A late night movie

Believe it or not, yesterday was my first late night movie since about 10 years ago. I cannot even remember who I went with a decade back, only that he is not hubby. ;) After putting Shen Liang to sleep, hubby and I went for the super long movie, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. It is a sci-fi guy-movie, of course, but the Transformers are already an interest to me since my school days as I watched the cartoon versions together with my bro. We are indeed great fans.



I am not sure about your place, but the thing with late night movies here is, hubby and I felt really ancient. It seemed like we were the two oldest folks in the cinema. When we found our seats, we noticed people around us (and since this is Transformers, 90% of them are guys), were throwing popcorn at one another, showing off their latest software/songs/videos/games on their phones, giving childish comments while the cinema ads were playing, and etc etc etc. Well, to notice these, surely, we have gotten old. :(

I am not going to give a review of the movie, since every movie to me is GGGRRRREAT... yeah... so movie deprived that I am. But I must say, it is a great two and a half hours. It got my blood pumping so hard that, after arriving home at 2.00am, I was still in good spirits to read a few chapters of my novel.

Is this called A POTTY SUCCESS?

Today is the fifth day Shen Liang does his poopy business on the toilet bowl. How was the progress? Lets see...

2-Jul (Thu) Upon waking up, he pointed to his buttock and say, "Poo." Joann quickly put him on the toilet bowl, and he proceeded to do his business.

3-Jul (Fri) He did the same, but the damage has already been done. Still, we applaud him for telling us.

4-Jul (Sat) Without asking him, or having him alerting us, immediately after his morning milk, Joann put him on the toilet seat. He does not struggle to get away anymore, nor did he scream and fuss. After a couple of minutes, we heard the distinctive PLOP!

5-Jul (Sun) Again, Joann put him on the toilet seat just like the day before. He pointed to the seat and said, "Poo." And immediately proceeded with his poopy business. I think at this point, he already realised the toilet bowl so for pooping.

6-Jul (Mon) Same thing!

7-Jul (Tue) Same thing!

8-Jul (Wed) SAME THING! YIPPEE!

This is a most difficult journey for us, picking up poo, washing poo, smelling poo, everything poo... he pooped in my closet, he pooped in my office, he pooped at my client's master bedroom, he pooped everywhere! We have changed like, three to four different potties, from the simple RM0.80 potty to the RM145.00 Fisher Price's Royal Potty, and all unused. In the end, he settled for the cushioned toilet seat, which I am relieved too, since it will be easier to pack with us when travelling, as I don't think the sight of hauling a potty with us up a plane appeals, eh?

My little assistant

It was closing time yesterday, my assistant has left, Joann was busy tidying up for the day. A couple came in, but I was on the phone with a client. But guess what? While they were taking a seat to wait for me, Shen Liang went to the cabinet where I keep all my product literatures, looked around, found the one I usually use, and gave it to the couple. They were surprised, and of course, so were we. The guy told him, "You clever boy, helping your mummy at work!" With that, Shen Liang put on a very smug face, absolutely proud of himself, all the way home.

An exciting progress!

This morning, before his bath, Shen Liang pointed to his buttocks and said, "Poo, poo." Joann took him to the toilet, as soon as his butt touches his toilet seat, his business began and ended in just a couple of minutes, when he gestured with his hands that tells us, NO MORE. We are excited! We are joyful! We are ecstatic! WOOO HOOO!

Please... please... please... pretty please let this be permanent!

My 2-YR-OLD: Everything physical

Height: 89cm / 2.9feet
Weight: 15kg / 33lbs

What can I say? We are all near terminal exhaustion. I am sure all parents of two-year-olds will agree with me when I say we need the energy of a marathon runner to catch up with them. Let's see what this little guy can do...

Since half a year ago, Shen Liang is already going up and down the stairs very comfortably on his own, WITHOUT the aid of railings, and now, not even touching the wall for balance. Six months ago we were very nervous and always making sure one of us is with him when he attempts the stairs. Now, well, although we still follow him up and down, we do not expire from panic anymore if he does that on his own. Sometimes, I even let him help me carry a few light items. He likes to think he is a big boy now, and doesn't want our escort.

He can lift stuff more than half his weight! Amazing! Of course this does not happen often, but when he sees something he wants, he can be very stubborn, just like his daddy.

Feeding himself, very satisfied with his performance. We seldom need to cut noodles and spaghetti into short pieces now, he can chew them properly before swallowing. At the moment, what he cannot chew (eg. highly fibrous fruits and vege, bacon fats) he will spit out.

As like feeding himself soup, he can now recognise some stuff are liquid, hence can spill. His levelling skill is astounding for his age. From a full bowl of soup to a glass of water to a small full teaspoon of Milo, he can carry them across the room without spilling a drop.

When it comes to drinking, he recently able to differentiate a cup with straw which he doesn't need to lift up, and a cup without straw. He likes to be like his daddy and drink from huge bottles, and he also likes to be like his mummy drinking from a porcelain mug.



He is still very TV deprived, ha-ha-ha. So, on a Sunday afternoon, this is usually what you will expect... a couch potato wannabe.



But not long enough for us to do chores around the house efficiently, his sitting still time does not exceen 15 minutes.

Swimming... to him, is anything related to having fun with loads and loads of water. Including this.



Our club swimming coach is more than ready to take him in, but we are still sitting on the decision as he is not taking instructions well at the moment.

While many kids his age are singing along with programs like Barney, Shen Liang prefers to dance along. He likes us to join him when he dances and he also likes us twirlling him until he gets dizzy. Then he will attempt to walk a straight line, and will expire from laughter when he can't.

Shen Liang's copycat nature extends all the way to joining us in household chores, gardening, cooking, doing laundry, cleaning cars, etc. He can be a darling when he doesn't make a twister mess.

Toilet training updates, well, he is good with the wee-wee but not the poopy business. We are still persevering. Sigh! But the improvement is he will tell us, but after he has finished his business, and he now feel disgusted and will walk to us with his feet very far apart, asking to be cleaned.

Although he has a lot of energy in him, he figured out early in life that not everything can be settled with brute force. The most recent example involved us closing him in the toilet to teach him a lesson not to play in there. He was able to reach the door handle, but not tall enough to project enough force into lowering it all the way down to open the door from inside the toilet, as the floor in there is a couple of inches lower. He banged the door and screamed at first. But after a couple of minutes, knowing no help was on the way, he quieted. He stayed quiet for the next few minutes. When we were about to give in, he opened the door, standing on his wee-wee stepping stool.

And I discovered this yesterday, HE CAN TAKE OFF HIS CLOTHING ON HIS OWN! Including pull over shirts. I was busy with some tasks, he wanted a shower. I asked him to wait, but he cannot because he was HOT HOT. When I turned around, he was already butt naked walking into the bathroom and turned on the shower!

A dilemma

It is indeed a speculation or rather, a superstitious believe, for the Chinese that it is not auspicious to announce one's pregnancy before the first trimester. Well, I was not made aware of this fact, so, my joy of pregnancy was shared among many at an early stage, since I am a person of little secrets.

OK, so what is the dilemma?

Since many do not announce their pregnancy, what do you do when you see a friend you haven't seen for some time, not that close enough to warrant a direct query, and noticed something like a baby bum or worse yet, a well endowed belly? Would you...

1. Ask whether she is pregnant, then proceed to congratulate her? Bearing the fact that she might not be pregnant, but just merely put on A LOT of weight, then it would be insulting, wouldn't it?

2. Not comment anything but run the risk of the friend thinking you are ignorant, non-observant, or a related behaviour?

I have been in this situation twice, and twice I assumed wrong, and hence ended up in a most embarassing situation. Aaaaargh! This is so vexing...

A tunnel!

Cousin Jacy gave Shen Liang a tunnel. And, of course, it goes into my office. Shen Liang is enjoying the tunnel very much!

Here, he's creating a nest, pulling in some of his favorite things.



When we asked him to come out for lunch, he pretends he is sleeping in there.


He can stay in there all day. The last time I checked, there were some raisins, cup of water and his Mr. Bear.


Thanks cousie!

My 2-YR-OLD: Culinary preferences

We were at McDonald's. At the line, kids were busy choosing their Happy Meals. They were ever so excited with the crunchy nuggets, succulent burgers, etc. Parents now, we also got Shen Liang a Happy Meal of chicken nuggets, the only set that he doesn't need help consuming. When we gave him the nugget, after one bite, he spit out. Yish! How can a kid refuse a yummy nugget?! Aaaaargh!

My kid does not like meat. He doesn't like delightful sausages, juicy bacon nor delectable ham.

But he is not exactly a vegetable fan either.

What does he like? HE IS A CARB PERSON! He can eat huge bowls of plain rice, plain porridge, plain noodles and plain oats. Can you ever believe this?! I shudder at the thought of eating even a few spoons of plain rice!

Shen Liang is also a pastry person. He likes cakes most of all. Then bread, pies, biscuits, tarts and pancakes. However, they must not be too sweet, else he will spit them all out too. Super aaaaaargh!

As for vegetables, he likes them all soft boiled. Lazy chewer, he is. His favourite is soft boiled carrots, especially when cooked with his macaroni with the whole 'ABC' entourage.

Curry is still his all time favourite. When we eat out, if we order curry, he must insist we put the curry sauce onto his plain rice. He also loves curry noodles and the all time favourite is the RM1-packet-nasi-lemak. He can finish the whole packet.



He loves fruits, all types of fruits, except durian. How can anyone don't like DURIAN?!

As for drinks, his main source of fluid is plain water. He now drinks more than one litre a day. He also loves ALL sorts of other drinks, including super-bitter-black-coffee (his Ah-Koo's favorite) and the horrid pink paraceptamol syrup (and all sorts of other medic-syrups), eiks!

His likes are VERY strange!

Car registration lettering in Malaysia

Following my journey of discovery to the peninsular east coast, my research is now complete. So, here's a list to share with you guys.

A - Perak
B - Selangor
C - Pahang
D - Kelantan
H - Taxi
J - Johor
K - Kedah
L - Labuan
M - Melaka
N - Negeri Sembilan
P - Penang
Q - Sarawak
R - Perlis
S - Sabah
T - Terengganu
W - Wilayah Persekutuan
Z - Military

Did I left any out?

Shen Liang's Birthday Mini Bash

What more would kids crave apart from the playground? And since children of you lot enjoy energetic activities, we decided to throw a mini bash at our local swimming club's playground. We had to do it in secret because parties are not allowed at the playground area. ;)



We ordered mostly finger food - sausages, sandwiches, fries, etc. - and also the all important yummy, juicy, fresh mango cake, Shen Liang's favourite, from JJ Cakes, of course.

Adults get to sit around and catch up while the children proceeded at full force to the play area.



Erm... they even invaded the tennis courts.



More pics here.

An East Coast road trip

Do you know, although Malaysia is a rather small country, the majority of Malaysians who resided at the peninsular west coast, have never ventured to the east. If not because of hubby's job, well, we might be one of them. Hubby travels to the east coast from time to time. He recently received several commissions for his new venture in landscaping (here are some of his works), and off we went to visit potential sites. If you are not familiar with the geography of peninsular Malaysia, well, let me tell you, it has a rather mountainous center, making it difficult to commute between the two coasts.

Hubby warned me of a long, winding and bumpy journey. We took the North South Highway from Ipoh and very soon, exited from Kuala Kangsar. Then it is trunk road all the way.



Shen Liang's longest journey in the car was only approximately three hours, from Ipoh to Alor Setar. From Ipoh to Kota Bharu takes more than five hours! Well, one thing with road trips is that, we can pack as much as we like. Therefore, there were plenty of snacks, a dozen bottles of water and Shen Liang's many books and flash cards.

I am asked by many if Shen Liang tolerated the long journey in the car. In a country like Malaysia, where child car seat is not compulsory, we remain very strict. From birth, Shen Liang uses the car seat all the time. For a very active toddler, I must say, time in the car is the only time he stays put! When we are travelling long distance, he sleeps most of the time and only wakes up when we reach our destination. So, this makes travelling rather effortless for us. We only get into a nightmare when on the plane or in the train. I think, when we start paying fares for Shen Liang, maybe we should bring the car seat along as well. ;)



Anyway, since this is a long journey, we cannot expect Shen Liang to be sleeping all the time. When he is not sleeping, there is this particular book he is especially fond of. He calls this book 'SHOE' because there is a pair of huge shoes worn by the fallen Golliath on the cover. This book contains many short stories from the Bible, and Shen Liang loves them very much, especially the colorful illustrations. I am relieved, despite the winding roads, I am still able to read to him.




The stretch from Gerik to Kota Bahru is very scenic. The mountains are too breathtaking for words. Shen Liang kept repeating 'fwawa' for all plants that intriques him. And when we came upon the mountains and valleys, even Shen Liang was in awe. He says 'fwawa FWAWA', emphasing the second time loudly, to tell us the scale of his 'fwawa', which we thought very funny. I also took this opportunity to correct him with 'trees', 'mountains', 'bushes', but failed. Sigh!

Slightly off Kuala Kangsar, on the way to Gerik, we crossed a rather long bridge, hubby told me we were actually crossing a lake. It was very beautiful, and as soon as we reached the other end, hubby managed to locate the bank of the lake.



We stopped by Gerik for lunch. Nothing to shout about, as it was 3pm and not too many diners remained open. And I must say the lunch is most unsatisfying. Anyway, after that, we continue with our journey, and came upon the Belum Rainforest Resort. Construction is still in progress, but they are already taking in guests for the wing facing the lake. The architecture and decor incorporates as much natural elements as possible, it is like staying in a luxurious tree house. Shen Liang was most captivated by their endless fountains and ponds.



The stretch from Gerik to Kota Bharu is the difficult part. There are hardly any suitable stops, the roads are narrow and bumpy. Some are rather quiet, with not even a car in sight for miles and miles. Hubby said he often encounters herds of elephants crossing here.



One great thing is, Shen Liang has passed the 'don't-want-water' stage. He now drinks like a fish. So, the dozen bottles of water comes in handy.



Oh, and do you know, at times during the journey, I also play puppet master to a tribe of bears?



By dusk, we reached Kota Bharu. Oh, and by the way, don't expect too much from a hotel when you are out on the east coast. Even the not too classy ones cost an arm and a leg. As long as it is clean, I don't much bother with the decor. We stayed in what I will classify as motels, ranges from RM90 to RM150, at different locations.

The next morning, we proceeded to hubby's potential clients homes, so that hubby can survey the areas to come up with proposals and estimates. While there, Shen Liang got very busy as well, doing what, I don't know. I only know that I somehow deteriorated into a state of being mad following him around. And there's this particular house, every time Shen Liang crosses the threshold, he disco danced, which I found rather weird. Until, I observed the pendant lamp at the top, which he must have thought, is a disco ball.



After lunch, we proceeded to Kuala Terengganu. Our planned three days journey was prolonged to four, when a client reschedule his appointment to the next evening! Aaaargh! So, what are we to do the whole of next morning? We took a boat out to the islands. And it is fortunate that Pulau Gemia, a private island, is only a 15 minutes boat ride away. And of course, Shen Liang had a great time.




After meeting hubby's client in the evening, we proceeded to Kuantan. The journey to Kuantan took approximately five hours. Along the way, we passed by many brightly lit refineries, which is rather amazing.



It was midnight when we reached Kuantan. And the next morning took us to more of hubby's clients. By afternoon, we started our journey home. But made a detour to Genting Highlands so that Shen Liang can have a bit of fun at the theme park.



And of course we celebrated Father's Day with a bit of sumptuous food, which is the only culinary indulgence throughout our journey. With hubby's tight schedule, there was little time to savour the east coast's culinary treasures. But well, as Audrey said, LET'S GO AGAIN!



Definitely more pics here!

Shen Liang is TWO!

More of Shen Liang's 'vocabulary'

I BREW - Eyebrow
IIICE - Eyes
MOH - Mouth
NO - Nose
CHIK - Cheek
EH - Ears
CHIK KET - Biscuit (hmph... took us quick a while to get this, we were very blank until he shove a biscuit tin at us)
AI JI - Give me (you must wonder where this comes from, we wonder ourselves, sigh)

We are able to understand him better now, what he can't say, he sign or express to us physically (like bringing what he wants to us). But I must say that his speech development is still very slow compared to toddlers his age, if not younger. One thing is for sure, although we only understand a fraction of what he is trying to tell us, he does understand us a lot, so much so that, sometimes when I was talking to hubby or Joann, or asking them to help pass me something, unexpectedly Shen Liang appears at my side with what I was asking for. Or when I was discussing Shen Liang's antics with my parents, he will repeat what I described.

The 16 Random Tag!

Well Junie, thanks for the 'honor' of tagging me first out of your five people. So, you want some romantic bits huh... hmm...

1. Hubby and I met at work, on his birthday! We were colleagues, and later friends, sharing a good many things in common - the sea, landscaping, interior decor, architecture, photography, the list goes on. But we were not romantically involved until almost a year later, on my birthday! So you can see, he escaped remembering an additional two important dates!

2. Five years later, comes the most unromantic proposal, in a most unromantic place. While window shopping, hubby took me into Cartier at KLCC, asked for the ring I adored to be brought out, and said, "Let's get married." Since I got a very lovely Cartier out of the whole deal, I am not sulking about it.

3. Do you know, I married into a family with six daughters and hubby is the only son? I am the all important heir bearer!

4. As husbands go, I think I got myself a very good deal. Hubby enjoys shopping, and has a critical eye for fashion. While many husbands prefer to hangout elsewhere when the wives shop, hubby very eagerly likes to stay and give his opinions, including lingerie and undergarments. He also knows what's in, what's not and what looks good on me. What can I say? I have a really good shopping companion. But before you rejoice for me, I must say that I also married a stubborn old goat.

5. To be fair, Bro is also a very good shopping companion. Hmm... seems like I am surrounded by men who are severe critics, but also connoisseurs of womanly things. And, looking at the way things develop, Shen Liang is also becoming one.

6. Hubby was born in the year of the ferocious tiger, and I, the powerful dragon. Many predicted ours an explosive marriage. But close ones will be able to give assurance that both of us are the most mild tempered and laid back persons on earth. In fact, the biggest bully in the house is the little menace born in the year of the amiable boar.

7. Just so you know, I am an extremely jealous sort. Therefore, it is indeed a great good luck to hubby and myself that he has no ex-girlfriends of any sort (so he claims), or he will never hear the end of it.

8. This is only the eighth? My word, 16 is really a long list. Although I have been telling everyone that our home is too small, I am, in fact, very pleased with it. Small is good. I am not one for mansions and villas, unless they are waterfront.

9. When husband and wife share a common interest in landscaping and interior decor, doing up the house is a frustrating affair. EACH WANTS TO DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY! Enough said.

10. Oh, and all of you must know that, in our walk-in closet, hubby hoardes up more wardrobe space than me. Yup, at a glance, you will easily able to see he has twice as much clothes, if not more.

11. I am not a very domestic person. Hubby is a better cook than I am, and he takes better care of our home than I. ;) But he is a very good sport and a very encouraging husband, he clears his plate and then some, of everything I cook, even if they are so bad, I cannot even bring myself to eat them. Mua-ha-ha-ha...

12. Despite coming from an all-girls school, the majority of my circle of friends today are guys. I guess studying and working in a male dominated field do contributed to that. Luckily, hubby is not the jealous sort. Heh-heh-heh...

13. For a person who is disgusted to even look at her own poop, I must say I am doing very well with Shen Liang. From picking up his poop to cleaning up disgusting mess. Also one who doesn't like sharing utensils and crockeries, I now, can also eat stuff which Shen Liang spits out. I guess being a mother changes me a lot.

14. Unlike the majority of my fellow schoolmates, even until I graduated secondary school, I have not a single life long ambition, which I think, is very bad. Influence of friends and the availability of scholarship sort of paved the path for me. So, if I have the opportunity to do it all again, I want to be an architect.

15. After having a kid, I was secretly tempted to be a stay at home mum. However, hubby understands me better, and foresee my restlessness. Well, despite the lure of a siu-lai-lai lifestyle, I still think having something to do works better for me (not that stay at home mums have nothing to do). Therefore, I am very grateful for my work situation now, although not a hot-shot multi national, I am working in a field I truly love, I get to bring Shen Liang to work with me everyday, and also the flexibility for non-work related activities during work hours. ;)

16. Ah... finally the final one... hmm... let's see... Oh! I secretly wish for a curvier figure everyday, but alas, short of nipping and tucking, it is never to be. Therefore I have to console myself all the time that curvy people tend to grow big buttocks easier, and I have to be thankful that I don't need to watch my weight and diet. The fox calling the grapes sour... ha-ha-ha...

So there you have it!