Daddy-daughter went fishing

Two weekends ago, DH and Eryn went for a malay wedding lunch. Brendan didn't want to go as he dislikes crowded and noisy places. So, he followed me for my business unit meeting.

Anyway, after the wedding lunch, DH's friend and his friend's wife invited DH and Eryn to go fishing somewhere in Semenyih, and they only came back home after dinner! Eryn was so happy go fishing for the first time that she got daddy to call me to say she's going to catch me a big fish.

Oh well, it was a gloomy day and I wasn't particularly pleased with the fishing trip as it was drizzling a little. Eryn came back home feeling extremely exhilirated and tired and with many, many big mosquitoe bites on her legs!

DH cleaned the fish and kept it in the freezer. We steamed it two days later and it was extremely yummy! The flesh was smooth and was fresh too! There wasn't any smell at all. Scroll down for the simply cooking method.

Fisherman Fishergirl trying her luck for the catch of the day.

Eryn posing with one of the catfish (ikan patin) caught alive.

Taking a break. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Our simple home-cooked Ikan Patin :

1) Fry finely chopped garlic and shredded ginger. Put aside. Keep the oil to be used later.

2) After cleaning fish thoroughly, pour some hot water over the fish to remove excess slime from the body.

3) Steam fish (without any garnishing or flavouring).

4) Meanwhile, prepare sauce for gravy - mixture of soya sauce, fish sauce and sesame oil.

5) Heat the balance oil used to fry the garlic and ginger. Once heated, turn off the fire, and pour in sauce mixture.

6) After fish is cook, pour away excess water in the bowl. Add fried garlic and fried ginger on top of the fish and immediately pour the sauce mixture on top and all over the fish.

7) Garnish with chinese parsley and serve hot. *yummy*

(we forgot to take pictures of the steamed fish as everyone gobbled it up very quickly)

Why Never to ask Favors from Designers

I got this in my email inbox this morning and it is so hilarious that I just have to share it.

Apparently, it's about a lady called Shannon who lost her cat and has asked her graphic designer, David, to make a poster of her lost cat to be circulated around.

Read on and enjoy!

                             ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

From: Shannon Walkley

Date: Monday 21 June 2010 9.15am

To: David Thorne

Subject: Poster

Hi

I opened the screen door yesterday and my cat got out and has been missing since then so I was wondering if you are not to busy you could make a poster for me. It has to be A4 and I will photocopy it and put it around my suburb this afternoon.

This is the only photo of her I have. she answers to the name Missy and is black and white and about 8 months old. missing on Harper street and my phone number.

Thanks Shan.

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 9.26am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Poster

Dear Shannon,
That is shocking news. Luckily I was sitting down when I read your email and not half way up a ladder or tree. How are you holding up? I am surprised you managed to attend work at all what with thinking about Missy out there cold, frightened and alone... possibly lying on the side of the road, her back legs squashed by a vehicle, calling out "Shannon, where are you?"
Although I have two clients expecting completed work this afternoon, I will, of course, drop everything and do whatever it takes to facilitate the speedy return of Missy.
Regards, David.

From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 9.37am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Poster

yeah ok thanks. I know you dont like cats but I am really worried about mine. I have to leave at 1pm today.

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.17am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Poster

Dear Shannon,
I never said I don't like cats. Once, having been invited to a party, I went clothes shopping beforehand and bought a pair of expensive G-Star boots. They were two sizes too small but I wanted them so badly I figured I could just wear them without socks and cut my toenails very short. As the party was only a few blocks from my place, I decided to walk. After the first block, I lost all feeling in my feet. Arriving at the party, I stumbled into a guy named Steven, spilling Malibu & coke onto his white Wham 'Choose Life' t-shirt, and he punched me. An hour or so after the incident, Steven sat down in a chair already occupied by a cat. The surprised cat clawed and snarled causing Steven to leap out of the chair, slip on a rug and strike his forehead onto the corner of a speaker; resulting in a two inch open gash. In its shock, the cat also defecated, leaving Steven with a wet brown stain down the back of his beige cargo pants. I liked that cat.
Attached poster as requested.
Regards, David.

From: Shannon Walkley

Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.24am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster

yeah thats not what I was looking for at all. it looks like a movie and how come the photo of Missy is so small?

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.28am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster

Dear Shannon,
It's a design thing. The cat is lost in the negative space.
Regards, David.

From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.33am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster

Thats just stupid. Can you do it properly please? I am extremely emotional over this and was up all night in tears. you seem to think it is funny. Can you make the photo bigger please and fix the text and do it in colour please. Thanks.

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.46am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster

Dear Shannon,
Having worked with designers for a few years now, I would have assumed you understood, despite our vague suggestions otherwise, we do not welcome constructive criticism. I don't come downstairs and tell you how to send text messages, log onto Facebook and look out of the window. I am willing to overlook this faux pas due to you no doubt being preoccupied with thoughts of Missy attempting to make her way home across busy intersections or being trapped in a drain as it slowly fills with water. I spent three days down a well once but that was just for fun.
I have amended and attached the poster as per your instructions.
Regards, David.

From: Shannon Walkley

Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.59am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster

This is worse than the other one. can you make it so it shows the whole photo of Missy and delete the stupid text that says missing missy off it? I just want it to say lost.

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.14am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster

From: Shannon Walkley

Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.21am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster

yeah can you do the poster or not? I just want a photo and the word lost and the telephone number and when and where she was lost and her name. Not like a movie poster or anything stupid. I have to leave early today. If it was your cat I would help you. Thanks.

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.32am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Awww

Dear Shannon,
I don't have a cat. I once agreed to look after a friend's cat for a week but after he dropped it off at my apartment and explained the concept of kitty litter, I kept the cat in a closed cardboard box in the shed and forgot about it. If I wanted to feed something and clean faeces, I wouldn't have put my mother in that home after her stroke. A week later, when my friend came to collect his cat, I pretended that I was not home and mailed the box to him. Apparently I failed to put enough stamps on the package and he had to collect it from the post office and pay eighteen dollars. He still goes on about that sometimes, people need to learn to let go.
I have attached the amended version of your poster as per your detailed instructions.
Regards, David.

From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.47am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Awww

Thats not my cat. where did you get that picture from? That cat is orange. I gave you a photo of my cat.
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.58am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Awww

I know, but that one is cute. As Missy has quite possibly met any one of several violent ends, it is possible you might get a better cat out of this. If anybody calls and says "I haven't seen your orange cat but I did find a black and white one with its hind legs run over by a car, do you want it?" you can politely decline and save yourself a costly veterinarian bill.
I knew someone who had a basset hound that had its hind legs removed after an accident and it had to walk around with one of those little buggies with wheels. If it had been my dog I would have asked for all its legs to be removed and replaced with wheels and had a remote control installed. I could charge neighbourhood kids for rides and enter it in races. If I did the same with a horse I could drive it to work. I would call it Steven.
Regards, David.

From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.07pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Awww

Please just use the photo I gave you.
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.22pm
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww

From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.34pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww

I didnt say there was a reward. I dont have $2000 dollars. What did you even put that there for? Apart from that it is perfect can you please remove the reward bit. Thanks Shan.
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.42pm
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww

From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.51pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww

Can you just please take the reward bit off altogether? I have to leave in ten minutes and I still have to make photocopies of it.
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.56pm
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww

From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 1.03pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww

Fine. That will have to do.

I like it when mummy is funny

A few mornings ago, I overheard a conversation about me! My kids were talking about me at the breakfast table.

I've been getting a little naggy with them lately, always rushing them to brush their teeth, drink their milk, change their clothes, shower, eat, go to school/daycare, etc... The kids take me for granted. I can scold at them but they'll only get scared for a while, and then off they go, playing together, running, screaming and fight and it gets on my nerves when they over do it and starts to cry and whine. Drives me up the wall!

They're more scared of their father, despite him being the more down-to-earth, gentle and calm. Yup, my nice, gentle and down-to-earth hubby is capable of whacking, pinching, pushing, threatening them to the storeroom.

Anyway, back to the conversation, and this is how it goes.

Eryn      : Kor-kor, just now mummy so funny hor! hehehehe
Brendan : Ya, mummy sometimes makes us laugh, especially when she tells us
                  those funny bedtime stories with her funny, funny actions.
Eryn      : But mummy likes to scold us also. Sometimes she likes to scold us.
                  Sometimes she is so funny! I like when mummy is funny.
Brendan : hahahahaha.... ya lor...
Eryn      : I like mummy so much.

Mummy was quite touched at their little conversation, but realised that time is running late. So, I have to start yelling at them to finish up. After a while, Eryn came and gave me a big, tight hug and said "I love you, mummy!"

five and mischievous

Eryn turned 5 on the first of this month. She has been getting very mischievous and trying to gain everyone's attention by whining and getting into her baby talk.

When she's in the mood, she'll dance and move her jelly-like body. Sometimes, she tries to get cute by giving us her cheeky pose and twinkling smile. She would sometimes creep up to me, gives me a tight hug and not let me go.

That's Eryn, my little girl. Smart, cheeky, cute, adorable and very, very mischievous. She gets on my nerves at times, but she knows how to get her way out of 'difficult' situations. sigh!

She loves scribbling and drawing and she has different phases in her drawings. For one whole month in May, she drew and coloured faces in coloured boxes with tons of "I Love You" on sheets and sheets of papers. Very quickly after that, her enthusiasm died down and I do wonder what's next.

Just before this drawing, she was into writing numbers and drawing lots and lots of lines, just like the top left sheet of paper in the picture above. She claims that the numbers mean something. Sometimes, she'll draw lots of lines and request that I fill in the empty spaces for her when she goes to school. And when she's back from school, she'll ask if I've done my 'homework'. She'll take the same sheet of paper and then proceed to fill in the numbers herself. That enthusiasm died down too after about a month or two.

Her recent half year results were all "A"s. The principal told me that she has nothing to talk to me about cos her results are just simply good. Her teacher told me she loves to talk in class. She can yak and yak and yak non-stop - in school and at home. Oh boy! There's one particular boy, the biggest and fattest in class, she claims, who likes her and would only wants to go to school if he gets to sit with Eryn. Now, this pair makes a bad 'couple' in class cos they'll both talk in class. So, the teacher split the two up. Eryn sits in front and the poor boy sits at the back. They had the opportunity to partner with each other for a school trip to the High 5 bread factory though.

Anyway, life is so beautiful despite the ups and downs. Just like icing beautifying a cake, my kids beautify my life.

Happy Mother's Day

I received a lovely card from Eryn two days ago. She handed it to me and said that it was for me. I was touched by her simple yet meaningful gesture. Below is what the card looks like.

Yesterday, she left another mother's day card on my laptop. She didn't say a word about it and had quietly put it on my table. She was a little naughty yesterday and I had scolded her. So, later that night, when I opened my laptop, I saw that tiny little card. I touched my little heart and when she came downstairs to drink a glass of water, she came to me and whispered to me, "Mummy, did you get my card? I made it for you"

Brendan woke up this morning asking for some colour papers. I asked him what it is for and he said that he was going to make me a mother's day card. He didn't manage to make it cos his teacher called me to say that he was feeling unwell. So I rushed to school to pick him up and he told me, "Mummy, sorry, I didn't get to make you a mother's day card". awww... so thoughtful of him.

Being a mother changed my perception of life. I left a wonderful working life to start fresh in a totally different area to have more time more myself and for my children. It was never an easy journey but I'm learning and taking it one day at a time. From being a new mum, to those crazy breastfeeding days, to the ups and the downs and many more to come, I gave up my 9-5 career (more like 7-9) so that I could be available for my kids whenever they need me, just like how my mum was always there to meet to our basic needs.

To all mothers and grandmothers, and especially to my mum and sis,  HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY. Here's a poem I found on the net dedicated just for you.

Your mother is always with you...

She's the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street.

She's the smell of bleach in your freshly laundered socks.

She's the cool hand on your brow when you're not well.

Your mother lives inside your laughter.

She's crystallized in every tear drop.

She's the place you came from,

   your first home.

She's the map you follow

   with every step that you take.

She's your first love

   and your first heart break.

and nothing on earth can separate you.

Not time, Not space,

Not even death,

   will ever separate you

from your mother.

You carry her inside of you...

Std One Assessment

I just don't get it. What's with our school syllabus, specifically, chinese school syllabus. I get crazy just looking at Brendan's book. I mean, he's in standard one this year and his level of education is similar to that of mine when I was in standard three, I think. I was told that this instill the discipline in them, thus they are hardworking and committed and that's why they make superb businessman and disciplined in their adult lives.

How can he comprehend the 'sukukatas' when he doesn't even understand the BM word? How can he write sentences in Mandarin when he had just started school not too long ago.

I'm even more surprised that he enjoys his subjects, especially maths, mandarin writing and science!

As I reflect back to my school days, I remember that I was an all rounder, and I enjoyed sports and music. I represented school in netball and atheltics and I got distinction most of the time in my music classes. I took my music in diploma when I was in form 4. Having said that, I was never good in studies. I was always one of those who is always at the bottom of the class. Well, not too bad, considering the fact that I'm always in the top class of the school. So, what the heck!

Hubby is worst! He ponteng school, his results were never good. But he turned out to be one hard-working chap now and good in the job that he's doing apparently. hehe..

Now back to my kids. I've been delaying sending my kids for tuitions or music/dance classes, swimming and badminton classes, but I'm just so not up to it. They have the energy, but not me. They can do all that later if they want, so I'm not going to stress myself to send them here and there for now. *bad mummy*

Oh well. Brendan's half year exam is starting next week. His daycare centre has been reviewing his school work and they recently did an assessment based on 21 standard one 2009 half year exam papers from various schools in PJ (SJKC Han Ming, SJKC Serdang Baru, SJKC Lick Hung, SJKC Yak Chee and another school) . I'm very surprised at his achievement! He proudly told me he did it all by himself. No guidance, no reference and no copying. And he wants more! Oh dear... I'm going nuts just looking at this papers.

Here's the summary of his so-called trial exam done at the daycare centre.

English - 3 papers from different schools. Marks : 100, 96 and 100.
Maths - 4 papers from different schools. Marks : 95, 100, B+ and B
Chinese - 4 papers from different schools. Marks : 89, 98, A+ and A+
BM (Penulisan) - 2 papers from different schools. Marks : 78 and A+
BM (Pemahaman) - 3 papers from different schools. Marks : 78, 93 and 92.
Science - 4 papers from different schools. Marks : 100, A, A and A.

Great job, Brendan!

Fairy-dance..

Eryn received a pair of pink butterfly 'wings' and  wand from Auntie Rina and was extremely excited over it! She wore it for almost the whole day for the past few days, pretending to be a fairy.

I had wanted to try to DIY it myself but was just too lazy to get it done. I guess my wish came true! hehehe... At least I don't have to make it now.

Eryn pretended to fly and dance around in her wings and taking her wand to create imaginary magic tales. It was so much fun just watching her dance and flutter around like a little butterfly.

Such a pretty and happy sight.

shhhh... the dolls are sleeping

I've been noticed some strange things for the past few months, and decided to take some pics cos I find it quite amusing each time I see different 'styles'.

I'm actually referring to how Eryn places her dolls to sleep. Most of the time, when I want to sit on the sofa to watch tv after the kids have gone to sleep, I'll notice some pillows stacked up on each other. On a closer look, this is something that I see :

Yup, that's how Eryn 'covers' her barbie doll to sleep. This barbie doll was a hand-me-down from hubby's friend. Initially, I thought nothing about it until I keep seeing it happening each time I sit down to watch TV. In this photo, the barbie doll is sandwiched between two pillows in one corner of the sofa. Sometimes, it will be squeezed with 3 to 4 pillows. Sometimes, it's just a cloth.

Well, here's another scenario to another doll of hers :

Yup, you see it right. It's the same pillow covering the above doll which I bought when she was a little toddler. This time, treating it like a blanket. It's also on the sofa.

Here's another one of her doll, also a hand-me-down from hubby's friend. This one below is a little special cos' it sleeps in a little rattan basket, fitting it nicely. No blanket though.

Just 10 minutes ago, I saw another wierd position for her barbie doll on my working table! This is getting really wierd. It's placed on my table, with a used A4 paper as a blanket.

I'm wondering where and what it'll be next.

Thank you, please come again.

My 6 and a half years old son, Brendan, can read very well and he likes reading signboards, posters, names of shops and anything that captures his razor-sharp eyes whenever we are out for meals, shopping, or merely window-shopping. And yes, that includes receipts too!

The first time he saw a receipt with the words "Thank you, please come again", he said that we should go back again to the shop we were visiting. He kept insisting and reminding us to go to the shop again until daddy got fed-up and told him to just keep quiet. He then showed us the receipt and said that we really have to come back again as what was mentioned in the receipt (see pic below).

Nowadays, he'll still continue telling us that whenever he spots the words on our shopping receipts and then asked why would they want us to go back again?

Last night, we went to Tesco to do some grocery shopping and Brendan started screaming, "Mummy! Mummy! We must buy this and this and this and this!!" Oh well, of course I said "No" but he kept pushing for me to buy the various types of frozen food in the freezer and went on showing us what was shown on the freezer. The words "Must Buy" were pasted on it! Eryn quickly ran to the freezer and started spelling out the words loudly and joined in the chorus with her brother, "Must buy! Must buy!" hahahaha.

Brendan, ooooh Brendan!!

Pizza making afternoon

We spent a few days in my parents' place in the recent school holidays.

One of the evening, we went to one of my aunt's house to make pizza. We got the dough from one of my uncle who owns a bakery. The dough was left-overs from making bread and there were so many of it that we actually made almost ten trays of pizzas, big and small.

A few years back, my brother bought some Formaggio reggiano cheese and Napoli salami direct from Italy during his one year working assignment there. The cheese had a strong smell but was quite nice when eaten, while the salami, flavoured with peppercorns was a tad too salty and a little chewy.

Together, my mum, two aunts, one cousin and me made our versions of pizza which was basically salami and the cheese, spreaded with tomato puree and topped with green pepper, button mushrooms and big onions. and another version with sausages, big onions and mix vegetables and another version in a big tray with added canned pineapple.

Turns out pretty, don't they? They taste yummy too!

before

after

Brendan and value of money

DH and I don't believe in pampering our kids too much especially when it comes to toys. DH's friends gave us a lot of lego sets and lots of little cars as their sons have all grown up. Brendan loves playing with those toys and masak-masak with his little sister as well. Eryn is comfortable playing those little boy's toys with Brendan, but mostly love dressing up her Barbie doll, also a hand-me-down, or playing house with another baby doll.

Last night, I saw Brendan staring and looking at a tiny lego brochure and started asking me what are those toys for and the difficult pronounciation of the names of some of those toys. After a while, this is how the conversation goes ;

Mummy : Brendan, which one is your favourite in this brochure?
Brendan : Hmm..... I think this one.
Mummy : Ok, what if mummy buy one of this for you?
Brendan : It's ok, I don't want one.
Mummy : Well, I can buy you a small one, but you must take good care of it.
Brendan : No, lah... Don't want lah, I scared afterwards you got not enough money to use.

Well, I'm stunned. I wonder where did he get that kind of idea?

Another scenario in Toys R Us ;

Eryn : Mummy, I like Toys R Us, they have so many toys. Can we stay here longer? I like this one, mummy.
Mummy : Oh! This is so expensive! You all can see but don't ask me to buy. I'll get what I want to get for you all.
Brendan : Mei-Mei, don't simply buy lah. All these toys very expensive one. Afterwards you spoil it then wasted only. We go home and play cars and masak-masak k?
Eryn : I don't want!! I don't want!! I want to stay here longer!!
Brendan : Come lah mei-mei. Mummy wants to go to work already lah. We stay here so long already.

And another scenario;

Brendan : Mummy, how much is a car? I got a lot of money here. RM10 enough or not? Your car so old already lah, I buy for you ok?
Mummy : haha... RM10 only? Where got enough? You need a lot a lot of money.
Brendan : How many zeroes you need?
Mummy : At least 4 zeroes. Maybe one 8, and 4 zeroes.
Brendan : Which is more expensive? Car or house? I buy a house leh?
Mummy : House even more expensive. You need 5 zeroes.
Brendan : But house no need to pump petrol. It should be cheaper.

Sigh! That's my boy and his occasional money talk. Kind of reminds me of my brother when he was young.

Berjaya Hills

It's Brendan's official first school term break. We have no plans to go anywhere since hubby is away for one whole week in Germany.

However, we went up to Berjaya Hills (previously known as Bukit Tinggi) on Saturday evening, reaching there at almost 5pm, and came back the next morning as hubby had to rest and then pack to leave to the airport on the same night. It's a short getaway, but nevertheless, a fun trip for the kids.

For the kids, most outing, no matter how boring for us adults, would always be fun for the kids. There's nothing much to do there and we managed to take only 2 hours to walk around Colmar Tropicale and to the Japanese Tea Garden. There's some games stall, a kids play area, some restaurants, a tower for the full view of the Colmar Tropicale area and a nice pond with two white swans and two black swans. The kids enjoyed watching the swans very much.

I love the serenity at the Japanese Garden. We could hear plenty of birds and there were lots of bird-watchers and professional photographers up there, at 3,500 feet above sea level, trying to catch a glimpse and get a good photography shot of the birds there. It was 20 minutes to closing time. We had to quickly climb up the very steep hill just to see the Japanese Garden. We took a quick 20 minutes walk and after that, as we were halfway down the hill to the car park, it began to pour!! The rain just came so suddenly that we got ourselves wet.

We took a drive down to Kampung Bukit Tinggi for dinner. The claypot fish was our favourite. Hubby loves it so much that he's already planning for another trip with a few friends just to go there to eat and enjoy the fresh air.

A super-short getaway, but a fun and nice one.

a baby and her sixth sense

5 years back, my article appeared in The Star papers about Babies and Sixth Sense. Click HERE for the link. Once again, this prove to be amazing!

One morning last week, my brother woke up with excruciating pain and was not able to move. He was so lucky that his SIL was at his house. She immediately called her sister, my brother's wife, to come home and they both sent him to the hospital. He had a slip disc and an urgent surgery was needed and was scheduled in the evening at 6pm.

My mum called to inform that an interesting day had happened. My mum is currently babysitting my niece (my brother's 4 months old baby) and the poor little baby, more than 100km away from daddy, was feeling uptight and crying. At 6pm when the surgery was doing on, my little niece started crying and crying and behaving wierdly, as though she knew something was going on. She's only 4 months old, and she could sense something was happening to her daddy more than 100km away.

My mum had to pacify her and calm her down. 3 hours after the surgery, my brother was safely out of the operation theater. That's when my mum talked to my niece and explained that her daddy is out of the operation.

By God's grace, everything went well, and the funny thing after my mum spoke to my 4 months old niece, she immediately calmed down and went to sleep.

Wierd but amazing!

me and my big blunder

I bumped into an acquaintance this afternoon while waiting for a friend. We started chatting when I noticed a lady walking slowly towards our direction and looking at me. I didn't give much thought to it until she stood beside me. It was then that I realise that she's my friend's wife.

I thought that she has that tinge of jealousy in her and he introduced both of us to each other. I extended my hand and shook hers and started a conversation with her so she won't misunderstood me unnecessarily. She began to warm up to me and we chatted for a few minutes.

I noticed that her tummy was a little big. It was not like the bloated look or flabby look. It just looked like she's around 5 months pregnant or so. I asked how many months pregnant is she and then that's when she kept quiet and my friend, her hubby, intercepted and said that she's not, and that her tummy just look exceptionally big.

Oh dear! Oh dear!! I dropped a bomb and I just felt like vanishing right there on the spot!! I turned to her and apologised. Luckily, I was not punched on the spot!

I don't normally ask such things like that to people cos I too have a flabby tummy. I know. I made a BIG blunder. I deserve to be shot dead there and then. I'm quite upset over my stupid blunder.

Please forgive me. Stupid stupid me!

swollen eye

Eryn woke up crying this morning and complaining that one of her eye cannot be opened.

I took a look at her and saw the her left eye was quite swollen. She had been having a tiny bulging dot on her left eye for almost a week. DH had put a drop of eye gel when it first swell and it was ok for a few days before it swells morning. Could be because we didn't continue giving her the eye gel.Her first reaction was not wanting to go to school at be at home with me. Good excuse, and so I kept her at home with me.Took her to the kindy for a while though cos the lion dance troupe were at the kindy. She didn't want to step into the kindy and I had to carry her. She buried her face in my shoulders and didn't want to see the lion dance, her teachers and the classmates.

When her friends start calling her, she pretended she didn't hear. This little girl of mine is so cheeky.

Anyway, it's nice to be home with Eryn today. Gotta go give her lunch and am taking her out to visit a friend. hehe

Words Twist

My boy likes to disturb his little sister by immitating her in the things she says and do. He's also got this tendency to twist sentences and words around which irritates us at home. He finds it funny but stops short for a while, when daddy scolds him, before continuing the words twist in whispers.

Here's just some of the things he says :

Case 1 :
Eryn : Mummy, can I go to jie-jie's house and play Barbie doll again?
Brendan : Huh? What? You want to play with pig doll? You play with a pig? hahahahahaha

Case 2 :
Mummy : Brendan, you better eat some herbal chicken. It's good for you. You're too skinny.
Brendan : I don't want purple chicken.
Mummy : It's not purple chicken. It's herbal chicken.
Brendan : No, it's not herbal chicken. Just give me the purple chicken.

Case 3 :
Poh-Poh : Brendan, don't play and eat faster. You "bi3 sai4" (mandarin for compete/challenge) with mei-mei and see who eats faster.
Brendan : HAHAHA (super loud). " Pi3 sai4" (hokkien for those dried snots, or whatever you call it, in your nose). Mei-mei, you want "pi3 sai4" ar?
Eryn : NO!!!! MUMMY!! Kor-kor want me to eat tahi!! (malay word for faeces)

Now, on the other hand, Eryn is a big whiner. When Brendan does this thing with those words and disturb Eryn, she will start whining and complaining and sometimes cry, and it goes something like this :

Eryn : (singing) I said hey..... Ah be gun-duh-dere..... la la la ah be gun-duh-dere
Brendan : Mei-mei, you sing it wrongly already.
Eryn : Eeeeeeee...... You don't say ar.....
Brendan : (singing) Hey.... Ah be gun-duh-dere....
Eryn : Arrggghhh!!!! Mummy!!!! (whining and complaining) Kor-kor follow me talk!!
Brendan : hahaha... Mummy!! Kor-kor follow me talk!! (immitates Eryn)
Eryn : (starts crying and stamps her feet)

Sigh! People say that my girl talks non-stop and my SIL says that my house must be really noisy with these two fellas voices. Tell me about it