A day out to an island off Pattaya

Back to our family vacation to Thailand last year, after 2 nights at Chiangmai and a not-very-pleasant-and-long-and-boring (sounds like my blog!) night on the return train journey, we got onto a taxi and found ourselves the way to hubs' company's office in Bangkok itself. 

It was so fortunate that a car was ready for us, and we just dumped our luggage into the trunk (which half the space was taken by a gigantic tank), had our lunch and drove on a few hours' drive to Pattaya. That was also the place near where my brother and his family is staying currently, but too bad, due to some unforeseen circumstances, they were actually back in KL AT MY VERY OWN HOME!!!!! How ironic is that? Anyway, it was totally unpredictable and unavoidable. I was feeling glad my dad who was there by himself looking after my plants and the leaking ceiling while we were away, had some company for those few days.

We reached Pattaya by the time the sky turned dark and it wasn't very long later we located the hotel hubs had paid for via the internet just a day earlier. The hotel turned out lousy than the first 2 we were in, and they charge for any extras we asked for. Hubs was VERY disappointed and pissed, and in the end, I decided to pay another extra few bucks more for an extra bed so we could all sleep comfortably for the next 2 nights.

The one full day at Pattaya, we went to the pier and rented a speedboat to go to an island nearby.

 The kids were thrilled (as usual) but it did cross my mind that we really really ought to asked for life jackets and put it on whilst on the sea. It was really dangerous bumping on those choppy waters. Then again, knowing hubs I would had to argue at length with him before that going to happen and that would be so spoil the mood. Grrrrrrrrr......

 The first stop was so to let korkor try on his first parasailing, that was covered in an earlier post.

 The 2nd stop was this boat selling walking-on-the-seabed experience with head covered in the astronaut-looking helmet which we passed since it was too pricey. It was quoted 1000baht for each person for maybe half an hour walk on down under the sea. I might just freak out though it seemed like a very interesting thing to do.

 By the time we reached the island, we saw this...

 There were SO MANY people!!!!

 We paid 100 baht for a lazy chair to dump our bags on it and the kids dashed off to the beach almost immediately!

 The view from the cafeteria where the restrooms were which were so horrendous!!! I avoided as much as I could to go in there again, it was sooooo nauseating!

 By noontime, we had lunch in one of those eatery with our feet tucked in the fine sand under the table. It was truly a unique experience, my first ever as well as for the kids. Though the food was nothing much to shout about, prices were soaring high so we just settled on sharing a few plates of fried rice where thereafter, the kids begged no more fried rice please!

We swam and played on the sand a bit more after that, and didi somehow managed to got a float from someone. The boys drifted far away to the sea on the float together and I had to call them back time and time again. Apparently, the float was for loan and when we were leaving, the owner asked us for 100 baht and we went into this dispute as we told them we didn't know it was for loan, that that little guy asked him if he could borrow it for awhile and they said yes??!!! Sigh.. if it weren't for hubs who always liked to go for some hardcore bargaining, I would have settled it by giving them the 100 baht.

Anyway, the guys let us off as our skipper helped us out a bit and we were back to the mainland. Whew~

One of my motherly roles.

Don't you think this pic looked nostalgia like that? Machiam yin-chei-leong-mou spending a quiet moment with a butt naked son in the olden days in the laundry area.

For many years now, I have been cutting their hair, both korkor and didi's. Meimei's too, but since she can keep longer hair, I cut for her less. The boys' hair grow real fast, like every 2 months, it would be "rock" hairstyle.

When I start learning this task, it was tough. Really not so easy as it seemed to be. You see those hairstylists snip snip snip in no time? I thought I could do that too, but you never know until you try it. Those days it could take more than an hour to get the job done. Now, after all the practice, they are good to go in half an hour's time, depending how long it is.

I'd say, this cutting hair exercise is pretty fun, but cleaning up is a bitch. See I put something on the floor? It's the old plastic shower screen but that didn't help much either. Lots of hair still lie around.

For 10 bucks at the Carrefour, we can get the hair cut now, hassle free. So, I think I will be leaving this job to the experts soon. Then again, I think I cut nicer than them at times. *ahem*

Oh yeah, I cut their nails too, and I don't know why... I enjoy it!

Ushering the new year in with a loud bang.

Playing with fireworks during CNY is almost becoming a routine these days.

Hubs would be able to get hold of some pretty cool fireworks which are not normally what we could find off the shelf (or off the roadside). The first time, guess about 3 years ago?, those fireworks seemed so cool. It set the CNY mood even in me, and it made the kids thrilled with excitement.

But then, this also makes me all jumpy and panicky when I see korkor and didi lighting it up with the incense stick. Hubs would never blink an eye, never think it's ever an issue and that I am too much of a worried freak. He just never understood well or deeper why I worry so much. It just takes a very simple mistake or some unexpected turn and in just a moment, eyesight could be lost, limbs would be impaired and even life could be taken away. And nothing, absolutely nothing, we or anyone could do to rewind the clock or undo the damage. 

So, how? To stop them from playing fireworks seemed so mean of me, it's like taking away the only joy of CNY away from them. I always make sure I would be there with them to nag them to run faster, be vigilant, not too adventurous and stop playing already! I'm tired though. Sigh...

The year of the snake 2013..

... and CNY is done. For us anyway.

This year had been the same usual routine, as for the past 13 years after marrying the man in my life. For him,  it had been the same thing for the past 40 years of his life. 

Korkor asked me before why we can't do CNY differently, just like my parents suka-suka jiao go Singapore to spend CNY with my elder brother and his family. I told him sorry,  we just can't. I have resigned to the fact that it's just part of our duties to fulfill our filial piety to be with the folks for this important festive season this once a year affair. 

I have to admit, I don't quite enjoy myself, but I tell myself, just do it for their happiness. And in turn, it teaches my own kids to treat me the same when I'm old and frail in the future. I am not in my 60s yet, I might not know, I might just be desperate to see them this once a year too when I'm there.Selfish thought, I do admit.

Nevertheless, it's always a great feeling to be part of a family who is always warm and chatty. This year, I had a pleasant surprise receiving a gift from my brother inlaw who bought each of us (his sis, his mom and I) a set of Estee Lauder make up kit. The price tag label on the box shows RM250. I was really touched and overwhelmed. 

Thankful for the great technology, the time passed by with less pain during those CNY home visits. After gong xi gong xi and handing out the angpows, I could switch on the 3g and surf the net and facebooking or play scramble. Well, what do you expect me to do anyway when I really do not know so well most of my hubs' relatives? Especially those whom I meet once a year only. 

Other times after fulfilling my duties of helping out the meal preparations and washing up, I could sit back and play several games of mahjong with them. Not too bad, but sometimes I just feel awful guilty and time wasted on such non productive activity and the children were left to play on their own on their laptops, ipad, phone, and whatever else there are. Nevertheless, the 4 cousins have the opportunity to be creative and play together on their own without the adult's aji ajo, it's not such a bad thing after all, eh?

1 week of balik kampung exodus, I'm so relieved to be back in my own home sweet home and looking forward to the school runs and gym workouts again. Though I always say 1 week for the CNY break is just too long and need to be cut short the next year round, I know deep inside, I can't bear to break the old folks' hearts and would be just doing the same thing next year again. Dem!

Didi is 10

Didi's 10th birthday was here and celebrated with a small little affair.. That's the first decade of his life gone.  He's at this stage where he would loooooovvvvveeeee to pick on meimei for every single little thing she does or does not do. Argh!! Help me oh Lord!

He's also at this age where his rebellious temper is more evident and sometimes I must admit, I am very afraid. I am trying to enforce more positive vibes unto him and using less of the punishments and scoldings, but he JUST drives me up the wall!

It's so damn challenging with this kid. I mean, korkor and meimei have their own weaknesses too, but at least they are very obedient. With didi, I felt like he had no choice but to listen to me at this stage, but when that day comes, he doesn't need to depend on me anymore, he wouldn't care! OMG! Why am I so negative now? Oh, God, please .... HELP ME!

One day, I told my hubs, he really ought to look at his own fatherly role. Sometimes, I just feel he's an exact replica of him, father and son, both so stubborn, pessimistic, insensitive. However, as I ponder deeper, this is like, it's exactly where he's picking up all these from! I reminded hubs again and again and again, to mind his language and to check how he treats him. As far as I know, all 3 have so different characters (though kor kor and meimei are more similar) and we shouldn't be treating them in the same manner, though the love is still equal among the 3 of them.

For all I know, didi might just be one of some rare conditions, which I hadn't been checking on, and I don't intend to check on as well. In any case, it's only putting a label on his forehead and then start treating him differently. Why don't we put aside this labeling step and start treating him differently right now? I always feel explaining in length and in detail to him every thing that he does wrong is working, though really really tiring and exhausting.

Anyway, he's really quite a child still. I hope this bickering stage would end as he ages, and still be in good terms with his only brother and sister he has in his life. That's all I hope for... for now.

Love him lots and Happy Birthday, my child.