It's time for.....

Holiday!!!!

Somehow, just a short break away from home seems to be appealing and very much looked forward to. Just to get away, I suppose. Never mind the hours of travelling. But nooooo, no no no no, we are not joining the balik kampung rush with the people celebrating Raya or the holiday makers. Don't you think we have learnt our lesson?

Instead, we are going to the place where everyone else flocks away. Just like moving to the center of the hill of ants when a speck of water drop on the peak.

Then after a night sleepover, we would come home and pack our luggage for a roadtrip. Hopefully, on the way, I can find some nice good local durians stalls too! mmm.....

Punished with a dollar fine!

Didi and meimei got it from me the other evening, for not going to bed till I came back from meeting at about 10+. I get worked up when the kids go to bed late, as I believe they really ought to sleep, they need those 8 hours minimum amount of sleep everyday. It's the basic to living healthy, absorbing what they learn in school and being happy. That's my principle.

The next day, I was worked up again when they were, still, eating their dinner after an hour or more.

By then, I was so fed up with all these admonishments, threats, warnings and blackmailings. I gave them the ultimatum - 30 mins after dinner served, no matter what time they starts to eat, and they yet to finish their meal, they would get it from me!

By that time, didi was worried sick when he couldn't eat the piece of chicken cleanly. He said to me, "ok la, you cane me lak, don't fine me, ok?"

I said no, I rather fine you (from his monthly pocket money), I felt more pain when I use the cane on you. He was puzzled. Why, he asked. I told him of course mah, his flesh comes from me, his blood running from mine, sure I felt painful when I cane la.

And then he tried his luck. You also feel painful wudd.. when I have pocket money slashed like that. I defended myself saying how would I, when the money would still remain in my bag? *wink*

And he had no choice. I was surprised he rather ask for that punishment rather than being 1 buck poorer. Bulls eye! I hit where it hurts him most!

I tell you what those rashes really are.

Last 2 weeks ago, didi landed up being sick and had to refrain from school. It wasn't a big issue, fortunately, nothing a few bottles of medicine and antibiotics couldn't do. He was back at school the next day.

A week after, the school called me up and told me it was korkor's turn. He felt itchy all over his arms, thighs and back that he wanted to see the doctor and get some ailment. I dropped my gym bag and went straight to pick him up. While I was there, I checked the other 2 as well, and meimei had the same symptoms, so fetched her along for the ride too.

We went straight to the doctor, and she only said 1 word - food allergy! (or is that 2 words?) I can't fathom what caused the allergy since there wasn't anything new that we ate or did. Anyway.

She gave some ointment to for itch relief and a bottle of calamine. We went home and they showered then popped the pill/ medicine and applied the cream. The kids were relieved, but not for long.

The itch stayed for a couple of days, in fact, a little more than that, and it not only began to irritate them, it was annoying me too! I had to help them apply the calamine lotion every now and then until I felt lazy to go wash my hands all the freaking time! Over dinner outside in a restoran that weekend, we were so "un-appetizingly" applying the calamine on meimei's feet particularly every 5 mins or so! I felt so sorry for the other patrons at that time. Hope noone snap picture and then blog about how insensitive we were! Yikes! The medicine didn't seem to work at all, darn!

But what I observed, the red bumpy spots happened to move from the arms to the hands and from the thighs to the calves and then later to the feet, and another day later to their fingers and toes. hmmm.....

So, I had a theory. This is what I told them

It must had been some little worms wriggling in them. They somehow made the skin itches so much that the person had to scratch and made it red with blood gushing down to that part of the skin. So when the blood comes, it sucks and live on it and PARTAY-ed! And hence, they multiplied, had babies, the number became even more and more! Korkor said - they must have lived just right under the skin! Oh yes, I said, they are, right on!

But when the calamine lotion is applied, it's cooling, no more scratches, so they had no choice but to move downwards, right until the fingers and toes. And when no more area left to move, they had no choice but to DIE!

Question! Korkor asked. Where did their bodies go then?

Ah! Easy one, I thought. It stays under the skin. That's why the bumps were still there even though it wasn't itchy or red anymore. Ahh.... how enlightened it was to them. But ewwwwww.... it was gross imagining all those "mayat" of those squiggly worms right under their skin.

I had a good time telling the story. Don't I make a better doctor than that whom I paid RM60 to? Food allergy wor, duh! *slap forehead*

The "worms" are all dead now. Whew~

A sweet act of korkor

Just when I thought how sweet a friend's son could be, offering his mama his very much loved meatball when his mama comments how hungry she was, I was, in turn, being given sweet treatment from korkor as well.

As I showed them a piece of tapao walnut chocolate cake at home for them after school, they went berserk and can't wait for me to cut it up and chomp on it. Simply dividing it into 4 parts unevenly, the 2 boys jumped quickly and snatched the biggest 2 away while leaving the 2 smallest for meimei and me.

Meimei's lips turned down almost immediately and pouted, while feeling sad for her, I offered her a bite of mine. She gladly chomped and took ONE BIG BITE, leaving almost nothing left. I went wide-eyed and said, I have nothing!

And just then, without even prompting, korkor offered me his. I felt really touched. This sweet son of mine does have a little soft spot. I put my hand round his shoulder, which is almost my height by now, and said "You are a very good boy, that's very nice of you, but that's ok, I know how much you love it, you eat la".

Meimei, probably felt guilty, or seeing that I praised her elder brother for his generosity, came over and offered hers back to me. I beamed with pride with the 2 of them.

Didi? Can't see him anywhere enjoying peacefully his acquired share of dessert. sigh..... let there still be hope.

A different bright early cheerful morning

I'm sure the sun rose from the west this morning.

If not, how else can you explain an extreme phenomena early early morning?

The said phenomena was that the kids had got up from bed at 6, went about their daily routine, except being loud and noisy, ALL ON THEIR OWN!

I was still in bed, but I was awake, hearing the cute chatters and whispers among them. I didn't get up until didi and meimei, both naked from their shower, standing by the doorway asking me softly where their school uniform were. These little monkeys, I really wanted to pinch their cheeks coz they looked so cute in their innocent-afraid-to-wake-me look. Apparently, their white shirts weren't ready yet from the to-be-ironed basket.

It was the first time they went about carrying what they were supposed to do by themselves today, without any voice raised and any scoldings. And we left for school earliest since dunno-when.

Actually, this sudden extreme change came about after yesterday's fuming morning.

I was fed up of waking up and getting everything ready for them while they took their own sweet time washing up while bickering among themselves, meimei complaining to me every single little thing didi did to her, and just, Grrr..... enough is enough!

I wanted a change. Since setting the alarm earlier by 10 mins from 6.20 to give them more time to prepare themselves doesn't seem to help, I made my mind to do the opposite and set the alarm for 6.45 instead. I told the kids that they would have no time to relax and quarrel, they would need to learn to quicken their pace else they would be late for school, and if they land up in the principal's office, I wouldn't be backing them up and would just tell him to do what he wants to do to punish them.

So they freaked out and had korkor set his handphone alarm so they wouldn't end up in that scary situation.

Sometimes we really have to work out different methods to make them work. Don't know how long this will last though, but I am so glad about the change of event this morning. Hope I am able to sleep longer from now on too. Only if they would keep their little voices down further!

Yesterday evening's big thunderstorm

It was a roaring thunderstorm yesterday evening over here in parts of the Klang valley.

We just had our dinner and korkor asked me why the lightning made the thundering sound. I frowned a bit and honestly answered I do not know (dang! don't that always make you feel stu...)

I was just about to tell him to google it up when he pointed out from his big book of "I Wonder Why" on a page of just about everything you probably wouldn't know or hadn't thought of wanted to know about lightning.

Ooh... I was so enlightened! I felt a sense of achievement when I read that paragraph about just the answer to his question. He asked me "You mean you really do not know why ah?" I frankly admitted yes, I do not know. Then I told him the answer is just right over here. He said he couldn't understand it, and I had the pleasure to explain to him what it meant.

He then counted the seconds of a lapse between a lightning and the sound and told me that the lightning was 1 km away. Apparently, 3 seconds lapse meant the distance of the lightning is roughly about that. This little guy is really a science guy. Interested in all science and facts stuffs. I feel proud that he's absorbing all these info and knowledge.

Then later, just when we were about to go for his tuition class, we were greeted with a fallen big tree that blocked the whole of the only road out of our condo. Some cars parked at the side of the road were smashed and I went down to check it out. There was no way anyone could drive in or out. It was a very ugly sight but I was so glad noone was hurt and we were safely at home when the big bad thunderstorm was happening.

Made a U-turn back, happily read some of the new books we acquired and tucked them to bed earlier into the night. I needed an excuse to skip going out and it was the very good reason for me to do so.

Table manners, chapter 295.

Often, I find it very irritating and rude when someone make a remark or comment about the food another someone cooked and served to him/her. Yes, one of them I know is my hubs. He's a terrible complimentor (no such word, but just so you know, it meant, someone who gives compliments) but a very good critic. He argues, he doesn't mean to criticize, it's just a comment to let the cook knows (of course not those in restaurants but people like me, or my mom or his mom).

There was once we all went balik kampung and his mama, as with any other mamas, was so delighted to see us all home, had cooked dinner for us. But in her hurry, probably she put too little water in the rice cooker and hence the rice turned out half cooked.

All the MEN in the household commented about the rice and she explained over and over again why it turned out that way. She wasn't agitated a bit, but why is it so, I was the one who felt that way?

I mean, come on la, people buy and cook and serve you with all her love as part of the ingredients, just eat la, can die not eating half cooked rice? I just don't see the logic of "just comment, not criticizing"

Yesterday, korkor commented on my dinner I cooked. He said, why only 2 dishes? For your information, even though it was 2 dishes, but there were minced pork, corn, and mushrooms in 1, so many varieties in just 1 dish!

Maybe I had been hiao lately and felt the joy of cooking up more than 2 dishes at a time. The last Sunday, I whipped up 4 dishes and a soup and I am proud to say, that dinner had totally revved up hubs' appetite as he commented he didn't have one just before dinner and yet, he refilled his bowl of rice. I was so mighty pleased but, no, he didn't praise me for that great awesome *ahem* sweet and sour koe-loe-yuk! He's like that, he thinks it's good enough for me to know he went for a 2nd serving.

OK, back to korkor. I was really furious! What kind of appreciation is that to a mom who went all the trouble and fuss to make a homecooked meal just so to have that kind of comment? I told him outright that it's utterly rude and he should learn to keep his opinion to himself in future, no matter who cooks for him.

I do think one shouldn't be a fussy eater, or even if one is born to be so, he/she ought not to give comments which are not flattering. Unless it's a praise, then only that should be out from the mouth!

And I think, he, MEN especially, need to be taught about THAT from a young age, just so he would appreciate his mama and his wife's cooking with all their love ingredient for him.