YuinTing's Igloo

Specially dedicated to my Valentine

2012-02-13T02:36:00.000-08:00

My hubby and I watched "You're the apple of my eye" (那些年，我們一起追的女孩）and both of us enjoyed the movie very much. It brings back sweet memories and we couldn't stop talking about it.

9999 Forever My Valentine

On this very special day, I would like to dedicate this piano piece (the movie theme song) to my beloved hubby. I want to thank him for being such a supportive partner, wonderful friend and loving husband. Being married to him is the best thing that ever happened to me.

親愛的老公，你在戲院散場前所說的那句 “追到妳，所以我沒有遺憾” 讓我聽了好感動。在此特為你獻上“那些年”鋼琴曲，希望你會喜歡。對了，我也想告訴你：“嫁對人，所以我也沒有遺憾”。

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. - Lao Tzu

I would also like to take this opportunity to wish all my loved ones and friends a Happy Valentine's Day!

More than just a backyard...

2012-02-08T20:39:00.000-08:00

During December last year, my hubby and I decided to renovate our backyard in order to create a small room.

My backyard before renovation...

The bamboo trees had grown out of shape. We chopped off a big portion of it before the renovation started.

Added wooden strip on the transparent roof to block sunlight. Also, we opted for glass door instead of a brick wall to retain the outdoor feel.

The frameless glass door that brings the outdoor in.

The water feature and Buddha statue were already there for a few years.

The leaves grow fast and nowadays my maid trims the plant frequently.

Ceramic holders from Ikea. I finally have a mini art studio!

Drop leaf tables from Ikea.

2 more tables on the other wall. It's a space saving idea!

Translucent roller blind with anti-UV coating

The wooden hippo I bought from an African market in Paris many years ago.

2 tinted glass doors that separate the dining room from the new room.

Added 3 new spot light

Everyone is enjoying this new space at home!

My "Ang Mo" friend who loves Mandarin!

2012-02-01T20:53:00.000-08:00

Last December, My hubby and I met up with a German friend who used to be our client when she worked in Malaysia a few years ago. She is a very adventurous person who loves photography (including marine photography), traveling (she has been to many exotic places including Ethiopia) and scuba diving (even not long after her knee cap surgery). I always respect her as she has unusual strength in facing life challenges and lives life to the fullest.

This round, we found out she has a new hobby...which is quite unusual too.

She is learning Chinese Language!!!

She brings her handy yellow word cards anywhere she goes.

She showed us a very interesting program to learn Mandarin.

Unbelievable!!! She is a very good and serious student!

So kids, PLEASE DO NOT COMPLAIN ANYMORE THAT CHINESE LANGUAGE IS HARD TO LEARN!!! By learning the language, we'll have a better understanding of our values and culture!

國際名語言學家鄭良偉教授曾講過：「語言是，溝通的工具、思維的結構，認知的基礎、認同的符號，身份的表態、文化的展現、能力的鑑定、競爭的武器。」

Colour Blind

2012-01-30T15:43:00.001-08:00

One of the best things that happened to me during this Chinese New Year was to receive sms greetings from a few of my Malay friends and an Indian neighbor. In fact, this year I received the most sms from friends of other races as compared to the past...and some I even forgot to send them greetings during their new year!

I always encourage my kids to make friends with other races and to respect others cultures. For example, during Puasa month, I told them not to eat in front of their Muslim friends.

I feel that it is every parent's responsibility to teach our kids about racial harmony and to respect others customs even though kids can be "color blind".

*********************************************************

The late Yasmin Ahmad' did a few non-commercial advertisement that talked about children being "color blind".

In the "Tan Hong Ming in love" ad:

The interviewer asked a Chinese boy: “Who do you like the most?”

Tan replied: “Umi, Umi Qazrina.”

“Why do you like her?”

“She wears earrings, she ties a ponytail, she is pretty.”

“Does she know you like her?”

“No, I keep it a secret.”

“Why?”

“She doesn’t like me,” he said after some hesitation.

Then, the interviewer asked Umi Qazrina, a lovely Malay girl: “Who is your best friend?”

“Tan Hong Ming.”

“Do you like him?”

Umi did not answer...

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

She nodded shyly.

“Who is your boyfriend?”

“Tan Hong Ming.”

Upon hearing that, Tan Hong Ming's mouth was wide open. He then held Umi’s hand with an innocent smile on his face and both of them walked away from the camera.

The footage ended with a statement: Our children are colour blind. Shouldn’t we keep them that way?”

In another ad:

An interviewer asked a young Malay boy:” Who is your best friend?”

He pointed at a Chinese boy next to him.

“What is his race?”

“What is race? Race, that means race car?”

*********************************************************

I love the above commercials and do agree that Children are color blind and we should keep them that way.

However, when I read about an insensitive & ignorant politician who held a Chinese New Year celebration for the senior citizens but can't differentiate between a RED festive angpao (joyous occasion) and a taboo WHITE envelope (funeral), I am not sure whether is he suffering from another type of color blindness??

What I'm sure is that we should chase him away! (including those who knew the custom but failed to advise him!)

HAPPY NEW YEAR 新年快樂！

2012-01-26T20:59:00.001-08:00

Time flies...

This year, our family intentionally took some photos that mirrored the family photo last year.

Looking at the photos, I realized the kids have grown taller... and of course the adults are one year older too.

CNY2011

CNY2012

Time makes us older... and closer to each other.

Time moves in one direction, memory in another.
William Gibson

“Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.”

Henry Van Dyke

Wishing all my friends and loved ones a HAPPY DRAGON YEAR!

Getting ready...

2012-01-20T02:46:00.001-08:00

Can't wait to welcome the lunar new year...

Water Hose Fun

2012-01-16T01:38:00.001-08:00

Hmm...what can we do with this water hose? Help water grandpa's plants?

Hey, it seems to be quite powerful.

Never thought that I can "water the flowers" this way!

It's so fun to play with!

Who's using an umbrella to avoid getting wet?

No one cares about grandpa's water bill?

WoW! Is that a new water sport?!

My kids and their cousins had a great time during the recent school holidays at my parents' house. Guess this coming chinese new year, they'll bring back their swimming costumes and let the fun continue. Do tell grandpa Water means Luck & $$!

Gender, pain & strength

2011-12-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

My son and daughter started wearing braces recently. The dentist gave them some painkillers right after the braces were fixed on. My boy complained about the unbearable pain and said he wished to rip the metal braces off with his bare hands. He ended up taking 3 days of painkillers. As for my girl, even though she also complained about some discomfort, she didn't take any painkillers at all. Guess girls have a higher pain threshold.

............................................................

I went to my client's warehouse to collect big box samples and was surprised to meet 3 transvestites workers. As they didn't 'appear' at the same time, I was being surprised thrice! My client praised them for being good workers. I respect her for giving everyone a fair chance and recruits based on ability. I think she has made the right move because I noticed all these 'girls' are tall and have better strength compared to ordinary girls. Yet they are as careful and detailed as girls. They've got the best of both worlds!

Fashion designer & SUPERcooperativeMODEL

2011-11-18T07:33:00.001-08:00

Photo taken in 2007. The "fashion designer" with her "Supermodel".

It is wonderful to have sisters. It is even more wonderful if the sisters share the same passion for fashion.

A few weeks ago I brought my girls to Kamdar and they requested for some plain colored fabrics. We ended up spending about RM20 on fabrics that only cost RM2-RM3 each (some were merely half a meter wide) .

One day when I got home, they eagerly showed me their creations that were still stored inside a digital camera. My 12 year old daughter had acted as the Fashion Designer, Art Director cum Photographer while her younger sister posed as the SupercooperativeModel.

I am very impressed with their creations below.

Great pose.

Beautiful dress inspired by Greek fashion.

A brilliant way to use the hair clip

Transforming a pink fabric into a sweet and lovely dress.

It somehow reminds me of "The Secret Life of Nora" my daughter & I watched recently.

My girls must have been inspired by those poster girls on the wall.

The elegant blue satin dress...

Wow...where did they learn this sexy pose from?

I like that pair of cool "pants"!

The tiara adds a perfect touch to this elegant dress.

The "art director" even took the trouble to create a black background.

The big earring enhances the glamour of this gown.

Transforming 4 pieces of fabric into a colourful casual wear.

Turning the dark blue belt into a tie...How creative!

Combining a plain green fabric with a floral one that I gave them quite some time ago.

It has a strong tropical feel.

Shopaholic in making?

Black fabric was wrapped around a white singlet. It is simple and elegant!

Well done, daughters. You may grow up as the next Coco Chanel!

3xRM100 but still unhappy

2011-11-16T22:39:00.000-08:00

I met a rich neighbour at my kids' school. I told her I came to collect the RM100.

She asked, 'Am I entitled to it?'

She's a nice lady. Can't blame her for asking because she'd just bought a RM30K ring recently.

I told her, 'It's OUR money and everyone is entitled to it. Heard even kids holding blue ID but with parents holding red ID also get the money.' Hmmph...

I somehow didn't feel happy when receiving the money from the overworked teachers. That's not because I don't like money, but I'm just too worried about the future of this country.

I'm sure you know what I mean.

How I despise those hit & run drivers!

2011-11-10T02:14:00.000-08:00

A few days before Deepavali, I was back in my hometown.

I saw an Indian lady and 2 teenagers passing by my parents' house. My hubby and I noticed that lady was pushing a damaged bike. We approached them and got to know that a car knocked her off the bike and sped off. She had no choice but to push her bike home before walking to work in a chinese restaurant. He daughter and son were accompanying her.

We offered to help. She accepted and we sent her bike for repair before driving her to work. On the way to her workplace, I asked about her family background. She told me she has 4 children but her husband is irresponsible and barely gives her money. Fortunately all her 4 kids are well behaved and they do well in their studies. Her teenage daughter works part time in that restaurant too. I encouraged that girl to study hard in order to have a better future. She looked at me and nodded her head.

I later passed some money to that lady and told her to buy something for her children. She and her children deserved a good Deepavali - the festival of light. May they continue to be strong and their souls be full of light and hope.

Happy Halloween 2011!

2011-11-03T02:24:00.000-07:00

That beautiful egytian queen is my sis-in-law. Besides sewing her own costume, she also made the costumes for the cat woman and nun. How creative!

Our special guests this year included a cool pirate and a cute little egyptian princess with her pretty mommy who donned a black skeleton outfit.

Kakak's head is on the platter!

"Is it real?"

The cute little witch is checking on the spider web.

Boys are boys.

My son and his buddies. Can you recognize those computer game characters?

I could hear the trick or treaters howling while they were walking towards my house.

The "Freddy Krueger" who didn't bring nightmare but sweet dreams to kids. Even though he and I co-organized this event, he was the one who was able to control those overly excited kids. I really have to thank him for preparing fun games for the kids too.

Getting candies from houses with pumpkins pasted on the gates.

The group was getting larger this year, next year may need to break it into a few smaller groups.

The"Freddie Kruger" had already transformed into another scary character when the trick or treaters arrived at his doorstep.

He wanted mommies to turn their kids into mummies!

Lots of candies were hidden inside that big orange color pinata made by his wife.

Another pinata awaiting trick or treater. More houses were decorated with halloween theme this year.

Heroes and villains enjoyed taking turns hitting the pinata.

A neighbour sponsored some glow sticks that surely added more fun to that wonderful night.

A beautiful witch was handing out goody bags to the kids while "entertaining" them with spooky sound effect that would send a chill down your spine...

Every halloween, I will take some photos with my 2 beautiful & wonderful sis-in-laws. Together we had started the first ever halloween in my neighborhood 4 years ago. We've created many sweet memories together.

Even my kakak has enjoyed 4 years of halloween fun (leopard woman - 2008, pontianak - 2009, mysterious squid woman - 2010 and this year... HER HEAD IS ON THE PLATTER!!!!)

Halloween (ready for a transformation)

2011-11-02T01:12:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for trick or treating...

2011-10-31T03:24:00.000-07:00

Family photo (Halloween 2009)

My haunted house...

The halloween food...

I baked the cake and let my daughter write on it.

The finger cookies I baked a few days ago.

My very creative sister-in-law prepared all the interesting food above.

There's one particular dish that nobody dared to try... and somebody's head would be on the platter ...

Back to the 60s...I'm a hippie!

2011-10-30T00:45:00.000-07:00

This year, I recycled a red pirate vest I wore in Halloween 2010 and transformed it into a brown hippie vest. I used Dylon Persian Blue color dye and it somehow turned the red vest brown... and that's the color I wanted! Besides, I trimmed it into a fringed vest.

As for the bell bottom, I tried Kamdar but couldn't get the fabric print I wanted. One day I suddenly remembered I had a torn floral skirt that I'd not been wearing for ages. Viola! I took it out and cut it into 2 pieces (front & back)

My tailor sew them into 2 smaller pieces. She charged me RM8. I wish I could sew :-P

With the elastic band, it's easy to wear. (I borrowed the tie dyed t-shirt from my sis-in-law)

Hip...Hip Hippie...Hooray!!

I should have decorated my guitar with some floral print but I was just too busy to do so.

My sis-in-law gave me a batik fabric for my hippie headband.

Glad I found a peace symbol pendant too. Hippie loves peace :-)

Who wants to take a bite of these fingers?

2011-10-25T16:04:00.000-07:00

If not because of my 2 beloved daughters, I think I would have never tried my hands at baking.

My elder daughter especially loves baking, so I decided to give it a try. Ever since I learned to bake a chocolate cake successfully (I never baked before), I thought of trying out cookies recipes too (but I had no confidence at all).

Last night marked a "historical moment" for me... the first time baking cookies...

Ready to paint the nails in blood red colour...

For a novice like me, it's more like a science experiment. Before that, I didn't even know what was "confectionary sugar" or "vanilla extract" . I called & consulted my sis-in-law who gave me the recipe before started on this first ever cookie baking experiment.

I was using Martha Stewart's recipe. I kept some egg white as "glue".

The bad news was... my dough refused to firm up even after I chilled it for more than 30 minutes!

"Mam... saya sudah cakap tak payah ikut resipi punya, kita di kampung guna tangan ukur. Itu tepung pun tak cukup mana boleh..." ( "Madam... I already told you it's impossible, back in my village we used hands to control portion size. You don't have enough flour, how can?")

My maid was commenting after seeing my failed attempt...but I insisted to follow the measurement given.

Even so, I later found out it was really impossible to shape the dough. My daughter and I therefore decided to add some flour... and later more and more flour... We were no longer following the measurement given... but our own judgement...

Using egg white to glue the red almond into the finger cookies.

Fingers in different sizes and shapes .... and different portion of flour too.

Ready to bake.

I was so eager to see the result of this experiment. After 12 minutes as instructed, we found it still not hard enough (need to be a bit brownish) and hence baked for a few more minutes (Guess the fingers I made were too big). My daughter refrained me from opening the oven door to check as she said "A watched kettle never boils"

And the result was...

Some fat fingers that don't look real

My daughter's had 6 fingers!!! But very soon one went down her stomach.

Some smaller fingers looked better & ready for a photography session with the spiders.

Now you can smell halloween in the air!

Picture taken by my son.

We scare because we care!

Fixing me & my hubby's "production defects"

2011-10-13T04:04:00.000-07:00

I've been delaying my 2 elder kids' request on dental braces for quite some time. Last week, I finally decided to take them to a dentist to fix the so-called "me & my hubby's production defects".

After having the x-ray & mould done, I had a discussion with the dentist on the treatment plans.

The dentist also listed down the risks below:

Discomfort after the appliance adjust
Decalcification related to poor oral hygiene
Pulp degeneration in previously traumatized teeth
Root resorption especially on anterior maxilla teeth
Return of the teeth toward initial position
TMJ problem
Variation in estimated time

Being a mother, I'm very concerned about the risks, such as the discomfort and ulcers especially during the initial stage, and tooth decay if my kids fail to brush their teeth properly etc. Hence, I had a long discussion with the dentist on that matter. After I'm done, I turned to my son and asked whether he had anything to add on, just in case I've overlooked on something important that he could foresee.

The only question he had for the dentist was ...

" Can I have coloured braces?"

hmmmp....

Only sissy plays piano!

2011-10-06T08:28:00.000-07:00

My son used to HATE playing piano. It’s especially intense when he was in standard 6 & during the first few months of form 1. He would say, “Most of my friends (boy) have stopped learning piano. Those who’re still learning are forced by their mothers…only sissy plays piano…” Once he even used his epee to poke the piano as if it was a big black monster!

A piano teacher told me a boy came to her piano lesson with a “pouting mouth”. She later found out that poor boy’s classmate was calling him “sissy…sissy…” after knowing he was going to attend piano lesson after school.

My new Yamaha piano to replace the 30 year old Kawai piano.

Even so, I know my son loves music and he’s a fast learner. But due to peer pressure and being a young boy at that time, he’s lazy & impatient to sit still and practice.

Fortunately I didn’t give up on him (I nearly did)& he didn't quit. Since the middle of last year, he started to change & fell in love with this wonderful musical instrument. Today, he’s motivated to play, just like his 2 younger sisters. Apart from the ABRSM lessons, they're very eager to download & play pop songs piano sheets from the internet. In fact, I think my son is the one who has positively influenced his sisters.

He requested a keyboard in his room. It's a good way to relax after doing some school work. Sometimes his friends will come over with electric guitars for their band practice. I told him keyboard is like a mini pool with jacuzzi, but piano is the olympic size swimming pool.

When I was young, I loved playing Richard Clayderman song. Now my kids adore Bruno Mars...

Instead of reading piano scores, sometimes they'll use this non-conventional way.

My son used to play like chasing a bullet train, but now he plays with expression. And best of all, he has finally realized that playing piano is not sissy but cool.

Toilet Paper Roll Halloween Beauties etc...

2011-10-04T08:11:00.001-07:00

My 2 girls had a great time last weekend creating halloween related characters with toilet paper rolls.

TH's toilet paper roll beauties with a 36-36-36 (unit??) figure

TZ was a hawaiian girl last halloween

I rented a Wonder Woman costume for TH on halloween last year.

No one has dressed as the red indian girl...yet.

The sisters' creations.

TZ's creation. She named it "the Recycle Monster".

TH's scary nurse.

TH's peace loving hippie.

I love this pirate! Hey, I dressed up as one last year!

Time flies. These 6 monsters were created 2 years ago. They deserve to be out of the box on halloween season every year.

Hmm... what should I be this year?? Still cracking my head...

Maybe I just dress up as a toilet paper roll...

Well done, son!

2011-09-27T03:25:00.001-07:00

I've never heard of UNSW Global before my son told me he wanted to take part in an assessment offered by Education Assessment Australia (EAA), a wholly owned enterprise of the University of New South Wales.

In view that he's in a public school, I encouraged him to take the assessment in order to compare his standards with students from various types of school.

I am indeed happy with his result. He scored a distinction which stated that his English writing is "better than 96 per cent of Form 2 students in Malaysia". The areas which he didn't do well were highlighted behind the result slip. Oh ya, a certificate is given too!

Since young my son was an avid reader. He has a flair for language & good in Bahasa Malaysia too. Now I wish he can put in more effort in his Chinese subject which I "force" him to continue studying. Son, I'm very sure you can do it if you put in more effort!

Her way to avoid punishment

2011-09-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

According to my 9 yr old daughter, her Chinese subject teacher is extremely strict. He's very particular about getting things right. Those who do not write nicely, or wrongly count the strokes of the Chinese characters will be punished. Initially she was very worried about it.

So far, my little girl was only punished once & that was many months ago. I wonder how she can get away with it because I'm sure it's hard for kids not to make mistakes from time to time.

She told me, "Because I distract him with what I wrote."

Being curious, I checked her exercise book. I was truly very impressed with what I saw & wonder where she got the idea from.

(click to enlarge)

Her note to the teacher:

"Note: I think you said 承is 7 畫 when we're discussing 生字，but 筆順says it's 8畫。It's different! I don't know which is right! If my 生字wrong then I'll get punished, and if my 筆順wrong I will get punished too!"

** "生字" is another exercise book for students to write new words

**"筆順" is the exercise book shown above

WOW! What a brave and clever girl who dares to speak up!

And guess what's her very serious and strict teacher's response...

He gave her an "A", plus a remarks - "I'll find out. Don't worry!". Oh ya, it comes with a cute smiley face too! *wink*

Since than, she will "distract" her teacher with questions such as the followings:

My daughter : "Is it good?"

Her teacher : "not bad" + "A"

My daughter : "Is it OK? Best Writing Critic?"

OMG! "Best Writing Critic"??!! I'm afraid she has got carried away. Her teacher may find her impolite even though she was just trying to be funny.

Her teacher gave her an "A" but without any additional remarks.

I told her not to overdo it. However, I do praise her for having the courage to ask and fight for her right. Luckily she has a strict but understanding teacher :-)

Why is dad the only one who can read the newspaper??!!

2011-09-21T02:50:00.001-07:00

My youngest daughter showed me her essay paper. She wrote 4 paragraphs based on picture sequence and keywords given.

(click to enlarge)

Based on Picture 2 and keywords : 人山人海 crowded/jam-packed with people ，迫不及待 can't wait，換泳衣 change to swimwear，拾貝殼 pick seashell

She wrote : "That place was very crowded. We're very excited. My brother and I couldn't wait to change into our swimwear. We plunged into the water and played happily. My sister picked various type of seashells. My mother was listening to music and reading newspaper under a big tree."

I'm happy that my daughter was creative and added in her own thoughts and sentences, especially about ME listening to music and reading paper.

Unfortunately, the word "Mother" was circled by her male teacher, and he wrote "father?"

Why??!!!!! Don't mothers have the right to read newspaper and listen to music too??!!!

What a discrimination!!!!

********************************************************************

My friend holds a high post in the corporate world but at home he's a dedicated father and husband. He loves to cook for his family on weekends. So, it's not surprising that his daughter wrote "爸爸在煮飯，媽媽在看報紙。” (Daddy is cooking, and mommy is reading the newspaper.) His wife is a corporate lady.

Oh ya, even my friend's mom praised him (in front of me & his wife ) ,"他入得廚房，出得廳堂。" Usually this is used to praise a WOMAN who's very good in running the household and also very presentable & capable.

*******************************************************************

Hello teacher, the world has changed :-)

The not so fun part of childhood...

2011-09-14T02:46:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the last day of UPSR. I know my daughter can't wait for it to end (and so do I).

She loves to draw & read story books but sometimes spends too much time on those activities instead of preparing for this "important" exam. I know at times she's frustrated when I nag her to study.

The following are extracted from her drawing book (with her permission).

The birthday of a great photographer... my dad

2011-09-08T02:24:00.000-07:00

Today is the birthday of my beloved dad. Just skyped and wished him a happy birthday an hour ago.

Looking through my old albums, I couldn't thank dad enough for taking so many photos of me when I was young.

Mom's sister married dad's brother and in total there're 7 kids in the family... we're closed knitted and grew up in a shop house. I was mom and dad's first born, but there're 3 cousins who're older than me. So, I'm no. 4 in the family.

Mom said I was a happy baby. How could I not be happy when I have such a happy childhood?

"bao bao" 抱抱...

A cool baby...

I love this photo... as if I can hear the laughter of 2 happy girls (me & my cousin).

"Ha ha ha... don't be joking...you mean I'm gonna own a public listed company one day?! ha ha ha... you must be joking..."

Another addition to our family when my younger cousin was born. Who'd expect that cry baby would one day have a very good career (and a love for LV bags)?

A photo taken in the shop (dad & uncle owned 2 shops together...selling textile & cloth).

So, we're the "Material Girl"!

That's not a doll! That's my adorable brother!

My 2 brothers

Daddy's girl.

I'm truly blessed to have such a wonderful (& handsome) dad.

Happy Birthday, Dad.

Thanks for those sweet childhood memories.

I love you.

"School Pressure Contest"

2011-08-25T01:59:00.000-07:00

If you have never heard of this contest before, enlarge the image below to find out who' was chosen to enter this "weirdest contest" in the world.

The "lucky contestant" is no other than my self-motivated, goal-oriented youngest daughter TZ!

Oh ya... she's very creative too! (Just see the way she drew up the contest guidelines)

Education, Migration and a Mother's Love

2011-08-09T21:33:00.000-07:00

Many years ago a teacher told my aunty that she wished her daughter would not get a place in the university but go to the teacher’s college instead. Being a teacher, I’m sure she wanted her child to get the best education. Unfortunately she just couldn’t afford the fee. No wonder my mom said: “孩子笨，頭痛；孩子聰明但負擔不起他的教育費，心痛。” If your child is stupid, you got headache. If your child is smart yet you could not afford his/her education, you will have heartache”.

*****************************************************************

We had a farewell gathering for an elderly neighbor recently. She is moving out from her son’s bungalow because his family is migrating to Australia soon. That old aunty will stay put in Malaysia, but her son has decided to rent the bungalow out to someone else. Hence she has no choice but to be “relocated” to a new house in Subang that is close to another child’s house. I’m sure it'll take her a while to adjust to the new life and new place... minus her son & grandchildren by her side. 孩子移民，表面風光？For the aging parents with children migrating, it may look good on the outside only.

*****************************************************************

A friend of mine owns a beautiful bungalow. She’s a very kind and humble lady who’s very active in charity. She told me she purposely foregoes the chance to stay in an even more expensive bungalow inside Tropicana for the sake of her children. She doesn’t want her children to grow up spoilt. Some poor parents have to sacrifice their “Needs” for their children. 再穷不能穷教育 No matter how poor, children should not be deprived of education. Yet some rich parents out there are sacrificing their “Wants” for their children. 再富也要穷孩子No matter how rich, we should limit our children's material wealth but to enrich their soul & spirit.

*****************************************************************

The young T-shirt designers

2011-07-18T04:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday kids were having fun designing their own t-shirts.

I bought this set of Fabric Marker for RM15.90 from the recent Toy R Us sales.

TZ invited her friend Michelle to have fun together.

I gave them the freedom to decide what to draw. Thought they would fill the white t-shirt with flower, star or teddy bear but I was completely wrong.

TZ's design

Michelle's design (She wrote "I Love Me" on the sleeve!)

I wanna add a "LIKE" to this design :-)

TH's design... based on TZ's request for confetti. My artistic daughter creatively modified one of the angry bird characters into a Party Bird!

I simply love the *Click*!

Today is TZ's birthday. I would like to wish this "new age girl" a very happy birthday.

Mommy loves you so much and you'll surely receive uncountable "Like" from mommy.

Being inspired...

2011-07-11T01:52:00.000-07:00

A house without books is like a room without windows. ~Heinrich Mann

My hubby and I love to read, and we're happy our kids are book lovers too. Our house is full of books, some are about the great people whom have made the world a better place.

A courageous woman who fought against unfairness and helped many escape from slavery.

Inspiring stories of 5 bold freedom fighters, including Harriet Tubman.

Book that inspires kids to dream the impossible dreams...

My little girl likes science experiment. I told her girl can be great scientist too.

Sample pages from YKid "Marie Curie". Very interesting manga. I enjoyed reading it too.

A book that emphasizes a lot on Mother Teresa's unwavering passion to serve the poor and sick.

Even though the artwork of this book is not as colourful as Marie Curie, my kids said they don't mind at all because they love the story.

I bought "Marie Curie" during Big Bad Wolf sales and it's only RM8. I fell in love with this series of book and found "Mother Teresa" in Border for RM32.90. I wish to buy the whole series including Leonardo Da Vincci, Mahatma Ghandi & Nelson Mandela. Kinokuniya carries "Nelson Mandela" but it costs more than RM50! Do we really have to pay such a high price for democracy??

I'm currently reading this book...it's hard not to salute this man.

My hero...

Lee Ka Shing - The businessman we respect.

Lee Kwan Yew - I respect him even though I don't agree completely with him.

My brother lent me this book. So far, I've only read "I have a dream". Very inspiring.

Weak overcoming the strong... (children's book)

"In this cumulative, predictable tale of the weak overcoming the strong, the battleground is a tree stump in a forest, and the object in dispute is a golden apple. First discovered by little Wren, the fruit attracts increasingly larger animals, each of whom claims to be "king of the woods." In the end, little Wren proves victorious, and all watch in silence as she eats the worm that's been hiding inside this prized apple." (Editorial Review by Jacqueline Elsner, Athens Regional Library, GA)

The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it. - James Bryce

We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. - Mother Teresa

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. - Mother Teresa
I would also like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to all the unsung heroes who attended the Bersih Rally on 9 July 2011. Even though there's no book (yet) about your contribution, you'll always be remembered for opening a new chapter in the Malaysian history.

My condolence to the family of En Baharuddin Ahmad. May his soul rest in peace.

Tough questions from my kids...

2011-07-07T20:54:00.000-07:00

My kids asked me a myriad of questions, some caught me off guard. Even so, I'll try to give them honest answers, coupled with reasonable explanations plus some scenarios that make them foresee the consequences.

My daughters' questions:

1) Can I go shopping with my friends?

2) My friend invited me to nail spa. Can I go?

3) Is giving birth painful?

4) sex related...

My son's questions:

1) Can I drop Chinese (subject) because it’s pulling my (aggregate) mark down ?

2) Can I go to an international school so that I can study all the subjects in English?

3) Can I join a shooting club?

4) Can I buy an air soft gun?

5) Can I do a Molotov cocktail experiment?

6) Can I have a real tattoo?

7) Is dad your first boyfriend?

8) Can I date?

9) Why is dad driving a Harrier and not a Ferrari?

10) Can you buy me a car if I get a scholarship next time?

I could handle the above questions. However, recently there’re some tough ones that I truly don’t know the best way to answer.

Why police wants to catch those wearing yellow?

What is BERSIH?

Isn’t it our constitutional right to voice our opinion?

I’m truly impressed with my 14 year-old boy when he mentioned “CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT”. Son, you may consider a law degree… and OK...I'll to buy you a car if you get a scholarship*.

*Must be a FULL scholarship from an Ivy League university. Terms and conditions apply.

Kids are the real Transformers!

2011-07-06T20:42:00.000-07:00

TZ's creation when she's 5+.

Last night hubby brought kids for Transformer show and they seemed to enjoy it very much. Times flies, it's been a few years since the first show came to the cinema.

Time to go down the memory lane...

In 2007, my little girl was inspired to transform her magnetic shapes & alphabets into a robot - according to her, that's the TRANSFORMER!

I was attracted by her creation and therefore used Photoshop's Neon Glow effect to transform it (I didn't do anything else to her original creation except just a click of button for the Neon Glow effect). It had created an unexpected result!

It's so fun that I started using other effects available. It seemed to be more menacing after I used the "Solarise" effect.

Transformer in action...the "Wind" effect.

A new "Heavy Metal species" that is fully equipped with armor and weapon. (Emboss effect)

Kids are truly inspiring...

Pa, Dad, Daddy...

2011-06-30T01:08:00.000-07:00

Archery at Sunway Pyramid a week before Father's Day

My son said his father treats his sisters better than him. For example, when his sister drops something, his dad will ask:"What happen? Are you OK?" On the other hand, if he's drops something, he thinks his dad will say: "What happen? Did something wrong again?"

I know my hubby loves all 3 the same. It's just that he's stricter on his son, or to be more precise, the future HIM. He has high expectations and wants his son to set high goals and go all out to achieve them. He doesn't like those who "talk a lot but cannot deliver".

My hubby is a brave and tough guy, and he wants his son to be the same too. I once saw him showing off the scars on his hands and legs to his son. Those are his badges of courage from knife cut, acid drip etc. I don't think he would ever want those ugly scars on his daughters' delicate skin. If my son can see this point, he'll realize that men just treat their sons differently from daughters.

Superimposed photos taken during Halloween '11

I even notice my daughters call my hubby "dad" , or "daddy" (in a "manja" tone )

As for my boy, it's either "dad", or "pa" (instead of daddy).

And I either call him by name, "daddy" or "lao gong" (ahem... when want to manja too)

Well... son, I know you like weapons such as knives and guns. But you'll eventually learn that's girls have their secret weapons too.

Prawn Fishing on Father's Day

2011-06-23T02:46:00.000-07:00

On Father's Day, I declared "TODAY, DAD IS THE BOSS & let him decide how he wants to celebrate. "

Upon hearing my announcement, my daughter said,"Mom, if dad is the boss, you'll be the CONSULTANT," I burst out laughing...am I really that "powerful"??

We had our lunch at a restaurant near our house. My daughter ordered her favorite salmon fish.

My hubby often brings home salmon fish from the market, especially for his beloved daughter.

"I think next time you've to marry a rich man to enjoy all these expensive food," he smiled and said to his daughter.

"NO NO NO. She has to work hard and make a good living herself!!!,"I instantly objected. I always heard him lecturing my son to work hard to enjoy a better life next time, and yet to his daughter....??!!

After a good meal, my hubby suggested to go prawn fishing.

It's a new experience for everyone. 1st hour is RM15, and each additional hour is
RM12.

Even though my hubby loves fishing,
I opted for half an hour first (RM7.50 each) as I'm not sure how patient my kids would be. (well, guess
that's the job of a "consultant")

We're given 4 fishing rods and 4 baits.

My hubby caught his first PRAWN!!! That's
a Father's Day Present for himself.
He patiently taught the kids the necessary technique.

Not long later, my son got his first catch too! Everyone got excited and wanted me to extend to an hour. More prawns were caught by my hubby and son. We then added another half an hour and my elder daughter finally caught one too!

Now only left with my youngest daughter who didn't get any yet, but refused to give up. Her daddy offered to give her a prawn but she rejected. I'm proud of my little girl. I'm sure she knows that only through her own effort, she could have the real sense of achievement.

And so we ended up spending 2 hours on prawn fishing.

We managed to catch 9 prawns (hubby 4, son 4, daughter 1).

And the best part was... kids were rewarded with a delicious MAGIE MEE + PRAWN meal that evening!

In total we paid RM108 for 9 prawns and each prawn costs a whopping RM12!

Even so, like what my wise daughter once said "the memory is priceless"

And there's a lesson for my kids on that beautiful afternoon...

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

So, dear kids, do work hard and you'll be rewarded with a good life.

Dad is still the more popular one!

2011-06-18T01:38:00.000-07:00

my son's drawing in 2007

My little girl insisted I'm the "employer" and his dad is an "employee" even though he & I own and run the same company. Know why? My hubby is always telling the kid that "Mom is the boss."

My following Yahoo blog entry in 2007 explains how I earn this GREAT title in this family:

1) When my kids beg to play computer game at odd hours, their father who does not want to disappoint them (directly) will say to them : "Go ask the boss."

3) When my kids request some expensive new toys, their father who refuses to be the bad guy will say to them: "Go ask the boss".

3) When my kids ask for MacDonald's much too often until their daddy starts to get confused whether or not it is a healthy food will say to them "Go ask the boss".

Usually my duty is pretty simple yet cruel, that's to give them a big NO plus a big Disappointment.

"Aren't you the boss in the office? Can't you make the decision?" They questioned their father.

"Yes. But at home mommy is the Boss of The Boss!"

Am I thrilled with the title? NOT AT ALL!

Hey, it means "The Bad Guy of The Bad Guy"!!!

There's another blog entry in 2007 about my daughter's choice of shoe.

...We went shopping & she picked a pair of pink shoes with heels. I refused to let her buy because I did not want her to hurt her ankle. We ended up buying nothing.

But one fine evening, she and her father came home happily with that pair of SHOES! I was surprised + crossed and gave both of them a piece of my mind. My hubby "thought" I had given the green light and my clever daughter said nothing about it. ("Act blur").

Being the GOOD GUY, my hubby said, "for that pair of shoes, I'll be scolded by your mom for many days."

Being the BAD GUY, I bought my daughter another pair of shoes that I considered as "safe and healthy". However, as a compromise, I let her decide which to wear depending on the occasions.

The above was written 4 years ago. Today I must admit I'm still the bad guy and my popularity score does not seem to improve at all.

Once I warned him that he's going to spoil his daughters and his future son-in-laws will be suffering. Guess what he said... "Well, just let me enjoy my daughters and it's ok to let other men suffer."

Oh yes, he is also the good guy who would quietly bring our son for his favourite "bak kut teh" without letting me know. (I do not want them to have it too often)

My kids are truly blessed to have such a wonderful father.

Even though I'm not as popular, at least I know how to chose a good father for my kids, so they should trust my good judgements and listen to all my orders, right?!

As parent, it's important to do what's right and not what is popular...even though at times it's after much struggling.

I know being a good father is not an easy task too.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to every great father out there!

(Wishing Pakmat, Uncle Lee and mr cityding a happy father's day too)

I still owe my little girl a portrait...

2011-06-16T01:37:00.000-07:00

In Dec 2007, I put up my son and daughter's portraits in my Yahoo blog. My hubby took the photos and I did the paintings (in year 1999 and 2000). At that time, I promised myself that I would do one for my youngest daughter as soon as I could find time.

Unfortunately, until today I've not done any...

Times flies, she's already in primary 3. Today she's complaining again that I've not produced one for her.

I decided to go through old photos and managed to find a few below...

She's my angel. I truly want to give her a beautiful portrait. However, I need to seriously polish my skill before I'm confident enough to put her on canvass.

(Zi, 3 years old) Daddy and Mommy. With a very unique "I love U"

(Zi, 5 years old) She witnessed me and her daddy kissing on one occasion and produced this masterpiece.

I'm sure a great painting begins with a feeling, not an idea :-)

My Kids, My Love

2011-05-27T17:13:00.000-07:00

My mother's day gifts from my 3 wonderful kids...

LOVE from my son...

This year he added a chinese character 爱 .

I know he cares and loves me even though he didn't say "I love you" or hug & kiss me like his two younger sisters...

My elder daughter made me 2 cards. So far my daughters and I only managed to bake a chocolate cake together. I should learn to bake more...

Words from her that warm my heart...

My artistic daughter made another card using a white thread (she added colour to it) to form the heart.

Can't believe how time flies... that little girl who used to doodle on the wall is now the "little artist" of our family :-)

My youngest daughter's creative little card with the shape of a heart.

I enjoy teaching her. She's a fast learner.

In fact, she made special mother's day coupons for me too! I could use the "reading coupon" and "workbook coupon" to make her "study for an hour" or do "20 pages of workbook". She's so adorable!

Besides card, she used LEGO to form a "mom, I Love U."

I love that little full stop. Love in unconditional.

What A Cheapskate!

2011-05-22T18:48:00.000-07:00

I was in an organic shop with my MIL yesterday.

While we were looking through products on the shelf, I saw a smart looking middle aged man talking to a shopkeeper at the cash register counter. He spoke good English, and looked educated and well-to-do. However, I did not listen to his conversation.

I wasn't even aware when he left. When it's my turn to pay, the shopkeeper showed me a box on the counter and told me that man had dropped the box accidentally and the bottle inside was broken (it was captured on CCTV too). Instead of apologizing & offering to compensate, that man accused the quality of that product as "lousy & easily breakable". Isn't it a common sense that glass is breakable and you got to handle it with care??!

That shameless man left the shop without paying a single cent...

I told the shopkeeper that if I were to know that earlier, I would have approached him and ask,"Sir, what if you accidentally drop & break a Swarovski crystal vase or an expensive perfume bottle, are you going to blame it as "lousy product, easily breakable"?

"Actually he's a "Datuk", but this type of "Datukship" you give me I also don't want..." that shopkeeper said.

Well...he's just a Cheapskate.

My first LV purse... many years ago

2011-05-01T06:50:00.000-07:00

About 8 years ago, my beloved hubby bought me 2 LV purses. I used one and kept the other one safely inside my drawer.

During one lunch appointment with my 2 close ex-colleagues, I showed off my "prized possession". I smiled and let the 2 gentlemen guess the price of that monogram LV purse.

Both guys gave me the similar answer – “Must be around 1 to 2 thousands ringgit”.

I giggled and announced to them proudly, “No lah… actually my hubby bought it from the wet market and it’s only RM25. He is so smart you know, he got good deal as he bought 2 at the same time.“

Not realizing that I’ve made the biggest mistake in the whole wide world, I went home happily and told my hubby about it.

“我想妳這一輩子不用買真的LV了，因為妳用真的別人也不相信了。(He said: "I think from now on you don't need to think about buying any genuine LV bags, because nobody will ever believe it's genuine even if it really is.”)

Ouch... that's painful & SCARY... it sounded like a CURSE to me! (maybe it somehow hurt his ego too... fake one... from the wet market... and I was telling 2 men about it!!! BOMB!!!!!)

I must admit I was young and ignorant...

How I miss the mother bird!

2011-04-28T03:34:00.000-07:00

In March last year, there was a pair of love birds building nest in my backyard. Few weeks later, the pendulum nest was abandoned after my hubby unintentionally scared their baby bird from the nest.

To our sweet surprise, a few weeks ago, 2 doves visited our backyard and started building their love nest. This time, we chose to observe from far when the mother bird was nesting, and even tried not to turn on the air con in the dining room as the compressor is close to the nest.

Sad to say, after nesting for a week or 2, the mother bird left her nest and never returned. And I didn't seem to see any baby bird inside that nest. I'm worried for her safety...

Rain or shine, she used to be there in her nest.

Maybe God sent her to remind me to be a more dedicated mother.

Paintings from my heart

2011-04-17T03:45:00.000-07:00

I did a few water colour paintings back in the 90s. The following paintings are specially dedicated to my late father-in-law...

Watercolour, 1996

My father-in-law & my brother-in-law with a middle man who came to collect the durian.

Watercolour, 1998

A family portrait with 2 new family members who're born in 1997 (my son & my niece)

"You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them." - Bishop Desmond Tutu

In loving memory of my father-in-law…

2011-03-27T03:23:00.000-07:00

I was blessed to have a very wonderful Father-in-law. His name is See Ser Kan. He was born in 1936, and left us in 2002 at the age of 66 after succumbed to cancer.

My FIL adored children. If he were alive today, he’ll be enjoying a total of 15 lovely grandchildren in 2 months to come.

I remember how happy he was during the full moon celebration of my newborn son. He drank a lot that night even though he was not a good drinker. I couldn’t blame him. His first grandson made him an immensely proud grandpa... so it was a milestone worth celebrating! I hope my son would carry on his family name and his grandpa’s bloodline with pride, honour & dignity.

Also, he had some musical talents. He sang well & knew how to play Chinese musical instrument “er hu”. He even picked up dancing during his golden years. There was a time my MIL helped in taking care of my elder daughter in the “kampung”. I was told my FIL enjoyed my then 3-year old girl very much, and both of them had spent many wonderful evenings dancing together. I could imagine how proud he would be if he’s still around today to listen to my daughter playing the clarinet, saxophone, and piano.

When I was pregnant with my youngest daughter, my MIL desperately hoped it’s a boy again. I was grateful to my FIL for telling me “boy or girl, as long as the baby is healthy.” I’ll forever remember his kind and comforting words. I wish my little girl would grow up to be a capable and confident young lady. I’m sure that will make her gramps smile in heaven. (he passed away when my baby girl was only 3 months old)

My FIL was a very thrifty man. A relative once teased him for his torn inner garment. Nevertheless, he’s generous to others. He’s a kind-hearted man who donated money to those in need, and lent out money to friends and relatives. He’s very supportive of his children’s education. My hubby remembered him as a doting father who’s generous & ever willing to spend on books and any other items related to education.

He loved to read out loud. He especially loved to read the Bahasa Malaysia newspaper. Even though he did not complete his university degree in Singapore after his father’s demise, he had a strong desire for knowledge. He’s one of the most educated men in his kampung and was frequently invited to give speeches during wedding dinners.

Another proud moment of his arrived when he was invited to the palace to receive the honourable title of PJS. Having contributed to the local community, it was surely a title well deserved.

Oh yes, My FIL loved durians! He planted his own durian trees after being cheated by a durian seller. He owned more than 100 trees! Even though the orchard is now only left with trees bearing the most delicious durians, I’m sure his legacy of love and hope will live on forever!

He was a courageous man. I recall seeing him on his bike to the durian orchard after he’s diagnosed with cancer. He’s brave in fighting the disease and had set a good example for all of us.

Most of all, he’s very understanding and was the best Father-in-law I could ever asked for. He told my MIL it’s OK even though I was not good at running the household chores. He could see the effort I put into my work and praised me for spending time reading to my kids after work. I’m blessed to have a FIL who adored me.

My father-in-law had raised 7 good children. Even though he’s no longer with us, we’ll cherish him forever. I wish my kids could have known him better.

**written a week before Ching Ming which falls on 5 April 2011

Turning Ikea lamp into a vase

2011-03-25T07:21:00.000-07:00

Saw an Ikea ad recently. I love that Stranne lamp very much. The most interesting feature is the bendable arms that allow you to adjust & vary the shape of the lamp. I bought one before Chinese New Year to replace the same model I bought a few years ago.

The old lamp's synthetic rubber arms turned yellowish & brittle after a few years.

But all the light bulbs are still good.

I detached the top portion from the nickel-plated steel base.

My brand new lamp. As for the old one, I've turned it into...

a modern-looking flower vase.

"There's A Ghost In Our School!!!"

2011-03-14T16:11:00.000-07:00

One afternoon when I was home for lunch, my 2 daughters couldn't wait to tell me the big news of the day...

TH: Mom, there's a ghost in our school! It's kind of creepy...

Mom: How do you know?

TH: One of the prefects told me. She said the headmaster got someone to come & "catch" the ghost.

Mom: Are you sure?

TH: YES! It's inside the music room of the new hall. My friends said the ghost wears red and sings "NegaraKu" (our national anthem?!)

Mom: Wow! That must be a very patriotic ghost. Well...actually we shouldn't call it a ghost. It is a good SPIRIT. So you girls don't need to be scared even if you see it.

TH: They said our school used to be a hospital during wartime. Maybe what TZ (her youngest sister) said was right. The horrible thunder and lightning recently must have awoken the dead... eeeeeeeeeeee......it really freaks me out!!!

Mom: But come to think about it, maybe someone in your school purposely spread the rumors so that no one dares to step into that music room inside the new hall.

At this point, my youngest daughter TZ joined in and gave her opinion below.

TZ: I think that ghost is 100 years old.

It took me awhile to understand what she meant. Apparently once I told her according to Chinese custom, if a person lives long enough (eg 100 years old) and has great grandchildren, the family member will wear red during the funeral to "celebrate" the deceased's full life. But I don't think I ever told her the deceased wears red too...

Kids really have very good imagination, so I refrained myself from explaining to them why some of the dead are wearing red...

Tattoo! Body Piercing??!!

2011-03-04T19:34:00.000-08:00

A conversation over dinner last evening...

TJ (my son) : Mom, can I have REAL tattoo?

Mom : NO!!!

TJ : But WHY!??

Mom: Of course you can't! It's permanent. It'll be painful if you want to remove it next time.You can just put a removable one like what you did this morning.

TJ : But my friend has a real one. She did it in Bali. It's quite cool.....

Mom : NO means NO. According to an article, it may be dangerous and ....

At this point, my teenage son interrupted and protested again that most of the time I would say NO to the things he wanted.

*sigh*

Mom : OK. You can do anything you want.

TJ : Really??!! Woohoo!!! So I can have a real tattoo? And I can have body piercing too?

Mom : YES. I said you can do anything you like.

You should see how excited my son was. Unfortunately his excitement was quickly dampened by his wise sister TH who said something unexpected.

TH : You know... usually when parents say "You can do anything you want" means they're going to let you learn your lesson.

*Ouch*

9999 Forever My Valentine

2011-02-13T22:48:00.000-08:00

When I was arranging my CNY 2010 photos some time ago, I was surprised by the file name -- 9999. In Chinese, 9 has the same sound as ”久"（Jiu）, which means “long lasting". To me, 9999 is such an auspicious number that signifies EVERLASTING love.

My hubby and I met each other in a BM tuition centre when we're 16. At that time I read a lot of romance books of Mills and Boon and Silhouette, and was always fantasizing about meeting my handsome prince charming (sorry to say he didn't fall into that category and hence not in my list). Coincidently we're sent to the same school and placed in the same class in form six. We were good friends and I used to update him on my “boy-girl” relationships. A year later, I received a valentine’s card from him with a picture of rose lying on top of a piano. Inside, he wrote “ 等待著。。。“ (still waiting…) However, he didn't express his feelings to me and so I just conveniently ignored those hints… while still enjoying my “boy-girl” relationships with others.

Looking back, I’m fortunate no boys ever committed suicide because of me, and I didn’t take away my precious life for the boy who broke my heart. In fact, after breaking up with a handsome guy during my first year of university, I was truly sad but amazingly I heard an inner voice telling me: “Hey, don’t be sad. One day you’ll meet a great guy and you’ll thank your ex for that.” I was only 20 years old and now I’m truly impressed with how positive I was at that time!

As I grew older, I came to realize the person whom I could trust & love is no other than this good friend of mine. We started our relationship in our 3rd year of university. It's quite a long distance love as he's studying in Singapore and I'm in a local university and there's neither email nor hand phone at that time. We almost broke up when I was working in KL while he's still in Singapore. However, we're fated to be together…. and the rest is history.

I’m so blessed to marry such a wonderful man. As each day passes, I grow more and more in love with him. And now I wish that one day my son will grow up to be like his father – responsible & kind (do not simply break a girl's heart), and my daughters will find someone loyal & loving, just like their daddy too. Most importantly, they've to respect their lives in order to find the true Valentine.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Dance into the new year!

2011-01-30T01:40:00.000-08:00

Our Qigong session ends at 8am every morning and the younger ones (= those below 70s) will proceed to line dancing at the club house, including me. On one particular morning, we're busy working on a special project...

Our instructor, who's also our neighbor, taught us a few Chinese New Year dances. I'm very glad I got the chance to learn to make the new year "flower ball" 新年绣球.

It's not that difficult to make but requires a lot of patience.

Making the flower ball while listening to chinese new year songs... A lot of us brought our "homework" home. The next day, many were complaining that those flower balls were really testing their patience. However, all of us did agree that it's still worth doing as it's less than RM10 to make a pair!

"Gong Xi Gong XI Gong Xi Ni......" it's fun to dance with those flower balls in hands. We're also practicing hard for our new year "dinner & dance" .

I'm holding a flower ball in hand. That bangle was a gift from my beloved dad when I was in standard 2. I've been wearing it for years.

We booked 4 tables and occupied the whole floor in a small chinese restaurant for our first ever CNY "dinner & dance".

Our team were all in red and black while the other group (from another housing area, also under the same instructor) were in black. All the mothers/grandmothers had a great time dancing away...

Our beautiful dance instructor in her silver bling costume. She looked stunning and all of us enjoyed watching her dance.

It was a night to remember.

Who's Helping Who?

2011-01-21T16:11:00.000-08:00

My hubby was approached by a stranger when he passed by a mini market near our office. Speaking in cantonese, that old lady with 2 heavy grocery bags in hands asked for my hubby's help to drive her home. She said her legs were painful.

My hubby did not manage to offer his help as we need to rush to pack some food for our kids. He later told me he could recognize that poor lady as there're a few times he saw her walking along the roadside with grocery bags in hand. We later felt sorry for not helping her and decided to drive around to look for her.

It did not take us long to spot her walking slowly down the road. I wound down the car window to offer help. I could see she's in pain, yet she managed to squeeze a smile on her tired and wrinkled face (which looked more like crying) and telling us she had backache. Her long white hair was messy and she had only a few teeth left. Life must not be easy on her...

Inside the car, we asked for her address and I was surprised that she's staying in a quite an affluent area. She told us she's a teacher back in 1950s. She then started to speak in good mandarin. She said her eldest son had his own small business but not doing well, her daughter is married and staying in Singapore now and she also did talk about her youngest son.

I was curious and asked her why not she took a cab home?

"坐的士很贵，要十多快。我好过把那些钱省下来买食物给我的猫和狗。”

She said taking cab was expensive and she'd rather keep the money to buy food for her cats and dogs...

“那些路边别人不要的猫狗很可怜，我都把他们带回家养。”

She pitied those strayed dogs and cats, and brought them home.

When we reached her double-storey house, we saw her being welcomed by her dogs and cats. I wanted to take a photo of her going inside her house, but couldn't do so because she was standing in front of the gate and kept smiling and waving good bye to us.

"谢谢你们，你们真好人，上帝保佑你们！“

She thanked us and said we are good people and God will bless us.

I think God should bless her more. She gives unselfishly, and even as to sacrifice her own comfort for the sake of those strayed animals on the street.

Back to school...in the kampung

2011-01-05T21:51:00.000-08:00

During our recent trip to Muar, my family dropped by my hubby's primary school and spent a great evening with his siblings, nieces & nephews.

The school bell is the sweetest sound to a child's ear, especially the one for "recess" & "going home".

A humble classroom that has nurtured many kampung kids with big dreams. My hubby and his youngest brother are two of them who'd graduated with engineering degrees from the National University of Singapore, and 2 of my sister-in-laws are teachers and one is a pharmacist!

The number of student is dwindling as many young families have moved out of the rural area. The whole school is left with less than 60 students now.

One of the problems faced by many rural schools is the lack of English speaking environment. My hubby told me he's without any English teacher for a whole year when he's in the secondary school. "So we just go and play basketball lah...," He said.

Brothers playing basketball together...

My hubby "proudly" told the kids that he used to climb over the fence to play basketball here.

Zi had fun playing with her new toy

My kids had a good time playing with their cousins

A relaxed and beautiful evening spent with the family members.

What a wonderful kampung life!

Aren't They Adorable?!

2010-12-29T20:12:00.003-08:00

A christmas gift for my girls...from their Aunt Shea Yin.

The bear stripped bare! Be ready for a transformation by my girls...

A sweet little girl with a lovely hat...

A cool girl with an army hat & dark glasses

a mysterious spy

A sexy blonde in a bikini & sun glasses

A rock star?

Having a nap...zzzzzzz

A book lover (but it looks as if she's dozing off too!)

Kids can be really creative (My girls dressed up the bear and took the photos without my help at all). That's why they're as cute & lovely as the cuddly bear!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T19:58:00.001-08:00

My office deco...

Please, Please Don't Compare!

2010-12-17T21:38:00.000-08:00

Mom tells the little girl, "Quick, finish your food! Even our neighbour Ah Hua is done with her meal."

Teenage girl tells her mom, "I sure wanna join. Even our neighbour Ah Hua has signed up for it!"

My cartoon above was published in Sin Chiew Jit Poh back in 1996. I still remember I was inspired by an article in Reader's Digest about "Not to compare your child with others".

I constantly remind myself of that. Of course, at times I'd forget especially when my kids are too complacent and didn't give their best. I would compare them with others and that would usually made them very unhappy.

I know it's unfair to make comparison. Everyone is unique and has different strengths and weaknesses. Most of the time, I would encourage them by saying, "Hey, with this new piece of knowledge/new vocab, you're better than yesterday!" And I'll be happy for them as long as there's some improvement in their grades.

..................................................................................

Comparison

the following are extracted from the internet:

"Comparison brings inferiority, superiority. When you don't compare, all inferiority, all superiority, disappears. Then you are, you are simply there. A small bush or a big high tree--it doesn't matter; you are yourself..."

Commentary:

Who ever told you that the bamboo is more beautiful than the oak, or the oak more valuable than the bamboo? Do you think the oak wishes it had a hollow trunk like this bamboo? Does the bamboo feel jealous of the oak because it is bigger and its leaves change color in the fall? The very idea of the two trees comparing themselves to each other seems ridiculous, but we humans seem to find this habit very hard to break. Let's face it, there is always going to be somebody who is more beautiful, more talented, stronger, more intelligent, or apparently happier than you are. And conversely, there will always be those who are less than you in all these ways. The way to find out who you are is not by comparing yourself with others, but by looking to see whether you are fulfilling your own potential in the best way you know how.

- Osho The Sun Rises in the Evening Chapter 4

A Meaningful Afternoon

2010-12-12T20:55:00.001-08:00

Last saturday afternoon my family and my daughter's friend's family visited a childcare centre with kids of single parents who can't afford to take care of them. We brought along food, art & craft materials and gifts. (All the items were prepared by the mother of my daughter's friend who initiated the visit and invited us a few hours before going)

The lady in this picture is the mother of my daughter's friend. I'm grateful she invited my family along.

Kids love gifts...especially the gifts of love.