Go, Liverpool!

A friend of mine is a huge soccer fan of Liverpool.
And I hear that they're playing against Chelsea tonite.
I really don't know much about football but because she's been such a buddy..I'll plug Liverpool here ..

So, go Liverpool, go win it!

Update : Just read that Chelsea made a remarkable win; as the Blues booked their ticket to the Champions League via Frank Lampard; it was a 3-2 win. It'll be an All-English final then!

Up & About in KL

collage of Petaling St.

sunshine & blooms in piccolo mondo

Sunday was Mommy & Daddy only day; and we spent it doing the tourist-y thing. We went to Sg Wang Plaza bright & early and had brunch alfresco in Piccolo Mondo. It was pretty sunny out but it didn’t bother us since we were on tourist mode yesterday. Had a nice slow meal accompanied by a lot of laughing, giggling & sharing and it was therapeutic! After which we walked about the complex and picked up a new Nike air for Niki from the Nike shop (hey, it rhymes!)

Walked into a few lap sap boutiques, which I kind of fancy but am not cut out to wear .. it’s much too hip for me! The colours, the clothes, the patent shoes and of course how can we forget the leggings, everyone in Sg Wang was practically wearing the same thing .. which well dilutes the whole fashion is supposed to be original kinda thing doesn’t it .. but still it would be cute to wear right .. fashion is of course also supposed to be fun .. :-)

Went to Aily, coz well I really wanted to buy a pair to die for stilettos .. alas there weren’t any size 37 .. and ended up buying birkenstock sandals for Niki instead..gotta love 'em coz it's cute & comfy

Got out of Sg Wang about 2ish and headed to Chee Cheong Kai (Petaling St, lar) and did the whole touristy thing again, we of course due to the sweltering heat went for the famous Petaling St “air mata kucing” and it was oh so good! Meandered around somemore for an hour or so, just soaking in the environment, the bustling crowd, the wares that were on sale .. and you gotta really appreciate the whole scene .. of course I’ll be the first to admit that the scene was very much different just a few years ago than today .. and I very much preferred the yesteryears, yes

And there were quite a few DBKL officers around too, guarding or policing against what I really don't know, coz if they are after the "real deal" dvd sellers, then those officers must suffer some vision problem coz whilst I saw at least 5 vendors apparently they didn't see any, what can I say but golly!

I was also hoping to eat a bowl of the famous asam laksa of Petaling St; but according to a vendor there .. they're closed on Sunday ..really sad :-( .. and left soon after buying bak changs for dinner ..hey a girl have gotta eat, ok .. nevermind.. I can always get a bowl of laksa tomorrow ..

Niki's First Sports Day

Niki & her medal

the parents & children event .. got very competitive

from the beginning .. I Have A Dream

Niki chomping on her medal

Saturday was Niki’s school sports day. And I have to say, it was a super hot day but was indeed super fun! We had a wonderful time basking in the sun and cheering the kids on. I realized that most Malaysian parents are pretty shy when it comes to cheering though .. so since we’re not one to stick with the conventional, Vicky & I cheered out lungs out, got some pretty odd looks from other parents; but care we did not.

After a while though, most of the parents warmed up or at least were coaxed into cheering as well, which made the whole event really nice for the kids.

All the children took part, even the youngest who were the pre-nursery kids, there was the run & hoop game (which was Niki’s event) , sack race, numbers puzzle, and lots more. Niki’s green house won in her event & she scored herself a gold medal (we’re so proud *beam*!!)

To top it all off, there was a game for the parents & their kids (and yes, Vicky and Niki won!!). Those who proclaim that winning is not fun is lying through their teeth coz winning is fun :-)

Niki & Co.

Niki & Jaden, holding hands; sweet yo!

My Niki is now 3.5 yo.

She's gotten to be quite a joyful handful, and we're so proud of the fact that she converses really well for someone her age; and my is she a talker!

Here's a collage of photos of her and her gang of cousins, Amama and her Ammu-ka.

Breakfast at Makan2 KK

Today after a whirlwind of work .. I finally, finally got some time in the morning to enjoy a slow breakfast whilst I read today's papers, has been totally out of the world loop since last week so I have no idea whatsoever what's been going on .. seriously!

After I dropped Niki off at school drove around for a bit until I saw Makan-makan .. ok la .. havent tried it so thought to self .. what the heck .. in a trying mood today .. so why not!

Ordered their nasi lemak bungkus with kopi peng .. came back to the office and well let's just say I visited mr johnson suisse three times already today .. and thank God for mr poh chi kit!

It's not the food I guess, it's just my "princess" like tummy .. it's very princess-y nowadays

Anyways like in all other post here's some visual stimulants .. have a great weekend y'all!

A spot of milk with your tea, dear?

As a Malaysian, I do love my teh tarik, mind you I don't really drink it that often but boy, when I do, do I appreciate it's local flavour; made with the super sweet "killer" of all dairy products in more ways than one .. the humble condensed milk; teh tarik is a Malaysian institution aint' it? Anyways I'm running off the plot here..

Today, I had the pleasure of drinking teh tarik the Bri-ish style; and well let me put it this way ..I'm a Malaysian thoroughbred through and through; nuff said!

LRT revisited

It has been yonkers since I last sat in our LRT system.

So I was pretty stoked that I got to ride it to KL yesterday, however the ride was not as comfortable as I last remembered it coz .. I think they (the LRT Management company) forgot to oil the rails since it started running back in '96/'97? It was screeching like a hyenna throughout the ride; and to top off the whole ordeal .. I got motion sickness.. I guess I ain't as young as I thought I was .. coz my feet were killing me by the end of the ride back as well (I was standing of course!) ..

Lesson learnt : being in your twenties as compared to being in your thirties is.. in your twenties nothing hurt, it's like you against the world .. and then now .. where even something as a ride in the train causes every muscle in your body to ache ..

Countdown to the big "33" .. 18 days (aarrgghh!!)

Dr Seuss

I have just discovered that Dr Seuss is excellent.

I didn't know this (I know a lot of you are like going, shock! horror! what?? she doesn't know Dr Seuss??) until we watched Horton Hears a Who last weekend. Niki absolutely adored the toon-movie and even watched it twice. I thought it would be a task sitting through the movie again but surprisingly it was really not; and I even managed to catch a few parts which I missed previously.

I mean when I was a kid I had a staple of Enid Blyton, CS Lewis, EB White, Roald Dahl but for the life of me I've never read Dr Seuss, I'm just wondering how on earth did I missed reading the creations of this great writer.

His imagination and stories .. are nothing short of amazing ..so beautifully written, sensitive and wonderfully rhymed (that's my favourite aspect!). I can't even imagine how he comes up with these treasures..I love rhymes .. especially the ecclectic ones that only Dr Seuss knows how ..

And so my next project is to get a Dr Seuss book perhaps The Cat In The Hat (why not from the very beginning, eh?) and read it together with Niki. Better still watch Horton or go to the Seussville website and you'll get what I mean! And remember ..

"A person's a person, no matter how small!" .. Horton

Disney On Ice Photos

Here it is, the long awaited photos & videos from Disney On Ice.

I have to apologise for the poor quality .. :) it was really dark!

Le Sport Day

Niki's school will be having her Sports Day end of April.
Yay, my first ... (ahem!!) Niki's first Sports Day, oh yay!
Not so sure what's she participating in, but I think it includes some running coz' she was practicing at home and also taking something .. errrr .. not sure what it is, and passing it to her mate?? Dunno, will have to wait for the real day to actually see I guess..

And the kids are putting on a show too .. they're singing "I Have A Dream" which I will download and play it for Niki too .. so that she can practice :)

To those who's unfamiliar here's the video la ..

Update : I have downloaded the song and well as other Westlife songs (eerrr .. I'm quite a fan of boybands you see..) and the lyrics of I Have A Dream too, aye your typical M'sian kiasu parent in the making I reckon! .. Now I'm listening to Flying Without Wings .. actually most of Westlife's songs are pretty good eh.. very inspiring la .. :)

There's no business like the kid business!

Exerpt from The Telegraph UK

IQ test aimed at six-month-old babies

By Nicole Martin

Competitive parents who cannot help boasting about their child's intelligence have a new tool at their disposal: an IQ test for babies as young as six months.

The 10-question quiz, devised by a child psychologist, promises to tell parents whether their baby is an average or advanced developer.

Questions are based on reactions to circumstances such as being fed, dropping a teddy bear, enjoying nursery rhymes and playing with toy telephones.

They range from how babies perform a pat-a-cake and a goodbye wave to how they react to "This little piggy" and to their name being called.

Fisher-Price, which commissioned the test, said the questionnaire was drawn up in response to research indicating that parents wanted a guide to their child's intellectual development.

While 90 per cent of parents said they knew when the physical milestones, such as crawling and walking, should be reached, few knew when the intellectual developmental milestones, such as recognising and naming shapes and colours, should start.

Dr Dorothy Einon, a lecturer in psychology at University College London and author of child development books, devised the test for children aged between six months and a year. She said that parents were becoming more concerned about their children's education. "Most parents want to know how best to stimulate their children," she said. "These days it is more important to do well at school.

"Success in life may not require a first-class honours but it requires more education than it did in the past. Not all children develop at the same rate. Children who are late crawling and walking may have rather low scores but catch up fast once they start to move about. It is certainly true that practice makes perfect, so the more interaction babies have with toys specifically designed for their age, the faster they are likely to learn and develop."

Child psychologists reacted cautiously to the test, saying it was unreliable and could worry parents unnecessarily. Dr Emma Hewson, a clinical child psychologist, described it as "scientifically and ethically questionable".

She said: "Babies develop at different rates which are not necessarily predictive of their later IQ. Until research on the predictive validity of the test has been conducted, it would seem to me to be of limited value.

"More worryingly, it encourages labelling of children as bright or otherwise from a ridiculously young age and could provoke unnecessary anxiety in parents. If parents require reassurance that their child is reaching developmental milestones at the expected time, they should be able to contact their health visitor who has an expertise in this area."

Prof Philip Adey, a cognitive psychologist at King's College London, said: "There is a real danger that parents will panic if their child does not achieve top marks."

And so; in this day and age where kiasu-ism is an unavoidable pitfall of all mommies and daddies out there; just also know this;

Looking ahead

"Wherever you travel on earth, no matter how many borders you cross or cultures you encounter, there is a common source of wonder: children. Children approach all kinds of obstacles and problems with a mind not held back by established thinking, and by doing so they achieve the seemingly impossible. They astound us with the freshness of their fantasy and the originality of their thoughts. With an ease and simplicity that is unparalleled they transcend the borders, walls and barriers that we as adults draw up around us.”

Girls Night-out

Girls remember we were trying to pull together a girls night out? Well I'm setting the plan in motion! Could be this weekend, the next or the next .. the dates will be a unanimous decision, let me know which you prefer? It has to be a two days one night thing, for obvious reasons heeheehee! So how about it .. all aboard?

A colleague of mine, JC recommended this place called The Sanctuary @ Curve

Instruction for the men: stay at home with the kids! muahahahahaha (evil laugh!!)

Itinerary:

Saturday : Check in at the Royale Damansara, free & easy, while checking out the Weekend Market @ The Curve (which is excellent for finding leet treasures and keepsakes that I likey)

At night, we head for the Sanctuary, and drink ourselves silly!

Sunday : Sleep off the hangover, breakfast at the hotel is optional & then check-out and head for lunch at Dome

Here's a write up of Sanctuary that I blatantly stole..Girls let me know your thoughts

The Sanctuary @ The Curve

Is very much like Zouk, its big and spacious and its high ceiling creates even more depth. Seating 380 patrons comfortably and allows a standing room of up to 600 people, it also boasts a state-of-the-art sound and light system argued as the most elaborate on this side of town. (But I hear that the service might get a wee bit crappy if it's overwhelmed by crowds!)

The Sanctuary @ The Curve’ is a ‘complete’ F&B outlet. The Sanctuary serves a wide array of delectable Southeast Asian cuisines (mostly Thai); it also houses 3 distinct bars which serves anything from espresso to 30 variations of uniquely concocted vodka shots and cocktails. Entertainment is also one of its main features where renowned DJ’s both local, regional and international will entertain its patrons after dinner hours (10pm onwards).

Bar Cacoon

Bar Cocoon promises 6 different DJ’s performing music in several different genres weekly. The initial DJ line-ups are Kash, Bernie, Roundhead & Double D (of TraXX FM radio station), DJ K and the resident DJ, TJ. Regional and international DJ’s are also featured regularly at Bar Cocoon.

SutraSutra, the restaurant within The Sanctuary, serves a wide array of Southeast Asian cuisine. The Sanskrit name is chosen for the restaurant because every culture and every language in the entire Asian continent has either been influenced or even dominated by Sanskrit.

Papillon simply means ‘butterfly’ in French. Papillon also serves various types of gourmet espressos with imported beans from Piazza d’Oro.

The Ice BarBeing introduced for the first time in Malaysia with the fitting slogan ‘We bring Russia to you’, drinks are served in an enclosed bar with a room temperature that is maintained at between minus 10 to minus 15 degree Celsius.

Chill out at The Sanctuary, bar & club which is located along The Street of The Curve, Mutiara Damansara.

The Sanctuary - Bar Cacoon, Sutra, Papillon, The Ice Bar.

So buzz me or email me and let me know your opi on this .. ciao!

The Saree Blouse Project

Sometimes, I just don’t have much to say or much going on. I had just had a four course lunch and my brain’s jammed! So instead of anything interesting I’m gonna blog about my first saree blouse that I’m getting it tailored by a shop. Usually I’m lucky to get my MIL design and sew it for me, and it would be beautifully done. Not once but all the time. As many modern gals my age I guess wearing a saree can be a drag partly because you have to drap a 7 foot long material around your body and sit through a full course dinner wearing it, did I mention that your innerwear is so tight that often regurgitate whatever that you eat, so my tip is have something light before donning the saree and eat like a bird once you’re wearing it!

And so three days ago I met up with Sujatha who’s helping me sew my really pretty white saree that Vicky spent a lot of moolah on about a year back, I’m gonna go get it tomorrow and am keeping my fingers crossed that it turns out beautiful, well you guys can help me keep your fingers crossed too!

Up & Around Alor Star

my old school site, is a sad, sad sight to behold

the Telok Wanjah wet market

More of the market, love it because it's so colourful & alive!

the paddy field from the view of my dad's hospital floor, quaintly AS innit.

my fave wanton mee shop in telok wanjah, asam laksa & sweet desserts in wah tua guan (yummy!) & yingyong at sentosa

at leevin land for breakfast, yup I had both the jawa mee & the "char kueh kark" (fried carrot cake) ..couldn't resist & my sis had bkt meesoup

scenes of AS

A trip to AS would never be complete without me getting stares from ppl becos I have a habit of photographing my food before I eat them, or in many cases, after I've had a few spoonfuls before I realized that I have not photographed them, hence sometimes photos of half eaten food, teeheehee!

While heading into Telok Wanjah I passed by the old site of my old school St Nicholas Convent, it's now a Malay kopitiam and the condition of the school is close to being dilapidated..it is indeed heart wrenching to see :-(

My Dad

I just returned from Alor Star, I was there since last Saturday so that I can be with my dad for his surgery. And I'm happy to report that the surgery went well and that my dad was discharged yesterday afternoon the day after his surgery. Right now, we're all praying that the result from the biopsy is clear but before that I would like to thank all of you who had us in your prayers and also for your support through this difficult period. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Friday Afternoon Show

Today we're taking Niki to Disney On Ice, and the girl can't wait to see all her favourite Disney characters come to live .. on ice somemore.. we'd be sure to take loads&loads of photos ;)

Wedding anniversary shoutout

Vicky & his papa & mummy

This shoutout goes to my parents-in-law who'd be celebrating their wedding anniversary this coming Saturday and we kids are planning a mini shindig for them tomorrow in a fine Italian restaurant that comes with a well stocked wine cellar!

latest update: instead of eating out, we're eating in & having a bbq at Siva's place instead Friday night, yeah we're taking the kid friendly route .. moreover Chef Vicky did the marination for the chook and fish (yum!) .. and of course us being certified alkies .. there's free-flow of jd, beer & kahlua (designated drivers may only have one drink! :) For the Kumars it'll be a super busy Friday!

So Happy Anniversary & congrats being happily together for so many, many years, you're our heroes .. to my Papa-in-law and Amma-in-law, have a fun one!

A "Blog" of Influence

From the NST

Study shows why BN lost media war

02 April, 2008

KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional's apathy towards the use of the Internet was a major contributor to its losses in the recent general election, a new study revealed. The study by Zentrum Future Studies Malaysia, conducted from Feb 20 to March 5 and involving 1,500 respondents aged between 21 and 50, showed that the alternative media had a big influence on voters.

Universiti Malaya Media Studies department senior lecturer Dr Abu Hassan Hasbullah said in the recent election, BN lost in the "information war" due to its misjudgment on the importance of the alternative media."Young people are relying more on these new alternative media rather than the conventional ones like newspapers and television," he said at a forum themed "Society and Media in the 2008 Election" yesterday.

In the study, 64.5 per cent of those aged from 21 to 30 years trusted blogs and online media for reliable information compared with 23.1 per cent who relied on the television and only 12.4 per cent on newspapers.Of those between 31 and 40 years, 61.7 per cent believed that the information in the blogs and online media was true while 23.5 trusted the television and 14.8 per cent the newspapers.

But the older generation, those who are from 41 to 50 years old, seemed to trust the traditional media more than the new media."Realising how powerful the new media is, the opposition parties have used the opportunity since 1998 when the Internet started to penetrate the country."In the mid 2000, the opposition had more than 7,500 blogs and websites while the government had only three," said Abu Hassan who is also a researcher for the study.

Newspaper columnist Datuk Johan Jaafar felt there was a need to have a critical thinking to deal with these new modern media."This is a new influence that we need to carefully think of," he said.

Ooo-er, I guess that solidifies it then, the BN administration is indeed a slow witted lot. I feel so comforted that they're the ones running the country..

Hot In & Out

my laksa and cincau

the interior

where we sat

It was 40 degrees out, we were in Klang for an appointment.

It's definately past lunch hour and I'm cranky from the lack of much required lunch carbs.

While driving past Jln Batu Nilam area in Bukit Tinggi (diagonal to the new Aeon Jusco mall) I saw a kopitiam called Pappa Kopitiam, Vicky will agree here that when it comes to food, my eyes and nose are much better compared to a hound's. So there we were at Pappa, hungry, thirsty and I grumpy. I swear the ID of a kopitiam nowadays is no joke, it was beautifully done with dark finishing, lots of dark wood, which obviously reminded me of my own home. Too darn humid for al-fresco so we opted to sit inside right next to the ac.

Yay, there's Asam Laksa in the menu so ordered that with iced cincau (that's a deadly combo, and one that can't go wrong!) & Vicky had the Economy fried mee-hoon. Although the ambience was great my food was kinda not so great. The laksa I had was much too spicy and killed my tongue's senses that I couldn't even taste whatever that I was chowing down. And there's Oz lettuce in it (!!??!!) which is kinda puzzling, what's with the lettuce??!! And it's rm7.80 a pop! Sad to say I was a bit disappointed with the laksa as I expected that more pride be put into its preparation (see their editorial in their website). Well the cincau was a saving grace at least but how hard is making cincau anyways right?

Vicky's meehoon on the other hand was pretty good and was served really hot. Being Malaysian obviously we fancy hot pipping food, or else it's not as good!

Overall it was ok, and I guess alot of it was attributed to the fact that we were starving!

Another point to note, we saw cows grazing under the sweltering sun in the middle of the posh-y Bukit Tinggi neighbourhood, that's something you never see everyday!