Coughing My Lungs Out!!

Haven't been well.... 

In fact, things seemed to have gone downhill since my headache after S2's birthday party. I developed a cough the next day....which got worse and worse. Decided to go and see a doctor on Friday to have my cough checked out. And since I'm already at the clinic, decided to have a Pap Smear as well (kill two birds with one stone!!!). Doctor prescribed some antibiotics and another med for my cough. So far, no improvement yet. 

I guessed I must have got it from S2. He has had this persistent cough for awhile.... sort of since November 2008 actually. Didn't really understand why the cough was so persistent...thought it was allergy-related. But at his birthday party, had a chat with the parents of T & L. Turns out that both boys (brothers) and their dad were diagnosed with mycoplasma pneumonia. Apparently, boys' symptoms were mild compared to their dad. He was in Singapore for work then, and when he went to see the doc, doc actually told him that he needed to be admitted to the hospital. In Singapore, the test for mycoplasma pneumonia takes only a day. 

Here?

It takes 3 weeks!!!  

You say lah.... Third World Country or not???

Anyway, the symptoms described by T&L's mom sounded pretty similar to what S2 is experiencing. Took him into the clinic on Monday (2nd March) again to have another check by the doctor and also a blood test for mycoplasma pneumonia. Yeah. Results will NOT be out till another 2 weeks but since his chest was still not clear, the doctor prescribed antibiotics for his infection... one that is good for "normal" bacterial and the mycoplasma pneumoniae. Not all antibiotics is effective against mycoplasma pneumoniae, as it doesn't have a cell wall like "normal" bacteria. (The antibiotics prescribed to me will also be effective against this bug. Yeah. I do usually read the insert that comes with medication.)

His cough is improving but not totally gone...will see how in a couple more days.

In a different note, I am still taking S2 for his allergy treatment at the Bio-Resonance clinic, despite H's objections. He said it is a bunch of baloney....giving me an earful last week. As in we were shouting at each other!!! 

I still think it is worth a try as conventional medicine doesn't really have a treatment for allergies. They will just say ABSTAIN from those foods. 

For yesterday's treatment session, H didn't complain nor give me a earful. He seemed quite happy to drop both S2 and I off at the clinic while he and S1 went jalan-jalan.

The therapist did another test....and apparently, S2 is NO longer allergic to eggs and chicken, which is good news. But he still has a long list of allergens that needs to be treated.

Hopefully, in due time...we can put this long list behind us. 

Uncontrolled....

You know how people always let their hair down during a holiday?
They tend to do stuff that they don't normally do.
They tend to shop more.
They tend to EAT more.
I definitely eat more when I'm on a holiday.
In fact, my diet seems to be rather uncontrolled for six months now.... with trips to San Fransisco, Las Vegas, New York, Melbourne, Kuala Lumpur and most recently London. H has been nagging me to watch my diet, and I've been ignoring him... until one morning when I felt my pants being rather tight.
Bleah.... Guessed I would have to start on my diet soon. And to have the best results, perhaps I'm going to use weight loss pills as well. I'm trying to lose at least 3 kg. 

3 kg doesn't sound too much, right?

So I think I should be able to achieve it. (Fingers crossed!!!!)

A Visit to the National Museum

This post is backdated to the 18th of February, 2009.
Went for a short tour of the National Museum with the Explorer's Group. I've recently joined this group in order to visit/tour the city that has been my home for the last 2 1/2 years. As this might be our last year here, thought that I ought to know a little bit more!

I'm NO museum girl...but with a tour, it can be quite interesting. 

The museum guides on this day are all expat volunteers who had devoted a couple of months of their time to be trained as museum guides. 

I'm told that this National Museum has the largest collection of antiquities in SEA (a surprising fact!).  Didn't take too many photos....but here are some.

Open Courtyard in the Old Wing

Statue of Ganesha 

(According to the guide, Ganesha was the child of the Hindu God Shiva and his wife Parvati. He was born with a human head and body. Shiva had gone away and did not know that he had a son. One day, Parvati wanted a bath and asked Ganesha to guard the doorway so that no intruders could enter. Shiva returned unexpected, and not knowing that Ganesha was his son, cut off his head. When he found out the truth, he vowed to use the head of the next living thing that passed-by to replace Ganesha's. Turns out that an elephant was the first living thing that passed-by. That's why Ganesha has an elephant head)

Statue of Kala (not sure of spelling)

(Kala was the humble servant of Shiva. One day, Shiva was meditating and told Kala to be on guard, and not to disturb him. But halfway through, a demon appeared. Kala had to awaken his master. Shiva was furious that Kala had disturbed his meditation and punished Kala by asking him to eat himself up. Kala, being the humble and loyal servant proceeded to eat himself ...starting from his feet up. When he reached his face, Shiva realised that Kala was trying to protect him from the demon. Thus, he decided to bestow Kala the honour of the guardian of temples. That is why, the image of Kala is always at the entryway of a Hindu Temple)

Sorry lah....if you ask me, I think Shiva is rather quick-tempered. And like ALL men, refused to ask question and clarify matters first before losing his temper and doing something silly....

Statue of Parvati - Front

Statue of Parvati - Back

Think all these statues are from around 500-800 AD. Can't really remember...Sorry..

New Microwave Oven Needed!

H has been coming home late from work lately. Being the good wife that I am, I usually keep some dinner for him. But by the time he comes home, the food is all cold and not so palatable. I usually heat the food up in the microwave oven. However, when I tried to heat up the food yesterday, the oven seems to "smell funny"....not exactly a burnt smell but just weird. In addition to that, the food seems to be taking longer to be heated up. I supposed this old unit is destined to the junk yard, and it is high time I get a new one. Wonder if there is a sale where I can get one with a convection function as well.

Light at the End of the Tunnel...

Everyday, it's the same doom and gloom reporting of the worldwide economic crisis in the daily newspapers.  Just today, it is reported that manufacturers are bracing for a 30% drop in exports, which would lead to further job losses in the manufacturing sector. One would wonder - For someone who has lost his job, would he be able to find another in this climate? Though it would prove a challenge, I believe there is still light at the end of the tunnel. Some companies out there are still searching for good and professional employees.  Out-of-jobbers should not lose hope, but continue to send off their business resumes to potential employers and job recruitment agencies. Perseverance, patience and perhaps hope will eventually land a job at your very doorstep.

Stained-Glass Factory

Tagged along a friend to a stained-glass factory for a tour today. 

These are some of the mosaics made from broken glass....

Lots of work involved...Cutting, Polishing, Bevelling, Cleaning, Assembling etc. 

Some works would include molten glass, painting etc.

This top left hand assembly costs about USD 6,000/- and is bound for DaVinci in China. 

Easter Hols

Where to go? Where to go?

For the boys' Easter holidays?

It's in 4 weeks time, and that means I don't have much time to book for the flights, hotel etc.

Initially, I thought about taking the boys to Egypt....It would be Spring, and the weather would be just great for visiting Cairo Museum, see the Great Pyramids, sail down the Nile on the felucca. But after the recent bombing in the market whereby a French student was killed and many others injured, I told myself "Nope. Egypt is OUT."

So. Back to the drawing board. Where? Where?

Or maybe I could just bring them to good 'ole Disneyland in California?

There's a lot airline ticket offers out there, plus I hear Anaheim California hotel is offering great Disneyland packages plus discounted attraction tickets.

Surely boys will enjoy a theme park holiday.

What do you think?

A New Car...

We just got our new car last week. A Mitsubishi Grandis. Okay. Not exactly new but newer than our old Toyota Fortuner. It's also a 7-seater but somehow externally, it looks so much smaller than the Toyota. Fortunately, the internal is just as spacious. With the delivery of this new car, I've resumed my attempt to drive on the nightmarish roads. I did drive a short distance last Sunday...... My first attempt after my accident more than two and a half years ago. I wonder if I should get H to obtain some more insurance quotes, to make sure that drivers like me would be covered in the event of an accident. Touch Wood for another accident though!!!

S2's 9th Birthday Party

S2's 9th Birthday Party was held on Sunday, 1st March 2009.

(Yes. Yes. A week later because mommy and daddy was half a world away. :-P)

This year's party theme was "At the Movies".

Didn't want to have the party at my house (recall BLUE icing on my cream-coloured sofa??)... so went around looking for a venue. S2 initially wanted to have a futsal party but advised against it since he's not exactly a footballer. Convinced him to have a movie-theme instead as I managed to book a mini-Cinema at one of the serviced apartments near to my place.

Here are some photos....

View of the Cinema Room

(Grandma and the boys in the background)

Cinema Room - Screen Side

(Boys wrestling before guests arrive)

I had arranged for the kids to have their tea-time snacks prior to the movie ....also because most guests do not come on time.

Buffet Spread for the Kids

After the snacks (which the kids did not really eat! Hrmffff!!!), it was time for the movie.

What movie did they watch?
THE MUMMY ... I thought this to be a good movie for the kids as it has adventure, suspense, horror, humour and action.

Got some popcorn popped in the microwave too... H actually wanted to bring our own microwave oven. But lucky I smart! Called the place and requested for one.

Half way through the movie, you get some scared kids running out ....heheheheh and then in again. Out and in again.

After the movie ended, it was cake-blowing time....

S2's Movie Reel Cake

And then, it was time for the PINATA!!!

PopCorn Pinata
S2 having the FIRST GO

You should see the scuffling over the sweets!!! Waliow! Really like a BIG GANG WAR! Hahahahha
When I told H that I was getting a pinata, he said "What for? They are so big already". But BOY! The kids were really excited when it was time to hit the pinata. Big kids. Small kids. When it comes to sweets. They are still kids!

As usual, halfway through the pinata-hitting session, my S2 started to whine and cry about people hurting his leg and he won't get any sweets blah blah blah. And H came to his rescue. He actually dipped his hands into the pinata's crack to scoop out some sweets for him.
I was like....THIS IS DEJAVU!!!!

Every party, my S2 sure must be like that one. :-P

After the sweets were all collected, cake eaten, goodie-bags given away, some boys were still NOT on their way home. Instead they remained in the room wrestling and whacking each other. Anyway, I was pretty glad that the party ended and I don't have to be the one cleaning up...

Look at the mess!

There was popcorn, french fries, spilled drinks and what-nots all over the room!! When I saw the cleaners, I quickly slip them some tips...hopefully, they won't be cursing us!!

Went home tired, laden with loads of leftovers and a very throbbing headache!!!

No more parties. I told the boys. Maybe just have 3 friends over in future......

No More Compromise!

Every couple needs to compromise in order to have a happy and successful marriage. But one thing that they do not need to compromise is their comfort level when they retire to bed .......that is with adjustable sleep number beds. Gone are the days that couples who can't sleep on the same sleep surface be forced to sleep on two separate twin beds. These sleep number beds can be dual-adjusted to suit to his and her individual liking, be it extra Firm or feathery Soft .....two different sleep surfaces but still on the same bed, allowing for a cuddle in the middle of the night :-) .
So what are you waiting for? Put an order for a sleep number bed now!

Long Day of Travel....

Okay. Flight from London to Singapore is only 12 hours long.....but I had to take the tube from High Street Ken to Paddington, and from here catch the Heathrow Connect (much cheaper than taking Heathrow Express!!) train to Heathrow T3. I was a little out of breath by the time I settled into my seat in the train. Rushed like crazy to NOT miss this 8.33 am train. And my bags (mid-size trolley bag, a hand-carry and my handbag) were not helping either. 

Anyway, reached the airport in 30 minutes...did my VAT Tax Refund (Very quick. No queues and new system was efficient), checked-in my bags, bought some chocolates (Actually, H wanted me to get the netbook from here. The Tax Free price is half of what we would pay back home. But as I had to hand-carry my Wedgwood plates and stuff, I was "excused") and then proceeded to the gate. Flight was pretty good. As soon as the doors were shut, I quickly went to "chup" the three empty seats in front. Yeah. Three seats ALL to myself. I slept. Played Luxor. Ate. Watched Body of Lies (the one with Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCarpio). 

Had more than 2 hours of transit time at Changi before my connecting flight. Walked around the terminal but nothing to buy...so had a coffee at Starbucks. Wah. Didn't realise that Singapore is so pricey! 

Flight this time was packed.....as usual. But still manage to have a short nap after the meal. On arrival, and after immigration ....all I could think of was A HOT SHOWER and then BED. And then I turned on my phone.

TWO messages. One from my mom. And the other from H.....asking me to go to school to GET S2. 

ALAMAK. AGAIN. NOW. 

Called to inquire to see if S2 is okay....Yes. He is fine. School nurse says he is okay but teacher wants to send him home. 

Okay. So...off I went. In the car. For a journey of another hour and a half to the school...to collect S2. As the car pulled up the driveway. I see S2. He was supposed to be RESTING in the medical room but he wasn't. Had a chat with the nurse. Guess what she said?

My S2 actually went out to PLAY FOOTBALL!!!!  This was when he was supposed to be SICK??? You say lah!! How lah?? Of course I nagged and lectured him about "pretending" again...and he said he coughed and vomited. I guessed the teacher just got too overly-cautious and want him sent home. Even before we left, he had to run off and do a bit of "kepoh-ing" first. 

*sigh* And another 45 minutes of traveling to get back home.

Ahhhh.... a hot shower and then a nap. BLISS.....

What do you think?

H had wanted to get the boys their own netbooks for Christmas.  This would be quite advantageous as boys are increasingly utilizing the computer and the internet for their homework. However, I felt that they were still too irresponsible to have a netbook each. And I just didn't want to be policing their usage every single day. Thus I've vetoed H's purchase. But as the boys are currently sharing my old laptop, squabbles over who should have the right to use the laptop, or who had longer usage, etc. is starting to wear me down. I am starting to have second thoughts...... Perhaps a netbook each will STOP all these silly arguments between the two boys. What do you think? 

Really Really BAD MOMMY!

Mentioned that I was a BAD Mommy in my last post....

Well...I stand corrected. 

I am a Really Really BAD Mommy!

Early yesterday morning (Tuesday, 17th), S2 barged into our room and whinged about having a headache. I just told him to stop whinging and just go back to bed. And as usual, I woke the boys up at 6.05 PM. S2 was still whinging etc etc. I thought he was just trying to get out of going from school so I nagged, lectured, scolded blah blah blah....and H came to give him an earful as well. Anyway, to cut long story short....he did go to school. But at 8.45 am. I received a call from school. His teacher had requested that I come pick him up. I was like "oh man...." When I picked him up, he was abit wheezy (which is not uncommon due to his allergies). Otherwise okay. 

On the way home, we stopped by at the Pinata Shop to order a pinata for his birthday party. When we got home, I told him to rest and settle him into bed. Got the maid to make him some porridge and then proceeded out to my lunch appointment. 

Yes. Really Really BAD Mommy!

Barely an hour later, I got a call from my maid informing me that S2 was crying and said his chest hurts. 

WALIOW!!! I tell you...I quickly went home, picked him up and headed to the clinic. 

I didn't realize how serious it was until the nurses tested him with the O2 saturation kit and immediately ushered us to the Emergency Room to have the nebulizer administered....using the Oxygen tank rather than the nebulizer unit! Then a doctor came...and then another... 

Was told that he was having a severe asthma attack. S2 was exerting a whole lot of energy breathing. Doctors showed me how to check the severity of the attack, ie. by looking at the contraction of the belly and throat areas with each breath he takes. 

All the while, S2 did have asthma attacks...but never this severe. Most times when he is wheezing,  I do not give him his inhaler unless I can hear it distinctively without putting my ear on his chest. And when I do administer it, his inhaler would alleviate the symptoms quite effectively. This attack was different. Much more severe than all previous ones. 

(I've just started S2 on the BioResonance therapy for his allergies. To date, only 3 sessions of various allergens. Depending on the extent of each allergy, the number of treatment session per allergen varies. Go here and here for some further read-up. As this is an alternative treatment from mainstream medicine. Insurance will not cover.)

After a couple of nebulizer sessions, the doctors decided to administer a steroid drug intravenously for a more prolonged effect. The use of steroid inhalers were brought up...but I've read that in order for them to be effective, they have to be continuously used long term. I do not feel comfortable putting S2 on long-term medication when his attacks are not exactly that frequent to warrant it. 

Yes. He has had more wheezing episodes in the last 4 months (perhaps the weather is the trigger It is the rainy season...). But even then, the use of his current inhaler (used as-and-when required) is only about once a month. I mean if he were to require it every 2 - 3 days, then I would consider putting him on long-term medication.... 

Anyways, we stayed at the clinic for 3 1/2 hours....more nebulizer sessions until the O2 level in his blood was at a more acceptable level. And to rule out anything more sinister, S2 also had an X-Ray of his lungs. By the time we left the clinic, it was already 4.10 pm. Initially, our plan was to all go to the airport to pick up GOOD Mommy aka. Grandma, and then to dinner in a restaurant. But with S2's breathing just stabilized. Decided to just send the driver and wait at home. 

Was going to sleep with S2 to monitor him for the night...but both boys wanted to be with My GOOD Mommy! Yes. Even S1. The three of them cramped-up in S2's room. 

And this morning..since GOOD Mommy is around to guard the fort, this Really Really BAD Mommy stuck to her plan to tour the National Museum with the All Explorers Group (Hey! Otherwise rugi the pre-paid USD 15/- ticket lah. Besides, S2 was much better...Chatting. Playing with his games etc....and summore want to go to Sushi Groove for dinner!!! ). But did drop by to order his birthday cake on the way home... 

But this Really Really BAD Mommy is flying off tomorrow morning.....leaving My GOOD Mommy to look after the boys. 

In Conclusion, I am a Really Really BAD Mommy!

Bad Mommy. Good Mommy.

The BAD Mommy obviously is ME!

As you can see from the Lilypie.com Ticker above.... S2's birthday is round-the-corner. 

And YES. 

BAD Mommy will NOT be around for S2's BIRTHDAY!....because she will be somewhere in the WestEnd. :-P

The GOOD Mommy is obviously MY MOM aka. GRANDMA to the boys. My GOOD Mommy will be flying in on Tuesday evening (17th Feb), to babysit the boys while BAD Mommy goes gallavanting halfway across the globe. :-P

But in order for BAD Mommy to NOT feel too guilty; BAD Mommy is trying to sort out the planning of S2's Birthday Party before she leaves. The Party is to be on the 1st of March. 

Yes. Yes. Belated. But it's not a good idea to have it on the actual day anyway....as it is the School's Half-Term and MOST of his friends will be away for holidays (It's true. Not saying that just to make BAD Mommy feel better!).

This is what I've done so far...

-  Booked the venue (Not having it in my house this year. Don't want to have icing on my sofa again!!!!! And I dread having more than ten kids running amok in my house!!)

- Pre-ordered 20 x tea-time snacks for the kids

- Pre-ordered 10 x coffees/teas for the adults

- Designed and Printed-out the Invitation Cards

- Printed-out the design for the Cake and Pinata

I've still got to do the following before I leave...

- Order the Cake

- Order the Pinata

And when I come back, I will have to...

- Source where I can get Popcorn in bulk 

- Purchase the sweets and stuff for the Pinata

- Decide whether I want to give out Goodie Bags. If yes, then more work!!

So many things to do...so little time! Plus driver's NOT coming to work tomorrow!!! Will have to TAXI everywhere...

Not what we assume....

While shopping at a mall the other day, I was surprised to find a Christian bookshop. In addition to books, it stocked Christian videos and dvds too. Why surprised? Because this IS the world's most populous Muslim majority nation. But on second thoughts, this shouldn't be a surprise at all as there are more than 20 million Christians in this country. I think it's the constant negative media portrayal of the country that makes many foreigners assume that other religions are suppressed. 

Birth Order of Children

Got this via email...... Think it's so funny!

1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your doctor confirms your pregnancy.
2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.    
3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.
_______________________________
Preparing for the Birth:

1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.
2nd baby: You don't bother because you remember that last time breathing didn't do a thing.
3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your eighth month.
__________________________
The Layette:

1st baby: You pre-wash newborn's clothes, color coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the baby's little bureau.
2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest stains.
3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can't they?
_____________________________
Worries:

1st baby: At the first sign of distress--a whimper, a frown--you pick up the baby.
2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.
3rd baby: You teach your three-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.
_____________________________
Dummy:

1st baby: If the dummy falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and boil it.
2nd baby: When the dummy falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby's bottle.
3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.
______________________________
Nappies:

1st baby: You change your baby's nappy every hour, whether they need it or not.
2nd baby: You change their nappy every two to three hours, if needed.
3rd baby: You try to change their nappy before others start to complain about the smell or you see it sagging to their knees.
_______________________________
Activities:

1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, and Baby Story Hour.
2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.
3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.
___________________________________
Going Out:

1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home five times.
2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached.
3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.
____________________________________
At Home:

1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.
2nd baby: You spend a bit of everyday watching to be sure your older child isn't squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.
3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children.
___________________________________
Swallowing Coins:

1st child: When first child swallows a coin, you rush the child to the hospital and demand x-rays.
2nd child: When second child swallows a coin, you carefully watch for the coin to pass.
3rd child: When third child swallows a coin, you deduct it from his pocket money.

More Rantings

How do you teach kids to be more responsible??

I told myself NO more rantings. NO more nagging. 

BUT. BUT. BUT. Really CANNOT lah.

I gave S1 about USD 5/- to reload his school swipe card (for lunch) the other day, which he didn't. So I asked him for it this morning as I would be at school, and could do it for him. 

And you know what?

He answered soooo nonchalantly with "I don't know where it is".

Me - What?

S1 - I put it on the table blah blah blah but it's gone.

Me - Are you saying you are being careless? Or are you saying the maid has taken it?

S1 - I don't know.

Me - If the maid has taken it, I will have to get rid of her. 

S1 - I don't know.

Tell me lah. What kind of answer is that???? I don't think it's the maid as S1 is so careless and irresponsible. 

I really donno lah. Tell me how????? How to teach my kids to be more responsible??

And to value money and their stuff????

One Week to London....

After my brief ranting about the kids, thought that I should write something more pleasant. :-P

Laundryamah asked if the air-tickets were FREE..

The answer is a BIG FAT NO!

Not only they weren't free, we have to pay the NORMAL fare....in order for H to COLLECT Elite miles for his card. He needs about 10,000 miles to be eligible for card renewal. (SIA actually has a SPECIAL fare on promotion now...but this SPECIAL fare does NOT allow mileage accrual. Thus, we could NOT purchase this SPECIAL fare....). Well, I did say that the reason for our travel was a SILLY one...

Anyways, don't think we will be doing the touristy stuff.....Actually, one thing that I want to do is maybe take the boat up the Thames. But H says NO WAY! Hehehehe.... 

London Eye? No lah...don't fancy being stuck in some cable car for 2 hours...

Maybe will just go visit my OLD college lah...

Museums? Mmm...this one donno. Maybe the British Museum. FREE maaa...hahahah

As for musicals, will be watching The Lion King (Take 2! Since gave sis the first batch of tickets that I bought for New Year's Day...). I think all H wants to do is EAT. EAT. EAT. I think top on his list is the Greek restaurant in Bayswater. Don't know what is the name...only know how to go. Have English Toffee ice-cream from Baskin-Robbins (we can't find this flavor anywhere else), kebabs from Bosphorus in South Ken, ready-made foods from M&S, Dick Barton's fish & chips and donno what else.

I'm actually quite excited. The last time I was in London was like 5-6 years ago... Not that London is THAT special. It's just the pleasant memories of living there that makes it special. A lot of times, it's our past experiences and old memories that invoke special feelings about a certain place. Don't you think??

Oh ya.. I wanna go 'chi akk' (feed ducks in Hokkien) in Hyde Park! Hahahah

Reminiscing and for old times sake...kekekeke...used to do this almost every Sunday with my leftover bread... Remember a time when I was chased by some swans. Aiyo...soooo scary!

Okay...better go to bed now. Got to be a good mommy tomorrow...volunteering in S2's class for Art.

Kids these days...

...are so very spoilt....to the extent that they absolutely do NOT value the things that they have. They have this idea that it's their RIGHT to own things, be it the latest iPod or mobile phone or game consoles. They do NOT see that these things are a PRIVILEGE.

Why do I say this? 

H bought both boys a Nokia mobile phone each for Xmas. It may not be the top-of-the-line model, but does have the music and camera functions; and cost USD 100/each. 

What do you know?

S1 has lost his phone....and this is less than 1 1/2 months of owning it (as the received the gift after we came back from Malaysia in early January)!

Boy. Was I mad with the irresponsibility.

What made it worse was when I queried him, he said "It's not my fault".

GOSH!! Then whose fault is it?? 

I was so cheesed-off and ANGRY WORDS were exchanged between S1 and I, coupled with ugly and aggressive facial expressions from S1 (and me, I'm sure!!) 

Then in exasperation, he said "Alright, it's just a mistake. Ok????" (think to shut me up!!)

Which got me going about the time he left his gameboy on the plane....and at that time, this was what he said as well. The gameboy incident did NOT improve his responsibility on taking care of his things. So when will he start to be a little moreresponsible????

Told him that he has to use his own pocket money to purchase another phone. I will NOT be paying for it, and he is NOT going to get his dad to buy it. IF the dad buys one, I will confiscate it (When I told H about this, he said he will pay for HALF of the new phone. I said "No way!! " He has to learn to be responsible. If he loses something because of his irresponsibility, he will have to suffer the consequences. I don't want the kids to think that money grows on trees and that they can anyhow abuse the privileges that are bestowed on them!). 

Also, S1 had been looking forward to upgrading his online game character this weekend. And as a punishment for his TIDAK-APA attitude, I will with-hold this privilege for a MINIMUM of one month. I'll evaluate his level of responsibility during this time and decide if he deserves this privilege. 

At the time of writing this post, I've calmed down ALOT. You should see me just now. Eyes bulging OUT of my sockets, and the tongue lashing NON-STOP! And when mom called to wish S2 happy chinese birthday, she could hear me scolding and screaming. After the phone call, she texted me to tell ADVISE me that scolding and screaming does NOT work....hrmmmf (I seem to remember mom scolding me and chasing me with the rotan last time...but now, when I scold my kids, you can actually see her tears forming in her eyes...why ah??)

I donno...I still say KIDS these day are blardy SPOILT.

Sounds Silly, I know...

...as to why we have to travel.

Yes. Am flying off to London with H next Thursday.

Have to travel in order to KEEP H's Krisflyer Elite Gold card valid.... 

Have to travel to Europe at least.

Have to travel by end-Feb. 

Otherwise, he will have to start accumulating points all over again, and it's tough to do it from the start....especially so as he doesn't travel as frequently as before.  Initially, he thought his recent trip to the States would have been sufficient. But he made a mistake when checking his statement....looking at the mileage points instead of the Elite points. 

I know it seems silly to travel all the way to London just to keep card. But it does allow for quite a bit of privileges like Lounge Access, Priority Waitlist, extra 10 kg baggage, Priority check-in and boarding, and possibility of upgrades (remember the upgraded seat for our flight from Melbourne to Singapore?)... 

Actually, H and I had scheduled a trip to London over the New Year holidays...but I urged him to cancel due to the scary financial turmoil plus some other issues. Guessed it is in my stars that I must make the trip to London anyways.... Of course, H could go on his own...but silly man said that if he were to go alone, he's going to have a meal after arrival, and take the next flight out back. Gila.... 

As for hotel rooms.... So many 4* hotel rooms for about GBP 85/nite. So many choices...donno which to select. Was deciding Gloucestor Road/South Ken  vs. High Street Ken vs. Paddington areas. These areas were shortlisted because they were my "thei tau" when I was living in London. :-)

Gloucestor Road/South Ken - My OLD college is located here....plus the Natural History, Science and V&A Museums are all located in this area. And also served by the  Piccadilly line...very convenient if taking tube from Heathrow, or when going to Harrods or ChinaTown. 

Paddington - Used to live near Chilworth Mews about 300 metres  from Paddington BR. Convenient if taking the fast rail from Heathrow... Otherwise nothing much here...

High Street Ken - Only has Circle/District lines. So not exactly the best....but I used to walk from my old flat on Lexham Gardens to High Street Ken and then through Kensington Gardens to Bayswater. Alot of pleasant memories. So decided to stay in this area. Plus there's a Marks&Spencer, Safeway, lots of cafes etc in the area...  We've booked into the Copthorne Tara. Very good rates.... less than GBP 75/nite (incl. VAT). We'll be staying for 4 nites. Thereafter, H leaves to come home first. I will be staying an additional two days, thus will stay over at my sister's house.

Now..got to go check out what musicals are on...