Caitlin's Doodles

Some of Caitlin's doodles - she just love playing with colours.
Just in case you are wondering - the potatoes heads are actually Mr Sun (with a makeover!) shinning ever so brightly.

Outing @ TTDI

HAPPY CNY 2012

It was one celebration after another and I am so NOT complaining. Cherishing all the good time with family. We did the norm, eating, visiting relatives, eating, playing pop-pop, watching TV, eating, going back to hometown and more eating in betweens. We made the effort for the kids and as a result, all my cloths are now tight and I have to make extra effort to shed the extra kilos. Still not complaining though as I really enjoyed my holidays. Happy New Year and the may the year of the dragon fire up our passions and bring us good health and abundance wealth!!!. 

Bye Bye 2011 and it's full of good memories

2011 was a great year .....it started out very stressful especially towards Q3 and all went well. Towards the end of hte year we did a lot of spring cleaning, then there was that family trip to Penang and Christmas before we usher in the new year....a brand new year. Chinese New Year is exceptional early in 2012 and even before the year is out, we are already busy planning for another major celebration. Life is good and may 2012 bring us more happiness.

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.  

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

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.....

Pretty in Pink

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

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.

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.

Caitlin the Artist

She loves to doodle.

Here's one of the many, many "pieces". She refer to them as her colourings.

She's also into singing. Will try to capture her in action and post them here.

Like Mother Like Daughter. We love Durians

I was looking through my old photos when I chance upon these. To me, it's priceless....LOL

Caitlin and me love durian while Ryan is just like his papa - they don't take durian.

So, naturally, I am happy as I found a fellow durian lover. My daughter.....hahahha

Chinese Calligraphy

I googled for a definition on Chinese calligraphy and found that the best definition from Asiawind Art Gallery.

"Chinese calligraphy (Brush calligraphy) is an art unique to Asian cultures. Shu (calligraphy), Hua (painting), Qin (a string musical instrument), and Qi (a strategic boardgame) are the four basic skills and disciplines of the Chinese literati. Regarded as the most abstract and sublime form of art in Chinese culture, "Shu Fa" (calligraphy) is often thought to be most revealing of one's personality.

During the imperial era, calligraphy was used as an important criterion for selection of executives to the Imperial court. Unlike other visual art techniques, all calligraphy strokes are permanent and incorrigible, demanding careful planning and confident execution. Such are the skills required for an administrator / executive. While one has to conform to the defined structure of words, the expression can be extremely creative. To exercise humanistic imagination and touch under the faceless laws and regulations is also a virtue well appreciated".

Why Calligraphy?

Because Ryan who is in Standard 3 this year is currently exposed to calligraphy and did his first piece last week. It's his first try and I know we should not be horrified but we did. Can't help it. Instead of using the tip of the brush, he used the side (I have no idea why??).

As you can see, he has a long, long, long, long way to go and for me, calligraphy is an art. He may ended up loving it or totally loathes it. Too early to tell but lots of practice is needed. :)

Photo of me and the kids

I seldom take photos with my kids. Most of their pictures are individual shots and there are also very few pictures of them together. Will remember and make it a point to take more group photos. As you can see, Caitlin is growing up fast. She's no longer baby faced and Ryan....he's still 21 kg and slightly taller.

Hoppy New Year

Wishing everyone a happy new year and may the year of the Rabbit bring us abundance of happiness, health and wealth.

The kids are enjoying themselves silly. I have been enjoying the food and cookies. Yummy, yummy.........

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Uninvited Guests

I did not intend to blog about this awful experience but on the hindsight, life is made up of not only good experiences but bad ones as well. We just need to learn from the bad experiences (what's the takeaway? and what I would do the next time etc) and move on from there.

So here goes.....Sometime in December 2010, a snake decided to pay us a visit. Hubby saw it in the early morning when he was getting his breakfast ready. It was on the kitchen top, behind the dish drainer and was trying to move upward. Hubby decided to look for something to help him to remove it from the house and viola the snake disappeared from his sight. He could not find it thereafter. He then decided to wake me up. And how did I take the news? BADLY.

It took me sometime to realise what he was trying to tell me.... a snake in the house?? where did it come from?? a snake in the house but had gone to hiding??? What???. I immediately think of the kids. I also did not want to go downstairs and it took hubby sometime to coax me to go down. I remember feeling scared, helpless and angry. I am terrified of snakes irregardless of the size.

After searching for 5 minutes, we still cannot find it and I had hubby called the security guard in as he wanted to leave for work. Me and the security guard continued with the search but proved to be fruitless. After 15 minutes, the guard wanted to go back and asked me to call him once I manage to find it. I was scared stiff but I had no choice but to let him go. I finally spotted it, coiling up neatly against the wall, when I removed one of the items for cleaning. And boy did I screamed!!!

I called the security guard in again and then ran upstairs and observed everything from there. I needed to be as far away as possible. The guard killed and took it away. All this while, the kids were with my aunt in the room amidst Caitlin's protest as she wanted to be part of the hunt. And as a result, we got in people to clear our garden as well as the slope behind our house. Now, you would think that's the end of the story right? Well, not quite.

A few days ago, Uma, my neighbour informed me that her neighbour next door spotted another baby snake in the garden. I later found out that her neighbour had actually killed that baby snake as it went into the house, right to the stairway. Not wanting a repeat of the bad incident, we immediately closed the gap to the kitchen as we figured that was how the snake manage to get into the house. I must say that we did a good job as shown in the picture. We also bought extra sulphur to sprinkle around the house . That was on Sunday (30 Jan 2011).

The next night, hubby came home late and had dinner alone. Feeling cold, as it had been raining non-stop the previous day, he closed the glass sliding door, leaving only a small gap of about 6 inches for ventilation. Around 10.30pm, I was getting ready for bed and I closed the sliding door. Somehow, it cannot close properly. We have been talking about snakes and yes, snakes has been at the back of my mind all this while. I had even contacted the security representative earlier that day to lodge an official complaint. So when the sliding door could not close, my first thought was "could it be because a snake is stuck there?" I immediately dismissed that thought because it would be absurd!! What's the chance of it happening? Anyway, I pushed the sliding doors back slightly before trying to shut it again and yet, it could not close properly. I then glazed downward, trying to look for the source of my problem and that is when I saw the snake moving its head upwards. I did not expect that though I did thought of it in the first place. I screamed and jumped up the table. I was not sure whether the snake was stuck or free to move. Hubby came to the rescue and I also called in the security guards (again!) to help.

I was in tears because I was scared, though not as frightened as the first time. Then, I became angry. Angry because this is not the first time I had to endure this snake episode. How many more? and why my house for the second time? In the midst of this, I also felt grateful for doing something about the gap to the kitchen a day earlier. Who knows the snake might have gone into the house again and that would be terrible. I went through different emotions. Whatever it is, everyone I talked to arrive at the same conclusion....there's a nest somewhere and it's near my backyard!!

As I said before, there are lessons to be learned from this experience and this are what I have come up:

1. If you are frightened, think of ways which can help you to minimise your fear.
   By gap-proofing the house, I feel safer when I need to be in the kitchen. Therefore, doing something is always, always better than just talking and doing nothing.
   
2. I have to acknowledge my fear and then move on. I was surprised that I "recover" from the second incident much faster than the first. Don't want to think if there's ever a third? Pray not. Fear, if not properly managed can stunt a person's growth and potential. The phrase paralysed by fear has a new meaning for me.
   
3. Bad experiences are part and parcel of life and we just have to accept, learn and move on.

And I will move on.