Random pictures

Woh hohhhh! Finally Jonathan is willing to sit on the pram. In fact, he loves it so much! Before turning to 14 month old, he cried whenever we put him there. This was taken on mooncake festival night





Look at them, kept smiling at the sparkle (does it call or spell like this?). We bought the lanterns, they were holding it happily until they see somebody else is playing the sparkles. Father in law happened to have some. So there you go, the pram hold the lanterns in the end.





This is one of the rare pictures. Jonathan normally doesn't smile when facing camera.






That's Alfred. We were in the taxi, on the way to airport terminals to sit sky train and see airplanes.






Here's our tiger. See what I mean? He doesn't smile. Jem took leave that day, brought us to vivocity.







Nathan's 3 year old birthday celebration. Cake ordered from pine garden.
Decor is nice, not for weight conscious ppl, my mom in law doesn't like it, a bit too creamy. Nathan likes it very much.












See nathan's red face? Somebody poured a cup of champagne (the yellow color disposable cup) in front of him. He drank it. We didn't realize till we saw his red face and he started to behave a bit drunk....can't remember how much he drank, but think...maybe half a cup? We had a good laugh that night just watching him.





One of the game. They love it...now is end of September, they didn't play for almost 2-3 months. I kept the wagons coz they always fight to sit on it.






When I want world peace, TURN ON THE TV!






When Jonathan doesn't like the tv channel, this is what he will do.






Another movie night on every Friday. Eating their movie food (junk food) happily.






This is ian's current expression whenever I ask him to face the camera.






Jonathan's 1 year old cake. Also from pine garden, nice right, the Mickey and Donald were bought from junction 8.






Mommy Charlotte! Back from far far away country, Paris! Came to visit us with her lovely boy, inigo!






Inigo and jonathan





Nathan always baobao me like this whenever we take pictures together. I like it.






Where is Jeremy? Ian said "let me think"






It's very hard to take a decent looking family photo...






At the zoo












Ikea. My boys favorite outing place






The happy daddy mommy, happy husband and wife


Scribbled from my iPad

Chocolate Swirl Cake

I baked this today. It's a success. My boys and I like it. No no no it's not marble cake, the swirl is cream cheese. I got this recipe from bakericious blog

It's easy to make and it tastes great. Moist, soft and fluffy. Most food blogger I see normally post different cakes, they seldom post the same cake over and over again, but this is one blog that always post the same recipe, the difference is the cake decor and probably slight variation in portion depending on how much she made. She said because a lot of people love it so she baked that many times. I finally decided to try out. Totally agree and this is a keeper.

I poured some to the loaf pan, the remaining to make cupcakes. Can't take pro pictures like the food bloggers. The cupcakes look ugly but taste nice.

Scribbled from my iPad

Ian's Concert Day

Ian just had his concert day last Sunday. All the practicing has finally paid off, he did well. Because the room is quite small, only jem & I went. Concert is in their music room. Ian is the only boy in the music class, haha









In the concert, there's singing and dancing. Ian always doesn't like to participate, see him covering his ears?! From the beginning of his music lesson till the concert day, Ian always stand aside, not doing anything while the teacher is teaching the dancing steps...(am very sure he won't be a dancer next time).

He played 'hansel and gratel', will try to upload the clip.

Scribbled from my iPad

My boys drawing

Ian and nathan gave me a lot of paintings. Sometimes i'm not sure whether i should keep or throw, because it's really a lot.

But today is a special day. I got my first love letter from ian.
"mommy, i write a L-O-V-E love letter for you."

nathan drew me a porcupine fish (though i cant tell what is it from his drawing), but at least today is different from his usual 'this is cockroach' drawing.

Love my boys.

Sweet moments

Should have jot down all the sweet things my boys had done to me....very often the words they said and the things they did really caught me by surprise.

Ian
Ian: "mommy, I like baking"
Me: "I like too"
Ian: "mommy, your hands got eczema right, when you want to do baking I help you
When you want to cook, I help you
When you want to clean up the house, I help you
When you want to wash the dishes, I help you
I can help you everything
Mommy, I want to tell you something, I love you"
Me: *speechless coz felt very touched*


Nathan
When I lied on the bed due to fever and migraine last month, Nathan who don't normally kiss me came to me....
He kissed me and said I love you. Then he covered me with quilt. Slowly walked away. I was stunned by his love gesture


Scribbled from my iPad

Friends

I'm a ganjiong spider mother. I always worried that my kids get bullied, no friends want to hang out with them, or scared they mix with wrong company. Very often I wonder whether I should intervene or just leave them and see how they manage the situation. I'm still wondering and
.....so far I....intervene....maybe u can tell me how. Maybe this is a small matter to you, silly me, I took it rather seriously.

So here is this situation, my sons like to play at this particular playground after school, I don't really like them playing there because there are these 3-4 girls play there too and each of their grandpa watching them. I always let them play for a while (10-15 mins), then want them to go home. Obviously my boys always feel not enough. It's not that I don't like the playground but because of the girls, most same age as Ian. 2 of them always bring their scooters, so those without scooter will always depend on the mercy of those have. All always fight for the scooters...especially Nathan, always trying to snatch scooter or block whoever that's playing. And me, always trying to stop him from doing it n teach him to ask or wait and it's not just one time, just 5 secs after telling him what to do, he chase n trying to snatch again. Again and again.

As for Ian, he's more willing to wait, but he always get bullied emotionally. There is one, a naysayer...always talk bad things abt my boys even they didn't do or did but that was happened few days ago, but she said as though my boys just did it! Another girl, seem to me like the 大姐 of the group, suka suka want to be your friend you today, then tomorrow suddenly change, "i don't want to be your friend, you are not my friend!!!". The ironic thing is all my 3 boys like her more as compared to other girls, this jon always seek opportunity to hug her. Anywayzzz, couple weeks ago, she suddenly want to be friend with my boys...I thought in my heart, this is it, this girl is going to change her mind and say "you are not my friend" one day. I don't really worry about Nathan, he doesn't really care whether the girls want to be his friend, he's still very thick skin, continue to play. It's Ian, he's one who very bothered by what ppl say abt him and cry.

And bingo, the day came...Ian did nothing wrong but he got 'rejected' by her. Poor ian, came to me crying "mommy, xxx don't want to be my friend....". All I can say at tt moment is, "it's ok, go and play by yourself or look for yyy, she still play with you.".... Apparently, that doesn't work, he's still crying and kept saying it's not ok, and some actually laughing at him. My heart already ache for him and feeling angry the same time....their grandpas just stand there and do nothing. Ian is crying and Nathan kept asking and taking ppl's scooter at the same time....what can I do when the girls kept coming to me complaining about Nathan and I'm trying to comfort ian? I chose to leave. Get the boys to go home. Then ian cried even more, not wanting to leave. So when finally get to boys to leave, the naysayer girl really yaya papaya "want to play scooter? Yehhhhh, he's leaving, he's going home!!! Nehnehnehnehneh" when I see that, I'm already very hot inside". What the heck are the grandpas doing there? And seriously, I don't care whether she's 5 or 6 years old, how can she talk like that?!!!

At this point of time, I'm struggling inside, what's the right way to respond in this kind of situation? What's the Godly way? I'm already blood boiling, then at the same time, keep thinking, they are just 5 years old, why so bothered by a 5-6 year old kid....then another side of me, already formulating ways to 报仇....so that day, in anger I told Ian,

"Ian, xxx is not a friend u should play with, she always change her mind. Today want to be your friend, tomorrow not, don't play with her anymore"
"ian, vvv is very rude to say like that, you don't be like her....so rude! She's very rude, don't be like her!!!" then in my heart, I kept saying she's very rude, very rude....the more I think, the angrier I am...真火滚!

Then, still struggling with my anger, I have to think of ways to teach Ian how to protect himself when this happens again. I said things to make him feel better.....seriously I don't know whether it's right to say that.

"Ian, I understand you're feeling hurt coz xxx don't want to be your friend. I know it's not ok for you, just remember, you have more friends than her, you tell her she is still your friend, she doesn't want to be your friend, so she has 1 friend less....you still treat her as your friend, you have more."

It seems Ian calmed down a bit and agreed with me....

You see, kids generally 不记仇. So my boys still like to play with the girls despite the 'don't want to be yr friend' treatment. Couple days ago, still the same, ian wants to play with her, she doesn't. But before we head to the playground, I have asked Ian what to do if he got the same treatment again. He knew what to do.

Me: "listen Ian, we're going to the playground now, what if xxx still don't want to be your friend."
Ian: "I'll play with other friend."
Me: "but what if this other friend also follow xxx, don't want to be your friend too?
Ian: "I'll play jet fighter by myself" (his imaginary games)
So at least I knew he know what to do and don't feel hurt if it happens again.

Then, after awhile I suddenly hear she said to Ian "I don't want to be your friend, I give you 1 more chance!!!!"
Chance? what chance is she talking about?!!! Ian is not her friend,what chance is she talking about!!!?

Ian walked away and said he has more friends, then playing with another friends. Then the naysayer girl manifested her gifting, add salt add vinegar, make Ian upset by saying he can't play scooter and xxx doesn't want to befriend him. Ian got upset again....he came to me and straightaway I said "go and play other friend, if she doesn't want to be your friend, no big deal!!!" firmly. He walked away and played. And I thought to myself, what have I just said...? I spoke in anger.....with 5 and 6 year old kiddos! Gosh!

So what happened today? The naysayer girl got hand foot mouth disease. And Her grandpa still bring her down to play with us 2 days ago and today!!! She told us she has ulcer but lied that her brother pushed her fall down. Stupid me shouldn't trust her story and should look at her dressing! Why she didn't wear school uniform that day and today??? Simple ulcer don't get many days mc right?! Duhhhhhhhhh! Seriously, her grandpa also keep quiet there and didn't warn us! $&@/#^%*+. *beat chest and pray my boys won't get hfmd.*

That 大姐 girl loudly told everybody "don't play with her, she's got hand foot mouth disease".....and so....this time, the naysayer got isolated. The kids played in other playground today....and you know what, 大姐 very friend friend with my boys today.

Seriously, ppl always said 女人心，海底针
I think 女孩的心也难以抓摸.

Who's next.....my boys again....likely.


Scribbled from my iPad

chap ba lang

it's been an up and down weeks since i recovered from coughing...as usual, there are many things i thought i could update whenever i think it may be good to share at 'that moment'...but when i finally can warm up my bed without having to move too much, i don't feel like doing anything else, but to surf aimlessly...and this time, i must say i'm feeling really tired for the past weeks.

the downs is...
i've been plagued with eczema, the whole legs, the joints of my fingers and now...new area my elbow everyday....unlike last time, when i can still see few days of good skin...now i don't see at all, i itch every day...feel as though the eczema has 'mutated' somehow....leading me to the path of grandma skin...no no no...shouldn't say that, even ah po's skin is smoother than mine...she's....82++?

as for parenting....
i sprained nathan's left hand last week...poor him, every move he made will make him cry in pain...i felt so so pain...and i really thought i pull him rather gently that moment. all i can say now is, ever since then, i'm not so rough towards my boys anymore...lesson learnt. thank God he's completely recovered by next day afternoon.

now is my voice...i don't know about you...there are days, i feel good, suddenly, think life is not that complicated, can always start all over again, start now, don't need to wait till next day, still have time to be a better parent. think positively and think of God, rely on Him, everything else will be alright and on path. jem once commented that my loud voice has become a 'default' tone and can really tell when my boys are imitating me by speaking loudly when they scold their brothers. everyday....1 min ago, i decided to be a gentle mom, try not to raise my voice, then when things happened, i flared up, so naturally... then i felt bad....what? again??? why can't i control my temper? after that, feeling lousy for imparting such values to my kids...took me a while to stand up again and try again the next minute. so much to think as a parent...questions like what do i want to impart to my kids? have i taught them some good things at the end of each day? do i have time talking to them? or when they talk, did i listen?...etc

side track a bit...have other thoughts so better share quickly i changed my mind.

you know, people always said singapore girls are materialistic....then i was thinking, maybe is the place, the more developed a place is, then your thoughts also more complicated....i once proud of where i came from...a simple town called tawau, people always said malaysian girls are simple. i don't know whether it's praising or suaning...simple = stupid, seldom think? anyway, now i look back, and as some of my hometown friends shared about their family recently and what has been happening to my family, my hometown...actually is not that simple after all. affairs, broken marriages, broken families, crimes just as common as other places. you don't have to agree with me, everywhere is the same...simply because we have sins. only Jesus can clean clean clean!!! renew renew renew!!!

i like pachelbel canon in C..i have this piano version and i always add it in all my hps, computers, lappy, there were so many ways of playing out there, i only like this particular version. so for years, i've been dreaming, how nice if i know how to play just that song only. then think...oi? where to find that music sheet? i don't want to buy a whole book of the composer, how to find? where to find? it has never occur to me i can find it from the internet. never know there's free music sheets out there until i found it accidentally from a website, then saw people playing that version from youtube, looking at the notes, i know this is the version i've been looking for. 6 pages!!! i learnt piano before, but that was only basic, didn't even reach grade 1, haha :P. but it's exciting for me. i study and play it whenever i can...for now, it always take at least 5 secs to change from one note to the next, haha!! 6 pages...takes years to learn and i don't know whether my excitement can last that long. see how yeah!

show you the links
Canon in C
 - live -  somebody played, show only the hands, though he made a slight mistake in one part, but wow, he's good!!!
 - synthesia - don't know what's this, but is a good reference on how to play
 - free music sheets

ok bye

Mahjong

This is our future mahjong kaki.

Woke up from nap

This is where they seated when up from nap, glued to the tv, playhouse disney channel.