Pre-CNY celebrations in Seremban & Singapore

On Saturday 29th January, we locked up our house, and left for Seremban to begin our CNY "pai nin". I went for my facial in the same evening and thank God after 2.5hours, I didn't looked like a bashed up lobster face (a calculated risk I took).

On Sunday 30th January night, we had our little reunion with Popo Gong Gong, Yee Yee, Yee Jiong, cousins Grace and Andrew with a warm, home cooked dinner comprising of Popo's signature Pig Stomach Pork Ribs Soup (pre-requested by Victoria), steamed chinese sausage with arrowheads, steam white promfret with soya sauce, chicken stew with lotus (and a separate version with mussels), tapau-ed salty duck egg fried calamari, yam basket with chicken and stirfry celery-cauliflower-capsicum. Quite a feat as Popo haven't cooked for a long time, and all these done without the help of a maid. I sure miss Popo's cooking!

And to wrap up our sumptuous dinner, Gong Gong opened a bottle of 1998 Verdelet Icewine bought from Canada before Victoria was born but never found its opportunity to be opened.

Our second "lou sang" for this year
Steamed chinese sausage with arrowheads
Steamed white promfret with soya sauce
Salty duck egg fried calamari
Chicken stew with lotus and mussels
Stirfry assorted vege

Look who's the "thorn" among the roses?

Receiving their angpows from Popo Gong Gong

William insisted to comb his signature mohawk hairstyle

Getting a kiss from cousin Grace... so sweet


Monday 31st January

As with previous years, we make our "pilgrimage" down south to the island of Singapore, where we celebrate the Chinese New Year with Tai Po and all the Yee Pors. This year however, though, we travelled down pre-CNY on Monday 31st January, and stayed two nights at the Aloha Loyang bungalows in Changi, and the 3rd night at Holiday Inn Atrium where we also stayed last year.

It rained the whole weekend non stop and the kids' laundry couldn't dry in time. We ironed some to dry it before packing it into our luggage as I had purposely underpacked hoping that we could bring some of the laundry to Singapore.

The rain continued, albeit less heavy but still pouring like a sobbing child. Traffic was good and we stopped at Tuas for a KFC lunch, and pork porridge for the kids.

Taukey sleeping


Checked into Aloha Loyang at 3pm when we arrived Singapore, a little delayed because of the heavy traffic on a working day in the island.

Weather cleared a little, but still no sunshine. However, the kids wasted no time and together with Yeh Yeh and armed with all their water guns and watering cans (yes, you read me right - that's for washing hair) they headed straight to the pool. : )




Tuesday 1st February

Window shopping at the new ION along Orchard Road - I like the variety of shops there from super high end to middle range shops and the quality and variety of food at the Food Opera (food court) is above expectation. Price is also very reasonable.



next... Reunion Dinner & CNY Day One

Looking sexy in NANCESK luxury lingerie...

Last week I tried on a few luxurious, very sexy, beautifully-cut lingerie from NANCESK to review for a friend.

I found myself mesmerized by the fine, high quality satin silk, designed and tailored to perfection. I tried on three of NANCESK collection...

Alluring Red & Black

Demure Satin
Classic Black & White


and guess which was my favourite? *wink*

Check out the other sexy collection from NANCESK and pick something for this coming Valentine's Day (or even to spice up a normal day).

Disclaimer: This is NOT a paid post. Also, this blogger is NOT responsible for consequences AFTER wearing NANCESK lingerie, hehehe.

Vain Little Mr

William has developed a passion to be handsome.

He will wash his hands ten times more frequently only so that he can use his wet hands to pull/wet on his hair, and then tell me, "I want to be handsome". He learnt this from us (I'm guilty) because I do this to him whenever I feel like "dressing him up." Sometimes I get hubs to put some hair gel to spike up his hair into the mohawk hairstyle.

Yes, you guessed it, I'm a fan of David Beckham (because of his looks).

William even helped himself to his jie jie's personal drawer, found her spare hairbrush, despite my reminders NOT to take it and to ask permission first. He'd take the brush with him along a car ride and even...

... holding it to sleep!


Oh William... you're sooooo vain!

Ramblings of a mother... so in love

(Be warned. This is a 2am posting from me. That should tell you something)

I am. I am so in love with my two kids.

Every morning I prepare breakfast for my little girl, tie her hair, pack her water bottle and snack into her school bag, put on her jacket in case cold, give her a hug and walk her to Daddy's car then I wave goodbye to my little princess.

Two years ago she was one head shorter and so much cuter. She's still cute in my eyes, but my my, how she's grown. I love to see her push her trolley bag in her uniform. Never imagined my baby girl like this before.

Sometimes when William wakes early in a grumpy mood, I have to rush upstairs and watch my little girl get into the car from the bedroom window. She reminds me of how time flies.

When the boy wakes, I spend happy breakfast time with William. This is when I eat, and he eats, and we share food together, he insists on double, triple sometimes quadruple cups of organic soya bean drink (his current fav). Then we play his toys, could be his puzzle, or the Toy Story scrabble, a book, a DVD or just being together.

This afternoon Vic and I sneaked into the room to join William for an afternoon snooze. I took this rare opportunity to snuggle up in Vic's IKEA bed but after awhile the little boy woke and saw me with his sister, cried "Mummy I want to sleep with you"... so off I moved up to him leaving Vic. At times like these, honestly, cross my heart I am grateful for her understanding NOT to laugai or put up a fuss but I feel quite guilty.

I pretended to sleep. William fell for it, but he couldn't sleep back and ended up asking to go downstairs to play. Vic wanted to accompany him but I hush her back to sleep. So after a while, William went out by himself, and told his sister, "I go downstairs play. Later I come back up"... how matured.

I took another 30 minutes before going downstairs, where I saw my little boy alone in the livingroom with his sister's Toy Story scrabble toy next to him.

When he saw me, his eyes litted up. His face broke into a smile. My heart is captured by him.

Quickly he told me, "Mummy I wait for you (to) play with me. Play with me Mummy" and he gestured me to the scrabble. I saw he has made two words, one B.u.z.z and another mumbo jumbo tiles, but good try. I asked him if he drank water and some other questions and he answered me so matter of factly I am so impressed.

Then we had tea. I offered William some crackers instead of the cranberry cookies which he asked for. He gladly accepted and asked for second helpings, and helped himself to the third and fourth. In between, I reminded him to drink his water if he wanted more crackers which he not only did, but he went back to the livingroom to carry my heavy water bottle down, placing it next to his on the dining table. Then he announced to me, "Mummy I brought your water down for you to drink"

So sweet. So amazingly sweet. After rejecting my choc moist cake the first time, he helped himself to a piece when he realised no more crackers, only because Mummy said so. As he ate and stuff food into his mouth, I stopped to admire my baby who's not quite a baby anymore.

William asks to sit very near to me during mealtimes. He'd push my chair right next to his and if I dare readjust it, he'd protest. If it's just the three of us, he's always on my right and Victoria on my left. We hold our hands to say grace, sometimes I delegate to Vic who can amaze us with her heart warming "grace" (depends on her mood also) and sometimes William asks to pray (no more for Toy Story, thank God).

Awhile ago I put both my kids to sleep after reading part of Genesis and Little Red Riding Hood. A little tension between the two siblings because one wanted this and another wanted that (usual la), and fatigue kicked in but Mummy gave them a stern word and got things under control... ahem!

I invited Vic, my princess in a solemn daze, from her bed to mine, and William dug his hand, as usual, around my neck to search for a lock of hair to hold. He fell asleep like that. I sang to Vic (hummed, actually... I'm hopeless in lyrics) and she fell asleep too soon. Too soon, I say, because I missed her. I told her that when I invited her to sleep with me. And then I prayed for God to take away her allergies. I'm asking, quite desperately now because I don't want her to feel shortchanged in her childhood, or inferior or lacked of love. But of course, how would anyone understand unless in my shoe?

Her final year in kindy. I keep reminding myself this. Next year I have to adjust myself to not having William with me in the mornings, and Victoria goes to afternoon school.


If I have another 6 months left to live, I'd bring them to their favourite playground and kidzone everyday.

I'd make their favourite ABC and animal pasta for them until they get jelak and let them eat oranges, grapes and cookies as they like.

I'd buy my Vic anything she wants, because money is of no value anymore, from more stickers to more water bottles to more sport shoes and hair clips!

I'd let them mess up the house and not clean up, bring them swimming till their hearts' content and pay a hundred and one train rides for them.

I'd snacked with the kids in front of the telly the whole day, or just fly them to cold countries as they please only to feed the ducks.

If I should pass on tomorrow, I will continue to be their guardian angel, watching still over them and nudging them into the right path.

But what the heck am I rambling on? It's 2am and time to sleep. Or have I already put you to sleep???

Cookies NOT for sale

With all the hype over the coming CNY festival, cookies and fried arrowheads and lotus and what nots that out on sale, promo and personal friends baking, hubs thought we should join in the "fun." Well, I think so.

When I got the msg from hubs that tomorrow morning (Thaipusam) we will be baking if we have no other plans, I was scratching my head, "Where on earth am I going to find and buy all the ingredients in such short notice? Moreover, I'm not so keen to visit Giant again after going there recently."

Then I remembered Bake With Yen in the next neighborhood. Oh ya, this place I pass by everyday but never popped in before.

And where am I gonna get recipes? Then I remembered a recipe book given by Elaine, a very talented mother who bakes very well, whose lovely daughter Amber has also some food allergies. Thanks Elaine!

So I dug out the recipe book and together with Vic, we chose (I chose, actually. She was going for the colorful, challenging ones) the cranberry almond cookie and since we were baking, why note bake a cake as well? So I picked the cranberry walnut cake.

My Little Helper and I strolled into BWY, and discovered a baker's heaven. Wow! So many different varieties, from cake decorations, to candles, to different flour (some I never heard off), to condiments, to baking equipments and cupcakes, etc and there was a beehive of people - mostly women, everyone looked like a pro there, except for silly me holding a recipe book, looking blur trying to find ingredients and dragging a little girl with me. There were men there as well, but I guess they are sent there by the mrs.

Thaipusam 20th January 2011

So this morning, we all baked. The two junior bakers, mummy and daddy. Last night before I closed my eyes, I suddenly remembered I didn't have a weighing scale, but thank God for an aunt who stayed nearby who lent hers to me this morning.

Vic was initially upset, I guessed because she didn't get to be fully involved and had to share the responsibilities with William who was equally excited. But after some pap talk, she was ok. Guess we just had to separate their jobs.

Here are the results. Cookies turned out well, although rather big but taste good. Cake is very dry, maybe mixed it too long but someone please enlighten me.

Look at his "forced" smile... dunno where he learn this from.

The little bakers
The cookies piled up for cooling down.
Eh, why got earthquake on the cake?
After cooled down, I packed them into cookie containers. Only that, these are neither bought nor for sale (amateur still...)

A side note: I think I almost got conned

The other day I was at Pantai Hospital to buy more LactoGG probiotic for Victoria and although I was quite sure I had enough cash to pay for the supplements, I queued up at the ATM machine to withdraw more money, just to be safe.

I was third in queue. In front of me, was a Malay woman, and in front of her - the first in queue was a chinese woman with a bandana wrapped on her head. She looked like a leukemia patient, pardon me for my quick judgement.

After the chinese woman finished with her turn, she stepped aside, but very near, uncomfortably too near to the ATM machine, seemingly busy with putting paper slips and rearranging her wallet, all these while the Malay woman did her transaction oblivious to the chinese woman beside her.

At this juncture I noticed also that the Chinese woman was holding brand new notes, and my immediate thoughts was "Wow! This machine is giving out new notes in conjunction with CNY. Maybe I should withdraw more (since I'm a sucker for new notes)"

As I was eyeing the Chinese woman, I told myself that if she still stood there when it's my turn, I will tell her to move away. Better be rude and safe then polite and sorry, right?

When the Malay woman left, I walked to towards the ATM machine, at that point the Chinese woman ask me if I could help her transfer RM250 to a 3rd party account, and she will pay me back in cash. Without looking at her, I quickly brushed her off and mumbled, "No, I don't want" (kinda kick myself for saying that. Who would be saying, "No I don't want to help?" I should have said "No thank you") Just as I guessed, the woman still stood there, and I had to gesture her to move away.

On hindsight, this machine was no cash-deposit machine. If she meant she will pay me back, that means I would have to transfer cash, MY cash to another account, or maybe get jampi-ed for answering her, or looking in her eyes, or touching her money. What about her new notes? Maybe they were not real, because they were really really new and shiny. Even looking at it made me tempted to withdraw more, haha!

But oh well, the silly paranoia in me helped. Just a word of caution out there to everyone, especially during this festive season.

Money money money

Last year I mentioned to Victoria that I would like to start giving her pocket money this year because she turns 6 this year, and when she goes to Primary School next year, I would like her to know how to use money wisely. Maybe too far fetch an idea but it's somewhere to start with.

Piggy Bank

Coincidently or not, after I planted the idea in her head, she said she wants to have her own wallet to keep her money, and Daddy also opened a CIMB Junior account for the two kids, getting each of them a complimentary Toys Story "piggy" bank.

For many times Vic has asked us to buy her things, from simple drinking water in bottles to pretty stickers to bigger toys and stationaries. Sometimes, we oblige her, but most other times we tell her no, let's not waste money.

First wallet

So last December as we were shopping for some Christmas presents in Toys R Us, she saw a Strawberry Shortcake wallet which she liked. Cost only RM14.90 and I had a RM10 TRS voucher with me, but she kinda demanded for the wallet from Daddy instead of asking nicely. Because of that, she got a negative answer, and unhappy with that, she walked over to me asking for the same and hoping for a different answer. This is one trick she uses sometimes and both Hubs and I are quite familiar with that.


Long story cut short, Daddy gave her a talk about her rude behavior and after an apology, and hopefully a lesson learnt, she got her Strawberry Shortcake wallet. Victoria's first wallet! Complete with a slinky buckle to lock on to her jeans! My my, this girl was elated and so proud of her wallet.

But don't get me wrong... she's not INTO Strawberry Shortcake. She doesn't even watch the show, and I've no idea what this strawberry girl is about. Vic just likes it probably because it's girly (read, pink) and her friends has it.

Pocket money

Sometime soon, I will start giving her her first pocket money, starting small with a ringgit each week. (Sorry lar, mummy got no income, so have to start small)

For her new piggy bank and wallet, she's already got contributions from Yeh Yeh and some coins she picked up around the house. I once asked her to buck up her courage to ask the waiter for the bill, which she refused because of shyness. When I offered to pay her RM1 for that, she did it. :)

Yesterday she was playing and sucking on a toy pacifier. How shame shame, but hilarious! When I took down the camera to snap a picture of her, naturally she took the pacifier out and ran away. So I quickly used my trick, and offered her 50cents and Mama added RM1 for a nice picture shot. Victoria quickly obliged! See, how money can get her to do things???


And don't you forget to pay her, because she remembers! She still doesn't know how much RM1 can buy, and have offered to pay for our meals one time. I must remind myself to give her a notebook to keep tab of her little savings, especially with CNY just around the corner!