a wonderful get-together with the cousins

It was great to see how Clayton had fun with his cousins this Chinese New Year. They shared toys, played together, taught each other to play, laughed, talked and did the things kids usually do. For me, it was relaxing to watch them play... it was basically fun!

Though I wished DH was with us, I knew that he had his obligations so that was fine. He too had space to catch up with old friends and did those boys' stuff... it was overall - good!

I just hope that clayton can get to play with Jonathan and Janessa a little more often before we move to brissie. It's great to know that my brother and his wife are both so cool about kids playing together. They are not tensed, fussy or 'kan cheong' when they get overly excited or rough with each other.... they are just cool. They understand that 'kids will always be kids..." They grow up.

my monkey friends...

Nothing is better than to meet up with good old friends during the festive.

Many years ago, I had a wonderful group of girl friends whom I called 'the monkeys'. We used to hang out together. We laughed, we talked, we cried together, we stood by each other... we were known as the 'five monkeys'.

As each one of us matured and got married, had kids and lived our own lives, we grew in our own ways but our hearts remained close. I had been away for more than nine years and though I don't get to see them often, they remain close and special in my heart. And I'm so glad we got together this Chinese New Year... we are all mothers now!(one of the monkeys couldn't make it for the gathering...)

tradition says, traditional says...

Image by Hatters! via FlickrSo glad that I can resume my blogging in Singapore this trip. Though I wish my macbook pro is as light as the Sony Vaio, I can't wait to travel with my new MSI Wind U100 in my future overseas trips.

It seems hard to gain understanding from people why I'm back in my hometown for Chinese New Year reunion but honestly, I don't really bother about what they think. To each his own so everyone has his or her reasons for making certain decisions and doing certain things.

The common answer is "tradition says...." oh well, as if these people follow traditions ALL the time. Traditions were created by men and not all were good to follow and most of the time, people followed them blindly. Having said that, some traditions are good to keep though they are not 'hard and fast' rules to be followed. At the end of the day, life is about choices.

Tradition says, traditional says, traditional says and in the end, people get upset, get hurt and kick a big fuss. For me this time, I'm just glad to be free from mozzie haven and all the excessive packing. I have to confess that the only thing I miss is spending this occasion with DH... but I have to respect his decision and I appreciate the fact that he respects mine.

Thank you my darling...

2nd pilates session

Today is the 2nd session of my pilates class at Pilatique and it is also my first encounter on the reformer. Last week, the session focused on the basic foundation of pilates and the correct breathing techniques. Today marks the beginning of a more intensive workout on those unused core muscles.

I have to say that working out on the reformer is fun. You actually learn to control and work those core muscles and after that one hour of workout, Eliza (my pilates partner) and myself could feel that our legs were tired and 'soft'... it felt like we had just climb a steep hill. We were tired!

It feels good to start a fitness program like pilates at the start of the year. For the least, I won't need to worry about Lipovox or other diet pills. Following a good fitness program means that I can stay trim, keep fit and meet my personal health goals.

We are moving into month two of 2009 in a week's time. If you have yet to begin your health goals, it's still not too late to start now.

moving and migrating - soon!

Two years ago, I rewarded myself with a nice branded watch after all the hard work in the entire year - late nights, early wakings...etc. But last year, things were a little different. I decided not to look at any luxury watches so no more thoughts about a new Patek Philippe or Jaeger-LeCoultre watch. I'm very happy with my Cartier Roadster and will not be investing in another luxury watch for a long time.

In less than two years' time, we will be moving. Yes, I'm out of here before 2011. It's amazing how time flies. I'm here in Malaysia for nine years and it's been a great journey. Looking back, I had little fears about starting out in a new country cos I was so blinded by love! Moving and living here was a great experience despite all the complaints, grumblings, murmurings and occasional dissatisfaction. I always believe that we should enjoy our journey no matter where we are. Complain if you need to complain - never mind. Sulk if you need to sulk, yell if you need to yell cos when you open up your heart, you feel better.

So, I'm checking out schools for Clayton and trying to learn about Brissie suburbs before our official move. I sure hope to spy the land before the actual time comes!

my blessed boy

This is the third week of Clayton's first year of kindie. Tomorrow is also the first time he'll be in school uniform. Unfortunately, the school uniform seems too big for him and mommy would have to get them replaced.

Come february, we have decided to try him out on ASP (After school programme) as he is getting bored every afternoon after he comes back from kindie. Instead of those extensive hours in front of the tv, ASP keeps him busy and at the same time, enriches him. This would also mean that we've got my free time to build our online business and do more during those 3.5 hours he's in school.

My little boy is growing up so fast. Everyday, he's learning new tricks, using new vocabulary and pushing new boundaries. Parenting can be tough and challenging on some days but the fact that I can give my love to nurture a little one brings me lots of unspoken joy.

I am so blessed to be mother to my little boy. Despite his monkey tricks, he's so precious, so unique and so blessed.

about DH and KL Lake Gardens

See, I never meant to set up this blog to rant about my DH. This is just a personal space for me to rant, talk, complain, share, network and connect.

Few days ago, i reminded DH of our family outdoor photography shoot and he seemed displeased about it. Then he told me that he didn't wanna go cos he didn't like outdoor shoots. His reply shocked me cos I remembered telling him about it few months ago. Anyways, I told him it was ok if he didn't wanna join us. I shot an email to my photographer about the change of venue since I wasn't sure how to get to KL Lake Gardens. Well, don't sneer at me about that cos I'm not local!

Anyways, he came back to me in the night and told me that he was just teasing me. I almost wanna slapped him at that time cos I had to now write to my photographer to tell her how indecisive and 'tao hong' my other half can be!

Amidst all these rantings, we had a very fun outdoor shoot this morning which began at half past 8 in the morning. It was nice to run around at the beautiful playground with clayton, spending quality time as a family. Then I told myself that this wouldn't be the last time we were going to be here. We have discovered another nice hangout place for the family... Don't know where else to find space to breathe in KL, head down to KL Lake Gardens...

choosing the right web hosting provider

After a long break since November, I'm nudging myself to get on with my online business. What I need is momentum and discipline together with a clear mind of how to get started.

With so many plans in mind for my online business, I would need to look into a good webhosting apart from the one I'm having now. In the last couple of years, I witness a sprung up of webhosting companies - large and small - into the virtual world. With so many hosting options available, it can be hard to decide which is best and suitable for my online business needs.

We've heard about green wedding, green birthdays but it sounds a little weird when I first learned about green web hosting. For those of you who like a quick overview of which top web hosts to choose, Web Host Geeks has the answers all at one glance for you. Apart from learning about the features, special highlights of the web hosting package, you can also read reviews of the respective web hosts. This would help to speed up your research in locating the right web hosting provider in this busy e-marketplace.

home and personal updates: Clayton is sick :(

It's a relief for me that Clayton's high fever has broken! He started feeling feverish on thursday evening and the fever shot up very quickly in the night. It frightened me most when his fever went so high on Friday night and when he woke up crying and saying that he couldn't see me! I prayed hard and gave him a dose of medicine with his juice and was glad that he went back to sleep.

Anyways, I was glad that the fever was gone by this morning though he had a bad throat and could hardly talked. I don't enjoy nursing a sick child - not so much of the tiring moments but the fear of not knowing how to handle the child and the pain of seeing my child suffering. Now, I'm praying that the cough be gone and his voice returns... I do miss that chirpy self of his....

Looking forward, this is an exciting week as I'm starting my pilates class. It's good to learn something new and what more, I know it will be beneficial to my health. Then I have a couple of meetings planned before getting out there for a family photo shoot in KL lake gardens.

Have a great week ahead...

perhaps a vacation is Phuket is coming!

DH is talking about a trip to do his kite surfing. I volunteered to be the babysitter and he could see that he wasn't too excited. Then again, I reminded him that the hotel rates will be the same whether he's traveling alone or with us so that sort of settled his uncertainly.

After doing a quick search on Phuket vacation, AirAsia seems to offer a good deal of around RM400 (incl taxes and fees) for the month of June. As for hotels in Phuket, it depends on where you plan to stay. Since his kite surfing would most likely be in Nai Yang Beach, we would probably choose a phuket accommodation in that area. So the TOP 5 Phuket hotels for your next Phuket vacation:

Indigo Pearl, Nai Yang (see above photos)

JW Marriott Spa & Resort

Mom Tri's Boathouse Hotel

Amari Coral Beach Resort Hotel

Holiday Inn Resort

a little more about japan

This afternoon, my friend Tracy reminded me that I haven't written much about my Japan trip.



the street where the crowd gathers every Sunday



Harajuku on Sunday



A busy crepe kiosk

It's hard to begin cos there are so many things I enjoyed in my Japan trip. Besides the busy subways and mega malls in and around Tokyo and Shinjuku, I had a great time snacking around the subways and streets. We tried not to touch any sashimi or sushi sets during the trip as they could get very expensive. For most times, we ate in local establishments - small and squeezy, yet cosy. We had katsudon, soba, udon, okonomiyaki, tako ball and lots of snackies like fresh fish cake, handmade mochi and french breads. Tsukiji was a nice place to walk around and snack around though we couldn't bring ourselves to join one of those super long queues to the sushi restaurants.



Clayton helping himself to the crunchy seaweed sample in the souvenir shop!

We walked so much that I almost thought I had developed Plantar Fasciitis! My feet and heels were all sore at the end of day. It was a tiring thing to navigate around the local trains and subway lines but we had fun!

I found myself popping into any Muji and Uniqlo shop I could find. These were the cheapest places to shop! Harajuku was a little crazy on Sundays but it was a great experience being caught in the human jam. It was like a super crowded pasar malam! We didn't spot many funky dressers on that day but it was sheer fun to queue for handmade crepes and peeking into those teenage-packed shops.



Autumn in Hakone



our private hot bath in the courtyard





kaiseki BREAKFAST!

Overall, a trip to Hakone is something I would recommend if you are heading Tokyo. Hakone is slow, touristy, beautiful, natural, personal and cosy. Besides the Hakone loop and list of things to do, a night or two in a traditional ryokan is a real must. I missed the private hot tub in our room and courtyard, the autumn leaves and the marvelicious kaiseki dinner!

be thankful for what you have

I just got a note that an old friend of mine from Singapore had gone to be with the Lord few days ago. Though I haven't met him for years, I know that he must have gone through much in the last few years of his life here on earth. He was the one who taught me how to move a 'mouse' and use the mac way back in the early 90s. In fact, I would regard him as my first Mac teacher! An energetic tennis coach and someone who loved life, he was a real talent in the multimedia world. It is sad to hear that he had suffered from a rare motor neuron disease which took his life away at only 42.

Though it sounds very sad to receive such news at the early part of a new year, it goes to show that life is short and we should not take it for granted. Sometimes, we take things too hard and get upset over trivial things. But if we were to smile and love a little more, our lives can bring more joy and happy returns. It's been a reminder for myself cos I find myself going through a roller coaster ride in my personal life lately.

Whatever goals you set and plans you have for this year, may you be thankful for the life you have now and learn to treasure whatever you have.

Live life with joy. A soft word spoken turns away anger (Prov 15:1).

starting my new year goals early

This year, I'm determined to start my goals early. Next week, I'm planning to check out the pilates classes at Pilatique. I did a quick research and found a few pilates studio in Kuala Lumpur. It seems that Stot Pilates sounds pretty interesting to me. Only thing is, I am quite taken by the rates... they aren't cheap! (about RM180 for a private session)

Next week, my 4 yo will start K1 at Juara Cerdik (fungates system) at DUMU so I would have some time for my pilates and kickboxing classes. This year, I've purposed to work on my body and mind which includes my health too. Oh yes, a detox is set to come in this first quarter... my body sure needs an overhaul!

Keen to do pilates in Kuala Lumpur? Check out these two sites:
http://www.pilatique.com
http://www.pilateszentrum.com/