No more running biz..But still living my life.
Full time SAHM,and a homeschool mamma now. Try to blend it together without losing my sanity in the city they called The Pearl of the Orient.
You think your life is hard? Imagine being plunked down in a foreign land where you're not fluent in the language, you have to figure out how everything from a doorknob to a toilet works, and you're one-third the height of everyone else. Being a preschooler has its stresses. When your child seems overwhelmed, it's a good idea to look at what's going on in his world, slow the pace, and provide extra TLC — the same things you like when you're overwhelmed!
Your 2-year-old now
Most of the time, your preschooler is probably a happy kid. But did you know that very young children can get stressed out, too? Common stressors for preschoolers include having too many planned activities, the lack of a stable routine, feeling sick, a move, a separation from a beloved caregiver, or the arrival of a new sibling. Some signs a child is feeling pushed or stressed:
She suddenly seems withdrawn and disinterested in things.
There's a change in her personality, especially from sunny to sullen or angry.
She resists when it's time to go play.
She insists she wants to "go home" when you've just arrived at a new place.
Her toilet-training progress seems to regress (daytime accidents after several weeks or months without any, for example).
Give your child extra TLC during stressful times. Reassess what's going on in her life and see if you can put more security and stability back into it. For example, if you think the problem might be too much activity (and all the related rushing and nagging), scale back your plans.
Your life now
Here's a way to break a behavior you don't like, whether it's playing with food, whining, or screaming: Look the other way. Child development experts call this "ignoring to extinction." Sometimes it's your lively annoyed reaction that a child is really after when she misbehaves in a way she knows you don't like. If you try this strategy, beware: You might first get a so-called "extinction burst," where the behavior escalates for while. That happens because your child is working all the harder to see if she can get a rise out of you. Keep on ignoring and the behavior is likely to go the way of the dinosaur.
We didn't go out during Earth Hour. Didn't plan to do anything also. 8.30 is my children usual bed time. Since I normally start to have down time for them from 8, and since yesterday my maid was off and my dh was still working, So it was just 3 of us. So I decided to turned it off earlier.
We had a " not enough " pizza dinner with si lebahsibuk ( thanks for the salmon burger to the rescue!) . And as soon as they left. I cleaned the kitchen, tidy up a bit the living room, locked the gate, and off the light. Took candles up. Off PC, didn't on the aircon, didn't off the TV too. Nothing fancy for Earth Hour in our home. Simply dark...
I didn't want to go down again in the middle of "down time" with my kids, which would disturb them. So why not to off early?
I only on a fan in our master room. Indy was a sleep fast, but Maya didn't , so she kept saying: Got candle! but no cake! happy b'day candle!!!! Yes, she is obsessed with cakes still....( specially the topping )
My neighborhood still stay the same. I might be the only one who joined in. But I was kind of expected it. So no big deal, it is not about what other did, I did this for my self and our earth. And hopefully it will create awareness too in this neighborhood.
Though one lady in the market , who takes Indy to school everyday did remind Indy on Friday about EH. And so did Indy's teacher.
To my surprise , My dh has decided to off 60% of the restaurant light off! YAY! Good for him. No poster, no announcement that the restaurant will join, no special "Earth Hour" dinner what so ever. But he just decided to turn in off. Of course the kitchen lights and equipments were still on for sure! Just a symbolic way to show that he cares for the Earth. He is always the one who talk about global warming to me on how selfish human being are.
We can't live without electricity that is for sure. And I am thankful for the electricity and all source of power for the modern living. But we can't take anything for granted. We need to treat our Earth in a more gentle way.
We had many "rude awakening" this pass decade : Tsunami, flood,Hurricane, thunderstorm, extreme temperatures , odd weather , and so on" And as I am typing this, outside there is a very bright sun together with large drops of rain. ..talking about odd weather?
I would really like to know where can I send the plastic bottles, tin, and glass bottles to be recycle here in KK? So far I can only recycle paper products. Anybody can help? I didn't see many recycle bins around here.
Yes it is still about the Earth Hour. I think some people got it wrong. How can we save global warming by just turning off the light for one hour?
That is why it is been so easy to criticized . Well again, if you are really interested in this whole thing, we all should read more. Knowledge is power.
The act of turning off the light is symbolic. But just because an act is symbolic doesn't mean it empty.
" The only way to truly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to take the pressure off global warming, is an international regime that puts a cap and a price on climate pollution. And the only way that will happen is if politicians around the world become convinced that climate change is an issue that matters to people, one that will make them change the way they live, buy — and vote. "Unlike most of the issues that we grapple with, climate change is global," said Roberts. "The pressure is on us to do the right thing." If shutting off the lights for an hour on a Saturday night and doing yoga in the dark makes that political support, well, visible, then Earth Hour will have been worth it."
"The environmental movement is reaching a delicate moment. We're well past the point where going green is novel, where just doing your bit to save the Earth deserves endless praise. We've become inured to the existence of global warming, to its inconvenient truth, yet we sense that the solutions we've been given — change a light bulb, change your life — fall far short of the scale of the problem. We risk green fatigue because, after all, what can we do about it? But this is the moment when we need to keep pushing in every way we can. The technologies that will help us decarbonize energy are developing, but they need a push — and that will only happen if we keep climate change near the top of our political agenda. Earth Hour, Earth Day, Earth Year — we'll need it all."
So the bottom line is : we need to create awareness about this issue and hopefully the government will be more active to support and help to reduce global warming. ( like more support of recycling here in Sabah? or provide better public transport? I know it a long way to go, but at least the awareness is there.)
Hopefully after the Earth Hour, we will be more aware to save our natural resources,. save more electricity, save more water, use less plastic bags, recycle more.
It is not WHAT WILL YOU DO DURING THE EARTH HOUR. BUT WHAT WILL YOU DO AFTER THE EARTH HOUR.....
How about to turn off most of the light in your house once a month?or no TV for Tuesday night from 9 onwards? or off the ceiling fan when no one is in the room? Or don't let the water run while you brush your teeth? Don't shower more than 10 minutes? bring your own bags when you do shopping? Use less Air con? Going with someone to work, I know it is very common that one household has 4-5 cars, and that will be alot of help if we can reduce about 20 % of the carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. How about we change our bulbs? Choose house appliance that save in water ( washing machine or dish washer ) and save in electricity ( Refrigerator , PC, TV etc). And using cloth diapers and cloth pads!! ! :-D
The list are endless.... and I won't say I will do it all precisely And I am not saying that I am a environmentalist, I am just a human being ....but I try....to change the way I live , one step at the time....
It might sound stupid for some people....but ....again I am just one person.
Respond for the Star online Anti Earth hours supporters.
Again Be positive people.... look at the glass half full instead of half empty! Instead of looking for every flaws in every thing ( there comes the wrinkles! and welcome the Botox expenditure!!) Why can't we be a bit supportive? For the sake of " Global Awareness" ? For the sake of " Experience" ? For the sake of " Unity" Or if you have children, it can teach them to save on electricity too and I am sure my kids will think this is some kind of adventure for them.
Publicity or Politic, Irony or Agony.... Can we just...for once....just take a glimpse of the positive out come of this event? What is wrong with that?
The world is full of other horrifying stuffs, so why one hour of darkness can make some people be so sarcastic? What can you do then do help global warming? Can you purchase a green car locally? Can you buy organic meat easily? Can you buy organic cotton clothing in every single stores? Do you recycle your stuffs? Do you walk in your neighborhood instead of driving?
Not yet ?
If you are not satisfied with things , how about you organize some kind of Global Event about global warming that can involve 50 millions people to unity to make it happen? Will it be as easy to spill out the words?
Again..... oranges and apples some people like it some people don't.... But can we think it as a positive way?
IF it is for publicity.... I think it is a good one.... What's harm the publicity of EARTH HOUR can done to the community? Publicity to create the awareness not to waste energy? I can live with that kind of publicity I think!
Peace on you!
Earth Hour might get things going
IN response to Marcus’ comments “Earth Hour is a mere publicity stunt” (The Star, March 25), I would like to point out that we should not be quick to discount such efforts, especially not at the global scale that it is taking place, from Rome all the way to Christchurch.
What started as a city’s effort to take a stand against global warming has now taken on a worldwide phenomenon which is in itself an accomplishment in raising widespread awareness of the issue – global warming.
Yes, the effort may seem small to some people. After all, what is one hour out of the 365 days in a year? But we should view this as a start.
One person’s effort to save energy for one hour multiplied by the thousands that will participate in Earth Hour (thanks to the great media exposure) will inevitably equate to a large amount of energy saved, even if it is only for one hour.
After all, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Let that single step be by turning off our lights this weekend for one hour.
Sit in quiet contemplation and enjoy the darkness. If it gets hot – as it does in our climate – go outside and look up into the sky.
When was the last time we actually took time to gaze at the stars and appreciate such a simple gift Mother Nature has given us? Maybe next month it will inspire us to consume our resources more consciously.
I am never be so overly body conscious type of woman. Sometimes maybe...but I never pay too much attention of how my body should look like or want it to be perfect.
I was never be a slim stick person , and never will be. I know my curves mostly are not in the right place , and where I wish to be "chubbier" is getting "slimmer" now a days. And after 2 pregnancies ( each I gained 20 kg) I think it is human to have cellulite and stretch mark here and there. It is a motherhood trophy.
I was much much more chubbier in my teenage days. Being surrounded by all petite sisters, I was the Obelix of the family. :) And I am glad that I didn't have body image problem or suffer from low self esteem. It didn't make me a bulimic or anorexic person. I tried diet in my high school year but then I was thinking, for what??? So I don't have flat tummy, I got flabby arms, and bigger than a tree thigh....so what?
As I don't care much of my body image , so I think that is why I am not so critical also about other's people body. I know my imperfection, so if other's seem to have it as well....( again) so what?
My complexion is getting more and more far from perfect now. Bigger pores, fine lines, whiteheads. ...SO WHAT? I use make up , yes.... and that's it, the rest of the day I don't think of how my face will look like or what people gonna think about my face or my body.
I do try to eat properly, balanced diet, for the sake of my health . I stop to eat when I feel full, and eat when I am hungry. Just listen to my body's need.
Right now, I was not as heavy as before, in fact I was a tad bit slimmer compare to my post children body. I think nature is on my side. I am thanksful for that.
So for all the women...Let's celebrate our imperfection...... don't be so negative about everthing...we need to see world in the much more positive way.
Even KIM has cellulite and good for her that she got the privellage to had it photoshopped! Go KIM! She never said she got perfect body. So am I!!!!
Anyone want to edit my photos? for free? I would love that!
I was doing my pedicure, then my dh sms-ed me and said " we gonna checking in at 1 pm today" WHAT!!!!!! So there goes my plan for my manicure and eyelashes extension. I called my maid and said to take out the clothing for the kids. I rushed to do last minutes errand at the supermarket. I couldn't find taxi ( lunch time) It was chaotic. I got 5 minutes to packed my stuffs. Lucky I still got my make up case and toiletries bag untouched from our Spore's vacation. I threw in a few t-shirt , short, a dress just in case we gonna have dinner, the kids floaties, swimsuits, toys, this and that.... And I didn't bring enough diapers and I forgot Indiana's Pajama ! hahha Maya was on disposable diaper during Spore vacations so I was thinking to finished it and I didn't count how many was inside...
Ok so first day was for swimming of course And we hired a babysitters again, yes plural , because the Chua was also there to celebrate youngest dd B'day the very next day. Me and my dh went to NAAN Indian cuisine restaurant , we had a great dinner.
The Birthday girl and family And do you see the orang utan? :) The bday girl was scared of it.
The girls in the jacuzzi
We managed do had a rare "double date" dinner at the Tepanyaki restaurant that night. HAH! yes no kids around! :-D
Stock up the candles! :) As much as I hate the often black outs here. I must admit, that is the time that we can really get personal and talk without any distraction , without music, TV, PC in the between. It is when we really give our all to listen, listen to the nature, traffic, listen to our children and spouse, or friends, or family.
I know we will miss the comfort of aircon, we will miss our favorite TV shows, can't use microwave to re heat our food etc , but one hour is minimal for me. And it is planned. So I can cooked and eat earlier, bath earlier if I need the water heater , wash dishes earlier. :)
Too bad there are some people that think this is a stupid idea ( youtube comments)
For once , people , Can we please put a side our differences? this simplest way to show that WE CARE! no matter how old are you, what religion, what do you believe, what race, what do you eat, who are you, how rich or famous you are, where do you live...... just for ONE hour can we selflessly turn of the lights?or some light?
Have you watch " The day the Earth stood still" ? Do we need Aliens to remind us?
Klaatu said:
If the Earth dies..human races die, If human races die, the Earth stays.....
And they do shipped Internationally. Some items starting prices are good also. ( Dior Glasses for $100)
Some portion of the sales will be donated to Dream Foundation too.
So ...if you see what you like and in the right size why don't you bid on it? you can even bragged it that hey this wasKim Kardashian's BCBG Dress ! Or Khloe's Dior glasses
I know it is a small gesture, nothing significant, we can't help much buy doing this, but If there are more than 82 countries will be united this Saturday 28th of March, will you join ? Let's put aside our needs for Air con, let's pass on our favorite TV shows, let's be bored if you will and let's do it together. Make this small effort count.
I know it wont change much of our life or on our earth. We don't asked to be vegetarian over night, or use sunlight as our main electrical source or banned air con entirely or trashed our car and change it to "green car" . It might be look simple and even silly... but the effort and the thought behind it is great. And the thought of the Whole world can be UNITED and be selflessly joined and sacrificed the ONE hour of their day TOGETHER , wouldn't it be great.
Go to the Malaysian website : http://earthhour.org.my/ Or the US website or the International website to see which world's landmark will join in to this historical event. And Which Celebrities will join in too!
Some of the landmarks that will be black are Sydney and harbour bridgeOpera house The Golden Gate Bridge in SF The Colosseum in Rome and many more..
And this year KLCC Twin Tower will be going dark too! as well as Putrajaya will be going dark on the 28th of March in support of Earth Hour 2009. Below are the buildings that will be dark :
Pejabat Perdana Menteri
Masjid Putra
Kementerian Kewangan
Bangunan Kastam Diraja Malaysia
Bangunan LHDN & Bahagian Pinjaman Perumahan
Menara PjH
Kementerian Pembangunan Keusahawanan
Bangunan KPDNHEP
Audit Negara & Jabatan Imigresen
Istana Kehakiman (POJ)
Wisma Tani
Kementerian Sumber Asli
Bangunan DCA & Kemeterian Belia dan Sukan
Kompleks Perbadanan Putrajaya
Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara
Pusat Konvensyen Antarabangsa Putrajaya (PICC)
Bangunan Hal Ehwal Undang- undang
Dataran Putra
Dataran Putrajaya
Dataran Gemilang
Dataran Wawasan
Jambatan Sri Gemilang
Jambatan Sri Saujana
Jambatan Sri Wawasan
Jambatan Putra
Putra Mosque
The entire Sunway Intergrate Resort will turn off their non-essential lights for one hour in support of Earth Hour!
Sunway Intergrated Resorts include:
Sunway Pyramid
Sunway Lagoon
Sunway University College
Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa
Sunway Medical Centre
Menara Sunway
Penang bridge will be dark as well as KL sentral and KL tower!
Click here to see which country will be joining http://www.earthhour.org/
So the next BIG questions IS?
Earth Hour 2009 – What Will You Be Doing?
Cuddling up with your loved ones and admiring the stars in the night sky or organising a treasure hunt in the dark? At 8:30pm on Saturday 28 March, people from all corners of the world will turn off their lights for one hour - Earth Hour - and cast their vote for action on climate change. Anybody can participate and join together with millions of people across the globe celebrating Earth Hour.
Earth Hour is about taking simple steps everyday that collectively reduce carbon emissions – from businesses turning off their lights when their offices are empty to households turning off appliances rather than leaving them on standby.
Here are 10 different ways to spend Earth Hour and reduce your carbon footprint:
1. Attend a local Earth Hour event or organise your own by throwing an Earth Hour street party with your neighbours 2. Gather family & friends for a night picnic in your local park and look at the stars 3. Enjoy a family dinner by candlelight 4. Organise a treasure hunt in the dark 5. Take the dog for a night walk 6. Have a candle-lit bath 7. Sit in the dark and share stories 8. Organise a family night playing board games 9. Share a romantic night in with your loved one 10. Upload your ‘on the night’ photos and videos to flickr and YouTube respectively, and then add them to the Earth Hour flickr group and the global YouTube Group.
Earth Hour Executive Director, Andy Ridley, is encouraging people to participate in whatever way they choose and to think beyond the hour.
“There are no hard and fast rules surrounding participation in Earth Hour. We only ask that you flick that switch and have fun doing whatever you choose to do during that time.
Make Earth Hour work for you. Families with young children should feel free to turn their lights off earlier than 8:30pm and for those having too much fun in the dark during the hour, don’t feel you have to limit yourself to one hour and switch back on at 9:30pm.”
We managed to book the promo ticket to Singapore by chance actually. We didn't know where to go for this short holiday , searching here and there and then suddenly I thought why don't we go to Singapore since this is a short holiday, so I called the travel agent and found out that there were a promo ticket. We decided in a very short time and Singapore it is for March Holiday.
We lived there for about 2-3 years and left Spore in 2001. I met my dh there the first time, so it was begin in Spore :) many memories too . We did come back for a very short trip ( 3 days maybe) in 2002 when I was still expecting Indy.
But this time to be able to going back there with 2 kids and met up some old friend is great.
The journey from Sabah to Singapore of course is very short and easy. Direct flight for 2 hours. Everything went smoothly. Maya and Indy behaved well , specially Maya that now she is more familiar with flying and queuing, she even knows that we must chop her passport, say bye bye to our luggage ( check in) and then wait before entering the aircraft. She is a pro! :-D I am confident that I can bring them both on a trip alone if they behave this good all the time :) They ate, took a nap during the flights. An easy breezy one for me. In Singapore , we decided to took a tour. The Duck tour. We are not a fan of tour program since mostly is it so rush and hectic, specially if we travel with young kids. But this one is different and very flexible, we can use the tickets and program for 2 days but the travel agent was so nice , to give us 3 days pass. As he saw that we bring 2 young kids along. So it was easier for us , we don't need to to all in One day, but we can do some of it in the morning, have lunch, go back to hotel for nap and then go out again. Perfect! We did not go to Sentosa this time. Just took citytour with topless bus and river cruise . The best part is when we did the Duck tour in a vehicle used in Vietnam war that can go on land as well in the water . Cool . Indy and Maya was so amazed . Maya asked me : This is bus boat? I said yaaa...bus but can be boat!!! LOL
The Duck ( can go both on land and water)
We also met my eldest aunt there, she is the sister of my dad, and been live there for the last 26 years.
I think the best part for the kids is the chance that they can saw the Disney Princesses Wishes on ice. I am always a fan of anything ON ICE!! My first experience was when I was 12 years old I think, my parents took me to see The holiday on ice. I still remember it until now. So when an old friend called and asked me, if I want to join her to see the show , without thinking I said I want! And lucky enough I can still got the ticket ( ok last row but better than nothing).
And then of course we went to the Singapore Flyer and these are some of the pics I snapped during the tour.I am sure most of us are very familiar with Singapore...name the location if you know it! :) Great to refresh our memory!
I am glad that I still can navigated my way around and about in Singapore hahah...not bad for me...
One of the advantage living in a Metropolis is that are many chance to see great live performance. As I know it is hard for us to get to see this kind of show in KK , I think It is great that we were able to watched it. Love all the songs. I love the Aladin's songs, specially The whole new world. And the the Mermaid songs : kiss the girls, Under the sea and part of the world.
Indy is familiar with Disney princesses so she enjoyed it the most. Maya on the other hands know nothing about it. But to my surprise she loves it too! Who doesn't like the songs, the dance, the light and the atmosphere ? She was so excited when she saw the Mickey and Minnie , the Genie , the bad guys from the Alladin and the Fish ( Flounder?) from the mermaid. She stood up of her seat and stomped up and danced to the music... :)
Didn't manage to take many nice pictures. Specially the Sleeping beauty part when the Giant dragon came out with fire... It was excellent!
Mickey and Minnie greet the girls and boys Tinkerbell
Charming Prince Eric from the Little Mermaid Under the sea Snow white Be our guest from Beauty and the Beast
And of course the Cinderella !
The Finale ..All of the princesses (and princes) Can you name them all in the photo?. With the closing of the Cinderella 's cart with Tinkerbell inside , the cart went up and got fire works and bubbles.... A moment a girl can't forget! And I like the positive message they like to deliver: Don't be afraid to dream, and dream does come true.....
If you got time check out the Youtube videos on the bottom of this post :)
So that's all... Didn't manage to do many shopping. Just bought a few stuffs for the kids. They both are having cough as well as me....So these days ahead will just take it easy , rest and relax. But today as my dh is still on leave , he took Indy to beach to collect shells. Me? I miss my internet friends and world , So here I am updating my blog! ( and reading your blogs too!) :0)
A few clips I found from youtube. If you still got the chance to see it...GO! Worth it...and you will wish you were children again....
I love most of the songs. I am still a kid in heart....and always be... :)
I know I was late...I didn't catch this movie in the Cinema last year. Finally I watched it in DVD. And Man....how cute can a vampire can be? Edward Cullen....oh wow!!! bite me! :-D
A story about a teenager vampire fall in love with a human. The passion, the love, and the forbidden love they had.
Anyway ,like many of you, I think...I can't wait to the sequel... and I found the Ebooks! HAH! And it is free...you just need to download Microsoft reader. Happy reading!
Rules: The Rules are simple. Use Google Image to answer the questions below. Then you must choose a picture in the first page of the results, and post it as your answer. After that tag 6 people.
Some of the "favorite" questions is hard to answer as I have so many things :) , so the answer is according to my mood at this time :p I Am I really want to go to:
My favorite place: My favorite thing My favorite drink My favorite food My favorite color I live in I was born in
