Just to share....

Enough with our updates for the moment . My blog will be more than our updates. :0) later you all will be bored with our updates :)

Well I also want to share about what I see in life and beyond who knows it might be useful for others.Right now I am in the middle of changes. I will not say it is a big change. But a medium one.When I first came to Shanghai back in 2001, it was much harder. I didn't speak or read or write and I didn't know a single soul.

This time, at least , I can speak, and read a bit. And it helps A LOT! I also know more or less about the city.And I still have friends here, and thanks to facebook and online chat we are still in a good contact with each other.

Some times we always try to fit in to the society. Try to be liked by most of the people. We create our " image" for others to see. Our ego is taking control.

I never try to fit in to any society. Since I was young I know what I want, and I never be the followers. I mean if I like it I willl follow, But I will not choose or doing something I was not sure about just to FIT IN.
In College years, almost all of my friends are smokers. I could be one too. But I know clearly what I want, and I did not try to be accepted in their group by being a smoker. Untill this day I never smoke and happy with it but I got no problem with those who does.

Since I was young , I know my limitation and expectation quite clearly. I know I can't work sit in the offfice from 9 to 5 or do "paper"job. I like job that allows me to meet people, interact with people and allows me to travel. That is why I choose to study in Hotel and Restaurant Management. I knew excatly what kind of man I would marry one day. I can't have a 'static" life, where my husband will just sit in front of TV during his off or holiday or just take me to malls and malls. I just couldn't. I know I want someone exciting, some one adventurous, spontanious,some one that can challange me, some one that can say no to me instead of yes all the time.And I also know, when I want to do something, I will do it if I have the passion for it.

Right now , most of people we know here are stunned with our decisions to home schooled Indy. And I got plenty of "blank faces" responds :). It is  less travelled road we've choosen, so the reactions are "normal". Just like when I started to Cloth Diapered Maya or breastfeed my girls until they were over 2 years old .But then again, I am not always a crowd follower, so I am used to this reaction.

Most of the time, I try to concentrate of what I am doing . Like when I run my online store, I know enough about other online stores, but I m not " obssesed" to the details or what they are up to,  or what is the latest " blog wars" etc.  I do what I need to do .And let others to comment what they like, it is their rights to do so.

" A thoroughbred horse never looks at the other horses. It just concentrates on running the fastest race it can"

I never think if I have more or less than others in life. I am content whith what I have.
And I never allow my self to have a big ego , because big ego never bring you any where but downhill. Never think you are a big fish in a small pond, because when you think like that, you will drown and lost once you move to the ocean and see the real big fish there. We will never learn anything positive if we keep thinking that we are better than other people.

Changes is not always easy but if we are sure about ourselves and know what we want in life , I am sure we can handle it gracefuly.Trying to fit in is not always needed. Love yourself, be your self and don't care too much with what other think.

Image is what people think we are  but Integriy is what we really are 

I choose Integrity over Image, how about you?

To learn is to change

We are finally in the new house, but our container is still in KK. The house is great, has plenty of storage and since this is a duplex unit, it has 2 floors, we are on the top floor of the building , the 11th floor, and the compound has about 25-30 towers.

It is not in the donwtown , can be considered as the suburb, some said to live in this are like not living in China at all, because we are in the new area. The house still feel " foreign " to me, as  I always need my old stuffs to make me feel at home. Right  now we are using new bedsheet, new plates, new glasses, new this and that. I will need my old bedsheet, old pillowcases, old plates, my old coffee cups ( that hosted many tea time in our home at KK and some of you drank many times from that cups!! :P )

Anyway... we are on "trial" day today, I started the first day of homeschooled Indy. I can't say It runs perfectly today. With new routine, new maid, new house, new place, plus Maya is home..
Everything is different.

But to learn is to change.. and I m willing to change my routine, and change my schedule. Maybe this is the opportunity for me to re discover something about my self that I didn't know before.I am not sure what I will achieve or when. But it is not only the mountain we will need to conquer but ourselves.

Part of that, I also found the school for Maya today. But will only start after Chinese New Year, it will be in Mandarin and no  English. :) I am not sure how she will cope, but I have faith in that wild spirited girl . :)

We have met some old friends, get in touch  by phone. And maybe we will meet one of the Shanghai homeschooler family this week . The girls had their first playdate here, and saw snow for the first time too.

Some how they still miss KK so very much , specially Maya, she still cry when she remember her Kakak Helen in KK. Poor girl and poor woman. They both cried so loud on the phone the other night. Their bonding is very tight and special, and I feel blessed to be able to witness such a great love from 2 strangers at the begining . It is great to know such a great love does exist!!And I will be forever grateful to my maid in KK for her amount of loves she give to my kids. And I will keep in touch with her no matter what.

In this foreign land some how people are more welcoming , at least in the beginning compare to the first time when we just arrived in KK.  No one cares, the company didn't even care or welcoming us. The only  family that made me feel welcome is Indy's best friend family from Burma. They helped and guide me from choosing school and hospital, where to buy some stuffs and all.But of course once I got to know more friends ( like you) I feel like at home and got some great tips about the city or where to shop!! :)

My husband  colleagues are nice enough to hosted a small but nice Christmas party to welcome us to Shanghai.
The thought it self is very heart warming.

That's it for today... I will try to upload photos for next update. Right now I am using my netbook and it is so slow....

Take care and HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010

LOVE from all of  us!!

Our updates

So we left KK on Saturday the 19th  December 2009, that was my dad's birthday. To think of it, life is funny and full of surprises. Exactly 5 years ago on the same date, we were in Shanghai for a short holiday, celebrating my dad's and my niece b'day in Shanghai ( my niece Abby's b'day is on the 20th of December) . And we just moved to Guangzhou on October that year , but we visited Shanghai for a short trip with my dad and my eldest sis and her family,
And yet , here we are again 5 years later , we are going back to the same city on the same date.

The trip was smooth sailing. There was an hour delay from KK to KL . But overall all were good. The departure from KK is heart breaking , specially to see Indiana's friends started to cry. This is the first time that actually people are crying for us. It made us feel weird, and guilty and bad all together. Indy told me on the way to the airport, after she shed a bit of tears that she feel sorry that she made her friends sad. And when I asked her : are you sad? She said a bit but she is more worry that she will forget them . I told her, no she won't forget them because we will still be in touch and think about them. And that made calmed her down.

As for Maya it is sad to watched her cried to say good bye to her kakak, our maid. Our maid cried and cried and it was a heart breaking thing to see.

We stayed one night in Concorde KLIA. Thank goodness makcik Taty picked us with her beloved husband and my anak angkat , :). We chatted and talked and laughed. And of course cursing each other as usual. I am glad she stayed with me in the hotel, and early next day, her dh picked us again and send us to the airport. No tears here, all were good. Planned are made,.. we will see each other in Shanghai. :). And hopefully" the beq and the tet "will conquer the Great wall of china together!!

Back to us,at first I was more worry for Indy , but it looks like she is doing very fine. She adjusting like a pro ( she is a pro after all, this is her 3 moves ) But for Maya it is hard for her to understand as this is her first move , for her KK is her home, KK is her town, and she is still thinking that we are on holiday and we gonna move back to KK soon.  :( I told her we are not going back, she is insist : I want to go to KK! I said we will but not that soon

Every thing is big and fast in Shanghai. As for me, I don't need any adjustment ( except for the weather wise, when we arrived it was minus 3 ) I lived here before, love the city and still loving it, but  every thing has it pro and con, so right now I m trying to focus on the pro rather than the con. But I miss my Astro and E! channel badly though.

And to my own surprise my mandarin level is not as bad as I thought either! Hah! that is something really good at least. I can manage daily  conversation and needs.

The unfortunate thing is when we arrived my dh was sick for 3 days, with high fever , I almost never see him this sick before. And I m worry we might get it as well. Finger cross....every one looks ok until today.
Due to his sickness we must delay our medical check up for the Residence permit to the next week.

I managed to see some apartments, and by now I just signed the leasing contract. We found a good place for us, will post the pick when we move in soon. But we need to wait more than one month to get our container, so no unpacking will need to be done soon.
Speaking of unpacking.. today I got a maid, she looks ok, and the kids like her too. And that is important.
I interview a few by phone and even met some of them. No one sounds or appear "suitable". And most of them asking for about rmb 2500 so that is about RM 1250 to 1500. That is a high salary, but that is the market price. Our maid now just arrive from her hometown , but she worked in Shanghai before, there fore her pay is slightly lower that the normal market price.

Oh and everything is much much cheaper here. And guess what, I bought a sweater in ROXY warisan square, on 50% disc. I thought I scored a good deal ( rm 100) yeah right! When I went to Carrefour herehere, I saw the identical sweater for  half price! GRRRR.... and of course without the brand and all but it is the same thing. Welcome to China!

The girls spent their Christmas here . We still stay in our friend's house. So Santa is not visiting this year. But they got 2 presents from us. For Indy she got her long waited Telescope. She wants to learn more about stars and moon and planet. And I bought her the virtual dog game too .
As for Maya she got one remote control shovel machine ( she likes to see when people building the houses and building in KK) and she got a 3 wheels scooter to replace her old scooter that we left in KK .
And I got my suede with inner fleece boots that I've been eyeing for months. It is super comfy , super warm and the sole has a great grip . Love it.

Oh the girls have no problem with the cold, Maya often walk bare footed inside the house's freezing floor. I keep yelling at her to put her home shoes. They still taking bath twice a day. But when we go out, I make sure they are well dressed. 3 top and for bottom they must put a long socks and long pants.
So far so good. The lowest temperature is -5 so far, and when the wind blows it feels like someone slapping your cheek.

Overall we are doing good here. By next week we will move to our new house. Not yet a home until we will get our belongings from the cargo. And no Wifi yet in the new house, so I must use modem ( banging my head for not packing the router in my luggage)

I will not post the photo here. I m running out of time, But you can see some photos on my FB's badge on the right side :)

Merry Christmas everyone and have a Great Year a head!!!

No Boundaries

So the times has come. We will leave the country soon. This is the last post from Malaysia using my PC at home :) . Next post hopefully will be soon  ( mobile blogging ). After we arrive in Shanghai, it will be depends on how fast I can get my new China Mobile numbers and if I can use the GPRS or 3G service soon.

The makciks being so kind to arrange pot luck lunch for me. I think it suppose to be some kind of surprise, but , I kind of know it. :P So sorry if I was not that surprise ... got six sense mah. :) But I didn't expect any gift at all. So I really appreciate for all the effort and time ( I know it is hard to make it happen as you all are busy moms )

So all are packed by now. Our dogs will be adopted with a same person, so they will stay together. That is a relieve for us, and the new owner , a friend , will also update us with their pics. That is what my girls want to know.

The heartbreaking part for them ( specially  Maya) is to say good bye to our maid. For her , she is like a closed grandma figure , old and kind. And I know, my maid will cry a lot too. sigh.....

But again, love , family and friendship has no boundaries !

Thank you to you all and to this city ,who and which is already being a part of my children's childhood memories, being our friends,and being a place that my children will remember the most.

Until we meet again..... sure will visit back ! ^_^

Ta daa......

You can go higher

You can go deeper

There are no boundaries 

Above and beneath you

Break every rules , coz there are nothing between you and your dreams

Jumped every bridge, I've run every line

I risk being safe, I always knew why

So here I am still holding on

This is not the ending but just the beginning

As you read at my previous post, I must let my " baby" go. But I don't think it as a good bye, but more like to send a kid away to a college and see it grow. :)

Due to relocating again, I think this is the best of my online store, to stay here with it's loyal customers .

I hope you will still enjoy Mia Bambina and love it more!

Hugs

Sandra Rocco

SURPRISE!Mia Bambina is welcoming the new owner

As you all might noticed, Mia Bambina is being stagnant lately. And we are sorry for any inconvenience caused.But here come the good news : Mia Bambina will have a new owner!

Due to changes in my husband's job , I am not longer be able to run MB ( geographic reason) ^_^ , but I am more than happy to welcome the new owner, she is a great friend, a wonderful mom of 2, and the most important that is a passionate supporter of breastfeeding, cloth diapering, and baby wearing. A "Green Mama" in the whole package ! Which why she will make  a great next person to run  Mia Bambina Online. Without  further delay, let me introduce you to the new owner : ( drum roll please...) Farrah Rahim .

We will make this transition progress as smooth as possible. And I will still assist her behind the scene but I don't think Farrah will need much of my assistance as much as she thought she would be :) . And I firmly believe she will bring Mia Bambina to even better level that it ever been before. One note to Kota  Kinabalu's customers, Mia Bambina won't be based in KK anymore but it will be base in the Peninsula from now on.

I want to use this chance to say a BIG thanks to all of you who has been a great customers and for your supports. I also want to apologize if I said something that I didn't mean to  or do something that is not very pleasant to any of you. To be able to run this biz have been one of the memorable time of my life,  and I learn a great big deal out of if, to be a better biz woman and to be a better person and the most important to be a
better friend.

You can contact Farrah at farrah@miabambina.com or sales@miabambina.com for further information.

And once again, please welcome Farrah as the new owner of Mia Bambina!

Sandra

Our lunch!salami!!!cheese n more!muaahahahah

Sent from my Nokia device

Couple Retreat

I've been waiting for this movie since a few months back. Keep seeing the behind the scene on E! I thought it won't show in Malaysia. But finally it is here! I love the actors and actress. And definitely love romantic comedy.

It is great to watch this with our husband too. It is an entertaining movie but it's also remind us to respect , value and the most important is to have fun with our spouse.

In our daily life, we talk a lot with our spouse, but mostly it is out of " necessities" like: what bills to pay, the children tuition fees, where and what to eat for dinner, etc etc"
Many couples do not connect to each other like they used to before married or before children. And it is not rare , in some cases, some couple fell " weird" around each other when no one is around them ( no children, no parents, no friends, no in laws)  They  feel "lost" and " can't enjoy each other company" if there are just 2 of them.

In Asia , it is common practice to bring parents, in laws for vacations, dinner, sleep over. The more the merrier. And it is a great value to teach to our kids. For holiday season like Christmas, Chinese New Year, Hari Raya,etc. Or it is also common to go holiday with bunch of other families and relatives.

While the western tradition, while it is a tradition to spend time with family too during holiday season ( Easter, Christmas,Thanks Giving, etc) , they are also sometimes more on the "selfish" side compare to the Asian.
In the meaning of : it is rare that grandparents will take a full care of the grand children, because the elderly there will enjoy the most of their golden years ( taking cruise, go to holiday all around the world), and once the kids' reach 18 or 20  they will move out from the house and try to earn some money while studying by working part time . Mean while in Asia, it is normal to have the grandparents to take care of the grandchildren full time, and it is common to live together with in laws even after the children got married, surprisingly some people are still getting financial support from their own parents. 

Nothing good or bad, right or wrong , it is all depends on what we want in life. I want my parents to enjoy more in their golden years. Though it will be great to have sometimes our parents to take care of our children but to take care of them full time is a hard job, and I don't want to give them any more financial burden . They 've done their job to take care of us and spend money for us, it is time to give something back in return.

Back to the couple thing , I think when a couple can't enjoy each other company anymore without the " buffering" person, I might say there are some "glitch" in the relationship. When a couple can't have fun anymore there is a " glitch" too. When the couple don't enjoy each other touch or like to cuddle anymore or even worst decreasing of the sex life, there are some " glitch".

All married have glitch here and there. There are no perfect marriage. But when marriage turns to "work" then we must find the way back to make it " enjoyable".

Fix that glitch now ! Why don't it start with going to cinema with your spouse? The Couple Retreat is a great movie for couple. :)

Happy weekend!