A Break...

 A turn of event gave me the much needed breathing space. So far, I feel very blessed as it gives me the time and energy to focus on other important thing in my life which I have neglected.

I am enjoying every moment and hoping that it will not end. And it has been very fulfilling and lovely. End of the year has always been an eventful time, especially with Christmas around the corner, the kids going to school and me in a reflective mood to think about what I have achieved in the year and the plans moving forward. 

We managed to go for a short with the extended family and the kids had a good time playing and spending time with their cousins. At this point of time, I have finished spring cleaning the house and together with hubby, we have also sort of like do up Ryan’s room -

It has been lovely and I feel blessed! Am counting my blessing every single day.

Out in the Park

Caitlin had a fun time in the neighbourhood park - running freely and enjoying her ice cream. Life is indeed simple, joyful and full of adventure for them.  

Running Shoes

Another Big Fat Caterpillar

This is indeed a fat caterpillar

Can you spot it? I could not for the past few days. I know there's something wrong with my plants but I don't really know who or what is the culprit. Then there were droppings !!! Another sign but I still could not spot it. I decided to give my poor plant a trim and that is when I accidentally touched it and it was yucky!!!! Plain yucky and I hate it.

It's green, it's huge and it's fat!! It was like deja vu as I remembered snapping a photo of a caterpillar before. A quick check on my old blog entries confirmed that a similar caterpillar invaded my garden 3 years ago! And size of these vegetarian monsters are getting BIGGER.

9th Birthday

While looking at the photos and my previous post, I realised that I forgot to upload Ryan's 9th birthday cake. We DID celebrate his birthday, just forgot to write about it. As usual, there are lots of presents for the birthday boy and he did get his wish to go bowling with his uncles and aunties :)

He's growing up fast and when I asked him what sort of a cake he wants, he just want a nice simple chocolate cake - no picture, figurines or anything fancy as he thinks it's childish (Although expecting it, I felt sad....but nevermind, there's still Caitlin to keep me entertained).

Looking forward to next year as he will turn double digit :)

Caitlin's Concert

We were all looking forward to see her performing and she woke up with a fever. But the show must go on. After taking her medication and rested a while, I took her to school where together with all her friends, they sang, danced and entertained everyone who attended their yearly concert. There were also plenty of screaming and crying. All the kids and family members included had fun. 

 

Special thanks to Mr James Quah who took very, very nice photos of the children, including Caitlin (as shown here).

A pleasant surprise indeed! 

Love the fresh flowers

Time fo the Family

Life is hectic - and that is nothing new.
Work is hectic - nothing new either.
In fact, those are constant and I will need to find a way to work around it rather than lament about it....think Shirley, what's your game plan? So far, none. Will play it by ear but one thing for sure, I have been spending lots of time with my family and it feels great. I am still stressed, but I am happier by far.

Some of my activities for the past weeks and I will be collecting more to come.

One of my favorites

October 2011

Can't believe October is here !!!! Today is the 4th of October and this means that year end is around the corner which means less time for me to complete my projects........arrgghhhhhh...help :)

Oh no....plenty of homework.

This is a photo of Ryan, at 10.00 pm, still doing his homework when he suppose to finish all his homework hours earlier. He's looking sad.... he will get over it. Exam is around the corner ....and that added to his stress.

Bake a Cake......

We were going for a family gathering and as usual, I will go and buy food, instead of cooking them, for the safety of those attending the gathering :)

However, Ryan decided to bake a cake for the occasion and we went to get pre-mix (to be very safe). He and his sister did the baking as part as their project and the cake turned out well. It was easy for the kids (and me) and the result is almost guarantee...

Win-win-win.....

Cooking......

Rendang Ayam

I suddenly have an urge to cook and try new recipes... not sure why but I did spent a lot of times in the kitchen toiling away and I ended up making 3 new dishes - for the first time. 1. Rendang ayam - which was yummy  2. Drunken chicken - too much shoaxing wine  3. Chap choy (a vegetarian dish) - could be better, hubby's family favourite dish.

Drunken Chicken

Anyway, I managed to take photos of the rendang ayam and the drunken chicken. Not too bad and I think I will make it a point to try out at least 1 new dish a month. Something to look forward to :)  

The creative me...?

I encourages my kids to draw and paint; basically to experiment with colours. I love colours but I cannot draw. I can do abstract and love doing patterns. I love texture. I love colours...oh, I already mentioned that earlier.

Here's something I did. After finishing this piece, I think I can improve it further. I already got another "tree" in my head. I can see it clearly... how the branch look like, how the leaves will appear. I just need time to let it come to life. Therefore, this will do for the time being.  

Need to exercise

I have not been exercising for the last 2-3 months due to various reasons .... And am now feeling the effect. I have gained some weights and I also noticed that I am not as energetic as before. So before it get worse, I have to pull the brake and head back to the gym. It will be painful but it will be all worth it at the end...for my own good. Will be off to the badminton court shortly. Just do it! Period.

Charcoal Steamboat Anyone?

It's Hot, Hot, Hot.

Looked exciting in there !!

During the weekends, I would like to take the family out for dinner and this include my brother and his wife. The more, the merrier and there's nothing like family having meals together. If we are not out, I will be cooking something different and special for the kids - It's something I look forward to every weekend :)
Recently, we went to this charcoal steamboat restaurant nearby our house. The food is okay but I was fascinated with how they prepared the charcoal (fired them up?). Something different :) and the kids as usual, enjoyed themselves :) :)

Pretty in Pink

My girl...pretty in pink, from head to toe.

Beautiful Leaves

My recent trip to Zoo Negara was filled with fun. Besides animals, I stumbled upon many beautiful dried leaves - big ones, all dried and curled up in the most amazing way. To put the size in perspective,  I included my shoe (I wear size 7) in the last photo. 

My Journey with Ryan

I thought I am doing ok as his mom. I am wrong. I discovered that I have not done enough. Let me tell you about Ryan, my first born, going to be 9 soon. He was simply adorable as a kid and as he was growing up, he was a fine boy and polite. I'm proud of him. He was easy to manage and he did not give us any problem.

Then he started schooling and he mixes around with the bigger kids. We noted a slight change in his behaviour but nothing alarming. He will come back and tell us stories. Some good stories and some painful ones. Then I will dismissed them, thinking that this is what normally kids go through and eventually everything will be ok. He will eventually learn somehow and I also did not want to dwell in it too much. Part and parcel of growing up.

Then his sister came along and at first, it was all ok. He will play with her but as she's growing up, he finds her to be a challenge. He feels there is a need to compete with her, for the attention etc and they started fighting. This is followed by angry sweeping statements - more headache for my boy as everyone of us seems to think that as the older child, he is expected to take the higher road and give in to her sister. This resulted in him being rebellious and his behaviour got worse. More growing pains.

Being parents are not an easy task. I think I need to prioritise and rethink before it's too late on what's more important to me. How do I want my children to be (outcome) and I must be willing to make the journey with them (input). I have heard stories about successful professional who thrived at their careers at the expense of their family and children. It never occurred to me that I'm going down that route but I guess I will, if I am not too careful. Soon, my boy will be a teenager and we all know how difficult that phase of life is. I have to act before it's too late. Like I said, it's never easy being a parent - but with lots of love, patience and a strong heart - everything will be ok.

Watching TV Together

They are at each other's throat most if the time so much so that I can count the number of times when there's peace between them. This is one of them - they are watching television together and Caitlin is frowning because she's scared while the brother was "protecting" her (...but by holding to her knee?). Well, at least there was peace for the 1 hour.

Mission: The Garden

New addition to the family

Curry leaves for cooking

Money Plant

I have been working on my garden even since my recent trip to Avillion Port Dickson a few weeks back. I was quite diligent at that, making time to pull out all the weeds, fertilising the plants and grass and watering them every morning and evening. I rediscovered the joy of gardening and it's goooooooddddddd. I even bought a new pot of flowering plant. It has small red flowers and it look nice.



The truth is that I have neglected the garden due to my work schedule and even more after the snake incident. It's good that I am back and hopefully, in no time, my garden will be back with it lushful greenery. The only plant that had survived all the ordeal is my money plant. It's one of those plant which requires minimum maintenance and looks good all the time. 


I intend to plant more of these money plants with different shade of green leaves and to add some flowering plants since my frangipani plants are taking forever to grow. Also, I intend to grow some vegetables as well - that should be fun. Chilies plants will be great, maybe brinjal....no, no.....chinese mustard green plant (or simply "sawi" in Bahasa Malaysia...). And as you can see, I am very excited and I am a woman with a mission........
 

Good Night

It's now 10.30 pm. Everyone is already sleeping while I am still toiling away on my laptop. I have decided to work in the air-cond room because it's freaking hot out there. I think I will call it a day at around 11.30 pm - that will be in an hours time. I aimed to do and cover as much as possible before I hit the bed - make my time more worthwhile. Time flies - no matter whether you realise it or not. So, we just need to make full use of it. I procrastinate. I know it's a bad habit but I can't help it (excuse). It's part of me (more excuses)....but to be fair, I have improved although there's plenty more room for further improvement. One day at a time (more excuses?).

I better stop now so that I can finish whatever I set out to do and have a good night sleep. Cheers !

Me Time

Darphin Cleanser - image from the internet

I took leave from work to run some errands and to pamper myself. I wanted to chill and do some thinking and planning ahead. I wanted to accomplish a lot but managed only half of what I set out to do - still it was good enough for me.

The most memorable event for today is I had a nice long lunch by myself in a nice cosy restaurant. The food was good and the music nice and soothing. I have decided to maintain a diary of a sort to record my thoughts and feeling and started writing. I recon the diary will be a great way for me to express myself and capture my thoughts, emotions and moods...and ultimately to understand myself and learns from the past and from my mistakes. It was a good one hour of eating, writing and smiling. It felt good!!!

Next on my agenda is going for my facial as well as to pick up some products. I managed to get the image of the most-fabulous-facial-cleanser ever. It's Darphin Cleansing Foam Gel with Water Lily (picture above). I am now into my second tube and I simply love it. I also pick up a toner and the eye makeup removal. My skin has improved but it is still sensitive and have not really stabilise. My face is no longer "red" and the pores are also finer but I still have uneven skin tone, dark spots and pigmentation. I guess it is the years of "abuse" where I don't use proper skincare (lack of knowledge and money as the main culprit) and have not be using any sunblock. Anyway, it's always good to be pampered and I love all my facial sessions. I will make sure that I have enough time so that I can enjoy every moment and yes, blackberry are off as well :)

It was a good day and more of me time in the future - it's rejuvenating and something which I look forward to. 

Back to Gardening

I was out walking one day, walking toward the park when I saw this nice plant with all its flowers "drooping" over the brick wall. All I can say is nice and I wish I have that plant in my garden. :)

Happy Birthday Caitlin



Caitlin is 3 today. We welcome her with love, 3 years ago and our lives have never been the same.....in a positive way.

What make her brother ticks does not work on her. In short, she's very different from her brother. We have to figure her out and at times, she drives us crazy. We have to keep up with her and she's not slowing down, not for us nor the brother. We watch her with delight. We are proud with all her achievements and will be there to support her in everyway.

Happy 3rd Birthday my dear Caitlin and you are only 3 years old - not 5. You will be in 2 years time.

TGIF

This has been a particular long week. Had an important meeting on Friday afternoon and the last 2 weeks was spent making sure we got every single details right......so, as you can tell, I am glad that the meeting was a success and it's FINALLY OVER.

I can now move on to tackle the rest of the things which are piling up. Gotto love my job, otherwise it will be a chore going to work everyday. Have to find the meaning in the things I do. It's now Friday evening, my favourite day and time of the week coz this means that my weekend is still young. Woo hooo....have a good weekend everyone !

List: I need to .....

1. go back to the gym, at least twice a week, so that I will have more energy for the day to pursue all that I need to complete and more....go, go, go....(not to mention that I have gained 2 kgs in the last 2 months of not going)
2. get to know myself better. Doing more of the activities which has a positive impact while avoiding those which drained me.
3. plan something that I will look forward to everyday.
4. plan better so that my time is being use wisely, not unnecessary wastage and more time for myself and kids...time is gold..
5. drink more water daily as I can feel a sore throat coming....there's no such thing as too much liquid and I read something about water making the skin looks better and thus, the person looking younger as a result. Say no more...I will cheers to that..
6. spend more time with Ryan and Caitlin as they are growing up fast...and more importantly
7. have more disclipine and practise what I know as I know a lot (theoretically), just did stick on doing it....that's why I love Nike's tagline. JUST DO IT.

To the Park

We recently went t o visit my sister and we took the opportunity to go the the park nearby. Parks are nice and it is good to see kids running around, having a ball with their friends and family.

I do make it a point to go to the park with the children whenever the weather permits. Not only the kids need it, the adults need it too.

We will be off for a short vacation soon. Looking forward to the short break to rejuvenate and before going back to the rat race. Have a good weekend everyone.

What's in Caitlin's Bag?

My gal loves bags and shoes, especially shoes. One day, I got hold of her bag and took a peep. It's not full of make-ups, not yet. I was quite relieved and happy to note that it's full of figurines - her brother's pokemon toys. Hahaha.

Angry Birds

Angry Birds everywhere - toys, shirts, key chains, bags .....

Meet Someone Passionate

I met a lady at work this morning and what strikes me most is her passion.

When she speaks, you can feel her passion about the subject - so much so that you are drawn into it as well. She's highly competent and looking through her portfolio, you can see that she has accomplished a lot and more importantly she walks the talk.

She's highly motivated, full of energy with bright eyes, no nonsense approach, will not take a "no" as an answer and yet very down to earth.

Yeah, it was a good morning. An inspiring morning indeed.

According to Caitlin

According to my girl, this is a picture of a pond, with a fish inside and the fish is swimming (that is represented by the jagged line). Hmmmmmm..........make sense.

Caitlin in Genting Theme Park

This was taken sometime back when we went for an impromptu 1-day holiday at Genting Highlands. We will visit Genting at least once a year.

During this trip, Caitlin was able to ride the cars. All of us were thrilled. The brother spend most of his time on the machines and Caitlin is following close. They do grow up fast.

Water cut

Recently, there was an annoucement that we may faced water cut for 2 whole days and that got my aunt into panic-mode and all her kiasuism kicks in.

As a result, all, and I mean ALL the containers in the house were not spared. Have a look yourself.


The funniest thing is that, our house was not affected by the water cut after all !!

First post using iPad

Catching up with technology. This is great as I can pen down my thought anywhere as long as there's Internet connection. Have to make full use of whatever we have and move along. That shall be my lesson for today!

It's end of June now

Time flies and it is entirely up to us what we want to do with them. It will swoosh by and before you know it, it's gone. That's how I have been feeling - so many things to do and achieve in so little time (even though all of us are given 24 hours). The other thing is that the mind is willing but the body may not. I have not been well for the past few weeks and have not been to the gym for the past 2 months.

But all that is going to change - I will be back to the gym next week and take charge of my life more. Need to be in the driver seat - to be more in controlled. :)

So far, all is well in my world and things are looking up.

Not Good Bye

I was on an emotional roller coaster lately.

It started when my best friend Sham (We are Siamese twins, according to friends) confirming the date she and her entire family will be leaving for London. Her hubby will be based there for the next few years. I knew of this a few months back BUT have been pushing it aside; I guess it was MY WAY of dealing with that.

When she told me the date, it was less than a week before they fly and I panicked; for me and for her as well. It was a good thing that Sham was busy sorting out everything; from the kids school leaving certificates to her ASTRO bills. I remembered being sad and quiet as I go about doing my daily chores and going through my routine and work. It's very difficult to describe.......the feeling of being happy and sad at same time on the same event. I think Sham knew what I was going through and she ended up sending me encouraging messages instead!

I am happy for her and the kids on their new adventure in London, to experience how it's like living there, the new places they will be visiting and exploring, the new friends they will be making etc. I am happy that the kids will have the opportunity to study there as well. It's indeed an opportunity of a lifetime.

But, at the same time, I am sad that I will not be able to see her often or as and when I wish. What will happen to our weekly lunch date? How about our almost daily calls to update each other on our lives? Also the occasional time where I will take leave from work just to chill at her home and with the kids fighting for my attention, I feel like a Queen!!I will definitely miss her word of wisdom, her insights and also her scolding as she knows that she is the only person who gets away with that and I actually listen. I may dare say that I will be a spoil brat, an irritant if not because of her.

When the actual day came, I was more miserably than ever. I actually did not plan to go to the airport to see them off as I did not want to flood the place but I'm very glad that I did. Her friends and relatives were there. As I watched them going in, I knew they will be fine as long as they have each other. I was calm and that happened a week ago.

Since then, we have skyped, emails been flying back and forth and we yahoo message each other whenever we have the time. Yes, we are connected, in a different way. I'm in touch with what she's going through and vice-versa. We just need to manage the time difference. So it was almost like good old time.

It was never good bye. Thank God for technology, I am smiling.

White, Brown and Red Rice

A good friend recently introduced me to other types of rice, besides the common white rice. I have heard of brown rice but don't quite like the taste but I have not heard about RED RICE!! Yes, the rice is indeed red in colour.

Not only she took the trouble to buy me these difference rices, she also taught me the right mix for them. For a start, 40% white and the rest will be red and brown in equal portion (i.e. 30% each) . We tried it out the whole of last week and simply loved it. I like the rough texture of the red rice, best. Great taste and simply a healthier choice.

Food Galore Over the Weekend

It always amazes me how much I can eat. Last Saturday, I had just stuffed myself during lunch as was thinking about skipping dinner and come 4.00pm, I'm hungry and been sticking my nose in the fridge hunting for food. Ended up having coffee with biscuits. No longer thinking of skipping dinner. :) Here are photos of some of the dishes I had during the weekend.