The corner house is alive again. The family who owns that place live most of the year in Dubai as the daddy works in the oil industry there. It is summer holidays now so the family are home for the whole summer.
Connor met the girl one day when he was out cycling with Dear Hubby and hasn't stopped talking about her since then. Zoe, he said her name was. I asked Dear Hubby about it. He said she was much older than him. He's 4.5yo. She's a fully grown up 8yo going on sweet sixteen. Girls always are.
We met Zoe and her father at the village mini market yesterday. "Zoe!" my son called. When they both acknowledged him, Connor suddenly went all bashful and hid behind me. I looked at this young woman who has stolen my son's heart. Yep, she's his type. My little boy actually has a type. He likes them blonde and beautiful and she is both.
He invited her over yesterday to see his Thomas trains and Lightning McQueen cars. I think she came over more out of politeness than of real interest. They disappeared into our home while I remained outside chatting with her father, David.
When I came home, I discovered my son was giving her a tour of our home. "...and this here is the kitchen.. and this is our baby brother!" Then they both ran outside to go cycling together.
She is very sweet with him, treating him like the baby brother she doesn't have. He follows her everywhere like the besotted puppy dog that he is.
Summer lovin'.... ah, have fun while it lasts my son.
Showing posts with label Friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Friends. Show all posts
Friday, July 19, 2013
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Welcome to Earth, Baby K!
Well, it's finally happened.
Baby K has finally arrived. I received the long-awaited SMS announcing the happy news while I was doing the school run on Tuesday and boy, that sure made me smile! (Yes, I did make sure I was NOT driving when I finally read the SMS)
I made the trip to the hospital to see Baby K and his proud parents yesterday. And my goodness - is he ADORABLE. I just melted on the spot when I saw him all tiny and pink and oh so precious, wrapped up like a bak chang in the blue swaddle cloth, sleeping peacefully in his little hospital bassinet. He reminded me of Connor four years ago who was just as tiny when he was born. I wrapped him up like a bak chang then too!
I love newborns. I love them for their feel, for their smell, for the instinctive protectiveness they arouse in me (even when they're not mine) and for reminding me again the miracle that is life.
I don't have any pictures of him but if you'd like to see the handsome little fella, you can click here where his proud aunt has posted some lovely shots of him.
Congratulations, A and J - you did a great job.
Congratulations, PB - happiest and proudest aunt in the world.
Welcome to Earth, Baby K.
Baby K has finally arrived. I received the long-awaited SMS announcing the happy news while I was doing the school run on Tuesday and boy, that sure made me smile! (Yes, I did make sure I was NOT driving when I finally read the SMS)
I made the trip to the hospital to see Baby K and his proud parents yesterday. And my goodness - is he ADORABLE. I just melted on the spot when I saw him all tiny and pink and oh so precious, wrapped up like a bak chang in the blue swaddle cloth, sleeping peacefully in his little hospital bassinet. He reminded me of Connor four years ago who was just as tiny when he was born. I wrapped him up like a bak chang then too!
I love newborns. I love them for their feel, for their smell, for the instinctive protectiveness they arouse in me (even when they're not mine) and for reminding me again the miracle that is life.
I don't have any pictures of him but if you'd like to see the handsome little fella, you can click here where his proud aunt has posted some lovely shots of him.
Congratulations, A and J - you did a great job.
Congratulations, PB - happiest and proudest aunt in the world.
Welcome to Earth, Baby K.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Congratulations to A and J on their happy news!
I received some very happy news from an old friend a few days ago. She wrote to say she was pregnant! I was so happy for her. I've known her since childhood, her older sister and I were inseparable in school and it's kinda strange to think that she's now old enough to be a mother... which means I'm getting old too!
Every time a girlfriend tells me they're expecting or a guy friend tells me his wife is, I get all giddy with joy for them. Maybe it's because their news brings back memories of my rather happy and fuss-free pregnancy and I get all fuzzy and warm inside again. Maybe it's because we've had so much joy with our little boy and I wish the same for my friends who have yet to experience parenthood.
Congrats to A and J - looking forward to saying hello to the little bundle of joy when he arrives!
Every time a girlfriend tells me they're expecting or a guy friend tells me his wife is, I get all giddy with joy for them. Maybe it's because their news brings back memories of my rather happy and fuss-free pregnancy and I get all fuzzy and warm inside again. Maybe it's because we've had so much joy with our little boy and I wish the same for my friends who have yet to experience parenthood.
Congrats to A and J - looking forward to saying hello to the little bundle of joy when he arrives!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
A busy weekend!
What a super social weekend Mummy had.
First I had brunch with the girls. Two of them were friends I'd made when we all suffered together in the corporate world. One was a friend I'd known since I was three. The fourth was a new friend and a sort of link for me as she knew the two different sets of friends I had sitting at the table.
I'd never had a brunch with the girls and yakked about the various dead animals we'd seen and/or killed (either in Bio lab or elsewhere). I think that was why we didn't really manage to finish lunch. I couldn't really eat after we'd all exchanged gory stories about dead frogs, snakes and cats.
Perhaps next time we'll talk about something more girl-appropriate like erm... Sean Bean and Daniel Craig.
The next day, Mummy took Connor to a birthday party. The birthday boy was turning two and his Mum and I had known each other from our days in a shared office space. I prepared Connor for the trip, telling him we were going to a birthday party and would be singing the Happy Birthday song. Connor duly practised by singing Happy Birthday to his collection of trucks, trains, ambulances, cars and fire engines. "Happy birthday to you, train... happy birthday to youuuuuuu...!" sang my little boy as he clapped and then blew out imaginary candles on his IKEA birthday cake. We had a lovely time at the party. I got to chat with friends who have children of similar age and we were all exchanging stories about our boys. Connor got to play with this fabulous Optimus Prime toy and a super dump truck. He was really impressed by the dump truck, came home still talking about it.
To top it all off, we won 2-1 at Chelsea! YES!
It says a lot about my life now that I consider one brunch and one kids' birthday party = super social. LOL
First I had brunch with the girls. Two of them were friends I'd made when we all suffered together in the corporate world. One was a friend I'd known since I was three. The fourth was a new friend and a sort of link for me as she knew the two different sets of friends I had sitting at the table.
I'd never had a brunch with the girls and yakked about the various dead animals we'd seen and/or killed (either in Bio lab or elsewhere). I think that was why we didn't really manage to finish lunch. I couldn't really eat after we'd all exchanged gory stories about dead frogs, snakes and cats.
Perhaps next time we'll talk about something more girl-appropriate like erm... Sean Bean and Daniel Craig.
The next day, Mummy took Connor to a birthday party. The birthday boy was turning two and his Mum and I had known each other from our days in a shared office space. I prepared Connor for the trip, telling him we were going to a birthday party and would be singing the Happy Birthday song. Connor duly practised by singing Happy Birthday to his collection of trucks, trains, ambulances, cars and fire engines. "Happy birthday to you, train... happy birthday to youuuuuuu...!" sang my little boy as he clapped and then blew out imaginary candles on his IKEA birthday cake. We had a lovely time at the party. I got to chat with friends who have children of similar age and we were all exchanging stories about our boys. Connor got to play with this fabulous Optimus Prime toy and a super dump truck. He was really impressed by the dump truck, came home still talking about it.
To top it all off, we won 2-1 at Chelsea! YES!
It says a lot about my life now that I consider one brunch and one kids' birthday party = super social. LOL
Thursday, November 17, 2011
When princesses fight
Where were my seven bloody dwarves when I needed them?
Princess Leia kills Snow (not so) White with one swipe of her lightsaber.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Remembering Sept 11
Where were you on Sept 11 2001?
I was in my rented room, probably reading or playing the guitar. My phone rang and it was my aunt, telling me to "...GO WATCH CNN! The World Trade Centre is under attack!" I thought she meant the Putra World Trade Centre here in KL.
I ran downstairs to the living room where my landlord was watching cricket. We changed the channel to CNN and we were in time to watch the 2nd plane hit. I'll never forget watching that plane sail into the tower and the fireball after that.
I ran upstairs to get my modem and PC working. This was back in the days of dial-up. I had friends in NYC and I wanted to know if they were safe. We had no FB, no Twitter in those days. But we did have an online chat room and I managed to login and check on them. They were safe but afraid.
Then news came through of another plane, this time it had crashed into the Pentagon. A friend of mine was working in the Pentagon. I tried for days to get hold of him with no success, my emails went unanswered and I couldn't call through to the States. I even called up the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur asking for information but they weren't able to tell me anything. Finally I found his name on a list of survivors posted online. I'll never forget the relief I felt. When he was finally able to write, he told me he'd left the Pentagon an hour before and was a few miles away when he heard the news on his car radio. He turned right round and drove back. When he got to the Pentagon, he saw the plane had crashed right into his section of the building.
So I got lucky. Everyone I cared for was unhurt. But a lot of families weren't quite so lucky.
On Sunday we remembered those we lost in the attacks. But I can't help thinking that we shouldn't just be remembering those who died in the attacks - the people in the towers, the policemen, the firefighters. We should also remember all the innocent who had to suffer in the aftermath of the attacks and who got no media coverage, no monument to their suffering. Someone wrote in a UK newspaper of his experience of that day. He said he felt intense fear for the one day of the attack and he couldn't imagine what it must have been like for the Iraqis who had to feel the same fear over and over again in the war after that. He wrote that if we are to fully heal, we must remember all who were affected. I think he's right.
RIP to all those we lost.
I was in my rented room, probably reading or playing the guitar. My phone rang and it was my aunt, telling me to "...GO WATCH CNN! The World Trade Centre is under attack!" I thought she meant the Putra World Trade Centre here in KL.
I ran downstairs to the living room where my landlord was watching cricket. We changed the channel to CNN and we were in time to watch the 2nd plane hit. I'll never forget watching that plane sail into the tower and the fireball after that.
I ran upstairs to get my modem and PC working. This was back in the days of dial-up. I had friends in NYC and I wanted to know if they were safe. We had no FB, no Twitter in those days. But we did have an online chat room and I managed to login and check on them. They were safe but afraid.
Then news came through of another plane, this time it had crashed into the Pentagon. A friend of mine was working in the Pentagon. I tried for days to get hold of him with no success, my emails went unanswered and I couldn't call through to the States. I even called up the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur asking for information but they weren't able to tell me anything. Finally I found his name on a list of survivors posted online. I'll never forget the relief I felt. When he was finally able to write, he told me he'd left the Pentagon an hour before and was a few miles away when he heard the news on his car radio. He turned right round and drove back. When he got to the Pentagon, he saw the plane had crashed right into his section of the building.
So I got lucky. Everyone I cared for was unhurt. But a lot of families weren't quite so lucky.
On Sunday we remembered those we lost in the attacks. But I can't help thinking that we shouldn't just be remembering those who died in the attacks - the people in the towers, the policemen, the firefighters. We should also remember all the innocent who had to suffer in the aftermath of the attacks and who got no media coverage, no monument to their suffering. Someone wrote in a UK newspaper of his experience of that day. He said he felt intense fear for the one day of the attack and he couldn't imagine what it must have been like for the Iraqis who had to feel the same fear over and over again in the war after that. He wrote that if we are to fully heal, we must remember all who were affected. I think he's right.
RIP to all those we lost.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Dear Hubby's Annual Company Dinner: Oh what a night!
It was Dear Hubby's annual company do a couple of nights ago. The theme was Retro and Dear Hubby had a sudden flash of inspiration when he suggested we go as John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Him the native Scouser and me the little Asian girl. Why not!
We went costume-hunting one afternoon and went to a place a friend suggested. It's called Absolute Pitch. It's quite easy to find. They have quite a lot of costumes for rent and the rates depend on the type of costumes. The more expensive ones are imported and they had this really cool Stormtrooper costume. I'd always wanted to be a stormtrooper!
Unfortunately we couldn't find me a Yoko wig. Out of curiousity, I asked to try 2 other wigs. One was a short bob which made me look EXTREMELY Chinese, like the owner of a dim sum restaurant in a bad American film about Chinese immigrants. The other was an afro wig which I absolutely rocked partly because of my skin colouring. Dear Hubby found a wig and when he put it on and put on Lennon's trademark blue round glasses, he looked so much like the real thing I couldn't stop laughing. That was it - he would stay as John Lennon while I would go as a 'fro-ed disco dancer type.
We finally found the hotel after a "detour". We walked through a wedding reception to get to our do and drew lots of stares because we were in full get-up. It was the hair that got everyone's attention because we were actually wearing our own clothes as we couldn't find appropriate costumes. I kept saying as we squeezed our way past elegantly dressed guests, "We're not here for the wedding, we're not here for the wedding..."
When we arrived, we were greeted with shrieks of laughter when the staff recognised Dear Hubby. G told us later that one dazed staff asked, "Who's that man with the long hair who just walked in? He's quite sexy looking!" I have to say a lot of people were very sporting and went to a lot of trouble to get the right costume. Plenty were sporting afros and bell bottoms.
It was quite a hoot when we saw friends in costumes. It was almost impossible to recognise the men who are mostly clean-shaven in real life. It was such a shock to see them all sporting LOTS of hair. E who is a sober, clean-cut Scotman in real life looked like some hippy, weed-smoking leader of a Scientology group. M looked like a regular guest star on Starsky & Hutch while my own Dear Hubby looked like more like Ozzy Osbourne than John Lennon as the night wore on.
Some limbo rock, a dance contest and plenty of good food later, we went home happy. It was a good party. We enjoyed ourselves and I'm really impressed with the work put in by the organising committee.
To them and to the folks at the office who were such sports... grooooooooooovy baby!
We went costume-hunting one afternoon and went to a place a friend suggested. It's called Absolute Pitch. It's quite easy to find. They have quite a lot of costumes for rent and the rates depend on the type of costumes. The more expensive ones are imported and they had this really cool Stormtrooper costume. I'd always wanted to be a stormtrooper!
Unfortunately we couldn't find me a Yoko wig. Out of curiousity, I asked to try 2 other wigs. One was a short bob which made me look EXTREMELY Chinese, like the owner of a dim sum restaurant in a bad American film about Chinese immigrants. The other was an afro wig which I absolutely rocked partly because of my skin colouring. Dear Hubby found a wig and when he put it on and put on Lennon's trademark blue round glasses, he looked so much like the real thing I couldn't stop laughing. That was it - he would stay as John Lennon while I would go as a 'fro-ed disco dancer type.
We finally found the hotel after a "detour". We walked through a wedding reception to get to our do and drew lots of stares because we were in full get-up. It was the hair that got everyone's attention because we were actually wearing our own clothes as we couldn't find appropriate costumes. I kept saying as we squeezed our way past elegantly dressed guests, "We're not here for the wedding, we're not here for the wedding..."
When we arrived, we were greeted with shrieks of laughter when the staff recognised Dear Hubby. G told us later that one dazed staff asked, "Who's that man with the long hair who just walked in? He's quite sexy looking!" I have to say a lot of people were very sporting and went to a lot of trouble to get the right costume. Plenty were sporting afros and bell bottoms.
It was quite a hoot when we saw friends in costumes. It was almost impossible to recognise the men who are mostly clean-shaven in real life. It was such a shock to see them all sporting LOTS of hair. E who is a sober, clean-cut Scotman in real life looked like some hippy, weed-smoking leader of a Scientology group. M looked like a regular guest star on Starsky & Hutch while my own Dear Hubby looked like more like Ozzy Osbourne than John Lennon as the night wore on.
Some limbo rock, a dance contest and plenty of good food later, we went home happy. It was a good party. We enjoyed ourselves and I'm really impressed with the work put in by the organising committee.
To them and to the folks at the office who were such sports... grooooooooooovy baby!
Me in my "costume". I actually own everything I wear in this shot except for the Afro wig. Was telling people at the party if I actually won Best Costume, I'd jump off a high bridge in shame.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Welcome to Earth, Baby Patrick!
Boy. It's raining babies. :))
I've just learnt an old friend who used to work in the same office as me has given birth to their first child. Welcome Patrick C - hope Mummy will be able to post some pics of you soon.
Congratulations to P and S - welcome to the Parenting Club, sleepless nights, soiled diapers and the purest love you'll ever know.
I've just learnt an old friend who used to work in the same office as me has given birth to their first child. Welcome Patrick C - hope Mummy will be able to post some pics of you soon.
Congratulations to P and S - welcome to the Parenting Club, sleepless nights, soiled diapers and the purest love you'll ever know.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Welcome Baby Lucas!
Well, he took his time but here he is at last!
The Top Monkey family would like to congratulate the Shortcake family on the arrival of Baby Lucas. He is *such* a cutie. I haven't met him in person yet but he sure looks adorable in those pics Shortcake posted.
Welcome to the Mummy Club, Shortcake babe - you'll be a great mum, I know.
The Top Monkey family would like to congratulate the Shortcake family on the arrival of Baby Lucas. He is *such* a cutie. I haven't met him in person yet but he sure looks adorable in those pics Shortcake posted.
Welcome to the Mummy Club, Shortcake babe - you'll be a great mum, I know.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Idiot-proof roast chicken and other stuff
This recipe is for Roy who wants to cook for his housemates next weekend.
IDIOT-PROOF ROAST CHICKEN
1 chicken
Some carrots
An onion
A whole head of garlic
Salt, pepper, thyme
Some oil
A can of beer
1. First pop open the can of beer and make some shandy. I don't really like beer so I make it 3 parts beer and 7 parts of Sprite.
2. Pre-heat oven to oh... 250C.
3. Rinse and pat dry chicken. Stuff garlic into cavity.
4. Slice the carrots into thick long slices. Slice onion into three thick slices. Lay these at the bottom of your pan, this is your vegetable trivet. (So says Jamie Oliver) We actually use a casserole deep dish for this, we get a lot of juices that way.
5. Season your chicken generously with salt, pepper, thyme.
6. Place chicken breast-side down (so it doesn't dry out in the oven) and drizzle generously with oil
7. Put your chicken uncovered into the oven and let it brown for maybe 20 min
8. After that, cover your chicken (use tinfoil. For us, we simply put the casserole lid on) and turn the oven down to 200C.
9. Forget about your chicken for the next 2++ hours.
10. Drink more beer/shandy but don't drink all the beer.
BESTEST-WESTEST ROAST POTATOES
1. While you forget about your chicken, peel your potatoes
2. Parboil the potatoes in a large pot of water
3. Drain them and erm.. what's that term.. rake them with a fork so that you get a "groovy baby" potato
4. Cover your pan with tinfoil and place your potatoes on them. Arrange them so that they are spaced apart. If they are too close together, they'll just steam and won't roast.
5. Season with salt.
6. Splash oil... I like lots of oil.
7. Now remember your chicken? Yep, yep. Move that to the lowest rack of your oven and place the roast potatoes on the highest rack.
8. Turn your oven up to say 220C.
I find roast potatoes take about 45-60min to get all nice and crispy so time your preparations accordingly. Don't go parboil them too early.
CURI FROM JAMIE OLIVER SUPER-DUPER GRAVY
Pan juices
Plain flour
Chicken stock
Beer
1. That chicken of yours? Remember? Well, tip the juices from that into a saucepan
2. Dig out the vege trivet. Mine usually falls to bits just as I'm transferring it to the saucepan.
3. Place saucepan on medium fire and use whatever utensil you're using to mash up the vege as the juices come to a boil.
4. Add in some flour to thicken it up. Don't care what flour lah... Jamie said to use plain but I've used self-raising and nope, the gravy didn't turn into a puffball.
5. Tip some of your beer into the gravy and watch it bubble. Tip the rest into your glass for another shandy
6. Add chicken stock/water if you need more liquid
7. Simmer away till you get your desired consistency. Mine usually varies depending on how hungry I am. The hungrier I am, the more watery my gravy is.
8. Sieve gravy and serve HOT. Englishmen don't like their gravy lukewarm.
EASY-PEASEY PEPPER CABBAGE
Cabbage
Butter
Pepper to taste
1. Slice cabbage
2. Throw into a small pot and add a knob of butter
3. Oh before all this... grind up some pepper. I always forget. This is why it is Step 3 and not Step 1.
4. Stir cabbage on medium flame until all coated with butter and slightly wilted.
5. Mix in pepper and stir to coat
6. Serve. Simple kan? Unless you forget to grind the pepper beforehand like I usually do.
I hope you can follow the recipes Roy. Semoga berjaya!
IDIOT-PROOF ROAST CHICKEN
1 chicken
Some carrots
An onion
A whole head of garlic
Salt, pepper, thyme
Some oil
A can of beer
1. First pop open the can of beer and make some shandy. I don't really like beer so I make it 3 parts beer and 7 parts of Sprite.
2. Pre-heat oven to oh... 250C.
3. Rinse and pat dry chicken. Stuff garlic into cavity.
4. Slice the carrots into thick long slices. Slice onion into three thick slices. Lay these at the bottom of your pan, this is your vegetable trivet. (So says Jamie Oliver) We actually use a casserole deep dish for this, we get a lot of juices that way.
5. Season your chicken generously with salt, pepper, thyme.
6. Place chicken breast-side down (so it doesn't dry out in the oven) and drizzle generously with oil
7. Put your chicken uncovered into the oven and let it brown for maybe 20 min
8. After that, cover your chicken (use tinfoil. For us, we simply put the casserole lid on) and turn the oven down to 200C.
9. Forget about your chicken for the next 2++ hours.
10. Drink more beer/shandy but don't drink all the beer.
BESTEST-WESTEST ROAST POTATOES
1. While you forget about your chicken, peel your potatoes
2. Parboil the potatoes in a large pot of water
3. Drain them and erm.. what's that term.. rake them with a fork so that you get a "groovy baby" potato
4. Cover your pan with tinfoil and place your potatoes on them. Arrange them so that they are spaced apart. If they are too close together, they'll just steam and won't roast.
5. Season with salt.
6. Splash oil... I like lots of oil.
7. Now remember your chicken? Yep, yep. Move that to the lowest rack of your oven and place the roast potatoes on the highest rack.
8. Turn your oven up to say 220C.
I find roast potatoes take about 45-60min to get all nice and crispy so time your preparations accordingly. Don't go parboil them too early.
CURI FROM JAMIE OLIVER SUPER-DUPER GRAVY
Pan juices
Plain flour
Chicken stock
Beer
1. That chicken of yours? Remember? Well, tip the juices from that into a saucepan
2. Dig out the vege trivet. Mine usually falls to bits just as I'm transferring it to the saucepan.
3. Place saucepan on medium fire and use whatever utensil you're using to mash up the vege as the juices come to a boil.
4. Add in some flour to thicken it up. Don't care what flour lah... Jamie said to use plain but I've used self-raising and nope, the gravy didn't turn into a puffball.
5. Tip some of your beer into the gravy and watch it bubble. Tip the rest into your glass for another shandy
6. Add chicken stock/water if you need more liquid
7. Simmer away till you get your desired consistency. Mine usually varies depending on how hungry I am. The hungrier I am, the more watery my gravy is.
8. Sieve gravy and serve HOT. Englishmen don't like their gravy lukewarm.
EASY-PEASEY PEPPER CABBAGE
Cabbage
Butter
Pepper to taste
1. Slice cabbage
2. Throw into a small pot and add a knob of butter
3. Oh before all this... grind up some pepper. I always forget. This is why it is Step 3 and not Step 1.
4. Stir cabbage on medium flame until all coated with butter and slightly wilted.
5. Mix in pepper and stir to coat
6. Serve. Simple kan? Unless you forget to grind the pepper beforehand like I usually do.
I hope you can follow the recipes Roy. Semoga berjaya!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
All mixed up!
While at the ibu playgroup in TTDI Park, I'd met Baby L and his mum C. Mummy L then asked us both to join her and her son Z at the National Science Centre that Wed, which we did.
While we were there, Mummy L and I were just sitting around chatting watching our sons play. I was commenting that Baby L was so cute - he was, with his cherubic face and lovely curls. Mummy L said, "Oh, Baby L is mixed too. His dad's Malaysian."
I burst into laughter. "How about that? All our three babies are mixed Malaysian-British!"
"That's right - I never noticed that!"
So we three mums got together to compare the genetic wonders that are our children. There's Baby L who looks the most gwailo of all and fittingly so because he has the most gwailo genes in him (mum's white British, dad's mixed white British-Malay). And at the other end of the spectrum is baby Z who looks the most Asian of all (mum's white British, dad's Malay). Right in the middle is my Anglo-Chinese son who looks neither very white nor very Chinese.
We were laughing and marvelling at how different our sons looked. It's just interesting to see the results of the mixture of similar genes can vary so much.
While we were there, Mummy L and I were just sitting around chatting watching our sons play. I was commenting that Baby L was so cute - he was, with his cherubic face and lovely curls. Mummy L said, "Oh, Baby L is mixed too. His dad's Malaysian."
I burst into laughter. "How about that? All our three babies are mixed Malaysian-British!"
"That's right - I never noticed that!"
So we three mums got together to compare the genetic wonders that are our children. There's Baby L who looks the most gwailo of all and fittingly so because he has the most gwailo genes in him (mum's white British, dad's mixed white British-Malay). And at the other end of the spectrum is baby Z who looks the most Asian of all (mum's white British, dad's Malay). Right in the middle is my Anglo-Chinese son who looks neither very white nor very Chinese.
We were laughing and marvelling at how different our sons looked. It's just interesting to see the results of the mixture of similar genes can vary so much.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
A most satisfying Saturday
The day started well. Dear Hubby's new car (courtesy of the office) had arrived yesterday and we took it out for a spin today. I think it's really new as the leather seats still have that new car smell about them. Even had lumbar control feature for the driver's seat. Niiiiiice.
Spent morning just walking around Pavilion. We had lunch at the food court, Mummy had la mian and Dear Hubby had wantan noodles. Connor got bits off our plates and the funniest bit was when Dear Hubby fed him noodles off his fork. When he pulled the fork out of Connor's mouth, the noodles somehow went splat all over Connor's face. Dear Hubby just laughed helplessly watching Connor pick the strands off his face and put them in his mouth.
Afternoon nap for Mummy and Baby while Daddy goes off to play squash and swim with G. I picked up Scott from his hotel, we've not seen him since last year when we were in Sg for Dear Hubby's back surgery and he joined us for dinner at our apartment. We had roast pork and roast chicken PLUS roast potatoes PLUS peppered cabbage for dinner... and raspberry cheesecake to follow! Yum-yum. Dear Hubby and I make such a wonderful team in the kitchen.
Dinner was timed to coincide with the big match of the weekend, Man U vs Che. It was fun just having friends over, having a good time just talking and enjoying dinner together - something we'd missed greatly during our stay in Jakarta.
Man U obligingly lost to Chelsea and Spurs got beat by Sunderland.
Oh what a wonderful day.
Spent morning just walking around Pavilion. We had lunch at the food court, Mummy had la mian and Dear Hubby had wantan noodles. Connor got bits off our plates and the funniest bit was when Dear Hubby fed him noodles off his fork. When he pulled the fork out of Connor's mouth, the noodles somehow went splat all over Connor's face. Dear Hubby just laughed helplessly watching Connor pick the strands off his face and put them in his mouth.
Afternoon nap for Mummy and Baby while Daddy goes off to play squash and swim with G. I picked up Scott from his hotel, we've not seen him since last year when we were in Sg for Dear Hubby's back surgery and he joined us for dinner at our apartment. We had roast pork and roast chicken PLUS roast potatoes PLUS peppered cabbage for dinner... and raspberry cheesecake to follow! Yum-yum. Dear Hubby and I make such a wonderful team in the kitchen.
Dinner was timed to coincide with the big match of the weekend, Man U vs Che. It was fun just having friends over, having a good time just talking and enjoying dinner together - something we'd missed greatly during our stay in Jakarta.
Man U obligingly lost to Chelsea and Spurs got beat by Sunderland.
Oh what a wonderful day.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Our "summer" holiday so far
It's been bloody raining. This bloody UK weather. We left Liverpool on Tues to drive up to Scotland and it's been dreech. Yeech. Our Connor loves the weather though, he's very comfy in his little hoodie and he gasps in delight each time the wind blows into his face.
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There was a quake in Indonesia? I didn't even know. We are staying with friends who do not seem to subscribe to a newspaper that has international news but plenty of farming news and we were out most of the time doing whirlwind tours of friends' homes so the first we heard of the quake was when Dear Hubby's office sms-ed him.
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Dubai was great! It was like living in a cosmopolitan oven, it was HOT. I was very impressed that a city like that existed. This is desert country which gets its water from desalination but it still managed to build a ski slope in a shopping mall. It's amazing.
I'm also amazed that everyone speaks such excellent English in Dubai. I was fully prepared for some language barriers but every sign I saw was in Arabic and English and everyone in the service industry spoke excellent English. They don't even speak that good English in the UK.
And I found out that I haven't lost my Jawi reading skills. *beams* I can still read the Jawi script used in Arabic but s-l-o-w-l-y.
What was best about our stopover in Dubai? Meeting our friends and their kids and pets again after so long... and Connor had zero jet lag. Bri-lliant.
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Connor got to practise social skills as most of our friends have young children. He also got to play with some new toys. In Dubai, Connor met his first dogs - Bailey and Bower. It was so funny because Connor was just THRILLED to have these new "toys" that could walk and make noise all by themselves. The dogs and kids generally spent time in the family room and I walked in once to find Connor had lain down on the sofa just so Bower could thump his tail against Connor's face. Too funny.
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Wonderful seeing the UK side of the family again. His Nan and Granddad were so excited to see him again. I feel kinda sad for both parties that they only get to see each other for a few weeks a year. I grew up with my grandparents around me and there's no better protection against a parent's wrath than a loving grandparent. Hehe. Various cousins pitched in, lending us car seats, toys and other baby gear for our stay. This certainly made it easier for us bec that meant we didn't have to lug a car seat around the airport or buy a whole bunch of new toys to amuse our little one. That's family for you.
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I got to shop in Asda, Sainsbury (twice!) and I bought not one, but two sausage rolls. Ooh, suit me ma'am.
===========================================================
With all this fuss about swine flu, I forgot about other viruses. And Connor promptly picked up a tummy bug upon arrival in UK. He barfed over his Nan's carpet, went to Aunt Peggy's home and barfed there as well. There was runny poo running down his legs for 2 days before he recovered. The odd bit was that Connor was not the least bit distressed by it. Mummy was far more upset because he was not keeping anything down and had lost weight. Well now that he's recovered, it's fattening-up time again.
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Connor is 10 months old and walking. *beams with pride* His grandparents were just delighted when Connor stood up and toddled from the living room to the kitchen. He took his first few tentative steps just before we left Jakarta and about 10 days later, he's become very much better at it. No shoes for him until he's much steadier on his feet because he needs to grip the floor with his toes for balance. Granddad is already advising Dear Hubby to sign Connor up for athletics and Dear Hubby was like, "Dad... he's just toddling...."
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Over and out. More sunshine please for next week.
============================================================
There was a quake in Indonesia? I didn't even know. We are staying with friends who do not seem to subscribe to a newspaper that has international news but plenty of farming news and we were out most of the time doing whirlwind tours of friends' homes so the first we heard of the quake was when Dear Hubby's office sms-ed him.
============================================================
Dubai was great! It was like living in a cosmopolitan oven, it was HOT. I was very impressed that a city like that existed. This is desert country which gets its water from desalination but it still managed to build a ski slope in a shopping mall. It's amazing.
I'm also amazed that everyone speaks such excellent English in Dubai. I was fully prepared for some language barriers but every sign I saw was in Arabic and English and everyone in the service industry spoke excellent English. They don't even speak that good English in the UK.
And I found out that I haven't lost my Jawi reading skills. *beams* I can still read the Jawi script used in Arabic but s-l-o-w-l-y.
What was best about our stopover in Dubai? Meeting our friends and their kids and pets again after so long... and Connor had zero jet lag. Bri-lliant.
============================================================
Connor got to practise social skills as most of our friends have young children. He also got to play with some new toys. In Dubai, Connor met his first dogs - Bailey and Bower. It was so funny because Connor was just THRILLED to have these new "toys" that could walk and make noise all by themselves. The dogs and kids generally spent time in the family room and I walked in once to find Connor had lain down on the sofa just so Bower could thump his tail against Connor's face. Too funny.
============================================================
Wonderful seeing the UK side of the family again. His Nan and Granddad were so excited to see him again. I feel kinda sad for both parties that they only get to see each other for a few weeks a year. I grew up with my grandparents around me and there's no better protection against a parent's wrath than a loving grandparent. Hehe. Various cousins pitched in, lending us car seats, toys and other baby gear for our stay. This certainly made it easier for us bec that meant we didn't have to lug a car seat around the airport or buy a whole bunch of new toys to amuse our little one. That's family for you.
===========================================================
I got to shop in Asda, Sainsbury (twice!) and I bought not one, but two sausage rolls. Ooh, suit me ma'am.
===========================================================
With all this fuss about swine flu, I forgot about other viruses. And Connor promptly picked up a tummy bug upon arrival in UK. He barfed over his Nan's carpet, went to Aunt Peggy's home and barfed there as well. There was runny poo running down his legs for 2 days before he recovered. The odd bit was that Connor was not the least bit distressed by it. Mummy was far more upset because he was not keeping anything down and had lost weight. Well now that he's recovered, it's fattening-up time again.
==========================================================
Connor is 10 months old and walking. *beams with pride* His grandparents were just delighted when Connor stood up and toddled from the living room to the kitchen. He took his first few tentative steps just before we left Jakarta and about 10 days later, he's become very much better at it. No shoes for him until he's much steadier on his feet because he needs to grip the floor with his toes for balance. Granddad is already advising Dear Hubby to sign Connor up for athletics and Dear Hubby was like, "Dad... he's just toddling...."
==========================================================
Over and out. More sunshine please for next week.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Happy birthday, bestest-westest fwen!!!
It is Aug 22 and it is my bestest-westest fwen's birthday. We met during orientation week in Uni and have remained partners in crime ever since then and that was almost 15 years ago.
This is a friend who knows probably every dark and dirty secret of mine. A friend who spent hours helping me search for a dress for some event I had to attend back in Uni. He saw me through my darkest hours without judgement. He loaned me his PC for months on end while we were in Uni and didn't we look a funny pair, balancing on my wee Honda motorbike with the desktop unit. He threatened to start a dossier on all the men I'd dated because he said he couldn't remember who was who anymore. He loaned me his towel even when I had chickenpox. (Sorry... LOL!) And when my son was born, my friend... who's 100% allergic to little children... actually came to see him bearing a gift and told me my son is adorable. Aww...
Here's to many more years of "...I'm feeling... bubbly..." and Gathering of the Idiots, of riding around on a motorbike without brakes and Chinook helicopters, of cruising around town in "our car" and reading out loud from the Rukunegara sign in PJ, of Morrocan nights and Fabian fantasy, of typos from fat fingers and Starbucks coffees.
A year older but... maintain vogue, Roy... maintain vogue!
Happy birthday to my buddy.... your buddy... misses.... youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu......
Saturday, February 7, 2009
HELLO BABIES!
Welcome to the world, Laura and Luke!
Can't wait to see your pictures... congratulations to Monisha and Adrian on their double dose of joy.
Can't wait to see your pictures... congratulations to Monisha and Adrian on their double dose of joy.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Baby healthcare in Jakarta: Jakarta Women and Children Clinic
We're back from Connor's visit to the paed. Today, Mommy had some company in the form of Aunty Melvinder who wanted to check out the paed. It was really great to meet another new mum who knows and understands what I'm going through and I am delighted to have made a friend.
Connor is now 2 months old and it was vaccination time again. Boy, did he ever cry. But he's all zonked out now on his bed. The same thing had happened the last time he had a vaccination. He just slept and slept.
Connor is now 2 months old and it was vaccination time again. Boy, did he ever cry. But he's all zonked out now on his bed. The same thing had happened the last time he had a vaccination. He just slept and slept.
We picked Jakarta Women and Children Clinic (JWCC) for a number of reasons:
- It came recommended by a friend who has a 4-year-old daughter. As this friend of mine is a medical doctor herself, I thought her recommendation came with some credibility.
- It's REAL close to home. The last thing I want is to have my doctor live halfway across the town when my son's ill.
- The doctors there speak fairly good English. This is a plus point in Indonesia as Dear Hubby can only ever communicate in 2 languages - English and Scouse.
On my first visit there, I was impressed by the paed who saw Connor. He was clearly competent and his calm manner reassured this new mum. Trust me... when it's your first time being responsible for a tiny human being who's totally dependent on you, you get freaked out sometimes.
Unfortunately he left JWCC not long after to serve at another hospital. So we switched paed to Dr Lineus. And Dr Lineus was even better! At each check, he will check Connor thoroughly, go through his growth records and he patiently answered all my questions. I didn't have many questions the last time but I had quite a few this time. I do check up on health and baby websites for info each time I have doubts but nothing beats the reassurance of a flesh and blood doctor.
JWCC has 2 sections. The ground floor is allocated for O&G concerns. I can't comment on that bit because I've never used them. The paed floor is upstairs and you have to go up this spiral staircase to reach it. At the top is a safety gate which you have to unlatch and close behind you. This is my only complaint about the place. I really don't like climbing up strange staircases while carrying my baby especially spiral ones.
First-timers will get a baby health book to keep track of his health records and a membership card. You pick up the book at the reception on the paed floor and the card at the ground floor lobby. Bring along any other previous health records you've had of your baby and they'll add it into the JWCC booklet.
JWCC paed floor has:
- a small play area. Good for amusing the little ones while they wait for their turn. I've been to JWCC on weekends and it's absolutely chock-full of little ones playing with the toys there. It also has a tv that's permanently tuned to some kiddie channel.
- a nursing area. Really good as Connor always has impeccably timed his need for milk with the moment we have to see the paed. *sigh*
- a small Mothercare outlet. Surprise! But a really good idea. If you run out of diapers or wipes, you can make a quick purchase here. And if your kiddie decides all his toys are boring, you can buy a new one here. He barfed all over his clothes? No worry.. just pick up another one at the store.
As for the cost of seeing them... lemme see... A paed consultation fee is Rp320,000. You have to pay for vaccinations here and obviously they vary from one vaccine to another. Today Connor had his DPT, Hib 1 and PCV1 jabs plus an oral polio vaccine and it cost Rp1.47 mill.
If you'd like to check them out, the address is:
The Jakarta Women and Children Clinic
Jl Prapanca Raya No. 32A
Jakarta Selatan, 12160 Indonesia.
Tel: +62-(21)-7279 9911
Email: jwcc@cbn.net.id
Friday, October 24, 2008
RM50 and the traffic cop
As every Malaysian knows, RM50 can go a long way on the highways. Most of us have a tale or two about getting off scot-free with the help of this lovely piece of paper.
The following is perhaps the funniest tale I've heard so far and it happened to my friend, M.
M and I live in the same compound here in Jakarta. She's Malaysian like me and the other night, I was over at her house for dinner. We spent hours after dinner just yakking about random stuff and eventually ended up trading stories about the usefulness of a RM50.
She was 17 then and a rookie driver who failed to keep an eye on her speedometer. A cop promptly pulled her over and told her sternly that she was waayyyy above her speed limit. At 17, she was still pretty blur about the code words that cops and errant drivers use on Malaysian roads. She was told that she would have to pay a hefty fine at a police station located far, far away. That should have been Clue Number One that the code phrase game was on but she didn't get it.
At 17, you really don't want to go home to Mum and tell her that you were pulled over for speeding AND ask for money for the fine AND ask to be driven far, far away to pay the fine. So she asked, "How ah? Can I pay the fine here on the spot? That police station you mentioned is very far from my house." Unknown to her, she had uttered the code phrases that the cop was waiting for. The cop kept up his stern visage, "Yes, you can pay here." What relief! Now she can perhaps keep it a secret from mum!
"How much is the fine if I pay it here on the spot?" The cop told her, "Fifty ringgit." Happily, she reached into her purse, extracted one of them and held it up to him. Horrified, the cop hissed, "Jangan tinggi sangat!!! Letak bawah ini!" (Not so high! Put it below this!) and handed her his clipboard. M thought it was some official protocol she had to follow and duly folded up the bill and stuck it under some papers on the clipboard he'd shoved into the car.
As the cop walked off, she called out after him, "Excuse me, tuan.... takde resit?" (Excuse me, sir... no receipt?)
It took her a few years to realise why there was no receipt and why the cop gave her a killer glare and told her to please drive off and never come back again.
The following is perhaps the funniest tale I've heard so far and it happened to my friend, M.
M and I live in the same compound here in Jakarta. She's Malaysian like me and the other night, I was over at her house for dinner. We spent hours after dinner just yakking about random stuff and eventually ended up trading stories about the usefulness of a RM50.
She was 17 then and a rookie driver who failed to keep an eye on her speedometer. A cop promptly pulled her over and told her sternly that she was waayyyy above her speed limit. At 17, she was still pretty blur about the code words that cops and errant drivers use on Malaysian roads. She was told that she would have to pay a hefty fine at a police station located far, far away. That should have been Clue Number One that the code phrase game was on but she didn't get it.
At 17, you really don't want to go home to Mum and tell her that you were pulled over for speeding AND ask for money for the fine AND ask to be driven far, far away to pay the fine. So she asked, "How ah? Can I pay the fine here on the spot? That police station you mentioned is very far from my house." Unknown to her, she had uttered the code phrases that the cop was waiting for. The cop kept up his stern visage, "Yes, you can pay here." What relief! Now she can perhaps keep it a secret from mum!
"How much is the fine if I pay it here on the spot?" The cop told her, "Fifty ringgit." Happily, she reached into her purse, extracted one of them and held it up to him. Horrified, the cop hissed, "Jangan tinggi sangat!!! Letak bawah ini!" (Not so high! Put it below this!) and handed her his clipboard. M thought it was some official protocol she had to follow and duly folded up the bill and stuck it under some papers on the clipboard he'd shoved into the car.
As the cop walked off, she called out after him, "Excuse me, tuan.... takde resit?" (Excuse me, sir... no receipt?)
It took her a few years to realise why there was no receipt and why the cop gave her a killer glare and told her to please drive off and never come back again.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
HAPPY BIRTHDAY PARIS BEAVERBANKS!!!
This is for an old, old, old, OLD friend who turns... erm... 18 today. *halo on* We've known each other since we were toddlers and played jackpot together on my perfectly legal toy jackpot machine. We were inseparable as children and teens.
We both grew up and went our separate ways as friends do. I'm sorry for not writing more letters when you were away studying all those years ago, but Pos Malaysia was such a bother to deal with! :)) But we've always kept in touch somehow and we can still yak lots. I remember once when she came over to my KL apartment for dinner and we yakked so long into the night that Dear Hubby gave up and went to bed first. LOLI can still see us in kindergarten wearing matching "I Heart Ladybird Books" t-shirts. I remember when we both squealed over Rick Astley. I remember seeing her for the first time as a professional career woman, I was still in Uni then. When I discovered I was pregnant, she was the first to know.
There have not been many constants in my life but she's one of them. So to Paris Beaverbanks, I just want to say... HAPPY BIRTHDAY and I hope you have a great one and look what I got you! Nice cake eh!
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