Linda's Sweet, Sour & Bitter

It's Been Sometime!

2011-04-14T20:34:00.002+08:00

I don't know why and what brought me back here (my blog). I was shocked to see the date of my last post. Gosh! It's been sometime. There was so much memories there when I runs through my old blogs. It is really nice to look back what I have done and so are my friends whom I visited their blogs so very often back then. It brought back lots of nice moments.I must say I do missed.

I enjoys reading my friends blogs as it touches my heart most of the time. I hope my friends have not forgotten me. I guess it's probably time for me to make some time to be back here again. Will see if that is going happen soon:) Will know when my next post is up..:)

LIFE IN AUSTRALIA

2009-07-16T08:36:00.005+08:00

It's been 4.5 months since we arrived and everyone is adjusting well. Everyone is starting new here and both Brandon and Brandee was upset with the cold weather and fell sick the 1st week we arrived. It must have been all the running around trying to get all of us settled. We gotta buy a car quickly because is expensive to keep on renting a car and carseats. It cost us almost AUD900 for 8 days. Went around buying some necessary things for the house while waiting for our shipment to arrive in a month time.

Brandon started his 1st day of school on the 20th April. It was tough initially as he couldn't understand much of the aussie accent. He got used to the accent at the end of term 2 and this week he started his Term 3. He is progressing well in school and slowly making more friends and feeling the sense of belonging.

Is winter now and everyone is trying to keep themselves warm. The kids acclimatise fast and is taking the cold well. Mommy hate cold and still struggling to adjust. Daddy always said mommy is cold blooded because mommy's palm and feet is most of the time cold even in Msia. Mommy couldn't take the cold beginning of winter and got daddy to quickly buy electric blanket:) It was the most comfortable night ever after having the blankets:) It was perfect for mommy.. Swine flu is everywhere especially in Victoria which is where we lived. Therefore, the kids are boosted with plenty of vitamins to avoid getting the flu. Weather is sometimes unpredictable even with the weather forecast. I guess we just have to get use to it and prepare for the worst weather when we are out.

LIVING IN SINGAPORE-2

2009-01-12T22:12:00.004+08:00

Everything has come to an end for us living in Singapore. We've finally move back to our own home in Kota Kemuning on 15th Nov 2008. Brandon was happy and sad at the same time. He misses his friends and is worried that they will forget him. Brandon insist that I send his friends a copy of his photo so that they will always remember him:) He is such a sentimental boy I thought.

Living in Singapore was a great experience for me. I learnt about the efficiency of the country, how well it is being planned out and how well the government takes care of their people. Despite the fact that the government has given so much, the people are still complaining government did not take care of them. They just dont know how lucky they are to be a Singaporean.

Most people think that living in Singapore is costly. This is not true. Like what I've wrote in my previous post, cost of living in Singapore is really low. Income tax rate is low too and therefore your dollar stretch further. I must say that I don't mind going back to live in Singapore.

FUTURE F1 DRIVER??

2008-11-04T16:08:00.003+08:00

Everyone is upset about Ferarri's lost during the Singapore Grand Prix. No worries, Brandon is training hard to be the youngest F1 driver for Ferrari Team. He is a big fan of Ferrari and was excited about the race in Singapore. He wanted to watch the race live but it was too late.By the time he told daddy about it, the race was about to begin..

Here are a some shots of Brandon's race. He was at the pole position when started and then he over took the rest of the driver and is leading well. Look at his winning smile below... Cool...

BLOG LOVE

2008-10-28T11:12:00.013+08:00

I would like to thank Slavemom sharing with me "Spread the Blog Love". I received it the time when I'm down and she reminded me that I'm lucky to have a loving family. Thanks again Slavemom..

Credits: Elements/Paper by Dani Mogstad/ Layout by JennyL (Pls. don’t remove)

Rules

1. Don’t remove the credits when you post the image.

2. Please link back to the person who tagged you and pass this tag to many of your friends.

3. If you have more than one blog, please post this to all of your blogs so your other blogs can be listed to the master list too.

4. Remember to come back here at A SLICE OF LIFE (pls. don’t change this link) and leave the exact post url so I can add you to the master list to help increase our rankings and improve our Technorati Authority.

5. Spread the BLOG LOVE FEVER!!

Bloggers:

1) Chanel
2) Anggie

3) Bits of Life

4) Contentedmom

5) Ita

6) Jaanvi

7) June

8) Monica

9) Olive

BACK TO SCHOOL!!

2008-10-10T17:40:00.002+08:00

Soon I will not have so much time to blog anymore because I've just started a distance learning course. I may need some help from all the mommies as I'm currently doing a Child Care course. There will be times where the course requires me to observe 3 to 5 child on sleeping habits etc. Since I have only 2 child, I need some input from other mommies on their child to make it 5:) I hope all mommies will give me their support and I promise I will make time to visit your blogs as frequent as I can..I guess I'm gonna miss a lot of interesting post from now on:(

THANK YOU!!

2008-10-03T11:36:00.003+08:00

I would like to thank all my blogger friends for comforting me when I'm down 2 days ago. All advise given are very much appreciated. I am currently at a Cross Road in my life and there are lots of decision to be made plus being a full time mommy only add on to my burden. Honestly, I am more of a working mom than a stay at home mom but I am learning to be a good SAHM. Thanks again:)

ARE YOU HAPPY WITH YOUR LIFE?

2008-10-01T15:21:00.003+08:00

I am extremely down today. Not sure if it's due to the bad weather or I'm just not happy. Why do people have so much feeling? Feeling happy, sad, pain, sour, bitter and etc. Sometimes, I wish I can stop thinking and be happy everyday. Can one really be happy everyday? I've tried choosing to be happy everyday but is difficult. I've seen many people live on a day to day basis and still be happy. I asked myself many times why are these people so simple and can live so happily? Why not me? Am I asking too much or I'm just thinking too much!!

There are just too many episodes in life for us to worry. Don't know when will it end? I'm tired!! I'm really really TIRED!! Hoping to get away from my children for a couple of days. I seriously need some ME-Time!! I need the space to find myself again!!

8th ANNIVERSARY

2008-09-20T11:22:00.013+08:00

It was 8 years ago on 20th September daddy walk into the grand ballroom of Renaissance Hotel Kuala Lumpur holding mommy's hands singing " I Do ( Cherish You)" for mommy. Families and friends were cheering all the way for daddy. It was an unforgettable evening for us because all invited guest came to shared the joy with us. I think this is the most important thing because their presence is a big present for us. I would like to thank all my families and friends again for making time and effort to attend our wedding dinner that falls on a Wednesday. Can u imagine how bad traffic is at the middle of Jalan Ampang during a mid week? Despite the fact that the next day was a working day, all our colleagues, about 20 of them stayed on till 11:45pm at the ballroom with us, chatting, drinking and taking pictures.Mommy is surprised that most friends do remember very well how the wedding dinner was after so many years and mommy is glad to know that they really enjoyed themselves then.

Time really flies and it has been 8 good years. Mommy will always remember the good times mommy had with daddy before the arrival of Brandon & Brandee. Chapter of life has changed and now we had 2 beautiful child to join us in our journey of life. Mommy can only look forward to more exciting and happy moments with daddy, Brandon & Brandee. Mommy is happy to be blessed with a wonderful & lovely family..

BRANDEE AT 15 MONTHS

2008-08-29T14:02:00.009+08:00

Time passes really fast. Brandee is now 15mths old and she could run and dance and yak yak yak non stop. She could express herself quite well and could say words like:

1) Eat
2) No
3) Sit Chau = Sit Down
4) Mi E Mau = Mickey Mouse
5) Elmo
6) I want
7) Mau ( Want in Bahasa )
8) Bai Ci Ke = Bicycle
9) Bag
10) A Ou = Hello
11) Daddy
12) Mommy
13) Kor Kor
14) Pam poo = Pampers

She could even count from 1-6. She said One, Oo, Wee, Four, Fi, Six..I'm really impressed when I heard because Brandon started to called Mommy only when he was 20 mths old. I suppossed girls are more chatty.

She loves to play with her brother's toy. She would play with trucks, cars and aeroplane and she will jump and run and play rough with Brandon. Well, she still has her girly side where she would want me to put on my head band on her. She is so vain that she wanted me to buy her a hair clip when I happen to be in the accesorries shop. She knew what lipstick is when I saw her taking out my lipstick from my handbag and started rubbing it against her lips. I am starting to worry now because at this young age she already knew so much..I'm sure she will give me a lot of challenges when she grew up:)

BRILLANTE WEBLOG PREMIO 2008

2008-08-29T13:42:00.020+08:00

I would like to thank Olive for presenting this award to me. Like Olive, this is also my 1st award and am very happy that she thought of me.

Rules that come with the award are:

1. Put the logo on your blog.

2. Add a link to the person who awarded it to you.

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4. Add links to these blogs on your blog.

5. Leave a message for your nominee on their blog.

It is really tough to choose and my list of friends are:

1) June

2) U.Lee

3) Chanel

4) Anggie

5) Ita

6) Jaanvi

7) Monica

MOMMY'S BIRTHDAY

2008-08-13T12:09:00.009+08:00

Another birthday in August..Daddy and Brandon do a fantastic card for me..I was overwhelmed to see the birthday card and a present. I think the card is cute, everyone is in...Daddy gave me the card and present in the morning when I was preparing Brandon to school. I usually send daddy together with Brandon if daddy is going in late. I noticed daddy hasn't change to his working shirt yet when I'm ready to send Brandon to school. "Aren't you going to change? No need to work ah?" I asked. Daddy answered " Today holiday! My wife's birthday!!" So, my birthday wish actually came true..when I said I needed a day off from kids..Daddy stayed back home helping me taking care of the kids..

Brandon wanted to know what daddy bought. He asked " Is that a handphone or a lotion?"
Mommy said"Is not a lotion darling. I think is a watch!" Open up and see la now..Brandon said. So, to satisfy his curiousity, I unwrapped the box and found this set of watch..

A gift from Daddy

Daddy even surprised me with a cake at night. Daddy said he needed to buy some tools to fix Brandon bicycle so we went to the nearest shopping mall. After buying his tools, daddy went in to a cake shop with Brandon to pick up the cake..It is indeed a very sweet looking cake. Very nice indeed. I really love it!

It may be a simple celebration but I can see there is a lot of effort put in by Daddy...Thank you for this wonderful thoughts and gift...

WHO IS DADDY??

2008-08-08T09:45:00.007+08:00

This is it!! The daddy we've been talking about. A simple and practical man. A man who don't expect much from his wife as long as his wife loves him, he is happy..:) He is that simple.He wouldn't expect his wife to know how to cook, to do house chores or even bear a child for him. Can you believe it?? He would say "Don't clean up the house if you are tired", Don't have to cook, I'll buy food back. Just rest if you are tired!! If you don't want a child, I'm fine with it!"

Daddy is a man with few words. When asked " Do you love me?" He'll answered " Yes, I love you." Why do you love me? Mommy asked...Daddy's answer" If I can tell you why I love you, that's not love anymore. You don't love a person for a reason, you love them as a whole". When mommy sometimes jokingly complaint and say " Aiya, why are you so poor?" Daddy will always answered mommy with a smile and said " Who said I'm poor? I'm rich!! I'm rich with love!! I gave you all the love that I had..why do you want so much money? Love better!!..:)
Mommy wants to thank daddy for all his uncondition love given all these years and mommy is glad to have him as a life partner.

Daddy never failed to be around mommy when mommy is down. He is always there to help out with the childrens and house chores too eventhough we have a maid with us. What more can mommy ask for when god has given the best to mommy. Having had a loving, understanding and caring husband is all a women wanted. Mommy is blessed to have a happy family and hope this happy moment will continue as long as we live.

DADDY'S BIRTHDAY PRESENTS

2008-08-07T20:42:00.006+08:00

Daddy get a birthday card and a bouquet of chocolates from Brandon. Can you see what Brandon drew on the card? The top 3 from left is Daddy (with more hair), Brandon (with less hair), Brandee ( with little hair) and lastly mommy at the bottom (with long hair).

Daddy is really happy receiving this card from Brandon because this is the 1st card Brandon drew and write on his own for daddy. Brandon is happy to give daddy that bouquet of chocolates as he knew daddy will certainly share with him..

Besides all these, daddy also received a gift from mommy. A Crocs shoe which daddy always feel is too costly to pay for. Daddy has always been a practical and simple man. He wouldn't mind paying for a Crocs shoe or even a Gucci handbag for mommy but for himself, he would rather go for something simpler and cheaper. Daddy would pay any amount for the family as long as he could afford it. Mommy is glad that daddy loves the presents he received.

PITYRIASIS ROSEA

2008-08-06T23:21:00.007+08:00

I had some rash over my body 3 weeks ago and had been on and off some anti-histamine. The rash got worse, developed all over the trunk and I have to be on prednisolone. I decided to call my Skin Specialist and went to see him on Wednesday before I drive back to KL at night. By the time I went to see my doctor, the rash has developed to my arms and thighs and going down to my calfs. I got really worried because the rash flares up really fast and my back is affected too. Doctor suggested a Skin Biopsy on the spot but I couldn't do it as I have to drive back to KL on that night. So the doctor gave me Erythromycin for 6 weeks as he suspected my condition to be either Pityriasis Rosea or Pityriasis Lichenoides Chronica. The antibiotic are supposed to control the rash.

On Friday morning, I realised there are more rash and it started to itch. Besides that, each time I took the antibiotic I had diarrhoea. This time I got really anxious and worried. I called back Singapore hoping to speak to my doctor but unfortunately he is off on Friday but managed to speak to the hospital pharmacist and I was told to stop the medication. I quickly called my family doctor in KL but he is off for the weekend too. I'm starting to feel depressed because of the rash and I had to wear long sleeve shirt and pants to hide it. I start to feel lousy and lost of confidence. I don't know what to do and lost too because doctor told me that for this condition, there's only symtomatic treatment as the rash will recover by itself between 6 to 12 weeks. Oh mine!! I'm thinking even a day can kill me, how am I to wait for 6 weeks or worst is 12 weeks. Is he kidding me??

My hubby started checking through the internet on these 2 conditions and found that most patients can only wait for it to disappear by itself. Some Pityriasis Lichenoides Chronica patients had the rash for 5 yrs and sometimes it relapse. As for Pityriasis Rosea, patients experience as long as 6 months. I couldn't wait as my rash got really worst this time and I immediately see my doctor the moment I'm back in Singapore on Tuesday. Doctor said is likey to be PR (Pityriasis Rosea) by looking at the rash. In a way, I'm a little relief because PR tends to be acute. This round , I'm was prescribe Piriton and Prednisolone to control the itch and swellings. I'm hoping the rash will disappear soon and I can start to live my life as before. I must say I'm lucky to have a very supportive husband to listen and check everything for me to calm me down. I have been down for a couple of weeks lately. That's why I didn't update my blogs since the past week..

A LOVING BROTHER

2008-07-29T16:44:00.010+08:00

Mommy is blessed to have Brandon as the 1st child. Brandon has been a good boy even as a baby. He is obedient, sensitive, understanding, loving and caring. He would say a 100 times that he loves you if you were to ask him to do so. Mommy is glad that he loves Brandee so dearly and he would tell mommy " Look mommy, Brandee is so cutie ya, I love Brandee soo much, I love you so much and Daddy so much. We are a family ya:) "

He loves it when Brandee rubs his head. He would ask to sleep with Brandee and assure that he won't hurt her. "I will sleep on my side mommy, I won't kena mei mei.." Brandon said. He would

tug her in and kiss her goodnight. His favourite lines are " Goodnight, sweetdreams, I love you and wo ai ni (I love you in mandarin)" he will say it all at a time before he go to bed. He will usually smell and rub on mommy's nose before he sleep.

Mommy knew Brandon will grow up to be a caring and loving boy. Mommy hope Brandon and Brandee will grow up loving each other like how they love now. Mommy has been talking to Brandon on the importance of loving his family and friends when he is little and now mommy is happy to see the results.

COFFEE OR CUP

2008-07-25T01:31:00.001+08:00

My father in-law would send me tons of email everyday and I just can't finish reading every one of it and I would delete some without reading. Just as I was about to delete this "Coffee or Cup " , then I thought, ok maybe I will read this because it's just a short one. I'm glad i read it and i would like to share it with all of you.

*The happiest people in this world are not those who have no problems, but those who learn to live with things that are less than perfect.*

A group of graduates, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups, porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite, telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up,leaving behind the simple and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee.In most cases, it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... Then you began eyeing each other's cups."

Now consider this: "Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee. Enjoy your coffee!."

*The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything*

1) Live simply. 2) Love generously. 3) Care deeply. 4) Speak kindly.

You are the miracle, my friend; your life either shines a light OR casts a shadow! Shine a light & enjoy the Coffee!!!

For those who have seen this, I'm sure you wouldn't mind reading again and for those who haven't, I'm sure you must have heard it many times somewhere. Now, many of us is chasing for the best cup in order to have a better coffee..Do we really need the best cup to enjoy the best coffee? Life is short!! We only Live Once!! We don't want to wait till we get the best cup to taste the best coffee...It may be too late...Think about it...

This is similar to what I've wrote on 22nd April "BE CONTENTED & HAPPY"

BIRTHDAY PRESENT

2008-07-19T14:50:00.001+08:00

Soon it will be my hubby's birthday and I still cannot figure out what to buy for him. After his birthday will be our Anniversary. I am really lost each year when I have to buy birthday and anniversary gifts. I'm really bad with this:) In fact there were 2 years where I didn't buy a thing for his birthday..hee.hee..I gave him a card the next day..haa haa...so bad of me..

Yesterday I decided to ask Brandon what he would buy;

Mommy: Brandon, what do u want to buy for daddy's birthday?
Brandon: I don't know.
Mommy: What do u want to give him?
Brandon: Give him a cake la.
Mommy: How about you draw daddy a birthday card?
Brandon: Okie.. How to draw?
Mommy: I'll buy u paper and teach you how to draw ok?
Brandon: ok..
Mommy: Can you tell daddy that you are going to draw him a card?
Brandon: No..
Mommy: Why not?
Brandon: Because want to SURPRISE him ma... (I didn't expect him to know what is surprise)
Mommy: You know what is surprise?
Brandon: Ya, I know...

So friends, if you have any idea of what to buy, pls share with me ok:)

AUSTRALIA TRIP

2008-07-13T16:30:00.004+08:00

Our 2 weeks trip to Australia is taxing but great. This time we decided to check out Gold Coast, Brisbane & Perth. Is Brandee's 1st trip.Everything was ok until Brandee is tired and wanting to sleep. We knew she is fussy but didn't expect her to be so difficult on the plane. She needed a proper place to sleep ( she needed a bed ). We did not request for a basinet because she is quite tall for her age and may not fit into the basinet. Moreover, we bought her a passanger seat too. She cried for awhile and I have to carry her to sleep. She would wake up and cry if I sit. So I took turn with my hubby and we didn't get to sleep the entire 8hrs flight. Brandon was stress out too by Brandee and didn't sleep well. We were all tired and upon checking in to the SeaWorld Resort Hotel, we slept through the afternoon..:) Woke up at dinner time..:)

After a few days Brandon started asking for his favourite "Rice". We had Japanese food that day. Because the hotel is isolated & far from eateries, we ate mostly in the hotel.We went to Sea World the next day and both Brandon & Brandee enjoy it especially during their Sesame Street Show.

There's alot to do and see in Sea World and Movie World, but Brandon & Brandee is still a little young to enjoy it. Perhaps children around 6yrs old and above would enjoy it more.

We drove to Brisbane on the 4th day. It took us 45 minutes drive from Gold Coast to Brisbane. Brandon refused to go out. He is happy just by staying in the hotel. He said" Why want to go out mommy? No need to go out la, just stay in the hotel la. I like it this way!" Looks like I will have book a nice hotel for my next trip and just stay indoor:) We didn't do much in Brisbane eventhough we stayed for 3 nights. We then flew from Brisbane to Perth. The flight takes about 5hrs. Perth is a beautiful city, lots of greens & beautiful parks and very spacious too. We drove around and visited some friends there, again didn't do very much because little Brandee fell sick. Brought her to see a dr too. Whole trip was slow and easy. It's been an awesome family trip after all. Didn't managed to capture any picture in Perth because the camera "Kat put" on the 5th day...

BRANDEE'S 1st BIRTHDAY

2008-07-13T04:36:00.001+08:00

It is so nice to celebrate Brandee's 1st birthday in our own home. Unfortunately daddy cannot be there to celebrate because he has to attend an important meeting in US. However, she has a bunch of cousin's there to celebrate for her. The happiest person is actually Brandon because he get to blow the candles and received a big gift from his Uncle Wei.

Pa-Per the grandfather bought her a dress and Uncle Wei & Aunty Maria bought her a cap and a jeans shirt, Ah yee Jen & Ah yee Lisa bought a nice cake...I must say that Pa-Per is really good at choosing the dress, it is so sweet and she wore it that day.....

Brandee still can't walk then unlike her kor-kor that walk 2 weeks before he turn 1. In terms of speech, Brandee is alot faster than Brandon where she already can say "eat".. So, that's her 1st word "EAT"...:)

BACK TO HOMETOWN

2008-05-24T22:33:00.001+08:00

Is school holiday now and Brandon is excited of going back to Kota Kemuning. He just love his home and misses his cousin Adrian. He has been telling me who he wanna play with, what he wanna eat ( goreng pisang, donut, curry puff and roti canai ) all of these that he find it difficult to get in Spore. He started reminding me what he wanna bring back some 3 weeks ago:) He is really excited!!

On the other hand, I am not that excited to go back. I knew I have a lot more problems to solve than to enjoy a good holiday i.e Brandon's bathroom door lock is spoilt, downstairs toilet flush also spoilt and the fridge as well. Instead of enjoying my holiday, it became a problem solving trip. What to do? My hubby is away for work in USA, so i gotta do all this on my own. I mean get someone to fix it:) At the same time my neighbour is also renovating their house...phew...Really don't want to think about it..It makes me down...

I've never felt this way before. I'm always happy and excited to go back even without my hubby. Don't know why I'm feeling this way and am feeling bad about it...Just hope that it won't be as bad as I think........

MEET THE PARENTS

2008-05-23T12:42:00.002+08:00

Yesterday was the "Meet The Parents" session for Brandon's school and is also my 1st time attending such session. Never expect the school to have such session for the nursery class. It was conducted in a very professional way and I'm glad to know he progress well in school in all aspect. I never knew Brandon could draw an elephant, mommy and daddy too till the teacher show me some of his work. His class teacher commented that he is quiet but observant. He take instructions well and able to communicate well. He is also a very well mannered boy where he would greet everyone including the tea lady in school. At that moment, i remember once i was in the school office waiting for the principle, a lady came up to me and said " He is really a nice child." I am really proud of him:)

Noticed Brandon started using proper words, for example, we used to tell him to go "shu shu" till one day he asked me " Mommy you want to pass urine?" So, i asked him where he learned it from and he said " My teacher teach me". I'm really happy with his school and the teachers as well.

MY MOTHER'S DAY CARD

2008-05-23T11:58:00.001+08:00

This is my 1st Mother's Day card from Brandon. He did the flowers and the colouring all by himself, of course with his teacher's supervision. It may not be the best and most pretty one but I am really happy receiving it. I'm sure all of you share the same sentiment as me..

Also received another card from daddy too. I was impressed with daddy's creativity of printing the kids picture and drawing their palms on the card. Brandon asked why didn't daddy print his palm too..but daddy's palm is too big to fit into the card.

SEXY POSE

2008-05-20T22:38:00.001+08:00

Looking at your baby growing each day makes you feel great but it is even more exciting to see how they pose when you take their pictures. I didn't expect that my little princess could pose so well:)

KID'S TALK

2008-05-20T22:07:00.002+08:00

Have you recently realised how much your child sound like you? My hubby always said Brandon talk like me and I'm starting to realise. Over a dinner, while I was discussing something with my hubby, suddenly we heard Brandon said " Hey, stop talking daddy!! You better start eating your rice!" As usual we ignore him. Shortly after, he continued by saying " Don't play with your rice already. Quickly eat it!!"

Where did he learned from? From mommy of course:) Mommy always tell him that way:) Really gotta watch what you say in front of your child...

LIVING IN SINGAPORE

2008-04-26T13:39:00.001+08:00

How much do you know about Singapore? Many think living in Singapore is costly, stressful and busy. My family relocated to Singapore in October 2007 because of my husband's new role in his career. I was worried about the cost of living in Singapore after hearing my cousin's in Spore saying how expensive it is to own a house, car and etc. So, we decided not to buy a car. Everyone says the public transport is really good and we thought we should try it out. It was tough to move about with a 3 yr old kid and a 4 months old baby without a private car and is dangerous too because the child is travelling without a car seat. It is worse if it rains, we have to wait for a long time to get a cab because those travelling by bus will switch to cab due to the weather. After 1 month of suffering, we finally got a 2 yr old Toyota Wish.

To my surprise, the cost of living in Spore is alot lower than in KL. Everything in Spore is cheap except for the houses due to their scarcity of land. Just a few examples:

1) Brand New Toyota Wish in Msia cost - RM156K Spore - SGD74K
2) Yong Tau Foo 1 pc=$0.70, 7pcs = RM4.90 Spore - SGD3.50 ( 7 pcs )
3) Chicken Rice 1 plate =RM3.80 Spore - SGD2.50
4) McLaren Stroller =RM800 Spore - SGD320
5) Osim U Squeeze =RM1588 Spore - SGD628
6) Esprit ladies skirt =RM200-300 Spore - SGD80-90
7) Parking as low as = RM0.60 Spore - SGD0.25

Please bear in mind that you cannot convert on the currency. You compare only on a dollar to dollar basis because singaporean earns singapore dollar and spent in their country and the malaysian will earn ringgit to be spend in their country too. So, if A earnSGD5k and B earn RM5k, A will have a better lifestyle because he can stretch his dollar more than B. A will be able to afford a Toyota Wish which cost him only SGD74k and B can only settle for a Waja or Vios.

Life in Singapore can be busy and hectic but you can still find beautiful parks around for BBQ, cycling and also horse riding over the weekend. Where in Msia, everyone goes to the Mall because there are no parks to visit except for a few like Titiwangsa. Do we really have a life in Msia or are we just existing?? Besides all this, inflation rates are carefully controlled by the Singapore government so it will not burden the poor and the government offices are really efficient. Looking at the inflation rate in Msia, our people will only gets poorer because the % of increment is lower than of the inflation.

Well, there are also some down sides of Singapore. I can only say, "Too many people, Too little space".

BE CONTENTED & HAPPY

2008-04-23T13:14:00.001+08:00

Have you ever thought of the difference between HAPPY & CONTENTED and BE CONTENTED & HAPPY. I used to be moody and unsatisfied with my life all the time until one fine day, one of my very close friend tell me to be contented and be happy...I expect alot out of my life and i work very hard towards achieving my goals. I am exhausted and tired hence feeling moody and unsatisfied with my life despite the fact that I had a very good and supportive husband and family members.

This friend of mine tells me to learn to be contented with my life. She said the only way I can be happy is to be contented. She said it is very difficult for a person to be happy first then be contented because human beings are greedy. No matter how much we have we will not be happy. So, we have to learn to be contented first then we'll be happy. I always remember what she said and when I'm down like now, I will remind myself again to be contented. Is easier said than done especially for a thinker like me.

I envy those who can leave behind their children to maid and they go for their dance class, yoga or even a drink with friends at night. I can never do that or should I say I never have a chance to do so. I can only look forward to my children growing up and then have some time on my own and do what I like and go wherever I wanna go. Well, I also count my blessing because Brandon is very sensitive and he will know when I'm down and he will say things like " Mommy, why are u so sad? Don't be sad la, I love you! I don't like to see you sad.." Each time after hearing what he said, I would tell myself that whatever happen now is just temporary and it will be over soon. Like the chinese saying " After sunset, you will next see a bright and sunny day" Correct me if I'm wrong because I'm not quite too sure too but something like this!!:)

WRINKLES

2008-04-11T22:40:00.001+08:00

Wanna know how many wrinkles you will have this year? I read an article recently about wrinkles and thought is good to share with some of you.. Everything we do eventually shows up on our face. Even we have good genes, our wrinkles and lines show that we lived, and it all adds up. So what's your score and what are you going to do about it?

1) If you go out w/out sunscreen everyday ......Add 25 lines
2) If you smoke ....... ......Add 15 lines
3) If you sleep less than 8 hrs a night ......Add 10 lines
4) If you skip breakfast regularly .......Add 10 lines
5) If you don't exercise actively .......Add 5 lines
6) If you laugh, frown or smile .......Add 5 lines
7) If you sleep on one side .......Add 5 lines

I will have 25 lines this year. Mainly contributed by sleeping less than 8 hours. Will try to get more sleep from now on..hee...hee.. What about you?

NON WORKING MOM VS WORKING MOM

2008-04-08T14:11:00.001+08:00

Non working mom does not think of herself as tai tai because they do not have all the money and time in the world for shopping, facials, spas etc. But the working mom envies her for the extra time she has with her children and herself. Basically, marketing, child and husband consumed almost the whole day. She literally works round the clock, sometimes wondering why, despite having a good job that paid handsomely, she chose this path. Is her job easier than working mom?

Her problems and stresses:
1) Financially dependent on husband= no money
2) No annual leave, no sick leave and NO RESIGNATION!! ( Is a lifetime commitment!! )
3) Feel disconnected from the real world
4) Always the best choice for family to call in case of emergency
5) Sometimes taken for granted and unappreciated

Job satisfaction
1) Devote time to family
2) See through every step of her children's life
3) Own time, own target, no deadlines, no boss to report to

VERSUS

Working mom always regards herself as an office slave. Her world revolves around her boss, her kids and her husband. Non working mom envies her for the extra cash she has. She works round the clock too and sometimes wondering if she derived more joy and satisfaction from her day job or night job.

Her problems and stresses

1) Workplace frustration: deadlines, workloads, overtime, demand etc

2) Long hours at work, little time for family

3) Risk of detachment from children

Job satisfaction

1) Financial Independence

2) Looked upon as competent and capable

3) Puts skills, intellect, experiences, interest to good use in workforce

4) Constantly challenges and upgrades self

So, all mommies, where do you belong to? Me? Of course the non working mom!! Actually, it is not too bad being a non working mom except for no income:)

Well, i do enjoy sleeping till 8:00am, no reports to write, no targets and no need to answer to my boss when i don't meet my target...hee..hee...(those were the days)

HERE I AM!! LITTLE BRANDON

2008-04-03T22:14:00.001+08:00

This is my mei mei Brandee girl. I always call her sweetie girl:)

This is me at my Kota Kemuning house. I miss my house la. Why stay Singapore? Why don't want to go back?

THIS IS FUNNY!!

2008-04-03T21:26:00.001+08:00

Brandon has been deprieved from taking his rubbish (sweets, juices, chocs etc) for the past few days due to his cough. Last night after dinner he decided to try his luck again asking me whether he can have some chocolates. Since he has been well behaved the past few days, i gave him the green light to do so. He quickly ran to open the fridge and took a chocolate, quickly unwrapped it and put inside his mouth. Suddenly, I heard him "blek!!" he took out the chocolate and said " I don't know how to eat this one" He kept looking at the chocolate...

So, I took the chocolate from him and look closely and realised that it didn't really look like a chocolate eventhough it was wrapped with a gold wrapper. Then I decided to smell it. I laughed out loud after smelling it. I said " Brandon! This is not chocolate, is mommy's chicken stock!!"
Brandon started laughing and said " What is that mommy? What chicken stock? So silly hor me mommy. That is not chocolate hor..." I said " chicken stock is what mommy sometimes use to cook" ha...haa...We all had a great laugh..:)

TURNING 4 IS A BIG THING!!

2008-04-02T00:57:00.001+08:00

Brandon has just turn 4 on 26th March. He is really excited on that day knowing that he will be collecting his Baby Goofy cake after school. He was so impatient that he kept asking me to collect his cake the moment I picked him up from school ( then was 12pm) but I told him we will only be collecting it at 2:30pm. He waited patiently and we went on to collect it at 2:30pm. Shortly after, he wanted to eat his cake but i told him to wait for daddy. The moment daddy step into the house, he rushed to the fridge to take his cake out but I told him " Brandon, mommy need to take a shower first. We will then take a nice picture together with you ok?" He said " Ok mommy, you faster huh!"

After 10 minutes, he ran into my room shouted outside the bathroom door " Mommy, you ready? Can take the cake out? " I told him I will be out shortly. Then we will have the cake. When I stepped out of the bathroom, Brandon said "OK! We take the cake out now" Then Daddy said " Wait Brandon, Daddy need to shower first." Oh! Oh! Need to wait again:) As usual, Brandon has always been a very good boy and waited patiently. Finally, he get to blow his candles and cut his cake at 8:30pm..He is really excited taking photos here and there with his little sister Brandee which is 10 months old. I couldn't believe that he could wait so long to have his cake. I guess for any other children, the cake could have been gone long time.

Being so patient is not a big thing for Brandon when turning 4 but successfully getting him to use the toilet when he does his big business is a REAL BIG THING. He finally make it on his 4th birthday.. phew...He is so happy and proud of himself that he insist I tell daddy when daddy is back. He refused initially but after awhile I heard him saying " Mommy, mommy, got already, got 1 big piece drop into the water, come and see mommy, come and see now." So, I went to see in order to encourage him. After that, every piece that drop out he will ask me to see. Thank god he never went back to using diaper after that day..

Yeah..Yeah!!! He is a freeman now:)