New Necessities

During this water rationing period, I realize these have become the necessities in the house. In case you don't know, I have 6 children and 2 adults to look after, so no water can be quite disastrous.
But thank God it's still manageable so far. Phew!

1. Large packs of Spritzer (5 packs to be exact)
I refill them with espring water (Amway water filter) every time the water supply is back. 5 packs of 9L water is usually enough for 2 days.

2. Baby wipes
I know I know.. we need to go green. But please just excuse me for this season. I need to stay sane. It's to wipe the kids, to wipe the spill, to wipe my hands after every diaper change, to remove make-up ... well basically everything.



3. Buds' Nappy Time Rinse Free Cleanser
Usually I rinse the kids' bumbum instead of just using the wipes, but since there's no water supply, this nappy cleanser comes in handy. *wink*

4. Disposable foam food containers and disposable spoons
I only use these for my family though. I'm still using proper bowls and spoons to feed the children I'm babysitting. Well, at least I reduce the need to wash those plates and spoons.

5. Glass containers

So I bought these glass containers to store our lunch and dinner. Basically I cook a big pot of dish that can last for 3 days ... Therefore 3 containers. Usually 1 will go to the fridge (to be consumed the next day) and 2 containers go into the freezer. So yeah quite pity the kids actually, they have to eat the same dish for 3 days in a row. Oh well, probably it can be a good time to teach them to be thankful for whatever food we have :D




6. Pails of Water (Duh??!)
I have 5 pails of water downstairs, and 2 big ones upstairs... Yeap usually enough for 1 day. And another day using water from the "tangki".









Oh!! now that it's raining outside, probably I should store some rain water for toilet use eh???

BYE!

A Lil Update

It's been pretty long since I last blogged. I think once you lose the momentum, it's hard to gain it back. 

So, let me share a little about what's happening in the family lately. 

Keira is turning 4 next week. How time flies. It's weird, cos she has finished the whole year of school, holiday has started and next year, she's moving on to class level 5, but she's just about to celebrate her 4th birthday Haha... Anyway, this time round, she wants a little mermaid birthday cake. It's gonna be a small party, she picked the guests, of course mostly are her own friends (and their parents). If I start inviting my friends, then the list will go on and on (just like last year), so I've decided to only invite those she mentioned. So if you're not invited, please don't take it personally, I really feel like inviting all our close friends, but the place we booked is pretty small and we've decided to let it be "her" party.

Caedy is now 3months and 2 weeks. Let's just say, she knows what she wants. And she wants to be carried most of the time *duuhhh*. My breastfeeding journey has been amazing, so far so good, even though there are times that I have zero supply in the fridge, but I did manage to replenish them. *yeehahh!*

Keith and I have been planning on our 2013 holiday. That time, Caedy will be 8 or 9 months, so I might need to start introducing formula to her then. I feel kinda sentimental thinking about it. I think it happens to most breastfeeding moms. There's this emo moment when we want to wean the baby. We'll see how. 

to all mommies, remember to cherish the present moment, don't sweat the small stuff, observe your children, be quick to embrace and ... enjoy mothering. 

Reminder to be Grateful

Honestly, I didn't know what to write. Nothing much happened... It's a period of waiting I would say. Waiting for the completion of our house renovation, waiting to go back to JB and Indonesia to celebrate MIL's birthday and my best friend's wedding, waiting for my sister's graduation in Nov, waiting for the right moment to get pregnant LOL....

Seriously, i think nobody likes to get pregnant as much as me. But well, it's not time to talk about this.

Back to the main topic, it's time to remember some people that have really love me for who I am, OR the people that have really make my life simpler, easier and more enjoyable. As I've said, it's a period of waiting, nothing much happened, so.. I guess it's important to remind myself of the good things that I have always had.

First of all, Auntie Linda.

Yes... She is like an angel to me HAHA... She has always offered to look after Keira on Saturday afternoon when Keith and I need to go to the church. She's such a great helper. Few times, we drop Keira in her house during her off-days when we need to buy groceries, watch movie, run some errand or anything at all. Seeing Keira stick to her assures me that she loves her just like how I love her (or maybe just a little lesser :P).

My parents.

Yeah... they always told me Keira is too skinny, I need to eat vitamins, dont wear high heels... Sometimes they are still a bit naggy BUT it doesn't matter. If it's not because of them, I think I will be struggling emotionally and financially.

My sisters and Chintia.

You know, the type of friends where you can just be who you are, or say anything... when you are together, you don't have to make sure they are OK, or to make sure they wont be bored, etc etc... My dearest sisters that I will forever cherish.

My brother.

Even if he is in KL, and I need someone to send me to somewhere, he will come. If I haven't had my dinner, he will tapao for me.

Gillian.

She listened to my complaints many times :P and most of Keira's clothes are from her (You want me to take care of Khye Khye?, I can quit my job and do it just for you LOL...)

Lastly but importantly, my hubby and Keira.

Ahhh.... life is just more beautiful when they are around. Enough to say.

Of course there are still many kind, nice, great and wonderful people that I know... but these are the people that have directly & personally add beautiful colors in my life.

I thank God for all of you.

Updates about LIFE

1. Keira is able to communicate well nowadays. Here's a lil update about her:

- when i lie down on her pillow, she said "excuse me mommy" (then adjust her pillow) and then "ok.. mommy sleep sleep"

- she always says things like "go away!", "eeeeee... (or yucksssss)... dirtttyyyyy......", "mommy... do..." "mommy sit sit..." "mommy play" "mommy dance" "mommy eat" "mommy jump" "mommy sing" "mommy let's go" "mommy open door" "mommy sleep" "mommy pleaseeeeeeeee" "mommy take" "mommy put back" "mommy NOOO" "mommy come" "mommy quick quick" "mommy NAUGHTY" "mommy, cannot open" (when she's struggling to open something), etc.....

- she still lovessssss to sing

- she is learning to eat with spoon, and she did quite well for the first 2 times :)

- she loves to watch "cloudy with a chance of meatballs" and she has been watching it for at least 4x now.

- she loves to go to Auntie Linda's house cos she is looking after another 2 babies, and Keira loves them :)

- when she saw Andrew, she asked "Wendy where?", when saw her Jiu Jiu "Pek Ee where?", saw poh poh "kong kong where?"

- she loves drawing & playing with stickers too.

-whenever i let her wear any accessories, she will say "picture picture". Basically she wants me to take her pictures!!!

- she used to pull out all her DVDs, nowadays she put them back :)

- she likes to see birds ... oh and cats... and dogs.. ^^

2. Can't wait to move to our new house. I'm excited to just imagine living there... woohoo....

3. Auntie Flora, Auntie Tina and Nathan just came to visit together with Mama. I love them. Bought Samantha & Joshua mini J.co Donuts :)

4. I have been losing my keys, pens or else misplacing my bible, phone, etc... sO i'm determined to make things better. Bought a bible cover that i can put my bible, notebook, pen, offering envelope and other stuff that I need every weekend. Going to buy a small pouch to put all my keys too!

5. Keith is in the US now. He spent his 31st birthday there, well.. gonna have late celebration with him for sure :) I thank God for him everyday!

6, Keira is having cough and flu again. Am gonna buy some herbs and boil for her tomorrow. It's some chinese meds recommended by Ms. Chew, my vocal teacher.

7. I can't wait to have my 2nd child, but.... it's not an ideal time. Will probably have him/her in 2012. I have already chosen names :D

I think that's all for now...

Cheers!

Motherhood - The Voice Within

I watch this movie "Motherhood" first thing I woke up on Monday. Well, it's my off day.

After watching it, I think I should be grateful that I have a job but somehow I still want to be a housewife. Or maybe I should say I want to have a part time or a home based job, at the same time I can spend much time with my daughter (and children in the future). Maybe Keith is right, I grew up in a place where moms stay at home, so that's why.

Sometimes, I'm wondering what would it be if I'm working in an office. You know, a real office. After graduating, I have never worked in an office, it has always been in a store; namely boutique and bookstore.

How come?

Then, if I think back again, why had I chosen business instead of engineering course? I had always been a science student, I loved math and physics, yes I really DO love physics.

I envy ambitious people, I envy those that have found their "dream jobs".
Well, I am not saying my job is miserable now, well yeah a bit... but again just like what Larry Winget says "your success is your own damn fault". So even if I don't love the job, I have to do my best (and I do realize I haven't given my best).

WELL, my whole point is... I do once in a while think back of "what would have happened if..." , "how i wish i have..." , or "how good will it be if..." but then reality hits me. so yeah, GET A LIFE! My life is good. God has given me great things in life. I have a wonderful family, loving husband and adorable daughter. I belong to a great church. I have a good boss and lovely friends & colleagues. I live in a decent house. So yeah this is reality. Get back to WORK and do whatever I need to do.

Cheers,
JJ

Life Updates

Needless to say, it has been so long since I last blogged. Honestly, i felt lazy to continue it. But as read back my past blogs, it reminded me on so many precious moments and things that i wont want to forget.

So here I am again! :D

We are now planning to sell our current house so that we can move to a bigger house. We are staying in 4th floor, and there is no lift in our apartment. So... basically I carry Keira up and down everyday + I have to carry my bag and sometimes Keira's diaper bag if Keith has to go home later than me. Oh i haven't included my laptop yet! oh and the high heels that I always wear. :P

I have always loved landed house! We are aiming for SS16, SS17, SS18 or SS19, even though I also like Setia Alam. So yeah, if you know any "move in condition" unit, please let me know yeah!

As for Keira ler, she has been more and more funny nowadays. One night, she woke up at the middle of the night, we were all sleeping, and she got up, poked Keith's face and said "Papa.... Caaaahhh!" and then continued to sleep instantly!!! She was soooo playful and i think she was half awake only.

She is quite quick tempered and stubborn and selfish and cheeky and naughty and... you name it! well it's very common for 18months active creature i guess. she wants means.... SHE WANTS! She wouldn't let us watch our TV channel, she just wanted her cartoon or veggietales! but yeah I won't give in! Gotta train her man!

She loves to eat rice with soup too! :)

Nowadays she likes to sing "Liang Ji Lau Hu", "Satu-satu", "Cicak-cicak", "whose afraid of that big bad wolf", "I love you", "Potong bebek angsa" LOL... I think those are her latest fav songs!

In less than 2 months, I'll be off to UK and Paris, definitely will miss her very much.

Oh ya, I just bought 3 books: Larry Winget's The Idiot Factor & It's called Work for a reason (cos i think i really need to love my job and buck up!!!!) and also Find your strongest life by Marcus Buckingham. It's international bestseller, so I couldn't resist!

Alright, that's all for now...
Ciaoooooo....

Excited for 2010 - More to Come

Wahhh...

It has been so long since I last blogged about myself... It has always been updates about Keira & Keira & Keira!

She is super cute nowadays... oh wait... I'm supposed to write something else...

Ya you can read from the title.. I'm excited for what's coming...

First of all, Jilly is coming back to Malaysia for a month!!! YAY.... :) Can't wait to see you Jill .. and Thea of course! LOL I'm gonna bribe her with food, i hope it will work...oh I mean I'm gonna bribe Thea, not Jilly.

Keith has graduated from his course and he is gonna get his Master of Theology! and guess what, the ceremony will be in London!!! Soooooooooo London here I come!!!!

UK is my dream country. The Big Ben is in my top list of places to visit! Of course we will take a train to drop by Paris. Heny told me it' s a place every woman lovessss... so I wanna go and see if she's right LOL! >.<

Oh man, my heart is beating fast even when I'm typing this. I'm sooo excited.

Other than that, one of my best friends is getting married in October. She got attached like 9 or 10 years ago with the same guy, and the day they got attached was on my birthday. And this year, they are getting married on Oct 7, which is the date where I got attached with Keith. Wuahhhh..... Hahaha... see... we are so best friends :P

Another good friend of mine is going to give birth to her first baby! oh man... am I excited or what?

I told you before, i love weddings, preggers and newborn babies... oh now I wanna add.. I love travelling too :P

Another thing that i'm so happy about... I made new friends last week.. 4 of them - Audrey, Angeline, Lawrence & CP! They are fun people! Can't wait to know them more... also, I met up with June, my ex-classmate in CIMP. We hadn't met each other for 5 years! I really cherish the friendship!

Hmmm... OK, I can't remember what else I wanna write. I continue my work first, I'll come back to this later. *he he he*

Life is good!

That One Particular Ambition...

If I honestly ask myself, what have ever crossed my mind when it comes to dreams and ambitions?Well, I have been changing my "dreams" for so many times. Sometimes, I thought I wanted to be a homemaker, sometimes... I thought maybe I liked to sing, the other time, I thought I wanted to own a business, some other times, I thought I just wanted to support my hubby in whatever he wanted to do...

But yesterday before I slept, something came across my mind, something that had consistently excited me. I was imagining myself looking after babies and talking to pregnant mommies and I dont know why, out of the blue... I checked my friendster account (I think i have never heard of friendster for almost a year) and in my profile I wrote I wanted to have a day care centre.

And that was exactly what I wanted to do when I finished my pre-U. But because my parents didn't allow me to study in Montessori, I forgot about it.

When it comes to helping pregnant mommies or mommies with babies, I am full of passion!

Aiks OK, Keira is bugging me now... got to go....

[to be continued]

Hanoi Trip

I just came back from the staff retreat in Hanoi... At first, I imagined about the beach or at least a place like Taiwan... but surprisingly it's almost like Medan T.T just that the weather was cold...

The traffic was crazy, there was no one way street i guess. the motorbikes and cars came from all directions. People were walking on the street in the midsts of the bikes, it was scarier than Medan.

This is the furthest trip Keira had ever been so far. She enjoyed the weather, she loved cold weather. I loved bringing her around too... she was such an angel when we were on the plane to Hanoi, but when we travelled back, she was so restless and she wanted to play with Eitan all the time!

In the whole trip, she refused to sleep. She wanted to go out. She loved to play with Tan Tan.. She called him Tay Tay... and Tan Tan will say "No.. it's Tan Tan! not Tay Tay!" LOL... I took the opportunity to let Keira wear the bee and ladybug costumes that I bought in Taiwan last Dec.

It would be the last time Keira wore the bee costume, cos it was a lil bit too small d...

It's a good year to start with :) Now it's time to work hard before Chinese New Year comes.

2nd trip without Keira - KOREA

this is my last day in korea...

it's a great experience. first time in korea. first time in a snowy country. first time being defeated by weather. first time waking up at 3.30am to attend morning prayer meeting.

... the snow that covered the branches of the trees..... snow on the xmas tree.... snow on the streets... and on the rooftop... snow falling from the sky... oh i so love the view... and btw it was snowing so heavily when we landed. it has never snowed like this in korea in at least 100 years.

the main purpose of this trip is to visit yoido full gospel church. we attended their morning prayer meeting, mid-week service, and we are supposed to visit few places like their tv station, the hansei university etc... but i only managed to visit the prayer mountain. the reason is... sigh... i'm sick throughout the trip! i had terrible flu one day before flying to korea. and it got worse here cos of the weather.

it's so amazing how the members of the church love to pray. they can spend hours to just pray! personally, i know i have to buck up! it's a wonderful thing that i've seen with my own eyes. the weather is about -10 to -16 degree in the morning, but the hall is packed with people. oh btw, the hall has the capacity of thousands of ppl.

i got nosebleed the night after i came back from the prayer mountain, it was so bad, there was blood all over the bed sheet. scary. so... i stayed in the room most of the time during 2nd and 3rd day.

i still wanna come back here, probably during autumn or spring? do you know that my dream is to go to UK and see the Big Ben! anyway, i wish i can say next week i'm going to UK but... next week we'll be flying to Hanoi for staff retreat (hanoi is also a good place la hor?). this time round i'll bring keira along, hopefully she wont be fussy during the flight...

alright! i think it's time to say good night, we'll leave to airport at 8am tomorrow. bye bye Korea!!

Anger Management

i feel unhappy. angry. dissatisfied.

almost exploded.

but then, i thought of a line i wrote from a book yday.

before you do or say anything, think "what is your intention?"

if you explode, can it fulfill your intention?

is it gonna benefit you and others?

if no, probably you should calm down and think about it again.

anyway...

i'm glad i didn't explode, cos it would be way too silly, too irresponsible, too childish...

*breathe in..........*

*breathe out........*

life moves on!!

Back in Malaysia

It was my first time going to Taiwan and Hong Kong. At first, i thought Taiwan was much nicer than HK, but after I'm back in Msia, somehow I felt I like both countries, mainly because of the weather.

We ate a lot, well... not true... "I" ate a lot :P Pst Garrick brought us to many places, a shopping place called wu fen pu, taipei 101, dam sui, xi men ding and few other places. (pardon me if the spelling is wrong). Food was great but the chou dou fu was a "no no", the smell was yucky... lol...

Jerry (the guy at the right next to Pst Garrick) was driving us around in Taiwan, he is like our Colin Ong in Malaysia, a very funny guy. There's another girl called Anna, she was the one who took the pic, so she isn't in the photo. She is a nice and pretty lady :) A person that is full of courage and passion for God. Wonderful people.

Of course we weren't there for a vacation only. Keith was preaching in Grace Church on the weekend. The church was fun. The people were very energetic and enthusiastic. They are having a BIG month - iMac (everyone got a free McD burger), iStyle (design competition), iChristmas and iVIP. I believe with such willing and teachable congregations, the church will grow and do great things in their community.

I spent my 25th birthday in Hong Kong, nothing much... had a great and yummy lunch & dinner with my relatives. They brought us to few tourist places, but it was raining, so didn't manage to see the whole HK from the mountain peak. But it was still fun :)

We didn't bring Keira with us during the trip. I really missed her a lot. Thanks to all the friends that have visited her in auntie Linda's house.

Well, overall... it was a great trip.

After leaving Keira with Auntie Linda for 1 week, i think she has grown a lot. She learns quite a lot of new stuff, and she is learning very fast now :) she is so adorable and manja.... She has become more and more lovely and sweet... love her so much!

Oh btw, few of the CGs bought me a DKNY watch for my bday. It's very very nice. Love it to the max. ^^

....

the heart is willing but the flesh is weak...

i want to blog abt my taiwan and hk trip, but kinda tired and sleepy now....

and you know... it takes time to upload those pics...

so tomorrow night la... i still have a wedding rehearsal to conduct tmrw morning...

i better write something before the 2 powerful girls complain abt me not updating my blog :P LOL... right right?? whoever they are......... :D

so.. hushhh... good night.. sleep tight... dont let the bed bugs bite!

Separation Anxiety

No.. not Keira. but me.

I couldn't sleep well, I kept thinking about my Taiwan & HK trip this Thursday. I'm gonna leave Keira with auntie Linda. Suddenly I dont feel like going anymore. :(

I'm gonna miss her so much...

Wooohhooooo and Phheewwww

Yo!

Emerge Rising is coming... Our youth event in KL.

(www.emergekl.my)

Everyone is very busy in the office. *pheewwwww*

For a moment, I felt so lost, I didn't know what to do... cos there were so many things on the plate...

But it's all good! *woohoooooooo*

After the busy weekend, we'll have Keira's 1st birthday party on Monday.

And Tues and Wed will be our OFF days... *woohooo*

It's great! I can't wait to bring my mom out...

she will help me look after Keira during the weekend..

I hope Keira will be a good girl,

well... i shouldn't expect too much from her... afterall, she is just a toddler now... right? *phewww*

Indonesian Food

i'm not sure how many you like indonesian food.

i personally luuuuurrveeeee indon food... duhhh... i'm from indo...

but really the food is so tasty and spicy.

i found a new restaurant in Subang Parade, it's called Sari Ratu...

the food.... yummmy... cannot be described....

simply delicious...

2 thumbs up!!

(this pic is not taken in the restaurant, i took it from google :P)

the price is a lil bit expensive. around RM20/person.

i felt like i'm back in indonesia when eating there...........

*yumm yumm*

future ahead

2010 is coming... i'm excited.

both keith and i are thinking and planning. we aim to move to our 2nd house next year. with God's grace, we pray that both of us can save enough money to move out. our current house is definitely too small.

saving money is a big issue for me. LOL. unlike many mothers, i'm not good in saving. it's time to BUCK UP!

i really need wisdom to live a better life.

i'm not sure how many ppl know that i'm actually dreaming to be a housewife ;) yeah not many ppl knew that... but to really think abt it, what am i gonna do when keira starts school? i wish i'm like jilly, who knows what she really likes to do, just look at the cards she makes. i really dont mind staying at home doing what i like to do.

i have been asking myself for VERY LONG, what do i like to do?

and i do not know.

i like doing many things i.e. singing, cooking, reading parenting books, looking after keira *lol* but i'm not up to the standard where i can teach singing or opening a restaurant or babysit others' kids.

so...

in other words, i just want to write to remember.. that working is good for me. pastor kevin just taught the church, in order to discover our destiny, we need to WORK!

God i surrender my future into your mighty hands...

Finally... After 1 Year

I still remember, a year ago, during my confinement, I was craving for Nokia 5800 Xpress Music, but I never bought it... You know.. when you keep postponing, at the end of the day, you wont feel like buying already.

So this time round, I refused to wait and postpone cos I knew what would happen if I waited and reconsidered :P

So this is what i've bought for myself:

Blackberry Curve 8900, known as Blackberry Javelin

I know i know.. some of you might ask, why not BB bold?

This is the only BB that is kinda feminine :P

I asked Adam if there's any other color... white? red? pink also can la... LOL but sadly, there's no colorful blackberry around yet! I heard BB bold white color is coming out soon though, but still the size is too big for me. :)

So far i'm enjoying the phone. esp the blackberry messenger. love it to the max!

4-5 Oct '09

Looking forward for the next trip!

keira was singing along with the 3 bears...

After So Long...

Hmm.. let me count, the last time I went to somewhere out of town for vacation was....... i mean really just went to do nothing...... was.... during my honeymoon???

After Keira arrived, I had never arranged any trip to anywhere unless it was necessary, ie chinese new year or family related events. but this time round, we went to Genting highland (and Keith just planned it 3-4 days before) just to do NOTHING and to relax and to refresh ourselves. It was not as tough and complicated as we thought. Keira was very easy to be taken care. She was so obedient throughout the journey. We really almost did nothing but to play and relax (of course there was still a lil bit of works here and there) but I can say I enjoyed it :)

Keira loved the weather there, she slept for almost... hmmm.. 10 hours!

Oh in case you haven't known, she has been sleeping thru the nights for almost 2-3 weeks now. I know I know some of you envied me... LOL... I didn't do anything actually, she JUST slept thru! Thank God!!! :P

Well... photos will be uploaded soon yeah! but for now, I just write down whatever i remember, if i wait til i have the pics, probably i've forgotten most of the things i'm gonna write now.

Btw we went there with Sam and Eunice :) a wonderful couple that just got married for almost 1 month. And we met up with Ooi, Yen Fen and cheeky Dylan there. On Sunday afternoon, after the check-in, we head off for dinner (yeah we reached quite late), then we took those trains (whatever they were called) that toured around the mall. Keira loved it! Didn't do much after that, just walked around the mall, enjoying the windy and cooling night. The next day, I woke up before 8am expecting Keira to wake up soon, but because the weather was pretty cold, she slept til 9:30am.

We spent about an hour or two and played ... hmm.. we called it "time-zone" game back in Indo. what do you call here? Basically you put in some coins and you start to play the games. Honestly, it was quite fun but tiring as well, cos we forgot to bring Keira's stroller, so we took turn to carry her. At the end, we exchanged all the tickets we won with one towel for Keira and one children book for teacher Eunice ;)

when we reached KL, we went to Segambut and ate the tomyam. It was usually very very very delicious (hot spicy sour and sweaty... oops I mean the food was spicy and sour but the one who's eating would be sweaty), but probably because we went right before they closed, the soup wasn't as fresh anymore. So it was quite disappointing. In case you don't know, inside the soup, they put lots of big prawns, scallops, oysters, fish, squids and clams. *yummy* I used to crave for the tomyam btw. but this time round... *sigh*

Anyway, we had a GREAT weekend ^^ something that we should do every now and then I guess.

I know it's a long blog, so probably I should write another separate blog to update you about Keira. Cos she has grown so much, and there are just so many things I have to tell you HAHA...

Photos coming up soon yeah :)

Erin, wonder if you're reading this blog? ahaha... see i've updated my blog!