Archive for » October, 2008 «

Our Year End Vacation

31 Oct 2008 by

 I thought we won’t be going anywhere this year, but I was wrong. Hubby has finally agreed to go for holidays this year end, but we won’t go for oversea trips. It’s best not spend so much money on vacation this year, unless we have already made a promising return on investment. I guess only the professional Marketing Company can help us out if we want to make money fast enough! LOL!

Initially, SIL invited us to join them to Hong Kong, Macau and ShenZhen for a week, but after hearing so many places in 7 days, both hubby and I chickened out. We know that we will be carrying our kids and pulling the luggage bags from one place to another, and rushing for planes, trains, and boats. So it doesn’t sound like a relaxing vacation for us, even if it’s a free and easy trip.

By yesterday, we have finally come out with our vacation plans. We will go to a resort for a short trip in November, and another short stay at a horse club and resort by year end. As you know, Justin loves horses. Thus, I think both my kids will enjoy the stay at the horse club where they can ride on ponies for so many days!

After that, we will spend a few days in Chiangmai in January to enjoy winter in Thailand. It should be quite cold by then, and my kids have already pick the resort of their choice. I just have to make a reservation soon to make sure that we have a room secured!

Category: Vacation  5 Comments

Back Home Soon

31 Oct 2008 by

 We are going back to Malaysia this weekend, so I might not be posting as much as usual. I don’t think I have any internet connection back home anymore, unless my neighbors are generous with their wireless!

Anyway, I won’t be going out unless hubby is around. My ex-maid no longer takes care of my children so I will have to watch them by myself. Hubby still has to work on his previous biz as there are some debt collection to do. He should have hired some Debt Collection companies to do the job for him, but maybe he prefers to do this on his own. Besides that, I don’t have a car anymore, so it’s going to be very inconvenient for me to go out. I guess I will be spending more time at home, and only go out when hubby is available.

My children are happy to know that they are seeing their grandparents and cousins again. They miss them a lot. Even if they enjoy Bangkok, but they are missing those fun days they had in Penang and Ipoh. So, I will let the grandparents spoil my kids for awhile, and let them have lots of fun playing with their cousins. Hopefully, the cousins are not busy by the next 2 weeks. Is school exam over already? I’m not sure when is the school holiday in Malaysia…

So, see you guys back home.

Category: Ngam ngam cham cham  Comments off

Wordless Wednesday: Karaoke At Home

29 Oct 2008 by

 

Category: Wordless Wednesday  5 Comments

Toy Shopping Again…

28 Oct 2008 by

We bought so many toys this month due to the toy fairs everywhere. Some of them come with discounts, so we didn’t want to miss the bargain.

We went to Siam Paragon for lunch with some friends from Malaysia, and after that, we checked out the toys at Paragon. Isabelle likes doll houses, and she has a few plastic doll houses so far. But the thing is, these plastic doll houses are not durable, one of her doll houses broke after some time, and the furniture is too tiny. She tends to lose a few pieces every now and then. So, it’s time to get her a wooden doll house.


Wooden Doll House by Voila

 

There are a few designs, but we chose the medium sized house first. I actually like the bigger size, but it doesn’t come with furniture. So, we chose this set instead. As for Justin, he got himself another barn yarn. *slap head* I’ve lost count of the number of farm animals he has!

My kids fell asleep on the way back and hubby went to the golf range. I actually thought that I could assemble the house for Isabelle, but then…


Gosh, this is not easy to me!

 

…I waited for hubby instead. LOL! When the kids woke up, they were eager to play with the new toys. However, Isabelle’s doll house was not ready and she had to keep herself busy with the “family” first and Justin helped himself with his wooden barn.


Isabelle said got papa, mama, koh koh and herself. :)

 


My latest farm set by Wonderworld. (I told him not to buy farm set liao…next time choose other types of toys!)

 

When hubby came back from the range, he didn’t even have time to take a shower nor his dinner. The kids already urged him to fix their toys! So, hubby got himself busy fixing up the doll house, and guess what, one of the pieces was wrong! Thus, hubby and I skipped half a day off to Paragon again yesterday to get it exchanged. At the same time, we bought a family MPV and 2 more single beds for the doll house. Isabelle said “mama” and “belle belle” sleep on the bed but “papa” and “koh koh” sleep on the floor because no beds already…You say hubby will buy her extra beds or not? LOL!


The doll house is finally complete, and I realized that the house is too cramp now. We should have bought a bigger house.

 

Last night, we had a pretend play with Isabelle. Hubby and I couldn’t stop laughing at her effort in serving food to the toy family as her tea sets are all too big for them. LOL!

 
Isabelle’s busy with her doll house.

 

 


She said they are having dinner…

 

On the other hand, Justin refused to share his toy farm. He fixed a train with Lego Duplo and pretended that the farm animals were going on a train ride.


Toot toot, all aboard, animals!

 

I guess we won’t be getting anymore toys lately. These toys will keep my kids occupied for awhile.

Category: Fun Time  12 Comments

Credit Card or Cash?

27 Oct 2008 by

 I shop a lot in Bangkok. Firstly, the things are generally cheap, unless you prefer branded stuffs. Secondly, there are sales every now and then and it’s hard to resist the great bargains! However, we usually shop with cash as it’s not convenient to pay for our credit cards, which are issued by the banks back home. I know that we can just do internet transfer, but it is less hassle using cash. Our credit cards are only meant for emergency or expensive purchases.

Nonetheless, we have plans to get new credit cards issued locally when time comes. I will keep an eye on those Credit Card Offers and see which one suits us the best. I think we should at least get a Travel Rewards Credit Card since we fly back to Malaysia frequently, at least for our first year in Bangkok. But even if we don’t fly back often later on, the card can still be used for vacations!

Anyway, I try to use credit cards with the same mentality as paying with cash, instead of purchasing something I can’t afford. Swiping with the plastic cards without worrying about the debts is not something I have in mind. Thus, I’m not sure if I will give my kids Student Credit Cards when they are older, unless they truly understand the value of money.

Category: Money Matters  Comments off

Isabelle: 2 and a half years old

25 Oct 2008 by

I don’t update my kids’ monthly progress after 24 months old, but I feel like writing for Isabelle.

Isabelle at 2 and a half years old

Height: 92cm (about that or more)

Weight: 13kg (very chubby leh?)

We are going through a hard phrase with Isabelle’s tantrum. I think it has lasted about 2 months, and I tell you, it’s very testing and challenging. Her cries can tear off the roof and give you migraine, if you can’t stand her crying and shouting. The worst thing is, she tends to take off her clothes while doing so, and I don’t know why. If we are at home, I will just let her cry if I’m busy and only coax her after that. Sometimes, we don’t know what she wants, even if we have given everything she asks for. But giving in is definitely a short term solution as we don’t want her to use her tantrum as a weapon to get in her own ways.

When she’s in the right mood, she will be our charming little girl. She can undress and dress herself with minimum help, and she likes to take shower on her own. We only allow her to do so in the morning when she’s less sweaty and dirty. She doesn’t cry when we wash her hair anymore and in fact, she loves it. She wants her hair to smell good! Besides that, she can use the toilet by herself, wash her hands with a stool, and she likes eating on her own. She’s very independence, and if we insist on helping her, she will throw a tantrum.

She eats well, but for the past one month, she hates veggies. I’m having a headache feeding greens to her, and so far, she hasn’t rejected broccoli. She will only take the top part though, and left the stem behind. I found that she loves meat and fish lately. I wonder if my veggie cooking is terrible and she won’t take it? :P

For language skill, she speaks some Thai, and English is still the main language. She’s good at singing, and she can remember lots of songs well. Mostly nursery rhymes though, and I think I might want to introduce her to some Chinese oldies. LOL!

She loves dancing and she likes ballet over the influence of Barbie: Swan Lake. She’s definitely too early for the class, and I hope that she won’t have a big tummy by then. LOL!

She likes coloring and drawing. Her pencil skill is quite good for her age, maybe due to Justin’s influence.

She’s not as adventurous as before lately. She will tell us things like “Later I fall down and blood come out, then how?” or “Later I get lost and cannot see papa mama, then how?” Thus, she stops checking things out of curiousity. So maybe I can place a pantry moth trap or a mouse trap in the house now…

Another thing is, she’s very “teh”. Justin likes to disturb her and she will whine and complain all the time. It’s irritating, but hubby said which siblings don’t fight? If yours don’t fight, tell me your parenting secret! Sometimes, it’s annoying when both of them fight like that, but I keep telling myself, if they don’t fight and unusually quiet, they must be ill. :P As long as they are active and healthy, we should keep our cool with our noisy kids and be grateful that we are given the chance to be their parents.

Category: Isabelle's milestone  2 Comments

Chao Phraya Cruise

25 Oct 2008 by

We went to a few places with our friends for the past few days, but I guess you can check out Mummy’s in Vain and Lovely Mummy’s blog for more updates. I think I will only write about the cruise dinner we went together as it’s something I have always wanted to try.

We were trapped in a bad traffic and got lost searching for the pier. Thank god we managed to ask for direction from the local Thai people, but we were led through some back lanes, alleys, and we were so doubtful about the route! It’s something like driving madly (eager to reach the destination in time) in some Jacky Chan’s moving, and almost hit into some pvc fence installation or fruit stalls in his movies. You know what I mean?

Luckily, we managed to arrive at River City in time. We got on board after making the necessary payment, and we were glad that we got a table without any reservation.


Isabelle couldn’t get her eyes off the guitarists.

Over dinner, we broke a plate at the table, but we were not asked to pay for it. :P My kids didn’t eat much though and went for the chips. Oh well, it’s not like we are coming here often. Frankly, the dinner is below expectation for 1700 bahts per adult, but I like the night view on Chao Phraya River. Too bad my camera can’t snap nice photos at night, so it’s such a waste. Hubby said that we shall do this again, but not on expensive cruises.

Here are some photos we took that night…


A family photo is a must!

 


Took some photos with the Monkey King

 


Me and the kids on the deck…

Again, the view is nice. My kids enjoyed it a lot when we were on the upper deck where everyone was asked to keep their heads down when the cruise went beneath the bridges. It’s quite fun. Actually, I’m not tall enough to reach the bottom of the bridge, but I saw some Middle East men lowering their heads and it’s so funny. LOL!

So, if you are wondering if you should try the night cruise and dinner on Chao Phraya River, my verdict is, go  for the night views but not the food. Seeing the Grand Palace at night is breathtaking, so don’t miss it.

Category: Family Moments, Vacation  4 Comments

Friends Went Back Liao…

24 Oct 2008 by

Ok, all my friends have left for the airport just now and since hubby is working today, they will have to take the taxi. Thank god they don’t have those big Rimowa luggage and all 4 luggage bags can fit in the car. I think they will be fine and fly back safely this evening. As for their trip, I’m not sure if they truly enjoyed the past 5 days, but my two lady friends shopped until p*kkai liao. Have to go back liao. LOL!

To me, I think 5 days are too short for Bangkok since it’s free and easy. If you are here on tour, I think you will be able to visit more interesting places. Places like wet market is quite far from the city, so you may need to get up as early as 6am to depart from your hotel. My friends shivered upon hearing 6am. This free and easy trip is more for makan makan and shop till they drop!

As for my kids and Marcus, I don’t think they played a lot with each other. If Zhi Wei and Zhen Nam are here, they will definitely have more fun. Dunno why, my kids like to play with them a lot. Maybe all of them can be “rougher”. :P

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Shoppingkids and Marcus

 

 Oh ya, now they all believe that Bangkok is safe for traveling. LOL! The traffic s*cks, I know, don’t mention it. But still, all the ladies agreed that Bangkok is indeed a shopping heaven. All of us shopped until almost penniless, you know? LOL! However, the Chao Phraya cruise is not worth is because it’s expensive, and the food and dance performance are below expectation. I think I will bring my kids on the local boat rides on Chao Phraya one day, it’s only less than 100 bahts, if I’m not mistaken…*next time la friends…*

So, both Lovely Mummy and Mummy in Vain have came to one conclusion… They will come to Bangkok again! With KIDS!!! But hoh, the men said no kids and no wives better. *Blek*

P/S: More updates coming soon…

Category: Family Moments, Fun Time  Comments off

Dr Seuss’ Books

24 Oct 2008 by

I haven’t bought any books for my kids recently. They haven’t got bored with the latest books we bought a month ago, and sometimes they like to dig out those old books from time to time. For the past few days, we were busy with friends from Malaysia, our reading session only restricted to bedtime. Due to exhaustion, we only allowed them to choose a book each. What a bad parent huh? LOL!

Since our friends have all gone back today, we should get back to our routine soon. I’ve been thinking on introducing them to Dr Seuss’ books. Some time ago, I asked if Justin would like to get this book called The Complete Cat in the Hat by Dr Seuss. He was not interested as the graphic was not to his liking. Maybe he was younger then, so he preferred something more colorful and attractive. Recently, he is more interested in learning words, so maybe he can pick up some reading skill if I get those books by Dr Seuss.

the-complete-cat-in-the-hat-the-cat-in-the-hat-the-cat-in-the-hat-comes-back.jpg

 

English books are more expensive in Bangkok, thus I will get some when we fly back next month. But if you are interested to purchase some Children & Education books online. check out those offers by Borders. You can easily find lots of children books, DVDs and Cd’s here, so just check it out. I found that Bob the Builder Wind-up Power Book is having a 20% discount, so if you don’t want to miss this bargain, hop over the the link provided above.

bob-the-builder-wind-up-power-book-bob-the-builder.jpg

Besides getting back to our routine, I need to clear out the junks in my fridge. Hubby bought lots of junks for my kids and the guests this week, so it’s time to clear them out!

Category: Parenthood  Comments off

Wordless Wednesday: Batman Returns to School

22 Oct 2008 by

Category: Justin, Wordless Wednesday  3 Comments
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