Happy with new toy.

Well, I told one of my "blog fanzee" (he claims he is the no.1!) that I'm NOT, NEVER going to talk about iThis and iThat... but, for this time round, I have to eat my own words.

OK, so the iPhone fever has mellowed down, probably coming up next would be iPad (according to some silai, it's for menses day), I so happened to not caught in it, and only got my new i.... Pod. Not even a phone to start with. bah!

Anyway....

I am like a little girl, all excited over again, laying my hands on my new toy, an iPod Touch 8Gb, mind you, courtesy of SC credit cards. Don't know how hub did it, but I have to admit, I'm awed by his ability to secure a few nice goodies from all these credit cards so far. He handed me an iPod shuffle earlier, but I wasn't interested in it, but this touch one is so different.

From the casing, the package, the sleek look and touch, the easy to use layout, I am completely blown away by these creative people behind its invention. The colors are so bright and colorful... and and and... (ok, i shaddup)

I admit .... the reasons why I want this gadget.

1. To store my contacts and ask for people's contact numbers the cool way. NOT the pen and paper (yes! I was still doing that last weekend, and I kena bullied!)

2. To wave in front of my kids, "rasuah" them to behave well when I need them to. The games to download... too many to choose from. I'm totally awed. (Ok, I said that twice)

3. When I'm bored to death outside, I can surf the internet or check my mailbox with Wifi connection.

BUT some problems I figured...

1. too many details in that thing. Can be serious if it's lost.

2. hub can see kinky stuffs (which he's not allowed to!) easily. I need to find a way to hide these (reminder to self).

3. The biggest problem.. I already tau wan ngan fah with the loufah, now add on to this... die!

In any case, this is a very nice Mother's Day gift (from hub, or uhm, bank?). *rub hands* still another bday gift on the way...I lurv the month of MAY!

We had a special lunch on a weekday.

Didi came home yesterday, looking pretty bad. Like kinda forlorn or something went terribly wrong in school for him. His face had black patches, to add to the special effect. He was very late coming out from the school compound and we didn't scold him or punish him either when he couldn't explain why.

I took him home to have his shower and decided to have a "special bonding time" with him away from the home. Told him we were going to have sushi for lunch and he asked why, it wasn't any special day. In my mind, I said "yes, it's a special day, everyday is" but I said to him "that's ok, we just gonna go out and have a different and special lunch as a change".

So, there we were, both of us, hand in hand, walking into Sushi King. Normally they would get all excited just seeing the conveyor belt with sushi plates, but didi was very cool. I guess when they don't have the other 2 as company, they would quiet down pretty much. Unbelievable, but their behavior are so much different when there's only 1 or 2 or all 3 of them together.

I ordered a set lunch to share between us, and took some sushi as extra. And slowly while he was enjoying his food, I try to ask him if everything is alright. Nothing much seems to be wrong anyway, just that he was late because he thought he needed to start staying back in school for extra BM classes, as I've mentioned the day before. I guess he missed the part when I said "next week".

And the thing I was worried most, if there was any little haksehwui counterparts bullying him or disturbing him. He did say one of the classmates took his eraser cap from him. I was rather enraged that some can just take his "favorite" things away just like that, probably claiming it's theirs. The eraser cap is something he was very happy about when I bought it for him last weekend and made him very eager to do his homework fast. So I told him he should take that back from that little rascal, that he can't take whatever that doesn't belong to him and similarly, noone supposed to take his own belongings.

Sometimes I wonder, if his reputation in class was so bad that noone defended him when he was fighting back for his own things or rights, not even the class teacher? Heiz.. when I thought about that, my heart really sinks. It hurts that badly thinking how he feels alone if he's without any friends in school. I just hope that's not the case.

Part of me wanted to set things right for him, yet part of me wants him to be independent and find a way out to his little problems in school. I guess I shall see how it goes, give him some time first.

Anyway, when we finished our lunch and went to pick meimei up, he was back to his own chatty self again. Whew!

Motherhood...

.. 1 kor ji!

LORMEANG!!

Teenage girl, puppy love.

We had a young guest putting up at our place for a few days, sometime not long ago. She's 17 and waiting for Form 6 to begins while her only parent, her mommy, was away for a long overdue break.

I had known her since 10+ years ago, and so much has changed in her. Sometimes it scares me, sometimes it amazes me. When just a child, it was so easy to keep her entertained and satisfied. Nowadays, I do not know what would. She seems to be to be staring at her handphone every freaking minute and her mind seems to drift away to no man's land.

Really, seeing her, I wonder if I can be well equipped to handle my daughter when she reaches this age. Apparently, I digged her info up on FB and she put her status there as "In a Relationship with...". So, there! She was probably missing her boyfriend back in the hometown. And it's a mixed feeling in me to know she's declaring that she's in a relationship.

I know. Girls. Didn't I like this kind of puppy love too when I was at that age? But seeing from the eyes of a 30+ yo mother role, it's so different. On one hand, I wanna tell her not to be so involved in 1 guy, why give up the whole forest for just 1 little plant, eh? She's so young and pretty. It's such a waste, and I can't bear the thoughts that how rugi it would be if she got "chau-sui" just like that. On the other hand, I know, these words won't ring in their ears. In fact, they might be thinking we have a generation gap, that I don't understand la.

Well, I guess that's the "disadvantage" of having a girl, made even more worrisome if she's born to be a pretty lass. Seriously, I don't want to think how to deal with this with my own daughter.

When you think you become naggy and wanted stop.

The thing about being married happily ever after is that some of the time there would be some little fights and quarrels, here and there, especially the times when the man didn't look at the calendar CAREFULLY!

The past 2 days, we had been at each other's throats (usual), why every time he wants to have his way when I'm always right? (I'm always right because I'm allowed to be biased in my blog!) So that creates a sort of a tension between us, hoping just to avoid each other as much as possible.

Just so happened, last night, he came to bed at 3am! I knew because I was blurry-lully awakened and checked the time if it was morning yet. So I asked, in the blurry state I was, why he came to bed so late. He said "see something". I asked "see what?". He admitted he was watching DVD into that late night.

"ooh... TV jek, haimai" I thought, but what blurted out my mouth was "told you not to get addicted to it lok, don't wanna listen, not good for health la". And he seemed to be ignoring me, almost seemed like very frustrated to hear me naggy naggy naggy. Hating myself sound naggy as well and frustrated like hell too, I said "I TELL YOUR MOM!", and in that instant, both of us laughed! Silly us, laughing in the middle of the night.

So the bubble was burst, everything is back to before, and we hugged back to sleep after that.

Hiaoness struggle

For quite awhile now, I have been struggling deep within. On one hand, I like to buy nice and cute clothing for meimei and little tiny cutie accessories to dress up her hair. On the other, I don't like it much when she twirls in her little princessy outfit or gazing her done up hair by me, in the mirror, quietly smiling with a sense of admiration, a little tad too hiao for my liking.

Before, people would be telling her "oh, you look so prittteeee", "look! this dress is sooooo cute" etc but she would be oblivious to those remarks, obviously not quite apprehend what's the fuss all about. But now she knows. And it's different feeling for me too that she does. I don't quite like it that she's soooo concern about how she looks, how much she wants this pretty dress, or how many clips she wants for her hair. "Don't be so vainpot, can you?" "NO!! YOU ARE NOT A PRINCESS!!!"

Boy, I wonder if she feels hurt inside. It's such a 180' change from me. Why, she must wonder, that her mommy doesn't like her to be pretty and cute. Mommy so jealous of me!

The thing is, I would love that she's pretty and cute. But more like, pretty from the inner beauty, and cute from her gestures and actions. Not from this hiao-ness, please! It's not going to be very easy when this is more like a habit as she grows up and enters into her teenage years. I like to see girls happy, bouncy and getting all dirty and messy, preferring to be in shorts and tees for comfort sake, but still have an eye for anything pretty and nice.

Jeez.. I am so contradicting myself. Why then do I still keep wanting to buy that oh-so-cute dress when I see one, for her? Why do I still feel an urge to dress up her hair in different styles? Why... I myself want to make myself look presentable and pleasant? And it's just perfectly normal she's wanting the same thing!

But I yao do not want to suppress that kind of "need" of hers, fearing she would be secretly doing something behind my back when she's big enough to be doing that. So I hope in this event, she would be getting over it and I am stressing over and over again, inner beauty is the best beauty of all.

Our normal yet beautiful Sunday

It's rather a relaxing easy Sunday for our family, the boys had their Mandarin tuition at 8am, while we had some simple little breakfast. Brunch was at this place in Imbi, their dimsum promotion at half price off the total bill. We had been to this place several times, but no idea why I didn't have an easy and enjoyable time as today. Good mood, perhaps?

Perhaps the past 2 weekends, we had not spend time together like we used to, due to hub's away on a course and Qing Ming. It seems like it had been sometime we didn't have family time like this.

Or maybe today the kids' behavior is tolerable and didn't make my blood boil.

Or maybe it's just the right size of a round table for our dining pleasure.

Or maybe it's the Sony new camera as a gift from hub's credit card which gives me immense fun.

Or just maybe it's a good hairday and I was dressed to the nines. :D




Dinner was at Purple Cane restaurant, our first, and I liked the semi-vegetarian "ching-tam" dishes we had, though I think hub wasn't quite keen with that.

Have a good week ahead!

Patience is the only virtue where BM is concerned.

OK, I lied. I don't like tutoring my sons BM actually. I have to deal with the constant whining and crying and complaining, and I have to resort to using the cane, making me look like a wicked witch. I'm so tempted to just pay money and let someone take over this task, solve my problem, it's that easy.

Somehow, I can tell they are able to learn, but they really don't have the interest. I wonder if it's the subject matter is unattractive or the flow is not so organized. It's just so hard to get their attention in it. I try to use different teaching methods, but it's just the same, almost. Anyway, I know I just have to persist.

As for korkor, he is really rather weak. I'm sure he'll learn eventually, but the journey would be a struggle for him, just like I did. I just hope they will understand one day, I don't mean to be so fierce and "ugly" when I teach. Heiz!

Anyway, after the harsh moment with them and time dragged on with worksheets to-be-completed, some incentives like TV or games or toys would cheer them up back at once! And I can return to my laptop for more idols-digging, gossips-chatting, bloggers-connecting and sabotaging on FB. Boy! Do I have a life!

(p/s: This idol thing, Robert Downey Jr totally stole my heart away, first when he was Iron Man, and now after watching Sherlock Holmes. have you watched it yet?)

Dinner for tonight

This post is solely to show off my prowess in culinary skills and remind my kids (when they grow up and want to send me to old folks home) that I'm a great mom!

*retching sound*

2 moms' views on kids schooling.

Woman A:

She was waiting with her girlgirl at the dancing center for her session to start, which is like another 30 mins or so, while a boy was doing his schoolwork at the same waiting area. So she nonchalantly asked the lil girl to see if she can answer those questions as well, since there was nothing much to do other than idling around. The girl looked over the boy's shoulders and beamed to her mom, nodding her head. Then the two moms exchanged some information and both got to know the girl is in pri 1 while the boy in pri 3. Pri 1's student's mom was proud that her girl can even tackle pri 3's work, maybe thinking in her mind that perhaps she can pushed her girl to jump one year and finished school the sooner the better.

Woman B:

Waited for her younger child to finish her dancing class, and to save time, she insisted that her elder child take his homework to the center to do rather than wasting time away. While the other mom at the same waiting area proudly showing off her daughter's brilliant mind, son's mom told the other mom that her son is indeed rather poor in his studies especially BM. When asked if her son is going for any tuition, she said no and was advised to, else it would be "too late". She might be thinking in her mind "too late for what?"

Meanwhile, some other adults in the waiting area was hovering around the boy's schoolwork by now, perhaps due to the really boring atmosphere, everyone was just waiting. And they were agreeing on how awful tough the syllabus has become nowadays for the kids. Maybe 10 or 20 years down the road, children would be studying calculus in primary schools.

It's a wonder... parents pushing the kids to be ahead of the rest, making the education ministry to keep revising the syllabus to be tougher and harder for them to pass? or parents having no choice but to keep pushing them to learn and study so they won't be left behind in their learning process?

Changing the kids room setting.

Sometime last week, I finally put the upper deck bunk bed up making a double decker bed for the boys in their room. Wanted to do that for a long time now, especially after the maid was gone, which was like about 2 years. Talk about procrastination.

The kids go all excited with the new setting, and been climbing up and down and making it like a fun thing.

Then, I took the maid's bed over and put our extra mattresses on it, these are for guests. Rearranged the boxes of toys and tucked them under the bed. Next I bought a white chest of drawers for the kids' clothes. Assign them a drawer each and told them it's their responsibility to keep it tidy and neat. I'm so tired of doing that task for them all this while already. Consolidate their home raggy clothes, pyjamas, panties/ underpants, pants and school tees from different locations to that 1drawer and voila! the whole room is tidy and clean already.

I would have liked to put more lighting to brighten up the room more, and give it a new coat of paint too, let's see how long it takes for me to get that done. My mom liked the new room layout too.

My dad at near 70yo

My dad, still working at 69, was laid off last week. It was such a big surprise since not long ago before that happened, his boss wanted to sign another 1 year contract with him. Apparently, the factory was to close down, and everyone had no choice but to look for greener pastures elsewhere.

We, as filial children, told him that it's good too la, time to really retire this time lor. He retired at 55 earlier, but the retirement didn't work out well because he was still a very active person. Staying inactive at home made him very restless and bad tempered.

So, whilst he's working, there's always good and sad to it. Good that it makes him happy, but sad that it's so tough for him to take leave off to visit any of us whenever he likes to. Well, this time, we thought, we should try and make something out for him now that he won't be working anymore.

Dimji... on Friday, when he's supposed to pack all his stuffs and come back home for good, he passed by K. Kangsar and dropped by at another factory to ask if there's any vacancies, he was hired again! My mom and I were both shocked at the sudden turn of events so fast! My dad was smart enough to ask for a later starting date so he can have some time off to visit my brother in Singapore and me in KL.

Thus, they went ahead to Singapore on Friday night to spend the weekend with my brother and his family, and over to my place after a couple of days later.

While they were here, my dad helped didi in his homework. It was so heartwarming to see them at work, though my dad was pretty frust when the little guy kept being slow and unresponsive at times. I told him that he's very lucky indeed, y-koong didn't even teach mommy when she was young!

On a nice Friday morning, I took him and meimei, who was not at school being Good Friday, to breakfast. He initially didn't want to go since he said he ate his, but I told him to follow along, just to have a drink outside with us. I wanted to remember all these little moments with him, together with my kids, as it's really so rare. I just let him talk and I listen. When he's quiet, I would stir some thoughts out from him and he would start babbling again. Just like a little kiddo.

Then again, seeing how both my parents argue and fight over trivial little things, I feel rather lost. And I can't take any sides, since both are not angels either. Sometimes I feel it's really more good than harm for him to be away working most of the time than staying at home all day with my mom.

Looking younger again.. *ahem*

Went back for Qing Ming last weekend, only one word to describe it, hot hot hot! Sun scorching hot. I wanted to cut my hair real short after it was over, but time didn't permit, since we need to return back to KL that day. Just spent the rest of the day dry-swimming again.

That idea of a pamper at the salon didn't go away and for these few days, I had wanted to do just that. This morning after buying my stuffs, I finally did. It was so therapeutic being cut, washed, blown and massaged a bit at the neck and shoulder. I should pay her more visits in the coming weeks, I think.

The style suits me, I like. But only after it's being blown. I'm sure it will be different when I wash it over myself. I came back and camwhore a bit. I had to edit the pics too, else the face looks so like the surface of Mars. When didi came home and saw me doing it, he asked me why I like to take pictures of myself.

Son ah son, let me camwhore a bit more la, I know I'm not 18-22 jor, but still... The other day, someone pointed out from the newspaper that was spread over the dinner table, that a 90+ woman camwhored and posted her pictures on the internet, and it appeared in the papers for us to see, sparing the readers the trouble to dig the pics out. So, who says there's an age limit for camwhoring, hoh? I also put pic up lor, don't want to miss the fun. heh!

BM paper, to pass or not to pass?

The joy in giving them tuitions to the boys myself is the satisfaction that comes along with the bonding and knowing they benefited from the short time we spent together. I guess that was the main reason I still maintained that they are spared from the numerous hours on tuition classes children generally are going to these days. Even though korkor failed in his BM. Even though didi failed too in his BM test paper. I blamed it on why they want to test them at this age instead. Bad mom I am!

Anyway, the grandparents are not very happy that I'm not pushing them to their upper limits. When I told them proudly once, that korkor is doing fine without any tuitions, that he gets an average 80+ marks, I was responded with a huge question mark on their forehead, wondering why then I'm not sending him to tuitions (for 90+ marks, I suppose). So much for gratitude.

Then again, seeing his marks are deteriorating and sliding down the hill, I succumbed and got a mandarin tutor for him. Since she's here, might as well let didi have some half time tutoring sessions too. He enjoys it, and seeing so, I am relieved I'm not stressing him out. I guess I am stressed out myself trying not to stress them so much.

However, a few days ago, didi's BM teacher called me up and told me that the principal requested that those who failed the BM paper need to stay back for extra classes for 4 days in a row. Initially, I thought that is ok. Later, I have second thoughts and wondered if he would even benefit from it at all, since it'll also be a normal class of ~40 people. Time is so precious to be wasted if he's just not learning anything from a big class of people, especially when he would be so darn tired after the normal school hours. I am so in a dilemma.

Then again, I don't even know if it's a choice for us to choose from. I think if it is, I might choose to hire a personal BM tutor at home instead, if needed, so he'll learn more effectively and time is used profitably. And I don't need to worry how I'm gonna arrange his transport home after his class, as it would be in between 1 and 4. If (1) fetching him home myself, I would have to run around for 4 days each week to school. If (2) let him wander around and waste another hour to wait for korkor, it'll be so late by the time he comes home. Heiz..

I think things would set straight by itself when the time comes. Tell myself don't worry so much la, go to sleep better.

Punch and blood goes together.

Last week was a week of punches and nosebleeds.

The first one, korkor slapped meimei real hard on her mouth, after her little teasing on his teacher, RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME! Then, I saw her bleeding from her nose and it was so heart wrenching. To see korkor's violence and unloving attitude to his own sister, and her hurting from his whack.

That night, when I was lying down on the bed with her, I asked her if it was still painful. She told me not, but she said in her own words (I forgot what they are) to imply she was sad in the heart. I felt so sorry for her.

And the next day, I was dragging my feet with a heavy heart, feeling somehow different towards my eldest child, and a very guilty mom at that too, that I hadn't been able to instill him to love his own sister, if not in the open, but at least from his heart.

When he got home from school and having his lunch, I talked to him. I told him she's the only sister he ever will have forever, and he ought to love her and appreciate her for that. That will mean too that his mom, me, will be happy if he does, and with a happy mom, there will be a happy family and a happy home. I asked him if that's what he likes in the end.

With another few more minutes of lecture and logic, I told him I shall hope to see him teasing his sister NO MORE and show more love and care to her. He solemnly promised and I hope he keeps to that.

A couple of days later, didi came home and tell me someone punched him in his nose and he bled. Boy! That was another heartache moment. I went to school to see his teacher the next morning and she told me she knew about it. The boy was a hyperactive kid, and for some reason only he knows, he came and punched my son at his nose with 2 hands together (as what was told by all his classmates to me).

I waited for the boy to appear and told him that it's not a good thing to do. And really, there's not much I can do, except to hope for the best and reward him with some little gifts if he keeps to his promise to not hurt didi again and make friends instead.

What else could I do more?

My Sister's Keeper

It's so hard to start reading a thick novel, but when I do, it's so hard to keep it down. I spent hours and days on the marathon, trying to reach the finishing line as soon as I can, but when I did, I felt an emptiness all of a sudden. And with a heavy heart from the sad ending of the story. It's like I loved that girl Anna already. I wanted to tell myself to forget about the sad ending and remember the better one in the movie.

Is it good to get another book right now? Other than blogging and blog hopping, many other tasks had been put aside and abandoned, as with any free time I get in my hands, I would pick the book up and start reading. Dilemma!