I'm FOUR

Jaden woke up excitedly on a bright Sunday morning and asked, 'Is it my birthday today?'

Yes, I answered and he was wide awake subsequently. He opened all his presents and couldn't wait for his party to start. We celebrated his birthday at the same playland (Kidszone) and TGIF, just like last year! Just the way he liked it, with lots of balls, slide and the not-to-be-missed chips! In fact, he slept right after his dinner+chips and we'd to wake him up for the cake-blowing/cutting session :p

The rainbow cake was made specially by Patisserie Rui, as per Jaden's request :)

And this was Jaden's 3rd birthday celebration at TGIF last year :)

And the 2nd birthday celebration at home cum housewarming party in 2008.

And the 1st birthday celebration in our condo before we shifted in 2007.

In fact, we'd 2 parties for Jaden that year (1st and 2nd May 2007) as the condo could not accommodate so many guests all at once :p

Happy Birthday my dear darling!

Marriage Time at Opus Bistro

Ever since papa and myself attended the Marriage Course at DUMC, we try to spend time together as a couple to 'enhance' our relationship. Well, it had not been easy with the 2 boys around and we have to sort of arrange for our MIL (can't really trust the maid 100%) to be in the house to 'look-see' the kids.

Last week, we decided to try out this restaurant, Opus, which is tucked at a tiny corner in Bangsar. They serve Italian, and my main attraction is their foie gra *yums* I wasn't very sure if pregnant ladies are allowed to eat liver, so I limited myself to a few mouthful only :(

Appetiser - Seafood platter


Grilled portobello mushroom salad


My dinner - Roast cod


Papa's dinner - Trio Combo (Lamb, Foie Gras, Beef)

Pregnant @ 5.5 months - Not too fat heh? :p

Sinful dessert - Chocolate desire

We were super stuffed after dessert and was overall happy with the food. *thumbs up*

Movie Charity

Our cell group are holding a movie charity event at Cineleisure, Mutiara Damansara for Praise Emmanuel Children's Home (PECH) and would like to invite you on 3rd April 2010 at movie time 2:30pm to join us in raising funds for these wonderful children. The movie "How to train your dragon" is a computer animated firm (2D) and will surely be exciting to watch!

So, do come and join in the fun and at the same time, to contribute to PECH. Minimum amount covering the ticket price is RM20 but of course, your generosity beyond that will be invaluable.

Synopsis

From the studio that brought you "Shrek", "Madagascar" and "Kung Fu Panda" comes "How to Train Your Dragon." Set in the mythical world of burly Vikings and wild dragons, and based on the book by Cressida Cowell, the action comedy tells the story of Hiccup, a Viking teenager who doesn't exactly fit in with his tribe's longstanding tradition of heroic dragon slayers. Hiccup's world is turned upside down when he encounters a dragon that challenges he and his fellow Vikings to see the world from an entirely different point of view.

About the Home [http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2010/2/10/central/5636458&sec=central]

PECH requires RM16,000 a month to maintain its three homes

There are 24 children living in the Praise Emmanuel Children's Home (PECH) in Petaling Jaya and everyone of them has a sad story - some were abandoned and some are from violent and abusive families, while others were neglected by their drug addict parents. Yet, when you first meet these little ones, you would never think they come with such shocking emotional baggage. They appear happy. They are friendly, almost confident by nature, and very appreciative of the blessings that come their way.

They are 15 boys and 9 girls at the home. The home was set up in 2004, and has been continuously lending support to underprivileged children (and sometimes their families), thanks to the donors.

PECH's commitment to the children includes providing a shelter and homely environment for abused, abandoned, neglected and orphaned children; creating a foundation for a good education; providing counselling and encouragement to the emotionally hurt children; reconciling children with parents wherever possible, and cultivating strong moral values in these children.

While being grateful for all the support received thus far, PECH manager of children's affairs and public relations Christopher Michael, is still wary of the year ahead and how the home will find enough resources to uphold the home's commitment to these children.

Aged between 5 and 17 years, all the children go to school. Getting books, uniforms and school shoes alone is a logistical nightmare - anyone with children of their own will easily relate to this dilemma. It does not help that PECh has a staff of only six, which includs Michael and a driver who has to ferry the children to and from nearby schools. An immediate need of the home is a new van. The existing one is 18 years old and breaks down almost every week. The home also needs to maintain a budget of RM16,000 a month to maintain its three homes - two in PJ as well as one in Ipoh. The budget includes provisions and medication for the children, basic household items, petrol, electricity and water as well as rent and salaries for the staff.

Well-wishers who would like to contribute in cash or kind, can call Michael at 012-6303672.

Carcosa High Tea

Sometime back, we brought my mum to Carcosa to savor its English High Tea before its closure end of last year. I still vividly remember the yummy scones topped with strawberry jam and cream during my last visit many years back. Somehow, I've to say that their standard somewhat dropped and the high tea doesn't taste that good for the price :(

Took a few photos of the Dining Room for remembrance :p


We sneaked upstairs too to peep at the rooms. Apparently, my parents stayed here before as the minister-in-attendance during the Japanese emperor's stay in Malaysia. Each room came with butler service - quite glam lah.

Note: While walking up the creaky colonial stairs with papa, Ryan commented 'Hey papa, the stairs did not break under your weight'.....cheeky fella :p


Nice ambience


Me and my mum. Jaden said 'Where's my food?'
Darling, they do not serve noodles or fried rice here. The 2 boys were so bored and they slept throughout the session.

The 3-tiered High Tea treats - too sweet for our liking :(

Jaden posing outside in the garden.

Silence.....

Oh my....my blog has been left 'un-updated' for so long now....my apologies

Too many things have been happening in my life....

1. Body has been changing to accommodate the little one with bouts of non-stop nausea and vomitting since 7 weeks. At 14+ weeks now, I am feeling much better, especially after I've finished my 2nd dose of antibiotics to treat my infections
   
Baby @ 11 weeks 6 days



2. We went ahead with our pre-planned family trip to Macao and Hong Kong on the 21st to 27th December 2009 despite my condition. Surprisingly, while we were there, my morning sickness sort of 'disappeared' even though I feel tired throughout the trip.
   
   
3. Ryan koko changed school from Vital Years (VY) to Lil Mandarin House (LMH) to prepare him for Std 1 next year. Since he's doing Primary 1 syllabus now, the amount of homework that he brings home daily is horrendous. Grandma, papa and mama are all stressed up in ensuring that homework is completed daily *sigh*. But thank goodness when I ask Ryan if he likes VY or LMH, he actually told me LMH despite the pressure there. I guess it helps to have teachers who are loving and kind and genuinely likes kids. The 5 teachers have so far been successful in ensuring and providing a conducive environment for learning.


4. Jaden 'yee' ko (well, we'll tease him and he'll say 'not yet' - till baby comes :p) has become extremely sticky and stubborn nowadays. He'll cry if he doesn't get his way and yearns for attention more than ever.


5. New maid came in November 2009 after being maid-less for 2 weeks. Thanks to grandma, we managed to pull-through those difficult 2 weeks. Routines need to be taught again and again and now, she's still learning.
   

That's all for now folks! :)

His and Her

Hubby and myself have recently bought a new pair of matching running shoes so that we can take up running or exercise more regularly now. The shoes, Reebok Hex Ride Smooth fit provide very good cushioning to lessen the impact when one is running. I particularly like the design and pinkish individual air pockets :)

We used to exercise very often before I got pregnant with Ryan, but after the 2 boys came along, our visit to the park or gym has literally been zero. Now that we try to bring the boys to the park every Sunday for cycling, we hope to take up some exercise too so that our lazy bones can get going once again! :)

Outdoor Play

My 2 boys are super active kids and basically, any activities that can tire them will bring lots of fun and joy to them. Over the Raya weekend, we brought them out for lots of outdoor play and fun.

1. We went to Tai Yee's condo for swimming.


Notice that Ryan is super afraid of swmming without his floats, so much so that until now, he's still swimming with his floats! Must make an appointment with a swimming instructor soon :) In the picture below, we encouraged him to put his face under water, so that he can learn to control his breathing and blow bubbles.

Jaden playing 'swim from the shark' with Tai Yee.

2. Cycling outside our house

3. Cycling and playground at TTDI park

Don't they just love slides :p

Ryan and Jaden cycling around the track while papa and mama walked.

Feeding the turtles.

Some kind lady gave us some crackers and bread to feed the catfish, koi and turtles.

And enjoying some icecream before leaving for dinner :)

Cheeky boy

4. Ryan participated in the Golf House Junior Series tournament for the second time on 27 September 2009. He actually played slightly better than his first tournament but since this time round, he was required to tee off from Level 2 (which was much further from Level 1), his score was 73 as compared to 66 previously.

I think this lil' boy did very well competing in the 6&Under category as he'd to compete against those 'bigger' boys who are 2 years his senior (Age calculated as at Jan 09 and those turning 7 during the year would be considered 6 @ Jan09.)

Ryan with Justin

Prize giving

Hi 5 Surprise

We went up to Genting on Merdeka day for the Hi 5 Surprise concert. We initially thought of staying overnight the night before but due to the ridiculously priced Super Peak rooms at First World Hotel (and hubby didn't want to stay in the 'small' deluxe room), we decided to go for a day-trip instead.

We started our journey at around 9.15am on Monday morning and reached Gohtong Jaya before 10am. Thought it was a bit early for brunch, so we continued our journey up.

It was quite a feat to find a parking at Genting even though there were supposed to be thousands of parkings available. Nonetheless, we found a parking after many turns at the basement. Since we planned to be there the whole day (till evening), we brought along a stroller - just in case the boys are tired. It was a bad move though cos Genting is rather a non-disabled friendly place and there were not many lifts available.

Our concert ticket was for 12pm, so we quickly grabbed some food and bought the outdoor theme park tickets for the kids to enjoy after the show.

Ryan wore his face mask while waiting for Papa to buy the theme park tickets. Couldn't get Jaden to wear tho'.


The emptiness of Arena of Star. So few spectators.


On the VIP carpet, with Jaden. We bought the most expensive tickets (RM150, 35% discount) but unfortunately, the boys were not in the mood to dance that day.


Jaden preferred to sit with daddy.


Somehow, the boys didn't really enjoy the new casts - Casey, Stevie, Fely, Tim and Lauren and the songs were not exceptionally entertaining.


After the show, we went to the outdoor theme park. The first ride we went was the Antique car.


Ryan just loves the bumper car. He's really good at manoeuvring the wheel and whenever he bumps into another car, he'll say "Yes!"


Ryan fetching didi as Jaden is too young to drive himself.

Oooooo....and after the dinosaur ride, Ryan braved himself to take a picture with a snake!

Jaden - What's all the fuss about?

Ryan proved himself that he's not a scaredy-cat (by holding the snake) but when it comes to a ride like this one, he's really too scared to go on it. LOL

We managed to catch a glimpse of the 'fire' performance before we headed inside to have our early dinner.

All in all, it was a tiring but fruitful day. By 8.30pm, both boys were already sound asleep :)