what happens when...

my boys watched johnny & the sprites.

i believed it was the first time they
saw the new series played on telly
at grandma's place while chilling out
on a mid sunday morning after Mass.

big bro an went from laid back
to finger-biting...hmm...

lil han was just sitting a couch away &...

he went from deep concentration
to finger in the mouth as well!

i've never seen both of them do that
at the exact same time.

my boys must've been bewitched by
johnny & the sprites!

page boy 101

wedding bells chimed on 21 april 2007
marking uncle nico & aunty faridah's
auspicious day!

i was their page boy (lucky me!)
& my gorgeous aunties, their bridemaids.
left to right: aunty jessica, audrey & atika.
they were also daddy & mommy's
bridemaids almost a decade ago.
i was definitely out of the picture then :o)

the well-behaved 'me' sitting next to
aunty audrey.

uh-oh! but NOT for long!
look at me doing my break dance moves
during the group photo session.
uncle wee caught me in the act with his camera!
the wedding photographer had to pause
many times in order for me to regain my composure
so that he can take decent pictures
without me being clownish.
daddy & mommy sure weren't pleased
with me after that although i made others laugh.

my beautiful aunty & handsome uncle!

breastfeed no more

to wean lil han @ age 2 was by far the hardest thing for me to do. i was literally torn! my milk supply is definitely drying up & when i'm not working, he'd be stuck to me 24-7, refusing to drink powdered milk & preferring to attach himself to his comfort zone as we call it.

i was told by some to stop, others to continue & many gave suggestions on ways to deter him from my breasts. i've even heard stories of mothers nursing their child up to primary 6. the first word that crossed my mind was YIKES! but i'm sure of one mother (wife to an old friend of hubs) who nursed her daughter till primary 2. how did she do it? beats me!

an opportunity was presented to me in the form of a short trip with hubs (without the boys) for 4 days 3 nights. i've never been away from han since he was born & what better way to help him forget his comfort zone in the gentlest possible way.

did it work? YES although not instantly! when hubs & i went to fetch him from my parents-in-law's place, he seemed shy with me initially & played with hubs mostly. as we got into the car, he sat on my lap then turned towards me & pleaded for his ne-nen! he cried almost all the way home as we were doing our utmost best to distract him. once we reached home, i asked hubs to distract him further as i rummaged through the drawers looking for gauze & first aid bandages. i then covered & taped both nipples thoroughly & applied amway's tropical herbs baby oil on the exposed gauze bandage for added effects. i was ready & went upstairs to face han. the minute he saw me, he struggled away from hubs & headed straight for his ne-nen! lo & behold! han's stunned expression came next when he saw his bandaged ne-nen. he slowly pulled my t-shirt down & told me to "close". i explained to him that mommy's bleeding & in pain, so the doctor "put medicine" & covered my wounds. he believed me.

han still snuggles up to me when he sleeps. he'll put his hand on my chest & say, "mommy painful. bleeding." he's really trying his hardest to adjust (so proud of him) & i must say he's doing pretty well. we've also noted an increase in his food & formula milk intake which is a great sign. hopefully he'll put on a few more kilos in the months to come.

to breastfeed han till the age of 2 has been a personal accomplishment for me as an didn't take to my breasts too well & i only managed to nurse him for 2 ½ months. i used to think something was terribly wrong with the way i breastfed him & may be i was doing it incorrectly. now i know that there's no right or wrong in breastfeeding for every child is different.

i reckon it was a good 2-year stint for han & mommy. i'm sure he feels the same way :o)

part two: lok kawi wildlife park

i was trailing behind my boys
the whole time & clicking away!

an attracted to the parrots

trying to get a closer look at one of the animals

they played with the adorable & friendly
baby proboscis monkey behind the glass

lil han observed everything with amusement
in his eyes

it was in fact a hot day, so lil han had
drinking breaks every now & then

part one: lok kawi wildlife park

jalan penampang-papar lama

WDT no. 63
89507 penampang, sabah.
telephone: 088-765710

open daily 9.30am-5.30pm

entrance fees:
malaysian (adult/child) - RM10/5
non-malaysian (adult/child) - RM20/10
senior citizen (60+ malaysian only) - FREE
handicapped - FREE

our 1st family excursion took place at the lok kawi wildlife park & it was fun, fun, fun! good news for sabahans i.e. since it's an excellent place for both young & old to visit. despite the park's soft launch, its site nearing completion + without much advert, it actually attracted many on the saturday that we went. i was truly amazed at the number of visitors coming in & out of the park. kudos to the sabah wildlife & forestry departments for a job well-done!

we started with the children's zoo, a friendly place for kids to pet the animals. big bro an was very keen to get a ride on the elephant's back but we missed it. never mind, we'll make it up on our next trip for sure!

i touched the turtle's hard shell.
i too was as excited as my boys.

big bro an & lil han enjoyed the animals
but were more cautious,
not ready to pet them yet.

there are helpful directions strategically placed in the park, so we followed the path that led us to more wonderful sights & we saw among others...

colourful parrots

ostriches standing tall

affectionate proboscis monkeys
which both boys absolutely adore!

restful yet regal looking tigers

my all-out favourite, elly

beautiful gentle creatures they are!

not eager to share

it's rarely that an gets an ice-cream treat.
so when hubs promised him ice-cream
for dessert, an was ecstatic & couldn't wait
for lunch to be over. i think in future
hubs should refrain from telling him
until after lunch or else he wouldn't be able
to finish whatever he's having.

an got his ice-cream as promised.
i told him to eat it in the car as hubs had
to get me back to work. an was very careful,
making sure that he scooped it slowly
so as not to have the ice-cream drip
on him or the car seat.

BUT when hubs asked him for barely
a spoonful to try, an pulled a face...

fun @ the cinema

austin mini courtesy of mr bean's official website

i haven't been to the big screen since lord of the rings : the return of the king which was ages ago.

hubs, an & myself went to watch mr bean's holiday over the weekend ~ thanks to an who enjoys mr bean's silliness & misadventure so much that hubs made it a point to get tickets as soon as he got back from his biz trip.

it was indeed a refreshing movie to watch after my long absence from the cinema! i bet all the kids who went to see it had a jolly good laugh! i know we did! lil han will have his turn when he's old enough to understand & sit through one :o)

true love

that's right! han likes cakes heaps (just like mommy)

& enjoys eating his share on his own.
uhuh, definitely no help required there!
yep, he stuffs it in like there's no tomorrow.
plus one should never ever attempt to touch
his cake unless he pushes his serving away.

when he sees pictures of cakes anywhere,
he'll say, "want cake. want cake!
waaant caaakeee!"

an unfussy eater he is & will try anything
but his love for cakes conquers all!

terrific 2? i pray!

saturday, 170307
lil han & mommy had a simple celebration
of our birthdays together!

big & lil bro, including mommy
were down with a dreadful cold
but that didn't stop us from having a good day!

han was busy with daddy's handphone
the minute he got out of bed.
he must've been checking
for birthday sms-es!

the cake should've read
"happy 2nd birthday han".
mommy's out of the limelight
when sharing her birthday
with her lil guy
but she doesn't mind @ all :o)

i requested for hubs to cook for us.
he left at 6.30am for the fresh market.
he served us claypot chicken, beef rendang,
grilled & steamed prawns, a vegie dish &
his special beef patties as an appetizer.
watch out jamie oliver!

this was a gift from ah ku* (*uncle in hokkien) to us.
i'd to take a picture of it as he took the trouble to
wrap it himself. if you know my bro,
this is something he would NOT normally do!

see, they forgot mommy!
only 2 candles on the cake!
mommy isn't even in the picture!
where's mommy?
mommy was as usual behind the camera.
no worries, it's lil han's time to shine
& i pray for a terrific two :o)

6 weird things about myself

i've been tagged by mom2ashley.

i've never been tagged (thought i got away with it), so this is WEIRD having to think of the WEIRD side of me with my very first tag. LOL!

ONE...
i've a passion for colours, anything & everything colourful, colourful things/packaging/clothes/bags/shoes/accessories/nails/hair, etc. i think at times i'm a walking rainbow. my current hair colour is olive green (it looks more khaki actually) with bits of green & rose pink highlights ~ love it! btw, the colourful highlights aren't chemical base colourant but fruit extracts cleverly developed by l'oréal.

TWO
yup, i too am guilty for organising my clothes according to colours & shades, from darkest to lightest, from big pattern to small pattern prints (e.g. flowers, vertical/horizontal stripes, abstract design, etc), from long sleeves to sleeveless, from formal to casual, from tops to bottoms & all dresses in another closet. weird? i think not & yes mom2ashley is RIGHT about finding clothes faster when in order plus it's much easier to do a mix & match. i also tend not to buy the same colour/design when my clothes are arranged that way, thus i spend less & become more economical! yeah!

i do the same with my accessories ~ earrings, chokers, necklaces, bangles, bracelets & rings!

THREE
i appreciate animation & find the world of animation/CGI intriguing. i particularly enjoy japanese animation. i wish i'd the talent to draw really well & wouldn't mind being in that industry! walt disney here i come!

FOUR
i would choose books over movies anytime.

FIVE
when i was pregnant with lil han, i used to crave for milky/red/green tea every single day!

SIX
i don't mind doing all the household chores (i find that doing the laundry & ironing rather therapeutic) but not cooking. yes, i know i'm terrible! however i'd like to quickly add that i'm blest with hubs who loves cooking & doesn't mind one bit. thanks hubs :o)

han close-up

i really enjoy taking close-up pictures of lil han
when he's cooperating i.e. he'll look into the camera
& voluntarily say, "smile!"

he's growing up so fast! i want to get as many shots
of his babyish appearance before it turns boyish!

here's looking at mommy with those cheeky eyes.

i love the above picture of him the best :o)

having 2 kids

i came across this question that got hold of my attention in baby world about going for a 2nd child:

can i ever love another child as much as my first?

i believe mommies go through the anxiety of wondering at one time or another. i know i did when i was expecting lil han!

as i continued reading on the stories of how some mommies felt before & after their 2nd child, this one quotation stands true:

LOVE does not divide, it multiplies.
- a word of wisdom given by a grandmother to her granddaughter

on the same note, in christian folder, the author in relating his experience after their 6th child:

another child doesn’t mean less love for one person, it means more love for everyone.

i felt that as our nuclear family went from 3 to 4, it definitely added heaps more joy, laughter, cartoony/animated moments, & photos to the family album. i must also say that it isn't always sunshiny days with the increased parental responsibilities/chores/juggling acts to perform, nevertheless the end of a sometimes super exhausting & demanding day to me is like experiencing a beautiful rainbow ~ full of GOD's promises after a rainy, cleansing & humbling day.

tiger mau mau

introducing the real ta66y of the family, a.k.a. tiger or tiger mau mau to the boys. i've always been fond of kitty kats, thus the name mommy ta66y.

our family cat has been with us since 29 december 1999. when the boys came along, they took to her easily. big bro an enjoys the responsibility of feeding her. lil han, on the contrary, likes petting her & says, "sayang tiger mau mau." on his cheeky + naughty days & when he thinks i'm not looking, he'll try to reach for her tail = me giving him a sharp "no!" big bro an will never dare pull that stunt again cos tiger taught him a valuable lesson (pull tail = bite)! he has definitely learnt to respect her since then :o)

i like the outcome of pictures taken with
the given vivid colour option

i'm also a big fan of black & white pictures ~ classic!

chinese lanterns @ gaya street

i simply love the charming & neat display of chinese lanterns on gaya street. it simply makes the whole place come alive with the festivities of cny.

we've passed this street a gazillion times & i've been reminding myself to photograph this cheery view before cny ends. i'd sometimes forget my camera or when i think i'm super ready, the batteries are flat (not funny at all)!

these shots were captured from a moving vehicle on the day i remembered to do everything right. i would've love to stop to get even more prettier pictures but this'll do for now.

girlfriend

an & hubs were waiting for me on the ground floor in the hall for our usual lunch date as i walked down the steps of a non-functioning escalator from the office to meet them halfway. they'd normally wait for me in the car but today an wanted to walk about.

he ran to me as i reached the bottom of the escalator & got hold of my hand. we headed to the car hand in hand with him happily talking away.

an: look at my sticker! (pointing to a small heart shape winnie the pooh sticker stuck to the tip of his forefinger)
me: that's nice.
an: my friend gave it to me! the person is a girl. but a boy tore it. see! (showing me the small tear on the sticker)

when we were all seated in the car, i told hubs of an's sticker.

hubs: i heard a girl gave you a sticker.
an: ya, she's my friend but the boy is bad. he tore my sticker.
hubs: why did he tear your sticker?
an: he wants to take my sticker.
hubs: may be that girl is his girlfriend.
an: no! she's my girlfriend!

hubs & i definitely had a good laugh before lunch. i took the lil sticker from an's finger & stuck it to his pencil case.

me: mommy stick it here for you ok. (an nodded agreeably)

once upon a time...

there was a prince in a faraway kingdom. the king & queen named him an, meaning PEACE. he can be an obedient boy, very helpful & generous toward everyone around him. a calm & serene 4 year old from time to time.

innocent & peaceful looking an

on the contrary, when all backs are turned, he can also transform into a bed-jumping prince. need i say more? the queen caught him on camera & showed it to the king ~ both heads shook unanimously with disapproval. it's no wonder why the beds have been sandy lately despite the regular change of sheets! tsk tsk tsk!

overly playful an

the queen is smiling secretly to herself as she's writing this post for she remembered her bed-jumping days with fellow bed-jumpers.

the end

p.s. i think everyone's guilty of bed-jumping in their childhood days :o)

a fascinating email

from: jordan's mommy
sent: wednesday, january 31, 2007 9:16 am
to: mommy ta66y
subject: interesting things you find out when you have sons

1. a king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft. house 4 inches deep.

2. if you spray hair spray on dust bunnies & run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.

3. a 3-year old boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.

4. if you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor isn't strong enough to rotate a 42 pound boy wearing batman underwear & a superman cape. it's strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20 x 20 ft. room.

5. you shouldn't throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. when using a ceiling fan as a bat, you've to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. a ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.

6. the glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.

7. when you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh", it's already too late.

8. brake fluid mixed with clorox makes smoke, & lots of it.

9. a six-year old boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year old man says they can only do it in the movies.

10. certain lego will pass through the digestive tract of a 4- year old boy.

11. play dough & microwave shouldn't be used in the same sentence.

12. super glue is forever.

13. no matter how much jell-o you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.

14. pool filters don't like jell-o.

15. VCRs don't eject "PB & J" sandwiches even though tv commercials show they do. (not applicable here though ~ definitely a US commercial)

16. garbage bags don't make good parachutes.

17. marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.

18. you probably DON'T want to know what that odor is.

19. always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys don't like ovens.

20. the fire department in austin, TX has a 5-minute response time.

21. the spin cycle on the washing machine doesn't make earthworms dizzy.

22. it'll however, make cats dizzy.

23. cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.

24. 80% of women will pass this (email) on to almost all of their friends, with or without kids.

25. 80% of men who read this will try mixing the clorox & brake fluid. (boys will be boys & men will still be boys!)

*** i've exprienced 3 & 18. i pray that that'll be all...

lunch ad

hubs would normally fetch an from school, then take me from work & we'll head for a quick lunch after that. an wanted to have mcD today & daddy okay-ed his suggestion. we're not in favour of fast food when it comes to the kids but we'll take an upon his request as a treat once in a blue moon & he knows it.

off to mcD it was! as an approaches 5 in may this year, i've noticed that he doesn't really fancy having pictures of him taken, thus the face he pulled in the one below. it used to be different when he was younger, he'd smiled naturally at the camera ~ miss those moments!

despite the resistant look on his face, i enjoyed editing this picture of his & turned it into the latest KFC ad. wonder how many free KFC lunches would the management give me for this ad & if mcD will double the lunches to have me change it? wishful thinking ~ haha!

a fun ad just for laughs
model: an

mommy ta66y going native

a momentous picture of moi taken on a rather cultural night during the recent company's annual dinner with international night being the theme. my beautiful colleague (on the right) & i were dressed in 2 of sabah's traditional attires.

agnes dressed as a lotud

it was momentous for me because i wore mom's murut costume for the very first time & with much pride. i felt i was part of history as the gold, bell-like buttons adorning the front of mom's blouse belonged to my great grandma as well as the bronze buttons on my sleeves. these valuable pieces are being passed down through succeeding generations & one day i'll own them.

collar & top front of blouse

heirloom

traditional bronze buttons on sleeve

it'll be precious to have something of importance to me be passed down to my boys & their generations to come. then it'd become my own history...

our miniature lion

i spotted this lil lion during the weekend & thought it'd be great for the boys especially han since this cny is only his 2nd & he has begun to take notice of the chinese lanterns hung in malls & restaurants. i'm sure he knows by now that christmas is well over with all the decorations packed & stored, so our lil lion friend here can make way for the next festival.

big bro an doesn't mind watching a lion dance from a distance. he's just not into loud noises coming from the ignited firecrackers during the performance. as for han, he was only 10 months plus when he experienced his 1st cny. i'm sure he'll be more alert this year with the rumbling & rhythmical sound of the chinese drum combined with the sharp clanging sound of the cymbals. our miniature lion only measures about 12 inches & han has been making it dance. hopefully during cny, he won't be taken aback when he sees the real thing :o)



my bro & i used to have a medium size lion. he'd be the head & i, the tail. it was definitely fun having our very own lion dance performances at home. i wish i knew where that lion is now. i believed it was given away but the strangest thing is i don't remember being there. so dad & mom must've given it away when bro & i went abroad for a couple of years. did you not dad? did you not mom?