Some Updates....23 Jan '08

My internet was down since Sunday morning... Only called the IP guys today, and the technician turned up less than two hours later. Not bad, huh? Turns out that my Linksys wireless thingy got reset by itself to the original settings. Apparently, according to this technician...this Linksys always does this. So...basically, I just need to reset with the RIGHT settings before I telephone for help lah...

Weekend Update...
Took boys to the Ice-Rink on Saturday morning...Normally, we don't go on weekends as it is usually MEGA packed. But H was quite eager to go to this mall to eat the chinese "tong-sui" that they have there.. So off we went early in the morning.

While boys were skating, and H went loitering about, I had a cup of cappucino at Donut Express. Played with my Canon. This is what I got....

We then went to Huang Ting for lunch..... Our first time there... (got this recommendation from a fellow blogger :-D ). What did we have? Let me think...

- Porridge with Pork, Salted Egg and Century Egg

- Prawn Wanton Noodle

- Roast Suckling Pig and Roast Duck

- Steam Minced Pork with Salted Fish

- Xiao Long Pao
- Abalone and Melon Soup

Yes. We wallop everything...as it was GOOD! Sorry lah... no pix cause the boys dug into the food rather quickly, and they didn't allow mommy to slow them down!

Then we went jalan-jalan in the mall. Went into the new department store called Parisian. It looked kinda fancy and expensive. But then...the Sports Station for kids have quite good deals.

Bought S2 a Spalding Sports shoes for about USD 13.

S1's Diadora Soccer Shoes ~ USD 17/-

(An Adidas one would have cost about USD 34!)

Prince Tennis Rackets at USD 5.50 each!!

(They were at a SPECIAL price! Original was about USD 30!!!)

Also went to NEXT, Mango etc etc since they were having sales...but nothing there leh..

After all the shopping, we went into Honeymoon Desserts for "tong sui". This is a franchise from Hong Kong, I believe? I had a walnut/black sesame paste dessert. H had a peanut paste with glutinous rice balls. The boys shared a Mango pudding. The total was about USD 7. Kinda expensive...don't you think? And I feel KTZ in SS2 lebih enak lah. But what to do? Beggars can't be choosers!

Next day, we headed off to Pancious for pancakes and waffles. H says the waffles are not that good. He says A&W's better wor. I think the pancakes are alright. But then again...until we find another place...Beggars can't be choosers...

How to take clearer pix?

Can someone please teach me??

Interior

(actually, this place has an outdoor sitting area that surrounds a swimming pool...but didn't take a picture lah.. Next time lah)

Closer Up on Sitting Area...

My Full Breakfast

S1's Waffles with Smoked Beef and Cheese

H shared a waffle with butter and maple syrup with S2. H was so quick that he cut the waffles into half before I could take a picture....

Favorite Pastime

What is your favorite pastime??

"Lying down watching the telly" is our unanimous vote!

Yup! H and I just love to unwind in front of the television at the end of each day...be it a action-packed movie or a short comedy. At the moment, we either lie on the sofa or sit in one of the boy's bean bags. What we really need is a comfortable recliner in our room! One that we can easily whizz to a reclining position when our poor 'ole back requires some relaxation. Perhaps maybe with a massage function thrown in. Ahhhh...that would be good, huh?

Spring Cleaning...

The Chinese New Year is round the corner, and like many other Chinese homes, we are frantically doing last minute cleaning to spruce up the house for the festivities. There are the upholstery to be cleaned, corners to be dusted, garbage to be carted off etc etc. We have just finished polishing the marble tile in the living room today. Now, it's squeaky clean and gleaming....... just the way it should be. Still lots to do before my house is ready to receive guests though!

Victorian Day

Victorian Day At School on Friday, 18th January...Here are some pix.

From the boards..

Victorian items

Victorian Photographs

Wall Painting depicting a Victorian Scene

Boys in Costume...
Yes...very boring. My S1 is hidden behind his 3 friends...(brown waistcoat behind)

Girls in Costume...
So much nicer and exciting than boring boys' costumes. Don't you think??

Handy Accessories!

What would you consider to be handy auto accessories? My vote would be "roof-mounted racks". Why? With the racks fitted on your automobile; be it a sedan or a MPV, you are able to ferry more stuff around. In addition to that, larger-sized items can be carted as well. Yes. We do have a set of racks fitted. How else could I have brought home the HUGE laundry hanger that is almost bigger than my car?? So,...take my advice. Fit one on your car too. You'll never regret it.

We go A-Hunting for...Furniture

Last weekend, H and I went out furniture shopping. Yes...before you all start with the "Oh no! Not more furniture again!"...we needed to change the boys' beds to more sturdier ones from their current rickety-shakey ones. We went to the furniture mall to browse on the offerings. Most were kind of kiddy-looking or girly-looking. Guessed we have to look elsewhere for the beds. Was also looking for an office swivel chair (mine broke a few months back). Went into a very huge shop that sold all kinds of executive office furniture that ranged from luxury old-fashioned type for the director's room to modern desk for the uber chic types....but no affordable chairs for poor 'ole me.

Two Hours Wasted...

That's the amount of time I spent sewing a stupid cap for S1's Victorian Day. Remember my previous post when I asked for help for some Victorian Costumes?
G pointed to a good site where I could copy the Victorian boy costume(http://www.ivyandmartin.demon.co.uk/summers/victorianboy.htm).

I thought "Aiya...easy lah.." since he already has a white shirt and black pants. And he can wear my waistcoat. All I need to get is the hanky to tie around the neck and a cap.
Again, smart alec me waited till the last minute (Victorian Day is TOMORROW!!!) to gather all the stuff. The hanky was easy lah.. Just cut out a triangle-shaped piece of cloth. And the hard part was the stupid Victorian cap.
I agak-agak (estimate??) the size and on how-to-make it.
Initially, I cut the fabric to a size too big. I sewed it up, i.e making gathers at the edge. Put it on S1's head and he said "Mom! This looks like a shower cap!" . '
Ooookayy...so it was off to the drawing board again (so to speak).
I reduced the circumference and included some kind of the band. This time, it didn't look too much like a Shower Cap. Pop it on top of S1's head.
"Mom! I look like I work at the Pizza Delivery Shop!"
Okay. Okay. I reduce some more. Cut. Cut. Snip. Snip. Sew. Sew.

VOILA!! It's completed!
Woke S1 up (he was already asleep. 8.30 PM is the bedtime ma...and I only finished this third version at 10 PM) to see if it fits.

OMIGOD!!! It's tooooo small now. Can't even sit on top of his head!
How lah??
Fed-Up liow... donwan to cut/snip/sew anymore. Give up lah!

He'll just be a Victorian Boy who lost his cap!!!

Summary??
A Seamstress I am NOT!!!

p/s Will post some pix on Victorian Day tomorrow...

S2's Glasses Lost! - UPDATED

UPDATED -
S2 went to the LOST & FOUND in school today. And luckily, he found his glasses. But I think to be on the safe side, I still have to make him another spare pair. Like you all said, he'll probably lose it again, or sit on it or whatever.... Yeah.. got to find cheap frames...but then hor, also must look fairly presentable one lah... Donwan him to look like a nerd leh... His dad calls him "lou foo zhi" (Cantonese)... or "lau fu tze" (Mandarin). Remember this character in comics??

Just as I was writing my paid post earlier regarding getting spares for S2... Today, he came home and tried to get his glasses from his schoolbag. Guess what? Not there?
Maybe he didn't look properly? S1 looked. The maid looked.
Nope. Not in the bag.
So how? Lost liow lah...
And somewhere I blurr blurr left the prescription slip with the rest of the medical claims for H's secretary to process. Luckily, H retrieved the slip. So...what to do? Got to head out to the shops to buy him another pair plus a spare!!!!!
Aiyoyooooooo....
Bleah!

S2 is Short-Sighted!

Yup!
You read correct!
I received a note from school that informed that S2's vision is less than perfect, and I should have his vision further investigated. So when I was back in KL, I took him to an ophthalmologist (my SIL advised that I should consult the ophthalmologist first, instead of going straight to the optician) for a check-up.
The verdict?
He needed prescription glasses! *sigh*...My baby is now four-eyed! :-( The ophthalmologist did mention that if both parents are short-sighted, the higher the chance that the offspring would be too. Got him a pair that costs about $50, and he is so new to using his glasses that I have to keep asking him "where are your glasses?". Everyone has advised that I should get him a pair of spares as he is bound to either lose them or destroy them. But it is rather expensive, don't you think? But as I was logging into my laptop today, I chanced upon this Great Discovry:$ 8 Prescription Glasses From Zenni Optical! This is so much more affordable! I can now get two extra pairs of glasses for S2! Just have to look for the prescription slip now....

Nag? Scold? Lecture?

Actually I wrote a looooong post about this yesterday. But somehow lost it. Geez...So got to re-type the post... Maybe shorter now lah..

What brought on this post??
My maid lah.. Other than my kids...the maid can also make my blood boil.

I found that she "locked but did not lock" the terrace doors. Basically, she turned the lock but the lock did not "catch" and thus did not get locked. Know what I mean? Usually, I don't re-check the doors but somehow I did a final check before I went upstairs, and one of the terrace doors just slid open soooo easily. Of course I immediately called out to her lah. And guessed what? She also didn't latch the kitchen window. Gave her a scolding/tongue-lashing that led to a full-blown lecture about safety etc etc, and then as I was still going on and on...it somehow turned to nagging. Told her that she shouldn't take things for granted even if we have a security guard. Went on to tell her that some aggressive burglars might even resort to murder ...including the maids. blah blah blah.. Told her to RE-CHECK the doors and windows. But I guessed I would have to do the checking myself to be doubly-sure. I do lock my upstairs door (door upstairs that is between our sleeping quarters and downstairs living) before I go to bed.

She has also been chucking my kitchen gadgets all over the place. Things are not kept in one place. For example, my blender would be in one cabinet but the blades for the blender would be somewhere else. And when I need them, I can't find them. So it is quite irritating. Just this afternoon, I was looking for my measuring cups to make chocolate chip cookies (errr..my cookies are like 5 times the size of Famous Amos!!! My teaspoon was tooooo heaped!) and I couldn't find them. Had to look high and low. Thus, have been re-organizing my kitchen this afternoon... so she better make sure she puts all the things in the right place from now-on

There's more.. but better not make myself too "maang" (irritated?). *breathe* *breathe*

Why not complete it Online?

As usual, I dropped boys at their Mandarin class yesterday before heading off to the gym. Didn't know that S1's teacher had gone back to China, until I went to pick the boys up from the Center an hour and a half later. S1 told me that his teacher had gone back to China to complete his University degree. I wonder what degree the teacher is undertaking, that he has to track back all the way to China? Hasn't he heard of online education? Someone should have told him about the accredited and fully online Capella University. Perhaps if he knew earlier, he wouldn't have left, and my son would still have his old teacher...instead of a young substitute now.

This blog post was based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com.

Some Places to Eat...

Since Laundryamah indicated that her dear 'ole relatives went back to Malaysia pale and skinny...I thought I should do a post on where to eat.

Steaks
Abuba (Good value for money - USD 25/- for the four of us. Yummy... See my previous post)
The Steakhouse @ The Four Seasons (Expensive but good)
Tony Roma's (Yes. Real PORK ribs served!)

Japanese
Blowfish (Modern Japanese and really nice decor. I like! )
Sushi Groove (Not been there but it's part of a chain, right?)
Shabu Nobu (Good Shabu-Shabu)

Chinese
Ah Yat Seafood (Good and value-for-money seafood sets!)
Ah Yat Abalone (Wide variety of dim sum especially Sundays. Go early!!!)
Duck King (All sorts of goodies)
The Soup Shop
Din Tai Fung (Not as yucky lah...okay what...)
Crystal Jade Restaurant

Malaysian
Penang Bistro (one of our favourites)
Penang Place (not been there but my friend says it's good)
House of Ipoh

Others
Kinara (award winning Indian restaurant...)
Tam Nak Thai
C's at the Grand Hyatt (Fancy place like Mezza 9 in Grand Hyatt Singapore)
Emilie (lovely foie gras in this French Restaurant)
Lara Djonggrang (Very very nice ambience. Good to bring visitors. Food is local lor..)
Gourmet Garage (have aussie, japanese etc in different sections...food is quite good too)

Sweet Tooth Places..
Bakerzin
Secret Recipe
Death by Chocolate...

Then of course there's your fast-food chains like Wendy's, Burger King, KFC, Popeye's, McDonalds...

There are loads of other restaurants that it would be too long to list. Some we have tried, and some we have yet to go.

Born with a Silver Spoon...

I was just watching a program on cable this evening entitled "Forbes Top 20 Heiresses".
Who were in the list?
To name a few... Ivanka Trump, Holly Branson, Charlotte Casiraghi, with Vanisha Mittal taking the top spot. Though these heiresses hail from different parts of the world and have different personalities; one thing that they have in common is that they are all born with the silver spoon in their mouths!
I say...You and I can just continue to dream of the $$$$ that these ladies will be inheriting!
Well, though we don't have a silver spoon while growing up, but perhaps we should invest in some silver bullion so that our kids can have the silver spoon in their mouths??? If you are interested, check out what Monex is offering for investors.

Weekend Updates

There is this Steak place close to our house that we drive past almost everyday. At weekends, the road will be packed like crazy as patrons park on both sides of the road to savor the offerings. There would be so much smoke bellowing from this place that you would think that some BIG uncontrolled fire has ensued. But fret not...it's just the smoke from the barbie! Some friends who live in this area said that the steaks are indeed good.... We have saying that we will come and try the steaks for the last one year or more....

Finally...we went to Abuba for lunch yesterday. We were there early...at exactly as they open...which is 11 am. Therefore, no crowds yet. Kids were of course complaining...as Abuba is a shop by the road with no AC and plain wooden tables and stools. Spoiled Brats, they are!!!

Here are some pix....

Guy at the Barbie...
(only our order on the barbie...so not so smoky ...YET)

One of the Posters on the Wall
(Don't pray pray. This roadside shop serves NZ, Aussie and US Meats...and even Wagyu!)

All the Condiments you can think of!
(Tomato Ketchup, Chilli Sauce, BBQ Sauce, Tobasco Sauce, Sweet Soya Sauce, Salt, Pepper, Mustard, etc)

My Tenderloin...YUM YUM!

H's Lamb Chops...Also YUM YUM

Boys' Salmon....Another YUM YUM!

Have to say that it was quite an enjoyable meal.... Certainly will come again!!!

What else did we do??? H introduced 'card building' to the boys. What is that?? Building a little structure with cards. He used the boys' Yu-GiOh cards. Boys were soooo amazed that they actually sat there and attempted to build their little structure with their stack of cards. (Modern kids...donno much about old-fashioned games like this nor marbles nor tops..) I actually fell asleep on the sofa while waiting for them!

Here's a sampling of their masterpieces...

We also went out to buy Alien Vs. Predator to watch... so that we are more abreast with the story....before we went to watch Alien Vs. Predator 2 today. Not exactly a show suitable for kids. But watch with the parents better than watch it somewhere else...

Mesothelioma

Do you know what the term "mesothelioma" means?

It is an asbestos-caused cancer of the serous membranes that surround many of the body’s vital organs. In the late 19th century, asbestos was widely used in buildings and other items, due to it's high resistance to heat, fire and chemicals. Unfortunately, unbeknownst then was the carcinogenic properties of asbestos. It is only in the later part of the 20th century that we are aware that inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause mesothelioma and asbestosis. Thus, many countries today have banned the use of asbestos altogether.

Small Business

You are starting a small business.

Your business plan is perfect, and you have found the perfect location to run your small business from. Now, all that you need to do is to equip your office with the right furniture and equipment, and you are ready to go. One of the key equipment to conduct your business is the telephone. Yes. The little gadget that was invented by Alexander Graham Bell years ago. It helps you to communicate with your customers as well as your suppliers and associates. Do you know where you can find the ideal small business phone systems that will suit your business operations?

Really Stoooooopid!!!

I really cannot believe how stooooooopid I was!!!!

Was organizing my photos on Tuesday night, and I don't know why I DELETED my Pictures folder.....and ALL I mean ALL my photos that was in my Macbook were GONE!!!! I screamed SOOOOOOO Loud that S1 came running in to inquire what went wrong. Think I kinda frightened him with my dramatics. He tried to console me with "it's not the end of the world"...I swear I was almost devastated!!! The worst thing was that there was a prompt to ask if I was sure that I want to delete the folder. What was I even thinking to press ENTER???? I really don't know!!!

%^&#@&^* *Tearing my hair out*

What did I do?? Search the net to find a software to try to retrieve back my deleted files lah....Had to buy UnEraser that costs me USD 39.95. What to do??? Definitely have to fork out the dosh lah.. I had to try to retrieve my photos, right???

Luckily I had my older photos on my Dell Notebook too. So what was lost were from July 2007 onwards. Managed to recover most of the photos though not all.. Better than nothing lah. Managed to recover photos from Bangkok, Port Dickson, Singapore, Paintball Party, Egyptian Day, some Xmas photos.

Lost the photos that my sis transferred (so..YM , pls burn the photos onto a CD, please....), Safari Park photos (the one that H wore S1's Bali-bought shirt), some of S1's KL birthday party shots...

Now...have to always back up my photos on CDs ASAP allllll the time!!!!

Victorian Costume !!!

HELP! HELP!
I need to get S1 a Victorian costume for next week!!!! How ?? How?? Where? Aiyo...My kepala pusing (head spinning) liow!!! If you know any pictures of Victorian costumes (BOYS one lah, of course), please lead the way!!!! I need to get it printed to show the tailor. Yeah..Yeah.. am surfing the web to find...but mostly for women or not so good pictures.

GEEEEEZZZ

Bangkok - Part 2

Tried to upload the video of the Countdown and Fireworks...but Blogger kept on indicating that there is an error. So...just some pix lah..

Concert in the Area between Siam Center and Siam Paragon

Big Christmas Tree outside Central World Plaza.

H reckons that it's bigger than the one at Rockefeller wor...

Crowd on Rajadamri Road

This road plus Rama I and Ploenchit was closed. Think there must be about half a million ppl.

Look at the Number of Taxis!!!

King is 80 this Year!

Amazing Thailand Indeed!

I really do like Thailand... "Chan chorp Meung Thai maak maak"!

Sawadee-kaa.... Chan ton-ni yaak pai non liow.

Bangkok - Part 1

Went to Bangkok with H on Saturday, 29th Dec and stayed on till New Year's Day. What do we do?

EAT

SLEEP

SHOP
BEING NOTTI ;-P

Hahahhahaah......

Day One - Saturday, 29th Dec

We arrived early in the morning. Took a cab to the hotel. We stayed at the Somerset Suwan Park View. For awhile, thought the name rang a bell...and then I realised that when we lived in Bangkok, our driver's name was Suwan. :-) Anyway, it's a serviced apartment in Soi TonSon, off Ploenchit. I think this place is really good. Located in the quiet street of TonSon, and so near to Central Chitlom and the Chitlom BTS Station. Apartments are of a good size with a kitchenette and living room. I really prefer a serviced apartment than a hotel leh. Yes. We did make use of the kitchen. Made supper :-D hehehee...

After a quick rest, we went to the Food Loft on the top floor of Central Chitlom for lunch. We had Tom Yum, Kar Moo Tom and Phad Thai. Was very very yummy! Went to the Erawan Shrine for prayers in the afternoon after lunch. And in the evening, went out for dinner with my friend. She was actually gonna go up-country, but delayed the trip till after our dinner. Would be a 7-hour journey for her. Feel so pai-seh. Had pre-dinner drinks at Vertigo - the famed roof top bar at the Banyan Tree on Sathorn. It was very very nice. Took some pix of Bangkok in the night....but pictures not very nice leh. We then proceeded to Ember on Soi Langsuan for dinner. Wat did I have? Let me think...err.. Had the foie gras for starter, then soft shell crab as main, and melted chocolate cake for dessert. I actually told H to pay for dinner waaaaaay before dinner, but we were too slow. My friend, YY snuck her credit card to the waiter before we knew it. It was great meeting this old friend...

Day Two - Sunday, 30th Dec 2007

We were off to Chatuchak in the morning. Didn't really have much to buy. Just go basically for old time's sake. Stuffed ourselves silly with food. Had fried pork, cincau, kwetiew soup, fried chicken, coconut etc. Then from Chatuchak, we went to the old Pantip Plaza on Pratunam....I say old because it has a new name liow. It's called IT World or something like that. So many changes in Bangkok from the time we lived here. Previously, H was like saying "let's go to the seafood shop in front of Amari Watergate"...hehehe...little did he know that his little one-storey shack of a seafood place has been demolised, and in its place is a multi-storey clothing center called Platinum. Hahahah.. When we were at Pantip Plaza, we could see a glimpse of the new and shiny-looking Platinum. Hung out later at Siam Paragon. Bought a few things....had dinner at the food court. Again, stuffed ourselves silly with all sorts of foods and snacks.... and caught a movie "I am LEGEND". Wa...very expensive wor...watch movie here. Cost BHT 160 per ticket. NO. Not the premium one leh... I have to say that I was very scared throughout most parts of the movie. I actually screamed quite loudly on one scene. H said I probably scared the hell out of the other movie-goers, instead of the movie itself. :-P

Day Three - Monday, 31st Dec 2007
Silly ppl like us then took a cab to Soi RangNam to look for the old roast pork rice stall. ALAMAK! The place NO longer there liow. So, cincai eat at another stall lor. Why Soi RangNam? H's old office was there, and he used to eat regularly at this roast pork stall. Sort of want to revive the nostalgia! And then it was off to Siam Paragon again. Shopped abit and then had wine and some sweets. We had dinner at Somboon Seafood over at Surawongse. Had crabs, prawns, oyster omelette, Tom Yum and Claypot tanghoon. Very yummy and cheap too. Then we walked to Patpong. Was a nice stroll....the weather was very good. Breezy and abit chilly too. Hehehee...bought some cushion covers from Patpong. H was like saying "we don't even come here when we had guests before...why you wanna walk in here??". But okay what... Anyway, went home...rested, and came out for the New Year's countdown over at Central World Plaza. Videos...later.

Day Four - Tuesday, 1st January 2008

We have some time to kill before we catch our afternoon flight. We watched a movie in the apartment and continued on to Central Chitlom to do some last minute shopping...

Overall, enjoyed my trip to Bangkok. Though we didn't do much...it was really relaxing and fun.

Here are some of the stuff I bought.

Clothes for Kids

T-shirt of little D, Romper for little A, Dress for little E, Long Tees for My Boys

NEXT Jeans for the Boys

Jim Thompson Bag

(H says to "get rid of my plastic-bags carrying. So this one will replace my plastic bags!!!)

Jim Thompson Stuff

To put my medicine and stuff

Thai Silk Weave

For my shelf in the hall

Princess Grill

(H was very happy with this. It's half the price compared to here!!)

Cookie Cutters, Meat & Syrup Thermometers and Such

Saw them, so buy lor..

Khanom Jeen and Pork Cubes

(Very difficult to get Pork ones here...)

Oopsss...forgot to take picture of the cushion covers... Nevermind lah.. just like any other faux-silk ones that you see in the stalls in the KL malls.

Back Home...

Flew back home on Saturday evening... Was a little bit worried that my luggage would be overweight. True enough...was waaaaay overweight at 76.5 kg for the 3 of us. Our allocation was only 65 kg. So was kinda lucky that luggage got checked-in alright. Why sooooo heavy? Aiya... had to buy contact lens solution (we like to use Alcon NO Rub lor...), vitamins (waaaaay cheaper in Malaysia), Colgate (cheaper too), Roskens (3 tubs for RM 42 vs. 1 tub at RM 40 over here!!!!), lap-cheong, bak-kwa, books, boys' Xmas Pressies... etc etc. So now you know why sooooo heavy! :-P

Flight was on time, but the luggage took forever to come out. Was so tired by the time I got home. H was at a wedding dinner, and thus did not pick us up and he only got home about 9 pm. Boys of course were really excited to see what their dad got for them for Xmas. They didn't know what it was...Their dad gave them clues like

"made out of plastic...

something you always wanted...

mommy also has one, but hers slightly different..."

Boys were trying hard to think what their pressies where. One convo between S1 and S2...
S1 - Made of plastic. What can it be?

S2 - Plastic cup?

S1 - Daddy says something I always wanted. I don't want a plastic cup. And what would I want that mommy also has?????

Hahahah...What did H get for us for Xmas??

Taaaa...Daaaaa

And on Sunday, H had to work (nice breakfast meeting in one of the best hotels here, followed by golf game with his client, and then exquisite dinner!!! ...if you call this work!). What do we do?? Boys wanted to eat dim sum at Ah Yat Restaurant. We went without H lor. After that, checked out the new mall that has just opened. Not exactly fully-opened yet lah. Think only less than half the shops are opened. Bvlgari, Ermenigildo Zegna, Tiffany&Co, Hugo Boss, Hermes, Roberto Cavalli etc are only opening in the Summer. Errr....not that I shop in these places. Mango, La Senza also belum buka. But the cinema and kiddie role-play area is opened already. Have not been to this kiddie place but basically kids can be all sorts of profession.

Most of the restaurants are opened liow. What makan place is there? The usual like Din Tai Fung, Crystal Jade, Secret Recipe, Haagan-Daz, Cream&Fudge, Gelatissimo, Italian, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian, etc etc. The lower level of the Restaurants section is made to resemble somewhat like a marina. There are tables and chairs inside those boats....

And then there's a lighthouse. Again, you can dine inside the lighthouse. Two levels...one on the lower level, and one on the upper level.Not bad for a 3rd World Country, huh??

Ai Keh Kah Lai Pak Kar

...You have to say this in Hokkien... which literally means "want to get married, then bind feet".

Well, it's my turn to ai keh kah lai pak kar...

Got back from Bangkok late on New Years Day, and have been frantically trying to complete my errands before I fly off tomorrow. What errands? Err..
- PAP Smear at SJMC
- My visit to the Chinese Sinseh
- S2's visit to Eye Specialist
- Dental Appointment
- Purchases of my Colgate, Maggi Mee, Vitamins and such.
- Meet Friends...

Got a call from Laundryamah this morning to meet for lunch tomorrow, and my mom overheard my convo, she was like SHAKING her HEAD and kept repeating ai keh kah lai pak kar... and then said SIOW sooooo many times when I confirmed brunch with Laundryamah, when my flight's at 4. Heheheh... But I just check-in online, and my flight is at 4.40 pm. Heheheh..So, can sip my coffee longer lah... Hahaha..

Okay..Got to rush off to our Dental Appt now. Later gals..

Billet Grilles will do the Job!

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Quick One...

Have been busy since I got back on the 17th. Now..where have I been and what did I do?

Tuesday, 18th was basically spent chatting with a friend who so happens to be back from the States, and to buy toiletries and slippers (since I didn't bring mine).

The next day, we drove down to Singapore (not I drive la...my mom did) on the 19th and got back on the 21st of December. Have to say Singapore is very expensive!!! Didn't buy anything at all.

On Saturday, 22nd was the Chinese Festival... had the usual prayers in the afternoon and then lunch with Tong Yuen, and then it was off to MidValley with my mom, boys and MIL. MIL wanted to buy pressies for the boys.

Sunday??? Aiyo...this one I forgot.

Monday, 24th Dec. Had to rush to bring H's NAD DVD to be fixed at the distributor which is located in Taman Maluri. Aiyo...that fella said that particular model very few ppl buy cause expensive and also may not have parts liow. True enough. The fella told me today, the board koyak already and cannot be fixed. So, moral of the story is to just buy EL CHEAPO brand, cause spoil liow won't "samm thung"!!! Then it was rushing to Pavillion to have lunch with my girlfriends, CC and KL. Of course must go...CC had an increase in $$$ when she switched jobs, so..."watt" her for "yue chue long hau" (sharks fin for gargling mouth??). And yes. I did have the non-environmental friendly sharks fin. And then later, went to do last minute shopping with my sisters. And Christmas Eve...also my daddy's birthday...we had dinner at home..with takeaway turkey...

Christmas Day...Opened pressies...and then...errrr...what else arr?? Forgot again!!

Boxing Day - Drove down to PD. Aiyo....what happened to PD?? So scary the beach!!!! Why PD? We have babies and thus do not want to drive toooooo far... Anyway, convoy of 4 cars down to PD. Just got back today...

And tomorrow...am off to Bangkok with H. Leaving boys with my parents....

Later...

Last Minute Shopping...

You know the Chinese saying of "want to get married, then bind feet"? It generally means "doing things at the very last minute". Well, this was exactly what my youngest sister was doing on Christmas Eve. She was scurrying around on Christmas Eve to get presents for my brother-in-law and I don't know who else. We were in the Adidas factory outlet over in Section 14 that she finally found something for my brother-in-law. And since I was there too, I looked at the Adidas golf shirts for myself and Adidas soccer shoes for the boys too. But as boys did not come along, it was rather difficult to buy the shoes. So, gotta go again. This time, with the boys!

Diving Gear...

Initially, H and I wanted to go for a Diving and Golfing holiday post-Christmas. We've got our personal golf sets and shoes for golfing. As for diving, we've got our mask, snorkler, shoes and fins. What's still missing are our very own BCD (buoyancy control device), regulator and dive watch. Was wondering if we should purchase the BCD and regulator or just rent them from the dive shops at most resorts. But we will definitely want to buy our own dive watch. I would want the stylish Technomarine watch in blue. It'll go very well with my blue fins and blue wetsuit. Yes. Even diving, I have to be colour-coordinated!

All Packed...

Bags packed.
Passports, Tickets - Checked
Done the Online Check-In.

Wait. Wait... till 3.30 pm to leave the house to the airport to catch our 7 PM flight. Was thinking of leaving at 4 pm but driver is afraid that there might be a jam. Or perhaps the earlier he sends us off, the earlier he can get off!!! Gave him the day off tomorrow, as H only gets back from the US on Wednesday. Yeah...I did say Germany in my earlier post, but he flew to the States from Achtung-Land.

So...while waiting... I blog abit lah..

Started off Sunday (yesterday) quite early. Okay...it is early for me lah! Took boys to a place called Pancious for pancakes with ice-cream. Yup! Yup! Early morning have ice-cream!! hehehe.. I couldn't find my friend's book that I had borrowed earlier. So told the boys that whoever finds it, gets to have ice-cream with their pancakes... And both of them found it! So, have to keep my word lah. Had the book (titled Siblings Without Rivalry) in the car with us, and S1 started looking at some of the cartoons in there.
I said "Don't you think the parent in the book is like me??".
And then he commented "this isn't how you talk to us. You wouldn't say 'boy. You look upset with your brother. I am sure he had said something that upset you'...".
"The book is advising that is how us parents should talk to the kids", I replied, and then proceeded to emulate the book with the nicest, calmest voice that I can muster.
S1 then said "No. No. That doesn't suit your personality! That's not you mom. You are freaking me out! Stop it! Stop it!".
"Then how do you want me to be when you guys fight? Scream?"
"Yes. Yes. Please continue to scream at us!" was S1's reply!
Basically, my son has given me the GREEN light to continue screaming at him!!! Hahahha

After pancakes, we proceeded to Carrefour to buy Laundryamah's maid uniform. I bought a GREEN coloured one. For the long pant's version, the BLUES and WHITES were all XL. There were absolutely NO MEDIUMs for any colour. So, I bought SMALL but they still look okay for a normal-sized maid lah. I figured you didn't want PINK, so I bought the GREEN one. Laundryamah - You owe me RM 36/-. Yeah...think price increased a bit from the last time...and IT is more expensive than the expat supermarket lah...

Then we were off to Seibu to buy EL's CK bag. Well, guessed some other ladies fancied the bag too. FINITO liow... So, didn't buy her bag. But wandered around this new mall, which is only half opened. Walked over to the East Wing. Discovered that Harvey Nichols is gonna be the anchor tenant in the East Wing. *Reminiscing* Used to lurve to go to Harvey Nichols in London during the sales.... When I told H about it, he was pretty excited that they are opening a store here too!

After that hopped over to another mall to have a look-see...as my friends said that they've just renovated. Went to kepoh lah. Popped into Debenhams to buy H's Xmas pressie, plus to the Food Hall to buy ingredients to make Loh Mai Kai. Had to freeze them to feed my H while we are gone. Also given maid off 4 days per week...Yes. She only needs to come in 3 times a week to sweep, mop and do H's laundry while we are gone.

Went home, rested and then made the Loh Mai Kai...then we were out again. This time to TIME ZONE.
Why?
Because the last time mom was here, she indulged the boys with trips to TIME ZONE, and consequently they have amassed a total of 1289 TIME ZONE tickets!!!
We had to redeem them already, as the expiry date is 31st December 2007.
Certainly H is not going to redeem them while we are gone.
What did the 1289 tickets get us?

• 2 x Small Packets of Fruit Juice
• 1 x Soft Toy (Stitch from Lilo & Stitch)
• 10 x Cans of Soft Drinks
  
• 5 x Lousy Mechanical Pencil
• 3 x Sweets

Okay....got to go have lunch now... See you soon!!

Busy Busy....

Busy with Shopping...

Yup! Had to do my last minute Xmas Shopping before I head home on Monday, the 17th December. And Debenhams started their Midnight Shopping yesterday, with Buy-One-Get-One-Free, from 9 PM to Midnight. So what do I do??? Major kiasu...was there yesterday morning to check out what was interesting, and to try out clothes. I knew that the fitting rooms were gonna be packed to the max. At 8.30 PM sharp, I tucked the boys into bed, and then went to Debenhams. YES. It was packed!! Sorry. Cannot show you most of the stuff I bought as they are Xmas Pressies...What I can show are the following:

Wrapped Pressies in the Luggage

S1's Cool T-Shirt

S2's Cool T-Shirt

Oh yeah...I shop shop shop till almost 12 midnight leh. Shop until gila. When I left, I passed by Gucci (which also just started their sale). Waliow!! It was still open at 11.45 PM, and packed to the MAX. Those ladies were coming out with bags and bags of GUCCI merchandise. Some people just have all the dough!!!

Anyway,...I still have to go and buy Laundryamah's Maid Uniform... and EL's Calvin Klein clutch bag. Already told her to buy buy buy the other when we were at Seibu, but she was 'sum-tai-sum-sai'. And then at the airport, called me to get it for her....it was on sale..converted costs RM 560 I think.... So, my shopping errands will extend to this coming Sunday when traffic is minimal.

Busy Golfing....

After Wednesday's crap golfing, I went to the driving range with two friends today. Hit about 12o balls. Much better than Wednesday....but think still need some work. Will bring my golf shoes back to KUL, and maybe get an instructor that can speak proper English for at least one lesson. Hope I will improve. Cannot be the more I play, the worse I become. Right?

Busy @ The Salon

Went to the salon to have my hair permed today. Yes...abit last minute before I go home. But my hair was getting limp and out of shape. And summore the other day, a friend saw me at the gym, and said that I look like Ah Soh!!!! She said I have a lot of white hair, and I should colour it, and perm to have sexy hair!!! Hahahah... And then told me to put some make-up, then I'll look good. So...off I went to the salon after my golf....

My hair from the back

(...took the pix myself..so a bit senget and funny looking)

Busy Packing

Not only have to stuff the Xmas Pressies...but there's still our clothes, shoes, plus the kids' old books that I want to give to my nephews, B and D. So, have to sort them out from the mess in the boys' room.

Busy Booking

H and I wanna go away together after Xmas....without the kids. H will not be back for Xmas as he has a contract nego on Boxing Day. Our first choice was to go Diving in Cairns but flights were full...then we thought we'll go skiing in South Korea. The tours are either full or too long. Then we thought about Golfing & Diving in Krabi... But where have we decided to go?
Bangkok!

It was H's suggestion. But good lah. I need to go to the Four-Face Buddha...my girlfriend, C whom I used to tag-along with had already gone in August and won't be going soon. Will also want to meet up with a good friend, YY. I'm sure she would be thrilled to see H and I. Will have to SMS her tomorrow. We are flying AirAsia...sooooooo last minute, so the tickets EXPENSIVE lah... We paid almost RM 1500 for 2 tickets. And H got to fly in to KL summore...and that is also expensive... Usually, it costs about USD 130 or thereabouts...but this time, it's doubled! This H lah...his schedule always sooooooo last minute that it is MEGA difficult to book in advance. Always like that one.... And when I was buying the tickets, I was contemplating one airline with another etc...and he called me sooooo many times from Germany. He said he was afraid that I sure think here, think there over USD 20. He was right! I was! Basically, he called to ask me to just bl@rdy book the tickets!! hahahaha...

Now, it's just the hotel that I need to book (no lah...don't want to stay with YY lah..not so nice...she sure offer her driver and all one. I "mm-hou-yi-see"). H's colleague can get us some discounts at Novotel Siam Square...but knowing me...I want to surf those lastminute sites to see what other deals I can get!

Did I mention that H was offered a posting in Bangkok again about 3 months back? But because it's a lateral move, he declined lah...

A Spare is Required...

As mentioned in one of my previous post, H surprised me with a new Canon IXUS 950 IS last week. I'm still fiddling with the camera's features. The camera came with an additional 1 GB memory card. However, it only came with one rechargeable battery. I think I should get spare rechargeable batteries for this new camera. Don't you think? I definitely would be kicking myself hard if I miss a perfect picture moment due to zilch power in my battery!

Where to go??

H and I want to go on a trip together just after Christmas. Yes....without the boys. I've checked around and flights to most places are fully-booked, or are commanding a premium price. As usual...you know how wives are.. always worrying about how much it would cost. I should learn to close my eyes, and just splurge on an overseas trip. Perhaps we should fly to the city that we had our honeymoon..... Las Vegas, and stay in a 5-star Vegas hotel, order room service, try my luck at the roulette tables and watch the famous Vegas shows. What say you??

Ladies Day....

Hubbies off to work.

Kids off to school.

And us ladies off to the golf course.

Well, it's Ladies Day at the PI Golf Course today....and next week, kids will be FULL-TIME with us (last day of school is this Friday, 14th Dec)....so my girlfriends and I had to seize the opportunity. I guessed the other expat wives/moms are also thinking the same thing. The course was rather packed. Flights in front and back of us.

But BOO-HOO-HOO... I played like crap today!!! Really really bad. Worse than the first time. Worse than when I first started at the driving range. WHY??? HOW COME??

My girlfriends said that I expected too much, and gave myself too much pressure. I donno... but how to go for a GOLF & DIVING HOLIDAY with H??? Was thinking of going to Krabi after the PD trip. Now, with my golf like donno-what, how? How? How? So... gonna go to the driving range to sort out whatever that needs to be sorted out this Friday. *sigh* :-(

We had lunch at the clubhouse today rather than going to the nearby mall. Was just too lazy to get up from the chair after our usual iced-lemon teas... Felt really really lazy and needed some pampering after the $h!tty game. Called my usual spa but they were fully-booked. So thought that I'll try another. Went to the Harnn & Tharn Spa near to my house. The decor is more modern minimalist as compared to the traditional woody look of my usual spa. I forgot to take picture BEFORE my treatment. So this pix is after...hence the yucky dirty used towel on the bed.

What did I do? Had a scrub, massage and a facial. The scrub and massage was quite good. But the facial was LOUSY lah. All-in-all, my 2 1/2 treatment costs about RM 200/-. Had a 25% discount for the scrub and massage with my credit card. A bit geram that the LOUSY facial had NO discount!

But I still think my usual spa is better. Cheaper summore. Also, I notice that these fancy spas (including The Spa at the Four Seasons Hotel) does not massage the boobies, as compared to the local traditional spas. The local ones also massage the stomach more thoroughly... I know some of you are gonna go "Eeeeewww...massage boobies!!".. Heeeheeee

Anyways, my skin was "pakk-shoot-shott, watt-loot-loot" (white white, smooth smooth) after the spa session. But then also no use...no one to appreciate as H is en-route to Europe :=(

Improved Fitness?

I have been a member at the Celebrity Fitness gym for about 4 months now, and have been diligently working out at least twice a week on the various fitness equipment available there. I usually work out on the CrossTrainer for about 30 minutes, and then onto the strength training which involved weights ranging from 10 kg to 25 kg. Although I have yet to lose a single pound, friends have commented that I look fitter. I do feel fitter. And the other day when we were at the Safari Park, I didn't pant after climbing a steep and high flight of stairs. A good achievement indeed! :-)