It's End of the Year~~ Again!

Yet another year nearly gone! So much to do, so little time! One would think that with 330 days been and passed, one would have got a lot accomplished, and would have more time to unwind and relax.. BUT.. human beings have one really bad habit! That is to cramp everything into a thing called "last min". Hehehe, I'm guilty as charged! It seems like it's the only way to do things around here..

We've got students that are sitting for major exams next year, that don't even know the Basic grammar, wanting to cramp everything into a month, b4 they start school in Jan 07. And so, we've got this Intensive English Programme, where they would come for 4 hrs Monday to Friday, for 4wks. Sigh.. I hope they don't expect too much..

Begin to dig a well only when one feels thirsty.

(Chinese original: Chinese Pinyin: Lin2 ke3 jue2 jing3.)

Sigh.. I've got a list too..

1. My Mum's Presentsss - Birthday, Anniversary + Christmas ALL in Dec!
   
2. All the other Christmas Presents, and cards.. (mental note to self, will send cards out this year) Just in case if I don't, er.. I'll post one up on my blog! hehehe
3. To loose 6 kg b4 Christmas.. (I like setting my goals higher, so if I can achieve it I'll be very happy, but IF I don't and only achieve half way, I'm still happy)
4. Find a way to pay off my credit card before the trip next year.
5. The house - lighting, gate, furnitures, fixtures, all the fine details.
   

Kaitlyn Turns 4!!

It's another year, been and past... Kaitlyn turns 4... gosh time sure flies.. I still remember going into labour with her.. but I guess every mother does with their children :)

Well we adults had a great time, thanks to the kid's birthday.. any excuses to have a big piss up, aye?

Daddy and Kaitlyn are having a 'date' at the moment @ Pizza Hut, just the 2 of them.. Their favourite :)

Update on the house...

My parents are hoping that the house will be ready b4 my brother's wedding on the 20th Jan... hmmm.. we shall seee.....

A day at "Lost World"

Tis was a great day.. the kids had fun, we had fun.. :p (Thanks for a great day Anna and Greg, too bad you guys are leaving soon.. we are soooo going to miss you guys.. and of coz the kids are going to miss your kids too, but that secondary.. hahaha)
I would recommend it to ppl... If they were not such a rip off.. :p They charged us RM21 each adult, and it's written there that children above 12, RM16; and in small prints, children above 90cm is also RM16!!! So our 3 years olds had to pay RM16 too!!! Plus we had to pay for rental of tubes too... hm...
But AnyHo.. it was still a great day with the kids!! 

Jamie's Wedding

 

Cold Hits Sitiawan...

Seems like everyone we know is down with a cold and a pretty bad one too.. 1 min you feel alot better and the next you feel like you've just been hit by a 18 wheeler! It's been hanging around Caleb for a week now and about 4 days for both Maddog and I.

We were suppose to go out to KL on Sunday for a business training, at 10 am, which means we would have to start our drive at about 5:30 am, and try and find this place in Ampang.. er.. where is that!? :) Which also means that we will have to drive back after the training, as Jacob had a class the next day at 12 noon. So as you would have guessed, we flagged it! Was just not possible!

Hopefully We will get better by this weekend, as it is my cousin's wedding. And I am going to take some pictures of her day! :) I think her 'Day' is starting at about 6 am! The groom is coming at 8am to 'buy' the bride, once she is bought, they will have the tea ceremony for the bride's side, which is going to take about an hour, hopefully. The bride and groom has to leave the bride's house and arrive at the groom's house by 10am.

Wow~~~

Gosh it's been a long week......
House is going well..

And best of all I've lost 3.2kgs in 3 weeks!!!! I've tried all kinds of diets and all sorts of ways to slim down; gym, swimming, eating less, ultrasound, G5, G3, teas, coffee, you name it, I've tried it! But NEVER anything!! the most is about 1 kg...

Spoke too Soon...

Well... I was soooo wrong thinking that once my parents were back, I would have more time to relax...
Now that dad is back, everything is going at full force, top gear, NOW, NOW, NOW! Yes, dad is a 'slave driver'! He now wants to move into the new house by Christmas.. hm.. that's 2 months away, so he has got his whip out and opening a few cans of whoop-ass! The roof tiles have finally arrive and they are laying them out as I type. At the same time, we have got some relatives from Taiwan over, that we haven't seen for like 20 years. So we are busy entertaining as well.

So between running around showing the rellies a 'good christian' time, as Chiwidad would put it, and getting the details and measurement for tiles, toilets and everything else for the house... I've just gone on a diet. I've lost 1.2kgs in 6 days.. but that was before the rellies arrived, so it was b4 all the 10 course dinners that we've been having the past 3 nights .. sigh.. am definitely not looking forward to stepping on those weighing scales next Tuesday. I am hoping to lose all that 13 extra kgs that I put on with my 2 little angels/rascals/wolves-in-sheep's clothing.. etc. My target is to achieve that within the next 3 months. And if I do.. I'll post a b4 and after picture up for you guys to see.... :) Here is my 'diet' progress blog.

Yay! It's Almost over!

Ya.. It's all almost over!! I am really at my ends... So..

1. My Parents are coming back tomorrow, not a moment too soon.. As most of you know, my parents travel to NZ about every 2 months, and stays for 2 months. So during the period that they are gone I have to run 2 of their businesses(2 Retail Optical shops + the school(Well Jake helps run it, but I have to manage him thou); manage the books for all the shops; take care of my kids; my 95 years old grandma; manage 2 maids; run the house; pay the bills; buy the essentials... etc This time there are 2 extra things: I've started my own business as you know, divineMums; and the House that is building, that's another headache and a half. For those of you that have build a house in Malaysia, you would probably know the stress that you have to go thru. I'll leave that for another time.

2. In the Chinese tradition, the seventh month in the Chinese calendar is called the Ghost Month (鬼月), during this month the hell gate opens up during this month for all the hungry ghosts. Well.. so.. being a superstitious bunch of ppl chinese ppl are, no wedding are allowed to be held this month, some even says that business will have bad luck if they open this month.. And it is also believed that during every ghost month, it has a quota to hit, a ship of dead ppl, so there is an increase in the incidence of accidents and deaths during the seventh month of the lunar calendar, when all the ghosts are out to get their revange/finding a mate/playing mischief. During Ghost Month, people prepare big feasts to indulge the many roaming ghosts. So set out lots of offerings; hell money, hell cars, hell maids, food.. etc.

This year.. there are 2 7th month. So all the wedding will start from this weekend, coz Friday is the end of the Ghost MonthS! And guess what?? 3 of my cousins are getting married in NOV! 3!!!! 1 every weekend! Yay! I'm going broke! Sigh

Work in progress!

So as you all know.. everything in my life now is 'work in progress'. :p

1. The House - they are now tiling the bricks and hammering the frame for the roof now.. you can see pictures of it @ my flikr account.

2. divineMums - We've got my famous father-in-law(TerryWinn) to take some pictures of some of the tops.

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This here you have Sarah Jane,(Mother of 4, under the age of 6)Breastfeeding her littlest in our very own Comfort T.

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And here she is in Bellus, breastfeeding discreetly still!

Gosh.. I'm so excited!! Can't wait to see mums around the world wearing it!! :p

Six Success Principles

They are:

* Control your destiny or someone else will.
* Face reality as it is—not as it was, and not as you wish it were.
* Be candid, up-front, and totally honest with everyone.
* Don’t "manage" people. Lead by example.
* Change before you’re forced to. Be in control of the change and the pace of change.
* If you don’t have a competitive advantage, don’t compete. Either get a competitive advantage or get out of the game.

By Dextar Yager

I would love to be able to live by these 6 principles. At the moment, not one! Gosh.. that's sad..

NZ confirmed!!

Thank God for MATTA fair, that's Malaysia travel fair, we have got our tickets confirmed and will be getting on that plane on the 27th Jan.. SO .. NZ here we come...

Talking about NZ.. I don't know if I ever wanna move back to NZ with all the news that I have been reading.. But then there are always pros and cons to a country.. Just have to ignore the cons and focus on the pros.. I guess I would still wanna move to the country side and not the city, where everything happens. But in saying that suicide rates are a lot high in country sides!! LOL

Still... Life is as good as we make it ourselves. Right??

Permanently Parents - The Changing Nest

I receive an email everyday from Daily OM. Today this is what I received...

Once one becomes a parent, it is for life! Our identities change perceptively the moment we take on the name "mum" or "dad". Not only they don't provide us with a manual guide, our role is not a fixed one either. As children move from one phase of their lives to the next, parental roles change. When these transitions involve a child gaining independence, many parents experience an empty nest feeling. Instead of feeling proud that their children have achieved so much-whether the flight from the nest refers to the first day of kindergarten or the start of college-parents feel they are losing a part of themselves. However, when approached thoughtfully, this new stage of parental life can be an exciting time in which mothers and fathers rediscover themselves and relate to their children in a new way.

As children earn greater levels of independence, their parents often gain unanticipated freedom. Those with younger children beginning school or teenagers taking a first job can plan a special day in which they express their pride and explain that they will always be there to offer love and support.

The more parents both celebrate and honor their children's life transitions, the less apprehension the children will feel. Parents who embrace their changing nest while still cherishing their offspring can look forward to developing deeper, more mature relationships with them in the future.

Sigh.. what have I got myself into?? :p It's all good...

Thi is Mr Bambam, doing his "Away". He first squats, with hands back, and swings his hands forward with a big 'Aaaa-Way!'

This is him doing his 'Ai Ni' (Love you), he puts his a hand to his ear, and says 'Hi', so that is his 'Ai' too.. then he pauses and points to you and says 'Ni'(you)

I've been Tagged!

Six random things about I, Myself and Me.

1. I'm a workoholic.. I work 7 days a week.. and on my days that I do get off, I would go to work to relax. Even during my pantang month! :p

2. I would love to be able to take photographs like my father-in-law

3. I use to party 5 nights a week till I got pregnant!

4. I still don't believe I've got 2 kids!

5. I'm easily addicted to things.. Doesn't matter what it is..

6. I've always wanted to adopt, there are so many children out there that needs love and care, and I've always wanted 6 kids!!!! but don't think hubby or financial will allow me to.. but we will see... :)

Hm.. who can I tag???
1. Jordan
2. Gracey
3. Kimmy Sia
4. Aida(Just when you have nothing to do during that pantang month! :p)
5. Jinxy
6. You... yes you!

Happy 103 Birthday..

To all our fellow Sitiawan Foo Chow Settlers... although I don't think a lot of them are left. But they are preparing a true feast tonight, the usual 10 course meal, for all Sitiawanians!

This was the old "Pastor's house", don't think it's as old as 103, but should be at least 70+ now. It is now turned into the " Sitiawan Settlement Museum". Right next to this is Pioneer Church
Pioneer Church
Originally uploaded by Chiwigal.

CHRONOLOGY OF PIONEER CHINESE METHODIST CHURCH BUILDING

End of 1904 church obtained ten acres of land for construction, with another three acres adjacent land for cemetery ground.

Mid of 1905 - construction work began - cost $900
1906 - the building was burnt down owing to a wild fire
1907 - church rebuilding - cost $1600
1910 - church renovation - cost $650
1927 - new church building built in the shape of the cross, in use until today.

I, myself, am a 3rd generation Foo Chow here in Sitiawan. It's definitely changed alot since I can remember, can only imagine when my great grand parents first arrived here to settle. I've heard a lot of stories from my grandma on my mum's side, she is 94 this year, to when the Japaness came and stuff when Chin Pin was around. This little town has survived quite a bit! My children are now 4th generation.. gosh... I'm definitely a !

Baby and more babies...

Tis a year full of weddings and babies...

My golly gosh.. Seems like everyone around me is having babies!!!
1. My childhood friend just had his first child, a boy, now a month old.
2. My God sis' sister, just had her 2nd, her first girl, 17 days ago.
3. My cousin just had his 3rd, his first girl, 11 days ago.
4. Jordan and Leen just had their first, a son. Congratulations guys!!!
5. Aida will be having hers soon.

And that's all within these 2 months.. I am kinda glad I'm not going to be around this Chinese New Year.. It's a tradition for the married couple to give Ang Pow(Red Packets, hubby calls it the Red Bomb) to those that is not yet married. The thing with Asian, we have really close family ties.. I'm really close to my father's side of the family, we all grew up together, went to school together and see each other every weekend while growing up, and still do now. They are all like my brothers and sisters. My dad has 5 siblings, each of them have 3 kids. So.. indirectly I have 17 brothers and sisters, including my own 2 brothers. So far only 2 of them have kids, both have 3 each. More should be coming next year, as 2 are married this year and 2 early next year. My mum has 11 brothers and sisters, she is the 2nd youngest, all of her brothers and sisters have 4-6 kids, and most of those are married with 3-4 kids of their own. Thank God I'm not as close to that side of the family and don't see ALL of them during Chinese New Year!!!

As for Hubby's side of the family, both my FIL and MIL have 1 brother, and one have 2 girls and one have 1 girl and 2 boys. And hubby has only one sister. hm.. so where am i going to spend CNY?? Only unfortune thing is the airticket to get to them!

Calling all breastfeeding mums...

Or mums that have breastfed their child.. I need stories and pictures for me to post up on divineMums .

So for those mums that want to share their experiences in the joy; stress; love etc. for breastfeeding, please send your stories and include a picture of your little one to me.

This will help other new breastfeeding mums face their frustrations and anxieties with facts, and to realise they're not alone!

Thanks!!

Lost 2, but found a new one.

Well.. I havent been blogging for a while now, coz I'm been busy with building divineMums
, the webpage for my new baby. :)

So far we've got 3 designs on the site, and another 4 more coming soon! :) divineMums
is caters for mostly breastfeeding mums /nursing moms; sleepwear for breastfeeding; maternity tops and some baby accessories as well.. divineMums not only offer stylish breastfeeding; nursing ; maternity tops BUT also affordable.

Now I just need ppl to start buying!! lol

Can't wait till i receive that first enquiry email! hehehe

Lost : My Babies....

We had stopped going to the pool for about 9 months and we decided to go back about 2 weeks ago, the kids were very nervous about getting into the pool, but once Kaitlyn was in the pool she was alright, took her only 10 mins to start swimming all by herself, of coz with the help of those arm floaties,, these are great.. it allows the kids to still use their arms and Kaitlyn loves them!!

As for Caleb it took him about half an hour to just relax and enjoy being in the water coz he was soo nervous. Once he was use to the water, he didn't want to get out!!

But yesterday, we went to the pool again after 2 weeks, they are all experts now!!! Kaitlyn can swim the full lenght (it's not a big pool but still about 10 m) of the pool all by herself, no stops, no gulping in water, she swam like a little pro.. And Caleb refused for anyone to aid him and was floating with these and even swam 5 m, as well, ALL BY HIMSELF!!

Where have my babies gone???

Football player of the future..

Can anyone tell me if any other 17 months old can drop kick??? Coz my son can drop kick!!

He has been kicking a ball around since 12 months and he is able to kick it straight to where he wants it to go to. We don't know of anyone with a 17 months old that can do that, so we thought we would ask if anyone else have seen anything like this.

If he is telanted in football, although his dad would prefer him to play rugby, we want to know! :)

www.divineMums.com

Well.. looks like it's pretty much happening now!!! I've just placed my 3rd order!! So far I've got a friend in Australia, Jo; one in Sweden, Anna; and hopefully someone in NZ soon to help me push these breastfeeding tops!!

It's been really fun designing and stressful getting the fine details fine.. :) So hope you will all link up to divineMums for all our divine breastfeeding mums!

Divine breastfeeding clothes designed by breastfeeding Mums for divine moments, after all Mums are Divine!!

Go!Go! Breastfeeding!!

A day with the Animals

Thanks to Sulaiman and his mum, the kids spent a day with some animals, there was: Sir Walter the goat, a real ladies man/goat, which you see Kaitlyn holding in the picture; Ms Lazy Daisy, an 8 month old little calf; and Zitara the Pony.

Little Old Sitiawan....

Welcome to our little old Sitiawan...

This use to be the heart of this little town, Kg Koh, and just behind that building on that corner is my grandfather's house. All these shop lots are going to go.. It will be a shame, definitely, to tear down all these old building, but "they" need wider roads...

Below is a picture I took of a kampung house, next to a friend's house.

23/07/06 update :-
When we first saw the first 7eleven's signboard going up, we were so excited for this little old town; then they started building a MacDonald's building for Big Mac; and now .. Watson is here, and SecretRecipes. My Gosh.. what's next??

London... is Cancelled!

Right.. after a long sleepless night, we think we are giving London a miss this time. *Sorry Hamish*, but we really can't afford to go to London, and NZ, within a 6 months period.

That's a load off our back!!! Definitely..

So NZ.. Here we come!!!!!!!! AGAIN!!!

YaY yAy YaY, The Macvays are coming home!!

Welcome Home!

Yay, we finally get to meet the Macvays.. dunno when but soon I hope! *wink*

*update on the weddings:

Looks like we will be leaving on the 30th Jan, to pay a little less, becoz Caleb will still be charged an infant ticket, which is only 10% rather than a children's ticket which is 75%!!!

My cousin has moved her wedding to May now, which is more good new, but Still we are going to have to miss Jason and Joyce's Wedding!!! Not trilled about that!! But I guess that's life. We don't have alot of close friends and I take Jason and Joyce as our really close friends!

**Joyce and Jason, We'll make it up to you some other time ok? Sorry..... It sucks earning Ringgit!! That's all I can say!!

The most Expensive Wedding of All..

We thought the wedding in UK was going to cost the most, boy were we wrong! By a mile!!!

The most expensive wedding that we will be coughing up will be the wedding in NZ. It will be costing us RM14,000, just to get there! Becoz it's the peak travelling season to NZ. And in order to get seats we have to book and pay within this week, which is also when we have to be paying for the tickets to London(RM6,500 + RM1,200(Valencia leg)) That's RM21,700!!!! Compare to the tickets that we can get now for RM2,450 each, and RM7,350 for all of us to get there off peak!!! RM14,000 - RM 7,350 = RM6,650 !!! That's a lot of spending money and a lot of months of hard work!!! It takes us about a year to just save that much of money!!

So does this mean that we have to forget Hamish's(where ChiwiDad is suppose to be the BestMan), Joyce's(where we have promised, 2 years ago, that ChiwiGirl is going to be their flower girl), and Jun's(my cousin) wedding. Just to go to this wedding in NZ?

Sigh.. If only the wedding is held on July.. like now.. That would be the best time, as it's the cheapest to fly there.. Or even maybe a week or 2 before Christmas, so that we get to celebrate Christmas in NZ, and plus Caleb will still be 1 and not 2, which also means cheaper air tickets.

But either way, I think we will have to cut short the trip to UK, which means we will not be going to Scotland to see Mat and Jin's Parents. Which is a real shame.

A Weeee Update..

First just a little update on what has been happening..

1. The bus ride down to Singapore was long, but it was quite comfortable i must say, lots of leg room, it took us about 8 1/2 hours to get to Singapore. Singapore was great!! Lots of shopping done.. Finally clothes in my size!! But still NOT a lot thou, gosh I would only be buying a midium size in NZ, and here I have to buy everything XXL?!?! Crazy!!!But we spend most of our time walking from one place to the other..
   
2. Mez and Su's Wedding was Amazing!!!! I want another wedding of my own!!!!! :p
   
3. Greg and Matilda's Birthday(4th April) but we had a huge dinner on the 2nd, the very Sunday we arrived back from JB, thank goodness we took the flight, which was only 45 mins. So we had some energy left to stay awake during dinner!
4. ChiwiDad just had his 30th. On Saturday night we had everyone around at the house, we had 200 Satays; A pot of Potato Salad; A pot of Tuna Pasta; A Pot of Vegetarian Fried Noodles; A huge plate of Corn Salad.. etc, so lots of food left over to last us another day or 2. Plus The All Blacks won against the Aussies, which is always a mood lifter for ChiwiDad. On Sunday itself we had our usual Bakuteh and Steam Fish for Breakfast. Then we had a traditional Malay Massage, well ChiwiDad did and I had a Aromatherapy Massage. And ChiwiDad got to watch TV all day without me nagging! :p

Feb next year looks like it's going to be pretty full on!!!

1. 1st Feb = My dad's Bday
2. 2nd Feb = ChiwiBoy's 2nd Bday
3. 10th Feb = Jason and Joyce's Bday in KL, ChiwiGirl is going to be the flower girl. So We will probably have to be out in KL a day or 2 b4 the wedding to make sure that ChiwiGirl does NOT mess up their wedding! :p
   
4. 11th Feb = Got to fly off to NZ, sigh.. another bank a/c breaking, pocket freezing trip, plus ChiwiBoy just had his 2nd Bday, so... full price for him! ~~>.<~~
5. 17th Feb = ChiwiDad's only baby sister getting married. Which is also Chinese New Year's Eve.
   
6. 18th Feb= Chinese New Year. Looks like we are escaping this years CNY "Ang Pow". But It's going to cost us a lot more to be in NZ! :)
   
7. 22nd Feb = My cousin sister's wedding, so either we make it back b4 the wedding or we are just going to have to miss it.

Oh jolly...

Eurasia - Land Of Fusion

I'm starting a list of blogs for all the friends I know of Fusion Marriages and easy access for those that are thinking about fusion marriages.. (don't go there! hahaha just kidding..)

I think every blogger with a fusion marriage should have a blog about how people view them when they see them holding hands in public (see here).

Where we live, there is a Dock Yard, and a Power Plant that brings in Expats(Europeans), so they tend to have "company" since the wifey is not around. So I get looks, those bad ones, now that I've got lots of baby fat left over from my 2 Chiwis, and more when it's just the two of us. Least with the kids, they know that I'm not one of those "while in Malaysia" kinda girls! :) But in saying that, there are lots of Fusion couples that you see walking everywhere nowadays!

Just this coming weekend we are heading down to Johor Baru to another Fusion Wedding; some close friends of ours (that's what I would like to think we are anyway :p) Mez(Welsh) and Su(M'sia Indian) for a 3 day Wedding!
Just within our circle of friends there are:
1. Amy + Josh (M'sia Chinese + Dutch born in Kiwiland)= Christopher
2. Karen + Ian (Amy's sister + Kiwi) = Liam
3. Farah + Jeremy (Malay + American) = Azam + coming soon
4. Leen + Jordan (Malay + Canadian) = Coming soon (Macvay Junior)
5. Aida + Brad (Malay + American) = Lily + Coming soon
6. Mez + Su (Welsh + M'sian Indian)
7. Emi + Scot (Malay + English) = Daniel + Dylan
8. Aida + Frank (M'sia + Canadian) = Coming soon
9. Jin + Matt (M'sian + Scot)

These are the ones that pop into my mind at the moment, but there are still lots more that are still dating...

Anyway.. Enjoy the new list - eUrAsIa.. Land of Fusion!

My Parents-In-Law

As some of you know, my father-in-law is a famous photographer in NZ; he has won all the major awards to be won in New Zealand and more; including the prestigious Photokina Portrait Award, presented in Cologne, Germany; the inaugural Trans-Tasman Award between Australia and New Zealand; and the New Zealand Portrait and Wedding Photographer of the year(for quite a few years!); He has an image in an issue of M.I.L.K.; Not long ago, he had an exhibition at Te Papa (which means 'Our Place' in Maori) Musuem in Wellington for New Zealanders who care for someone who has a disability or illness, "Earth Angels"; He became a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography in the shortest time EVER!

They took a few years off not long ago to travel around Europe and were in Bali for a few months. And now they are back in action, conducting seminars, doing mentor programmes and taking family portraits.

Which also means, having less time to come over to visit us.. So I'm hoping to set up some mentor programmes or family portraits here in Malaysia for them to come over and do, to kill 2 birds with one stone. Any ideas on how to get that going?! Maybe some weddings?? :) hehehe since I've got so many weddings to go to! Or anyone that wants their family portraits done by our World Famous in New Zealand, International Photographer, aka Terry Winn, aka my father-in-law. Chance of a life-time! Maybe we can get mate's rates? *wink*wink*! Anything to get them over here to see the kids! hehehe

Vincent's Wedding

I had the pleasure of taking my first wedding photos, which was my cousin Vincent's wedding... and it was great fun!

Rubbing Shoulders..

Jacob and Dad had the pleasure of meeting our dear Prime Minister, "Pak Lah" and our dear Menteri Besar (State Leader).

Kaitlyn too met someone really, really special just the other day... He is Big, He is Cuddly and He is Purple!!! And she met Baby Bob, and BJ too!! She got to hug and shake hands with them! She was star-struck!!

Kids Say the Funniest Things!

"Ants In My Pants"

Mummy: What would you like for lunch, dada?

Dada : I want Pizza.

Kaitlyn : I want Pizza too.

Dada : Should we eat there or at the office?

Kaitlyn : Go eat pizza at the pizza table, don't want to eat at the office.

Mummy : Why don't you want to eat at the office?

Kaitlyn : Becoz if eat at the office and got clumsy, there will be ants in my pants.

"I'm not on fire"

Mummy touches Kaitlyn's head and asked " Are you still burning?"

Kaitlyn " Kaitlyn is not burning mummy, Kaitlyn is not on fire."

MORE weddings to add to the list....

3rd May 2006 - One more wedding to add to the list.... I am going to be soooooo poor after all these expensive weddings!!!!!! But we kinda predicted that "this one" was going to happen soon... and we were secretly hoping that it wasn't going to be next year, BUT it looks like it is... It's Jacob's baby sister's wedding.. (Congratulations Lisa!! About time too!! hehehe But can't it hold off another year?? hehehe) That means we will have to go back to NZ next year for the wedding, and therefore it will cost another 20K ?? Might have to borrow money from Ah Longs (Loan Sharks) to attend all these "expensive" weddings!!!

Honestly you guys.. how do you expect us to save any money and buy a house and move back to NZ??? 8 MAJOR WEDDINGS!!!

Ok... now it's a least HALF a deposit for a house in NZ! Gone to WEDDINGS!!!


The above post was posted on the 3rd, and it's the 13th today, 10 days, and guess what?? THREE MORE WEDDINGS to add to the list for the end of this year!! So that makes it ... what?.. 8 + 2.5 = 10.5 WEDDINGS!!!!!

• Dolly Ling, my childhood best friend/neighbour.
• Lim Kee Hui aka Kiwi, also another childhood friend/ neighbour, and no, they are not marrying each other.
• James Ling, a very close family friend. (My brother just pointed it out that he hasn't heard anything about this, so then it must have been just rumours going around, but James if you are reading this, it must be a sign la, it's about time dude! You both are not getting any younger ok?? hehehe)
  

Gosh.. I wonder how many more to add to this list of Weddings... 11 WEDDINGS~!!

Life, yesterday and today...

I think this picture is great!! Found it @ MalaysiaKini Site.

NAK!~~~

The New Word IS ..."NAK", it means "want" in Bahasa Malayu.

Sees food.. "NAK, nak... naaaaaak"

Sees Computer ... "NAK, nak... naaaaak! Nyanyi"

Sees Coca Cola... "NAK, nak, Nak,... naaaaak! NAK!"

Human Mind Tests!

A dear friend of mine sent me this link.. A Senses Challenge, and I scored 17/20, ok I cheated, the first time I scored only 7/20... hmm..

Then I found that there were other tests!! YAY!! :p
Apperently my personality type in "What am I like?" is that I am a counsellor wor.. And in What kind of Thinker.. I am an Interpersonal Thinker, other Interpersonal thinkers include: Winston Churchill, Mother Teresa, William Shakespeare... hmm... :)

Well guys.. have fun testing yourself!

Month of April.

Just a quick update on what's been happening this month.. or should I say summary.. :p

3rd Wedding Anniversary.
It was pretty much just a normal day for us.. Work; Lunch at the office(together); then back to work.. Least we remembered this year! And we had a Wed Anni Eve dinner at Kenny Roger's Roasters, with Mez, Su and our kids! Yay! :)

Kaitlyn

Missy.. here with one of her poses!

My little girl is going to be taller than me in no time! Just in the last 2 months all her long pants are now 3/4 pants. We tried to go shopping for her last Wednesday while we were out in Ipoh, and they were either too short, or too lose at the waist..


Caleb (BamBam)

Bath time!

Or rather bucket time!

This little man of mine is growing up so fast! He can say "Mummy"; "Ma-ma" which means food, milkies and drinks; "Nice" when the food is nice; "Meow"; "Doggy""Woof"; "Where"; "No" pointing his finger at you, so cute..; "Nyanyi" which means sing in Bahasa Malaysia; "Ni" for everything else! But I am so glad we taught him some sign language. He knows the sign for "Milkies" which he uses for food, milkies and drinks; "More"; "Yes" where he nods his head; "No more" when he pushes things away from him; "Where"; "Potty" which he only does when he has finished his business; and "Wash-wash".

Stress.....

Gosh.. My stress level is sky high at the moment... My whole back is so tense, least it's keeping my posture straight!
Here is why I'm stressed!!

1. I've got 3 businesses to take care of..
   
1. Sitiawan- I've just had 3 old staffs left, (that's a whole different story and level of stress) so I've got 3 new staffs that need trainning and questions answered, so I pretty much have to attend to all the customers myself, because the new staffs don't know anything yet. (eg, pricing, lenses, and what type of frames)
2. Manjung - Ordering lenses for both branches; and chasing orders and delivering orders; All the accounts: paying suppliers, car loans, rentals, and other expenses. (doesn't help when my brother has his car broken down in KL, so he can't come back to take care of his own shop)
   
3. ELSIT(the school) - PaySlips for all 4 teachers; organising classes; monthly reports; we also just had a Certificate Ceremony; Advertising; Working out the royalty to pay. (Hubby helps with most of it, but his short term memory isn't that good, so.. I am stressed out "reminding"(nagging) him about things he has to do(it normally takes 2 weeks of "reminding" for something to be done.. and that put stress between us too.)
   
2. The family...
1. My 94 year old grandma, with her compressed spine, who is also in a lot of pain, but still insist on following me to work.
2. My kids... gosh they are a handful, one doesn't want to eat anything and one that wants to eat everything. So if I don't force feed one, she is not going to eat anything, and so I have to get the food prepared and ready for them to eat, as my maids are so busy in their own world that they forget to feed my kids. And so I not only have to worry my hubby and kids, I have to worry about 3 maids and 1 grandma too..
   

Is this what it is like for other mothers out there???? I'm sure it would be a lot easier if I was working for someone else rather than my dad!

as for my Hubby, well.. lets say he is busy; busying controlling his temper; busy controlling his homesickness; and busy worrying about the small stuff.. I cried myself to sleep last night as Caleb was having a bad night too.. my Dear husband asked me.. Why am I crying?? And saying that he is the one that is close to tears... By then I had already been crying for like an hour, but he was busy watching TV, so he didn't noticed anything... He should try and walk in my shoes for just ONE day.. Think he would probably commit suicide, just after one!

Sorry for this post.. I just really needed to vent!

7 Weddings...

We have 7 "Major" Weddings to attend in the next 15 months?? It's great.. but it's hurting the bank a little... well not only a little.. but quite a bit! (there goes half a house in NZ) Guess that's the price to be such lovely and wonderful ppl like us huh?? hehehe and thanks to big asian families too... :p
So the list goes a little like this...

1st - My cousin Vincent and his lovely wife to be Cloe, they will be having one in Johor Bharu(May28) and one here in City A1(June1), so, as the eldest sister in the Ling family .. RM200 worth in gold.

2nd - Our new found pets, I mean, close friends ( :p) Mez and Su's wedding in JB as well... I'm really excited about this one, as it will be my first Indian wedding... and it's 3 days long!!!! And with 3000 guests!!! (Can't wait guys!!!!) The damage .. 3 nights stay, travel expenses and misc(shopping trip in Singapore?).. hmm Thank God for AirAsia, RM19.90 one way to JB. (RM1500++??)

3rd - Our dear Hamish, I'm excited becoz we get to go to London, and so since we are there, we might as well go to Scotland to visit the Hayhurst, and visit Jacob's uncle and aunt in Valencia, right? Might as well... heheh but this damage is huge!! A deposit for a nice house in Auckland.. (RM25000??)

4th - My cousin, Jamie, whom is like a sister to me, which also means paying more for her wedding gold! (RM300)

5th - My Bro, Anthony.... Sigh... Even more damage I guess..... (RM500)

6th - My other cousin sister, Jun... (ok, this is getting depressing.... :p) (RM250)

7th - Jason and Joyce, our dear and beloved friends... Mid of next year would be great thanks! hahaha give us a little time to save up for the trip to KL and the accomodation in KL ... hahaha and I promise to fatten Kaitlyn up a little more! (RM1500++)

So yup there goes a house in Auckland! Ok, maybe not a house, but it's at least half a house!

Wedding Anniversary 3 years on...

We have been married(legally) for close to 3 years now, (4 years since our wedding dinner in Malaysia) but we have yet to celebrate any of our anniversaries, sad huh??

• 1st year, we remembered only on our way home after work, which was already 8 plus pm then.
  
• 2nd year, we remembered 2 days late..

This must be what children do to you.. But Jacob has never been one to remember birthdays or anniversaries.. and I've been covered with 2 business, 2.5 kids and nappy brains for me to remember dates...

So.. Don't have much hope for this year's anniversary either, becoz my parents are not around for me to take time off work to go off for a weekend somewhere. I really wanna go back to Bali again... (hint, hint.)

Friends are Angels sent by God.

I want to take this opportunity to Thank all my friends for being my friends!! :) I believe that they are angels sent by God to touch our lives!!

We've recently met some really great angels!

1. Farah and Jeremy. - They have been great.. too bad they are leaving for Bahrain soon.. but hopefully we will be able to join them there and spend more time with them. Thanks Farah and Jeremy for everything we will miss you guys heaps!!!!!!!!! More than you would ever know! :p
2. Mez and Su - Lovely couple, wonderful humans, who are busy arranging their 2nd wedding for thier relatives in Malaysia, with their God sent hands! (Chiropractors, both of them) Out of their busy schedule they took the time to fit our whole family in for a treatment and refused to accept any money! Apprently I've got fire crackers on my back and neck.. :p So those of you that need a chiropractor in Ipoh don't hesitate to contact them! Don't know about being free though...
   
3. Jordan and Leen - Though we have not met them in person, Farah says that Jordan and Jacob would get on like a house on fire. Leen and I both have the same birthday, 'cept she is one year younger than me! :p So we can't be too different! hehehe
4. Anna and Greg - Swedish cum kiwi family, wonderful cooks! Great baby sitters, hehehe and she is a doctor too! No worries there! haha
   
5. Jin and Matt - Jin.. Hang in there baby girl.. He is not going anywhere, and you are half way there!!!
6. Amy and Josh - Without them there would be no US.
7. Tash - We love you girl! You wouldn't be you if you weren't so YOU! hehehe
   
8. And you, I think you know who you are! :) So don't say I don't blog about you! ;p
   

I'm glad God sent all of you guys my way!

Who do U look Like??

Apperently I look like Jet Li.. There is another picture that matched me up with Jet Li..
Interesting!! hehehe

Back Again 2 Little Old City-A1

It was wonderful being able to spend some more time with Farah and Jeremy b4 they leave for Bahrain. Thanks so much for putting up with us you guys! You are God send Angels to save us from drowning in this little town! (Mum, we are grateful for all you have done and is still doing for us, but yes, we are drowning here.... )

Genting was ... Much more than what we remembered it as.. Our last trip there was 4 years ago.. b4 Kaitlyn was ever in the picture! And that "Genting" then was... old any dying.. but Now It's amazing!! Or maybe it's becoz we've been living in City A1 for so long that we are "Kampung"(village, small town) people. But we are definitely going back!!! Maybe when my parents are back or when Jacob's Parent's get here.. I think they would like it too, 1. To get away from the Heat, and 2. to spend some time with the kids on the rides. I know Jacob wants to get back up there just to smell the pine trees..

Sigh.. Seems like everytime we drive back from KL now, the more we want to leave City A1. It's great being in Sitiawan, cheap lifestyle, cheap everything.. Except petrol.(RM1.92/l) But being here is not going to get us anywhere..

Right, got to send Kaitlyn up stairs for drawing classes.. She loves drawing and colouring.. and it's only RM40 a month.. Why not?! hehe

Love you Long time!

WTF ???

Right.. It's been confirm by the Chinese Press that we, Manjung District is in the red zone!! We've got the H5N1 flying around... or should I say dying around.. The weird thing is that, it's no where in The Star except

A spokesman from the department’s hotline said they received a report of seven dead pigeons in Sitiawan, about 88km from here.

Samples have been sent for testing for the deadly H5N1 virus, he said.

- Which was stated on the 20 March..

So.. Who to Believe?????? What are we the people suppose to do ??? Kaitlyn has got a cold, and is coughing away.. should I be worried???

Bird Flu ??... right on our door step..

They found a few dead pigeons, just 5 mins down the road from our business... It's been send to do more test.. so .. We will know in the next 2 days if we are really hit by it this time..

There have been 2 new cases in Perak, right where we were planning to go, Bukit Merah's Laketown, I've heard great things about the Eco Park, (well.. the now ex-Eco Park, they've had to destroy 239 exotic birds that were kept at the Ecopark.) and the Orang Hutan (Orangutan as the MatSal's call it) Island. So.. Guess we are not going there this coming weekend! :p

So I'm looking at taking the kids to Genting Highlands Resorts to see Mysteria.. Master Illusionist from Las Vages. And hoping to catch Farah and Jeremy b4 they leave for Bahrain... (~~>.<~~)

Another Sunday @ The Park

The kids love the park just next to our E'n'E Shop.

Click here for more pictures at my Flikr Page.
Pictures that I liked best are ..

DI120569
Originally uploaded by Chiwigal.