my favourite jewelry

I am crazy about accessories, yeah, cheap kinda jewelry, preferably stones and shells. It’s nice having diff colored accessories to match with diff color clothes. However, I keep buying the same 2 colors (in diff shades), coz I’m crazy about these colors. You’d know what colors I’m talking about when you see the pics.

Well, it’s school holidays for the kids here, so I had some spare time to take pics of some of the pieces I own. They didn’t cost me much. I like my accessories unique and cheap. So I usually go bargain hunting at random small stores, and really, most of these pieces were bought for under 15RM, except for one or two which cost about 30RM, but not more than that.

I think…I should go look for more reds and purples coz I have lotsa clothes with those colors too. Oh well..gotta go.

p.s we spent the weekend up in the hills with close friends. That was really nice. Five families with a total of 11 kids. Was really enjoyable, especially for the kids! Nel also celebrated her 6th birthday up there. Happy Birthday my little Nel…you’re growing up…way too fast for me.

love turquoise colored stones...this one combined with brown stones is my favourite.

That piece with the flower is really old from early 1990's ..bought from Walmart Illinois. :) The one with the stone is quite new. Am looking for a pair of matching earrings now. well, actually I ordered a pair already, for a really cheap price, to be collected next week.

More turquoise colored jewelry. Some bought by my mum on her travels. The one which alternates between white and turquoise was bought in Sabah for just 8RM. Beautiful.

This combination of shells and beads was purchased in Sarawak for 10Rm. I love it's unique shade of green. So beautiful like a sunflower.

another turquoise piece bought by my friend from Thailand, and the green piece at the back is a choker, hand made by a native S'wakian.

More matching turquoise jewelry...the bracelet in front bought by my mum while on a trip to India.
Earrings in the background from Somerset, and that beautiful beaded bracelet in the middle bought while on an adventure trip. Was on a boat ride on a rough river near Mulu Caves. We visited the Penan long house, and the ladies made such beautiful jewelry. It's priceless. Bought it for only 4Rm.

this pendant was bought from an Indian preservation center in New Mexico. One of my favourites too.

A favourite bought in the 80's, one of the rare pink pieces i have. Made of shells....

we had a lovely weekend at the beach...my family and my bro's. The apartment was nice. It was a double storey apartment with three rooms. Anyway, we were mostly in the sun....and the weather was beautiful...cloudy, cool and windy.

The first day the waves were rather strong...so the children spent most of their time building sandcastles.. while I had a good swim, well, dip, in the ocean.

The children had a whole room to themselves, and thus once back in the apartment, they decided to lock the room door to give themselves some privacy from the adults. Finally after too long a silence, I knocked on the door and threatened to blow the door down if they did not open. They opened the door, and I saw them, biscuit crumbs all over the face. They were having a picnic in there. Cans of biscuits opened and stacked up on plastic bags turned into mats! hahaha...

in marched the mums, (me and my sis in law) who made them pick up every biscuit, return them to the cans, and clean the floor which was really covered with all sorts of crumbs!

Night was exciting... all tucked up in the same bed, I talked to them a little...before lights went out.

Day 2 started with a hearty breakfast of nasi lemak, sausages and noodles before more time in the sun. The tide was low and the water was far out, making it fantastic for catching crabs, and so we did. Anyway, some random pics...

Louis playin in the sand

Jo tryin to build a castle

Sunset at Port Dickson

ONe of the small crabs we caught. We let them all go again, back to the sea.

the photo

Many years ago.... to be precise, Spring time almost 10 years ago, I received an email from a person called Ted while I was still in the US putting the final touches to my Masters thesis.

Ted in that email asked if I still remembered him? I thought about the numerous times I'd met him, yet never really talked. I remembered him as the person who came up to talk to my brother once after we'd performed for a friend's wedding.....the man I saw from a distance when a best friend visited his brother who happened to be Ted's housemate (Ted smiled at me ).... I remembered him as the man who I met at camp. On that last day at camp, during farewell lunch..somehow all seats were fully occupied except for one at my table. Ted came and sat there and we finally talked, but just for about 4 minutes. Then I had to leave. Later I flew back to the States.

Anyway, back to that spring time 10 years ago, the email came as a surprise coz I never expected an email from him. He wrote to tell of how he'd been trying to trace me and get my contact when he bumped into my friend and got my email. Well...after a few emails back and forth, he asked for a photo of me. I thought, why not? he seemed like a nice guy and sent him this one.


Our relationship didn't happen. I went on to meet someone else and he too met someone else. I stopped writing him emails after a while, coz I just couldn't trust someone whom I'd just talked to for 5 mins over lunch.

However, when I came back, I volunteered in an orphanage and coincidentally, Ted was a volunteer there too. Need i say more? I just couldn't avoid him...so we got married. :)
Recently, while cleaning, I came across this photo I sent him.

He told me "Do you know, when I received this photo...I thought you were a wild sort of girl? Probably not my kind.."

Do you know why he thought that? well, first of all, he's kinda old fashioned type, logical, straight forward, kind and honest. Well, anyway....he thought I was wild because the photo........

ok, I've decided not to tell why. Maybe you could guess? look at the photo and guess why would Ted think me wild? hahaha... seriously I don't have my eyebrow or nose pierced, no tatoo...

oh well, gotta go. Take care all.

My moronic dog who spoilt my day

so the hand-foot and mouth disease has finally gone. yahoooo...........................

but truth be told, I'm drained out, and a little down in the dumps. it's from the lack of sleep. Somehow, Jo's still been waking up at least 3-4 times a night even though the ulcers have subsided. Yesterday, I was just getting so cranky and feeling so down we decided to all go for a walk.

So the children and I and Camel (our dog) headed for a walk. Nel decided to hold Camel's leash. While walking, Nel saw a coconut tree and started counting the coconuts on the tree. At that moment, she forgot Camel. Camel saw his chance of escape, and dashed as fast as his legs could carry him. And mind you, Camel who jumps like a pogo stick is also a very very fast runner.

Nel ran after him, which spurred that wicked little dog to run even faster. I screamed "STOPPPPPPPPP" so loud the neighbours came out to look. Of course, nobody helped me catch Camel. So there went my peaceful walk. I walked fast, furiously, calling very loudly after Camel, and my idiotic dog, having caught the scent of another dog's pee, was fast on it's track. He didn't give a hoot to my call.

Then the rascal went further down the road and took a turn. AT that moment, I looked at my children trailing behind....and thought, "Camel or the kids? Camel or the kids?"

Darn, of course, it would have to be kids first. So I walked back to the kids, muttering curses under my breath. I lifted JO with one arm, and in my anger uttered certain words to Nel which I regret till now.

So with that 12 kgs in my arm and another one crying behind me, we continued our search for Camel. TUrned the corner and saw that scent maniac still sniffing the sidewalk and pillars. He sneaked looks at us from the corner of the eye, less we catch him and cut short his freedom.

I was almost to him when he ran again all the way to the next turn, nearing a busy road where cars were zooming by. I thought, he's either gonna die, or get lost, can't keep up with this chase. Finally, prayed a little....and then decided to squat. I sat there, called him....and to my relief, he decided he loved his master (me) more than whatever dog who's scent had attracted him. phew....

we walked home.... Nel ahead, wounded from my words. Bad mother i am......

Finally I decided I had to undo my words...had to let pride go. I sat down under the tree, and called Nel to my side. Reluctantly she came. We talked about the meaning of Responsibility, a new word for her. and blah blah blah.....and i kinda apologized. In the end, I gave her one more chance to handle CAmel's leash.

At that moment, the coy neighbour's cat, the one that loves to irritate Camel decided to come by. Of course, that dumb dog succumbed to the lure of the cat and barked like a moron, while trying to break loose from his leash. When will he ever learn not to give in, for his barking surely gives pleasure to that cat who was smiling wickedly. Well, Nel passed the test this time, for she held on to that leash with all her might and told Camel to keep quiet and sit down.

All in all.....it's so tough after sleepless nights and tiring days to keep cool. It's so easy to get angry and say things that hurt. It's so easy to hurt those you love most.... God forgive me when I become the mother I do not want to be. Well.....ok....time to go. I'm hoping for better sleep tonight.....

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update... Nel had a long fish bone lodged at the very back of her throat, the dumb GP said "no bone, can't see a bone." Found myself on that traffic road to Aunt Pauline's clinic again in OUG. That terrific doctor....she got that bone out. She's just a FANTASTIC doctor.

Nel's paintint of a fish

Nel's painting of herself. See the spots on the mouth? she said those are the ulcers which were in her mouth when she had the HFM.

Kenny G

the kids still have it, Nel has not been to school for 4 days now. Knowing the schooling system here which gives kids 2-3 homework each day, there will be TONNES of homework for her to do once she's back in kindy. *sigh*

She's got ulcers on her lips still, and as for Jo, she's much better. Her statement yesterday was "mum, i've got blood on my tongue!" but today she said "i'm ok already mummy." but on looking into her mouth, there were still some small ulcers at the back. We're all tired of being cooped up at home and patience is running low.


Anyway, 2 weeks ago before this whole HFM thing started, hubby had bought me a surprise ticket to Kenny G's concert in Gentings. The last time he was in Malaysia some time in 1990, I was there too. :) Back then he was very popular and lotsa people were crazy about him. Now...he's so so.

Still hubby's idea of a surprise night out was REALLy nice. :) Well the drive took about an hour and half. The concert was enjoyable. I told hubby how Kenny G liked walking in from the back of the auditorium, and true enough, he did that, surprising and thrilling the audience to bits and pieces! haha... Anyway, can't believe how crowded Genting is, even on a fri night. People have too much money to throw away? (for my friends abroad, Genting is a highland famous for it's Casinos and Theme parks)

Well, photos are in hubby's phone. I've not downloaded them yet. However, we did queue up like crazy people (hundreds were in line!!!) to get his autograph. and here's the proof...hehe....



For today...I'm gonna attempt making home made ice-cream. Will let you all know how it turned out. Blessings..

Day 4 HFMD

Isn't this getting boring? HFMD again? haha....

oh well....it's day four. The fever has subsided, and that makes things much better. THey are able to play as normal and are back to the love/fight relationship.

As for eating...Nel has taken the opportunity to ask for her favourite ice creams and jelly. (junk food.) Other than that, still no real solid food...coz her mouth is still filled with ulcers. She finds watery porridge ok, and her other favourite at this time is warm mushroom soup with some macaroni. She finds that manageable.

As for Jo.... she's still pretty much on milk and ice cream with about 5 mouths of porridge yesterday which I had to "force" her to eat.

I don't know why they call it Hand Foot and Mouth...coz by yesterday the spots started showin up on Nel's body. They look like blisters on her body. they are mainly on her fingers, toes, thighs, and butt. So they should call it Hand Legs/Butt and Mouth disease.

gotta go...

Day 2 HFMD

as predicted it pretty much a sleepless night. Jo woke constantly, whining each time. As it is, I'm a light sleeper ... and with last night's whining, I was a non sleeper. Awoke with slight headaches, but did not nap at all today. That just doesn't happen. Hubby on the other hand had a wonderful 2 hour nap during the day! (public holiday today..Labour day.)

Jo was cranky most of today....while Nel was feverish in the morning complaining of throat pain. I asked them both to open their mouths, and .....errrghhhhh.....tonnes of red and white spots on the upper palate, and even more in the throat area behind the tongue. In fact, the whole throat looked so swollen. No wonder the crying and whining.

Thank God, the doc had given me Cataflam Oral Drops in case the children experienced severe pain. So I gave Jo the cataflam, and wonders and wonders, she became her usual self for about 3 hours before the cranky side of her reappeared. Nel was quite ok after some fever/pain med, perhaps because she's older. Eating is hard for both of them, and they have just been surviving on milk, cold liquids and ice cream.

Jo is already skinny, and I suppose, this will take more pounds off her.

Anyway....yeah, about to put these babies to bed, and as of now, spots are beginning to appear near their lips, palms and feet. arrghhhh......

Nel is crying a little...she's asking "mum, will the blisters get more painful? it's pain mum...." I'm praying they won't get more painful.

gotta go.....

HFMD

today's just been absolutely draining.....
it started last night when Nel developed fever.... today morn, rushed her to the pediatrician, my aunt Pauline's clinic, which is a 40 mins drive through crazy traffic. I go to her, coz I don't trust any of the doctors around my place.

Well...turns out, Nel has HFMD . That poor girl had fever the whole of last night and the whole of today...with sores beginning to form on her upper palate...which will turn to painful ulcers, said the doctor. Needless to say, she's not eaten much.

Anyway, after the visit to the doctor, I dropped the kids at my dad's and drove to a meeting at the uni where I will be lecturing part time. I suppose, because my mind was so troubled by my children's health, I actually took sooooooo many wrong turns! a 40 minute drive became ONE and HALF hours! I ended up in the busy KL City .... and arrived at the meeting 40 mins late.

Later I drove by dad's to pick my children up only to find Jo crying and whining...complaining of pains everywhere, mainly on her joints and mouth. SHe was running a fever...and she was crying non stop, refusing any form of liquid or food.

Once again, I found myself on the very busy road, heading towards Aunt Pauline's clinic. By the time we reached the clinic and saw the doc, I was so tired, I thought I was just gonna cry. I know, boo hoo, cry baby. haha.... well i Was just darn tired.

So Jo is down with HFMD too..... her entire throat is swollen.... poor baby.

Really....times like this, mothering is tough....

We have to console the crying baby..

try to soothe away the pains...

carry the baby who's sick and clingy no matter how our back aches..

gently persuade them to take that little bite or drink ...

and most of all, remain strong...for a mother cannot afford to fall sick...coz she has to tend to all her little children...(and sometimes husband)....

ok.....will try to sleep now....though...it seems impossible....am not looking forward to tomorrow...but am trusting the Lord to heal them quickly...

Abstract Art by Nel

Nel's been bugging me for art lessons. Currently she goes to ballet. I suppose if her interests in art is stronger than ballet, we will switch her to art by next year. Still ballet is good....mainly for her to learn working/dancing as a group, memory of sequence (dance steps), confidence etc etc etc.

She's always doodling, and coming up with rather abstract stuff... if not that, then she's into building blocks or stories. She's always asking strange questions and has interesting thoughts which she comes up with every now and then. Anyway, she drew this today. If you can tell it's actually a face with an alien kinda nose :) and some very abstract patterns in the middle. :)

Anyway, it's a long weekend this week, and I'm looking forward to it. Will be heading out of town for an adventure. God bless and have a lovely rest of the week. :)

third child...yes or no?

Another week's gone by...time goes by too quickly. Starting mid year, my schedule will be doubly busy with more teaching assignments far from home . Though part of me dreads the thought of travelling and spending more time away from home, from my children, I will give thanks. One, because i know, while I'm working my children will be in good hands with my own mum. Second, because recently due to all sorts of unexpected events, my bank account has taken a sharp dip, and when I prayed about it, these job offers came. So I will give thanks. :)

Anyway .... other than that, while going through physio this week, the therapist mentioned the dreaded subject, the subject of the third child. Why is it, soooooooooooo many people are asking me to have a third child? My in laws bug me, my mum's friends bug me...almost everyone except my parents. phew, thank goodness they don't.

Do you know all my in laws have 3-4 children? do you know all my nieces and nephew in laws have also 3-4 children? On hubby's side, i'm the only one with 2.

This issue has been bugging my mind like crazy coz I'm not getting younger...and time is ticking.

Reasons why I should have no. 3 ...
1) everyone says I should try for a boy. (What is the probability of getting one????)
2) The older folks tell me when they hit 50's and 60's they look back and regretted not having more.
3) hubby wants one more
4) It might get quiet around when the children all go to school
5) perhaps out of 3, one might be willing to look after us when I am old? haha..

Reasons NOT to have no.3
1) Increased expenditure, less money to go round
2) Go through TERRIBLe pregnancy again with horrible morning sickness
3) All teaching jobs will be affected again
4) Go through the dreaded C-Section again. I hated it and the pain after!
5) Go through post partum depression again
6) Sleepless nights all over again
7) no freedom to do as I like still... meaning travel...and possibly studying again...

See...the reasons for NOT far outweighs the reasons to have. That's why I can't bring myself to it. But on the other hand....I'm beginning to coo at and admire other people's babies... I'm thinking, if I want one i have to have it now.... I just can't make up my mind.......... just can't. So I wish people would stop bugging me about this for a while.....

Anyway, after all that here's some humor found on http://www.engrish.com/ . Michi, I hope you won't mind these jokes? coz some taken from Japan. Just thought the translation of words here are funny. :) Have a good weekend everyone. :)

No thanks...err...but out of curiosity, is his urine sweet or sour?

this one makes me dizzy reading..

Perhaps this one parents should buy for daughter's boyfriends.

no thanks, i don't think slipping is good at all

ok, but how do I know if my refrigerator is anxious?

yeah...I won't.....can feed with other people's ?

More art work by JO

This is just continuation from the last post. As mentioned, Jo suddenly decided that she likes drawing. So she's been practicing doing lots of faces. Today her drawing has gotten more detailed. Check out the nose, and ears. :)

hands and legs still stem from the head. :) Her drawing now has eyebrows and ears!
These are her drawings of her Ah Kong (Grandpa) and Ah Ma (Grandma)
The little one herself with her art and telescope.
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Have a blessed weekend everyone

Art

day 2 physio. They added 2 pound weights to my exercises. The pain persists... but doctor already said it would take a few months of physio. I'm also to start regular swimming. With frequent thunderstorms and busy schedule...I don't know how I'm gonna fit that in...but will try.
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As for my kids... the crazy rainy weather which has not stopped since Jan has prevented us from going out for our regular walks in the evenings. This drives the children (and me) crazy especially if they are cooped up at home the whole day. However, they have been busy with art. I suppose, since I'm a musician and very much into art myself, my children have a natural inclination towards art and music too.

Well today, Jo took out her sketch pad and these are the pictures she drew today at age 2 years and half.

She says, this is mummy. That messy part in the middle is my tummy. and if you look carefully, she has drawn hands on the side, and two sticks for my legs. If only my legs were thin as sticks! haha....

This is her drawing of daddy.
And this her drawing of Nel. Again, a large messy tummy area, and two very curly hands on the side. haha... 2 sticks for the legs which stem from the head. haha...

THis is Nel's work of art. She's very into building blocks...and so is Jo.

Nel's drawing of turtle on the sea. She is passionate about animals, especially that of the ocean. Right now, she's into saving the whales. haha...

Nel's very colorful CHristmas tree.

Nel's half drawn house with colorful roof.
Random doodle from Nel...again more Christmas trees. (You can tell when her favourite time of the year is.)

Day 1 Physiotherapy

Finally ... I started my physiotherapy today. The session lasted for an hour and a half. Some of it was painful, some of it was relaxing. The ice packs were nice. My shoulders have gotten so bad lately it's hard to wash my own hair or do things for the children without some pain. So I figured, time to get it fixed.

Jo sat down quietly and observed what they were doing. She's really good for a 2 1/2 year old. :) but at one point, when she saw them putting stuff on me, she panicked, and the poor little one started crying badly. So I told her to stand by my bed and hold my hand. She did that in between sobs. I'd to assure her that I was ok, and the physio was helping me and not hurting me. Let's hope the shoulders and back will get better with each session. I'm praying hard.

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Tonight as I put the children to bed Jo said "Mummy, I'm so happy to be with you."

As for Nel she said "Mum.....I wish I was a baby again...."

I asked her why she wished that... and she replied "When I was a baby, you hugged me while I closed my eyes and you used to tap my back till I fell asleep."

I recalled back to the days before Jo was born. Nel being the very affectionate person she is, would snuggle close to me, her hand always touching my shoulders to make sure I was right there beside her when she slept. but when Jo was born, we had to move Nel to a different room, coz Jo was a super wakey baby, waking up 5-6 times a night.

Anyway, so today, I snuggled close beside her, and she held my hand with one, and with the other, held my shoulders like she did when she was a baby. Then she said "sing me my favourite song mum, "May The Lord Bless you.."

So I sang..and she fell asleep, soundly like a baby. :)

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As for my weekly cooking/baking sessions with Junee...last friday, me and Junee attempted to make Onde Onde...and here are the pictures. Yup, they turned out delicous and are very easy to make . :)

The Paste - Glutinous flour, tapioca flour, juice from screwpine leaves

Fill each one with palm sugar and roll into balls making sure sugar is properly sealed inside.

boil, drain and roll in coconut

Bite into it and fill it "burst" in your mouth as the palm sugar melts in your mouth. yumm...

Personality

Minni, the mother of Bethany , sent me this linkto Nurture by Nature where you can take a quiz to determine a child's personality type. So I did the quiz on behalf of my kids, and here's the result for Nel's personality. I find it quite accurate!

The Joys and Challenges of Raising an INFP
INFPs are idealistic, committed, and deeply passionate, but tend to idealize relationships, and are easily hurt and tend to hold grudges. Spontaneous and highly original, they also tend to be quite disorganized and become overwhelmed by details.
How to Nurture INFPs
-encourage them to talk about their ideas;

-listen quietly and give them your undivided attention
-allow them to watch from the sidelines;

-give them plenty of time to play alone or day dream
-respect the intensity of their feelings;

- appeal to their desire for harmony in times of conflict
-speak softly and maintain eye and close physical contact

Enduring self-esteem for INFPs comes from knowing that their deep feelings are legitimate and that the people they care about love them regardless of the roller coaster of emotions they often ride.

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Results for...Jo ....may not be as accurate...as certain things are not very clear yet...like if she's a thinker or feeler. Yes, she is imaginative, and intellectually curious. She's stubborn, strong willed. However, she doesn't appear emotionally aloof and superior. She's actually very affectionate and shows it clearly, :) ....except in new social environment. Gotta do this test again when she's older.

The Joys and Challenges of Raising an INTJ
INTJs are imaginative and intellectually curious but tend to also be stubborn and unwilling to back down. While they are logical, direct, and skeptical, they are usually intensely private, independent, and appear emotionally aloof and superior.
How to Nurture INTJs
-don’t push them into social situations;

-respect their hesitancy and follow their lead
-provide a constantly expanding source of intellectual stimulation
-expect an analytical thinking style, and don’t take their criticism personally
-be fair and consistent;

-offer the logical rational for your decisions
Enduring self-esteem for INTJs comes from being valued and respected for their unique perspective and their constantly increasing levels of competence.

Camel my little poodle

Day 4 Detox. Let's say I'm not going by the diet plan faithfully. However, I've been eating healthy. :) Cannot go without rice as directed. Addicted to rice. ahaha..

Conversation with Jo over breakfast today.

Jo: Mum, does Ivan obey his mummy? (Ivan is a friend from her toddler group)

Me: Well, I think so.

Jo: Jo obeys mummy. I am a good girl. (pause....and after a while she says)

Mum, .............I like being with you mum. (she says it with a smile.)

Awwww....that was so wonderful to hear. It just brightened my day. :)

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Today we took Camel our adopted dog for grooming. his fur was just growing wild. If you read my earlier post on Camel, you'd know he was rescued from cruelty, and we adopted him. Well, here's the little fella after his hair cut. The best thing is the groomer knows Camel, coz it was he who rescued Camel. So he did it all for free! ANyway, Camel now looks Totally adorable! :)

Camel eyeing Nel's food

Sits still when on a leash

Camel posing

Camel is usually a VERY active dog! I had to censor this pic.

no x rated pic allowed on this family site. haha...

Camel jumping to get the treat

He can jump VERY high! I call him a pogo stick.