Kids Say The Darndest Things

Pointing at the toilet bowl, Kiki asked: "Mama, is this vitamin C?"

-_-""""

My urine & vit C are both yellow -_-"""

(she followed me to the loo just this once ok!)

Kids Say The Darndest Things

This shall be the "Kids Say The Darndest Things" column on what I come across.

My cousin's 7-year-old daughter; Chrystel, asked her mom why all old aunties have Green eyebrows.

CNY 2012

Sorry for the lack of update. I am very busy!
This is the "cheong sum" my aunt made for Kiki.
She's a good seamstress!
Plus, she made a pouch to go along (!)
Not bad for a first timer. (she said it was her first attempt making cheong sum)

初老症状:- signs of initial aging

初老症状:- signs of initial aging:-

常回想往事；兴奋谈往日之乐。love talking about good-old-days

少年时服装以流行到回两次！youth fashion rehashed twice

少年流行歌曲重唱为爵士音乐。your contemporary songs are now sung jazz-styled

忘了自己几岁。forgot how old you are

听到旁人呼叫 ”阿姨“ 却不知原来她正叫着你！hears someone calling out "Aunty" and didn't know she was addressing you (!!!)

these are my signs of aging.

Snippets of Life

Kiki wants to do painting, despite us spending 20 minutes playing with the jigsaw puzzle. I was trying to buy my way out.

Me: "it's late, why don't we paint tomorrow, tomorrow I'll paint with you okay?"

Kiki: "No........., I wanna paint!"

Me: "I didn't sleep well last night, I need to go to bed now you know."

Kiki: "No........., paint Pororo" (cartoon)

Me: "Okay, I'll prepare for you, you paint by yourself ok? You can play by yourself okay?"

Kiki: "But I miss you ley!"

Me - stunned. Stunned again. :" what did you say?"

Kiki: "But I miss you LEY!" (by now she had tears in her eyes and her nose was turning rosy)

Me - walked over and have her a big hug. Forget about her using "ley",

forget about me being sleepy, she won. How does she ever know to express that? Does she even know what "miss" is or how it feels to miss someone? Hum.........?

CNY 2012

A Jazz player entertaining us.

with an accompanying singer.
Jin came back for the Lunar New Year celebrations and managed to squeeze in a morning for us.
Now with two kids, I would really prefer to meet up at home as we need toys to keep the children entertained. I appreciate my home.

迎新春，过新年。

(reunion dinner at home)

(reunion lunch at the office)

You know, come to think of it, this is my 7th new year with my Parent company. It is scary to see how time flies. Seven years in a blink of an eye. I still have some of the clothings I wore that seven years ago, I still use them! And I still remember where I'd bought those clothes, the memory is so vivid it feels like last month. However, I don't quite recall the other years in between, year 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. That only goes to show that my mind retains the most impressionable of events or experiences. The rest may be faded memory. I try to be more mindful of everything, good thing I have kept a blog to lock my memories. Anyway, my sis' newly met boyfriend came over for dinner yesterday. Can you imagine I made three pots of soup base from pork ribs, scallops and prawns since morning. That was to make up for the loss of culinary skills for everything else. Because everything else was just pre-cooked, processed stuff for the steam boat. Only fresh items were fish, prawn, and veggies. Nevertheless, it was a reunion dinner and everyone was understanding. Francis, on a first impression seemed a little small built. His size is almost like Bren's so they're considered small built. But well, that's not too much of a concern as long as he's healthy. He has a nice sense of humour, we laughed quite a bit. He's same age as me but I feel older, he looks darn young for his age. His dress sense is ha ha, a tad bengish. Well, I need to get to know him more before I can comment further but overall, he feels fine. Could be more than fine. At least he showed up. So anyway, I hope to see more of him and get to know him more. Because I love my sister and would want to continue sharing our lives together so, it is important to me that she marries someone whom will facilitate us being together rather than someone whom might put distance between us. I've always maintained that marriage should give you more freedom than prior to marriage. Marriage should empower you to do the things you didn't do before. Anyway, this is just my own notion about marriage. So anyway, this new year we'll see a new face - Francis. And I'm eagerly looking forward to all the house visitings and goodies, and card playing, and jokes, and kids. And towing Rachael and Colin along will be so fun, everyone's asking for them.

What's wrong with Parallel Universes

When I saw this quote, I was puzzled. What's wrong with parallel universes?
It is precisely not to have regrets that I have parallel universes.
I make whatever good or bad decisions at any point in time, it may just the best-opt decision and may not be a good decision but it's a decision nevertheless. I try to make decisions I will not regret and also try not to regret any decision but if it is a tough one to make, some of the time I have to put the other option(s) in another place and just wish them well. I have to move on in this universe I live in but I can always wish the alternate choice well at perhaps another universe it belonged. Without parallel universes, how then can I deal with losses? Lost friendships, lost loved, lost opportunities? I do not day dream about those other universes, I only have them so that I can have closures, because I have to live as me in the now, I put whatever could-have-beens into a nice, pleasant place.

Sunday Mornings

Due to CNY nearing, the class is 3/4 its regular size.
She learns the word- "Tou" (Head) and the teacher guided them to make a mask.

Lancelot has a new cloak

Because the car has 5 more years to go and we've invested a huge sum of money to renew its COE, we've decided to have the car done well for its final 5 years. We treasure our old car.

Diamonds are a girl's best friend

Wow! (Not real!) It's a key chain that a manufacturer gave for Christmas.


Chendol reminds me of my dad as we used to share one rather often when I was young.

I'm Back!

The first thing I did was to have our pantry's coffee and waffle biscuits.
Just look at the pile of paperwork. This is just one out of three.
After a four month hiatus, it took me 30 seconds to recognize my office. It felt so foreign.
But well, after coffee it was okay.

Clothes Making

My aunt came over to take measurements so that she could make an oriental dress for Kiki. She has leftover cloth from a cheongsum she made for my cousin and said not to waste the leftover.

Sunday Mornings

Sunday mornings will never be the same again.... we now send Kiki to her Mandarin class at 930 in the morning. That means she has to wake up at 830 to bathe, drink milk, and snack if she can.
While waiting for Kiki, we will have our breakfast. You wouldn't imagine the number of people who are up and running at 9 in the morning on a Sunday. I used to think they are crazy. I mean, I would have slept in if I'm free.

It's the Lunar New Year!

It's time for sending CNY cards again!

Returning to work

Six years ago I started work on 9th January. Six years on I am returning to work on the same date after 4 months break. It has been four months of good rest, excitements of being a mother again. Life is good. Even though it was tough, it was nevertheless good. Of course the marked events are the birth of Colin and also having to care for my father-in-law which was the most trying. Upon doctor's advise, we've checked him back into hospital for further observation because he was dizzy all the time. You know, he was a British soldier and was in the frontline defending our country at crossfires during WWII. That is also why I had tried my best to care for him when he was under my roof even though there were two occasions I had lost my cool but I let it go because he is not himself already. The courage and honour he deserves is under rated. So anyway, at the same time I know that the joyous time I could have with Colin is somewhat marred a little. Because there is just that amount of hours and energy in a day. However, I still am not so worn that I didn't enjoy motherhood, in fact I do enjoy it very much. Colin is such a sweetie, he chuckles and smiles readily. Rachael is ever so sweet, she tells me she loves me and shows me the hand sign. Brendan grew closer in a way he probably felt that I could open my arms to his family. My wish for my sis to fall in love again has somewhat developed. I feel much ..... I don't know, calmer as I age? I sure hope so. So, thanks for being part of my life, you know, writing my feelings and to chronicle my life is therapeutic. It's like using Dumbledore's pensive. So anyway, I am just grateful the good Lord let us have Colin and I've promised to continue to be a good person. I said this during the emergency while giving birth- "I may not be perfect but I am not a bad person. I promise to do good and continue to be the best that I can be. Please let me have this baby." And so a miracle took place. I didn't tell you that Colin's middle name is "King" because I was afraid I couldn't explain why. But I guess now I can tell you it's King because Christ/Life/Buddha intervened and gave me a chance. So yes, I am humbled beyond words. Let the year begin and I'll show you how.

A "generous" Kiki

When her Yiyi wanted to buy her the letter "R", she said "C" for Didi Colin, one for Mama and one for Maricar. She thinks that everything is magically being paid for.

On a seperate occasion, she rattled on to choose one for herself, one for her Yiyi, one for me and one for Ah Mah. She specifies who gets what colour, mine was none other than my favourite colour.

Colin (Baby)

Only the Papa is confident using the cloth sling and he kept insisting we use it.
We've tried but it just felt dangerously clumsy, so I've asked the Papa to quit forcing it on us. He can be irritatingly insistent and annoying.

Showing off to me that using the sling is as easy as A,B,C.

(P.S: Jan- yes, this is the sling you bought.)

Kiki's Work

She took a snapshot of the father who was lying down watching yet another replay on "Tron"

Eating Out

Bren's Breakfast - Malay Mee Rubus.

My Lunch- A very oily bowl of Laksa..... all the fats! Gosh.

Colin (Baby)

Colin (Baby)

Maricar is back! Looks like we made it.

Shopping

Almost all green. Summer time.

Colin (Baby)

We went back to the shop to shave Colin's hair because he was shedding hair and it became patchy. Now I've realised why it is easier to just do it from the beginning.
Nevertheless, he looks darn cute.

My Gym

She looks out for our lift. Telling me this is not our lift.



Found our lift.