Sun burnt

I am sun burnt ...my face is hot and red ...and very uncomfortable at the moment. I have applied face cream and lotions just to ease the discomfort ...

This was all due to the fact that I spent the entire day in a scorching hot weather ...it was absolutely boiling and really humid today. I went back to my village to get some photos ...i have been doing research in the area and need the photos for my presentation in 3 weeks time ...but this weekend was the only time I am free ...and dad came with me as well today

me: in action ...at the background is the Kelingkang Range which act as the natural boundary between Malaysia and Indonesia

and the above pic was taken by dad ..we stopped at the roadside ...and I can't get out of the car as there were lots of cars passing at such high speed ..so, dad - who is suffering from gout today - had to limp by the roadside and took this picture for me ...this is a settlement about 15km from our village and located very near to the international border...

I have lots of other interesting photos, all taken today, but as it is nearly 1.30 in the morning, and i am sleepy ..i'll do another posting when my mind is still fresh ...

Al's fascination with water ...

Was browsing the folders of pictures and came across these photos ...taken by Jane when she was here last Dec. Al just loves water ....and he is filling his own mini-pool ...

and, given an opportunity, would be spending a long time in the pool

 

 

I bought this pool for his 2nd birthday last july ...he loves to swim in it ...but lately, I was busy and we didn't have time to do more swimming sessions like this .... but i think, after his experience swimming in a real pool in Damai, he would choose to play in a real swimming pool over this one anytime :-)

biscuit of the month

This is Al's favourite cookies at the moment ...he saw this when we were shopping for grocery ...insisted that I put it in our shopping cart ...

He is such a picky eater ...but at the moment we have to be satisfied with the fact that he would ask for these cookies when he is hungary ..he can eat up to 4 pieces at one sitting, which I guess is better than eating nothing at all ....right?

Bowling

When my faculty asks us to give our names to form bowling teams, I (stupidly - without thinking) put up my name. I join Bemen's team - as we originally thought that you'll play for the team you sign up for ...unfortunately that was not the case ...we are told to train and will be divided based on our handicap ...hahahaha I am hoping I will go to Team 4 as  I know playing in Team 4 is fun - as there will be no pressure for Team 4 to win the competition ....by the way, I only join this event to get marks for my Performance Appraisal for this year ...5% of our performance can come from community engagement and sport activities ...since I am not active in community engagement, am hoping this bowling can help me earn those 5 marks ...pathetic, isn't it?

so last Monday was our first practice session ...we played during lunch hour at the Uni's Bowling Centre ...

the happy face before the practice session ....

and the bowling styles of the pro (p/s Bemen used to play for Penang a long time ago...)

and Elena's style ...

but on the whole we had fun ....and at the same time getting new tips and coaching from Bemen ...

but the winner for the first game was ...surprise, surprise ....

hehehe beginner's luck? or the 4-step formula? Well done Moi ...

and the weary and tired faces after the session ....or was it that we were not looking forward to going back to the office :-)

car wash day

My car was dirty up to the extent that I couldn't stand it anymore...i thought of washing it myself at home, just to give Al the opportunity to play with water hose ...but there were always some obstacles ...like the fact that I got home when it was already dark, or it was raining ...

so, i detoured to the car wash on my way to work today ...and it took them about half and hour to wash the car and vaccum the interrior ...and i am hoping that it wont rain tomorrow so that the car can remain clean till monday :-)

child gate

Ever since Airell has becomes more mobile with his newly acquired skills, we were having trouble trying to keep track of his movement. The biggest worry is about his fascination with the stairs ...i came down the stair on morning to see he climbing the stairs steadily, with my dad huffing and puffing trying to catch him ...i am sure you'll understand how worried we are about the stairs and his antics ...

but fear no more ...last sunday, my mum, Al and I went out and bought a child gate! Al helped my dad assembled the child gate - and Al actually didn't like the gate as well....for one thing, it restricts Al's movement as well ...hehehe so, it is a two in one deterrent... hooray .....

and adik's reaction when he first saw the gate was priceless ...hehehe but he tried his best to find ways to get round the child gate ....but to no avail ...

and he even tried to climb it as the last option ...hehehe...

at least we know adik is persistent by nature ...

Anyway, we find the child gate to be really beneficial. It helps to deter the kids from going up and down the stairs unsupervised. The design itself is also very good, and it is designed in such a way that the only moving part is the gate itself and the rest is sturdy. It is also very easy to assemble - no need to drill the wall or anything ...and i love the fact that it is removable ..meaning we can bring it with us when we go to our rural hideaway ...The one I bought is from Anakku ...and it is a bit pricey. But I know there are other brands out there with different (and lower) price tags ...just that I am in Kuching, and I don't have that much choice in terms of shopping outlets :-(

Adik's new shoes

FINALLY!!!! Now that adik is able to walk, he can wear his shoes ....mummy bought him a pair from Riyadh last Dec and he is yet to try it on ...until yesterday ....

It fits, but his movement was a bit akward ..he is not used to it yet ....
 

 and cannot wait to take it off!!!

I am sure he'll get used to it ...like Al is now ...before this Al would seldom remembers to wear his shoes if he wants to go outside, but now, he always takes his shoes first before heading to the backyard ....and will wait till one of us takes it off before he enter the house again ...just need time and training (i suppose).

Uncle Jugah's visit

During CNY hols, my uncle and his sons came over to visit us. This is my mum's brother - mum is the eldest, and Uncle Jugah is 4th in a family of 7. Although he lives in Kuching, we don't see each other as much as we can, mainly coz of the busy schedule (he's a priest) and the fact that they live in the other side of Kuching ...about one and half hour drive away ...

He is very fond of Al and adik ...he doesn't have any grandchildren yet - his eldest is only 17 years old :-)

But out of all of mum's sibling, this is the one who is closest to us. He always make it a point to visit my mum & dad, call every other week and so on ...when he was younger, he always spent his holiday with us as well ...but one thing that my parents told me about him that i couldn't forget is that ..this uncle of mine used to be my regular babysitter hehehehe ....and he is not strict with me at all hahahaha ....but then again, as the eldest grand daugther, I remembered that all my uncles always spoilt me!

after effects of swimming

I just love this photo ...taken last month when we were in Damai.

Al just got out from the pool, and after showering, he was shivering ...hehehe poor baby. His daddy just wrapped him up in a duvet to stop the chills ...it took a while before he stopped shivering ...even then, that doesn't stop him from wanting to jump into the pool again!

Dad's turn watching after the kids

This was the scene a few nights ago ...

my mum and I were having our dinner in the kitchen, and dad was looking after the kids. He had his dinner earlier, and it is common nowadays that we take turn having dinner so that the kids are not left on their own. Back to the story on hand, apparently he let them play with a basketful of toys so that they would let him watch his soccer match!

The boys were excited, of course, and very content ...but it was like a bomb was dropped in the middle of our living room - my mum's perception of it anyway ....

 

 

see how adik is very oblivious to the mess that they have created? The joy of being young ...

Takeaway dinner

I came back early from work yesterday - perhaps I should rectified that statement - I came home earlier than my usual 7pm yesterday, and took the opportunity to stop and get our takeaway dinner ....

just some satays

and barbequed chicken for me and mum (dad doesn't like chicken that much nowadays) ...

I also bought some vegetables for the weekend ....to save time coz mum would insist that I get up early to babysit if she wants to go to the market ...if i buy something now, at least she wouldn't force me to get up really early ...a matter of survival guys :-)

anyway, I got midin (local ferns) and kubok (also a type of fern for ulam) for us ...the place sells lots of jungle produce ...mushrooms, petai, and all types of umbut ...

 

By the time I am writing this posting, it is raining cats and dogs out there - so, we won't have to go out to the market after all as I have done a bit of shopping yesterday :-)

Missing my friends ...

I came across a cd containing pictures from my Newcastle days ...and it just bring a lot of memories for me ...Summer 2004 was the year that I moved to the Jesmond Road flat..and where I met Naz, and through him I met Chen, Bruce and Yammie ....

We sure had fun that summer ...with our dinner gatherings, impromptu picnics, walks in the parks, various day trips ...I miss them ...so far, I have meet up with Naz and Bruce, but haven't got the chance to see Yammie and Chen yet ...soon, I hope ...

Well, Naz and I are at the same uni - different facilties - and yet, we seldom meet. Both are busy, but one thing I know for sure, if I call him up and ask for a favour - he'll reply in an instant ...a great friend, whom I still owe a lunch treat @ Bella Italia...see, we have been meaning to meet up for lunch, but it never materialise coz both are always busy ...soon, i hope ....

Carrot and Bilis Fritters

Last weekend, I took time off from my busy report writing schedule to make fritters for our tea. I saw my friend's status in FB about him making fritters a few week earlier  and somehow I was salivating thinking about fritters that afternoon ...suffice to say that I haven't had fritters in a while ...

so, I started looking for flour, bilis (or bilis Langkawi as my friend Fendi calls it), and onions ...

at first, I only make the bilis fritters, but when I was taking this photo, I thought it was a tad too boring ...too bland ...colourless ....so, i added shredded carrots ....

see, there is a difference in terms of colours :-)
Satistified with the colour combination, i then proceeded to fry the fritters ....

and it was gone quicker than I fried them!

There you go ...my infrequent stint in the kitchen ...hehehehe

Boys and cars ...

boys will be boys ...and their favourite toys are their cars...all different shapes and sizes, different colours and functions ...the two  kiddos are so engross when playing with their cars ...

can can stay in this positions for hours ....

This yellow mimo is one of al's fav ..he brings this with him when he came to stay with me ...his fav, and even brings this to bed ..sadly, I stepped on this a few months ago ...and now this one is completely broken, cannot be repaired anymore ..i have promised him i will get a new one for him ..in Penang ...coz i cannot find a nice one here!!!

and this is another favourite ...he already had 3 ...yes 3 of this model ...the first one was bought by daddy when they were still in KL ...and it was damaged by the constant bashing against the doors, walls etc ..coz he cant control the speed (it is a remote control car by the way) ...then last sept, daddy bought him the exact same one...from the same shop in KL ...that only lasted till Nov ..and as his Xmas present, daddy got him another one ...and now, it is no longer remote operated coz al damaged the remote control mechanism ...heheheh...

and adik just loves to play with any cars ...he doesn't have favourite just yet ...

Work & Having Fun

the last few weeks when we were not so busy, we were having quite a lot of fun @ work ..not worrying about the reports coz the datelines are still far away ...so, what did we do??? hehehe taking pictures and posing here and there in the offices ..that's what we did!!!

these two are my close friends at work ...we are the three amois ...hehehehe

and this is the only guy in our group, Bemen Wong, who is also our lunch partner hehehe he'll call me everyday @ 11.30 for lunch. Since he came back from Adelaide, my lunch hour is more routine compared to before ...

and the Moi in green, seldom go to lunch with us ..she is a vegetarian, while her other friends are carnivours!!!