:00

Renovation work on Day 1 & 2 was basically hacking down walls and removing old tiles.

It started with a hole....

Existing kitchen area being demolished

Not too long later... All is down. The utility room & toilet - disappeared

Cleaning up debris and continuing with removing tiles. Indonesian
workers, hard at work

Debris scooped up and left outside for the lorry to pick up

Tiles in the toilet upstairs being removed

It Was Like A Bad Dream

2010-03-15T22:00:00.008+08:00

Have you ever had a weird, bad dream...? Like dreaming you wore your pajamas in public, had huge large feet or often walk in slow motion...especially when some monsters are trying to catch you. Ever had those?

Yes?

Me too.

Unfortunately what happened to me today was no dream.

Let me explain...

I often put a natural fruit mask on my face whenever I am at home. Most of the time its tomatoes or cucumber. They are easy and often found in my fridge. It's just a thin layer - often not obvious except for a few seeds that dries up and patches up on some part of my face.

This morning I was probably in so much of a hurry and too many things on my mind.... that.... I actually went out with a tomato mask on my face. Only discovered it after I went to the restaurant to pack lunch and McDonalds drive in. While waiting at the McDonald's drive-in, I looked into the mirror and saw patches of tomato puree on my nose and chin. What is that? Oh no! How could I have forgotten to wash off??!

Eewww... so embarassing!

What to do?

Just laugh at myself and glad I did not bump into anyone I knew.

If you saw me today, just pretend you didn't. Or rather it wasn't me. I need my self-esteem intact.

Contractor

2010-03-14T12:10:00.007+08:00

After months of talking about renovation, the moment-of-truth has arrived.

Renovation works started yesterday, 14 March 2010, Sat *pinch myself*.... Long awaited, overdue moment.

It was a long tedious process of hunting around for a Contractor. After so many scary stories of Contractors doing shoddy work, incompetent, running away in the middle of a project, over-charging, gamblers, mafia leaders/members and etc. You won't blame me for having some kind of hesitation and apprehension... would you?

Eventhough I would like to get a Contractor with recommendations, I was careful about taking on someone I know from Church or a personal friend. After all, I prefer to keep them as friends. So, let's separate the two.... business and friends.

I found Ah Pang from the internet link forwarded by Hubby. This guy who was going through renovation was doing extensive work on his house and posted his experience in his blog. So, I took down Ah Pang's number and called him up.

Ah Pang has a typical humble Contractor look. Drove a worn out Proton (probably unwashed for some months), tattered jeans, sun-scorched skin, uncombed hair, measuring tape in one hand and calculator in the other. He was well-versed in Mandarin but stammered in Cantonese. So, I had to endure his broken Cantonese for I could understand 100% of it and 30% of his Mandarin. So, he graciously accommodated and spits his best Cantonese in our discussions.

A day before I confirmed him, I was about to put a downpayment on another Contractor M. Well, before I was to pay up, I prayed... "God, if this is not the right contractor to do the job, make some kind of foil-up". A few days later, I received a call from Contractor M asking for an increase of RM10K to the existing quotation. That was my sign.

I guess it was also not by accident that Ah Pang called me up around the same time, the same day. I had not spoken to him for almost 1 month, after his initial quotation.

Anyways.

To cut the long story short (if its not already long enough), Ah Pang re-quoted based on new requirements and work started the next day! Talking about short!

As of yesterday, the back area of the house has been demolished to make way for our new design. It looks like an earthquake has strike. Looked interesting. For the next 3 days, its going to be "demolition phase".

Below are the layout plans...

(click to enlarge)
This is original layout of the house but the land on the side is not visible on this drawing

(click to enlarge)
This is the new layout with the side land drawn

With the help of this website at Homelement I was able to design it online.

Our Home

2010-03-10T22:20:00.006+08:00

As of yesterday, Tuesday 9 March 2010 - we have received the keys to our new home.

*dancing around the house*

My family and I are now proud owners of our house.

Our home ......

Our very own nest.

A place we can go to unwind.

A place of solace.

To come away from the stress of traffic jams and work stress.

A place to wash our tired bodies and fill our hungry stomachs.

A place to churn out all kinds of culinaries and maggi mees.

Where laughters will be created and tears to be wiped.

Childhood joys to be imprinted on the little hearts.

Where toils will be worth the while.

Where future generations can look to the past.

And they sit on the seat of their forefathers.

This I long to dream.

For you my Sons and the Sons of your Sons.

This is home.

If You Give A Mom A Muffin

2010-03-06T18:42:00.000+08:00

If you give a mom a muffin, She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it..
She'll pour herself some.
Her three-year-old will spill the coffee.
She'll wipe it up.
Wiping the floor, she'll find dirty socks.
She'll remember she has to do laundry.
When she puts the laundry in the washer,

She'll trip over boots and bump into the freezer.
Bumping into the freezer will remind her she has to plan for supper.
She will get out a pound of hamburger.
She'll look for her cookbook ("101 Things To Do With a Pound of Hamburger").
The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.
She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow.
She will look for her checkbook.
The check book is in her purse that is being dumped out by her two-year-old.

She'll smell something funny.
She'll change the two year old's diaper.
While she is changing the diaper, the phone will ring.
Her five-year-old will answer and hang up.
She'll remember she wants to phone a friend for coffee.
Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup.
And chances are...

If she has a cup of coffee, her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

- Original Author Unknown

"I'm glad that I'm not a woman"

2010-03-02T18:13:00.000+08:00

"I'm glad that I'm not a woman", exclaimed Joel.

Hmm.....

Should I feel happy or insulted?

Happy - because he is so confident of his manhood. There are untold numbers of young men in Thailand who aspires to be a female. You can see teenage boys wearing make-up. Its an awful sight. Trust me.

Insulted - because he doesn't want to be like Mummy. Haha. I should be so glad!

"Why are you glad you're not a woman?" I asked.

"Because I don't have to give birth to babies. So painful", explained Joel.

"Yeah. You are so fortunate. I am glad for you too," I agreed.

As much as I have accepted my womanhood, I do agree to a certain level that being a male has many advantages.

In the Asian culture, eventhough most women work, yet, they are expected to juggle their family lives simultaneously. Not only there are children to be taken care but housekeeping, cooking, marketing and the general well-being of the family is usually undertaken by the women.

In some countries, the women are really oppressed. Its really sad.

Are my Sons really fortunate born male?

Changes

2010-02-28T12:14:00.001+08:00

Today marks my last working day at my part-time job.

A sense of relieve.

But the next few months is going to see me busy buzzing around due to my house renovation, packing, moving and unpacking.

Such a hassle, honestly.

But I am so happy to be leaving this rented property to my own humble home. A small little house, I am looking forward to call home. Infact, everyone at home is looking forward to it. It was especially compounded when I caught another rat which sized like a little cat.

The next few months is going to see me through numerous changes.

Career change.

Face-lift for new house.

Moving house.

Enjoying a new house.

Maybe new job.

I should stop making too many changes within such a short period of time. Why should I get all the excitement, right?

Wow!

2010-02-24T23:43:00.001+08:00

We have been going for BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) for the last 10 months.

I usually do the homework with Ethaniel and we are currently studying the Book of John.

We read John 1:12-13

¹²Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— ¹³children born not of natural descent,^c]">[c] nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

Ethaniel broke into, "Wow! Wow! Wow! Born of God! Wow! Wow! I am born of God!"

I was a little puzzled at his excitement till I read the verses again.... Well, isn't it amazing? I missed it. I missed the point while this 8+ years old boy understood it completely.

Me, of little understanding that He had to impress a little 8+ years old to remind me.

I am born of God.

That is a miracle.

Indeed it is.

Cheezy Then & Now

2010-02-20T19:47:00.001+08:00

Cheezy at 3 weeks old. Sad to say that I missed the opportunity to
cuddle her at this age. I was away when the children visited her
for the 1st time. So cuteeeeee....

Joel cuddling Cheezy

Ethaniel cuddling Cheezy

Cheezy is now 4 months old. She looks matured and no more "puppy fats"

Happy Chinese New Year!

2010-02-14T09:22:00.000+08:00

Happy Chinese New Year to all my

Family & Friends.

Blessings in Abundance

for the year of Tiger!

Its The Season Again

2010-02-12T22:29:00.000+08:00

Chinese New Year is around the corner. I had to remind myself, what I did last year....

Nothing.

We were in Bangkok, Thailand. The Thais do not celebrate Chinese New Year in a grand way. There are some deco in China Town but other than that, majority of the Thais celebrate festival like Songkran and etc.

Anyway, last year, we were preparing to return home to Malaysia in February. So, it would not have been possible to return to Malaysia in late January, just for Chinese New Year.

I had to look into my blog archives to re-collect. A plus point for owning a blog and updating it.

How time flies.

The children is eagerly waiting for Chinese New Year to collect Ang Pows (red packets) filled with money.

The joys of childhood.

Dogs Are Hardwork

2010-02-09T13:09:00.002+08:00

Ethaniel in a dilemma, holding a plastic bag...
To scoop or not to scoop... That is the question

Nobody has to tell me that dogs are hardwork, I used to take care of mine all throughout my teenage life. But obviously, the Boys are finding it out now.

Its not unusual to hear the following in our household these days...

"I picked up 7 piles of poops yesterday. Its now your turn to scoop it up!" (Blue)

"So?" (Red)

"So, its your turn to pick up the poops!"(Blue)

"But... I will vomit. Its so smelly" (Red)

"I don't care! Its your turn to scoop it up!" (Blue)

And it goes on and on and the poop is there, unscooped.

Cheezy's poo

Do you think I should open up a stall to sell dog manure. Anyone wants 1kg of poop?

You wanna guess who's conversations are those in red and blue?

Worth a million dollars

2010-02-05T23:05:00.002+08:00

Now that Joel is going to school, he has friends of his age. Teenagers. That word might reek fear in some parents.

While Joel is in his teenage-hood, Ethaniel is emerging from his toddler-hood and barely in his boyhood (eventhough he will always be my baby), I didn't realise the adjustment both of them is going through. Previously, both of this boys were in the same world. But now, the environment seems to threaten it. Not necessary bad. Just different.

This happened in the car the other day.....

"Ethaniel, can you please behave normally infront of my friends? Don't make your shoulder funny or talk too much (as if that is possible)" complained Joel.

"I am not!!!" denied Ethaniel.

"My friend said that you talk too much and said that you complained about something" continued Joel like a dog not letting go of its bone.

"I do not!" said Ethaniel, his face now flushed. If it goes any longer, he might even start to tear.

They have been going to and fro and I knew that its a job for Mummy to butt in. We are obviously going nowhere with this....

I told Ethaniel to tone down when Joel's friends are around. Obviously some of his behaviours are causing embarrassment to him, this teenager. I also told Joel that he needed to understand that Ethaniel likes to talk. Its going to be impossible for him to be quiet. After all, I am his Mummy, I know that is impossible, unless he is asleep or his mouth is stuffed with food.

I had to ask Joel.

"Why didn't you stand up for your brother?" I felt annoyed.

"I did. I told them not to complain about my brother. And they don't. Not anymore" exclaimed Joel.

At that instant, I felt like jumping on him and giving him a hundred kisses. But of course, I couldn't, I was driving. So, I pat him on the head and ruffled his hair.

"I am proud of you for standing up for your brother", I said, beaming.

You should have seen the contented smile on my face and the warmth in my heart.

Worth a million dollars....

All the memories of their rolling on the bed, hitting each other, roughing it out, arguing loudly in the car, annoying their Mummy with this constant boy-play was momentarily erased... Bliss for a few seconds...

Cheezy

2010-01-30T21:22:00.002+08:00

Peanut!

Cookie!

Papaya!

Butterscotch!

Peanut butter!

Cheese!

Before you run away with the idea that I was preparing my grocery list, I was not. The children were figuring out a name to call our new dog a.k.a new addition to the family. At last, there is an additional female in the house!!!

Let me present to you..... "Cheezy" our new Golden Retriever!!!!!! She is loving, adorable, friendly, cuddly and absolutely lovable! Its not a surprise that the children fell in love with her when they went to make their 'pick' her parent's home while she was just a few weeks old. I was away in Melbourne, Australia, at that time.

Having a dog is like having another baby around. Its loads of work. I resisted to the idea of having a dog but relented with the condition that the dog is wholly the children's responsibility namely, NOT ME.

I used to have my own dog of "no-breed-just-a-puppy-dumped-by-someone". She was a real smarty pantz for a "no-breed-just-a-puppy-dumped-by-someone" type of dog. Never pee-ed or poo-ed in the house. She ate exactly what we ate, except for the vegetables. Rice and meat, she walloped without any complains. No registerd collar. No vaccinations. No visits to the vet. Not neuter.... err.. that was a mistake. Anyways.

I was only a young inexperienced teenage girl. How time has passed.

Now, the cycle has come a full round. Its now my children's turn to pour unconditional love. My, my, what a journey its going to be ..... *shivers down my spine*

Cheezy, our new Golden Retriever puppy
who has been with us since 25 Jan 2010