Dylan

Congratulations to Yen & Nick

on the arrival of their little man

Dylan Seine James Pang

on November 8 in Melbourne.

He may be 10 days early, but still he can't hide those inquisitive eyes!

Oh Kiddo!

Lovely weather in Melbourne this week. A lucky break for me since being welcomed back to Melbourne with cold, windy, chilly and rainy weather when we first stepped foot a month ago. I really wanted to cry! And especially Cashel was just starting to crawl - on the cold tiled floor - he was particularly miserable which added to my frustration and exhaustion. But that was a month ago, I am pleased to say.

Cashel is up and crawling with confidence now. While it's even more tiring for me now that I have to watch where he goes and gets there before he does! He is certainly a keen crawler but at least he is happier now (no more cold floor mum!). Now that I am starting to get a schedule organised for Aqira, I can now focus to getting one for Cashel too. The little guy needs to start meeting other little kids and doing activities suited to him and his development apart from tagging along with me and big sister!

Funny Farm Time!!

Cobwebs

Gosh, if only I am clever enough to design some virtual cobwebs on this blog!!! I haven't had much time since being back in Melbourne. Up till this point, I checked my email/Facebook once, called my mother twice (disgraceful I know, but they were very long phone calls at least) and had no chance scratching itch anywhere on my exhausted body!

The dust has finally settled somehow. At least, this means Aqira finally has a schedule to follow and Cashel's daily routine is somewhat quite regular. And as for me, I am the driver, the maid, the housekeeper, the cook, the handyman....WELCOME BACK TO MELBOURNE! And if I hear another person says, "Oh, welcome back to reality, we all do it here." and do so with a smug look on their sun-damaged face, I am packing up! It is indeed reality here in this part of Southern Hemisphere (would they have domestic helpers in Antartica?).

So some updates about us. Thusfar, Aqira has settled in very nicely in her new school - which is correctly called kindergarten here. She is used to calling her last kindergarten by the very formal name Chiltern House. A few days after we got back to Melbourne I took her and Cashel to a nearby park where she befriended 2 little girls and started playing together. The father of the 2 girls asked Aqira which kindy she goes to. She ran back to me and bewilderedly asked, "Mummy, what's kindy?".

As she had always loved being in school, I actually had trouble keeping her at home while waiting for the day she could attend her new kindergarten. It was almost like I held her captive on house arrest because she would ask me everyday when she could go to school. We had to wait a full week before she could attend because paperwork needed to be finalised. And there's no trouble whatsoever in making friends (no surprises there) and good progress with the curriculum. She's still keeping up with her Mandarin - firstly, by making conversations with me at home and secondly, by doing a few pages of Mandarin workbook every other day. The comedic part of this is this little girl has also taken the liberty to teach her daddy Mandarin. Perhaps next time, I could post a video of Aqira teaching David about colours! It's quite a hoot!

Moreover, one of her friends in kindergarten is a child whose parents are from China. The child speaks beautiful Mandarin and of course, so does her mum. Even I manage to squeeze in a short speech-practice session with them during pick-up time. The mother of the child has also recommended some good Mandarin schools which will be yet another exciting activity for my very curious little girl.

Now you might be wondering, so how's Cashel? Well, time sure flies. My boy is almost 8 months. While he is about to crawl, he still prefers to 'walk'. So when I try to put him on the floor, he would always stick his legs out straight refusing to bend his knees. It takes a minute or so to actually get his chubby legs in the sitting position. He is eating a whole lot of solids now - which doesn't make nappy change at all pretty but it makes feeding so much more fun and messy.

He can say 'Ma Ma' now which should make this mummy quite delirious but I am quite convince it means 'Feed Me' rather than him showering affection on the person who changes his foul-smelling nappies. He definitely knows his names - which go by both Cashel and di-di (little brother) and is aware that those are references to him. His latest trick is 'Pai Pai Show' (Clap Your Hands' in Mandarin. And he enjoys doing it to entertain his family members.

I am very thankful that the 2 of them play very well together. Aqira in particular has assumed the role of the big sister and has taken some responsibility in helping me with him. She's a lovely, loving big sister and I am very proud of her. I do find myself being a little tough on her because I confuse her sense of self-awareness with maturity. I often have to remind myself my little girl is only turning 5.

One Sunday Afternoon

The Sporting Event of the Year

Not quite Wembley or Old Trafford, but it was quite a venue!

Heading to the ground as Mummy, Po-po and Cashel cheered on.

Lining up.

Oh, and the other attraction of the day's event was.....

my little soccer star!

Big Sis was very excited! All ready for the race!

The Cheerleaders.

Ready...Get Set...

Go Aqira Go!!!!!!!!!!!

One race down, 3 to go!

Aqira! What are you looking at? Just gooooooooooo!!

Aunty Ranee was on hand to make sure the kids were going the right direction!

Happy Faces.

And Mummy made a big scene of herself in the 3-legged race with Aunty Ranee. Heyyyyy, just look at my competition!!!!

Aiyo...how ah?

I think like that can lah

So you count...1,2...1,2...can ah?

Can can!!

Aqira's New Tune

True to her Irish roots.

"Erin" plays her tune.

Me Time

Wow!

Cashel is 6 months and Aqira will be turning 5 in November. I sat here thinking just before I began writing this blog...wow... I am all grown up!! I have 2 lovely kids, a super husband (yes, you are hon...let's be cheesy for a change!) and talking about age, I will be turning 35 next year. Jeepers.

For no apparent reason, I slowed down my day today and I just wanted to remember who I am. Still doesn't make sense? Well, OK...it didn't make any sense to me at first but I was adamant I want to do some self-searching today. I guess what this means is that in the last 12 months, and particularly in the last 6 months, I spent a lot, a lot of time doing things for others - my 2 kids, my husband, my mum - and I also spent a lot of time missing my dad in my mind. Physically and mentally, I am exhausted. I am not complaining though. I know very well this is part of the whole process of being where I am in life today - I am a mum, a wife, a daughter. And I do what I have to do. It is my responsibility.

The "slowing down" operation was my way of getting in touch with myself again. All I wanted to do was to remember what makes ME happy, what I like, what I enjoy doing and what is important to me. You may well assumed that I have taken a day off from the kids today to spend some quality time with myself. I didn't, but I am planning one soon. In the meantime, I just wanted to have a less hectic day and just have moments to spare for my own thoughts, just like this posting.

Ladies + Cashel Sunday Tea

The Beguiling Voice of Susan Boyle

Susan Boyle performed Rolling Stone's Wild Horses in the finale of America's Got Talent.

My Mum Did What????

Oh Mum....why is the camera in the bathroom???

I hope you're not taking photos of me in the bath.....

Mum!!!!

I said no bath photos!!!!

No peeping!!!!!!

A Quiet Night In

Things we do for entertainment on a quiet night at home!

Cashel is not impressed!!!

Merdeka!!

Aqira's school held a Merdeka party in celebration of Malaysia's Independence Day on August 31. All the children went to school dressed in one of (many) cultural costumes of Malaysia. Needless to say, my daughter arrived in one of her favourite Bollywood garb (the pink one you are probably so used to seeing these days!) complete with matching sparkly bangles (12 pieces on each wrist) and a colourful pearl/stones necklace.

And the other cultural costumes were: (L-R) Navaneeta in a modern Indian dress, Kai Lin in a lilac baju kurung, Dylan and Ee Him in red Chinese suits, Aqira in silver and pink, Naomi in a gorgeous baju kebaya, Lorraine in a blue baju kurung and Amber in a lovely nyonya ensemble.

My Cashel

My Sweetheart

Chatterbox No. 2

So Did Cashel Get The Chick?

The Many Faces

And here's just 3 taken within seconds of each other.

Cashel...

Cashel again....

CASHEL AND TEETH!!!

Innocence

I find it hilarious that Aqira and her friend Dylan almost always have similar poses, or at least, very similar in the way they smile (or not smile).

I really enjoy spending time with Aqira and her school friends, even the brief 10 minutes after school. I enjoy listening (or eavesdropping) to what they say to each other and also what they have to say about each other. I really adore the innocence on display and it really warms my heart to witness the magic of being one's true self. At this age, they really have no hidden agenda and no qualms about what they want or like to do (sometimes to the parents' dismay and shock horror of course). It is really my daily comic relief - which sometimes last for days!

Boy will be boy. Girl will be girl.
Bumblebee versus Blossom.

Guess What My Big Sister Tried To Do To Me....

She tried to put yet another of her awful-horrid-ugly-hideous pink girly ornament on me. This time it's a hot pink hair band!! A hair band! Who (or what) does she think I am?

I am going to show that girl!

Mwahaaaaahhhaaaaaaaa!!

Hiatus

We are back from our mini road trip. There were a heck a lot of driving involved (which yours truly really doesn't enjoy so I was rather miserable throughout the journey), lots of food (OH YEA!), lots of immeasurable fun with a real-life drama thrown in. So all in all, while I thoroughly enjoyed spending quality time with my husband and children, I think I have had enough of road trips for the next 2 years!!

Cuti-cuti Malaysia

Cashel hanging out with Mum.

WATERSLIDES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MY 2 SURFER BOYS

Dad, Cashel and Thomas.

I Love Reunions!

In case you are wondering what's going on here...Aunty Fee Ming and Uncle KM were enticing (or entertaining) Cashel to smile for the camera. I think their antics were so so very sweet and I needed to capture 'the moment'.

And I want many more to come!!!

Old Buds Reunited

It was so cool to see Chea Nei and her daughter, Sylvia, and her hubby Jeffrey again! It has been way too long (2 years for me, 4 years for Theresa).

Ahhhhh...brings back memories of the good old days....

Lots of memories.....

Well, our next reunion will be (hopefully) Hong Kong Disneyland when Cashel will meet Enzo (Chea Nei & Jeffrey's son who is just a month older than Cashel) for the first time. The 2 boys can go on those scary rides together!!

And I believe Cashel is pretty excited about that!

Jo

It was Jo's birthday early this week. As her newborn son is just over 2 weeks old, we celebrated at home, with her 3 boys - hubby, first son Zac and baby Chace. It was a lovely morning do, albeit a simple one. Having said that, figuring what to get her for a present was anything but simple! What do we get a yummy mummy who has everything? So we went on the practical path - got her something she needs for nursing Chace and some yummy cupcakes. We left the birthday presents dilemma to her "loving", "caring" and absolutely "amazing" husband (on behalf of your wife...out comes the shoe shine, dude!).

Inspired by the latest punk look that is all the rage in fashion at the moment, I thought Jo wouldn't mind having her birthday cupcakes with plenty of studs on them!

Field Trip to Petrosains

Yet another fun field trip with her friends and teachers.

With buddy, Kai Lin.

Monkey Faces

Photos all thanks to Aunty Shermaine! And also thanks to Aunty Hsu Yi and Aunty Shermaine for a great sunday dim sum!

Tribute to MJ

It seems I can't get enough of MJ tributes. More of it in the post this time and it is a special one from Aqira and Cashel.

And here in action, my 2 mini MJs.

What a Beautiful Tribute

In Great Britain, Army's Band of the Coldstream Guards paid their tribute to the late Michael Jackson. I absolutely loved it. You will too. Some of you might even shed a few tears! Thanks to Nigel, Keith and Mikey for this!

Look A Lot Alike!

Emma Watson sure is all grown up and browsing through the latest fashion magazines tells me a great deal. That fashionistas the world over is swooning over their latest "It" girl. But I really can't help noticing one thing....


....that she looks so much like another British superfashionista (or major fashion victim - depends on which side you are on!)....


....don't you think Emma Watson looks a lot like Victoria Beckham???

Daughters & Their Dads

I am sure you've heard the common perception about daughters and their dads - that they normally love their dads more than they do their mums. It is hard to generalise these things of course, but at least, most of us can agree that daughters show their emotions more - better and clearer at that too.

Paris Jackson – the 11-year-old daughter of Michael Jackson – made a touching and lasting tribute to her father during the family's private viewing of his open coffin by wrapping one half of a heart necklace around his wrist, it has been revealed.The late star's elder sister La Toya has spoken about the moving moment, which took place last Monday, saying that her niece made the gesture to make sure her dad always had something to remind him of her."Paris told me, 'The heart is in two pieces. I want one half to go to daddy and I will wear the other half forever,' revealed La Toya. "She carefully wrapped it around his wrist and said, 'Daddy this is for you'."La Toya has also said how Paris – who was seen wearing her half of the heart charm around her neck at her dad's memorial service – also pays tribute to her father every day by writing his "sweet lovely letters about how much she loves him."

I have a mini 'Paris Jackson' at home. As her daddy has been away on work duties for a while, it's obvious that Aqira is missing her daddy a heckuva lot. She misses him so much that she takes his photo (a framed one of just the 2 of them) with her around the house, especially when she's playing. The photo frame is placed right beside her as she plays with her toys. And yes, she talks to the photo.

Story & photo courtesy of Hello! Magazine UK

Mum Got a Feel for What's To Come

This is our conversation after I picked Aqira up from school.

Mummy: So how was school today, sweetheart?
Aqira: Good (she gave a very dull response)
Mummy: Why? What's wrong? You're not happy?
Aqira: No (dull response again)
Mummy: Then why you sound so sad? Someone made you sad?
Aqira: Nothing Mum. I am not sad! (she perked up and smiled)
Mummy: OK, I just asked you how was school today and you don't sound very happy.
Aqira: School is OK. But I want to go to another school.
Mummy: Why? (Mum is both shocked and worried)
Aqira: There's too much school work in this school!
Mummy: Oh? (Mum is relieved!). But that's how you learn (Cliche?)
Aqira: I don't want to do school work. I just want to play!

Most of you who are parents can probably guess what was discussed in the rest of the conversation. I know the kids do a lot of work during class time and they bring home 1 to 3 sheets of homework every week. While I don't think the work that these kids are heavy for their age group but I understand why my little girl feels the load. It is because the school she previously attended was Disneyland compared to what she's doing now! I think it is a great foundation for them to be given some real school work now. Oh well....as for my little girl, she's just got to get use to it!