Sweet Spring Days

The Spring is finally here! Sunny but with cool breeze! This is the best time to enjoy ! Because summer in Shanghai is too hot ( hotter than S.E Asia , could reach 40 Celsius! yup!!). Just to share a great way to spend time with kids  , without buying any new toys and without going to the mall with minimum budget needed!

Here are what we are doing lately , Indy move her " class room" to the field in our compound , at the back of our block. We even packed our lunch boxes! A bit of fresh air is always good for every one!

They even had an al fresco dining in the evening! They pretend to be the restaurant owner and staffs and of course I am the VIP customer! :)

The weekend is here, and I took them to the biggest park in town ( just opposite from where we live) , so again taking advantage of our location and situation ! :) The girls had a blast!

We probably living in the concrete jungle, but it is not impossible to still find a close to  nature activities! And this is definitely a great refresher than just going to mall after mall! Trust me.. in Shanghai the list of the mall are endless!

And since Indy's subjects are about birds lately, so this is another way to reinforce the subject with fun !

And voila! This is their favorite transport method ! Very green ! LOL the bike is rechargeable ! It is not always available though! Only certain time and mostly during weekend. We do not necessary need to hire this transport to go to the park, but it is just for FUN! It cost me MYR 2.5 /RMB 5 for a ride back to my place! :)

Well...Modern city could be so tempting, Mall could be alluring, Sky scrapper could be fascinating , but hey Spring is very intriguing , so let's go outdoor and do simple activities instead!

Happy Sunday, whenever you are! Remember to do simple things with your loved ones!

XOXO
SR

Be discreet

As modern " moms" we need to be updated in new technologies, being in track with the community  , and be fashionable and frugal at the same time, while we need to take care of our family and house.
As those who know me , personally, I am very much like to enjoy the technologies has to offer in this century. But I will not be a technology's victim or slave. I am still the boss :)

I just want to remind fellow bloggers and other social networking sites to be aware of " internet safety" , be considerate of what to share and what not to share. Be discreet ! Some taboo stuffs to share are :
Address, Personal details, School's name or birthday details!

Read here for more details :
http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/109538/7-things-to-stop-doing-now-on-facebook

Mother's day 2010

Wow.. I looked back at my own post for Mother's day and this is my 3rd year of posting MD !!
Amazing how time passed and how different I celebrate it each year.

My dh can't participate much this year , he is not even able to take his weekly off for the whole month if May due to his job. And though it is not easy for him , and not so much fun for me and the kids, we can't complaint much. Better to support him to work hard in his job rather than become jobless  ( touch wood)

This Mother's day is bitter sweet one for me . Sweet coz my girls surprised me with flowers ( Indy went to buy with my aunty )and chocolate ( but most of it Maya ate it!aahaha)
And my dh surprised me with an email of slide show of my girls since they were young and mostly are taken in KK, Sabah. So that brings back many memories!
Bitter coz I heard a not so good news about my father's health, his cancer is progressing and he is in some pain now. But he is still very optimistic and that is great.


 Have a great week!!
xoxooxo
SR

It is not for the faint hearted

As many people know, China is known for the strong economic growth and as one of the most populates country in the world. But it is also know for the bad image as the "fake" or "low quality" items. As the phrase : Made in China  , doesn't seem to  reflect any good image in general.

But as many know ( and also some doesn't ) China also offer the vast luxurious life style. Specially in big cities, and of the most fast growing and expanding city is the one we are living right now Shanghai.
And it is now the host of World Expo 2010. Shanghai has been undergoing many "plastic surgery" and it is at her prime and most beautiful time right now and the transportation system as been improved a lot too.

But it is not for the faint hearted people at all. You need to brace your self and you will need to choose a balance life style and keep your feet on the ground. If you have the cash, the sky is the limit! And thankfully , we do not have the cash , so we have a lot of limit here!The activities are endless so we must be very selective, and with the $$ you can basically have everything you want. And before you know it, you will be pulled down and drown in your own life.
But we came back to China, with open mind and open heart. We didn't come with our of our skeptical thought about China or the people, we 've decided to embrace it the good and the bad. Except that we are living in different city, our family are always the same, we still have the same value, we are still the same people.

The urge to have the branded clothing, bags, and all, to eat in the high end restaurant, joining a elite club or gym, to send the kids to an elite private school, to have a regular saloon visit from head to toes, to hire unlimited help fro chauffeur, personal maid and nanny or even to have a private masseuse  to come to your home.

As with the children it is the same, to keep them on the ground, with friends that going to certain restaurant, shop in certain shop and going with a luxurious car , it can be intimidating for them and the social pressure is big.

But , for us, we are what we are  , and we try to put that in our children's life that we don't have to have or do what others do. So it is important to keep things simple and yet we still be able to have fun. Because some people are funny, they spend the money they don't have, to buy thing they don't even need, to impress people they don't even like.
To live like that it is very exhausting , don't you  agree??

XOXO

S.R