The simplicity of life

When we lived back in Sabah, we always know that we can't take everything for granted. The weather, the beaches, the greenery, the sea, the islands, the food, the mountains.But we , sometimes, missed the convenience of living in the big city as well ; the shopping , the activities ( specially for kids ) the food selection, the wine and dine life .

We always tried to have outdoor activities for family, like going to beaches, islands, mountains, tamu market, and we glad we did it.

Life here is on the contrary. We literally could do anything here, and buy anything here if as long as we could afford it. It is the cliche Big City life, when you got the $$ you can live like a king ( well sort of ) :)

The activities for the family is... literally endless... do you want to go ice skating or even ski-ing? Shanghai has it. Or something more simple like flying kite ? Go to Wild safari ( should I say semi- wild)? Want to ride on the Maglev train with the max speed of 400km per hour? Go to see the view of the city from one of the tallest building in the world ( not sure if it is the 2nd or 3rd tallest building)? Have a cuppa of coffee from the super luxurious Garden Hyatt hotel over seeing the famous Shanghai skyline? Or go shopping for any well known famous brands in the world?  Or how about to eat in the best restaurant in town ( hundreds of it)Or do you want to have your organic veggies to be deliver to the door? How about to have the homemade yogurt to be deliver to your doorstep?Do you want to learn to do pottery or oil painting?Or do you want to visit the Madame Tussaud wax museum?

And then... there are activities for the children.... which ... is the same.... endless..... Lego land, Mini city, Art center, Barbie cafe, Kid's spa? ( what???? which kid need a spa? I need SPA and not kids!!!! )

So this kind of life is the total opposite of what we use to had back in Malaysia. So simple, so natural, so free.
Do I looked down at Sabah or KK? Because now we live in a " more modern" " more choice" city?
Well... I am not . It make me think that it is great to experience the simpleness of life. It makes us appreciate more of the simple things.

The same way like , when we just arrived in KK. We can rent more spacious house . Compared to where we lived before in a apartment ( back in Singapore, Shanghai and Guangzhou). So once someone asked me,  so in KK you feel like rich people then , can stay in a landed house? Well not at all. We always manage to keep down to earth and keep  one feet on the ground no matter what. If we think we are " rich" because we lived in the landed property , and had a car  for personal use, well when we moved back here and we live back in the apartment, I or we could have a " down power" syndrome. ( is it such a word? eheh not sure, but anyway.. you know what I mean).

A dear friend of mine , once said to me : "to be an " expat" ( I don't like to label my self this ) you are so nice and down to earth. You consider to live well but you still want to mix and be friend with me from other religion". Of course this made me mad! First : I am just happened to be  not local and I don't live that well , there are plenty of people who live much much "well" than me and I do not boxed my self to be friend with certain people from certain religion. So what if I am an expat? I must be snobbish and just mix with certain " level" of people? I am not that narrow minded person. So you can imagine how the conversation went with my dear friend ! Not a very good nice conversation for her since I was keep yap and yapping :P, but being close and dear friend , we can talk about everything, and she is the " lantak" type. :P


Another confidant friend of us, told us, that it is blessing in disguise to be moved back to Shanghai. She said , it is a great " break" or " long holiday" to be able to work and live in Sabah. It was the time to breath, relax, and take thing easy ( not working wise for my dh , as it is the most challenging staffs he ever got so far) and to enjoy the nature. And now , she said, it is the time to move back to the real world where we must be in high gear to be able to  survive in this land. And in the food department I can't complaint! Finally I am able to dine in a Thailand , Indonesian , Japanese, Korean , Greek, Italian ( duh ! of course),German etc etc....And since my aunt is still here with us, so it gives us the freedom to go on our wine and dine date twice a week and leave the kids at home! ( hah!  ^_^)

And here is the our first family photo in the city Over seeing a tiny part of the biggest park here, with a glimpse of our apartment compound on the back .

How to develop character in your children—and still get the laundry done...by Laura Lee Ellis

Found this in Sonlight website see the full article here , below I will post some of the highlight. As many of you know, Characters building is very important . As It also  help me to act more wisely for my children's sake. In this days I saw many adults made a doubtful choices in life, who doesn't dare to take risk or have the courage to stand up for themselves. I want my kids to start to practice to make a wise choice in life with all the consequences and responsibilities without any " cane spanking" needed ( imagine how to spank our 25 years old kid so he will to go to find job instead of just playing games or worst : gambling? Or will cane spanking works when a kid choose DRUGS ? I don't think Iron spanking will work either!)

Children is the mirror of their parents. Simplest example : how can you ask your kids to eat green veggie or not to be a picky eater while yourself  don't eat veggie and a picky eater yourself? Or ask your kids to eat healthy food while the parents binged on Chips and Coke on daily basis? Be real....

I just want to share this articles here by Laura Lee Ellis and hope you enjoy it!

You have a vision for the kind of people you want your children to become...but then life happens. Dinner must appear; the laundry pile grows; toddlers demand attention. How do you successfully instill character in your children as a natural part of your life?

Character is caught, not taught.

Your children are watching. Parents often underestimate the power of a living example. When you make right choices in front of your children and explain why you make certain choices, they are more likely to act in a similar way when they face difficult situations.

Thought-provoking literature and discussion make life-lessons memorable.

Conversations with your children form the foundation for their character. As a homeschool parent, you have a unique opportunity to experience life with your children and to spark discussion about topics that matter.
Books can serve as great conversation starters. Every good story has conflict—use the ethical dilemmas in good books to help your child learn how to make right choices.

Help your children experience character in context—a key aspect of life, not a chore to complete.

You can be sure your family will encounter countless opportunities to grow in character naturally as you read and talk about thought-provoking books. You don’t have to tack on a character-based checklist in addition to the studies you and your children already do. Be efficient!

Simple ideas you can try today to help your child develop character...

Talk with your children about the books you read.
Ask questions to help them think critically:

• What would you have done in this situation?
• What kind of consequences do you think could come with this character’s actions?
• How do you think this character showed bravery (or kindness, or honesty, etc.)?

Work together while you talk
My mom and I engaged in some of our best conversations while we dried dishes or weeded the flower bed. The work gave our hands something to do while our minds, mouths and hearts took over! Encourage your children to work alongside you. You’ll help them develop a good work ethic, and grow together through your discussions.

Affirm right choices
Do you find you focus only on the situations where your child disobeys? Be sure to affirm the right choices they make as well. When your children faithfully obey, let them know how proud you are. When they give you an honest answer when they’re in trouble, follow through on discipline, but reward their honesty. As a parent, you know your child best. Tailor your responses in a way that will help them grow.

Enjoy these days with your children and come and share in the Sonlight community.

Make the most of your own example, intentional discussions, great literature, and everyday experiences to help your children blossom into confident people of character. Feel free to explore Sonlight and find out more ways we seek to help you and your family grow and learn together.

Tag

It has been long since my last tagged. So when we are advised to stay indoor during Beijing's sand storm, so blog hopping here we go!! And we found this tag from here

1.       Where and when did you first meet your hubby?

Singapore, April 1998.  Orchard Shaw house 4th floor ( Isetan)

  

2. Love at first sight?

hmmm don't think so. More like : hmm why not let's date...but it was fast before it turned out to be love :)

 

3. Who is he when the first time you met him?

A 24 years old Italian Chef with his first job in Asia.  Very adventurous guys, bad boy type . :P

       

4. How long did he take to ask you out?

A week?

 

5. First place dating?

A pub called Papa Joe's then the next day was our day off and we went to eat at Kopitiam near where I lived.

 

6. How did he proposed?

I was in Hong Kong, He was in Sydney. Via Telephone. But he did re-proposed when he visited me in Hong Kong, normal style : Will you marry me?

7. Special dates with your hubby?

Can't remember many dates . Only our anniversary 11th September 1999.
We could have choosed 9.9.1999 but we didn't.

8. Changes that he asked you to do?

Hmm... I am a woman with strong characters hahaha so I was not that easy to be changed.
He , firstly , doesn't like to see me with strong colors nail polish ( GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!) and I did changed... no strong only colors nail polish but with 3d design and nail art! HAHAHAHA...
Doesn't like me with short hair ,he IS asking me to grow back my hair . ( again.. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!) I told him : long hair need high maintenance ! I will see when I feel like it. It is me who need to take care of my hair, not him. So.. it is up to me!
He asked me not to talk to loud.... failed.... I am still loud!
Not to laugh so hard .. double failed.....
hey this make me feel  like a bad wife but again .... not bad... I got my points and characters ! :P

 9. What's about him that you love so much?

 He is very spontaneous, adventure seeker, never bored me, very creative to find activities. Like to be at home, enjoy to eat , enjoy  movie and kind of romantic but not full of BS. He is very determine person, hard working, responsible man ,family man and love children  ( not only our but children in general)

 

 10. What's abt him you wish he would change?

His some how " 18th century " style of thinking . I often joke and called him the cave man.
And I wish he will spend more his hard earn money to him self.

11. You will lose your mind and crack your head when he....

do things in his old way, and being soooo stubborn .

12. You will smile through your eyes for the whole day when he.....

 I can scare the crap out of him ahahaha..... Once I hid in the cabinet and jump out to him. He jump and screamed. I couldn't help to rolled on the floor laughing! ROLF!!!

 

 13. Complete the sentence below.

 My love towards my hubby is as big as his heart!

Now I want to tag this makciks : Farrah, Denna, Taty ( blog leerr), Charish ( blog also lerrr) and anyone who want to do this tag!

TAG!!!! 

Kindness counts!

If in the public/private school , there are moral or religion subject for the students to learn about being kind.

In the Sonlight curriculum for 2nd grader , we use the bookThe Aesop for children ( apart from the Bible) It has many wonderful classic stories and Indy is enjoying the stories a lot.

There are some of the  morals that we learnt:

Do not let anything turn you from your purpose( The wolf and the kid)
Foolish curiosity and vanity often lead to misfortune ( The tortoise and the ducks)
Do not tell others how to act unless you can set a good example( The young crab and his mother)
Do not attempt the impossible( The Frogs and the Ox)
It is one thing to say something should be done , but quite a different matter to do it ( Belling the cat)
Self help is the best help . Heaven helps those who help themselves ( Hercules and the wagoner)
Poverty with security is better than plenty in the midst of  fear and uncertainty ( The town mouse and the country mouse)
In unity is strength ( The bundle of sticks)
They complain most who suffer least ( The oxen and the wheels)
A kindness is never wasted ( The lion and the mouse)

It is most rewarding when I can spend time with my girls and learn those beautiful wisdom bits together , it reminds me of our adult life. Many adults and even my self , sometimes forget the most simple things.

We often choose to be nice to only certain people, to people who we like, and refused to be kind to those we don't like. But like it said :  A Kindness is never wasted. In the story the  mighty lion would never imagine that one day he will be saved by the tiny mouse !

And other books that we have read together is the Red Sails to Capri. It is a great classic book about the discovery of the Blue Grotto in Capri , Italy. What a coincidence that the first book we read from the curriculum was about Italy! The books tell the story of 4 men looking for : adventure, peace, beauty and knowledge.
And this , I agree. Life is adventure it self, but we must look the beauty in it , sometimes , it lays in front of our eyes but our heart is closed and can't see the beauty in life, and we must find peace and of course knowledge too.

Right now we are reading the second book on the list : The Ginger Pyes .
It remind Indy to Zeina and Bull. :) but she loves the story !

Have a great and healthy week !

Turning a house into " our home sweet home"

So after all the unpacking and sorting , and washing and drying and folding and arranging and re-arranging , We are proud to show you our new home sweet home.

Here is the living room. The TV, racks are our from KK. The TV rack is new from IKEA. And the curtain is also new. We use that as the "divider"

The shells is my dh pride and glory ! LOL. It is his collections. And there are some photos of our family taken from our vacations.

We both like the "South East Asian Decor" like from Philippines , Thailand and of course Indonesia  ( Javanese and Balinese style and  of course we love batik!). It really give the warm touch for the house.

I am well..we both are not the fans of the modern minimalist style, as it is a bit too "cold" , we prefer to add some Asian touch to the house ( we will love to add China antique furniture and who knows some Indian stuffs too?). All of our house decors and statues are not new at all.  And we got it from all over the world ( as presents or as souvenirs that we bought our self during vacations). We hope to collect more if time permit and there is more space to display it in the future! hah!

The dining area. The left is the study room and the right is the kitchen. The kitchen is small but it comes with very well design cabinet, with built in garbage disposal in the sink, dishwasher and dish sterilizer and a foldable table. Kitchen cabinet is very important, it will effect the function of the kitchen , as a chef's wife I must know that :). And this reminds me of  some of the houses we saw in Kota Kinabalu, when we wanted to rent the house there, the kitchen comes only with stoves and a sink , and the rest are empty. No drawer , no underneath cabinet, no above cabinet. None.... so how should we put our stuffs? thanks but no thanks we need to pass on that....Even with the big house and big garden , we still need to have a good and functional kitchen  ( well at least with space to keep my pots and pans!!) . We are lucky that our kitchen in KK is great. For our family kitchen is the heart of the house. Where we cook daily for our family and sometimes to entertain our friends.

This is the book rack in the study room, See how full it is...?  And the other is the study room glass wall and door become the showcase of the girls' work. Why? just to boast their confidence ! ^_^ To show that we care and proud of their works. And the wood panel is our pantry cabinet! Trust me you can find many foods inside!

And this is  Indy's office desk . Where all the schooling activities take place ( well 80% of it, sometimes we also work on the dining table and of the living room)

And this is the entrance of the second floor. Yup.. we got the duplex unit ( or maybe some called it penthouse?) But I like to called it duplex because penthouse sounded more glam  up for me. And we are not a glam up family! :P. We are lucky to be able to rent this unit. We are on the 11th floor ( top floor). I put some of our favorites baby's photos of the girls at the second floor entrance.

And this is our family room. Where we can watch DVD and play some games. It is very cozy . The girls like to play here as well. It comes with a huge cabinet for kids clothing and walk in hidden cabinet for our store room

And of course , the kid's room is bright and PINK! We just add some decorating stickers. We put their personal items like school photos, and books and toys and toys!! The room is attached to a big terrace which will be great for summer days. Can't wait for that!

And of course ... The master bed room! The room is quiet spacious with walking cabinet and attached bathroom with bathtub and terrace too! We still need to buy my computer table chair, and a vanity chair for my " make up" corner and maybe... some terrace outdoor chairs and table. I would definitely buy some potted plans and flowers and herbs plants too ( I saw rosemary, basil and sage plants)

There is one big guest room in downstairs, one bathroom with shower. Over all the apartment is not big, but it is enough for us. And the more important is we feel home here. No matter where or what  ( apartment or house) home is where our heart is. For the last 11 years, we always remember our houses as our home. Jakarta, Singapore, Shanghai, Guang zhou, Malaysia and back to Shanghai.

Finally  we are home ( again)......

Visiting the babies

We managed to visit the Shanghai Healing Home with the girls. The babies here are all below one year old and are orphanage. They were born with cleft palate. But there is one new comer, who is 10 months old ( just been  3 days in the house when we visited ) who doesn't have cleft palate but she got  leg problem and just has been operated.

The babies are from other orphanages and they stay in this " home" just for before and after surgery . It could be for a few months. This home is a small one, and can only accommodate up to 10 babies, so after surgery some of the babies will need some foster parents or else they will be return to the normal orphanage ( I kinda of like being call to be one, but at this point I m not so sure . And don't want to make any decision because to be a foster parents it is a HUGE responsibility and to say good bye to one baby that you already love it is unbearable to me)

All the babies are adorable ! they are so cute and my girls adore them all. They are in love with these babies. And even Maya is not affected by the " imperfection" but she likes the babies just like normal babies. Indy loves them too . They both want me to take one home! LOL. And it is nice to see both of Indy and Maya take the role of the big sisters. Specially for Maya since she is still the "baby" of our family.

We will visit the home more often. It is good to give the babies abit of tender loving care and personal and physical contacts.

This is the way Maya goes to school ( bus)

Finally... here we are

YEAH! This is my very first post using my same old beloved PC that I've always use to update my blog! Finally it is here and it is all plugged in and internet is working well.
Facebook is still blocked by the gov.. but the mice can always find a way that lead to the cheese ( finger crossed)  ! !

The house is now becoming a home. Our old cotton bedsheet, kid's pillows, the well worn pans and pot, my beloved coffee cups, glasses, plates!

Will try to make photo of the house  and upload it here.  The TV is also set. Believe it or not we have 4 TVs in this apartment! ahaha. 2 downstairs and 2 upstairs! 3 sets is belong to the owner and one is our own. So one down stair is ours  in the living room with DVD and satellite TV , one in the guest 's room. Upstairs we have one in our room with satellite TV and DVD and one in the family room ( only for DVD and PS2). The family room is very cozy now. With carpet, cushion, the girls like to play here and it is just outside from their bedroom.

Their bed room is full! ahaha... the size is small if compared to KK's rooms but it is ok. We manage to fit all in. And they love it.
And I love our bedroom too, and the study and the living room and the family room LOL

Till then..
have a safe and wonderful week!