Darth Snowflake!

I'm sure you'll have to admit my snowflake-making skills have improved vastly since my first disastrous attempt several weeks ago.  

Shot against our kitchen tabletop which has all those sparkly bits in it, it certainly looks like a snowflake from a galaxy far, far away.  Maybe this is what snowflakes look like on Hoth!

Thank you Anthony Herrera Designs for the fabulous Star Wars snowflake templates.   You can print out templates of various designs and there is even a video to show you how to make one.

If you are going to make lots of them, I would suggest investing in a really, really, REALLY sharp knife.  As you can see from my attempt, some of Darth Vader's eyeholes are quite scraggly looking.  This is because the knife I was using wasn't sharp enough to cut through all the layers of paper.

Merry Christmas!

Guess who's here?

It's POR-POR and GONG-GONG!

Yes!  My parents arrived on Monday last week on their first ever trip to the UK.  They flew in on KLM as KLM comes directly into Aberdeen airport which is about half an hour away from us.  I decided against flying them via Heathrow as it's just a circus if you land at the wrong time.

Dear Hubby had driven off to the airport with Connor to pick them up while I waited at home with Anders.  They took so long I thought something must have happened.  And I was right!  Customs had singled them out and made them unpack every single thing.  Mum had packed some bak changs  for me to eat and some bloody Customs officer confiscated them.  ALL eight of them!  I was almost in tears at the thought of my mum's lovely delicious bak changs  in the hands of some gwailo Customs officer who wouldn't appreciate them.  Hmph.  I hope you rot in hell.  Hmph again.

When they finally reached home, Mum was first through the door.  Beaming, she gave me a big hug and then immediately asked to hold Anders.  Dad was next, tired but happy.  Dear Hubby and I smiled at each other watching them coo happily over their newest grandson.

Mum has been a big help ever since they arrived, helping out with the housework and Connor while I focused on Anders for a bit.  She's also been cooking some of my old favourites while she's here and it's great!

Right now, they're away in London for a few days.  My brothers volunteered to pay for a trip to London for our parents as they said it would be such a shame to come here and not go to London.

A few days ago when I was driving Mum around the beautiful Scottish countryside, she said to me that she couldn't believe she was here.  She said, "We never dreamed we would ever come to UK... never even DARED to dream it."

Nice to know that sometimes dreams DO come true.

May 2013 Bank Holiday Weekend: What we did

Wow.  We actually had sun out over the long weekend and we took full advantage of it.

As sun had been forecasted for the entire weekend, our friends suggested a walk and picnic in nearby Crathes Castle on Sunday.  We'd been there in April for the Easter egg hunt and Connor had enjoyed the walk so I said yes to the picnic.  However, as I'm now reduced to waddling along slowly in my 34th week of pregnancy, I declined to join in the hour-long walk.

So I turned up after everyone else had finished the walk and produced Cajun chicken wraps, a salad and ice-cold Kopparberg pear cider for the hubby.  It was a pleasant 14C day and we enjoyed sitting out on the grass with good friends.  Everyone warned me laughingly that it could be the ONE and ONLY sunny day for the year in Scotland.  I'm beginning to see why the natives are all pale-skinned!

On Monday, we set about assembling the trampoline we'd just bought for Connor.  Dear Hubby did most of the work while I helped out towards the end.  Connor promptly jumped into the cardboard boxes the trampoline came in and called it his "...pirate ship!"  Sometimes I think we should just buy our son tons of cardboard boxes instead of toys.

About two hours plus and two exhausted adults later, the trampoline was complete and our 4yo could hardly wait to climb on and bounce away.  Wish I could join him but it's completely out of the question for me currently!  We also discovered that while a trampoline is a lot of fun, the boinga-boing experience is very much enhanced with the addition of bubble-blowing.  Not blowing bubbles while you're jumping, that would be silly as the bubble solution would be spilling everywhere. You have to get someone else to blow it into the trampoline netted area while you're boinging merrily about.  Someone like Mummy, for example.  Utter boinging heaven.

Connor enjoying the newly-built trampoline. 

And that was our weekend in the sun.  Hope yours was just as fun.

Holidays in UK: Day out in London

This time, we had opted to fly to UK using Malaysian Airlines.  They don't fly KL-Manchester anymore so we had to route through Heathrow.  Dear Hubby thought it would be fun to see London on our way home to KL, just before the hordes of people descend upon it for the Olympics.

It didn't seem like a good idea when we landed in Heathrow after a 7am flight from Liverpool and found BMI had screwed up with our stroller.   We'd asked for Connor's stroller to be offloaded at Heathrow and it'd been tagged for that.  Instead some bright luggage guy decided to lump it together with all our bags and checked it right through to KL.  I didn't fancy wandering the streets of London for hours without one!

Fortunately BMI offered us a loan stroller and it was a really good one!  It folded up very easily and into a very compact size, it had a flip on-flip off hood and a big basket underneath.  Problem solved... on to London!

Our first stop was Westminster.  Connor has always been very fond of clocks (just as I was as a child) and I thought it would be a real treat for him to see a REALLY BIG clock.   He was and as a result of our London trip, is now completely obsessed with Big Ben.  

What a lovely British summer we're having.....

We were there the Friday before the opening of the Olympics and everywhere had been Olympic-fied.  This is Connor with one of the mascots.  I don't know which one it is.  They were the ugliest and weirdest mascots ever and Connor needed some persuasion before he would stand in front of it.

Here's another one of them weirdo mascots!  Connor's got this WTF??? look as he looks at the mascot. Dear Hubby looked at it and said "I know of something else that's a one-eyed monster but I won't say it because we've got children here.... mwahahaha..."  Dear Hubby also questioned why a one-eyed monster was put right under the sign "Swallow Street".    I'm not explaining this one if you can't get it!

Regent St had been decorated with the flags of all the participating countries for the Olympics.  Imagine my delight when I found my flag!  "Look Connor!  That's Mummy's flag!"  And thanks to Lee Chong Wei and Pandelela, our flag was flown at the Olympics twice - thank you for trying so hard and for making us so proud of you!  MALAYSIA BOLEH!

This is what we call a real bear hug.  Ever since I read about Hamley's in Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy, I told myself I would see it before I die.  And I have because this is the bear outside Hamley's.  But er... I still don't want to die yet.  The staff look like they're having a ball demonstrating the toys to the public.  There's even a guy whose job is to change the worn out batteries in the demonstration toys.  

Connor was bedazzled by all on offer and we spent far too long in there.  I don't know how we managed to make our way out without buying a single toy.

HUSBAND!  Why were you taking photos of random hot women during OUR holiday!  Sleep on couch!  Tonight!  Forever!

(Actually he was as surprised as I to find this picture in our collection of holiday snaps but once he'd zoomed in on her... erm... assets, he was most pleased he'd captured this shot and we both agreed we would keep it for the fun of it)

 It was just a few hours spent in London but the effects have been enormous.  Scenes of London figured prominently on our telly for weeks after due to the Olympics and because we'd been there so recently, it was fresh in Connor's memory and he was SO excited to see it on telly.  It made teaching geography so much easier as he was being given many reminders of the places he'd seen.  It's also started Connor on learning how to tell time, a natural progression given he's staring lovingly at Big Ben for a large part of the day.  Nothing like hands-on education to make the subject come alive for the student.

We'll have to go back to London for a proper holiday next time... but I fear we'll spend most of it parked outside Big Ben while our son worships it...

Kids' Stuff in UK: Model Railway Village, Southport

Our most recent family trip to the UK included a day out at the Model Railway Village in Southport.  Southport is a 20-minute drive away from the family home in Liverpool.  I'd found out about it after Dear Hubby's cousin posted on Facebook a picture of his son at the Village.  

Check the weather before you go as the place is not open during bad weather.  We met the man who ran the village and he told us that they couldn't open the model village when it was bad weather as the trains would keep slipping off the tracks.  The model village is fully outdoors, there is no shelter anywhere so it wouldn't make sense to keep the place open if there was rain/snow/gales.  Please remember that the usual drizzle you get all year round in the UK doesn't qualify as bad weather.  :))  If in doubt, just ring them up to check.

Here we are!  

 Connor admiring one of the trains.   I fear he's going to grow up and be one of those weird anorak-wearing Englishmen who do trainspotting!  *pipiak self* 

The train station!

Guess who was waiting for a train to arrive?

The train going past the little houses in the village

And yes, there's one that looks just like Thomas!

A model family's little model home

That's the model firemen at work!

The train picks up some cargo at the yards

Connor loved this bit most of all.  There is a working signal light (hidden behind the little cream shed) that fascinated our young man.  The trains passing this line come to a stop when the signal light is red and only blow their whistles and chug off when it turns green.  Just like the real thing!

It looks just like real life England.

Connor was in seventh heaven.  It's not a very big place but I suppose it was enormous to our three year old.  It's really a labour of love, I don't think the man in charge gets any pay from it.  The engines cost quite a bit of money... as a mum of a train-loving boy, I know quite a bit about the cost of toy trains!

The buildings and people all need regular maintenance - painting, repairing of the buildings - and the ground itself needs looking after as well.  The trains need looking after too - oiling, replacement of worn parts.   So I was happy to pay the admission fee that I knew would go towards the maintenance of the place.

The trains don't just look like the real thing, they sound like them too!  They chug and whistle and huff and puff as they run along the tracks.  Big thumbs up to the two-person team behind this.

Here are ticket prices - Adults pay £4, children £3.50 (under 12 months free) and they also offer family and group tickets.  The place itself is stroller-friendly with wide walkways to accomodate strollers.  Walking in Southport is easy too as there are ramps everywhere.  You can get to Southport by Merseyrail or by car.  We drove and parked at the nearby Morrisons which is a short walk away.  Bring a brolly or wear showerproofs as you never know when it's going to pitter-patter and when it does, there is no shelter at the place.

There is a vendor selling ice-creams and snacks at the place so you can get some ice-creams after your visit.  We didn't though.  We walked on down to Lord's Street and stopped for an ice-cream there.

Go on a nice day, take some snacks and relax on the benches as you watch your little ones run after the trains.  We probably spent an hour and a half there.  The man told us their biggest customers were boys aged 2-8...no surprises there!

All in all, an enjoyable day out and we'll definitely come back.   

Click HERE for more information.

How to pack for a holiday

After all these years of travelling, I think I've finally cracked the "what to pack" mystery.

I actually planned out what I would wear every single day.  I drew up a grid for day and night wear for every single day.  I'm a Virgo hence the anal retentiveness.  :)  I then planned my outfits in detail as in I wrote out everything from my undies to my accessories for each day.  I didn't plan it out for the entire month, I simply planned it for about 10 days' worth and assumed I would repeat the outfits for the month.  I took the list with me to UK and stuck to it.  That was the most important bit.  No sense making a plan if you don't stick to it.

This is how you do it:

Decide on a "uniform"   For me, it was jeans and layered tops.  From experience, I knew that dresses would be out for me in the UK unless it's very, very warm as we would be visiting Scotland as well and I always freeze there.  I took simple, colourful tops and dressed them up with accessories.  So I packed 2 pairs of jeans, 6 tops and 4 Uniqlo bra-tops that worked as both undies and bottom layers.  This combination was all I wore for a month.
If yours is a wrap dress and knee high boots, then pack stuff to match that core uniform you'll be wearing most of the time.

Think about your holiday activities   What are you going to do?  Lots of sightseeing?  Very little formal nights out?  Beach?  Catching up with family and friends?  Why pack the LBD if all you're doing is lazing at the beach?  No sense packing super high heels if you're doing a lot of walking and sightseeing.  I knew we were doing the beach and mostly casual outings of shopping and catching up with friends so I left the formal dresses and shoes at home.  Instead, I packed my Radley suede boots that are comfy and lovely and don't kill me after pushing a kid in a stroller all day long.

Watch the weather  It said "summer"  but the weather forecast was rain, rain and more rain.  So I packed boots and a leather jacket instead of my cork wedges and linen jacket.  Thank god.  Pack for the weather you'll be facing, not the weather you want on your holiday.

Accessories  They don't take up much space so bring them on!  They can change an outfit and people won't notice you're wearing the same yellow top from last week, they'll just notice the different necklace.  Scarves, belts, necklaces... I packed them all and switched them around all through the holiday.

Doing holiday shopping?  Chances are you'll be buying something on your holiday.  This trip, I was targeting shoes.  So I knew I had to pack as lightly as I could since shoes are bulky.  I also knew that we always buy tons of sausages and pate and freeze them to pack back to KL.  That's another bulky buy that I had to take into account for the trip back.   If you know you're heading to the H&M sales on your holiday to stock up on clothes, pack less clothing for the trip there.

Laundry  Can you do laundry on your trip?  If so, you can pack less.  You don't have to wash every single item every day.  Unless it's sock and undies... those I insist on washing every day, I find it so icky to wear them more than once.

STICK TO THE PLAN  So important that I'm saying it twice.  I did and I found that I didn't wear the same combination or even wear similar combinations too close to each other (none of that "Didn't you wear this yesterday?" comments!).  Even if the laundry took longer than I expected to dry, I didn't run out of things to wear.  And more importantly, I didn't look like a tourist ie wearing a linen jacket and shivering while every Liverpudlian around me is snug in their showerproof coats and boots.


I've spent countless holidays where I've over-packed or under-packed or packed unnecessary items.  It was so annoying as I usually share a suitcase with Connor and space is a premium.  I first tried this out when we went to Pangkor Laut and it worked so well I repeated it for our UK trip.

Needless to say, I'll be sticking to this formula for all future trips!

My new shoes

These are Jimmy Choo's Loila shoes.  Retail price on the website says 645 euros.  I can't even begin to convert that into ringgit.  All I know is that it must be PLENTY ringgit.  

This one falls into the "Woman, are you mad?" category.  As spoken by my husband when he found out how much they cost.  Because men don't understand women's shoes.  My husband splurged a few thousand ringgit on his 2 pairs of leather shoes from UK but that was 5 years ago and he's going to be wearing them for the next fifteen years without anyone remarking, "Wah... so *last season* hor?" to him.  So he cannot understand why I have to keep buying new ones now and then.

So now what?

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....Nasib ada itu Clarks of UK....

Sandals

Not quite Jimmy Choo's but same idea.  And cost me all of 39.90 pounds in the Clarks sale (Usual price was 89 quid I think) and more importantly, look nothing like Clarks have ever designed.  I happened to pop into the Liverpool One store and there was one pair left.  In my size.  I hemmed and hawed for a while before I left.  I told myself that if the shoes were still there the next day, it was a sign from the Shoe Gods to buy them.

They were.

So I bought them.

Just as Dear Hubby (we'd been shopping separately) walked into the Clarks store to find out what I was doing with the 100 pounds he'd given me for the day.

"AHA!  Just as I suspected! You're buying more SHOES!  I bloody knew it!"

What did he expect?  I was in a shoe store.

I love you too, husband.

Hello from Liverpool!

Here we are on our annual balik kampung trip to my in-laws.  Our summer holidays.

Of course we had to choose to come back to the UK during the wettest summer ever.  The skies outside are grey, there's water everywhere and people are walking around wearing Ugg boots and jackets.   There is a fine misty rain outside since erm... last week?

We were last here in winter 2011 and boy, this looks exactly like winter still!

At least we were smart enough to book a 10 day break in the Algarve, Portugal.  My sister-in-law has a holiday apartment there and we hurriedly escaped there for some sun and fun.  That's smart, isn't it.  We live all year round  in the tropical sunshine, fly 13++ hours here... and then run to sit on another plane for 2+ hours to go sit in the... sunshine.

But KL doesn't have cute Portuguese guys, beautiful beaches, a cool sea breeze that tempers the sunshine... and fresh cherries!  Ooh la la!  I ate so many of them!  The cherries I mean... not the Portuguese guys... *sigh*  Don't get married before you go to Portugal, that's all I can say.

We spent a day at Slide n Splash, Lagoa.  Entrance was 22 euros each (got a discount) and kids were free.  We arrived at 11am and didn't leave till 4pm.  It was SO great.  Connor had a great time in the kids' play area and even went down with Daddy on the big slide.   It was worth every euro we paid when we saw what fun our son had.  The only downside was he spent the next 2 days crying about going back to the "special swimming pool".

Today we boarded the plane to fly back to the rain and mist that is Liverpool.  We're going to be here for a little while longer before going back to KL.  We've found out about another "special swimming pool" here so we'll be visiting that soon, I guess.

Hope everyone back home in KL is having fun too.  I am starting to dream of nasi lemak, dim sum and nasi briyani every night so I can't wait to get home soon!

Dreams of a European vacation

We are headed back to the UK in June for our annual holiday.   This time, Dear Hubby suggested we take a few days out to visit a European city.  I thought it was a splendid idea!  Rome, Paris, Milan?  No offense but it’s definitely a lot more glamorous than erm… Aberdeen…..

I thought I’d look up sites, there's one called Zicasso that does tours in Europe so that I can see what I can expect.   I also had to factor in that we would have a little boy with us and anywhere we picked would have to be kid-friendly.  

The last time we were in Europe was when we visited my sister-in-law in Portugal.  Connor was only 20 months old then.  My clever sister-in-law managed to find a car seat and stroller from the nearby charity shop so we flew over from UK with just our luggage.   We had a wonderful time just lazing around, going to the beach everyday and eating a big carton of cherries we’d bought for only 2 euros.  After we left, my sister-in-law sold the stroller and car seat back to the charity shop!  Hehe.

Reading the reviews of the trips people had taken made me faint with longing for a trip.  Check out the reviews from this France travel agent! It made me REALLY want to go on a luxury tour too.  But alas! – reality bites.  We thought it might be too much to ask our son to put up with visits to ancient ruins, museums and antiques shops. 

So instead of looking at trips to Milan etc, I am now looking at the Thomas Day Out event at Brechin Railway Station, Scotland.  Boy.  The sacrifices I make for you, my son. 

Connor says: Penis

Our flights to UK last month included a stopover in Dubai.  So while we were there, I grabbed the chance to go to the toilet and took Connor with me.

The toilet was crowded but everyone patiently waited their turn.  When it was my turn, Connor obediently followed me into the cubicle and immediately pointed to the loo. "Mummy, it's a toilet!  Don't touch the toilet, it's dirty!"  "Yes, that's right Connor... don't you go touching the toilet.  Now can you stand here and wait for Mummy to pee-pee?"

He stood quietly in a corner while I did my stuff.   When I was done and was standing up pulling on my jeans, my son pointed and said in his loud toddler voice, "That's Mummy's penis!"

Why thank you, my son.  Now everyone in this crowded loo thinks your Mummy's a tranny.

With great dignity (as much as I could muster with my jeans half-up in a small loo) and great restraint, I said equally loudly in the hopes that all could hear me,  "No, Connor.  Mummy doesn't have a penis.  Only you and Daddy have penises.  Now come on, let's go look for Daddy okay?"

I walked out of the cubicle, head held high but inwardly I was convinced everyone else was staring at my crotch area trying to see if I really had a bulge there.  We washed our hands and then I *ran* out of the loo.

Note to self:  Must teach Connor new word - "vagina".

Back in KL again

Arrived home at midnight and finally went to bed at 2am.  My Connor is still fast asleep in bed.  I'm hoping he'll recover quickly from jet lag this time, it usually takes him a week to re-adjust.

I'd been enjoying the cool winter conditions in the UK in December and after waking up this morning feeling overheated,  I've decided I prefer winter.

Back to unpacking.  Will post more later.

My Christmas diet plan

I knew I had to lose the excess weight I'd been carrying ever since we got back from our UK holidays in June.  Especially so since we're headed back to the UK and:
1.  I need to fit into my layered winter gear and STILL fit into the doorway
2.  I need to make room for all the Christmas goodies that I will surely stuff my gob with when we get to my mother-in-law's kitchen

So I embarked on a desperate diet.

First I tried the Model's Lettuce Diet.  Except that mine was stir-fried with oyster sauce and shallots Chinese-style and served with rice.  Not quite the same as just eating raw lettuce.  After two days of religiously following this with regular glances at Kate Moss' pic to spur me on, I caved in.  Must.... have..... meat..... and..... more... calories...

So I ran out and ate at McDonald's.  "Would you like some fries with that?"  YES PLEASE!  Two days of work gone down the drain.  Sigh.

Never mind.  Try, try again.

I decided then that exercise was more my thing.  So I walked the malls with great vigour for five days in a row.  Had to ditch that plan as well when Dear Hubby demanded an explanation for all the strange things popping up in the credit card statement.  "Oh er... that one from Zara, that one from Isetan... this one leh from MNG.... eheheh...."  So much for the exercise route.

However I have managed to lose 5lbs of my target 6lbs.  Dear Hubby snorted.  "It can't be weight loss, it must just be water retention that was all the excess weight!"

Jealous izzit?

Just a leeeeetle bit more to go and I'm all set for Christmas eating!

Hurray! Christmas in UK!

I'd been asking and asking to spend Christmas in UK with my in-laws ever since Connor was born and we're finally doing it this year. I come from a Buddhist family so Christmas is pretty much a non-event for us.  So I've always wanted our son to spend Christmas with his paternal grandparents.  I think it will make for lovely memories for everyone.

We're headed back in Dec and everyone (except the blissfully ignorant Connor) is very excited about the trip.  The first thing I did when we booked our tickets was to rush out and get him a coat and some fleece clothing.  I didn't want to spend too much on his winter clothing as he'll probably be too big for them the next time we go back so I shopped at FOS in The Curve.  They had a great deal on fleece, Buy One Get TWO Free!  Worked out cheaper than anything I could get in the UK.

Am hoping for LOTS of snow so that my little boy can make a snowman in the back garden and we can have a snowball fight in the driveway.

Soooooo excited, can't wait!

On Crosby Beach, Liverpool

I love this photo.  This was shot while we were on holiday in the UK this year in June 2011.  This is what a summer's day on a British beach looks like.  Sigh.

The figures you see standing out there aren't people.  They are the famous sculptures by Anthony Gormley.

Beach was littered with dead jellyfish.  I put my foot down for a size comparison, I'm a UK size 6.  If you step gently on the dead jellyfish, they boing! right back.  How queer.

Our Phuket Holiday, May 2011

Back in May when we honestly thought we would be moving to Aberdeen, we thought we'd enjoy the sun while we still could and booked ourselves a holiday in Phuket. We stayed at Amari Coral Beach Resort, our fave! They're near Patong Beach but tucked away on a hillside a 15min walk away from the madness of Bangla Rd.

WARNING: Got many, many, many peek-chure coming.

This is our block. To the right of the pathway are Thai women offering massages, pedicures and manicures under the palm trees. A pedi cost me only RM20 and it was fantastic enjoying it out in the open with the sound of waves.

The pool where we spent many happy mornings tiring Connor out. This is one of the 2 pools in the whole resort.

We couldn't get the rooms we wanted when we booked and Dear Hubby called up to enquire. Upon learning we were repeat and loyal guests, the hotel immediately upgraded us at no extra charge. This lovely platter was on hand to greet us when we arrived. Dear Malaysian hoteliers, this is how you do customer service. Are we ever going back to Amari? You bet we are.

Connor on the plane. He was SO excited at the airport. When we boarded, he sat in his seat and asked me to belt him up. When that was done, he said in his loud toddler voice, "Ready... 1, 2,3... GO!!!"

EEK! Mummy and Baby almost washed away by the waves.

We bought the dump truck at a local supermarket and Connor spent his morning filling it with sludgy sand, emptying it and then refilling it. Very satisfying.

Us at the pier. I have a pic of me, taken in the same corner of the pier back in 2006 or so. Dear Hubby asked me to pose there again, this time with Connor just for comparison's sake.

View of the pier.

Connor trying out the jet ski.

What's a holiday without chocolate ice-cream?

Taking a walk on the beach at low tide. Connor was fascinated to see the little fishes swimming in the pools of water.

What a great holiday we had.

Holiday in UK: Baa baa black sheep

I was very eager to show Connor all the animals he could see in the UK as they're the ones that keep popping up in his nursery rhymes. However, Connor... being a boy, wasn't much interested in them. "No wheels on these things? Okay... NEXT!"

This was until we saw some black sheep and I pointed them out. "Look Connor! Black sheep!" and I sang "Baa baa black sheep, have you any wool?" Connor's eyes widened and you could see it happening in his little boy brain. "OH! So that's what that song's about!"

He was very interested in the animals after that and singing Old McDonald had a lot more meaning for him as we passed by farms with cows in the fields and yep, he realised that the old guy had a farm and on his farm, he had a cow. Mooooooo......

We stopped somewhere so that he could come down and see a black lamb. When we got closer, I realised the black lamb had a white sheep mummy. How strange, I thought. Can a white sheep mummy have a black lamb? Then I looked at my fair-skinned little boy, cuddled in my brown-coloured arms. Erm... I guess mummies can be a different colour from their babies after all!

We stopped by a farm to say hello to some horses and Mummy got to pet a Shetland pony!!! I was so excited because I've always wanted to pet one. They're so adorable. Said Shetland pony just stood patiently while I danced around in excitement, petting it and singing out, "I've petted a Shetland pony, I've petted a Shetland pony!" The big horses didn't say a word but from the look in their eyes, it was clear they thought I was mad.

It wasn't just farm animals we saw. There were dead jellyfish washed up on Crosby beach and I showed them to Connor. He then attempted to stomp on them (his standard reaction to anything I show him) and only retreated when his shoes got stuck in the jellyfish. Eew. So now we know - Clarks shoes DO get stuck in dead jellyfish.

All in all, a very educational holiday for our little one. I hope he realises how lucky he is. When I was his age, the only place I got to go was Melaka and Singapore.

Holiday Shopping: Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet Shopping Center, UK

I'm married to a Liverpudlian and so we make annual trips back to Liverpool to see the in-laws.

You can imagine how annoyed I was to discover this year that Cheshire Oaks designer shopping outlet existed all along just 20 mins away from where the in-laws live and MY HUSBAND NEVER TOLD ME. The rat. He just wanted to save his bank balance from disappearing into a black hole. I can't believe we've been going to Liverpool since 2006 and he never said anything! Not once! Not even when we visited his aunt who lives a mere 10 min away!

The designer outlet is in Cheshire Oaks, South Wirral. For all you Liverpool FC fans out there, I think it's where the Benitez family live. No, I didn't bump into Rafa when we were shopping. Would have been a bit odd seeing him in the Karen Millen store.

The place is designed with the car park in the middle and the outlets all arranged in a circular fashion around it. There are plenty of food places for you to stop and grab a bite. It is also wheelchair- and stroller-friendly.

So who's there? From Burberry, Armani, Fred Perry, Mulberry, Ralph Lauren... down to Ted Baker, Karen Millen, Gap, French Connection, Oasis, Next... you name it, they're there.

It's not just about fashion, there's also Le Creuset (damn! Wish we had more baggage allowance!), Thornton's chocolates where we bought 1 quid bags of factory reject chocs and they were DELICIOUS, home and decor stores, cards and stationery... the whole lot!

We actually didn't buy much in the end. Mostly because we knew we had limited luggage space so we came mainly to browse. We did get what we came for though - Clarks shoes for Connor, costing about 10 pounds each (approx RM50). They cost twice that in a normal store.

I saw a Burberry trench for a mere RM1,500 but I couldn't justify buying one since we live in KL and not UK. Karen Millen had a lot of lovely clothes at good prices (all in three digit RM compared to RM1,000++ per dress in retail) but not in my size. Ditto with Coast, some lovely dresses going for only 50 quid but in size 18. Ecco had a pair of shoes in my size that I liked so we got that, I love Ecco shoes. There were plenty of shoes in my size in the shoes outlet but alas, I had to pass them up because of space. I'm sure I shall regret not buying those lovely fuchsia heels from Kurt Geiger (45 quid, down from 90 quid).

This is an outlet place so don't expect to find all the latest designs and every size and every colour. It's great for bargain hunting and I thought it was wonderful for the Clarks shoes, we spend a fortune on Connor's shoes as little feet grow quickly. Come early, eat a good breakfast, wear comfy shoes and take your time to browse. Don't expect cheap-cheap unless you're buying from the high street brands. For the designer brands, your wallet will still take a hit but it will be much cheaper if you'd bought the same item at retail price. Don't go with a man unless it's your gay best friend because men are useless at browsing, they just want to go in and buy it and get out. Sigh. Next time I'll get Dear Hubby to drop me off in the morning and get me in the evening.

Boy. I can't wait for our next trip back to Liverpool!

Almost end of week round up

We've been back from Ho Chi Minh city since Sat and I'm still dreaming of the pho. Connor loved pho. We were at this pho shop just a few doors away from our hotel. I ordered pho with the works - soft tendons, tripe, beef brisket, slices of beef. Dear Hubby shuddered with horror and ordered the safe gwailo option which is broken rice with pork chops. At the next table, the same scene was played out - local girl orders pho with the works, gwailo guy sticks with meats that he can identify. Connor ate almost all of my noodles and the beef slices. So Mummy was kinda hungry since she only had a few spoonfuls of noodles left, the tendons and the tripe. It's very hard to eat things like tripe when your husband is staring at you in horror so I passed.

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I'm absolutely convinced I have Vietnamese heritage. There were a lot of people on the streets who looked just like me, more than there are on the streets of KL. (There were also plenty others who looked more Chinese than what we think of as a typical Vietnamese.) At every shop, I was asked politely and shyly, "Ma'am.. are you Vietnamese?"
I said to Dear Hubby that I'll have to learn the Vietnamese for "Sorry I am not Vietnamese." and do the same in Thai for when we go to Phuket. He said, "Why don't you just learn to say 'I am Malaysian' and learn just ONE thing?" I don't understand. It's two different languages innit?

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Vietnamese girls heart Connor.

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I've got the bloody Chanel bag itch again. *sigh* Maybe because my birthday's coming up. The last time I had the itch, it was during Christmas. Funny how my handbags itch normally coincide with gift-giving season.

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Had lunch with F today. She's married to G who is a good friend of Dear Hubby's and works in the same office as him. I took her into a pre-loved designer bag shop and she said to me, "I never knew such places existed in KL!" I said, "Oh there are a few, I know them." She gasped, "No! Really! You *have* to take me to them!"
My apologies upfront to G for introducing his wife to more credit card unfriendly activities but perhaps it's payback time for the Jag he bought. Teehee.

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We may be headed to Jakarta end Sept, tagging along Dear Hubby again for work. I never thought I'd say this but I am delighted to be going back to our adopted city for a visit. I'm sure I'll change my mind once I get stuck in a stupid macet but for now I am hoping the trip is on.

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Hello from Ho Chi Minh City!

What an interesting city this is! We touched down yesterday morning and waited half an hour at the airport for Connor's visa. Just when Mummy couldn't wait any longer and had just announced she was going to the loo, they called our name and we had to go pick up the visa. Had to tahan until we got into hotel room.

HCMC reminds me of Bangkok + Jakarta. But it's not as crowded as both and a lot, lot cleaner than Jakarta. Mummy and Connor have been out walking, popping into shops along the way. I've just bravely ordered a take-away bowl of pho (their most delicious beef noodles) from a roadside shop and will have it for lunch. We ate at shops along the way yesterday and we've not been sick so I figured what the heck. All of my friends who've been here have eaten at the road stalls and not been sick either. Then again, it takes quite a big ugly bacteria to floor a Malaysian tummy.

I'm getting to be quite the expert at crossing Vietnamese streets. As far as I can tell, there is no such thing as right of way. They do obey traffic lights albeit quite reluctantly. I was quite worried at first as I had Connor in his stroller. But after a few roads, I've realised the advice I've gotten off old hands is true - just walk out. As long as they can see you, they'll know how to avoid you.

We went by the Roman Cathedral today and peeked into the Post Office. What glorious architecture the Post Office had! We walked past the Opera House but that was shut so I couldn't go in. We also walked past the old US Embassy but it was also shut. I took pictures of it from the gates. Wish we could have gone in because they had a fighter jet on display in the grounds and Connor would have loved it.

We went to a street night market last night. It's like Walmart but out on the street. You can do your weekend shopping here. There's a meat and fish section, a deli bit, bread, toiletries, nappies, baby formula, clothes, toys, vegetables, fruits - all sold from little stalls packed neatly and tightly from top to bottom with stuff. People just rode up on their bikes, shouted out their orders and the seller would hand it over before the rider zipped off. A ride-thru supermarket! I loved it.

If you want something more upmarket, I passed by plenty of stores with LV, Marc Jacobs, Tod's logos on them. But I didn't fly all the way here just to look at stuff I can get anywhere else in the world. I like the little stores like the one we saw selling old watches and a stuffed (erm, if that's what it was) turtle.

Last night, we ate at a shop called Red Hot Wok. I don't know where it is because we were just wandering along and saw the sign. To reach it, you have to walk down this little alley. We had two dishes. One of them was definitely steamed fish with ginger, soy sauce and spring onions. The other... I'm not very sure because it was Dear Hubby who ordered. The menu was in Vietnamese, Chinese and bad English. He pointed to something and I didn't get to see what it was. He thinks he ordered chicken in black pepper sauce. I think he actually ordered frog in black pepper sauce. Because 1) I never found any chicken bones 2) the meat texture was all wrong 3) the looks on the waitresses' face when he pointed to it.

No taxi driver I've met speaks English but all are very friendly and very good at driving in this haphazard traffic system. Everyone I've met thinks I'm Vietnamese and will prattle happily away to me. Next time I will learn the Vietnamese for "Sorry, I am Malaysian". There are plenty of Malaysians and Singaporeans around though, I can tell from their accents when they speak.

Oh and we went by a shop that was selling beautiful silk dresses. Dear Hubby picked out a few for me to try and so did the seller. After kissing me goodbye, he went off to a meeting. The seller told me with a smile, "He loves you very much. He good man." Yes indeed.

What a lovely time we've had. Eating and shopping - just the way to make my world complete.

Off to Vietnam this week

The Top Monkey family are headed to Vietnam this week. Dear Hubby has meetings to attend and decided that we should all come along.

I've never been there even though I've always wanted to visit the country. The reason is I have always suspected my heritage is part Vietnamese. My ancestors came from Hainan Island, China and if you look at a map, Hainan Island is off the coast of Vietnam. I have often been told I don't look like a typical Chinese. When Dear Hubby showed my picture around the Vietnam office, the general reaction was "Oh your wife looks like Vietnamese!" My family name is not very common among Chinese (it is however a very common surname on Hainan) but I've just discovered that it's the 3rd most common surname in Vietnam and is the name of the emperors of the longest-ruling dynasty in Vietnam.

I am looking forward to the trip... especially since Dear Hubby has been talking about how cheap it is to get tailored clothing there! Friends have all said Vietnamese food is great and I'm always ready to try new foods, hehe.

Can't wait for the holiday, I could do with a break!