Birthdays & Christmas

December is next week already! I need to really plan my family's expenditure because this is usually the month where we tend to have lots of events, activities and planned vacay. Today I was out with my two boys to hunt for several things that we planned to bring home and on our way we had to stop at Mayfair 64 to settle some things. While Hobbit and I were busy talking to people, little Hobb was pesting for us to go home. So we stopped by MK for lunch and went to Lotus to buy some more groceries all to be stuffed into our luggage when we go home in December. Then I thought of all my friends who will be celebrating their birthdays in December, including Hobbit. I could easily get gifts for the girls but Hobbit? He's always the hardest and don't ask me why. Last year I got him an electric shaver and I think this year I might as well just go with my last year's gift and gift him a shaving stand! Hah! Moola, please rain down on me!

Word

Bought A Counterfeit Dress

Have you ever bought something from the internet and expected to get exactly what you see on the picture shown online? I did and many a times I expected the things I ordered or bought online would appear to be the exact color, design, shape, pattern of what I saw on the online picture. Yet, there were times when this was not the case. Once I ordered a Zara branded floral dress online and before the dress reached me, I could hardly wait and kept imagining myself in the floral dress that I knew would be exactly like what I eyed for. Then the day the dress came, I thought I would try it on immediately upon arriving home. Long story kept short, I was shocked to find that the floral patterns and the design didn't seem to be as what I saw in the picture. It was totally a different dress although colors were quite the same. I totally felt cheated and knew that it was an imitation of a Zara branded dress and not something that is sold in the store. I wished they had a Money Back Guarantee because I would really like to shove the dress back right into the box and ship it back to them! So take extra caution in buying whatever that is online because counterfeit stuff are lurking all around the net nowadays!

Thank God It's Friday. Honestly!

I've been looking forward for weekend to come and it's finally here. Gonna shed my teaching cap and wear my beautiful mama crown! :)

Christmas Ornaments on Elf On The Shelf

Christmas is soon approaching and little Hobb has already unboxed his super mini Christmas tree! I was at home when he took the Christmas tree out with his nanny. I let the two of them do the decorations while I was into something. By the time little Hobb told me that they were done, I was in shocked to see that the Christmas tree was only partially decorated. After a full day of sitting on the display table, I thought the mini Christmas tree has to be redecorated and that was what I did the whole evening after coming home from school. Of late, I really enjoy looking at Christmas ornaments for elf on the shelf! 

Hunting for a Bride's tanktop

Remember I blogged about magnetic bracelet in the previous post? Right after buying a magnetic bracelet, I went to look and I found a tank top for a bride. My cousin is getting married next month. Since her dress is lacy, she wanted to look for a tank top that would fit the top half of her dress so I am so glad I found the right one for her. Otherwise I would have to walk for another hour without finding anything in my shopping list. What I noticed in this solo shopping trip is that I no longer have the energy to walk non-stop. I actually had to make two stopovers just to catch up with my breath! :)

Buying Magnetic Bracelets

Two Sundays ago I was given a task to shop for magnetic bracelets. Since it was my first time of buying authentic magnetic bracelet, I was queasy to what I have signed up for. Having no idea of how to choose the right bracelet for my cousin sister, I decided to get opinions from all the seller I went to. Long story short, I got a good deal for one silver magnetic bracelet which also gave a 2 year warranty just in case something happens to it. I really had no idea that even magnetic bracelet has warranty cards. After the whole shopping experience, I can say I quite understand now that choosing a bracelet is not an easy task. You actually need to do some comparison and check for authenticity before buying. 

Leadership is...

I love this quote about leadership. 

“The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.” – Jim Rohn

The Word "Export"

I think I am very much influenced by my little boy. He loves watching heavy machinery at work and I can't help but to also tap into his interest. He knows all the technical names there is to a machinery that he knows well. We were at a B-Quick service center last Monday to service our break lights and he was roaming around looking at cars being serviced. He must have overheard conversation from people around talking about car export because when he came back to me, he was asking me to export cars without knowing what 'export' meant. At this age, he doesn't just assume what a foreign word means but he knows how to properly ask for the meaning as well. My boy never fails to amuse me and his papa! :)

Reading Pointers for Toddlers & Preschoolers

So far, we have been doing home schooling schedule for little Hobb. One of his subject is reading. Here are several pointers I used to check on whether little Hobb is on the right track and I just want to put these pointers here for future reference! :)

source: https://www.earlymoments.com/Promoting-Literacy-and-a-Love-of-Reading/Why-Reading-to-Children-is-Important/

1. A stronger relationship with you. As your child grows older, he’ll be on the move—playing, running, and constantly exploring his environment. Snuggling up with a book lets the two of you slow down and recaptures that sweet, cuddly time you enjoyed when he was a baby. Instead of being seen as a chore or a task, reading will become a nurturing activity that will bring the two of you closer together.


2. Academic excellence. One of the primary benefits of reading to toddlers and preschoolers is a higher aptitude for learning in general. Numerous studies have shown that students who are exposed to reading before preschool are more likely to do well in all facets of formal education. After all, if a student struggles to put together words and sentences, how can he be expected to grasp the math, science, and social concepts he’ll be presented with when he begins elementary school?


3. Basic speech skills. Throughout toddlerhood and preschool, your child is learning critical language and enunciation skills. By listening to you read One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, your child is reinforcing the basic sounds that form language. “Pretend reading”—when a toddler pages through a book with squeals and jabbers of delight—is a very important pre-literacy activity. As a preschooler, your child will likely begin sounding out words on his own.


4. The basics of how to read a book. Children aren’t born with an innate knowledge that text is read from left to right, or that the words on a page are separate from the images. Essential pre-reading skills like these are among the major benefits of early reading.


5. Better communication skills. When you spend time reading to toddlers, they’ll be much more likely to express themselves and relate to others in a healthy way. By witnessing the interactions between the characters in the books you read, as well as the contact with you during story time, your child is gaining valuable communication skills.


6. Mastery of language. Early reading for toddlers has been linked to a better grasp of the fundamentals of language as they approach school age.


7. More logical thinking skills. Another illustration of the importance of reading to children is their ability to grasp abstract concepts, apply logic in various scenarios, recognize cause and effect, and utilize good judgment. As your toddler or preschooler begins to relate the scenarios in books to what’s happening in his own world, he’ll become more excited about the stories you share.


8. Acclamation to new experiences. As your child approaches a major developmental milestone or a potentially stressful experience, sharing a relevant story is a great way to help ease the transition. For instance, if your little one is nervous about starting preschool, reading a story dealing with this topic shows her that her anxiety is normal.


9. Enhanced concentration and discipline. Toddlers may initially squirm and become distracted during story time, but eventually they’ll learn to stay put for the duration of the book. Along with reading comprehension comes a stronger self-discipline, longer attention span, and better memory retention, all of which will serve your child well when she enters school.


10. The knowledge that reading is fun! Early reading for toddlers helps them view books as an indulgence, not a chore. Kids who are exposed to reading are much more likely to choose books over video games, television, and other forms of entertainment as they grow older.

Refrigerator Broke Down

Our refrigerator broke down totally. So yesterday my maid helped to transport the content that were kept in my fridge all the way down to the big refrigerator available in our apartment. Lucky us for having such a nice landlord.

After calling my maid this afternoon, she said the handyman had our refrigerator checked and concluded that it was the compressor that causes it to stop freezing. Anyway, I remembered we have used it for more than 5 years now and with our never ending stuff in and out of the fridge, I don't blame it breaking down just to get our attention that it's tired.

So now, we are torn in between buying a new one or just fix the present one and use it to its full capacity. However, we've also been thinking of getting another refrigerator to store all of little Hobb's food. Apart from that, we are also thinking of a great mixer lift. Lets see what happens then.

Mom's 1st Birthday

The Nanny aka Maid Ended the Lock

A short whine before I do my school work that is piling on my desk--

My maid of almost 2 years has decided to be thoughtful and neat. Therefore, without asking Hobbit and I, she dutifully work the scissors on my little Hobb's baby hair lock that we have been saving ever since he was born.

My plan was to cut little Hobb's lock when he reaches schooling age so that I could save that lock in his memory book and who knows give it to him when he graduates from high school or when he gets married someday. Yet, somebody, who has no blood relation or whatsoever with little Hobb has decided to waste all my dreams of keeping and saving that hair to an end. Thanks for the help but no thank you!

And how did I find out? I was drying little Hobb's hair and I was frantically looking for the locks thinking that the hair wasn't combed and they must be hiding somewhere. Then I started to panic and was frantically brushing little Hobb's hair with my fingers. None! Everything behind his neck was of the same size! Arrrrrgggggggggghhhhh!! That's when my maid proudly confessed that she had trimmed them several days ago! As soon as I heard what she did, I thought I could cry right in front of her like a baby (I seriously was felt like crying out loud)! Then I started to ask her why and how and why and why again, to which she nonchalantly said "Oh, I thought you didn't like it messy!" and walked out. What?? Who did she think she is? Without any permission from the parents and now showing no remorse at all and just walk away as if we would get over it and move on with what she did?? Ugh!!

Anyway, I lacked sleep the whole day and therefore this post. I know you can sense anger and sadness in every corner but whatever it is, I couldn't possibly get that lock of hair back. Right now, I need to clear my head and browse some beautiful stuff in burlap-tablecloth.com . Maybe God will instill in me on what and how I should handle this to the next step. *pening*

Bob the Train Shape Song

This song is stuck in my head the whole day because of Little Hobb!

Preschool Session for 2014-2015

The preschool session is running till this Friday and there's no way I could do work around the house. I was planning to sort out all my junks and sell them online and giveaway stuff that are still usable to others but it seems to be impossible because I am spending my time in school until almost 5pm everyday! Ah-huh!! We have two days of holidays next week do we? I guess I will steal one of those days to do my sorting-out then. From this website, the table linens seemed to be calling for my credit card. Till now, I have not found any that suits my dining table at home. Still hunting! So, till then!

Ultimate Hair

I was and am still contemplating whether I should chop off my long bob and back to the shorter bob or the have the pixie look again. Looking at pictures of ladies with short hairs, I can't help but envy! Yet, thinking that I won't be able to put them up or tie them together hurts.

What some of my friends and Hobbit did was to suggest me to try on several wigs and see how I feel about them. So I went to this website for a wig. After browsing, I found several that I really like (minus the blonde, please)! Here are my choices...

Maya wig from Ultimate Looks

Tasha wig from Ultimate Looks

Annette wig from Ultimate Looks

So these are my preferences. What do you think?? Should I go for short, or just leave my hair as it is right now??

Kids Tuxedo

The mission for the weekend shopping is to hunt for kids tuxedos.

My brother is getting married this coming December, so little Hobb has been busy practicing his walk down the isle. At first, I warned my brother and his future wife that little Hobb might not do a very good job due to his playful nature. However, I think I changed my mind about my boy because Hobbit and I has discovered that he was actually capable.

It all happened on a boring night and we were all lazing around in the living room. All of a sudden, Hobbit had the idea to let little Hobb try out his Bible boy walk. So he gave him a book and taught him how to hold it, then Hobbit hummed the music. He was so good at following instructions for first timers that we clapped so hard when he reached the 'pastor,' which was me! So we recorded the whole replay and sent it to my brother, who was equally impressed! :)

Vintage Table Cloth

Remember the table cloth I accidentally bid? Here it is! It's actually not that bad. It's definitely a keep.

Where Art Thou, Sally?

My family have been looking high and low for Disney's Cars character Sally but we still couldn't find her anywhere in the shops. So I thought of eBay.

Little Hobb needed Sally badly because he reads about them and the only character from his book that is missing is Sally at the moment. Not wanting to disappoint the poor boy, we have been promising him that we would get Sally after his 2nd birthday.

While browsing through eBay on my phone, it was providential that I was brought to a collection of vintage stuff like bone China, vintage floral cloth, etc. So I was browsing Sally and was satisfying my vintage craze! When I called upon my quirky boy to look at what was on the screen (the different designs and coating of Sally), my fingers somehow slipped in between screens that it quickly led me to bid on an austere table cloth which I won't want it for myself. Then I thought, ahh...A few more days left, somebody would always outbid me.

Just two days ago, I received an email from eBay that I won the bid! I have totally forgotten about it and the zymox otic I looked at. Being the responsible person that I am (not all the time), I paid for it with my paypal account. Thank God for paypal but goodbye to 600+ baht!

Back to Sally, I finally got to buy Sally for little Hobb last night. So we the Hobbits are very excited for it to come! Come, Sally, come now!!

Renewed My Driver's License

My driver's license finally expired after 5 years. If you ask me about my driving experience in Thailand, I could count with my fingers of the numbers of time I drove around Bangkok and outskirts. In fact, I hardly drive. Occasionally I would take over my driver's job if I really had to but other than that, I'm always good being the passenger!  

So one Friday morning I took off from work just to be able to get to the Land and Transport department earlier than anybody else. But everybody else was already there by 7am when Hobbit took me to the place. It was getting crowded even before it was open. 

 

By 7:30am, the officers called us in with a bunch of Thai instructions which I barely could comprehend but the word "kap" at the end of every sentence. Like everyone else, I hoarded towards the door and quickly got in the line. I was excited to only have 2 people before me. 

 

My turn came promptly and I showed them my work permit, passport and my expired license. The flamboyant old lady gave me a look and blurted out a bunch of Thai sentences while at the same expected me to understand her instructions and the directions to where she was pointing at. 

I thank God for sagacious mind that I was led by my wild guess to get a piece of form from a desk set next to the entrance door. Then came my perplexity asking myself what in the world was the form all about? Everything was in Thai. So I had to put on my friendly face and asked a lady punk who was standing next to me who was apparently filling in the same form. "Ko thod ka, an ni tum a rai ka?" Then with her 'punk-tonation' she pointed "Name...date...no need.." Okay, so I got the idea. Now off to lining up again.

"Bla...bla...bla...bla...photocopy your passport klap work permit!" Urgh! Now I was shooed off very 'nicely' to photocopy my documents. No one told me this earlier!! I was so close to just abrogate my intention for the day but gut feelings said remember the Nike line "just do it!!" So I got the documents photocopied. 

I was up in the line again. This time she gave me a number (no. 30 yo!! See, what happens when you are impaired in reading, writing and speaking Thai...) and I was asked to go into a door with a purple color sign board. "Pai doo nang...bla bla bla!" 

Then I went into the 'movie room' and signed up. I was the only non-Thai there. All eyes were on me. In their minds I was a farang because of my name but in their eyes I was probably everything else. I didn't care. The air-cond was blasting and I thought I could doze off before the three tests that I wasn't looking forward to do.  The video lasted for 40 minutes and I didn't missed a thing. All the conversations in the video was done in Thai but there's subtitles in English on everything that was said in the video. After that, we were brief by an officer and he returned our documents with our numbers on it. We were asked to wait for our turns to go into the next room. 

So we were all outside waiting and waiting amidst all the 'nicest' odors one could get before we could get into the testing room. While you wait outside, you get to watch how the three 'driving' tests were done. After 30 minutes or so, my batch were all called into the room and we started our 'driving' tests. First, you yell out the colors that were projected on the wall (you can either do it in English or Thai), and then do the parallel parking simulator by pressing down the break when the signal turns red. The third one was to test if you can tell the three traffic colors using your side eyes while focusing straight in front. I did them all with flying colors and in Thai. So proud of myself saying leang, deang, keaw!! Haha! The officer signs off your paper and you could move on to wait for your license outside.

I smiled on the camera and paid 600 baht. Finally, another five years before I come back again. Thank you, Land and Transport Department of Thailand.

Rise and never Fall

I walked to the back of the school to buy 'cacao milk' ice drink and had the chance to chat with the lady for a bit. She was asking for another batch of coins to be delivered but I told her that my coins were running low lately due to us donating to little Hobb's piggy bank. I casually took out 18 baht to pay my drink but she motioned me that it wasn't enough. She said it's 20 baht!! Wow! Have you noticed the latest price 'trend'? Yup, they race to rise!

Now my whole coconut from Lotus supermarket will never be 16 baht like I first came but 29 baht, my favorite chunk of cut salmon will never be 69 baht but 109 baht and when you get lucky, it's still at 89 baht. My organic veggies at Big C will never be 49 baht per air bag but 69 baht and oh, big stuff like gasoline that my car drinks everyday is ever rising, never falling. Now I wonder if my cheap promise rings will rise in price too?

What will it be like 5 years from now?

Where Ice-Cream Comes From

So this is where all that ice-cream came from...

That's chocolate ice-cream for you...But Vanilla ice-cream has to be original...

Now I feel like having one...Vanilla chocolate ice-cream!!

Thanks to the weather! ;)

Let It Go...Let It Go...

I can't seem to erase the song from my 'hard-drive' no matter how hard I try to divert myself to other tunes. Problem is, my students are not over the movie and songs yet and today the Junior Film Show decided to show cast Frozen and it was my first time watching (yup, I'm a cave mama...) but guess what? I totally enjoyed it like the rest of the high schoolers (regardless the number of times they have watched it)! No wonder the song is such a hip!

Today Dollie and I brought Ashton to the film show at school and instead of watching, he ended up eating with auntie Dollie while the rest of us watch the movie, Frozen. While I was carrying him, he was intrigued by the cool MIDI controllers in the sound room and wanted me to take him to play with it. But right before his tantrum was about to start, the song Let It Go was sung by princess Elsa. He immediately sang along with it which amused some people because he also did some silly action to go along with the chorus of the song haha!

Cold Play - Fix You

I like to listen to Cold Play when I am alone be it in the classroom, home or in the restroom.

Eric Benet ReImagining Willie Nelson's "Always On My Mind"

I can never get bored of this song ever since the first time I heard Datuk Paul Tom Imbayan sung it in one occasion I attended with my parents many, many moons ago. I guess I was 7 back then? That's the age when I noticed I love singing! Then I started jotting down lyrics on my Yayasan Sabah notebook and secretly sing like Francesca Peter! I remembered memorizing a patriotic song "Demi Negara" and performing like a 'pro' on my abang Patrick's bed holding a comb! Ahh...Now these memories just keeps flashing in my mind. So here's Eric Benet, my all time favorite singer doing his version! Enjoying an exceptional baritone case :)

Unexpected "Hello!"

I walked into the worship room this morning and all eyes were on me, thank you very much! I then was greeted "Hello" by the principal who just ended his last word to the crowd and lo and behold, after that "hello" was "have a nice day, everyone!"

Great. 

So I was late, again.

You know, I know it is my fault that I am always late in the morning but I wish and I just sometimes wish that people read minds and that they can read what was going on in my head at that moment and that they could stare and me and look at what I just had to go through last night and know...And eventually know...That I didn't have enough sleep last night and that I was trying my best to run with my heels on at 6:40am and be there on time just so I could be greeted a "hello" by the principal.

Truth is, I really do not wish people to have mind-reading abilities. Neither do I wish they know anything about me because I don't want people to pry on my life. It's just that when your mind is disturbed at 6:40am in the morning, you would wish for everything opposite.

Last night Hobbit and I slept at about 1am and woke on and off to a very cranky and moody little Hobb. He had fever on and off since last Saturday evening and it didn't leave his body just yet. We came home from work yesterday evening to find him burning. So we continued to treat him with his natural concoction until his fever went down after he took a shower. Then all of a sudden, his fever shoots up again in the middle of the night! It is so hard to convince him to fuel fluids into his body and he wanted to be carried all the time. Hobbit had to carry him in a sleeping position just so he could catch some sleep in between. Towards dawn, I just didn't know what happened because I was totally exhausted and conked out until I heard whistles from the school's security guards. It meant school time, and I am still tired. 

So why am I starred at and greeted a big fat "hello" again? Is it because I felt like an unfinished wood cutouts?

I guess I just have to shrug all the negative notions and move on with work because oh, someone just asked me a question on whatsapp this morning that goes like " How do you make sure your life is worthwhile everyday? Please share." 

My reply was "Life is worthwhile when I know I have to wake up every morning and raise my child." 

...because I have responsibilities!

 

The Year of The Horsie

I've always loved how the Chinese use their calligraphy brush to paint pictures.  I used to learn how to write with a calligraphy brush when I was in the elementary school many moons ago. Yet, I have forgotten and lost the skills all together.

This is the year of the horse. I don't know much about horses but one thing I know, horses symbolizes power and strength. It is sad to not being able to go home and celebrate with family and friends (it has been years), but I am sure that my Cina friends here will be able to keep our spirit high and celebrate with a toast or two!

Here's to wishing you Happy Chinese New Year, Gong Xi Fa Chai, Hong Pao Wo Mei You!! :)

Can I Do It??

Have you guys stumbled upon giveit100.com ? Today I stumbled upon a lady who recorded how she spent a hundred days working out for self-esteem and health. Guess what, the 100 days goal totally paid off! I am always jealous of people who could concentrate on their goals for as long as a month, half a year, five years...So what I did right after watching motivating videos from givit100, I signed up not knowing what I wanted to learn or work on for 100 days! But I do have several things in mind. Do you think I can take the challenge? Or would I just stop there and sulk for my pathetic self? Lets see! 

Another thing I want to do early this year is to do a 48 hour rapid detox program. I am very interested in cleaning my gut because your immune system depends on how healthy your gut is. So this is one of my goal this year -- to have a healthy gut! Wish me luck for I know I need lots of them to push me lazy bum! :)

New Year 2014

Happy New Year 2014, readers!

Sorry it took me this long to wish you but I really had a great holiday in December and couldn't bring myself back to anything once I realized that reality was about to start all over again! 

2013 has been a good year. Not great but a good one. I've grown a lot, learned so much, failed countless times, smiled at every milestone, shed buckets of tears, love and love again...Yet through it all, I survived. How? Ask God because I know, I wouldn't have made it without Him!

Yes, I've stopped writing resolutions but in 2014, I would like to accomplish several things which has something to do with self, family and career. Aside from that, I need a big wake up call on faith. I hate slacking from this very important department because hey, salvation is free so why not live accordingly? I used to pray for others a lot, but of late, it's all about me, me and me. How selfish??! Well, I didn't forget about others but you know, I don't intercede for others as much as what I am suppose to. My little golden blue notebook would be very busy this year! 

What are your hope and dreams in 2014? Whatever it is, I wish you well and God's blessings all throughout your journey of 2014! 

XOXO~~