The number one mom

The number one mum!

No, I'm not sef-proclaiming that I'm the best! It's a caption on a "miniature trophy" the guys gave me.

I was in disbelief. I thought Wyng was pranking me as he handed me the trophy.

  

My immediate response was ,"Is this from the centre?"  as he just got back from the centre.  Wyng said it's from both of them.  

He's growing impressively well

Wyng complained of a quite disturbing abdominal pain since Monday morning. As his Upsr is so close, I've decided to take him to see our paediatrician.

After a physical examination and a urine test, he's confirmed free from appendicitis and kidney disease as well as being diabetic.

His physical growth, as usual, is very healthy. Measuring 150 cm in height and 50 kg in weight, he's at 90 percentile in weight and 75 percentile in height. For his height, he's 6 kg overweight.

The doctor prescribed colic medicine for him much to my relief since he's been given a clean bill of health except for some wind probably.

Kodu Workshop

It was a very productive holiday for Wyng.  He was able to attend Robotic's Kodu Workshop, one which will be able to help him program his own game, as a beginner.  The workshop was for a good 3 and a half hours.  Whilst he was at the workshop, Mom took the opportunity to spend some time with Hoe.  

We bought tickets to watch a movie, Oz And The Great Powerful.  As the movie started only from 12.30pm  (two plus hours long) and the workshop ended at 1.30pm, I had to exit the cinema to take Wyng to continue with the movie.  Of course, Wyng was pleasantly surprised as he was whisked from one of his favourite activities to another of his favourite activities.

What a good shot!

Looks can be deceiving! Don't believe with some of the looks you see here.

I love this photo so much. Of course, we were in for a pleasant surprise when we saw this photo displayed at the exit of the theme park.  Without hesitating at all, Daddy decided to purchase it.

Legoland is a good place for the family.  Well, we have yet to explore the entire park.  Legoland, you'll see us again.

Now you see it, now you don't

Be patient when you watch this video to get the best out of it.

What a way to survive? Observe how the fish 'spat' to drop the anchovy to the water and ate it.  We were at Kukup, Johore.  This is an eye-opener for all of us.

How amazing can creatures be when it comes to survival?

Celebrating New Year with Grandma

Mom with the guys

This year, we counted down at a restaurant a stone's throw away from our home. All of a sudden, that place was abuzz with tables of people waiting to count down to a new year.

We were no different, we just wanted to join in the crowd. My mom, as enthusiastic as the kids, joined in too.  When it was 10 seconds before the clock struck 12, she even walked closer to the spot to catch a closer look at the fireworks.

As for me, as usual, always preferring to be at my familiar and comfortable spot, waited at the table for Daddy, the kids and Mom to come back to the table after the fireworks.

Holiday at Lion City

Duck Tour

After 3 years of absence from this roaring city, we were back here for a short holiday.  This time, we took a ride on the Duck Tour.  Although this tour was started since many years ago, I have not tried it.  This time my niece who is a Singaporean PR recommended this ride.  It was supposed to be a one-hour ride on land and along Kallang River but everything took only about 50 minutes.

A snap with my cousin and sister prior to boarding

Pre-boarding briefing 

Recording in multiple languages during the tour

At SGD33 per person, this ride is not cheap at all.  What we got to enjoy were sight-seeing of the landmarks of unique architecture along Kallang River. Among them are Marina Bay Sands, The Float, The ArtScience Museum, The Promenade and The Singapore Flyer.

The Esplanade

The Float

Hoe managed to take a glimpse of SM Town World Tour Live in Singapore' performing at The Float on 23 November from The Promenade. And he enjoyed it without buying a ticket! Lucky him!

Merlion at The Promenade

The ArtScience Museum

Due to time constraint, we didn't get to visit the museum for one of CNN's 12 must-see exhibitions 'The Art of The Brick'.  And because of this, I got to hear hours of whining from Wyng.  Lego and all this science thing is supposed to be so important to him. 

The Singapore Flyer and Marina Bay Sands on the left

The Domes of Garden By The Bay 

On land, we passed by ..

The Fountain of Wealth, Suntec City

Civilian War Memorial

The pillars of the memorial also known as 'Chopsticks' resembles four chopsticks symbolising unity among the four major races in the city.

That's about it, for the fare that we paid. If you have not visited Singapore, perhaps this tour is worth it. 

Our new pets

They don't need to be bathed and poop everywhere, so it's fine.  Mom has no better reason to reject these pets except that the aquarium has to be cleaned frequently by someone.  The new occupants moved in last week, occupying the little corner at the car porch.  So welcomed were they that the three men of the house cooperated to set up their new home.

Filling up with more water

More fish moving in

Finally! Enjoy yourselves!

The Oscars are aggressive fish, I was told. And the other silvery, bigger and smaller ones are put into the tank as prey to the Oscars. Let's see how long they survive.

The best in Cameron Highlands

Have you ever seen a peacock open its feathers? When I was very young, I remember I saw a peacock which had its feathers already opened and it was just for a split second.  My memory told me those were not very vibrantly coloured feathers.

This one rare encounter we had at Rose Valley at Cameron Highlands captivated us.  We didn't expect to see a pair of peacocks in a cage whilst going round the rose farm apart from the numerous rare flowers.

We were about to walk away from the cage when Wyng screamed, 'The peacock open its feathers!' Scrambling closer to the cage, we quickly got out our digicam and handphones to snap the magical moments.
We were the luckiest that day! Witnessing this angelic bird as a family.

What can you do at Cameron Highlands?

The Water Cress Valley was our choice of visit this time. We'd never stepped into this farm previously. To make our visit interesting, we wanted to try this out.  We didn't walk around the fly-infested farm.  Lazing and enjoying the fresh and cool air at the restaurant on top of the farm, tried the water cress and its drink.  The vegetables was fresh and crisp. Mind you, we already had our lunch prior to visiting the farm but we just could not resist trying this highland's produce.

Fresh water cress as 'dessert'

Water cress drink

Wyng, trying his hands at the photo-shooting

This time around, I was also more open to allow my kids to snap my pictures.  When I was not holding my Canon,  I encouraged them to snap tonnes of pictures of the countless vibrant flowers in this highland.  Looks like I am learning to appreciate these flora now.  Not only that, there were many unique flowers which captivated us.  

And after this trip, I notice my photography skill improved. One stone killed a few birds. Scenic view, fresh air, fresh vegetables, feast to the eyes, learn more about nature and many more...

We are familiar with the swimming stingray but not these which grow on trees.  These are stingray flowers. Wyng couldn't help but be mesmerised by this rare species. 

Wyng admiring the stingray flower (the dark red with white dots)

Posing closely with the stingray flower

White hibiscus

I've never seen a white hibiscus until this trip. Not only that, the hibiscus here are much larger than those we normally see in hotter weather.

Lavender 

Despite so many trips to Cameron, this was the first time I saw live lavender. They are so pretty, aren't they?

Lantern flower

Solanum mommosum 

This yellow fruits look familiar? I remember them as one used by my mother for prayers.

Long gourds (left-growing, right-as decorative)

High-heeled shoes flower

Chilli red tomatoes

Flora, flora, I wish I can take you home and put you in my garden

Is it easy to say No to your kids?

It's easy to give the kids what they ask for, saying 'NO' to them is difficult.

When you give them the green light, it opens up their eyes almost instantly, a wide smile too. You may see them vanish in split second, right to their computer (kids' all-time favourite in this IT era), without any sign of gratitude for saying 'Yes' to them.

If you object to their demands, groans and moans will follow.  Hostile stares and frowning faces are expected.  After all the facial protests, next come the verbal ones, of course.  The 'whys' will be showered to me.  Not that they want to know the real reasons for depriving them of their pleasures, all they are after is indulgence in their favourite pastime.

More headache will come when they start to bombard Mom with questions or remarks which sometimes can pierce you through the heart.

"You are a bad mother,"
"You always don't let me..."

Wyng can't hold his tears if he is forbidden to do something he yearns to, for instance, iPad-ing or playing on Dad's tablet or smart phone.

Yet, someone hard-headed like me will not give in.  Or to put it crudely, it takes a black heart mom to say No when the kids demand relentlessly.

So, it's really not easy.

Crazy about Ninja Warrior

Concave warped wall

Similar to the Wipeout obstacle show, this current programme on channel 617 is the kids' current craze.  Wyng is so hooked on this show that it replaces his favourite anime show.

Now, this programme is always their first choice whenever the TV is turned on.  Without sitting down in front of the TV to watch, this show used to be quite annoying to Mom as the narrator rattles throughout the show in lightning speed, in a language alien to me. But, when you care to seat yourself watching the super-lean contestants battle against each other in the obstacle course, you will find yourself attracted to their resilience.
I was in for a surprise when I watched Paul Hamm, an American Olympic gold gymnast, fought against time to complete the obstacle course.

Steely determination and robust stamina and strength rule the game!

Stop disturbing the insect

Wyng, still in his uniform after school, intrigued by the insect

Wyng always can't resist leaving those insects alone.  He'll be preocuppied with them for a while most of the time.

Here, before he even stepped into the house, he was already trying to get the grasshopper away from the bamboo plant.  He used the water spray to shoo it away.  

The next day, the grasshopper ended up in my toilet.  Well, I wonder if this was the same one which Wyng harassed the day before.  

He got a warning from Mommy not to disturb any creature and let them stay in their habitat peacefully.  Dig me, Wyng!

What kids do nowadays

Three kids in a family. An iPad each!

So, this is the common scene now at public places.  At almost every single table in WIFI eateries, you can see the indispensable smart machines, either a smart phone, a tablet or an I-pad.

Three kids in the family, father and mother.  4 I-pads, at the table! And another smart phone. The equation is perfect. 5 in the family with 5 intelligent machines. Except for their maid who was free, the entire family was busy. Not talking, mind you but touching away and pressing, their I-gadgets.

Only the table on both sides of this table (including our table) were aware of their obsession.  We couldn't help but gazed at them a few times whilst savouring our dinner. Well, the parents were least disturbed by their kids' behaviour at the table.   The other table was occupied by an elderly couple who seemed clueless with why the kids were so engrossed in the square machines.

As for me, I was bold enough to snap their pictures for me to post in this blog.

Not wanting to be a sour grape, I'm glad I don't own an iPad or iPhone though my kids are crazy about them.  Whenever we frequent shopping malls, the first place they head for is any IT shop which sells Apple products. And they will be stuck there for a while until Mom and Dad come shooing them out of the store.  That's all the iPadding they can enjoy.  No complaints at all about this! In fact, I'm glad they are iPad free, at least at home.

Wyng and his drawing book

After dinner, Wyng was allowed to play at one of the stores

Whilst the kids beside us were iPadding away, Wyng was busy reading the words on the disposable paper table liner in front of him.  The history of some Thai Gods were depicted on the paper liner. Before dinner was served, he was engrossed in drawing his pictures.  Yeah, he brought his drawing book along that night.

We shared thoughts about those things written apart from commenting about the other customers in the restaurants whose hands were also occupied with their intelligent machines. It was an observation started by Wyng and Hoe as they scanned the entire restaurant and deduced the preoccupation of people with iPads or smart phones.  I was speechless!

Why have a date in a restaurant when they could just iPad at home?  Mothers are supposed to be communicating with their kids to share their thoughts and not allow them to get unnecessarily attached to these machines.  Such is the sorry state of family communication.  Who's at fault? But, does anyone care or realise the damage it is causing in the first place?

Mothers especially, it's time to weigh what's best for your kids! A lot of lessons can be learnt in raising kids in this new but challenging era.

What does their grandma do?

What their grandma does:
a. washes her grandkids' school shoes, school uniform, lunch containers and tumblers
b. buys fresh fish from the market for me to cook for the kids
c. alerts me if I should send or pick the kids on time for tuition
d. smuggling Wyng's favourite candies into the house (knowing fully well that Mom doesn't approve to this)
e. cooking my kids' favourite dish
f. wakes the kids up in the morning
g. buys dumplings or biscuits from the wet market for the kids as breakfast

Her enthusiasm to attend concerts or performances put up by her grandkids is comparable to that of mothers of the kids.  And over the years, she has the opportunity to see so many performances. So blessed is her!

Except for task (a) which I don't do due to my eczematic skin condition, Mom is not shrugging her responsibilities. She never fails in her parental role. Just that Grandma dotes on her grandkids too much that she does more than required of her.  She also worries about them just like how Mom does. In fact, she is a worrier, now I know who I take after!  Perhaps, this trait of hers explains her wizened appearance but mind you, she's a bull when it comes to accomplishing home chores.

Grandma's birthday two years ago

On top of the above, grandma does break some rules. She keeps mum when Wyng doesn't finish his plate of meals.  Worse still, she collaborated with Hoe and hid from me the fact that he was playing computer games on unearthly hours of the day.

So, I'm not surprised that the kids miss their Grandma when she doesn't spend the nights at our home.  Hoe once said,'You must live long, Ah Poh!'

You look gothic!

Just because I put on my eye-liner, nude lipstick and blusher does not make me look gothic! But, that comment came from Hoe when he looked at me wide-eyed for a good few seconds, at least 10, I think.  I wasn't sure whether I should feel flattered or not!

Having a nude face most of the time except for the occasional lipstick during weekend shopping spree for the past few years invited that kind of remark from my observant son.  I wasn't even completely dolled-up.  And when I showed them my recent studio photos where I was all made-up and dressed to the nines, they drew 'yerrr'  (not equivalent to 'Yes', more of 'dislikes') and sarcastic giggles from them.

I just wished they could be fairer to me and give me a sincere compliment.  Those photos were the masterpiece of professional hands and touch-up as well. Can't be that bad, especially when Mom could still make some heads turn, err...maybe a decade ago.  Now? Not sure, daren't find out.

No home-cooked lunch

It went on for one week since last week.  Pity my kids, have to make do with tapau-ed (packed home) lunches.

Not because Mom is lazy or an aftermath of the drought. It's just my hands playing tricks on me again.  In order not to aggravate the condition, I've decided to stay water-free with my right hand and stayed away from the kitchen basin as much as I can.  

Hoe is not complaining at all as he walloped anything to satisfy his hunger pangs.  Wyng, though he isn't really whining but from the speed he gobbles his food, I can tell he still prefers Mom's soup for his meals.

My eczema skin condition doesn't get any better, not that I expect it to.  It's been a while since I get this dry cracking of my skin.  But, this was the worst of all.  I've never had such deep crack before and it lasted for about two weeks.  Such discomfort whenever I contact with water.

I am encountering problem uploading my photos on Blogger.com.  The only picture I managed to upload was the one below which was taken about more than a week after my skin started to itch and dry again. There was no crack yet then.  I will upload a picture of an aggravated condition.

Apart from my fingers, the palm was not spared. Notice the red buldging rashes on the palm.

A week later...It's so bad that it began to crack,  deeper and it had spread to the adjacent pointer as well

What it means to have a myopic kid?

It definitely means higher maintenance what with a kid like Wyng who always tests the durability of glasses.  He hardly takes care of them.  After only two years of being diagnosed with myopic, he has ruined 3 pairs of glasses.  He was wearing the fourth pair of glasses with no damages until a few days ago, unfortunately, we had to give him a new set of lenses as his power (for myopia) has increased by about 100 for both eyes. His fourth pair of glasses was only a few months old, less than six!  Thankfully, he manages to maintain his astigmatism at the same level as last year.

Left with no choice, we had his lenses changed whilst still retaining the old frames.  On top of this, we made another pair of spare glasses for him as a contingency for 'accident', just in case. At a power of 200 and 175, this can be blinding enough for this avid reader.

Having an increase in his myopia just means that this boy has been writing or reading at a distance with his eyes too close to his books.  Sigh.. I have caught him a zillion times with his chin on the desk whilst doing his homework. This does not include the time he spends alone in his room alone for his bedtime stories or reading during other times of the day.

I'm glad that his astigmatism doesn't increase. It shouldn't be as he hardly has access to the computer and television watching is mostly at a 'safe' distance.

Don't leave home without your Mykad at Langkawi

With your Mykad, the entrance fee is cheaper. We were able to enjoy discounts at two places at Langkawi, the Underwater World and the Cable Car but not the kids as we don't carry their Mykads around.  The savings is RM10 with a Mykad at Underwater World.

Not wanting to forego the opportunity to visit the steepest cable car in the world, our enthusiasm drove us to rise early to be the first few at the Cable Car ticket counter.  We were not the firsts but still okay as the crowd was starting to build. Here, you can see the queue spilling to a portion of the Oriental Village.

The cable car station is right inside Oriental Village

A panoramic view of the island from the cable car

Wyng, always the intrigued one, 'wow' at almost every angle.

I'm 700 metres above sea level

The spot to enjoy a breathtaking sunset

Hoe couldn't resist snapping away with his Dad's camera.

The deck at one of the stops when we took a ride in the cable car

At each stop, three altogether, visitors have the chance to disembark from the cars and enjoy the mesmerising view of the panoramic mountain and sea view.  Shutterbugs will be snapping away whilst other holiday makers will breathe the freshest air and breathtaking view all 360 degrees.

The sky bridge which was closed for maintenance

This is the attraction which brought us to Langkawi and yet we didn't get to enjoy it. Perhaps, a second visit will make our dream realise.

The crowd-puller deck for a glimpse of the stunning view of the sea and mountain

Guess what! Mom shunned getting onto these kinds of decks.  Somehow, I develop a fear of stepping onto such concreteless deck or platform regardless of the view that I get to enjoy.  If I get to see the mountain or sea below my feet, no way! Perhaps, the closure of the sky bridge is a blessing in disguise for me.  Even if it is opened, I believe I wouldn't dare to walk on it.  Sigh....My guts only allow me to settle for the concrete platform such as the one below.  This is safe enough for me.

Our final spot before leaving this beautiful island was the Crocodile Farm.  Not something that Mom fancies as I was resting at shady spots while waiting for the boys and Daddy walking around the reptile farm. We got to witness how workers transferred two crocodiles from one enclosure to another. Not an easy task to move them although the enclosure was just next to each other.

No tail porosus

Where are the mating crocodiles?

A stuffed reptile at the education corner

Well, that's the end of our trip at Langkawi.  A pleasant surprise awaited us as we were given VIP seats in the ferry.  This was much less crowded than the normal seating.

Overall, we enjoyed our trip and the kids want to go back again to this beautiful and interesting island.