Thursday 27 December 2012

Running Man YouTube vids

my fave running man cast, usually clueless but will have moments of brilliance, and always giving his 100%.







Ha Ha & Suzy..... the cute kiddy couple!!! pls let suzy comes back to RM as guest soon!





Song Joong Ki..... flowerboy. miss you in RM....


seriously, i dun really care about this song, just that SJK is in the MV.....

need i say more..... RM awesome!

Monday 24 December 2012

have yourself a merry christms

wish all readers a merry christmas.

i have decided to give myself the best gift, that is not to charge anything to my credit cards. this does not include stuff for kids, i am restraining myself from spending on myself. i think my wallet and bank account deserve a break.

i dun know if this is a sign of old age but i do find myself getting or becoming more emotional-less or less feelings. not that i am starting to view murders or torturing animals as fun, but i do find that many events fail to invoke much or lasting emotions. am i becoming less human?

things that used to go against my moral standards are still a big NO NO to me and i will not compromise. so my moral views are still intact, big relief here.

oh, before i forget, dun you go around donating copious amount of money to the businesses. almost anything and everything is so commericalised, distracting us from the true meanings of the day. BUT my bank account can do with a bit of donations.....

Sunday 23 December 2012

3rd Party

recently there was a juicy news that took the country by storm, made headlines in the chinese tabloids papers and got the neitzens all stirred up.

story: guy and gal going to get married in june 2012, did all the bridal photos, wedding dinner arrangements, church wedding arrangements etc. just need to wait for the actual day and then legal as husband and wife. 2mths before wedding date (probably april 2012), guy changed of heart and fell for a "blogger girl (BG)". he didn't tell gal or family, just continued to show his unhappiness probably hoping gal will call off wedding. gal came to know about BG but pretended and even asked guy if got 3rd party, which guy denied. soon, guy family got involved and tried to make guy break things off with BG. no use. wedding was then postpone to dec 2012, hoping to resolve things by then but was then finally called off. gal tried to kill herself, talked to BG, salvage relationship etc but failed.

so recently, gal posted her story on FB and that became the storm (tabloids reported it once in jun 2012 and now due to the FB postings). there are ppl who felt sorry for the gal and supported her actions, condemning BG especially when it was revealed by a famous blogger that BG seduced another boyfriend at the age of 17 <BG age then>. some unconfirmed stories about BG being a serial seducer and sleeps around also surfaced, and how BG caught guy by sleeping with him. of cos, many females then started to bash BG as a slut/whore/homewreaker etc.

i feel the gal shouldn't hav allow the whole thing to progress to such an extent, involving guy family members whom she claimed hav always been supportive of her. there are now talks that BG may take legal actions against gal. still i can understand why she did all these, to expose the truth behind the called off wedding, to expose BG actions, to expose what a corward guy is <he has been slient>, to get justice for the abuses BG inflicted on gal's then pregnant sister.

if there is even a grain of truth in the unconfirmed stories, then yes, BG should be exposed and shamed for all the relationships that she has wrecked. if you know who i am talking about, you will agree that BG looks like some moron in her pictures. always that same smile and blank eyes, the only thing she wants the world to see is her breasts. someone even gave a link to her previous blog and i am so shocked to see her ID/cover photo, she was supposed to be in late teens then and posted a pic of her in some lingerie! what kind of upbringing is that!!! best of all, when gal frens informed BG mother about BG being the 3rd party, BG mother didn't think it was a big deal.

seriously, 2012 has been a year of endless sex scandals. mayb it would be better if the world did end on 21/12/2012.

Child Development Appointment

i made an appointment with the dept of children development (kkh) sometimes in jul/aug 2012. basically i just want to hav bry assessed by a professional and perhaps to get some insights as to how to manage him better. after making the appt, i did hav second tots as to whether to go. probably fearful of hearing that he does indeed hav a problem etc, or that it is normal for such behaviour etc.

the day for the appt came and we (me and bry) went. the dr asked some questions and i answered, giving some examples and expectations. this dr is probably some really big shot in the dept, i should be thankful for landing him as a dr. i mentioned how bry can get "out of control" during playtime, sleeptime and toilet activities (brushing teeth and bathing). he gave some recommendations, some of which i know but wasn't too keen to carry out.

his recommendations was to stop the hi chair during mealtimes and set boundaries for all activities, the boundaries must be consistent and made clear to him. example: mealtime is X minutes, after which food will be cleared and bry will hav to wait for the next feed. no snacks should he be unable to finish his food during mealtime. this i know very well. dr also mentioned that boys at this age will not eat alot but will still grow and their next growth spurt will be puberty. so no need to be unnecessary worried about food intake.

he also asked about bry learning and i mentioned that he doesn't really listen to the chinese teacher (dr himself say probably the teaching pace is not in tune with his learning, which is true and i didn't even tell him). overall, bry learning pace is very good and better than dom at the same age, then again could be due to the teacher.

conclusion: i think, dr didn't tell me directly, that dr thinks that bry is ok (in terms of learning and social behaviour as in not too hyper or isolated) and made appts to see occupational therapist to work on his behaviour (i think out of control). as the nurse explained, any follow-ups (until next appt with dr in jul 2013) will depends on the outcome of the 2 sessions with occupational therapist. lucky these 2 sessions will be near the house and i probably will drop him off to childcare after the sessions.

bry sat on the chair for both lunch and dinner today, so far no problem. maybe it is a new experience for bry, just hope that he will continue to behave.

Wednesday 5 December 2012

Goodbye Multiply

not sure if you know but i migrated to blogger from multiply. there are features that i loved about multiply, mainly the different sections (photos, videos-no file size limit, music, reviews etc) which i can customise and personalise. perhaps blogger does offer such or even better features, i am still learning along the way.

multiply users were informed that their blog sites will no longer be available from 1Dec onwards but i am still able to access my previous site. anyway, i am in the process of deleting journal entries to clean up my cyber-footprints.

about 98% of multiply entries are already uploaded on blogger, just that 2% which consists of videos (exceeded blogger file limit) and some personal entries which are not uploaded. enerything is being backed-up into my red portable hard-disk.

i hope that i dun need to do another migration.

Moving Up

Bry's teachers have been complaining abt him not telling them that he needs to poo and ends up pooing in the pants, usually he finally goes when it is too late. i explained to Mrs Liang that he is still using the potty at home as i am worried that he may play and hurt himself should he be sitting on the toilet bowl.

now i am not being super protective but bry has a bad habit of playing in the toilet, whether it is bath or brush teeth, and my blood pressure always go way up during these activities. now you can probably excuse me for not wanting to toilet train him on the toilet bowl.

taking Mrs Liang's advice (she strongly thinks that bry must be trained as he is already 5), i started to let him sit on the toilet bowl for 1-3minutes, just to let him be used to the height and size of the bowl. he kept telling me that he will poo in the toilet when he is 7.

finally last nite, he told me he needed to poo and i suggested to go in the toilet. to my surprise, he agreed and even tell me that he is a big boy and can't be using the potty. i was prepared that he might just tell me that he is uncomfortable and not able to poo, must use potty etc. he sat on the seat, resting his feet on a small stool and did his business!!! no fussing around, just sat and did what he need to do.

i am not saying that he is finally ready to use the toilet bowl but it is a good start and at least he didn't express fear.

Wednesday 28 November 2012

Bry POLICE! FREEZE!

you all know the temptations of online shopping. the wide range of goods, most of which are often not found in shops, and the savings.

i have been quite addicted to online shopping and it all started when dom was born. first, joining online spree for kiddy clothes, recently for bags and mobile casings for my beloved SII. i found this seller on Qoo10 (formerly known as Gmarket) for lego like toys and after reading the reviews (very impt if you are considering buying the products), i decided and shortlisted a number of sets.

there is great savings and you may argue that i am buying LEGO-LIKED toys and not LEGO. i got the boys transformers toys for their birthdays this yr and those were also lego-liked. anyway, i enlisted dom to select the final sets, he chose an army set for himself (not in my inital shortlist) and a police and fire engine sets for bry. bry is getting 2 as dom's set is more expensive and probably has a tanker + jeep + whatnots.

got out bry police set to build and true to the reviews, the parts dun fit very snuggly and i resorted to superglue to keep the part holding the front wheels from coming apart. overall, it is quite worth the money and the result is good. only other complaint i have is that there wasn't any instructions on where to stick the stickers!!! bry and i kept looking at the box (a very nice thick cardboard box) to figure out the positions but there are still some stickers which really stumbled us.



very happy with my purchase and can't wait to break out the fire engine and army sets.

Dom In Top 25%

just received a letter from MOE. dom is in the top 25% for Nan Chiau Pri Pri 1 cohort. his p1 cohort is 300 pupils.

i guessed all the hard work, tears and unhappiness over the past school year are all worth it.

let's hope i will have an easier time coaching him next yr.

Tuesday 27 November 2012

No Snacks Before Mealtime

most parents out there will agree with me that snacks should be avoided at all cost near mealtime. what are snacks? they are basically junk food that offer nothing good for the body but fill up the stomach, leaving the child unable to enjoy the benefits of a healthy meal.

now, i am not professing that i am the best cook or mum in the country/world but there are few rules i live by and expect kids to follow. no snacks before mealtime (esp when it is like less than 1hr to mealtime), toilet is not a playground, adults' words are final whether home or out etc. i spend time thinking of cooking reasonably healthy food for kids, you are what you eat, and expect them to finish at least 80% of it. not extreme right?

wrong! all thanks to genius who shared a bowl of dessert with dom 45mins before dinner time! genius used to say no snacks before mealtime. this is the damn classic case of you make them you break them, others follow till their heads fall off.

see what i have to put up with..... and sometimes i ask myself am i the only adult living in this house!

Thursday 22 November 2012

2012 Yr End Hols

yup the school holidays is here again, well at least for dom. bry is still attending childcare.

i took 3 days leave, 19-21 nov, to buy school supplies for dom P2 and managed to get most of the stuff. since i wasn't working and it was the holidays, i decided to use these 3 days to give the boys some time together.

on 19nov, i took them to the airport T1 Canopy for a fun-filled time. yanked bry out of childcare and we all took a short afternoon nap at home. by 2pm, we were ready to leave and reached the airport by 3pm. the boys love to take bus and we took 27 there. had a snack and went to Canopy for play. i made arrangement with grandparents to have dinner together at Astons and then we will take cab back together. bry loves to take cab and i decided to make it his day. grandparents were supposed to meet us around 6pm but they turned up around 4pm. i didn't manage to take much photos and the folder in my portable hard drive is giving me problems. this will be an ongoing post with updates.






this is a short vid o of boys playing at the playground. you may get neck strain from watching this but i am not sure how to right it.
there is a playground, which is quite similar in setup as Canopy, here at Compass Point. the problem is there you have to queue to purchase the tickets and there is always a long queue. on 21nov, i decided to give it a try and went there. i managed to purchase tickets for 6.20-6.50pm slot and brought the boys there after dinner.











personally i think Canopy is much better than this playground, but kids being kids love new stuff.

vids are coming soon. be patient

Friday 16 November 2012

For your (and my) own good

angry!!!

just gave a piece of work, doing a maths test paper from assessment book, to dom and in just 5min he is already asking for help. i been telling him since the start of the yr to learn to do his assignments (whether school or home) on his own, pretend that it is a class test etc. one whole yr!! i been telling him this for 1 whole school yr!

you may think that i am heartless and lazy etc to force a 7yr old to complete his assignments on his own. before you pass your judgement, take note that i do go thru the assignments with him once he has completed and during the time that he is doing them, i am doing the housework (not chatting or surfing the internet). and also, what is so wrong of me to "force" him to do work on his own? why must i help him be so dependent on others?

i told him time and time again that he must learn to complete assignments on his own. yes there will be questions that may stumble him, then he has to either choose the best answer or skip the question. his problem is that he thinks he must get all the questions correct (regardless of the subject being asked) and once he is stuck, he expect HELP or else he just simply give up MENTALLY and becomes dis-interested in completing the rest of the assignment. if he dun overcome this big weakness of his, then am i expected to follow him into the exam room or a call from him for help?

i am not heartless! i am trying to teach him and help him learn the right and correct attitude.

also, i have another goal to achieve. for dom to independently complete his assignments will free me to help bry once he is in primary one (dom will be in primary three). i have another yr (dom in primary two and bry in K2) to achieve this.

i am sure those of you who are parents yourself will agree with my current mode of action/teaching for dom.

Thursday 15 November 2012

Blessing Or Curse

just venting out some steam.

i am currently working part-time nite shift, 2 nites per week (usually mon and wed), and has been working such hours since feb 2008.

i have to admit that i am getting old, body probably feeling older than it's real age, and sometimes it is a struggle to drag my sorry self home after nite shift and face kids and stuff.

still, the work hours are a blessing when it comes to kids. it allows me to be able to be home during kids' wake hours and coach them thru some studies. for dom, it would be the primary one stuff; bry will be preparing him with K1. also, i dun really have to take note of when dom's school is closed for special events (marking days and such), especially when my schedule is determined about 1mth prior and school notices are only given at the beginning of the mth. i am also able to relieve my parents of child-minding and cook for kids.

still, it is also a curse as it takes a toll on my sleep patterns and body. sometimes, i just want to forget abt everything and go to bed. alas, this is now a once in a blue blue moon option. anyway, my only complaint is having to nag at dom daily/weekly on the same issues and i am especially frustrated on morns when i come back from work. having to remember and juggle his school assignments/assessments schedule and revision, plus whatever i need to do for both the house and bry, it can be quite overwhelming.

my biggest unhappiness stem from the fact that SOMEONE kinda of expect a 24/7 on-call service from both me and parents, especially on days when both kids are at home. this SOMEONE has taken this wonderful mis-guided attitude to the next level, not bothering to inform me in advance of whatever plans are in store.

i can force myself to handle my work and kids commitments but i draw a line at IRRESPONSIBLE EXPECTIONS.

ps: sorry, my brain is rather sleep-deprived when posting this post. but i think you get the general idea.

Wednesday 14 November 2012

Pig... How True

Taken from a library book.


it says that those born in the year of the pig are known to be kind-hearted, gentle, honest, cute and easily pleased. quite true for bry

Thursday 8 November 2012

Dragon Babies

Kieran (younger bro son)



Sin Pok (older bro son)


A Teacher Is Impt

i must really mention that MRS LIANG, bry current K1 english teacher, is really an outstanding lady.

she is someone who really take teaching kids seriously, even when they are playful. bry has really blossomed and matured under her care.

if you recalled, bry asked for a whiteboard for his birthday (which i bought) and he has been using it to teach. re-enacting what he learnt in class and surprising us by spelling numbers up to thirty and the twelve mths. i think it is pretty amazing for a 5yr-old to do that. i know that i can't do that at his age.

a big thank you to this amazing lady for the positive influence that she has brought and will continue to bring into bry's life.

Saturday 3 November 2012

Kim Jong Kook's new album

the strongest running man, kim jong kook, has released a new album. for such a manly image that he has, his voice is surprising soft. some has even called him having a mosquito voice.



Friday 2 November 2012

Wednesday 31 October 2012

Dr Oz’s Ultimate Checklist: Supplements

Dr Oz 's Ultimate Checklist: Supplements every woman over 40 needs

Dr Oz’s Ultimate Checklist: Supplements

1.       Multivitamin

Dr Oz said that a multivitamin can help fend off heart disease, breast cancer and colon cancer.  In a study done on 3 million people, only 1% of the people were found to get enough nutrients and vitamins from their diet alone.  So even if you think you are getting enough in your diet, think of the multivitamin as an insurance policy that guarantees you will get everything your body needs no matter what.  Look for a multivitamin that contains Vitamin B, C, E and Zinc.  Dr Oz said to avoid mega doses, like supplements that say 500% of your daily need.  Also, he suggests avoiding iron unless you are menstruating.  Dr Oz suggests splitting up when you take your multivitamin so that you take half in the morning and half in the evening, because your body can only absorb a certain amount of vitamins at any given time.  Any leftover vitamins are generally released from your body in urine.  Plus, you don’t want your body to have highs and lows of vitamins.  Dr Oz said you can get 50 tablets for $9.99, but the multivitamins that I get at Whole Foods actually cost quite a bit more.  However, my multivitamin is fantastic because all of the vitamins and nutrients are derived from actual food, so your body can absorb it easier.  What is your favorite multivitamin?  Leave a comment below and share with everyone!

2.       Calcium / Magnesium

Dr Oz said that Calcium and Magnesium are important for your muscles, bones and teeth.  Dr Oz suggested taking 600 mg of calcium with 400 mg of magnesium to help fend off Osteoporosis.  Calcium all alone can be constipating, but the magnesium will help with that.  Also, magnesium relaxes your arteries so that you won’t get heart problems from the calcium.  Dr Oz said that you should not take calcium within two hours of taking other pills, because calcium can block your body from absorbing other nutrients.  Also, take your calcium supplement with a full glass of water.

3.       Vitamin D

Dr Oz said that Vitamin D helps your body to absorb calcium and is key to your nervous system, plus Vitamin D even helps to improve your orgasm quality!  If you live North of Atlanta or have dark skin, then you probably don’t get enough Vitamin D from the sun.  Take 1000 IU of Vitamin D with your breakfast, preferably with milk or yogurt because it is fat soluble.

4.       Fish Oil

Dr Oz said that Fish Oil helps your important organs like your brain and heart.  Fish oil contains omega 3 fatty acids called DHA and EPA which are good for your brain, heart, lower your risk of heart attack, and reduce your risk of breast cancer by over 30%.  Imagine that your body is like a wood board, and a drill bit is like inflammation, toxins in the environment and stress in life.  If you apply the drill to the wooden board, you will get smoke and irritation, but if you take omega 3 fats and fill up the hole, then damage is minimized.  Dr Oz said that some people are worried about mercury and PCB, and this has always been one of my key concerns.  In fact, Dr Oz had a guest a while back who had recommended Krill Oil for this exact reason.  However, Tod Cooperman, the president of ConsumerLab.com, said that they did a test and found no detectable amount of mercury in fish oil and very small amounts of PCB, which was even lower than the amount that you would get through a fish meal.  However, Cooperman said that some fish oil supplements have less DHA or EPA than they claim and some supplements were spoiled which makes a more fishy taste.  Keep your fish oil in the fridge to make it last longer.  Dr Oz recommends taking 600 mg of DHA Omega 3′s with breakfast and said that 60 pills cost around $12.

Dr Oz's Hydration Handbook

Taken from Dr Oz's Hydration Handbook

i think we all will benefit from some simple steps to keep ourselves healthy and wealthy (since we will be cutting down on trips to the doctor), and I really like the part on how we should drink 1 cup of water for every cup of coffee consumed.

Hydration Helpers:
  1. Know When to Drink More When you do something that raises your heart rate, like exercising, you lose water. Counteract this loss by drinking an 8-oz glass of water per hour of activity.
  2. Drink 1 for 1 Caffeine dehydrates your body. For every cup of coffee or tea you drink, have 1 glass of water too.
  3. Get Your Water From Food Many fruits and vegetables are rich in water – the juicer, the better. Watermelon, papaya, cucumber and celery are great choices because they have water, sodium and potassium, which are all needed to prevent dehydration.

Dr Oz: Home Solution Recipe to Wash Off Pesticides - Dr Oz | Doctor Oz Fans

Dr Oz: Home Solution Recipe to Wash Off Pesticides - Dr Oz | Doctor Oz Fans

daytime tv, dr oz show.

i found this quite interesting and informative, esp the part on pesticide removal spray. do click on link to view entire article.

Dr Oz’s Pesticide Wash Solution Recipe
Dr Oz said that if you are going to eat non-organic fruits and vegetables, you can help to wash your produce off by mixing together the following ingredients:
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 TB baking soda
- 1/2 lemon
Pour the solution into a spray bottle and spray your produce.  Let the solution sit on your fruits and veggies for about 5 minutes before rinsing it off.  Vinegar is anti-bacterial and lemon is a natural astringent.  Fabulous home remedy Dr Oz!!!

Thursday 25 October 2012

Welcome Baby Dragon!!

We welcome our latest addition, Baby Dragon (Yih Leong has not told us his name yet), today!!

Although they are in China, we still send our warmest congrats and blessings to them.

Rest well Sis-In-Law, Wu Yuan. Really thankful that the timing was just right.

Again, Welcome Baby Dragon, 25 Oct 2012 is truely your special day

Thursday 11 October 2012

I Love Running Man

Currently watching a korean variety show, Running Man, and it is really funny. Initially was drawn to RM cos Song Joong Ki was part of it (he has since left RM) but am now in love with most of the cast members.





Love the Monday Couple, Gary & Ji Hyo, their acting skills are really convincing. Ji Hyo is an actress and Gary is part of a rap duo Leessang. Ha ha is another cutie, he is just like Pororo. I first heard of Pororo from the drama Flower Boy Ramen Shop (Jung Il Woo), apparently a major cartoon character in korea.

Tuesday 9 October 2012

Bry Little Teacher

I bought a small white board for bry as his birthday present and he loves it.

he will pretend that he is a teacher and writes the date and day on it. it is ok if he treats it as a drawing board.

best of all, the boys are sharing it and pretending to be teachers. yes, they do fight but at least they are learning and trying to play as brothers.

Welcome All

Welcome to my new space.

I will be carrying out minor upgrades or modifications as I learn to use this space more efficiently.

A major difference is that I am unable to upload videos that are more than 100MB, don't have this problem with multiply.

Let's hope this will be the last time I have to do any data migration.

Enjoy!

SpongeBob Books

Bought these 9 books for S$30. Boys love them and I enjoy reading to them too.

Welcome Kieran Lim

Welcome Kieran to the family!

Kieran was born on 5th Oct 2012 to the proud parents of Yih Chung (Keegan) and Charlene.

Yay!!!! A healthy baby boy of 3.5kg.

Bry Beijing 8 Sept 2012

Bry Beijing T3.



Bry 5th Birthday 2012

Celebrated bry 5th birthday on 30 sept 2012 at grandparents' place. I bought 2 sets of transformer cars for them, Dom got Mirage and Bry got Jazz.




Bry Cake Singing

Bry Cake Cutting

Dom Sparkler

Bry Beijing 16 June 2012





UnderWater World 17 June 2012

Random 2012

Just some random pics.

Marina Barrage & Duck Tour 4 Feb 2012

SG Flyer 28 Jan 2012

Wednesday 12 September 2012

Bry Counting

proud that bry was able to do simple additional sums with counting beads on his own.

Dom 7th Birthday

celebrated Dom birthday on 8th Sept 2012. initial plan was to have dinner near parents and go back to their place for cake cutting, but we ended up at Changi Airport T1 Astons for dinner.






busy busy

been rather busied and has not been updating the blog.

but i am back to continue my migration....