Register for QL3

This morning, I brought both kids to Princess' kindergarden (Q-Dees) to register and pay her school fee for first semester next year. It will be Princess' last year in the kindergarden. How time flies. Soon with a blink of eyes she will be in Primary school. *weep* My girl is growing up!

Anyway, I bought her a new pair of school uniforms as the old ones too short and torn for her to wear. And also enrolled her in Mandarin class as her extra curriculum. I think it is good exposure as she will be going to a Chinese primary school. Do not want her to have "language" shock when she is in Primary One. Lol!

Her kinddy will reopens next Wednesday so it is another week of leisure for Princess before she starts schooling again. And another week of rest before everything back to normal for all of us!

In 4 months time, my Princess is turning 6! Gosh, she is growing fast. Just feel like yesterday when I were holding her in my arms in hospital and now she is going to be 6 years old girl. And my Baby Jay is 28 months old and in 8 months time, he is turning 3! Terrible 3, I hope not. He is more talkative now and able to master and recognise more words. Another year to enrol him in school, Big J said since he is still not so independent.

It's presents time

We had a good time last night at our church hall. We attended a potluck gathering with some of the church committees. Baby Jay's first Christmas potluck party and as usual he enjoyed the food and attention there.

And today is the morning of Christmas! And also time to give away the Christmas presents!

My presents for my family.

You can guess who get what from the wrappers?? Those 2 wrapped in Angry Birds wrappers are for my 2 lovely kids. Hope they enjoy what I get for them this year.

A day with him

Spent a day with my Baby Jay yesterday as the baby sitter's son was getting hitched. We started off our day with breakfast of kolo kueh tiaw with my mum. I would not be able to take care of him alone. He is just too active for me.

After breakfast we had a walk in Kenyalang Park and Baby Jay was excited to see so many pigeons that he shouted "Bird! Bird!" to me. Lol! He is learning more words each day.

Then we opened up the shop around 10am and just before 11am we had a blackout. Oh dear! Not a good idea to have a blackout in the shop with a child tagging along. But after 15 minutes and looked like no sign of the electricity soon, we decided to close it and heading to my parent's house. He brought along his toys so he played in my parents' house while waiting for mum to finish cooking lunch.

After lunch, we went home for our afternoon nap. He must be tired as he slept more than 2 hours. After his nap, I brought him to bowling alley. He was happy and pulling me to go nearer. It gave me an idea. Maybe one day we bring the 2 kids to a bowling game. My hand also itchy looking at other bowlers played. Lol!

After spending some times in bowling alley and bookstore, we headed home as we could heard thunders and getting ready for the wedding dinner. At the restaurant, besides the bride and groom, Baby Jay was a star too. He knew more people there than us! Lol! Half of the times, he sat with the baby sitter's daughter, so gave us some peace time to enjoy the food.

He slept early that night (around 1030pm). He seldom sleep that early but I guess an eventful day knocked some energy out of him! Lol!

Pass down clothing

Yesterday I cleaned up Princess' wardrobe. My oh my! She does have a lot of clothing. Some are too small for her, so I packed the good looking and still in good condition clothing for her younger cousin. A big bag of old clothing for Cousin Chloe and same time give her a dress for the coming CNY that we bought from last month KL trip.

Chloe loves to wear dresses but unfortunately Princess does not have much dresses that suit Chloe. I seldom buy dresses and skirts for her. Because Princess so unlady-like although she loves to wear dresses and skirts from time to time. But to my own surprise, I bought a lot of dresses last month in KL. All for CNY. She would be very happy to parade herself in her new clothes during CNY.

Daddy to son : Toy soldiers

A pass down toys from daddy to Baby Jay. Boys always boys. They cannot stop playing with cars, trains, and soldiers!!

Cannot believe it when Big J brought his toys back from hometown this year and let Baby Jay played with them. Some are broken (what to expect after more than 20 years old toys collection??). Mostly are still in good condition.





Now he just play with the trucks and tanks, maybe many months down the road, he will be able to play and form his own camps soon. *wink*

He comes first

One day, my conversation with my eldest child, Princess:

Princess: Mummy, why you always make milk for '"de-de" (brother) first?
Me: Because he wants to drink milk.
Princess: But I also want to drink milk. You never make milk for me first??
Me: De-de is younger, so I make him milk first.
Princess: Why always him first? I want to be first too.
Me: You know your brother, cannot wait and have no patience. You are big girl, you give to your little brother okay?
Princess: Hmm. (Sighing)
Me: Mummy love you and Baby Jay. You are big sister and big sister should love de-de too. Whoever first is not matter. You will still get your milk.

Now I wonder whether I am right over here? Or maybe I should try different way of approaching her question?

Good boy

It has been quiet since Princess gone back to hometown last week. Baby Jay also does not seem to miss her that much, but when I asked where is "cheh cheh", his reply would be "boh" ("No" in Hokkien). Yeap, he does speak Hokkien and only that word. Lol!

Baby Jay has been good and well behaved. Even baby sitter commented that he is not that naughty without the cheh-cheh around. Easier to look after him in shop than having to look after 2 kids. With Princess, she would bring her brother around and Baby Jay loves to follow what his sister do. But some day I pity him as he plays toys all by himself. Every morning when the kids woke up, they would head to their toy boxes and dig everything out to play. Now only Baby Jay alone, he just play his toy cars and trains. No screaming and laughing in the house. I miss those noises now. I guess he does missed his sister. Why not? His playmate. I also miss her and could not wait to see her again after Christmas.

Echo-ing

Baby Jay recognised a bear when he saw a real one during our Zoo Negara outing last month. I was showing him around the zoo and pointed to him a black bear. When we met up with Big J and Princess on other section, Baby Jay pointing to the direction of the bear and told his daddy "bear bear".

He is slowly to form more words now. And we have to talk slower to him so he can imitate us. He follows what we say and Princes has to dub him "an echo". He is learning to say "Please", "I go", "Wet", "Stuck", "Game", "iPad" and few more that slipped out of my mind for now. But he is catching up on his vocabulary that is for sure.

Now we are still debating whether to send him to kindergarten or not next year. One part we would love him to learn more in new environment but on other part, we were worry as he has pretty bad temper and when ever he does not get what he wants, he will throw a tantrum. But I noticed that he is not so receptive to strangers (and even to familiar faces around my shop). He will wail at sight of strangers especially the fierce looking faces! Lol! There is one Rela guy that Baby Jay so afraid of, that each time he saw the sight of that Rela, he will run to me or my staff and cry and stand behind us! One thing is good that he would not dare to go out from the shop .

Ready to go

Yesterday I have done with the unpacking of our items from our KL trip. Phew! I need two days to nap, as exhausted from the holiday. Not from the walking and shopping but from monitoring after my 2 kids, especially Baby Jay who could not sit long in his stroller. Instead he chose to push his stroller around. *wink*

Princess would be following her grandmother back to hometown this Wednesday, so I have also packing for her long holiday. As usual, every year end holiday she will be back for about 1 month holiday and celebrating Christmas with her grandparents.

A bit of disappointment for us as we did not see any Christmas decoration in Mid-Valley mall. Too early?? Over Kuching, most shopping malls have played Christmas songs and put up some trees. Some even way ahead of everyone, playing Chinese New Year songs. Lol! Now everyone is in the mood for Christmas and CNY.

A breather

It is that time of the year! And we desperately need few days to destress and get away from those hectic work and schedule. Or I can say me and Big J in need of a break! hahahah! We really need some times to relax and destress ourselves and at the same time, re-connect with the kids. So we are looking forward to our little holiday, which starts tomorrow.





No! We are not heading to the beach, although how we wish we could. But our trip would also be involving something of a therapeutic nature (to me!).

So, adios everyone. Will update more once we are back from our break.

She dances

Princess has her first graduation concert last Friday night. It was actually for Pre-3 students' graduations and all students from Pre-2 and Pre-3 are required to perform some dance routine on stage at MBKS Auditorium. Princess has 3 routines, one in Malay, one in Spanish and one in Indian. She really enjoyed herself dancing.

We reached there around 6pm and right away teachers got her ready in her first dances, put onto her costume and put some eye shadow and did her makeup. Baby Jay and I went to find good seat in the auditorium. Big J got there in time to see her first performance. I haven't got time and my Streamyx has some problem in shop, so have not yet downloading all those pictures and videos. Hopefully able to do it this few days. Need to delete the pictures from the camera too for our next trip.

First school outing

Princess is having her first school outing today. Started from 8 to 12pm, she will be touring the MBKS library.

The outing consists of the Pre-2 and Pre-3 classes concert rehearsal and educational outing. The kids will have their graduation concert on 11 November evening. I am so looking forward to seeing my Princess graduates from her Pre-2 class. *wink*

Big J on other hand was a bit concern about her safety today because it was Princess's first trip and worry whether the teachers can control a big group of young kids. I am pretty sure everything is well arranged. Although at the back of my mind, I am also worry, but it is a good exposure and part of her learning experience. Hope Princess enjoyed her trip and have fun during the concert this Friday.

About him and her

Baby Jay

He is recovering from his sickness and thank god he is back to his normal self. We know he is fine when he starts to hit and scold people and sing. Lol! He drank some milk last night and starts to ask for food this morning after 3 days. Good sign.

Baby Jay is 2 years and 2 months old now. He is weighing around 11kg. He lost a bit of weight lately due to sickness, but hopefully he gains back his weight.

His vocabulary is expanding slowly which include few new words, such as "What's this?", "Up", "Go kai kai", "Shoes", "Aduh" (don't ask me where he learns his Malay!) and "Nay" (pointing to his sister when ask about her whereabout).

He still not good with counting. Always start with either number "two" or "three" just like his sister when she was younger. So need to be patient there.


Princess Jan

She has been upgraded to Book 2 in her music class. So her fee per month starting this month is from RM60 to RM65. Saw her new music books which include a piano book. Does it mean she is learning to play notes on piano? I guess so! :) And Big J promised her if she passes her Grade 1 then he will buy a piano for her. I hope she really serious about music because piano is pretty costly. So far her teacher has been commenting on her good performance in term of theories. Glad to hear that. See how it goes from there.

Wish for good health

Baby Jay was down with fever on Sunday night. I did not slept well as he was not sleeping well; kept rolling and crying almost the whole night. The next day I brought him to see doctor and doctor could not find anything wrong with him.

The baby sitter said he did not eat or even drink milk the whole day; but his vomitting and diarrhea subsided by night. Nothing to be out from him since his stomach was empty. He managed to finish a whole bun this morning, I guess he was too hungry to choose. However around 12 today the baby sitter called up and told me that other than the bun, Baby Jay did not eat. He does not want to drink water too. Suspected it is tonsilitis, I brought him to his doctor again and the doctor confirmed that it was tonsilitis. Sigh! The doctor subscribe anti-biotic, hydrating salt and panadol for him.

I myself also sick. AGAIN! Thought I have recovered, but the coughing and tonsilitis hit me again last night. Sigh!

Hopefully Baby Jay is getting better by tonight. Miss the active and bubbly boy. And he started to speak two new words for a week now. "What's this?" :)

Gone missing

I (nearly) have a shock of my life last night. You see, I had migraine yesterday and it lasted till last night. With me not feeling so well, and the kids hanging around the shop, I have lost sight of my 2 kids when there were many customers in the shop.

After a while I realised no sound from both kids. I knew they are missing from the shop. Panic!! Really panic and me and sister searched for Princess and Baby Jay around the shopping mall. Thank god my sister spotted them in the supermarket. They love hanging in there, maybe because of the cool air-con. But I nearly have a break down thinking my kids missing! Lol!

Princess told me Baby Jay suddenly walked to the next door supermarket and act as big sister, she followed him around. My sister found them wandering around the cold storage section. Fortunately most of the staff knew my 2 kids as they are "frequent" visitors there, but from mummy's point of view, it is always a shock to realise your kids not around you for seconds.

Told Princess to inform me or anyone in the shop if they are wandering off the shop next time. And I told Big J maybe we really should consider getting a maid to look after the kids. I cannot handle another heart attack!! Sigh!

Our reflection

Don't you think that our own children is a little mirror of us, the parents? Why not? We spend most of the times with them, nurture and grow them into an individual of their own and yet along the way, the kids will imitate how and what we do and think.

Like Princess for instance. She is just like me. Big J commented that as she grows older, she is behaving, thinking and talking like me. I also feel that Princess Jan is like me, strong-headed, persuasive and perfectionist. And Baby Jay is more like his daddy, full of sense of humor, cheerful, competitive and strong-headed.

Kid's Sunday

It was a cold raining Sunday yesterday and we chose to stay at home in the morning.

The kids have a fun Sunday with their cousin Chloe visiting them yesterday. The girls are close to each other. Why not? Just a year apart, they are like sisters. When they are good, they really share things, but when they fight, they can be nasty too.

So me and Big J baby-sit Chloe as her mummy has a dancing competition to attend to. My 2 kids already very naughty so you imagine, with another tagging along, they can be hard to control sometimes. But being a mummy, I got to show my authorities. When it was nap time, I managed to get the kids to sleep in same bed, but after long time, only Baby Jay fall asleep, while the two girls kept whispering under the blanket! Sigh! So in the end, I gave up and let the 2 kids have their bath time.

They have their tv watching and iPad-ing the whole evening till Chloe's mummy came to pick her around 6.30pm as we had a little girl's 1 year old birthday dinner to attend to. There the kids were enjoying themselves with goodies and food as free flow of drinks and food since it was a buffet dinner.

After all the day activities, we reached home around 10pm. Princess were knocked out earlier since she did not have her nap while Baby Jay kept disturbing me and Big J till he dozed off around 11pm.

One of those days

WRITER'S BLOCK!



Lazy and do not know what to write in here for many days. Sitting in front of pc also uselss. End up I blog hopping, looking for blog ideas. Blur blur!

Anyway, some updates before I go into MIA!

1) Contractor is building our wardrobe in the master bedroom and 2 children bedroom. Should be completed by this month. Now need to do the air con, curtains, lighting and hunting for bedding and furnitures. We managed to get a candelier-like lighting for the dining room and ceiling fan for the living room. Soon we shall get an auspicious date from a feng shui master to move in. More cleaning and packing after that.

2) Current home is still smell of kacang ma herbs everytime I go home. SIL is still in confinement period. Left few more days before she is out from it and baby is one month old.

3) It has been more than a month since my Princess Jan learnt music. She is enjoying it as the day goes by. Even her music teacher (aka owner) commented that she is good and attentive. *Proud* I believe soon she will nag her daddy to buy her a grand piano in the new house! *wink*

4) Princess will have her first school outing next month to MBKS library. It is more like a graduation concert rehearsal cum educational trip for Pre-2 and Pre-3.

5) Baby Jay was down with fever and diarrhea after we came back from Sibu. Must be the heatiness and drink less water there. Luckily he is fine now. He is currently weighing around 12kg. He does not like to eat much nowadays, now is into teh-o-peng (ice tea) and soft drinks, which worried me. He can do "peace" sign when pose for pictures but most of the times he will like to put his hands on his waist. Still that cheeky and babbling. Now he is into iPad and always fight with Princess for the iPad.

6) Sleep deprived. So sleepy now. I was done with sore throat and cough last week and short handed in the shop. Hardly have a good rest. Think it is time for my afternoon nap. Cannot think clearly now.

Introducing Enid Blyton

Bought this book few months ago during Popular Book sales for Princess. Since she can read well, thought of introducing more advanced children books to her. Glad that she likes it.



I always a fan of Enid Blyton and still love reading her books. Reading them makes me believing in those magical world with fairies and pixies. Lol!

Interact with Linqto

It was a tiring Sibu trip, and Baby Jay is down with fever yesterday morning. Poor boy! Went to see doctor today and he has inflammation in his throat. Hope he will recover soon because I am not used to see him quiet and not so active.

Have not have time to upload the photos of our trip but once I done I shall place them into my Facebook account and link to Video Conferencing Application so my friends can view them easily. Photographs of not only the wedding reception, but kids with their great granparents, and some beautiful landmarks along the road trip to Sibu. Can't wait to share them but for time being, need to unpack our luggages first.

Excited

Princess cannot sleep last night. She slept pretty late. Why not? She must be excited to take few days off from her kindergarden.

This morning she was pretty early, and while in the car, she told me she was excited to go to school today. And she was even more excited tomorrow because she is going to Sibu to visit her gu-gu (Big J's sister). Lol! That girl. Very attached to her aunt.

I guess we are all excited. Our first road trip to Sibu as family. Must remember to pack my camera to snap lots of photographs. *wink*

25 months old

He is very attached to me lately, want me to hug or follow me around. He also love to play with gadgets like Blackberry and iPad; and less fancy toys and magnetic blocks.

At 25 months old, he is very babbling. He is very protective of his stuff and toys and does not like to share with other kids including his sister sometimes. If he does not get his way, he will scratch or pinch people and if he loses, he will pretend to cry and seek our attention. Lol!

Now I am trying to spend some time at night to read and teach him to love books. Hopefully like his sister, he will learn to love to read.

New member

Introducing Baby Y, born on 24 September 2011, weighing 2.5kg. Congratulations to my BIL. Now Princess Jan and Baby Jay has a new cousin to play with.

Me and her time

It is Saturday again. Busy at the shop and Princess has finished her music class more than an hour ago.

Big J was sleeping when we went out around 8.30am this morning. He was not feeling well. Must be overworked and lack of sleep for the past days this week due to his meeting. Later he needed to sit for his insurance exam, I wonder whether he is fit for it or not. Hope this time he will not flunk again.

It has been a while since I brought Princess Jan to shopping so I guess it is about time to shop for her shoes or sandals. Since we are going to attend a cousin's wedding next month, I think it is a good excuse to get both of us new sandals. I looked through my shoes rack and noticed that I do not have many high heels to wear. Mostly court shoes that I wore for my previous employment. I never like court shoes, so not often I wear them.

We will go to Tabuan Jaya area to shop for footwear after our lunch. It has been long since I visit that area. Wish us luck in finding suitable sandals! *wink*

Night-time bath

Both kids especially my boy must take bath every night. When ever possible I try to avoid bathing him at night as I worry he will catch a cold. However he will cry if I do not give in to his request. Sigh!

So if the kids are with me in the shop I will bathe them before putting them to sleep. When the kids are at shop they will play and sometimes you never know what they get in crowded areas like shopping malls. So I like it or not, I will bathe them but it would not be a long affair. It is hard to bathe both kids together as they tend to be mischievious. When one gets naughty, the other will follow.

Swimming

A hot Saturday evening, so we decided to bring both kids to the swimming pool. Baby Jay tried his first swimming suit. Fit him nicely.


The kids posed for photo before jump into the pool.

Music is in the air

My house has never has a quiet moment once the kids are at home. Since my SIL bought Princess a toy keyboard and Baby Jay a toy guitar, both have been jamming with their respective instruments almost every evening. They still play even after 10pm and sometimes lasts till 12midnight. I am more worry about the noise pollution and what the neighbours would think with my kids playing and shouting at such hours.

But with 2 active kids around, it is pretty hard to make them quiet. Since my Princess Jan goes to music school, she has shown more interests in music. She loves singing and dancing, so I guess music class suits her. And Baby Jay also started to sing to us, although we do not understand a single words out of him. The baby sitter loves to play Chinese New Year songs for them, so my Baby Jay will always clasp his hands and sing around the room, like those singers in the music videos.

Learning with iPad

I save a lot of money on books since we have the iPad2. My Princess is very besotted with it, especially its games. Trying as hard as we could, we are limiting her time with the games. We starting to introduce more ebooks to her and since then, she read her ebooks from iPad before going to bed almost every evening. And it is good thing to have the Chinese word flash cards as she can brush her Chinese skill with them too.




Got Princess' report book today and teacher is commenting that Princess is intelligent and her social skill is also improving, but lack of confidence to go up the stage. Sigh! I know about the lack of confidence part and I am still thinking of way to encourage her to improve her skill. Headache.

First day in Music Class

Princess gone to her first music class today!!! Actually she is now in the music class, which is just a block away from my shop. I was a bit worried at first whether she would want to stay on or not, but after a stroll around the classes, she settled down for her first lesson. I have been telling her about music class for few days and she was happy that she kept nagging me the whole day to go to the class. Managed to squeeze out from the shop around 11.00am to bring her over.

RM60.00 per month, and since she is new, she will learn music notes for the first month, slowly teacher will introduce piano lesson to her. I can see that she was excited while we were in the registration lobby, as she was walking and studying the classes and music instruments. And to my surprise, she just gave me a kiss on the cheek and waved me good bye. It just reminded me of my first day in music class, but I was older when I went to my first class. I remember I was around 12 years old when my dad placed me in organ class. My music skill has diminished with time since I stopped classes to continue my degree at age of 20. Lol!

I could not wait to listen to my Princess' babbling about her first day when I picked her up later.

She dreaming of university

Blame of the influence of media. My Princess like me loves to listen to radio. She learns a lot from radio too; i.e. new songs and new words.

So just happen one day this week she suddenly told me from behind me in the car that some day she wants to study e-business diploma! Huh? Oh, one of those universities/colleges advertisement that caught her attention. And I asked her back what she knew about e-business diploma, she said she did not know anything just that she thinks she need to study to work like me! Hmm, when I asked her what she wants to be when she bigger, and like any children, she wants to be a teacher.

So I calmly told her that to be a teacher, you would not need e-business diploma which is not relevant. After been quietly for few seconds, Princess replied me that she does not want to be teacher but been my shop helper. So she can study e-business diploma and help me at the shop. Lol! At least she did not say she is studying degree. Gosh! It is still a long way to go before she is going to college.

Baby Jay turning 2

How time flies. My baby boy is turning 2 today. And mummy has been pretty lazy in keeping updates on him.



1. Still not much words made senses out from him other than he starting to greet people with "alo" and "bye". . Still in his own language but I starting to catch few familiar sounds from him. Like when the traffic light turns green he will make that particular sound only.

2. He eats everything but he loves sweet and sour food the most!

3. Know number one to five and can show numbers with his fingers.

4. Loves to dance and sing. Now he is learning to sing "Happy Birthday" song.

5. Loves to ride the kiddie ride.

6. Loves to play with computer and mouse.

7. Now having less milk time, averagely 3 to 4 times a day.

8. Can climb up the stair case without assistance. And also love to go up the escalators which always give me heart attacks!

9. He has been co-sleeping with me and Princess since he was a baby (before he was 1 year old) and he never wants to go back to his own bed.

10. Very peculiar about his clothings, like he wants to make sure his pant reaches his knee and long sleeves been folded; otherwise he will cry non stop till it is done.

11. He loves to pull his sister's hair! Those two. When they are good, they really good. However when they quarrel, they really are nasty! But usually no fist fight involved.

Damages

Few months ago, Baby Jay spoiled our Blackberry charger, and we have to get a new charger to replace the spoiled one. And then it was Big J's Tag Heuer glasses rim. Do not asked me how he did it, but he really did it.

Every time his daddy charged his Blackberry phone, he will go and unpluck from the charger. Then he smartly passed back to daddy. Baby Jay knew the phone belong to daddy but after many times of plucking, the charger head was damaged.

The Blackberry charger does not cost a lot, but the Tag Heuer replacement costs RM350. And big hole in Big J's pocket but he is his precious so just after a few scolding and ranting, he forgave him. Anyway, it was Big J's fault for not keeping his glasses properly. So kid been kid. He played with it and break!

So now we have to remind ourselves to keep everything out of Baby Jay's reach but he grows taller and everything seems reachable to him! Lol!

My and his birthday

Oh no! Baby Jay is turning 2 next week! And I hope it would be a "Terrific Two" instead of "Terrible Two" for him. He has been a darling when he was a baby, loves to coddle others but when he turned one, he has a great energy in him that he almost turned the house upside down! Lol!

My and Baby Jay's big day are just a day apart, so we will have double celebration. Just a simple family dinner....So Happy Birthday to me and Baby Jay!

Breakie

The kids having a break of Oreo cookies after "trashing" the shop.....Lol! Just could not resist taking photo of the siblings having good time snacking.

Planning for the house

We are excited because soon we will move into our dream house. Renovation is under the way now, so in about 2 months time, we will be able to move in.

While the renovation is in progress, I am looking though the magazines and website for suitable furniture, fixtures and household products for the house. I am looking at the environmentally friendly products such as the ash cutting board, ash serving bowls organic cotton towel wash cloth and organic cotton duvet cover.

The kids will have a playroom for themselves, so I can put more environmentally friendly toys for them to play and keep in.

And don't you love those Zodiac pendant necklace? I love the Scorpio sign pendant and since I have yet to decide what to give to Big J, I think I will get the Scorpio pendant as his birthday present.

Brave girl

This incident happened end of June. Just remember that I should pen this incident down here. Why? Because I am proud of my 5 yo Princess.

My shop has a free makeover session for 2 days (a Friday and Saturday), which my Princess also have a free makeover too. You can check out her picture here.

I am not going to talk about her makeover here but an incident a night before. Princess was busy helping me with the stock arrangement in the shop, while we were clearing after a busy day in the shop. Suddenly we heard a "dup" sound and followed by Princess' cries. The next thing I knew was I rubbing her head and then blood stain on my hand and her dress. She cried even louder. By then I realised she knocked and cut her head on the tiles, and out of daze, I do not know what to do to my Princess.

Thank god that my parents who just left came back to fetch her to clinic. It was almost 9pm and almost all clinics closed. Luckily the clinic in Stutong which is about 5 minutes drive willing to attend to my Princess although it was passed its closing time.

My sister sms-ed me telling me my Princess did not cry in the car while on the way to clinic(by then the blood must have stop bleeding) and while doctor washed and attended her wound. The funny thing was both my parents and sister were dumb-founded when attendant asked for Princess' details like name, and birth date. They totally forgot them!! Some more I was not there as I cannot left the shop that night. So when asked about her name and birthdate, my Princess calmly told the attendant the details.

Luckily she only had a small cut on her head, and she did not have any concussion. She even put up a brave face on the next evening for the makeover session. So like her daddy said "die die also want to be pretty!" Lol!

Our Sunday

Jay the tower builder

Slowly putting up the tower


Finally the roof



Done!

Our weekend

As usual, our weekend would not be complete without car ride around the city. When it comes to "kai kai", my Baby Jay would be the first one to get ready wearing his shoes. Now he hardly could sit in his baby car seat as he does not sit still for seconds.



After a morning "kai kai" and mummy opened up her shop, the kids have their afternoon play and nap. The house is never quiet with the kids around; either from their fighting, screaming, Baby Jay and Princess's singing. And not forgetting the mess from their toys. Lol! Luckily Princess able to clean up the mess after she played because I harrassed her to do so, otherwise her toys will be thrown away. (Bad mummy)



Princess' taste of iPad. Princess and I have whole afternoon playing the Angry Bird. Now I am addicted to it. Lol!

His new toy

Big J bought an iPad yesterday. His new toy I said, but according to him, it is his "rice bowl". Depend on it to earn money. Lol!

Princess and Baby Jay were pretty excited to try on daddy's new toy and I have to warn Big J not to get so loose on the gadget. Knowing my two kids, they can destruct a thing in few seconds. Lol! Anyway, Princess had a taste of first ipad this morning before going to school by playing Angry Bird games on daddy's new iPad. And my oh my, I never knew she is so tech-savvy than me. I still not so good with those touch-screen gadgets.

Sick

Princess has been unwell for few days; she cough since last week. Took her to her paed on Saturday, doctor confirmed it was inflammation in her throat. So she has to take her "yukky" antibiotic since the cough did not subsided on Sunday.

Wonder why kids still so energetic and chatty even when they are sick? Not like us adult, almost drained out by end of the day and yet they still jumping in the bed, shouting around. Sigh!

Then the virus spread to me. Yeap, I can feel the tightness in the throat yesterday and this morning, I woke up with a sore throat. Gosh!

Never feel this tiring; as need to be in the shop the whole day today and tomorrow. Now I wish I am in my bed, resting at home.....

Seeing shapes

My Princess told me this morning that yesterday she has her eye check in her school. Oh, good. I remember signing my consent on her getting her vision checking, but do not remember the date. At least she can have her eyes been properly checked since the optical shop I usually went to, does not check on younger kids' eye. They said their machine is for older kids, not for kids under 6. *blur blur*

Anyway, I asked Princess about her result, and does she able to read all those alphabets and numbers. Instead she told me she can see shapes. Square, circle, triangle, etc. huh? First time I heard about having shapes for eye checking. Now I am curious........The school supposed to pass a copy of the result to parents who permitted their children for the screening. So I am waiting for an official result, rather than hearing from my Princess. It is not that I do not believe her, but it does not sound like the usual eye screening chart that we know.

Get it right

Previously when Big J has few textile shops, he used to pass all his business accounts to a friend of mine that work in an audit firm. She helped him to compile the necessary accounts so it would be easier for him to submit for income tax purposes. Been not of accounting background, it is not easier for Big J to sort out his cashflow of the businesses. Thank god to my friend, she helped him a lot during those 5 years.

She even suggested to him to use irs extension form 2009 to obtain tax extension. It is great advice as he was able to maximise on his tax deduction and used it to invest in properties and bonds. Otherwise we would not be where we are now.

They fight

Princess is 5 years old and Baby Jay is turning 2 next month! Both kids started to fight more nowadays and neither one want to give in easily. Both kids fight because of toys.

So I have to act as mediator most of the times, giving reasons to Princess since she is the eldest and Baby Jay is still young and cannot understand reason for now. But my Princess is getting naughtier now and can argue with me. Even the baby sitter is complaining that she talk back a lot and can throw tantrum around.

As for Baby Jay he is more cheeky. Even when everything is calm and normal, he will try every chance to hit his sister. And poor sister, cry and complain. Sigh!

Poo story

It may sound disgusting to some of you, so don't say I did not warn you first! It all started in the church this morning........

Suppose to be a quiet time in the church but suddenly Princess commented on stomach ache. Thought that her early morning consumption of 100 Plus was the culprit but after 30 minutes during the mass, I have to bring her to toilet to let her do her "business".

After the passing out, Princess still commented on stomachache, but nothing out during second visit to the toilet. Then Baby Jay started to get restless and cried. So I have to bring him out from the children room and let him have some fresh air outside the church. And me and Baby Jay were sweating on a warm Sunday morning!

And guess what? After we finished in the church, he started to poo in the car! Lol! New perfume in my car. So lucky that we did not used Big J's car this morning. And I have no choice but to change Baby Jay in my shop as the daddy cannot stand the smell in the car. Lol! Thought he finished his business, but instead he gave me more work! He poo in my shop! One last push from him and I get my fitting room dirty. Eeeewwww! What to do? Got to clean him up and also my fitting room.

So much in the morning.....

Move in

You fall in love at first sight! You spending most of the time together and within a month (or week!), you move into his house. Is it the right move or time to live together? What would be the proper duration to move in?

Some couples move faster in relationship than other. Some probably have to wait till marriage then they will move and live together. I am one of the latter group. It is not that I am against those couples that move in before marriage but I have seen and witness a family member's failed marriage.

Here is a true fact about moving in before marriage:

Couples who live together prior to marriage have higher rate of divorce than those move in after marriage

It turns out that the "moving in" time does not strenghten one relationship. Some reasons couples stay together may be of financial, convenience or friends influences. You think that it is "cool" to live with boyfriend, have some one to drive you to work or can save on some expenses. The risk of moving in together too soon is that one of you may succumb to the Temptation to Settle for Less because it’s much harder to break up if you are staying in together.

So when would be the right time to move in? One would be when your relationship has reach the peak of maturity. Meaning you are so committed to each other and marriage is in the mind. You have same agenda and goals. Your relationship is solid as rock.

So if you just met someone and thinking of moving in with him, please take a breather and do not let the heart rules your judgement. You may be excited about him at first, but down few months later, he may not be the one that you are looking for. Moving in is definitely not a right solution of conveniences. Better wait till you are sure of your feeling.

Little model

Taken last Saturday. Some of the shots I like. Which one you like most??

Her school progress

Went to meet Princess Jan's teacher yesterday afternoon. It was my first meeting with her P2 teacher this year.

Overall, her performance is good and teacher commented she is very obedient and quiet in class. She does not mix much with her other classmates and always by herself while the others are playing. Should I be concerned?? Because it is not her nature. When she is not in school, she is a chatterbox and even the babysitter commented she can talk non-stop. Lol!

I have confidence in her academic performance but worry about her social skill in school. So I took the opportunity to consult her class teacher and hope she will encourage her to interact more with her classmates.

Naughty Boy

I am struggling with disbelief. My almost 2 years old boy can argue with others. I know that boys always grow up being naughtier but never thought my Baby Jay can argue or hit other kids at this age. And I lose counts of how many times I have to apologise to my customers for Baby Jay as he has tendency hitting customers' children when he saw other children. Even the older children that taller and bigger than him does not dare to get near him!

As just few night ago, Baby Jay was seen arguing with several sales persons from nearby supermarket. Don't know what the causes, but it was a hilarious scene looking at a small kid shouting in his baby language and hitting a chair while surrounded by people. Lol!! Thank god he is well known in the building where my shop is. Everyone knew him. Everyone called him "Budak Nakal" (Naughty boy) there! This is one bad boy I have here!!

As of today

Nothing make my Sunday but those two......restless day.

My Princess

My Prince

Princess coming home

She is coming back tonight! Miss her a lot after the two weeks holiday. Wonder she has grown taller, fatter or tanner? *wink*

Could not wait to see her tonight......

Happy anniversary

Big J and I are different. Really the Mars and Venus thinggy.

He is passionate, rational and wise. He does thing slowly. I am just the opposite. I guess that is why people say opposite attraction is.

We may think and do things differently but once a while, we love to do things together. Like cooking a decent meal for the family. Or just go to our favourite cafe and enjoy the food we love.

Another aspect that we both think alike (not so agree but we compromise) is the way we raise our child. We believe that we need to connect with our children and involve in their lives. Although we are both busy with our respective works, we try to make some "quality" times for our two kids. Both need our attention and affection. I may be wrong (correct me if I do), most couple's argument concerning either money or children. Every household have the same problem and mine is not an exception. It is hard not to talk about such things, so some compromises are important in any relationships. We have been married more than 5 years and yet every day I am still learning to compromise with hubby.

How to keep our love stronger? It needs two hands to clap. We learn to give and take. Give times to each other, listen and talk to him and children, do the things we like and not forgetting, lots of love and hugs every day! *wink*

Happy Anniversary, darling!

Keep them happy

Most companies nowadays go for customized gifts for their customers like mugs, key chains, pens etc. With competition around, everyone would like to win their customers over. It is the same for my business too. It is easier and cheaper to maintain customer loyalty than building a new customer base. To appreciate my customers I give them customized items. For instance last year I ordered and gave away 2011 pocket calendars. If any customers with children tag along, I will give each child a Light N Whistle key chain which they happily play with and leave their parents alone browsing around the shop. To keep the little customers happier, I have some delicious lollipops ready at the counter. The children love them!!

If you are thinking of buying gifts for birthdays, office functions or any special occasions, you can check out this cool promotional items website. Pricing is great and we can order in bulk. I like its customized t-shirts that I ordered for my staff. They are very comfortable.

There are more about Go Promos than promotions and offers. It offers conveniences, varieties and customization. I am getting one of those Clic Gold pens for hubby for our coming anniversary. I think they are cool and he will like them!!

Set a goal

Every year, Big J and I are setting targets for ourselves. This year for instance, we are setting 2 goals and we are in the way of achieving them.

First is growing our personal network to other countries. Second is moving into our new house.

For the first goal I already have network in Indonesia, Brunei and New Zealand. Hopefully more countries to hit this year. And second goal, we are planning to move in before Christmas this year.

And Big J told me this morning that we should start setting goal for the next 2 years which is an overseas family vacation. Next year sounds too near, so maybe we would not be able to save enough. So 2 years sound practical. Destination? Not so sure yet.

Holiday starts tomorrow

Holiday is earlier for her (as usual). Princess will be heading back, with a 7something morning flight tomorrow with my MIL. It will be around 2 weeks holiday for her, so I would not be seeing her till her school starting next month. And it means I can sleep late and no need to rush in the morning.

Well, at least there is someone there to take care and pamper her. I feel guilty of not spending as much time with her, but am trying my best to spare my Sunday with both kids. Like over the weekend we have great time in Sinar Serapi Eco Theme Park, Matang. We brought along a cousin and her daughter, so it was a tiring day for mummies, while the kids happily splashing around. But I were glad that once reached home, both kids were too exhausted and had a long nap. And Princess has told us right after her nap that she wants to go to the theme park again the following weekend. Lol!!

At 21 months old

Baby Jay is going to be 21 months old next week. He is as babbling as ever, and we cannot understand what he is trying to say most of the times.

Improvements and updates from him:

1. His vocabulary is mixed with Chinese and English. It is a wonder which language he will master, but we just speak both languages to him.
2. He understands what we say, but unable to reply us. Like when I told him to pass a pack of biscuit to grandfather to open, he just went to find his grandfather and pass him the pack.
3. Dog - he loves dogs and he will shout "dog" when ever he sees one. My mum's dogs afraid of him because he will step or grab them. I am more afraid of the dogs biting him because he disturbing them.
4. When in pain or accidentally bump into something, he will say "Aw".
5. No no no - his famous words now. He will shake his head and say "no" when he does not like something.
6. Water - When he wants his water bottle, he will say "ter". Now I am introducing him toddler bottle to drink, so try to wean him from his water bottle
7. "Kai Kai" - when we say "kai kai" (going out) he will get ready his shoes to wear. And just last week, I hear him saying "Bye" for the first time! Oh boy!
8. Like his sister, Baby Jay loves to watch "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" and will dance to its songs.
9. He starts to feed himself. Other than messy and wobbly, he is doing well.
10. He loves food. Eat almost anything. When he wants Ribena, he will bring his water bottle and pull me to the kitchen to get me to pour him some Ribena.
11. He starts to play pc mouse and can switch on and off the pc.
12. He starts to play his sister's bike. He is still not tall enough to ride so he is pushing the bike around in the house.
13. He is no longer afraid to take bath. Instead he loves to go to the bathroom and play with water. Once I undress him, he will take off his diaper by himself and run to the bathroom. Sigh! And I got to coax him out of there too.
14. He is still on diaper, but slowly nanny is teaching him to urinate and poo in potty. But he does not like to. He still like to poo in his diapers standing up. How???

A police for a cousin

Recently a cousin of mine has been promoted to be a Chief Inspector. He has been in the police force for over 10 years and after so many years of dedication and hard work, he finally get a much deserved promotion. We are proud of him!!

It has been long since I met up with him. However, last week we met up in a Mother's Day lunch organised on behalf of our grandmother. What a great reunion as all uncles, aunties and cousins with children were there.

This cousin who is a Chief Inspector now is one of my favourite cousins. He used to stayed with us when he was a boy. He always dreamt of being a policeman and true enough, he achieved his dream and now a high rank officer in his work place.

He told me he used to deal with cases which require a lot of people search. It sounds tedious but he assures me that it is actually not. Just key in the name and state, in few second, he can get the necessary contacts and addresses of that person. My cousin also involved in checking public records but now that he is a Chief Inspector, those works now leave to his subordinates. Lol!

Flower from her

A Mother's Day gift from Princess. The flowers were made in her school for Mother's Day celebration. Now she is looking forward for Father's Day gift, so she can also give something to her daddy.



When ask what flowers are those, she replied "Carnation!" Hmm.....

Happy Mother's Day!

Spoil brat

Please tell me it is normal stage for a 5 years old. Or else I would not know how to deal with her crazy demands.

Princess has been very demanding lately. 2 weeks ago, she was telling her dad that I agreed to her going to her cousin's house for fun. Then last week, she whispered to her dad that I agreed to her going to game archive, which we did bring her over the holiday. And Big J was laughing it off when she asked him. Because she was smart. She complimented her dad first, then get down to her request. "Daddy, daddy, you are so good and handsome. Can you bring me to play games in Hock Lee Centre? Mummy said yes". Lol!

Right after the archive, she told us she wanted to go to swimming pool. We did not as the kids need to take their naps and something urgent turned up that evening. And when asked her to go to the swimming class on Tuesday, she threw a tantrum and did not want to go. And just yesterday when I asked her whether she wanted to go to swimming pool this weekend, she told me she wanted to go to beach instead. Huh??

First of all, she was telling lies to her dad about me agreeing to her requests, which in first place, she did not ask me first. And secondly where do all those orders come from suddenly? Don't tell me that I am going to expect a "Tough 5" from her, as she just passed her "cheeky 4" more than a week ago. Sigh!

And not only that, her "kiasu-ness" is getting worse too. She must the first one to wake up, if not after me. And she must be the one to go out from the house, get into the car etc. *Faint* Not all she must be number one. Sometimes she can wait for her turn like when I make milk for Baby Jay and bathing time. Once a while she even demand to be in the bathroom with her brother, so both can play with water. Lol!

Kids! Tough bringing them up.

True or not?

Princess has been telling me that her Bahasa Malaysia speaking competition is coming soon. Not only that, she eagerly told me that she will go up to the stage, talk and win prize. Huh? I must kena 4D soon........

Anyway, I worry that she just "say say" only and last minute, she freaks out again. But hopefully with my continuous encouragement every day, she will overcome her stage fright. See how it goes on that day. *wink*

Have fun

Yesterday was Labour Day. And also our Family's Day. Actually it has been long since we bring the kids out for shopping and fun. So yesterday was a great day to get connected again with my 2 monkeys!

We went to Hock Lee Centre to visit the game arcade as my Princess has been persuading us to bring her there. So as expected, it was packed when we reached there around 11am. It was my first visit to the arcade although it has been there for ages. So you can imagine how old are some of the machines. Lol!






The kids have car rides, then we play some shooting games. I even managed to play "Jurassic Park" game with Big J! Fun, and I sweat. Lol!

After an hour in the arcade we had our lunch in Uncle Jas kitchen. Not so nice! :( But on other hand, I got a new pair of sandals. For price of RM87 from Heatwave! So expensive for a simple design, but what to do? My sandals almost worn out and I desperately need a new one. And Big J chipped in some, so not so bad. Yes!

5 years old

My Princess is 5 years old today. To grant her wishes, I bought her a birthday cake to be shared with her classmates in kindergarden.

As for her birthday present, I bought her a new school bag and a blanket. Her current school bag is trolley type and she has been carried it on her back. It can be pushed around but since her class teacher commented on safety in the class (worry about other kid's feet) so my princess resorted to carry her school bag since then. Sigh!

She choosen her own birthday presents. A black Hello Kitty sling bag and a pinky blanket.

Happy 5th birthday, Princess!

Going green

In Kuching, most of the outlets, departmental stores and supermarkets are going green on every Saturdays. People are been educated on less usage of plastic bags, bringing own eco-friendly shopping bag and exposure of campaigns on recycling.

It is still new for local businesses to practise "going green" as the idea is relatively new over here. However some companies do implementing green marketing ideas such as providing buses to pick and send their workers to work, encouraging car pooling and reducing the usage of electricity. Like my previous company, we have the practice of switching off computers and lights during an hour lunch break. Even when we have our take-away lunch, we are taught to bring own container to pack our food instead of asking for plastic or styrofoam packs.

I learn many great green marketing ideas from social entrepreneur blog. If you want to know more about ways of preserving the Mother's Nature and how to have a greener business, do join the social entrepreneur blog. You would be surprised how those ideas can save you money and help your business too.

Little buyer

This morning, I asked my princess to do a thing that she never did before!!!

I asked her to buy her school snack herself. We stopped by her favourite bakery store and after passing her RM3.60 for 2 pieces of croissants, she hopped out from the car and went into the store herself. With me able to view from the car, she was seen looking around for the croissant. I have told her to ask the staff to assist her, but she told me in the car that she wanted to look for it herself.

So after few seconds, I saw her asked the staff since she could not find it. She happily paid and run back into the car.

Well, my Princess is going to be 5 years old next week, so it is another new milestone for her!!! No need mummy to buy her snack anymore. Lol!

Online prospect

My brother has been doing his online computer accessories sales for few years now. Recently he is upgrading his website as his business is expanding, not within the country but accross other Asian countries.

Initially he did it out of interest, but his clientele is expanding and more demands on his accessories. So the other day he used a free web hosting to re-build his website for better efficiency and customer services. I am glad that he is able to earn extra incomes from his online business. Being single and able to earn and spend his own money, no wonder my parents are chasing him on marriage. Lol!

Cheeking phase

Both kids are entering a new phase I called "cheek-ing" phase. Why?? You be the judge.

Baby Jay
He is more sentimental and emotional than his sister. He does not like to be left alone and been deserted. When ever we hugged his sister he will make a pitiful face and pretend to cry. So we need to be equal in showing our love to both kids.

Princess described her brother as a cheeky boy. When asked her why she said that, she said her brother very naughty and sometimes will slap or hit her. I saw him slapping his sister's face twice. When been reprimand, Baby Jay will show his sad face and started to cry and complained to his daddy. Lol!

He always make us laugh and smile with his cheeky smile and happy face.


Princess Jan

She is the matured one. Always been a matured girl since she was young. But she can be mischevious when she wanted too. She can be a sweetie pie, a busy body, chatterbox and a headache at the same times! She know when and who to use her charms on.

A great nagger she is growing up to. Like for instance, she has to remind me on her birthday cake almost every day. Duh! Either she worries I forget, or she wants to share her cake with all her classmates in school.

She has always been good with her words, but she can be a little liar too. Few times we caught her lying. Yes! She can lie now. What ever it is, she will blame that it was her brother's work (messing thing) when the actual fact was she the initiator in the first place. Sigh!


HAPPY WEEKEND, EVERYONE!

Too loud for her

As usual, I switched on Hitz.fm on the radio. When the song "Rocketeers" by Far East Movement was sung, my ever clever Princess commented to me that the song was "too loud". Faint. While her brother was happily dancing in his car seat, Princess kept complaining about the noisy song.

She has an old bone in her!

TIme with kids

I have been busy since early this year and seldom have time with the kids at home. With my Indonesian maid left us in January and my staff turnover episode, I am stucked in the shop most of the day. So it was a great relief and a break for me when I would be able to spend times at home especially with my two lovely kids.

Yesterday is one of those days. Big J helped close shop last night, so I took the opportunity to be lazy at home. Anyway I need a break too. Spending times with my Princess and Baby Jay, watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in the room. Chatted with Princess on her school and her upcoming birthday. Now my Baby Jay started to watch cartoons. Everytime the theme song was played, he will stand up and dance; just like Princess when she was small.

Princess' command of Mandarin is improving since last year. She speaks more Chinese to me now. As for Baby Jay, he is still having his baby talk but he can say "She mek?" (What?). He understand when we talk to him. He will hug, kiss and wave good bye when we ask him to. He is getting very lovey-dovey to us too. He understand more Chinese than English, so we believe that he will speak Chinese first.

You know what?? I think I only heard Baby Jay called me "mummy" once. Some of his first words are daddy, che cheh (sister), mum mum (eat) and nen nen (milk), but not mummy. *sob sob* Now his vocabulary is getting more, he can say "bye bye", ter (water).

I just realised my kids are growing fast. Baby Jay - 20 months old, Princess - going to be 5 in 2 weeks times! So I cherish the quality times I have with my kids. I miss them.

Duck? Goose? Swan!

Big J won an inflatable toy from Petronas over the weekend. When Princess saw the toy at home, she commented it was a duck. And Big J told her that it was not a duck, but a goose.



When I reached home that evening, my Princess was so eager to show me the duck. So when I saw the toy, I wanted to laugh off. I corrected both Big J and Princess that it was not a duck neither a goose. It was a swan! Or was it??

Mr Right

Please do not get me wrong. My relationship with Big J is as strong as ever. Just that I recently read an article on relationship and I could not help myself to post it here for sharing. Please read on.......

DID I MARRY THE RIGHT PERSON?


During one of our seminars, a woman asked a common question. She said, "How do I know if I married the right person?" I noticed that there was a large man sitting next to her so I said, "It depends. Is that your husband?" In all seriousness, she answered "How do you know?"

Let me answer this question because the chances are good that it's weighing on your mind.

Here's the answer. EVERY relationship has a cycle. In the beginning, you fell in love with your spouse/partner. You anticipated their call, wanted their touch, and liked their idiosyncrasies (unconventional behavior/habit) .

Falling in love with your spouse wasn't hard. In fact, it was a completely natural and spontaneous experience. You didn't have to DO anything. That's why it's called "falling" in love... Because it's happening TO YOU.

People in love sometimes say, "I was swept of my feet." Think about the imagery of that expression. It implies that you were just standing there; doing nothing, and then something came along and happened TO YOU.

Falling in love is easy. It's a passive and spontaneous experience. But after a few years of marriage, the euphoria (excitement) of love fades. It's the natural cycle of EVERY relationship. Slowly but surely, phone calls become a bother (if they come at all), touch is not always welcome (when it happens), and your spouse's idiosyncrasies, instead of being cute, drive you nuts.

The symptoms of this stage vary with every relationship, but if you think about your marriage, you will notice a dramatic difference between the initial stage when you were in love and a much duller or even angry subsequent stage.

At this point, you and/or your spouse might start asking, "Did I marry the right person?" And as you and your spouse reflect on the euphoria of the love you once had, you may begin to desire that experience with someone else. This is when marriages or relationship breakdown. People blame their spouse/partner for their unhappiness and look outside their marriage/relationship for fulfillment.

Extramarital fulfillment comes in all shapes and sizes. Infidelity is the most obvious. But sometimes people turn to work, a hobby, excessive TV, or abusive substances.

But the answer to this dilemma does NOT lie outside your marriage. It lies within it. I'm not saying that you couldn't fall in love with someone else. You could.

And TEMPORARILY you'd feel better. But you'd be in the same situation a few years later. Because (listen carefully to this):

THE KEY TO SUCCEEDING IN MARRIAGE/RELATIONSHIP IS NOT FINDING THE RIGHT PERSON; IT'S LEARNING TO LOVE THE PERSON YOU FOUND.

SUSTAINING love is not a passive or spontaneous experience. It'll NEVER just happen to you. You can't "find" LASTING love. You have to "make" it day in and day out. That's why we have the expression "the labor of love." Because it takes time, effort, and energy. And most importantly, it takes WISDOM. You have to know WHAT TO DO to make your marriage/relationship work. Sure true love can only happen after you've fallen out of love. When you begin choosing to love, even if you don't feel like doing it ---- that's true love. And that's the foundation of a lasting and strong marriage.

Make no mistake about it. Love is NOT a mystery. There are specific things you can do (with or without your spouse) to succeed with your marriage.

Just as there are physical laws of the universe (such as gravity), there are also laws for relationships. Just as the right diet and exercise program makes you physically stronger, certain habits in your relationship WILL make your marriage stronger. It's a direct cause and effect. If you know and apply the laws, the results are predictable. .. you can "make"love.

Love is indeed a "decision".. . Not just a feeling. You'll not just go away with your relationship just because the feeling is gone. In the Bible, love is a command. You make it happen.

Remember this always:

"God determines who walks into your life. It is up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go." - Ruth Beltran

It's inspiring, isn't it?

Almost every evening....

Both kids have not yet sleep when I reach home around 10pm every evening. Why not? The daddy is playing or watching movie in front of computer and the 2 kids are either watching the computer or playing in the room. Sigh!

Only when I am at home, the kids will have no choice but to follow instructions (from me) to go to their beds. So cannot depend on the daddy to make them sleep earlier.

Couple Time

When we have kids, it is hard to have couple time. Usually we have to wait for both Princess Jan and Baby Jay to fall asleep (which would be around 11pm or later), then Big J and I can catch up on some DVD or just a chat.

Since my SIL is here since Thursday, she has been very helpful in looking after our two rascals at night. Last night, we were able to catch on a movie in MBO. We were just in time for 9.45pm "World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles". I thought I would doze off during the movie, but I managed to watch it till the end. But after it ended, I could not wait to go back, take my hot bath and lie down in bed. Lol! Or you can say, I could not wait to see my kids. Thank god, both has dozed off when we reached home around 12midnight.

Not enough sleep

Baby Jay has not been behaving good lately. Always stay up late at night. Both myself and Big J are tired from our work and need to get early sleep but Baby Jay keeps us awake. He will keeps moving around the bed, disturbing us from sleeping or crying for no reason. We can only sleep when he falls asleep, which usually around 11 or 12pm.

Sometimes he will wake up once or twice a night. Sometimes he is hungry and asks for milk but sometimes he just like to cry and make so much noises. I have not been having a peaceful and quality sleep for past week. Usually in the morning, I having hard time to get up even my alarm dutifully wake me up. Lol! As much as I want to, I have to get up otherwise Princess will definitely late for her school. Princess always a good girl, once we off the light, she will be quietly lying on her bed. But different story for Baby Jay, he becoming more active with the light off. Geez! Maybe need to ask the baby sitter to reduce his nap, so Baby Jay will be able to sleep earlier at night.

Like it or Love it?

Like it or love it?

That is her famous quote after watching one of the cartoon series on "Dibo, the Gift Dragon".

She has a hair cut yesterday, trimmed straight of her back part and spotted a better looking bang. Result? You be the judge! Princess commented on having a straight bang instead of a curved one. I have to agree with her. Must not go to that hair salon again, the hair dresser never listen to customers' wants and requests.

Franchise business

A friend asked us to take over a franchise business, but after much consideration, we forgo and reject his proposal. There are pros and cons to consider and one of them is time. We hardly have times to run another business. I have my own and Big J is busy with his work. So more this business is running at a lose scale for past year and if we are to take over, it would be hard and a bit late to revive it. Cost would be much more than starting a totally new business.

Shoulder pain

Big J has been having shoulder (or should I said, joint) pain for past month. He did not do anything about it, other than getting inflammation and pain killer from doctor and a body massage few weeks ago. The pain still there and sometimes it get worse.

I told him to look for Chinese sinseh, hopefully he would be able to diagnose what is the problem. Sometimes feel like dragging him but I do not have times. Weekday he works till so late and so am I.

Until his colleague mentioned to him the other day about possible connection of joint pain with heart problem, then he was more concern. I don't know, hope he will do something about it. Maybe a body check up and scanning to determine the cause of his pain. I am worry about his health.

Not so candid

It is so hard to get Baby Jay to be still for a second. So it takes much time to shoot a nice picture of him. Some more using my BB camera.

Not like Princess, when she was a baby she just smile for the camera. She was (and still) natural in front of the camera. She has tonnes of photographs in the album, while Baby Jay hardly have a complete album in the shelf.

Anyway tried my luck again last week while in the church. Those are the best I could get.

Enjoying the time

It is middle of the week. I have been enjoying my school holiday with my family. Yeap, can wake up late, no rushing here and there and losing my mind in the morning. I like the feeling of waking up the natural way, not depending on my alarm clock. Lol!

My kids are down with cough and sniff. Yes! Again. It just go round and round and round, never stop. Luckily with cough and flu medicine from the phamacy, both kids are getting well now.

School is starting next Monday. And it means time to pay for Princess' semester fee. Boy! Another big bucks coming out from the pocket, other than the new house extension work.

More Chinese

We are speaking more Chinese with Princess although once a while a slip of tongue. I cannot control myself when talk to her. I have get used to speak English with her since she was a baby, so a change of language will need some times.

However it is good that now she is conversing more in Chinese. More daring. She started to use more Chinese words since this year. Happy to know that she is progressing in that aspect. As she will be entering a Chinese primary in 2 years time, it is great to prepare her to talk more Chinese.

Busy week

Too busy until I do not know the time. Even Big J is "missing" for past two days due to his meeting. Talking about him. What meeting is he having, from morning till night. And I really mean night!

On Monday he picked the kids at around 9pm and once I reached home, he rushed out again for his meeting cum dinner. Geez! So more Baby Jay is sick for 2 days. Poor boy! He was having fever till he was weak. When I came home on Monday night, he was lying on the bed, just looking at me with his misty eyes. Poor boy! My heart broke! Thinking about it, it still make my heart breaks. Luckily he is getting better although his fever is on and off.

I have to mend the shop at all times since Monday as short-handed. Just have a new staff came in yesterday as both my old staff resigned on same day! Really pissed me off, but why bother. Just got to be patient to train new staff.

Tomorrow morning I will hand in the registration form in the selected primary school for Princess. After that visit my developer in regards to the new house's renovation. Got to collect some plans pertaining to grilles and extension work.

Busy. Busy! Do not have times for family. Hopefully this will be short term. Just hope new staff will stay longer, unlike the previous two.

I don't want

It is all over again. Princess told me earlier this week that she will have to go to the stage for her English Story Telling Competition. When asked her the date, she does not know. Last night, she told me that her teacher gave back the communication book and have indicated date of competition. It is on 30 March.

Her mood for the week was not so good as she was worry about stage fright. Every morning she will ask me about the competition and a look out for the stage in her school hall. Even when she walked out from the car, I could see that she was anxious. Poor girl!! So when I told her this morning about the date, she was very relieved and cheerful going to school. I wonder how to help her overcome her fear???

At 18 months

Baby Jay's little update:

* Weighing at 11kg at 18 months old
* Not much senses made out of him. Very babbling, but still unable to talk, other than baby talk like "mam mam", "nen nen" "tah" (hit), "ma ma" (scold). At least he knows how to call mummy, daddy and "ah ma" (grandma)
* Recognise people, like my parents, Big J's parents and my staff.
* Not so attached to strangers, but love to wave at people.
* Loves to eat anything that we give him. He has tried sour, sweet, bitter and spicy food. Not much change of expression from him. Lol!
* Likes to put everything into his mouth from edible to non-edible
* Loves to hold pen and pencil and scribble on papers
* He scared of my mum! Because my mum will scold and hit him for being naughty. lol!
* He is still on diaper, but now nanny is training him on potty.
* Does not like to brush his teeth!
* He seldom ask for milk when we go out. Eat more solid food than drinking milk.
* Loves to bite and scratch people
* He is full of hands. Love to touch everything
* Enjoys walking up and down the escalator

Our little man. And Big J is ranting about having "Little 3" maybe in 2 years time. Gosh! By then I would be 36 and I wonder I still have the strenght and energy to take care of a baby. Oh no!!

An Ox Boy

Soon he would not be a baby anymore. In 6 months time my Baby Jay will be a 2 years old toddler! A naughty and active toddler as well.

I guess that what the Chinese says is correct. Those born in Year of Ox is very active, hot-tempered, observant and robust. I guess my baby inherit some of the traits especially the hot tempered and active part!

Almost everyday he would ended with a bruise or cut on his head, usually the forehead. Sigh! Always hitting this and that. Always see his face covered with bruise or swollen forehead.

He is well-known in my shop with the neighbours from other shops calling him "Budak Nakal" (naughty boy). Some sales girls would come over to hug, carry or play with him. He unlike his sister, not so sociable and warm to others. But now he would wave people goodbye or send a fly kiss without us telling him to do so.

I just hope he will grow out of this stage, maybe before he reaches his 2 years old birthday. *wink* No one can handle him in shop. Every staff I have had few scatches or bite marks from him. That is how naughty he is.