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!

Makan-makan

peace y'all

K3K interior

the kuih lapis

the yummy tempura mushrooms

Today's Sunday.

Nothing to do day.

Which is the one day I look forward to every week.

Went to Kapar to browse at something.

It was nearly 11.40am, we were hungry.

Went to Carrefour Kapar hunting for food.

And guess what, found a most delightful kopitiam called K2K (I think!) coz we were so hungry that all 3 of us walked into the same restaurant without even conferring.

The menu of course has has the usual staple of kopitiam-ish food but with something extra, there's even tempura styled oyster mushrooms which we ordered.

Our waitress served us nyonya kuih upon seating us, Vicky & I were asking for ufo (angkoo) but it's finished for the day. So we contented ourselves with onde2 and kuih lapis. Niki loved the kuih lapis and didn't leave us any at all! Which is really something, since she's not much of an eater unlike her parents.

So peeps I highly recommend this place should you find yourselves in Kapar's Carrefour. The ambience was quite nice, there's a connected al fresco dining area as well with bamboo trees surrounding it and it was pretty airy. And they provide wi-fi, so that's a thumbs up in my books, but the nicest touch was when our waiter said "enjoy your meal" which is pretty unheard of in other kopitiams or for the matter Malaysian casual dining types of restaurants.

Ok gonna go back home a have a dvd marathon. Vicky got himself some X-games, and one particular one about beach volleybal c/w girls in skimpy bikinis, baywatch style running, well you get the picture ;-)

My girl & I

Peace ;-)

Today Niki hung out with her Mommy.

So it's Mommy & Daughter Day.

we started our day early, with breakfast at home.

Then we took our time to get ready before heading out the door.

Since my daughter is a shopaholic much like me..I of course took her to the mall.

We went to the Bukit Tinggi Aeon Mall, which is my current fave coz everything is under one roof, seriously.

We had lunch at KFC coz Niki wanted "chicken", so we had chicken. I'm not such a big fan of KFC coz well maybe there can actually be a case of too much chicken, like mine. I'm so fed up with chook!! But since Niki wanted, I relented la .. see, I'm such a good momma :-)

She coerced me into buying her a Little House dress which she tried on & refused to take off much to the amusement of the shop assistant. Wanna see it, well look above. It is cute la .. a bit larger than her frame but, she'll grow into it. Went to this other shop called SRS, which carried lots of Ralph Laurent & GAP Kids. I didn't get any of the branded stuffs but instead got her 3 tops for RM20 which is quite a steal innit.

After a spot of tea we decided to go to work, and so here we are in the office working, and Niki is doing her homework. Yeah, nowadays even 3.5yo has homework ;-)

Niki <3 Puzzles

"first you start at the corners"

"then you slowly work into the centre"

" before you know it..ta da!"

Niki loves her puzzles.

And is especially partial to the ones with Barbie on it.

Here's the Little Ms doing her puzzles after I changed her into her pjs just now.

Ta Da!

Just because

the sambuca is one mean liquer!

...we're an old married couple, that doesn't mean we don't know how to ..

1) enjoy ourselves

2) go pubbing

3) bop our heads to the latest hits

4) go out without our 3.5yo

5) have some "adult" fun ;-)

6) enjoy getting sparkly keychains from perfect strangers

We decided to leave the kid with her favourite aunty Ammu last evening and went out

It was fun, spontaneous and totally on the fly

We had so much fun that we felt guilty

But it was very much needed

I had a shot called Sambuca, it was some sort of liquer, the bartender prepared it and signed off with 2 drops of tabasco in it .. it smelt like star anise, tasted sweet, but didn't actually go down well once i downed it, that's a first and a last ..

Xtra info about the Sambuca : It is an Italian liqueur flavored with green anise, star anise and elder. Romana Sambuca is similar in flavor to anisette, Like absinthe, pastis, ouzo and other anise-flavored spirits, it turns milky white when water or ice is added to it. (The cloudy appearance is the result of all those essential oils emulsifying) .. But we had it neat .. and after about 20 mins it was like "ka-pow" ..thank God I didn't pass out or it would have been pretty embarassing, eh.

I'll stick to my fave combo of jd with coke or ribena, yes peeps i drink my jd with ribena .. you oughta give it a try .. best i prepare it though .. coz it's a yummy one!

Who Here Like Juanes

Don't you just love the guy?
Trivia : La Camisa Negra was a soundtrack in Bordertown & Juanes appeared as himself in the movie.

Music Video:

LA CAMISA NEGRA (by Juanes)

Music Video Code provided by VideoCodeZone.Com

Better "Too" Late Than Never

Have you guys read the Star today, anyways it's ironic since I wrote about it just in yesterday's post. It seems the PM is trying to make amends by issuing statements that has been long a-coming .. a wee bit too late is what I think and I think I echo a lot of other people out there who are just normal M'sian citizens. What I know is more dramas will definitely unfold in our political arena.

The State of Things

I haven't been reading the news for quite sometime now, coz well, since March 8th things around the political arena seems to be getting a bit too woo-wee for my taste. If this persists, I & the other 30 million that makes up Malaysia might actually compare our political arena to that of a schoolyard squabble. All the hoolabaloo with the MB appointments in Perlis, Perak and now Trengganu has actually excalated to the realm of ridiculousness innit. And to add more drama there's women trouble as well in the PTB with our Rafidah "Booted Out Of Cabinet" Aziz taking arms with the ousted Shahrizat and ganging up against Azalina and Azalina & her supporters throwing equal hissy fits back at them.

And what's up with the PM & the rulers anyhow? It seems all the rage now for Sultans to question the PM's appointment of MBs, I don't know I'm beginning to think that the Sultans are sending a not so cryptic message out to the PM. Well, I'm just saying .. can't blame me can you for all that's been happening.

So now due to the sheer ridiculousness of the state of things in our country right now, I'd rather be left alone reading stuffs in hollywoodrag, gosh, can anyone blame me?

Aye caramba .. it's El Cactus

the food!!!

The El Cactus



The Cactus Kid

This is a food post coz it's really near lunch and I'm really hungry despite last night's dinner, whereby Vicky whipped up his famous Penne Carbonara with Pork and Mushrooms. I was full beyond belief, but that's last night and today is today.

Last weekend we went to our home away from home, and wanted to go eat at Jom Makan again (for their delicious seafood & grilled cockles) but the weather was wet and Vicky thought perhaps we can try something different.

Discovered this gem of a restaurant nestled in a bungalow called El Cactus, well as the name suggests it's mexican food la. Great since I was in a mood for beef nachos actually! Good grief, the food was good, and cooked by the owner herself, for starters we ordered the prerequisite beef nachos and I was feeling up for some NZ mussels so ordered that too. Mind you there's only the 3 of us, and y'know Niki isn't exactly the makan-ing type. For our main course we ordered pan grilled salmon in butter sauce and I had the leg of lamb, totally delicious.

And they were serving apple crumble for dessert which I tried to have but couldn't coz well the main course portion was just too huge, and my stomach doesn't expand as well as it did anymore.

For a place full of chinese seafood taichow types and malay tomyam types, this is a welcomed change really..excellent ambience, great service and above all great food!

So, so sedap, well why not you just drool at the photos then, teeheehee, I'm gonna go have my lunch now!

Dancing Queen

Niki shaking her little tush, need I say more.
It's cute and it's entertaining, to me that's one of the the fun parts about having kids, you get a free source of live entertainment 24-7.





And here's another entertaining bit, I only got the last part, "and the peas went pop!"

Seriously..

Alor Star part 2

As you know I went home to AS to visit my parents; and came home with a horrid flu&fever!

This trip was pretty short as I had a lot of things to get done in a limited period of time.

And I flew and it was the first time I used the new Sultan Abdul Halim Airport.
What I saw there was .. the airport is right next to a paddy field, quaint innit.

At a bible study cell group.
What I learnt was ..the world was indeed small .. I met an old classmate's (Joycelyn's) grand aunt Grace who is holidaying in AS while looking for some of her long lost siblings. She was adopted as a child and now lives in the US with her family. So she's Joycelyn's dad's aunty, and Joycelyn was my high school classmate. How's that for a small world!

Known fact: I am still afraid to fly, the landing in AS was terrible, no thanks to the pilot!
It went like bump, bumpity bump, a long inertia pull; which I had to use both my hands to balance out, before coming to a halting stop, the runway was pretty long *thank God*
On the other hand the flight back to KL was smooth sailing all the way! Love the smooth landing! Kudos to Capt Alwyn!

The new MB's residence is huge plus it has a new conference building, which is a rather huge waste of good space! .. and if it's not too much to add .. good tax payer's money

The new AS GH, the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital is really not bad .. and is again located right next to a spralling paddy field .. seriously! And when you sleep, I was testing out my dad's bed when he first checked in, and you can really hear the wind howling during the day. I wonder how it was at night?

And one last bit; I ate all my meals in AS this time in the hospital's cafetaria .. seriously..
but again to be fair, the food there was pretty good with loads of variety, so ain't all bad!

Ok back to work before the bossman gets me!

Home is where the Heart is..

Ok first up my dad's surgery date has been postponed till next month, due to unforseen circumstances, however do keep us in your prayers till then..

I went back to AS last Saturday, and just got back this morning.

When I was there I realized that home is where my heart is and I told Vicky that, my heart was here with him and part of it was missing my little momo.

Dear Diary..

There are a few things in my life which I've always considered an achievement irregardless of the ups and downs, starting this blog is one of them. I've never been much of a diary person, I like many others in my generation received the pre-requisite pink diary that comes with a small lock many, many years ago, but whatever became of it I really don't know. If Niki ever finds it, it should be in a mint condition since it has not been used albeit it may be a bit more yellow than pink now. Who would have thought that I would start keeping a diary in my thirties, and I'm pretty proud of the fact that I write in quite regularly. So my blog also acts as my emotional dumpsite where I pour my feelings, my highs and lows, those moments that make me laugh, cry or laugh until I cry .. is now immortalized in the form of this blog.

And so even if I may not be the most eloquent writer, I know that the words that I pour in here comes from the core of my being, it's honest and open, and it's me. And whatever thoughts or feelings that I have will always be here for Niki & Vicky -- two of the most important people in my life whom I love to bits, though sometimes someone needs more regular reminders.

Niki & Bobo

Here's our Niki with her new best furry friend
Bobo who's originally from Zoo Negara.
Welcome to the family Bobo!

Intelligentible

If that is even a word.

I'm pretty bad with vocab and sometimes make up my own and spout it with so much confidence that I make people believe that's there's actually such a word ..

See..how far great confidence can carry you .. so be CONFIDENT! I tell you!!

Today is the second day Niki took off from school coz she's feeling under the weather .. I think she got zoo-a-nitis, our good doctor said that Niki would be fine in a day or two, and not to worry.

This morning when she woke up she was in better spirits & was talking a lot more than yesterday .. while she was on the potty .. Niki grilled me this morning about school and I told her that not to worry coz I have informed her principal that she would be away from school for a few days until she got better. And I assured her though she's not present Teacher Alice or Teacher Anne would continue to teach her other friends ... kids think of the darnest things don't they ?..

My three+ yo is in Nursery now and boy oh boy I'm pretty proud coz she really enjoys school and to top it off she really loves learning .. I guess those genetic imprints comes from her daddy (thank God!) .. as much as she has learnt from school, I've learnt from her as well .. and she sometimes shocks me with the extent of her vocabulary & understanding (*beams*) .. when I woke her yesterday morning to take her temperature, I told her I'm gonna take her to the doctor's of which she replied that she only wants to go to the clinic and not to the hospital and vehemently told me that she does not intend to stay the night at the hospital .. I was taken aback by the admission.

And she memorizes really well too .. and sometimes her brains work like a photocopier which is pretty awesome to me! Coz I tried remembering how I was as a kid .. and I know for sure that my mental aptitude & understanding is no where near this capacity ..!!

In short, Niki is doing really, really well in school and we're so very proud of her.

And here's a funny joke along the same subject that I wanted to share with you.

(taken from Karen Cheng's blog .. I really liked it coz it's really funny!)

The Father of My Children Joke

A man was in the supermarket when he saw an attractive woman waving him over and smiling. He walked over, unsure of who she was.
“I’m sorry”, he said, “but I don’t think I recognise you”.
“I think you’re the father of one of my children”, the woman said, smiling.
The man’s heart nearly stopped as he though back to the one time he had been unfaithful - his buck’s night. “Are you the stripper?” he asked, astonished. “Are you the one who rubbed whipped cream all over me on the pool table while you slapped my butt with a with a wet celery?”
Wide-eyed and shocked the woman replies, “No, I’m your son’s math teacher.”

Hehehehehe .. funny eh.. ;-)

The National Zoo

the kids .. "who wants to be a superhero pose .. lots of ultraman wanna-be's man!"

on the darwin route .. orang utans and us!

the bull, the crocs and the giraffes .. and yeah us cramming their space!

us and the kids .. niki and our god-daughter darsha .. and the grandparents & aunty barbara

at the multi animal show .. and yeah "splash"

juxaposition of slow mo versus speed

at 9.45am here's us at the entrance and the gift shop and that ladies & gentlemen is Niki's new furry bff .. the monkey that goes by the moniker Bobo

the map, the koi & the kumars

chumbawamba .. the chimps, the rhino, the deers and the roos

Many, many years ago I visited our National Zoo, and the experience short of a better word was not exactly a pleasant one to remember..and so you can again imagine my apprehension on having another visit last Sunday..but still for the sake of my three year old I gritted my teeth and went along with the plans. The whole fam was there, so yes there was pandemonium. Imagine eight kids age ranging from 11 to 2, I believe the animals were pretty frightened as well.

Niki went but we took her stroller sand boy were we glad we did! Little Miss Anti-Sunshine was like .. " oh mommy it's so hot! I don't wanna walk in the sun .. have you gotten my cream (sunblock) on already".. but she did enjoy looking at the animals and yup we pretty much enjoyed the gift shop there as well ..

We managed to pick up a cute furry monkey for Niki, one she has now named Bobo and a colourful fan .. daddy got a black suede cowboy looking hat .. mommy got herself a Coke at 10 in the morning and gulped it down in 2 minutes flat ..

We went for the multi animal show at 11am .. it was not as entertaining as the one we caught in A'Famosa though but the kids had fun .. and I mistook a 120kg seal from the Netherlands for a bird ??!!??.. yup I was never good with all things under the animal category ..

But all in all it was pretty much fun and the picnic lunch we tucked in .. was just so, so good .. must be all the walking we did .. coz we never realized the water would taste so fulfilling, there's a picnic spot that the zoo had constructed and it was complete with picnic tables and benches and there was a lot of space in between for the kids to run around in without being out of sight, a huge rubbish bin and even the lavatory nearby.. so it was all good .. The last time I was there I had lunch in KFC which has now been abandoned .. and it's such a waste too coz the view from the old restaurant is beautiful, overlooking the lake with lush greeneries surrounding the place

Vicky, Niki and I left slightly early coz we were all pretty much zoo-ed out since we arrived there earlier than the rest of the fam, we reached at about 9.30am as agreed .. (tut! tut! the rest of them were late coz the tv stations were making announcements of the election through the night!) .. but yet we were early .. much the surprise of well .. everyone we guess ..

What I learnt apart from the sights of the many animal behinds that my eyes feasted on was ..never knock new experiences or experiences revisited until you've tried it .. keep an open mind and one might surprise one self .. however with the zoo thing my advice is keep an open mind but if possible a closed nose .. coz the zoo smelt really funky, real natural if you get the drift .. phew wee!

And to all the visual people who reads this post .. here's tons and tons of photos of animals to go with this post of mine!

..ps.. I wore my hollister tee that says "what tan lines?" & my navy blue gekko flipflops .. and got lots of tan lines from 4 hours under the sun ..

Fathers & Daughters

My dad is going for quite a major surgery soon, and I'm really worried.

Whilst I was growing he was one of those stoic dads, who show a really tough exterior, and being a teacher doesn't help the situation much either. And simply because everyone that is human comes with their own flaws, I shall not dwell in them but as far as my dad is concerned he is very much human. Somehow when we were growing up it's like we never knew him as anything other than a father, he showed us only one dimension of him as that person -- it's rather like a designation, and we didn't really get to know him as anything other than what he has shown us.

But as age catches up and with every increase in digit, he grew to be gentler & mellower. The joy in his eyes whenever he plays with my Niki, and how he lights up whenever she calls him grandpa. Yes, even the most toughest of parents can't defend themselves against the charm of a 3 year old :-) Now I see him as more than just a father to me & my sister, I see him as a husband to my mother, a grandfather to Niki, as a father in law to Vicky, someone who is not indestructible, someone who can feel happiness and joy and yes, pain. I see him as a person..

And even when he tells me not to worry, I can hear the worry in his voice, and I can't help but be worried eventhough I keep telling him to think positive and be optimistic in his state of mind which will be much help when he goes for his surgery. I know.

Too many daughters regret not having gotten to know their father very well, I don't want to be one of them. All I can is I'm really trying my darnest, it's difficult sometimes.. it just is...

Right now I just need to understand the reality of what is happening, to be understood mostly but I know that I need to face this obstacle in life, and I have to be strong for my father. Right now, he is counting on us his family to be his pillar of strength. And yes, your prayers will help.

Icy

A mocha ice blended from Coffee Bean

at 13 degrees is YUMMY