photos with Ah Ku

Ah Ku came over last night to take some photos. He needed some models for his Early Childhood Education programme banners again.

So I got him to take some pictures of the Christmas tree for YeeYee's viewing.

We then took Joe out to clinic to see paed while Joy-Anne entertained Ah Ku at home.

I'm playing with my water

see I can balance the spoon on the cup

stir it round and round...

then I wash my hands in it to add flavour

would you like to have a taste?

come on....don't be shy!

it's pretty good you know

lip-smacking good

check out my kissable lips

nicer than Amber Chia's right?

come nearer....I kiss and show you...

muaaaaakkkkksssss!!!!

and my teeth also very nice. But I don't like mama brushing them.

oh no....dirtied the pretty dress that Yee Yee bought!

ahh....bottoms up!

and this is the Christmas tree lighted up!

proof of vanity

I've got more proof that my princess is too vain. She dug out this bottle of baby lotion from the drawer handed it to me and said, "Can you open?".

Then she proceeded to apply it on her face. And on Kor Kor too.In anticipation of all those like mother like daughter comments, I must say that I did not teach her this. Neither has she seen my apply cream on my face.

We did apply baby lotion on her face, arms and legs while we were in Melbourne (this bottle was bought there) because of the low humidity and dry air. I guess it must have stuck with her.

our simple anniversary dinner

Daalin and I went out for dinner in conjunction with our 7th Wedding Anniversary. Actually it's also our weekly date. We ate at Sushi Zanmai, The Gardens. It's a decent, not-too-expensive place. Judging from the queue waiting to get a table, even on a weekday, I gather the place must be pretty good.
Loved the unagi don and soft shell crab. And of course the one-ringgit-bottomless green tea.

The total bill - RM64. We were sufficiently-full but not uncomfortably bloated.

pretty dresses at odd hours

I'm starting to find out that my princess is vain. Very vain. Too vain!

Last night, before going to sleep, she saw me keeping her dresses and she said, "I want to wear pretty dress". So I told her, "It's night time. Go to sleep!"

She woke up at 2something in the morning (from Nana's bed) and asked Nana to "Carry me to Mama's bed!!!"

So Nana put her on Mama's bed and Nana went back to sleep while Joy jumped on Mama. And then at about 3.30am, she said, "Take off shirt! I want to wear pretty dress!"

She kept pulling her shirt up to her shoulders, exposing her entire chest and tummy. So I took out one of the dresses that YeeYee bought - no zips, hooks, buttons, and put it over her pyjamas. It was long so it covered her tummy. Then she was happy and went back to sleep.

Must be too happy....it's now 8.40am and she's still sleeping (usually wakes up at 7 plus).

Edwin's 33rd Birthday

Daalin is 33 years old today. We had a simple dinner of very-yummy-chee-chap-chuk, cake, cookies, ice-cream and sparkling grape juice at home.

helping papa to put in the candles

stuffing her face with ice-cream

showing his cake-stained teeth

I don't know what to say about this....

see mama... the stool is stuck to my butt!

check out my balancing skill

stool stuck to butt again

Seven years ago...

... we were in church having our wedding rehersal.

Sometimes it feels like we've been married forever. Othertimes, it's all been a blink of an eye.

This was taken on my birthday in 1981. Now it's tagged by popular request.

See how he was attracted to me even at that age...

And here we are now!

My Hair Affair

It's been almost 4 months since my last hair cut and I'm starting to itch again about whether or not to fix my hair. That's the problem with having short hair - it needs more regular fixes (means cost more time and $$$!!!)

I don't remember who cut my hair up till my teenage years. I'll have to ask my mother that.

Then in my teenage years, I went to my mum's hairstylist who works from home. Each hair cut cost RM5.

Even when I came to KL to study, I would always go back to visit her for a trim each time I went home to Penang. RM5 haircuts became RM6, and then later RM8. With just 2 hair cuts a year, it cost less than the price of a 1.5kg tin of Milo to maintain my hair.

Eventually, I got married and started working and it was no longer feasible to keep going back to Penang for my hair cuts.

So I went to the RM12 kwik-cut places where they cut your hair for RM12 in 12 minutes. With inflation, it became RM13 for 13 minutes and if I'm not mistaken, it's currently RM15 for 15 minutes!

But it didn't always turn out they way I'd like. So I thought I would go to a proper hair salon. And I did! I tried out the RM20 dry cut at Derrick Hair Salon (opposite Carrefour in Midvalley Megamall). It was ok.....for all of 2 weeks. Then I started having bad hair days again.

Finally, in January this year, I gave myself a birthday treat by having a proper wash, cut and blow. I tried out Snips at The Curve. The junior stylist cost RM30 and he took over an hour! This was by far the most I had ever paid for anything to do with hair!

after the RM30 hair cut

I told him that I wanted to grow it long but the ends were sticking out in the process and I didn't like that. So he suggested cutting it more even so that the bottom was heavy and wouldn't stick out so much.

It worked....until the hair reached my shoulders and started sticking out again. During this time, we were in Melbourne and it really didn't matter because the lack of humidity resulted in static which kept my hair flat and in place. I also didn't have to bend over people's mouth so it didn't matter that my hair was unruly and all over the place.

When we got back, I just couldn't find the time to see a hairstylist. Finally, with 2 weddings approaching in August, I had to do something!

Out of mere convenience, I walked 100m to my 'neighbour', Chezz Technique during my lunch break while at work. I paid RM62 for the hair cut by a senior stylist, setting a new personal record.

3 weeks after the RM62-hair cut

This senior hairstylist cut a bob for me - longer at the front, shorter at the sides. It looked pretty modern and stylish to me.

I'm glad to say that almost 4 months after this most-expensive-hair cut, I still like my hair. Most days, I don't even bother to comb. I just grab a chunk from each side and clip it at the back. My hair stays out of my face and out of my patients' faces. And the ends are still behaving themselves and not sticking out.

Sometimes I wonder if I should do something more than cut....like maybe perm or rebonding or colouring.....but the cost and the time needed just puts me off.

I'd rather take the family out for a satisfying meal at some place like Shogun. And who has time to sit for hours at the salon?

So now....my dilemma is to either let it grow out (and thereafter cut once every 6 months) pay another visit to Chezz...

New Blog Store

Announcing the launch of my new blog store...



A million thanks to HuiWearn for doing all the set up.

Now go over and browse!

My princess at 21+ months

This time last year, I was already planning for Joy-Anne's 1st birthday party. I've always felt that the first year creeps by minute by minute. But once we've passed the 1st birthday, time flies!

Her 2nd birthday is now less than 3 months away. I've got her no.2 candle already (bought in Australia) but there won't be any big party. Just a cake and dinner with family.

I find that she's very advanced in her speech. And very demanding too.

this is how she folds her arm and says, "not fair!" - learnt from kor kor.

She says things like...

scratch my back!

pat here (puts my hand on her chest)

let me go down!

I want to.... go playground/play piano etc etc

mosquito bite here....put skin oil!

enough!!! (when she doesn't want me to put cream on her mosquito bites)

this is how she feeds Matthew water

She is also very naughty at times. We have used the cane on her a few times. She will then rub her thigh and say, "Pain. Very pain". But the next minute, she's back to her nonsense.

and this is how she makes Matthew shee shee. She will say, "good boy."

In my opinion, smart = naughty.

Or at least the potential to be more naughty.

she can also pat Matthew to sleep.

Just this morning, she said, "No way!!!" when we tried to feed her milk. Guess where she learnt this from... kor kor of course!

Smart as she is, she is not doing very well in the toilet-training department. Unlike Joseph who obediently pooed in the potty, she absolutely refuses to deposit anything in the potty. She will sit for hours without any produce. Then as soon as you let her off, she pees on the floor. And then she stands in the puddle of pee and says, "Help!!! Wet wet!"

So we'll scold her and ask her, "Is this the toilet?"

Joy : No.

Mama/Nana : Shee shee where?

Joy : toilet.

Mama/Nana : Where is the toilet?

And she will walk to the toilet and point to you. Is that naughty or what?

a good laugh for today

I was flipping through today's Star and came across this so I browsed this blogger's site and came across this video that had me in stitches....so funny!