The family's favourite food

The first time we had Teochew porridge, Wyng did not like it at all, neither was Hoe.  Mom and Daddy love  the porridge.  Surprisingly, after a few times, the kids start to love it. In fact, they were 'addicted' to this food.  Whenever it's time to decide where to eat out, "Teochew porridge!" would mostly be the kids' choice.

So, Mom started to investigate the reason they like this food.  We discover they are intrigued by the dishes which are served in small plates.  Wyng particularly love the canned ground nuts from China and the pickled radish omelette as well as stew potatoes.  They are not allowed to take the porridge but rice as the latter is more filling for them. 

As opposed to eating other local hawker food, Wyng gobbles this food without Mom's intervention at all.  This meal is not so cheap as compared to mixed rice.  With about 6 or 7 dishes, the bills comes up to around RM30.00 most of the time.  Daddy doesn't mind at all as long as Wyng enjoys it.

Mom bids farewell to traditional steaming

As I advocate steaming as a healthy and grease-free way of cooking for the kids, the traditional steaming with a wok has become a regular part of my cooking routine until I found this wonderful invention.  This appliance is definitely not new in the market.  Not knowing anyone close who has owned such electric steamer before, I began to google for reviews of food steamers in the market. 

After analysing some reviews, I settled for Tefal Invent food steamer. It has made my life easier in the kitchen.  Oh yes, by the way, being frugal, I had checked with my credit card reward catalogue first before surfing for reviews.  In short, I am enjoying the benefit of this wonderful appliance without forking out a single cent. 

No longer do I have to wait near the gas cooker to make sure the water in the wok doesn't dry out when I am absorbed in my work. Or run helter-skelter to the gas cooker when I realise the water in the wok is drying out.  My misjudgement can also land me having more work when I had to add water to the wok as the food wasn't 'cooked' perfectly. 

With this steamer, the steaming time can be set to suit the type of food.  The keep warm function works wonderfully for me.  Alas, I can now steam my food and leave the kitchen without having to worry about over-steamed or dried wok.

A bowling game for the family

I've never even played so many games of bowling when I was young. All four of us played 3 games. It was the Christmas and the year-end school holidays last year, I actually asked Daddy to take a few days off. The kids have been wanting to go for a bowling game since their first game in the previous term break.

We had quite a good game. Hoe and Mom took turns to lead, except Daddy, of course. He topped each game, of course la, I think he used to be a top player among his friends in his younger days. I never like bowling. It was like rolling coins into the drain. Well, it was like that for us if not for the rail on both sides of the lane which was for kids' training. Having the rail is bad and good for bowlers. Hoe and I didn't like it but at times when we really lost badly, we hoped that we didn't remove the rail as it really helps to push the ball back to the centre to hit the pins.

Strolling down memory lane with the kids

Despite having been to Cameron for four to five times, this place failed to attract my interest until the recent trip. It was only after some persuasion by the kids that I agreed to walk into this 'tunnel', well, it's not exactly a tunnel.  My, I was in for a pleasant surprise!  At the end of this visit, I was glad that the kids were persistent enough to convince Mom to change her mind.

Walking through the place was like taking a stroll down memory lane.  It reminded me about my childhood and teenage as well as the early part of adulthood.  The kids actually caught Mom and Daddy's enthusiasm as we walked on enthusing and feasting our eyes on a wide array of old and antique items on display.

'Tikam' was what Daddy called this.  This used to be my favourite but we rarely had a chance to play as our parents were not financially comfortable enough to give us so much of pocket money. 

Looking at this old Gameboy reminds me of the current PS2 or PS what version now.  Kids are so fortunate nowadays that almost each of them can be seen playing a PS but not my kids.  How satisfied were we then if we could even own this?

Just a few weeks ago, I was talking to Hoe about this favourite pastime of mine.  I was telling him about how in those days kids don't get to play electronic gadgets. We actually had to make our own toys or games.   I told them how their Mom used to make dozens of fashionable clothings for these picture models when Mom was not given any money to buy these.  Indirectly, I was trying to tell him that he can still enjoy with less things. 

 Ermm...Sarsi was my favourite drink during the Chinese New Year. Kids nowadays are so lucky that they get to savour soft drink in cans. For us, we only get to do this during festivals such as Chinese New Year. We cherish more of things we don't get enough of.

My family could only afford a telephone when I was in upper secondary.  Unlike now, where the kids do not even appreciate a telephone but keep demanding for a camera or 3G mobile phone.

Still remember these piggy banks?  These remind me of fun fairs in those days. Going to fun fairs was one of the outings we'd love to go.  Now, these lacklustre fun fairs are deserted as they failed to entice kids with the thrill-filled rides we have at Sunway Pyramid.

We could only have one of these sharpeners or erasers during our time. This is definitely a contrast with the dozens of stationery items kids can possess nowadays.  I reminded my kids that they should appreciate the many sharpeners and stationeries they own now.

Roller skates!  Mom's favourite when she was young.  However, we could only own ONE pair to be shared among three girls in the family.  And, we were not allowed to go outdoor to play this. So, we ended up playing along narrow and short balcony of our old flat.

This visit gave the kids a very valuable lesson that Mom didn't have a lot to enjoy last time.  And, they should appreciate what they have now. This trip is much better than just talking to them as they got to see in their own eyes what Mom used to have. 

Verdict by the kids supported by Mom : this is the BEST museum that we have visited.  

Chilling out with the kids on Gunung Brinchang

A trip to Cameron Highlands will not be complete without going up Gunung Brinchang, by car. We never failed to access this hill each time we came. It's quite easily accessible by car but we have to be cautious of the winding narrow path leading to the hill. 

Gunung Brinchang is the second highest peak in Cameron, I just found out.  After googling about this hill, I realise we didn't get up to the peak.  Most of the time, we would go up to Sungai Palas tea plantation to have authentic tea and enjoy more breathtaking mountaineous view.  Unfortunately, this time we didn't get to go to Sg Palas as it was closed on a Monday.

If you have never explored Gunung Brinchang yet, this video takes you for a short ride up to a part of the hill.

This was Hoe's third trip and Wyng's second trip to Cameron but they had such jolly moments this time.  Tireless of posing for the camera amongst the tea plants, both these laughing kids became a little unruly as they daringly wove in and out of the infinite rows of tea plants. 

Come catch us if you can, Mom!

Relax with the kids at Cameron Highlands

Our initial plan of a weekend at Genting Highlands turned out to be a relaxing 2day/1night trip to Cameron Highlands, much to the disappointment of the kids. They had yearned to have a thrill-filled day at Genting but were let down when Mom couldn't book a hotel at the highlands packed with holidaymakers during the school holidays cum Hari Raya and National Day break.

Mom and Daddy couldn't wait to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city to chill out at the green highlands.  Mom prefers the green and serenity of Cameron to the noisy and packed Genting. 

The kids posed for the camera after a short break of scones and tea (for Mom and Daddy).

A view of Bharat tea plantations from the tea house.

 Our first stop at the Bharat Tea House before we reached Ringlet.

As though stung by shutter bugs, Wyng didn't tire of posing with flowers and greens for Mom's album. He willingly and obligingly smiled and posed for Mom whenever strikingly coloured and unusual-looking plants caught Mom's sight.

Ouch! Those spikes really prick.

Mom: Stop pulling those dangling plants!
Wyng:  I didn't. They are pulling me!

At Cameron, there's nothing much to do except to keep those shutters snapping and look at rows and rows of flora. This is definitely a more conducive place to unwind than the annoying din at the Genting theme parks. Perhaps, age is catching up for Mom.

He was too old to join Yamaha JMC

Wyng was 6 plus when I signed him up for Yamaha Junior Music Course.  So, what's the real reason for enrolling him only at that age?  The ignorant me thought that JMC is open for kids from 5 to 6.  Another reason was that I was pre-occupied with my home business every Saturday which clashes with JMC classes held on Saturdays.  This explained why I procrastinated to send him to JMC.

It was when he passed 6 that I started to get panicky.  I want him to experience the fun and joy of learning music, like his Qo Qo.  I could have started him on the ABRSM system but the boring one-to-one lesson with the teacher may just kill his interest in music.  I still prefer the Yamaha system.  I used to enjoy looking at Hoe singing and clapping joyously to the music with his classmates.

After making a few enquiries and persistent follow-up with the Yamaha centre as well as tonnes of patience, we were finally able to attend a week-day class on Tuesday nights.  Initially, I was rejected by the frontline staff on the reason that Wyng was overaged. The relentless me who doesn't take 'No' for an answer easily, pleaded that they gave me a try as I had been following up for a weekday night class to be opened since a few months before Wyng turned 6.  It was only after my pestering that they later allowed me to talk to the teacher. 

It was easy convincing the music teacher as she was a nice and understanding lady.  Agreeing that Wyng was too 'old' to join JMC, she nevertheless kindly allowed Wyng to join her class.  I sincerely told her I wanted Wyng to experience the joy of learning music in a group and in a fun way. Any dedicated teacher will not turn away an eager learner.

As can be seen from this video taken during his third lesson, Wyng (in yellow tee) towered over all his classmates who were aged from 3 plus to 5 plus.  Well, he was quite enthusiastic at first.  Following the notes and instructions wasn't difficult for him.  His singing sessions were a little awkward as he wasn't really singing passionately.  Nevertheless, he followed the crowd.  It was only towards the second month that I sensed his enthusiasm dwindled.

Wyng started to give remarks such as, "They are so childish" which I didn't deny as the younger kids could barely comprehend the poor but patient teacher's instructions.  Those 3 plus kids were too young to join JMC, they still needed to be babysat.  I salute to the teacher's passion and patience.  I,too, was getting impatient with those kids.  Not only was Wyng feeling out of place, I felt the same way too when I could feel that Wyng wasn't enjoying learning with them. 

He stood out among the younger kids in terms of height and age.  Anyway, I persisted as I wanted to be sure that it wasn't an impulsive decision to take him out of the class so soon.  It wasn't long,about three months when Wyng had to drop out. Anyway, thanks to the teacher who gave him a chance, the JMC wasn't suitable for him.

He's either not musically-inclined or starting him with JMC at the age of 6 plus was the wrong move.

Strike while the iron is hot, Mom needs to know this is so true a lesson to learn for the benefits of the kids.

Is this disrespect?

This post appeared on 19 April 2009 in my lost blog. Here is a reposting.

Hoe related to me an incident in school. Well, he didn't actually volunteer the information to me. We were talking about a particular subject and he came to the part of how he got lectured lengthily by his English teacher for his discipline problem of which Hoe already received his punishment earlier. As to why was the English teacher so concerned and spent so much time reprimanding students in an area where the teacher has no control of or something not within his jurisdiction? Only the teacher would know of his own agenda. Why would he want to waste time harping on the issue instead of teaching the students?


Anyway, back to Hoe. He told me that he really couldn't stand his English teacher's long nagging that he raised his hand and said,'Teacher, we got your point already.' This bold statement received a fierce stare from his teacher (he was lucky that he didn't get any physical reprimand!) but effectively terminated his sermon.

After a while, Hoe was signalled to see the English teacher at his desk in the classroom. Hoe was asked the occupation of both his parents. I hope this interrogation would be the end of this episode.


Hoe's rationale for vocalising those bold statements to his English teacher was that he was already punished by the discipline teacher although he was not the culprit. He was unlucky that he was locked in the toilet (along with his two other friends) cubicle and was frantically banging the door when he was spotted by the discipline teacher who happened to pass by. Banging on the toilet door was seen as creating havoc. Hoe couldn't prove much to defend himself as the culprit had already gotten off scot-free. Talking about justice!

Who's happier when holidays are coming?

Hooray! Today is the last school day of the third term.  Monday onwards, there will be

• no screaming at the kids to wake up for morning tuition class or school
• no need to chauffeur Wyng for tuition as the tutor normally gives advance additional classes so as to take a break during school holidays.
• no stressing over whether the kids have done their school or tuition homework.
• no rushing to prepare early lunch for Wyng and worry about whether he gets well-fed before he goes to school.
• no need to be a pest and plead to the kids to hit the sack early for school the next day
• no waking up early to cook breakfast for Hoe as he goes to school in the morning
• no need to remind Wyng to pack his school bag and sharpen his pencils
• no yelling at Wyng for taking ages to shower in the bathroom
• lastly, Wyng can take his own sweet time at the dining table without Mom yelling at him to quickly finish his meals

God is always fair. To enjoy all the above, Mom has to bear with boisterousness at home simply because the kids will be at home.  All these for just a short one week but enough for Mom to destress and relax for a while.

Would you desert your kids?

Would  you desert your kids when they have not been in your good books? What if it is for discipline issue?

I don't think I would ever do this unless they are old enough where any form of reprimand or nagging or lecturing fall on deaf ears.  My definition of desert here is confined to not talking to him, paying no attention to what's happening to him in school, basically ignore him.  Other things such as cooking for him and providing other basic needs as a parent still continues.

The only form of deserting Hoe was for just a while and is usually limited to cold stares if he does anything wrong such as bullying his brother or not talking to him but this only last for a day, the maximum, that's all.
Yet, it didn't change his behaviour.  He might just be aware that Mom was pissed off with his indiscipline or behaviour but for him to realise that he should change and that what he is doing is not acceptable takes more than deserting him, I realise.

Mom's lesson from here is that it doesn't help to desert him for him to change his uncalled for behaviour. It takes patience and much more and Mom is still learning.

Spending a fortune for your kid's mischief

This post appeared in my lost blog on 24 August 2008.  This is a reposting of the same one.

Don't we parents always end up paying a fortune for the kid's mischief? Wyng and his wacky behaviour can be unnerving. Would you believe that he would stuff foreign particles into his nose or ear (maybe to attract my attention)? I've seen him doing this with my own eyes once and I don't doubt that he may have daringly attempted these a few times.

Just about a month ago, Tr O informed me that there's a foreign white particle in Wyng's ear. (Want to guess how Tr O can even explore that part of the anatomy?) I was quite relentless that it's going to be harmless and the foreign particle may just fall off after a while since Wyng didn't complain of any discomfort or ache. Tr O reminded me once again a couple of weeks later whether I should take Wyng to the doctor.

Eventually, I realised I may end up burning a bigger hole in my pocket if I procrastinate taking him to the doctor. What if his ear got infected? The last I want is Wyng's hearing to be affected adversely because of Mommy's over-frugality.

It was an experience for Wyng (and myself and Qo Qo) to visit an ENT specialist for the first time. The long wait for the doctor didn't dampen our anticipatory mood to find out what's residing in Wyng's ear.

A 5-minute treatment by the magical hands of the specialist did just the job. What was cleared off the ear was a piece of hardened tissue compressed into the size of a red bean. Some dark brown wax was removed after that. Nothing serious, of course. And this cost RM83!

Wyng was very cooperative and stayed motionless on the patient bed throughout the procedure. No fretting or complaining. Just a slight 'arghh' when the doctor removed the wax after the tissue.

What followed after the visit was several stern reminders not to insert anything into the ear, nose, mouth or any parts of the body. Refusal to obey will mean a surgery by the doctor (no choice but to introduce this threat).

Their smiles are valueless

This was posted on 2 May 2009 in my previous removed blog. Here is a reposting.

Wyng shyly beamed with joy as he was walking from the gate of his kindy to my car, knowing that Mom has arrived and fetching him home instead of the normal school van which used to ferry him home to Tr O's house. When he got into my car, his happiness is verbalised to a short but the sweetest 'Mummy!'

Hoe flashed happy laughter while chatting happily with his friends with both his arms on shoulders of his friends, walking out of his school to greet Wyng and I who were waiting for him under a tree.

The waiting and the scorching hot sun didn't matter anymore when I saw the glow on their soft red faces. Such sights of joy of my kids (who greet their mom's presence in their school to fetch them home) are priceless. Who can debate this? And I feel blessed that I can enjoy these sights of joy.  If only I brought a camera to capture these priceless 'kids meet mommy' moments!

Have you caught your kid doing crazy things?

I once caught Wyng doing a horrific thing I've never dreamt of.  Hoe had complained to me before that his 'maniac' little brother did this and I didn't believe him because it was rather absurd.

Now, after seeing with my own eyes, I almost shrieked.  Wyng was picking booger from his nose and putting it into his MOUTH!!!!

Curiosity could KILL the cat!

What a lesson to learn that kids can do crazy things just to satisfy their curiosity!

Should I let my teenage son attend more music lessons?

Hoe sat for his Grade 5 practical exam yesterday.  This exam will mark the end of formal piano lessons for him.  After August, there will be no more piano class for him.  Mom can bid goodbye to stress due to constant nagging and reminder to play the piano in preparation for examinations. 

He has been playing the piano since he was six, starting with the Yamaha system which he took until he was eleven. Realising that too much time is spent attending classes jointly with Hoe, Mom decided to switch him to the ABRSM system.  After sacking two teachers, Hoe finally ended up with his current teacher.  With her, he had sat for two practical and theory examinations each. 

The journey to his musical life will no longer be driven by Mom.  He has to decide if he wishes to continue playing the piano.

Training young kids to sleep alone

This was posted on 22 July 2008 in my previous blog.  Here is a reposting.

I recently discovered how my sister trained her kids to sleep alone. Though I find the method too drastic, I am impressed that both my sister and nephews coped with the training stage quite well. I would never be able to do what my sister did.

Her older son was left to sleep alone when he was 1 year old. Going through the normal ritual of reading and saying their prayers, she remembered, as she related the incident to me, walking out of the room and closed the room door when he was still awake. The brave boy didn't give any cry of protest at all. That was how it was done, she recalled.

She did the most cruel (so she said) thing to her younger son. She 'abandoned' him alone in the kid's room when he was just a baby at two months old. She did that because the masterbed was too small to have a baby sleeping with the parents. However, she could also recall checking on him many times each night. Today, she still feels guilty for leaving him to sleep alone at that tender age. Despite this, she is proud that her younger son is much more independent from young.

Kids' rattlings - Rome was built on seven hills

Honestly, my Geography is not my strong subject especially when it comes to European countries.  Neither is History.  Well, there is no excuse for being ignorant, I have to admit.

My niece had just came back from a ten-day trip to Netherlands and she also stayed in Rome for two days.  In a short reunion, Wyng posed a question to her older cousin. 

Wyng : Did you go to the seven hills?
Cousin : Huh? (softly)
Mom : (Thinking very hard in her mind) Huh? What hill?

The usual Wyng babbled on and explained that Rome was built on seven hills.  What do those ignorant ones have to say? Nothing, except but to watch him talk in amazement.  The next thing we asked was where did he get to know about Rome.  Thanks to Mom! It was a book about Rome I bought him. 

What does my kid mean by short term memory loss?

Daddy must have promised to take him to A&W.  As soon as Daddy got into the car, Wyng demanded that Daddy took him there.  When Daddy said, 'Did I say I want to take you there?', Wyng snapped with a 'Short-term memomy loss!'. 

Mom's mind was thinking, 'What's that? Oh, forget. Can't he just say forget?'  He learnt this phrase from a book he read.  Not sure which one. Gotta find out from him.

From that day onwards, he seldom used the word 'forget'.  He prefers to use that phrase. 

How horrendous can Uranus be?

It was a Sunday in March. We were in our car on a highway.  A gigantic billboard caught the kids' attention, 'Mars Needs Moms'.  Wyng then concocted 'Venus Needs Dads' which Mom and Dad thought, 'Yeah,you are creative.'

Listen up what he had to say next. He babbled something about the solar system and mentioned planet Uranus. (Are you ready for this?) Wyng split the word Uranus and pronounced it as two words 'Ur (which he pronounced as 'your') anus'!!

We turned to him.  Daddy was speechless, as usual.  Not wanting to give him so much of attention for saying such horrible thing, I gave him a smack and warned him not to say it again.

Lesson from the kid is they can be creative in the wrong way, at times.

My kid's latest favourite food

Roti tisu (literally called tissue bread) which is available in most mamak stall, is Wyng's latest favourite food.  Because of the sweet and crunchy sugary texture, he falls in love with this delicacy when I ordered it for him.  No longer does he have to stick to his faithful roti telur for his breakfast.

I can foresee that he will be asking for the same old food for a while until he gets bored with it.

He hacked into my computer again

I almost could not believe my eyes.  As soon as I turned on the computer, a Facebook page appeared and the screen looked different to me. Thoughts of my computer being infected with virus started to flash in my mind.  But then, upon closer look, it was my kid's FB wall.  No wonder the screen looked different, Hoe used Google Chrome to open his FB. It's faster, I remember he told me.

I remembered precisely I shut down the computer the night before.  So, no way he could log in using my acoount unless he hacked into my account.  The truth began to surface.  He hacked into his Daddy's computer account, I later discovered.

For control, my husband and I each have an account to access the computer.  I know he must have tried hacking into my account but failed as I don't put any hint (Microsoft allows a hint to be shown when the user forgets his password) knowing fully well that Hoe would 'abuse' it and might try hacking into it.  Daddy unknowingly put a hint which gave Hoe a higher chance of success of hacking.

One weakness of his is he does not log off properly most of the time after using an application.  This was when Mom discovered his 'illegal' antics.  Upon interrogation, he admitted he hacked into it.  There was no remorse shown on his face at all. 

A lesson Mom learnt much earlier is not to put any hint when a password is used.