the fever

Are you in on it too? The 'fever'?

I am..only because there's nothing else on tv except the sports ch. This is because we only have one tv in this house. oh, that's quite normal, you say. But believe me, it really isn't when you have more than 2 people living under one roof. I've known of some with a minimum of 3, one for each room!

Anyway, this fever happens once in every 4 years. In truth, hubby isn't really a hard-core footie fan. He watches it simply because it's the world cup. After the month is over, that will usually be it; no more football (or soccer for some of you folks). So, I tend to join in the fun as well and will root for whoever he's rooting for..hahaha...

So, hows the family apart from the fever? Well, as you would remember from a couple of posts back, lil Em turned 13 months. She's started walking too. Still wobbling a little but getting there. Ash is her usual cheeky self. We think that her 'terrible 2' was delayed somewhat. These days, she's seriously testing our patience. She'll try to stretch it as far as she possibly can...and with crocodile tears to follow too. But, we won't back down. We will fight till the end!! hahah...**evil laughter**.

Ash and I were supposed to go swimming at Ash's playgroup friend's condo this week but I declined. Oh, it's not the pool, it's clean with awesome pool filters. It's just that we slacked the past weekend from doing some housework so I had to get somethings moving. Otherwise, the work will continue to pile and it will be a lot more difficult to clear. Hmm...sounds like 'work' doesn't it? Trust me...it is (work)!

pretty boy

It's still early for me and I for one, am in no mood to be nice. So...this will not be a normal post from me.

You have been warned.

My annoying neighbour. Their son to be exact. He is the same age as Ash. Whenever he's home, which is ALL THE TIME, he'd call out for Ash, screaming "pretty girl..pretty girl.."

It's no secret that I am one (a pretty girl) and no doubt that my girls are (pretty girls) too *ahem*. BUt, they have names - Ash and Em. They are not "pretty girls...pretty girls". Knowing my somewhat pariah neighbour, I know she's been telling her kids that Ash is 'pretty girl'. "there goes pretty girl...see, pretty girl". In fact, it's translated from the canto version of "leang lui". Hello...this is not pasar malam!!!

I'm sorry but it's kinda rude no matter how flattering it may sound to some. I will only allow me, and myself to be labeled 'pretty girl', not my girls.

I know, why don't I just have a word with the mother? Nothing. I never approached her. Seeing how she hates my face (lord only knows why...maybe I am prettier than her) and knowing the pariah-ness in her, she'll only be too happy to see me annoyed. Besides, she's hardly around and the kids are always with the maid.

So, what did I do in the end? You know how they always say "if you can't beat them, join them"?

Well..."pretty boy!! oh pretty boy!!! There you are pretty boy.."

p.s : Lately, he's been singing this annoying tune from the Wondergirls..Gosh, I don't even want to repeat it. It is sooooooo....freaking annoying!! Probably learnt it from his elder sis. As it is I am having the allergies (maybe from all these inner distress and I swear, from now on, more eczema is gonna come outta me!!

at Elise's

One Saturday, I can't remember when but one of the Saturdays we had our brunch in this quaint little cafe at Plaza Damas called Elise's cafe and coffee house. Yeah, I think that's what's it's called.

The place is small and cosy. I think, there were only about 10 tables including a couple you see outside the cafe. From the outside, I thought it looked kinda cute and decided to check it out.

We were the only people in there at 11am. Either we were late for breakfast or too early for lunch. But, nevertheless, we were greeted by ELise herself and of course, she took our orders.

Just like the number of furniture they had in there, the number of dishes were also correspondingly few but to me, it's enough. Many might say it's too little but I think the idea was/is to service a manageable number. YOu know, not to over-crowd and to over-do. They serve a mixture of local hawker flare and some western as well. So, we ordered a little of both..just for taste.

My verdict (on the food and the ambience) : it's nice. My kind of place to hang-out even though, at the time, it was practically empty. Plus, they were missing some convex mirrors though I'm not sure how much of a difference it would've made cos if they did, it'd be right there. But, I can imagine it being absolutely lovely early in the morning for breakfast or sipping your afternoon tea with scones. Yes, she has them..**drool**..Definitely a place I'll go back to.

Some more pics from my mobile to follow. I simply gotta share. It's just too cute :-)

the maid-less issue

I have been wanting to talk about this but never got a chance to. Well, there will never be one (a chance) if I don't seize it, right? So, anyway, here's the story :

We did have a maid but for a short while. More like 4 months to be exact. What happened to her? We sent her back to the agent. It wasn't because of her or her work but the agent's.

See when we were scouting around for a maid last year, hubby's friend gave him the agent's contact. Since he got his maid stuff done up pretty quickly, we decided to give it a go.

The maid we got had no legal working permit. We knew that even when taking her in. Why did we even bother? Well, because the agent assured us that she would be able to get a working permit for her within a couple of weeks. So, we said "ok". Giving her the benefit of the doubt. Besides, we needed help during that time because it was our most difficult period with lil MOnster. We just let it slide. Furthermore, we didn't pay anything up-front, just her salary every month. The agent told us to only pay after she's done with the paperwork.

OK now, I know that should ring some kind of a warning bell but we chose to ignore it because we liked her. Even my MIL liked her. Things were going well. WE just went along and chose to wait.

Months passed and every time we asked the agent for her permit, she'd give all sorts of excuse. The boss wasn't in to sign, it's stuck at Putrajaya etc...all sorts. Then, it was the last straw. She exhausted all her excuses and eventually told us that she couldn't do it. But, she will want to give it another try. That was it. Hubby and I decided that no point risking the kids, the family and my MIL too since she goes there to help out occasionally, we told the maid we'd be sending her back. She did ask us to give the agent another chance but because of all the stories she fabricated, we didn't trust her anymore.

We felt bad for the maid. It's like denying someone of a job despite her/his good performance. Of cos, not forgetting, we felt bad for ourseleves. Imagine having to do the dishes, wash the clothes, the house...everything all on our own now...hehehhe...:-P

Still, we didn't want to risk it. Oh..why didn't we just get another agent? Well, you see, I believe it was almost divine intervention because when she came, handling Em was the most difficult. She helped us out alot - mentally and physically. When she left, that 'difficult' period was already in it's decline. We figured that, having to wait for another few months for a new maid to come, get her settled in, Em will be able to walk! So, we decided not to go through the hassle.

And now, here we are - 7 months on the road..without help on a full-time basis. The part-timer still comes around once a week. Yes, I am still pretty hopeless :-P. But, we've regained our privacy though we did eventually get used to a stranger in the house. We also gained wrinkly fingers. More now. But, we're surviving.

home alone with Mini

her sister's bag. Courtesy of some online shopping from my sister.

Quite popular these days isn't it - to have a sell merchant account

In case you're wondering, "Mini" is Em's pet name from me...heheh...

And, if you're also wondering why I'm home alone with her today is because in the morning, her big sis followed my FIL to the library. She stayed on with my PIL after that. So, that's why.

Mini is 13 months now. She's still a clingy baby but better since she has her sister for company. Speaking about company, she's starting to fight for toys or whatever with her now. A real fiesty one this girl of mine. I wonder - if the whole 'nurture' vs 'nature' debate holds true? Because if it does, seeing Mini as she is, I'm in big trouble!! hehe..

esplanade

We left the zoo around 3pm in the afternoon after lunch. It was drizzling, so we decided to head on home. Besides, we had dinner plans with my aunties that evening. So, it was a good thing too we decided to drive instead of taking the bus or what-not.

SO, anyway, we went back to the hotel to freshen up and then, head on out. That night, we had dinner at a chinese restaurant in Plaza Sinagpura. Again, I can't remember the name. The food was ok. But, you know, sorry to say this but I still feel our meals are much tastier compared to theirs hehehe....

After dinner, my aunt dropped us off at the esplanade. They went home cos it was a work-night and err...they had to work the next day kekek...

Anyway, we went around, taking pics and walked back to our hotel. We took our almost leisurely stroll and that was that; our last night in Singapore. The next day, we went to the nearby temple to offer our prayers, did some last minute shopping and were out of there by the afternoon.

That was it. Our very short and sweet escapade. We went back and Em was happy to see us. Wouldn't let us out of her sight... Well, we'll bring her the next time :-)

p.s : you can find more photos and the night shots here..

gi-braf

The following day, we went to the zoo. I mean, we simply had to, itsn't it? It's one of the more popular attractions. Besides, we knew Ash would be thrilled to see all the animals she learnt from all her barney CDs..LOL.

We left the hotel around 10am after breakfast and all. Could've been sooner but we took our time, enjoying the buffet and before you know it, we were running late (Actually, we all couldn't wake up from sleeping late the night before hehe...so thank heavens I had my sunnies on because I didn't bring my under eye cream for dark circles). We didn't know where or how to get there but thanks to hubby and his superb navigating skills, we got there in 1/2 hour. No speeding. No one speeds in SG-land; the speed limit on the freeway is 90..90!! That's like...driving Miss Daisy! Again, I digress.

We were pretty surprised to see the place packed. I mean, it was a week-day and the zoo seemed a little busier than usual. We found out later that it was the start of their school hols. So, that explained everything!

As you would expect it, Ash was very excited. She wanted to see the gibrafs immediately. Like...NOW. She thinks that the zoo is like our house - small and you can find everything with just one scan. We got the map and was frantically trying to find the gibrafs.

For some reason, the animals always had their backs facing me. Talk about timing! We had overcast skies the whole time so it made photographing a lot easier. But, there were some moments where the lion and his wife got into a cat-fight. And where was I? At the wrong end of the bushes! By the time I moved, everything was over. Damnit!!

I could've been rich with just that ONE shot!! hahah...ok, I'm dreaming.

Throughout the visit, where we went was mostly dictated by Ash. She held the map while she walked. If she saw any drawing of an animal she knew, she'd want to see it. As you can imagine, our visit wasn't so systematic. We would go from one end of the spectrum to the other.

The final animal she wanted to see were the penguins. You know, I can understand their need to project a more 'universal' zoo to the visitors but really, some animals just do not belong there. You can see the roos above - so scrawny!! Not to mention the penguins..

There are other animals we didn't see namely the reptilians. But, if you ask me, I don't think we missed much. Also, there's this kids area complete with a mini water park which I am sure Ash would have loved but we didn't go there; not even close. If we did, I doubt we'd make it out alive that day! Since she didn't know about it, we chose not to tell her...ehehhe..

Ok, that's it. A couple of night shots in the next :-).

the Lion City

This is such an over-due post. But, nevertheless, it's out now..:-).

Alright..the idea of visiting Singapore came from none other than me. I planned this trip a month and a half ago - to go before the school holidays so that there would be less crowd. Plus, we also included my sister and her boyfriend as well. And, we will all fly to Singapore. Ok, so, that was the plan.

But, as with most plans, it didn't turn out that way. We could only leave end of May. Then, my sister's boyfriend couldn't make the trip since he had to attend to family commitments during Wesak Day. So, in the end, it was the 3 of us. Oh. why the 3?? Lil Em didn't follow. My MIL offered to take care of Em during that period. So, we thought "ok, we don't need to get a passport for Em then"..heheh..Ash has her passport since 2 years ago because we were supposed to make a trip Down Under for Christmas in 2008 but I fell pregnant, and so we had to cancel that.

So, anyway, back to the 'story'. Even though hubby knew of this trip of ours but he too couldn't give me a firm "yes" as to when and how we were going. In the end, we left most things to the last minute - couldn't make hotel reservations, couldn't book our flights..all I could do was wait. Finally, the wait was over and all plans were only confirmed that Wesak week. We tried booking our flights on AirAsia or FireFly but for the 3 of us, it came up to RM1K!! Totally not worth it. We also tried Aeroline, but it was fully booked (this is 3 days before departing).

As you can see, all modes of transport have been ruled out..including the train. Do you know, it still takes 8 hours by train from KL to SG??? Really...I think they should re-think the trains. Throw out the old engines. Or better yet, throw out ALL trains and get new one. I could go to Jakarta with that speed. I digress.

In the end, we decided to drive. And since we were driving, hubby decided to go on Sunday instead of on a Saturday. So, we drove down. We had to pay the 2 day vehicle entrance fee for Monday and Tuesday which is SGD5 per day. You enter for free on weekends.

We left KL mid-morning after dropping Em off at MIL. Luckily, she's attached to them so there were no fuss, no cries..nothing of that sort to make us turn the car around for her. She was pretty good that morning. We took our leisurely drive. Ash was, as expected didn't know what was happening. She just followed along and slept on the way there. Not the whole time but she napped twice. She's a good traveller. I'm not sure how she'll be on the plane but so far, on the road, she's quite the cool cucumber.

Seeing as how traffic was smooth, we reached SG in 4 hours. By then, it was slightly passed our lunch-time. We drove into the city and to our hotel. We stayed at this new hotel called Ibis. Not your Mandarin, Shangri-la equivalent. But, more of I think Eastin. Anyway, my hubby managed to snag the room at corporate rate so, we got some savings. It was either that, or bunk in with our relos..heheheh..

water fountain at Bugis Junction

We dropped our bags and headed out. 2 blocks behind the hotel was bugis street. The one that resembled our very own Petaling Street. Seeing as how we arrived on a Sunday afternoon, it was jam packed. We decided to skip it and head towards Bugis Junction instead. I regret not taking too many pictures of it. Was too busy 'window' shopping..heheh..

Oh, before heading out to Bugis Junction, we stopped by a mall. Not your ordinary mall because the exterior design looks to me like it was inspired by Lady Ga-Ga's headgear. You'll see what I mean shortly.

what did I tell you?!! Lady Ga-Ga

Again, there aren't anymore pics of the mall cos you know, it's not easy when you have a fidgety toddler with you. Besides, I was too caught up with my 'browsing'..

After walking, and more walking, it was time for dinner. We went to a local cafe at Bugis Junction. We thought we'd give it a try. OK..the only reason why we went in was because they had Sesame Street characters sitting freely all over the place..heheh..

oh look-y....cookie monster decided to join us for dinner :-)

The meal was great. For the life of me, I can't remember the name of the Cafe. I'm terribly bad with names. But, we did order this absolutely delish starter below. This is the only food pic I took because I wanted to make them one day (or try to at least)...Was so good, I ordered another plate after finishing my grilled lamb. We both had grilled lambs, the hubby and I. Ash had her kiddie meal, consisted of a couple pieces of chicken nuggets and fries. Then, she had ice-cream. She managed to snag free (colourful) marshmallows and a bottle of M&M's from the chef (or so he claimed he was the "chef").

I'll stop here and continue on with the trip another day. You'll thank me for this : the coming posts will not be as long-winded as this one..:-)

busy busy

We have been quite busy since the last weekend. Firstly, we went to Singapore on Sunday for 3 days. On top of that, hubby's off for the whole week. So, you know, just busy puttering around the house, the kids, getting things organised after the trip.

But, I will only tell you more about the trip in another post. I've got another 'trip' coming up tomorrow. It will be a short one this time around because it's only to attend a wedding. My cousin's to be exact. So, another round of eating.

So much for diet plans that work eh?

Will update next week. And to all - aren't you glad that school's out for 2 weeks??!! heheh...Alright..have a great weekend.

losing weight

While many have problems, I am glad I don't have such things to worry about. I know, what a monkey right? :-P

But like I said, I don't think I am eating healthily though. I could but I don't think I am eating enough healthy meals. Well, for starters, I love junk food...hehhe...at my age, junk food should be a no-no!!

You know, for those who have problems losing weight and wanna get started on dieting, I think it's best to do it the old fashion way - eat healthy and exercise. My friend started on some stone age diet. I don't exactly know what it is but the food groups that she's been consuming consist of zero flour. All organic and authentic meats and vege. She apparently swears by it and claims that it's really working for her. So, you see - the old fashion way works too!

So, if you're looking to diet, it's always best to do it the 'natural' way. If in the alternative, make sure you use safe weight loss products. You can never be too careful these days!!