The following was the conversation we had before Gadget-daddy dropped off to sleep.
We had a long day, full, good and tiring.
Me: Thanks dear for taking us around today.
G-d: Sure. It's good to be home. It was fun to be with the boys.
Me: Yes. They are quite fun to be with... if not they'll be fighting.
So that's the status of our boys right now. Either just fun or just fighting.
Sometimes it's like a mile of milti-coloured carpet rolled out:
Fun: Playing trains together
Fight: Don't crash my trains! You don't play nicely. MaaaX!
Fun: Here, koh-koh, chocolate milk. You want one?
Fight: That's mine! You finished it!
Fun: Look! It's your favourite: Cars.
Fight: I want to watch Cars again. No I want to watch Pocoyo. No it's scary. No it's not scary, it's funny.
Fun: can I kiss your hair? Let me give you a bear hug!
Fight: No! Don't knock the tower down! But it's dominos. No! No! Waaaah!!
Fun: Swing me high. Swing me too!
Eventually it all ends in Zzzzz and then Mommy can finish up some chores and come talk about her day with daddy and her friends on cyber-space.
A day with the kids is like an emotional yo-yo.
And you've got to yo-yo with them too.
Saturday 31 May 2008
Friday 30 May 2008
Ee-Ee's Birthday.
Yesterday was Ee-ee's* birthday.
We took her out for lunch in this Hainanese chef restaurant. It's the usual local Chinese restaurant set-up: crowded, everyone talking on top of their voices, waiters/waitresses yelling our drink orders and you get people standing around tables of those almost finishing their meals (though not quite yet).
We ordered friend noodles for the boys, 2 rice swimming in gravy (wui-fan) and 2 porkchops. All for the party of 4 adults and 2 kids. We actually had a bit of everything. it was a good thing we got in just in the nick of time. Mom juts had to stand by a table for 5 minutes while a party of 3 were finishing their meal and swiftly "booked" us the table. By the time I came in after throwing some rubbish out of the car, the table was already cleared and 2 high chairs in place. Both the boys were walking and browsing at other shops along the block.
Micah sat with Ee-Ee. His favourite meal-mate now as she will entertain him with stories while she feeds him. I was trying to get Max to eat something but he was actually quite sleepy, so refused to eat but asked to be nursed instead.
By the time we finished, there was an unbelievable crowd standing at the door. Even before we completely cleared off the table, a waitress slip onto the table a "reserved" sign. Both boys were out again with grandma, so my mom, my sis and I quickly gobbled up whatever was to be finished, called for the bill and made our quick exit.
We had actually brought her birthday cake for a song and dessert after the meal, but looking at the situation of the whole market-like ballooha, we decided we'll get out of there right away.
So cake and song bit was done at her work place. Now we have a bookshop smelling of burning wax and blueberry cake. Hmmm....
All in all, we had fun. Ee-Ee sent me an SMS and said she had a good little do for her birthday. That's good. :)
p/s- will come back and update with the pictures after tomorrow. Got an important event coming up!!
*Ee-ee in Hokkien (a Chinese dialect) refers to your aunt on your maternal side and usually younger to your mom. Older aunts usually get rankings by their positions among the siblings. Usually, an aunt or uncle who is a cousin to your parents will have their name stated followed by their title.
In the Chinese context you can already identify how a person is related to you by how you greet him/her: a relative on maternal side, or paternal side, older or younger to your parent, and if they are from your parents' paternal or maternal side. It can go up to 4 generations!
We took her out for lunch in this Hainanese chef restaurant. It's the usual local Chinese restaurant set-up: crowded, everyone talking on top of their voices, waiters/waitresses yelling our drink orders and you get people standing around tables of those almost finishing their meals (though not quite yet).
We ordered friend noodles for the boys, 2 rice swimming in gravy (wui-fan) and 2 porkchops. All for the party of 4 adults and 2 kids. We actually had a bit of everything. it was a good thing we got in just in the nick of time. Mom juts had to stand by a table for 5 minutes while a party of 3 were finishing their meal and swiftly "booked" us the table. By the time I came in after throwing some rubbish out of the car, the table was already cleared and 2 high chairs in place. Both the boys were walking and browsing at other shops along the block.
Micah sat with Ee-Ee. His favourite meal-mate now as she will entertain him with stories while she feeds him. I was trying to get Max to eat something but he was actually quite sleepy, so refused to eat but asked to be nursed instead.
By the time we finished, there was an unbelievable crowd standing at the door. Even before we completely cleared off the table, a waitress slip onto the table a "reserved" sign. Both boys were out again with grandma, so my mom, my sis and I quickly gobbled up whatever was to be finished, called for the bill and made our quick exit.
We had actually brought her birthday cake for a song and dessert after the meal, but looking at the situation of the whole market-like ballooha, we decided we'll get out of there right away.So cake and song bit was done at her work place. Now we have a bookshop smelling of burning wax and blueberry cake. Hmmm....
All in all, we had fun. Ee-Ee sent me an SMS and said she had a good little do for her birthday. That's good. :)
p/s- will come back and update with the pictures after tomorrow. Got an important event coming up!!
*Ee-ee in Hokkien (a Chinese dialect) refers to your aunt on your maternal side and usually younger to your mom. Older aunts usually get rankings by their positions among the siblings. Usually, an aunt or uncle who is a cousin to your parents will have their name stated followed by their title.
In the Chinese context you can already identify how a person is related to you by how you greet him/her: a relative on maternal side, or paternal side, older or younger to your parent, and if they are from your parents' paternal or maternal side. It can go up to 4 generations!
Thursday 29 May 2008
Oh, to Sing These!
These are the two songs I searched for after looking at Hissychick's last post.
I first saw this on TV and now I have it here.
If only I could sing this...with my boys. Lol! That would be entertainment!
And for the encore:
I first saw this on TV and now I have it here.
If only I could sing this...with my boys. Lol! That would be entertainment!
And for the encore:
Sand Super
One thing that my boys have been thrilled for the longest time is playing with sand.
(This is Micah in Penang, Nov 2005, before Max arrived.
Photo was extracted from Gadget-daddy's old moblog.)
Ever since Micah's first encounter with sand and tractors (toy ones) at a beach, he has always been on the look out for some where he can dig, even with his fingers he'll try to dig.
So this evening we got out some toy tractors and dump trucks and the boys had more than an hour of fun at the park.
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Grandma bought the tractors yesterday at the market and on our way home, after dropping my mom, we scooped home some sand the boys played in the back yard until the arguments was too much for everyone to handle (not enough space for two "foremen" and 6 vehicles).
So today was good.
They dug, scooped, made tracks everywhere, and when they had enough, they drew on the sand and then raced around until they were all sweaty. Then they came back to scooping sand and then packed up and headed home.
Since Micah did not take a nap, he was off to dreamland by 8pm in his swing. max slept at 10.30pm. Mommy had a good chat with Gadget-daddy across the sea and started catching up on belated posts. :)
See you again soon.
(This is Micah in Penang, Nov 2005, before Max arrived.Photo was extracted from Gadget-daddy's old moblog.)
Ever since Micah's first encounter with sand and tractors (toy ones) at a beach, he has always been on the look out for some where he can dig, even with his fingers he'll try to dig.
So this evening we got out some toy tractors and dump trucks and the boys had more than an hour of fun at the park.
.jpg)
.jpg)
Grandma bought the tractors yesterday at the market and on our way home, after dropping my mom, we scooped home some sand the boys played in the back yard until the arguments was too much for everyone to handle (not enough space for two "foremen" and 6 vehicles).
So today was good.
They dug, scooped, made tracks everywhere, and when they had enough, they drew on the sand and then raced around until they were all sweaty. Then they came back to scooping sand and then packed up and headed home.
Since Micah did not take a nap, he was off to dreamland by 8pm in his swing. max slept at 10.30pm. Mommy had a good chat with Gadget-daddy across the sea and started catching up on belated posts. :)See you again soon.
Sarsi
Just have to keep a log of this:
If you remember Max and his Joy juice, this was his first intro to Sarsi.
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Photo as proof was taken at his uncle's wedding dinner in Penang. I asked him what he was drinking just before I snapped the photo. He, with all delight, "Sarsi."
(just uploaded the photo from my handphone).
If you remember Max and his Joy juice, this was his first intro to Sarsi.
.jpg)
Photo as proof was taken at his uncle's wedding dinner in Penang. I asked him what he was drinking just before I snapped the photo. He, with all delight, "Sarsi."
(just uploaded the photo from my handphone).
Wednesday 28 May 2008
No Yelling (if possible)
Last weekend Gadget-daddy and I talked out the progress of our kids, namely Micah.
He copies us so much in the way we talk and our antics, he's really a mirror of what happens in the house. Scary.
So, yes, he has been yelling back, especially when he is upset by the way we scold him or punish him for things that we feel should be out of bounds or when we expected more of him. Of course not listening and following instruction is the main cause of all.
He will yell, "go away," to everyone when he is really upset, and I mean everyone (even those who try to comfort him). And he will scold others who are talking, when he is trying to talk, for distracting him or the listener (namely Mommy).
At the heat of the moment, his tantrum is like a tornado-hit-town kind of effect. But also like a tornado, it passes quite fast. We are still learning how to help him cope with his emotional stress.
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So we have decided that Mommy and Daddy will not yell...if at all possible! We can't help it with the other two adult residence though. So I have been really trying, but the times when it seems most impossible is when we are in the car. Max now wants to ride in the carseat front with Mommy so Micah gets to be at the back with grandma. Both the boys have already established the fact that with Grandma, she will let you ride on her lap and the rest of the back seat (sigh...).So with Micah on the loose at the back, he will frequently poke his head to the front, sometimes play with my hair, look out of the rear screen, etc. And Mommy will be saying "Micah, please sit down," for like 10 times and then loose her cool and start scolding and threatening. Pffffffhhhh...
It's actually better for me to just go out with the 2 boys on my own and have them strapped down for the journey. But after that I will have trouble keeping control of them when both have their feet tough the ground and run loose (some of you have seen that in church and the science centre).
Anyway, "NO YELLING" is a sign I have put up for myself. Virtually. Must stick a few written ones around my room. Hahahah....
On our own again
Gadget-daddy left for Indonesia yesterday.
Today we are off to do our usual outing to the science center.
Will be back with a few more to things note.
Today we are off to do our usual outing to the science center.
Will be back with a few more to things note.
Monday 26 May 2008
Flat Keyboard
After my last post, Gadget-daddy discovered that the battery on our wireless keyboard was low. The next morning when I tried it, there was no response at all. I thought the battery was totally flat. I became a mute reader of your blogs, but could not respond. That was quite tough. (Will come back round to do so.)
Then later in the evening I complained to Gadget-daddy about the NEED to get batteries. He came to have a look at the keyboard. It seems he had turned it off when he was checking it the last time and did not turn it back on. "Oh," was all I could say. I had never thought of that: that there was an on/off button on the key-board. Lol.
He turned it on again, but we spent the rest of the day out with the boys and even caught a movie: Narnia, Prince Caspian (without the boys - the show was quite good. Of course no novelty like the first, but exciting enough).
These are some of the things I totally take for granted that the man with the tech-edged fingers would take care for me, and I don't even know what to begin to search for in fixing any problem.
The next day we went out to get some batteries.
Thank you Gadget-daddy. I can talk in cyber-world again. :)
Then later in the evening I complained to Gadget-daddy about the NEED to get batteries. He came to have a look at the keyboard. It seems he had turned it off when he was checking it the last time and did not turn it back on. "Oh," was all I could say. I had never thought of that: that there was an on/off button on the key-board. Lol.
He turned it on again, but we spent the rest of the day out with the boys and even caught a movie: Narnia, Prince Caspian (without the boys - the show was quite good. Of course no novelty like the first, but exciting enough).
These are some of the things I totally take for granted that the man with the tech-edged fingers would take care for me, and I don't even know what to begin to search for in fixing any problem.
The next day we went out to get some batteries.
Thank you Gadget-daddy. I can talk in cyber-world again. :)
Saturday 24 May 2008
Non-important Things
Thank you Jlow for tagging me.
Well, this will keep my readers busy (as if) keeping up with my blog over the weekend.
Hahaha...
The rules for this meme are easy:
1. Link to the person that tagged you. (done above)
2. Post the rules on your blog. (done here)
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself. (will do below)
4. Tag someone:
Angelia
Infant
Mummy-yeoh
Tracy
So here goes:
1. I am a right-hander but can do a few things relatively well with my left:
write, play badminton, send an sms and use a spoon to feed myself or the boys.
2. I have short-sightedness and quite bad astigmatism.
I was prescribed to wear glasses since 7 years old but only wore a pair all day long from age 10. I love reading in bed, and that apparently is the main cause of bad eye-sight. Of course there is also the genetic factor. Wonder if Lasik will really work for me. Scary. Might go blind instead.
3. I have very pampered feet.
Since I stopped teaching 8 years ago I have only put on high heels for dinner functions, namely wedding dinners, and even then my feet would protest. From the time I was pregnant with Micah, I have only worn ladies slippers (nice proper ones, presentable enough for weddings and dinners), sandals, sports shoes, and water-proof slip-ins for walking around the neighbourhood. I still keep 2 pairs of nice proper shoes in the shoe cabinet, but doubt I'll ever want to put them on: a) my wedding shoes, ivory in colour; b) black court shoes, 1.5 inch high.
4. I like all colors, ...
...but find "lime green" especially lovely and refreshing. I used to have reservation about wearing the colour red, but now not too bad.
5. I have this "bad" habit of starting on a few chores all at once and slowly tying the ends.
This is because I feel I can't waste time just standing around waiting for the water to boil (in kettle or pot), as well as filling up the filtered-water container, so I will:
-pour filtered water into kettle/pot to boil;
-put on water to boil, and the filter on to refill the container;
-run up to put a batch of laundry into the machine/fill up the water-jug in our room;
-(while upstairs) check what I need to bring down, i.e. trash, folded clothes (boys'), used cups, extra buckets from downstairs' bathroom, etc.
-go back to the water section to finish off by filling flasks/making tea/ cooking noodle.
6. I am a magpie.
I have so much of useless earthly possessions in my mum's house and also here that if I were to die suddenly I think the people left behind will take forever to clear my stuff, namely because they are stashed everywhere. What earthly possessions you wonder:
-old pen-pals letters from when I was 12 and letters, cards, notes and bookmarks from friends;
-photographs in a few shoe boxes;
-tonnes of knick-knacks;
-loads of "useless" books, those that I collected over time from Uni days while studying and working on my thesis;
-files from study notes to working "practical/useful/self-improvement" notes;
-old medals from school and Uni days, namely for swimming events;
-clothes;
-stationery stuff in different boxes and pencil cases from different stages of school, work and homes, plus my collection of pencils and stickers.
-... (shan't burden you with more of my "trash")
There.
Have a good weekend! :)
Well, this will keep my readers busy (as if) keeping up with my blog over the weekend.
Hahaha...
The rules for this meme are easy:
1. Link to the person that tagged you. (done above)
2. Post the rules on your blog. (done here)
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself. (will do below)
4. Tag someone:
Angelia
Infant
Mummy-yeoh
Tracy
So here goes:
1. I am a right-hander but can do a few things relatively well with my left:
write, play badminton, send an sms and use a spoon to feed myself or the boys.
2. I have short-sightedness and quite bad astigmatism.
I was prescribed to wear glasses since 7 years old but only wore a pair all day long from age 10. I love reading in bed, and that apparently is the main cause of bad eye-sight. Of course there is also the genetic factor. Wonder if Lasik will really work for me. Scary. Might go blind instead.
3. I have very pampered feet.
Since I stopped teaching 8 years ago I have only put on high heels for dinner functions, namely wedding dinners, and even then my feet would protest. From the time I was pregnant with Micah, I have only worn ladies slippers (nice proper ones, presentable enough for weddings and dinners), sandals, sports shoes, and water-proof slip-ins for walking around the neighbourhood. I still keep 2 pairs of nice proper shoes in the shoe cabinet, but doubt I'll ever want to put them on: a) my wedding shoes, ivory in colour; b) black court shoes, 1.5 inch high.
4. I like all colors, ...
...but find "lime green" especially lovely and refreshing. I used to have reservation about wearing the colour red, but now not too bad.
5. I have this "bad" habit of starting on a few chores all at once and slowly tying the ends.
This is because I feel I can't waste time just standing around waiting for the water to boil (in kettle or pot), as well as filling up the filtered-water container, so I will:
-pour filtered water into kettle/pot to boil;
-put on water to boil, and the filter on to refill the container;
-run up to put a batch of laundry into the machine/fill up the water-jug in our room;
-(while upstairs) check what I need to bring down, i.e. trash, folded clothes (boys'), used cups, extra buckets from downstairs' bathroom, etc.
-go back to the water section to finish off by filling flasks/making tea/ cooking noodle.
6. I am a magpie.
I have so much of useless earthly possessions in my mum's house and also here that if I were to die suddenly I think the people left behind will take forever to clear my stuff, namely because they are stashed everywhere. What earthly possessions you wonder:
-old pen-pals letters from when I was 12 and letters, cards, notes and bookmarks from friends;
-photographs in a few shoe boxes;
-tonnes of knick-knacks;
-loads of "useless" books, those that I collected over time from Uni days while studying and working on my thesis;
-files from study notes to working "practical/useful/self-improvement" notes;
-old medals from school and Uni days, namely for swimming events;
-clothes;
-stationery stuff in different boxes and pencil cases from different stages of school, work and homes, plus my collection of pencils and stickers.
-... (shan't burden you with more of my "trash")
There.
Have a good weekend! :)
Friday 23 May 2008
Let Me Confuse You
Of late, Max has taken on a very cheeky streak .
He is now 2 years and almost 5 months (short of 5 days).
Yesterday at the dinner table:
Mommy: Who wants to say "Thank You for the food"*?
Max: 1, 2, 3, (sings) Happy Birthday to you! Happy birthday to Gagee (just gibberish)!
Today in the car , waiting at the traffic light:
Max: Red go. Green stop.
Mommy: Max? Say it again.
He looks at me with the cheekiest look, the kind with a twinkle in his eyes and a smile that could convince the world that "blue" and "mango" are the same thing.
Max: Red go. Green stop.
Mommy: Max, say it again. Properly.
Max: Red go. Green stop.
Mommy: Arrrgh! (Fakes a growl and tickles him.)
Max: Red stop. Green go.
Mommy: Hahaha... Good boy.
The other "joke" he likes to pull is to sing the "Do-Re-Me" like this:
Max: (in great hurry) Doe, deer female deer;
Ray, dropa-gow-sun!
(Stops abruptly, melodramatic tone) What can I do now?
(Peals of Giggles from him and his brother.)
Another:
Mommy: Hey, you. What is your name?
Max: Gaggy-car.
Mommy: Huh? What is your Daddy's name?
Max: (giggles) Blubble-car.
Mommy: Oh? What is your Mommy's name?
Max: (giggles) Blubbaa-car.
Mommy: Huh? What is your koh-koh's's name?
Max: Blububbuh-gah-gah-gah- pluthhh... (splutters, showers of saliva and tonnes of giggles).
Just one more for the road:
Guess what's on his head?
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His pants!
* From the playgroup we learnt a simple tune to these words:
"Thank You, Thank You God for food,
Help us, help us to be good." Amen.
He is now 2 years and almost 5 months (short of 5 days).
Yesterday at the dinner table:
Mommy: Who wants to say "Thank You for the food"*?
Max: 1, 2, 3, (sings) Happy Birthday to you! Happy birthday to Gagee (just gibberish)!
Today in the car , waiting at the traffic light:
Max: Red go. Green stop.
Mommy: Max? Say it again.
He looks at me with the cheekiest look, the kind with a twinkle in his eyes and a smile that could convince the world that "blue" and "mango" are the same thing.
Max: Red go. Green stop.
Mommy: Max, say it again. Properly.
Max: Red go. Green stop.
Mommy: Arrrgh! (Fakes a growl and tickles him.)
Max: Red stop. Green go.
Mommy: Hahaha... Good boy.
The other "joke" he likes to pull is to sing the "Do-Re-Me" like this:
Max: (in great hurry) Doe, deer female deer;
Ray, dropa-gow-sun!
(Stops abruptly, melodramatic tone) What can I do now?
(Peals of Giggles from him and his brother.)
Another:
Mommy: Hey, you. What is your name?
Max: Gaggy-car.
Mommy: Huh? What is your Daddy's name?
Max: (giggles) Blubble-car.
Mommy: Oh? What is your Mommy's name?
Max: (giggles) Blubbaa-car.
Mommy: Huh? What is your koh-koh's's name?
Max: Blububbuh-gah-gah-gah- pluthhh... (splutters, showers of saliva and tonnes of giggles).
Just one more for the road:
Guess what's on his head?
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His pants!
* From the playgroup we learnt a simple tune to these words:
"Thank You, Thank You God for food,
Help us, help us to be good." Amen.
Time Blogged Out
Yesterday I actually spent the "whole night" on the internet, mainly catching up on the different corners of my blog-buddies' world.
After putting up the video about 12.30am, I went to bed. Thought myself very well behaved and slept for a couple of hours. Then for some reason I woke up about 2.30am and did not go back to bed till 7am.
In between, I climbed into bed to nurse Max a couple of times, then at 5.30am he kinda woke up. He wanted to drink soy-bean milk and so we headed downstairs. Got him his drink, I made a cup of Milo for myself. Later did a temperature check and poor baby has a slight fever. After a while he went back to sleep in his hammock and I came back up to finish reading a couple more blogs.
The rest of yesterday Max was unwell and napped twice. I made him take lots of fluids and he seemed better by the end of the day.
Today Max woke up at 5.30 am again.
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After I took him down for soy milk again(his request has made me looked up on some soy-base formula and hopes he will take that so I can wean him off totally). We watched a bit of animal planet, then I left him under grandma's care (she was already up at 5.30am preparing breakfast!) and came up.
What did I do?
Ironing!!
Hooray! Don't have to worry about that over the weekend. This is probably the only chore you can do in "advance".
So proud of myself that I resisted turning on the computer till now. Hahaha...
Actually, as I was ironing, and even now, I can hear a lot of different bird calls and bird songs. Nice to be able to enjoy these nature sounds just outside your window. :)
Well, gonna catch a short snooze before I start the day again.
Need to stay alert on the road.
Have a good weekend, all.
Cheers!
After putting up the video about 12.30am, I went to bed. Thought myself very well behaved and slept for a couple of hours. Then for some reason I woke up about 2.30am and did not go back to bed till 7am.
In between, I climbed into bed to nurse Max a couple of times, then at 5.30am he kinda woke up. He wanted to drink soy-bean milk and so we headed downstairs. Got him his drink, I made a cup of Milo for myself. Later did a temperature check and poor baby has a slight fever. After a while he went back to sleep in his hammock and I came back up to finish reading a couple more blogs.
The rest of yesterday Max was unwell and napped twice. I made him take lots of fluids and he seemed better by the end of the day.
Today Max woke up at 5.30 am again.
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After I took him down for soy milk again(his request has made me looked up on some soy-base formula and hopes he will take that so I can wean him off totally). We watched a bit of animal planet, then I left him under grandma's care (she was already up at 5.30am preparing breakfast!) and came up.What did I do?
Ironing!!
Hooray! Don't have to worry about that over the weekend. This is probably the only chore you can do in "advance".
So proud of myself that I resisted turning on the computer till now. Hahaha...
Actually, as I was ironing, and even now, I can hear a lot of different bird calls and bird songs. Nice to be able to enjoy these nature sounds just outside your window. :)
Well, gonna catch a short snooze before I start the day again.
Need to stay alert on the road.
Have a good weekend, all.
Cheers!
Thursday 22 May 2008
Acrobatic Swing-ers!
I have been wanting to put this up for a while now, but never got to catch the boys in action till now.
I remember some of us moms and dads talked about the bouncy-thingi before, which I usually refer to as the "Swing" or the "hammock" in my blog. So today I finally got to catch the boys in their acrobatic stunts!
Of course you know who is the one who edited the video. :)
I remember some of us moms and dads talked about the bouncy-thingi before, which I usually refer to as the "Swing" or the "hammock" in my blog. So today I finally got to catch the boys in their acrobatic stunts!
Of course you know who is the one who edited the video. :)
Wednesday 21 May 2008
Sarongs and Labor of Love
There was a black out just now for about an hour, 2.30-3.30am. I just got the boys back into our bed.
About 2.30 I woke up and the whole place was in darkness and such silence you could hear a pin drop. No humming or buzzing or anything electronic or mechanical. No electricity.
Gadget daddy came into the room, probably that was what woke me also.
"No electricity?"
"Yeah. And I was working on something for tomorrow." So he called the electric company to make a report. Then fell asleep almost instantly.
I fell asleep almost immediately too, only to be woken up 5 minutes later by Max. He was crying and already on all four. I figured it was the heat that got to him.
So I took him downstairs to let him sit in his sarong swing while Mommy swing him as he had a snack of a biscuit and some water to wash it down.
Then Micah made some noise upstairs, so a second trip for Mommy to bring down, this time a sleeping boy, into the swing. I had pulled off their pyjamas tops and now rubbed a little water on their arms and necks and ears. This is so effective in keeping one cool in the heat like this.
I stood between the two swings and swung them for the next hour in the light of an emergency lamp. So boring. I hear snorings all around me. I would have picked up a book except there was not enough light for proper reading. I thought of people in the stone age cooking with stone pots and open fire and scribbling and drawing on walls while waiting for their food to cook. Thank you, Ben Franklin, for making our life so pampered and so dependent on electricity.
Still swinging the boys, I contemplated on how we Moms pamper our young ones and it goes unnoticed by them.
Hindsight: How our parents would have pampered us in ways that had gone unnoticed by us.
Five minutes into this exercise and I had to wear my sarong across the chest and plaster some water on my shoulders and ears. Hmmm... the boys and I in our sarongs. :)
I was on the verge of hopping into the bathroom for a quick splash when, Viola! All the humms and buzz exploded trough the darkness. Phew! No more in the stone age.
So back upstairs, go turn on the air-con first, then back downstairs to turn off everything Gadget-daddy had left on before bringing up the boys. Amazingly both kept on sleeping with no fuss.
Then I sat in front of the computer.
Tuesday 20 May 2008
I Made You Proud?
I can't remember how this came about (as usual, I am constantly bombarded by my kids' eloquence), but a few nights ago, maybe last week, Micah said this:
Mom, did I make you proud today?
This was after he helped me pick up scattered folded laundry all over the room.
I have this problem where I can't keep my boys from thinking that clean folded laundry in a stack is meant to be pretend confetti, especially in Max's imagination. So that was what happened: I had folded almost all the clothes to be folded when both boys came charging into the room. The were just talking at first, then the "surprise!" followed with the raining of the clothes.
Of course I scolded and tried to gather as much of what's not been strewn across the room. That day, Micah also scolded Max and helped me gather the laundry.
A couple of hours later, while settling them into bed, Micah asked me, "Mom, did I make you proud today?"
I thought of all the things he did for the day and he was pretty helpful in someways.
I also thought of Max and how cute he was and how well he was growing.
"Yes, Micah. You made me really proud of you today. Max too."
"But Max was naughty. He messed up your clothes."
"Yes he did.(I actually forgot he did). But I am still proud of both boys."
Soon both boys were fast asleep and Mommy is left musing and keeping such incidents in her heart.
Yes, they make me proud.
Monday 19 May 2008
Highlights of Our Trip
The most important thing we did was to visit my grandma, my mom's mom, and a grandaunt, my late dad's late uncle's wife. I think it was especially special for my sister and her kids as it is harder for them make such a trip.
The next important thing was taking the kids to the zoo and we adults got to enjoy some of the local food, including some special siew-mai which I brought back on a three hour journey back for Gadget-daddy. :)
We stayed in an aunt's house this time. She has 5 children and we got some help from her girls to care for our kids occasionally, like watch them so we could finish our meal or take our shower. By the time it was the last morning before we left Taiping, all of them were too tired to want to join us. And that's just after one and a half days! hahaha... (my aunt actually reported back to us that her kids exclaimed how come our kids never want to sleep and how come they have so much energy. Yeah, we also wish they were not so extreme sometimes. Hahaha...)
Drama:
It was the last morning before heading back to KL. My mom and aunt went in a car to run an errand and to buy some famous treacle stuffed biscuits, xiang-ping/ heong-peng. My sister and I, the driver, with 4 kids went down town to get our brunch and we were to meet at my grandaunt's house. Sis carried her 1 year old with her to get food. Me in the car with 3 kids chatting while waiting for my sis.
Then Micah announced, "Mommy I need to poop."
"Now?! Can you wait a little while?"
"No. I have no time already."
Panic! I called my mom to come meet us quick at this particular spot I had parked my car.
The thought running through my head was to go straight to my grand aunt's house, 5 minutes away, and get my aunt to pick up my sis. I did not want her to panic coming out of the market to find herself stranded with a load of food and a baby in her arms.
"Mommy, I need to poop!"
Then I spotted a small green potty under the back seat.
"Here Micah, you'll have to use this, ok?"
The potty was definitely not big enough for the whole behind, as it is a baby-size one, meant more for a pee on the long journey.
So he did his business in the car, into a baby-sized potty (with a bit of pee escaping the potty, oops!) and got cleaned up with tissue from the car. Then I threw in a few more used tissue I found in a make-shift garbage bag and put the whole potty into that bag. (Later cleaned that up at my grandaunt's house. Almost puke at the stench.) My sister appeared after the whole drama was clean and tied-up.
I called my mom again and told her the emergency was over. We met at my grandaunt's house.
The journey home was pretty smooth. The three kids at the back slept most of the way, My mom and my sis took a nap each, but Max in the car seat in front with me stayed up and kept me company all the way, despite my trying to persuade him to nap.
With such precious cargo in the car under my charge, I made sure I was alert all the time.
The next important thing was taking the kids to the zoo and we adults got to enjoy some of the local food, including some special siew-mai which I brought back on a three hour journey back for Gadget-daddy. :)
We stayed in an aunt's house this time. She has 5 children and we got some help from her girls to care for our kids occasionally, like watch them so we could finish our meal or take our shower. By the time it was the last morning before we left Taiping, all of them were too tired to want to join us. And that's just after one and a half days! hahaha... (my aunt actually reported back to us that her kids exclaimed how come our kids never want to sleep and how come they have so much energy. Yeah, we also wish they were not so extreme sometimes. Hahaha...)
Drama:
It was the last morning before heading back to KL. My mom and aunt went in a car to run an errand and to buy some famous treacle stuffed biscuits, xiang-ping/ heong-peng. My sister and I, the driver, with 4 kids went down town to get our brunch and we were to meet at my grandaunt's house. Sis carried her 1 year old with her to get food. Me in the car with 3 kids chatting while waiting for my sis.
Then Micah announced, "Mommy I need to poop."
"Now?! Can you wait a little while?"
"No. I have no time already."
Panic! I called my mom to come meet us quick at this particular spot I had parked my car.
The thought running through my head was to go straight to my grand aunt's house, 5 minutes away, and get my aunt to pick up my sis. I did not want her to panic coming out of the market to find herself stranded with a load of food and a baby in her arms.
"Mommy, I need to poop!"
Then I spotted a small green potty under the back seat.
"Here Micah, you'll have to use this, ok?"
The potty was definitely not big enough for the whole behind, as it is a baby-size one, meant more for a pee on the long journey.
So he did his business in the car, into a baby-sized potty (with a bit of pee escaping the potty, oops!) and got cleaned up with tissue from the car. Then I threw in a few more used tissue I found in a make-shift garbage bag and put the whole potty into that bag. (Later cleaned that up at my grandaunt's house. Almost puke at the stench.) My sister appeared after the whole drama was clean and tied-up.
I called my mom again and told her the emergency was over. We met at my grandaunt's house.
The journey home was pretty smooth. The three kids at the back slept most of the way, My mom and my sis took a nap each, but Max in the car seat in front with me stayed up and kept me company all the way, despite my trying to persuade him to nap.
With such precious cargo in the car under my charge, I made sure I was alert all the time.
Sunday 18 May 2008
Witty
Got this e-mail from a friend and had a delightful little tickle before bed, so I thought I'd share it here with you:
Subject: Back when insults had class!
When Insults had class!
These glorious insults are from an era when cleverness with words was still valued, before a great portion of the English language got boiled down to 4-letter words.
1) The exchange between Churchill & Lady Astor: She said, 'If you were my husband I'd give you poison,' and he said, 'If you were my wife, I'd drink it.'
2) A member of Parliament to Disraeli: 'Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease.' 'That depends, Sir,' said Disraeli, 'whether I embrace your policies or your mistress.'
3) 'He had delusions of adequacy.'
- Walter Kerr
4) 'He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.'
- Winston Churchill
5) 'A modest little person, with much to be modest about.'
- Winston Churchill
6) 'I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure.'
- Clarence Darrow
7) 'He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary.'
- William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway).
8) 'Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?'
- Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)
9) 'Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it.'
- Moses Hadas
10) 'He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know.'
- Abraham Lincoln
11) 'I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.'
- Mark Twain
12) 'He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.'
- Oscar Wilde
13) 'I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play;
bring a friend.... if you have one.'
- George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill
14) 'Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second... if there is one.'
- Winston Churchill, in response.
15) 'I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here.'
- Stephen Bishop
16) 'He is a self-made man and worships his creator.'
- John Bright
17) 'I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial.'
- Irvin S. Cobb
18) 'He is not only dull himself, he is the cause of dullness in others.'
- Samuel Johnson
19) 'He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up.'
- Paul Keating
20) 'There's nothing wrong with you that reincarnation won't cure.'
- Jack E. Leonard
21) 'He has the attention span of a lightning bolt.'
- Robert Redford
22) 'They never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge.'
- Thomas Brackett Reed
23) 'In order to avoid being called a flirt, she always yielded easily.'
- Charles, Count Talleyrand
24) 'He loves nature in spite of what it did to him.'
- Forrest Tucker
25) 'Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?'
- Mark Twain
26) 'His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork.'
- Mae West
27) 'Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.'
- Oscar Wilde
28) 'He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for
support rather than illumination.'
- Andrew Lang (1844-1912)
29) 'He has Van Gogh's ear for music.'
- Billy Wilder
30) 'I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it.'
- Groucho Marx
Good night.
Subject: Back when insults had class!
When Insults had class!
These glorious insults are from an era when cleverness with words was still valued, before a great portion of the English language got boiled down to 4-letter words.
1) The exchange between Churchill & Lady Astor: She said, 'If you were my husband I'd give you poison,' and he said, 'If you were my wife, I'd drink it.'
2) A member of Parliament to Disraeli: 'Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease.' 'That depends, Sir,' said Disraeli, 'whether I embrace your policies or your mistress.'
3) 'He had delusions of adequacy.'
- Walter Kerr
4) 'He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.'
- Winston Churchill
5) 'A modest little person, with much to be modest about.'
- Winston Churchill
6) 'I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure.'
- Clarence Darrow
7) 'He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary.'
- William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway).
8) 'Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?'
- Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)
9) 'Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it.'
- Moses Hadas
10) 'He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know.'
- Abraham Lincoln
11) 'I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.'
- Mark Twain
12) 'He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.'
- Oscar Wilde
13) 'I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play;
bring a friend.... if you have one.'
- George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill
14) 'Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second... if there is one.'
- Winston Churchill, in response.
15) 'I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here.'
- Stephen Bishop
16) 'He is a self-made man and worships his creator.'
- John Bright
17) 'I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial.'
- Irvin S. Cobb
18) 'He is not only dull himself, he is the cause of dullness in others.'
- Samuel Johnson
19) 'He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up.'
- Paul Keating
20) 'There's nothing wrong with you that reincarnation won't cure.'
- Jack E. Leonard
21) 'He has the attention span of a lightning bolt.'
- Robert Redford
22) 'They never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge.'
- Thomas Brackett Reed
23) 'In order to avoid being called a flirt, she always yielded easily.'
- Charles, Count Talleyrand
24) 'He loves nature in spite of what it did to him.'
- Forrest Tucker
25) 'Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?'
- Mark Twain
26) 'His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork.'
- Mae West
27) 'Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.'
- Oscar Wilde
28) 'He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for
support rather than illumination.'
- Andrew Lang (1844-1912)
29) 'He has Van Gogh's ear for music.'
- Billy Wilder
30) 'I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it.'
- Groucho Marx
Good night.
Wedding Bells
Congratulations to Infant and her Prince Charming!
Sorry we missed your church wedding, but we made it for the dinner, and we had a pretty good time catching up with friends we have not seen for a while.
I had to take the boys back earlier coz they were getting restless and started running around the restaurant. Too much for this mummy to handle alone, so we packed up and left Gadget-daddy and his video camera, both on duty.
Interesting questions in the car on the way back from Micah:
How come they did not do the wine thingi (champaign fountain) like suk-suk (his uncle)?
Why is there a wedding? What is a wedding?
So Mummy had to explain the whole thing about
staying-together-until-you-are-very-very-old (don't want to say die as that is a potential spring of a string of other difficult questions),
and promise-to-take-care-of-each-other thingi.
Then Max started tearing the parking receipt and both boys giggled helplessly all the way home. (So amazing and magical how they find such delight in such simple things.)
Gadget-daddy got home about 40 mins later.
Saturday 17 May 2008
Your Son
Some how we have picked up this phrase when Gadget-daddy and I talk:
Today, your son, did this...
Your son....
You know what your son just said? ...
etc...
Even Micah has picked it up. Yesterday Micah called out to me, "Mommy, your son is crying for you."
p/s- This post was inspired by Gadget-daddy.
Just just now Gadget-daddy was saying how he needed to prepare for church service tomorrow and he said, "Your son's sure to say, 'Daddy you're too loud.' "
And with a laugh he went out of our room. "Your son"...
p/p/s- Will come back later and tell you of our "circus" in Taiping. ;)
Tuesday 13 May 2008
While the Cat is Away
Since Gadget-daddy is away and my sis is in town, ...
... we decided to take another trip.
We are going off to see my grandma and we will be away or the next 2 days..jpg)
It will be me with the two boys, my sis and her two kids and my mom. MIL gets a much needed break.
See you later.
:)
... we decided to take another trip.
We are going off to see my grandma and we will be away or the next 2 days.
.jpg)
It will be me with the two boys, my sis and her two kids and my mom. MIL gets a much needed break.
See you later.
:)
Some Things Defined
With Gadget-daddy away I slept pretty early considerably early (12am) and woke up 6.30am. Puttered around a little and cleared a few more things from the trip.I guess if I was alone with the 2 boys, my life would pretty much revolve just around them.
No late night movies on the computer.
No one to talk about my day with - the funny, the angry, the mundane.
No one to cook supper for.
No pouring out soft drinks and taking a sip from.
No one to watch scary or heart-stopping movies with and have a hand to hold.
Definitely no Blog, no Mac, no...gadgets.
My life would be just lots of tea and books and chatter with friends on the phone.
..... (The list goes on)
The boys and I are missing you...for this whole week, Daddy-O.
Monday 12 May 2008
Hello Penang, Bye-bye Penang
We started our journey up north about 11am, after my FIL and BIL sent the dogs to the kennels.
On our way, before we hit the highway, we did one thing we had always wanted to do:
Joined the tourist at the King's Palace.
Then we started on our way and Gadget-daddy decided to have lunch at Bidor, the ever-famous Pun Chun restaurant with it's Wan-ton noodles.
A little after the lunch stop, the kids fell asleep in the car. Then, Uh-O, busted air-con made us travel the rest of the way with the front windows wound down. Still, it was not too bad. Thank God it was cloudy and not too hot. And thank God it did not rain either, or that would have been a real problem*.
The boys woke from their nap as we neared Penang. The next touristy thing we did: Ferry ride!
It's Micah's second time (his first time was about a month before Max arrived, so that's more than 2 years ago) and Max's first time on the ferry.
Checked into our hotel (this is the view from our room).
The next day after Gadget-daddy got the air-con fixed, we went to the beach.
Micah loved the sea.
Max was a lot more wary, but we had fun building a barrier for him to keep the waves off his feet. (Quite a construction with just a couple of ladles. :))
He also did not like the fact that his clothes got wet and stuck to his skin. Funny boy.
Then, that night, The purpose of our trip:
Wedding dinner
(Photos taken by Micah as I was taking care of Max and Gadget-daddy was one of the official camera man. Pretty good shots, eh?)
Before leaving the Island, we had one last call to make: visited brother and wife in their new home (they actually moved 2 years ago and we only now we could visit).
We did not stop on the way back as the boys fell asleep before we hit Taiping (one of our options for lunch) and did not wake up till we were at the Duta toll. So, apart from a couple of toilet breaks, we drove straight and got home by 5pm.
Home sweet home.
.jpg)
*I drove my dad's old Mazda for a while. It's engine was old and would overheat if you're caught in traffic with the air-con on. So we ended up driving with the windows down and no air-con. You can imagine, in our weather these days, how much like an oven it felt like in the car. When it rains the front windshield would fog up and you'll have to constantly wipe off the vapors from inside. Very dangerous to drive in that condition.
Funny thing was I was driving this car until the time I was carrying Micah, and didn't know I was pregnant, and I was wondering why it suddenly became so unbearable to drive that car. My mum sold the car off a few months after Micah arrived.
On our way, before we hit the highway, we did one thing we had always wanted to do:
Joined the tourist at the King's Palace.
Then we started on our way and Gadget-daddy decided to have lunch at Bidor, the ever-famous Pun Chun restaurant with it's Wan-ton noodles.
A little after the lunch stop, the kids fell asleep in the car. Then, Uh-O, busted air-con made us travel the rest of the way with the front windows wound down. Still, it was not too bad. Thank God it was cloudy and not too hot. And thank God it did not rain either, or that would have been a real problem*.
The boys woke from their nap as we neared Penang. The next touristy thing we did: Ferry ride!
It's Micah's second time (his first time was about a month before Max arrived, so that's more than 2 years ago) and Max's first time on the ferry.
Checked into our hotel (this is the view from our room).
The next day after Gadget-daddy got the air-con fixed, we went to the beach.
Micah loved the sea.
Max was a lot more wary, but we had fun building a barrier for him to keep the waves off his feet. (Quite a construction with just a couple of ladles. :))
He also did not like the fact that his clothes got wet and stuck to his skin. Funny boy.
Then, that night, The purpose of our trip:
Wedding dinner
(Photos taken by Micah as I was taking care of Max and Gadget-daddy was one of the official camera man. Pretty good shots, eh?)
Before leaving the Island, we had one last call to make: visited brother and wife in their new home (they actually moved 2 years ago and we only now we could visit).
We did not stop on the way back as the boys fell asleep before we hit Taiping (one of our options for lunch) and did not wake up till we were at the Duta toll. So, apart from a couple of toilet breaks, we drove straight and got home by 5pm.
Home sweet home.
.jpg)
*I drove my dad's old Mazda for a while. It's engine was old and would overheat if you're caught in traffic with the air-con on. So we ended up driving with the windows down and no air-con. You can imagine, in our weather these days, how much like an oven it felt like in the car. When it rains the front windshield would fog up and you'll have to constantly wipe off the vapors from inside. Very dangerous to drive in that condition.
Funny thing was I was driving this car until the time I was carrying Micah, and didn't know I was pregnant, and I was wondering why it suddenly became so unbearable to drive that car. My mum sold the car off a few months after Micah arrived.
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