Welcome the Year of Bunny 2011...

Today is already the 7th day of Chinese New Year and time passes by so quickly. CNY appears to be getting quieter each year. Probably it's due to the fact that I am getting old. 

Unlike previous years, this year is pretty stressful for me. It could be due to the fact that we had a shorter holiday break this time around and coupled with our child having a little problem settling down in her new school. She has been crying for more than a week now. My temper went flying high and low trying to convince her to stop crying. On the other hand, my "coolest" hubby doesn't seem to treat this as an issue at all. As long as she still goes to school and follows her lessons attentively, her crying isn't something that can't be dealt with. Haha!

Stress aside, I received wonderful compliments on my home-baked cookies. It definitely serves as a motivation to keep me baking them for the years to come provided I don't neglect my hubby. Apparently, he finds me spending too much time in the kitchen than with him. Another big crying baby!..Haha!..;-))

Anyway, fingers and toes crossed that our little one's crying will end ASAP and Gong Xi Fa Chai to all!!!

I Can Bake But .............

Lately I am into baking. It's something my hubby encourages me to do and also mainly to cultivate an interest for our little one.  All along I never knew I could bake.   Somehow after a few baking sessions, I'm beginning to like this new hobby. Looks like rather hoping to see our little one gets fascinated, the mummy got hooked instead :-)

Up to now, I can proudly say all my baked desserts are yummilicious.  Family and friends who had tasted them,  gave their thumbs up to my accomplishments. However, the "disappointing" part here is that my hubby is somewhat hesitant to try them.  Well, can't really blame him as confections aren't exactly his favourite.  Still, I'd certainly be happy if he could at least try to eat them to show me some encouragement.  After all, this whole idea of baking project was conceived by him...hahaha!  It's mighty likely that I may abandon this hobby soon considering the person I wish to see most savoring my cakes and cookies hardly touches them.  Haha! 



Oh yes, I am so looking forward to celebrating Christmas this year as I've agreed to bake a cake for the party.  Just can't wait to see the approving looks in everyone's faces......;-)

Why do Married Men/Women Stray???

Just weeks ago, I received a call from a friend telling me her husband cheated on her.  My first respond was "how sure are you?.  She told how strange her husband behaved when answering phone calls and even started deleting all his messages. I felt so sorry for her.  Imagine a woman having to take care of some young children at home while her husband happily having an affair else where. How despicable is that??

Anyhow, I believe every marriage has its ups and downs.  I am blessed with a wonderful husband who is always there for me whenever I needed him.  Still, if someone were to ask me whether or not my hubby would stray someday? My answer would be "Why not?".  All men like exciting adventures.  Every so often, staying married for too long has the tendency of making couples grow tired of one another.   And when this occurs, these married men yearn for new excitement and not surprisingly, some married women crave for it too.  So, it's never easy to keep a marriage alive without both parties putting in any effort.

I had this interesting conversation with a group of friends recently.  We were talking about most wives have in hand of their partners' savings account, mobile phone and email address passwords - basically, there is nothing to hide unless the partner is up to something no good.  Some teased the wives for being so "controlling" but they forget that the hubbies also have their wives' passwords. Unfortunately, I belong to this so-called "controlling wives" category. Haha!...

My hubby even commented why I keep his email address password for, not as if there is some money in it. Haha!

Anyway, I wonder if someday my hubby would change his passwords without me knowing it.   If so, is it for security reason or is he up to no good??...;-)

psssssssttt....it's usually up to something no good lar...;-D

A Trip To Remember....

We recently spent a week long holiday in Gold Coast, Australia. It was a planned getaway, which we've been thinking about since our girl was 4.  Now that she's 6, we feel she's ready for long distance flight and would definitely be easier for us to take care of her too.

Having a kid to tag along, I needed to take whatever precaution there was to make our trip more enjoyable and comfortable.  I had children's medication standby and most importantly, anti-vomiting syrup for the 8 hours' flight.  We flew by AirAsia and surprising, it met all my expectations. It wasn't as bad as what many people cautioned me so.  The meal on board was tasty to my standard and the kids' meal even came with some snacks and toys!  The plane take-off, landing and the to & fro flight were generally smooth.   AirAsia  however, should mandate their air-hostesses to bun up their hair.   This would definitey give these ladies a more professional image.

Upon arriving at the Coolangatta airport, we were welcomed by friendly immigration officers.  They moved so swiftly and professionally.  I was personally impressed with the Aussies on how friendly they were.  I also liked the way they managed their daily operations - so systematically and so orderly.   Gold Coast was impeccably clean too.  Every where we went, the public toilets were in spic and span condition and without a tinge of unpleasant odour unlike the public loos here.    We clearly had some good fun in Gold Coast and needless to say, our little one enjoyed herself most.  Gold Coast is definitely a nice place to visit.

Well, our previous China trip before this holiday was 7 years ago and very likely we wouldn't be flying again for at least, the next 5 years ;-) 

Never Say It's Too Early...

Hubby was out with his friends and left my girl and I alone on a Saturday night.  Well, me being me, I don't like staying at home while hubby is away.  So, mummy and daughter had a "girls night out" instead.  In fact, my six year old was more eager to go out than me. Haha..

I drove to the nearby Pizza Hut for dinner. We shared a plate of bolognese spaghetti with meatballs and a small pizza.  Whilst I was savouring my portion, my girl vomitted right on the floor in front of me!  I was embarrassed of course for troubling the waiter to clean up the mess. Fortunately, she was quick enough to go up to the waiter and apologised.  Thank god, Mr. Waiter gave her an assuring smile and said "it's okay".  Before leaving the restaurant, I gathered enough change from my wallet and let her settled the bill.  She was more than happy to do the job and I think it's about time she learns to take on some responsibilities.
  

And since the night was still young, I brought her to the Big Book Shop.  As usual, she frantically went searching for the books she wanted to buy and refused to let go off my hand.  Wherever she went, I followed.  At the end of the visit, she bought a colouring book.  One funny thing she did was that she positioned two similar colouring books side by side on an empty shelf and compared the thickness of the books.  And she chose the thicker one!  It made me chuckled.  At least I could see that she is smart enough to decide what she thinks is best for her ;-) 

I bought a few Primary One workbooks for her too - Bahasa, English, Math and Science.  In my defence, I am not that kiasu-type parent who eager to start her early and wished she'd be a top student.  My intention was for her to stay focused during these long Hari Raya and school-term holidays. And you know what, she didn't disappoint me a bit. She could do those workbooks in a breeze and without much supervision except for Bahasa, which I had to guide and explain the meaning of the words to her.  There is no doubt it helps a great deal if a child is taught and given strong foundation of knowledge when he/she is still young. I believe it's never too early to start teaching your kids.  And due to the fact she receives early education when she was little, it helps and makes it a whole lot easier for her to grasp certain concepts.  Straightforwardly, my hubby and I are very proud and happy with her current progress and we hope it stays that way or even better (fingers and toes crossed).

For parents out there, never-never say it's too early to start educating your kids.  Spend a few good years to impart as much knowledge as you could to them. Their brains would absorb like a thirsty sponge and you will never regret it..:-))

Excuse Me, That's Our Prerogative!

Whenever parents get around chatting about their kids' schools, one will hear different opinions and endless debates on which is the best school to enrol into.   Parents these days especially the Malaysian Chinese prefer to send their kids to Chinese schools for one reason or another.  The core objective is to have their kids be able to read and write the Chinese language as an added advantage.   Many even opined that China is gradually opening her door to foreign market and this will create abundance of job opportunities for the years to come and hence, not mastering the language will somehow thwart one's chances to penetrate into the market (I'm sorry to admit that we are not convinced by this reason to enrol our kid into a Chinese school).  Of course, some parents send their kids to chinese schools due to their lack of faith and confidence in the national schools as the standard of the goverment school teachers had deteriorated at an alarming rate. Teachers nowadays are not as efficient and attentive like the old days. 

I was somehow offended by some relatives' comment that my hubby and I were "stupid" for sending our only child to a private school!!!  Well, for someone who did not complete his/her studies, did not understand the importance of education and had no vision of what's the real world is like out there if one's without proper acadamic qualification, has no right to pass judgement as such!!   

We are not arguing that private school is the best school there is.  The point is that we respect our friends/relatives' choice of schools and we expect likewise from them.  Otherwise, I would take it as anyone who insults our choice of school is a method of disguise of their jealousy of our independence and competence to pay for the school fees..;-)) 

Yes, A Typical Auntie I Am!...LOL

"Don't think of the price, just grab whatever you like from the shelf!", cried my nephew. "Yeah, sure!", I replied him as he volunteered to go shopping with me.  The best part was that hubby agreed to sponsor my shopping spree without a blink of an eye (so loving him for his generous gesture).  Budget set at RM1,000 and of course, I knew I wouldn't exceed it ..;-)

I arrived at the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur at eleven in the morning and found my way to our meeting point, La Bodega.  I heard a lot about this place but haven't been there myself.   We settled down in a cozy spot and I ordered a cup of warm creamy cappucino and their signature dish, "American Breakfast".  And much to my chagrin, the food wasn't up to my expectation.  The review of their breakfast set is so over-rated but their cappuccino tasted good though.

After filling up our empty tummies, we headed straight for  Bossini where I bought a casual denim dress.  And before I could even took out my wallet to pay, my nephew flashed out his membership card to collect points!  Apparently, he is a frequent patron to Pavilion and had just started to accumulate points not long ago to become Pavilion VIP member.  Hahaha!  Next, we advanced to Okaidi, Pumpkin Patch and Gap Kids.  We went about checking out and comparing prices - oops not WE, actually I.  My nephew teased me for being such a "typical auntie".  Anyway, after much comparisons, I purchased two pairs of leggings and a long sleeve shirt from Gap Kids for my little one.

The branded lady handbags shop, Tod's caught my eye.  I walked in, took a brief tour around the shop and immediately fell in love with a gorgeous tote bag but my conscience said, "not this time, save the money for other things" and walked out.    My nephew has such high taste. He took me to Armani Exchange and made me tried on an off-shoulder purple blouse priced at RM250.  I can't deny the fact that it did give me a fresh look but I just couldn't convinced myself to buy it.  Price was one thing and furthermore, the design was too formal for the office and casual outings.  

We last shopped at Dorothy Perkins.  My nephew was quick to choose some blouses for me,  which designs I wouldn't bother to look if I were alone by my own.  Well, those pieces turned out to look good on me - something simple yet practical. I could wear them to work and for my weekend outings with hubby.   And that last transaction of day at Dorothy Perkins qualified my nephew to become a VIP member.  I got a discount on the spot and a RM25 voucher for my next purchase! Not too bad, huh.

My total spending for the day was RM350, way below my budget.  I was teased and mocked at for being such a typical auntie for checking and comparing prices, having no guts to put on something far too different from my usual style and always keeping tab on my budget. Hahaha!.. Nonetheless, this rare retail therapy with my nephew was a fun day out for me :-)