5
2011
Bao Bei Reading Wonderland : Updates
I’ve been busy hence no time to update Ethan’s progress in Bao Bei the past few days. I won’t be updating so frequent-lah, but I think the first week is very important so I took notes of whatever improvement I see in him. Read about Day 1’s update here. Day 2 Ethan still refuse to read nor speak to the teachers unless it is in English. He does not participate in group activities and still […]
1
2011
Bao Bei Reading Wonderland : Day 1
Today marks the first day Ethan attending Mandarin classes at Bao Bei. We went there 10 minutes early to have a look at the premise before enrolling Ethan. We did not get to see the classroom during our last visit there last week as they were in a midst of a class then. Hand sanitizer I saw ALL the kids getting their hands sanitized before entering the classroom. Thumbs up. Can you spot Ethan? I […]
30
2011
Ulcer.. urgh!!
Submerryn’s down and out. It started with me tending to Ethan and then got accidentally knocked on my lips by his head. The injury turned to ulcer and it became bigger and bigger with no sign of it recovering. Tried everything out there yet the ulcer shows no sign of improvement. Finally Darling got me this… Orrepaste. The cooling gel is very soothing on my lips. Crossing my fingers that this will do me some […]
30
2011
Simple egg with tofu dish
My colleague taught me a simple dish the other day. She said she loves eating eggs (sunny side up) served on tofu with a dash of soya sauce (I think) over it. So I experimented with it today. I dunno if this is what she is talking about? I steamed the tofu for several minutes and discard the excess liquid. I know my colleague did not steam it as she told me to just take […]
27
2011
Monkey see, monkey do
Every evening when we are at the playground, there will always be a monkey leading and some monkeys following.. @_@ Monkey see, monkey do. Boys will be boys :D
26
2011
Bao Bei Reading Wonderland : Fee structure
We are looking for a decent place for Ethan to learn Mandarin. Our first stop is the well-known Bao Bei Reading Wonderland. Bao Bei Reading Wonderland, children’s super-learning programme? Really so super? While Darling and I were busy enquiring about the programme, Ethan kept himself entertained… He’s getting restless. Okay, okay… so you are hungry. Let’s go Snowflake :P Before we left, I almost fainted when given the fee structure… For a 1 1/2 hours […]
22
2011
Ethan’s birthday gift
Yesterday was Ethan’s birthday. He is officially FOUR now :D He has laid his eyes on this for a very long time… Alonso bed from Harvey Norman Darling was feeling a little generous the other day and decided to get this bed for Ethan for his birthday. Ethan got super excited! He quickly cleared the room to welcome his new bed. Why is he smiling so sheepishly here? :D Because he was eagerly waiting for […]
18
2011
Genting Highland Outdoor Theme Park
It’s Ethan’s birthday weekend so we decided to go up to Genting! We are lucky to be living just an hour away from Genting. Anytime we feel like it, we can just take the car and drive up. Unlike our previous trip where we took the cable car just to let the kids experience the ride, this time we drove straight up to Genting. It was that cold when we arrived shortly before noon. Got […]
16
2011
Ethan’s 4th Birthday @ Crafty-Crafted Studio
We celebrated Ethan’s 4th Birthday at the Studio today :D Ethan is FOUR! Attire courtesy of Trudy & Teddy :) The kids singing the Birthday song Blowing the flames off the candle Yeay! Cutting the cake Good friends :) Giving out party packs Having fun The sloppy cake from Secret Recipe. Ethan loves it! Thumbs up means GOOD! :D Ethan and I. My boy is now FOUR! <3 <3 <3 They love this the most! […]
15
2011
Foot in mouth project
To put one’s foot in one’s mouth means to embarrass oneself by saying the wrong thing. But fret not as that is not the issue here today. The past few days have been very hectic, running from one place to another and come night time, classes back to back. But I like to take things positively, it’s better to be busy than being left idle and grow cobwebs around you, right? Tonight I just don’t […]
13
2011
The social kid
Today had been a very busy day. I was so worried Ethan won’t be able to pull through the day. We started the day attending a half day workshop for media in Sunway Giza. That is the beautiful Dynas Mokhtar, actress, super-model and an entrepreneur with her 15 month old Khyra. Of course with them there is Ethan :P That is Ethan entertaining himself during the workshop :D Had some light refreshment after the workshop […]
12
2011
Durian oh Durian
Durian – The King of fruits. You either love it or loathe it. To durian lovers, the aroma is invitingly fragrant while those who can’t stand the pungent smell equals it to rotten cheese! I love durian. I can eat lots and lots of durian! I can beat Darling anytime. My in-laws know how much I love durian. My parents know how much I love durian. Everybody knows how much I love durian! I went […]
10
2011
Hair Rebonding
Thought of staying home today as the jam we encountered last night was horrifying. But leg itchy and we ended up going out in the end. It was not too bad today compared to yesterday. I guess the majority of people are either at home or somewhere in the capital. I ended up in Q Salon, Kota Damansara. That is as far as we dare venture as we see traffic getting rather heavy ahead. I […]
5
2011
Snorkeling at Redang Island
Our 3D/2N Redang trip is inclusive of 3 snorkeling trips – twice at the open sea and once at the Marine Park. Rental of life jacket and goggles are at RM15 respectively. RM5 Marine Conservation fee per person is to be paid for the Marine Park visit. We went for the open sea snorkeling trip first. We did not bring our camera with us to the open sea hence no pictures of the journey whatsoever. […]
4
2011
Laguna Redang Island Resort
We went for some sun, sea and sand over the weekend :D The water is still amazingly crystal clear in Redang. I love it! When I think of Redang, I can only think of Laguna Redang Island Resort. I don’t know why.. Ethan @ Laguna Redang Island Resort :) Ethan @ More More Tea Ethan ‘bersantai’ ^_^ The swimming pool. Now let’s take a look at the room we stayed :D Lovely and spacious room. The […]
27
2011
Choosing the right lifejacket for kids
We are heading to somewhere for some SUN, SEA and BREEZE soon :D I remembered when we went there last time they don’t even have proper lifejackets for kids. Even the lifejackets they have for adults are smelly and yucky. I remembered Darling saying the lifejacket he got then smelt of ‘ketiak’ (armpit)! @_@ *vomit* It’s very important for kids to have the correct fitting lifejackets so we went shopping for Ethan’s lifejacket the other […]
26
2011
He loves pau~s, me hotdogs…
It’s a known fact that Darling loves pau(s) while I love hotdogs. It doesn’t sound right there but it’s true! Maybe his Chinese roots played a part in his obsession with pau while my ‘western’ upbringing made me love sausages like it’s the best thing in the world! Still.. it doesn’t sound right! @_@ The best pau we ever had was from D’sara Uptown. I forgot the name of the restaurant but it’s really NICE! […]
25
2011
Instant Gratification
How is the weekend treating you? I hope you are having a blast! I know somebody’s working out real hard in the gym while another is enjoying his brand new TV! Someone else has a new neighbour and is busy checking her out while some lucky lass in enjoying her SPA! :P See, I know so MUCH! LoL! Facebook oh facebook, what will I do without YOU? :D I started my day in the Studio […]
25
2011
Choosing your baby’s sex : Boy or girl? The truth to be told
These days, is it THAT easy to choose your baby’s sex? If that is so, why are there still families with all boys or all girls? But it MUST be some truth in there for I see many families having a boy AND a girl! If it is so easy to choose your baby’s sex why was the Japanese so worried not being able to produce a Prince? Well, they finally produced an heir but […]
23
2011
BEST doctor in the house!
Last night I was blog hopping and was in that blog belonging to that ‘blogger jutawan’ when my PC suddenly kaput-ed! Trojans, malware, spyware, UNDERWEAR :P and everything came crashing my PC rendering it unusable! >_< Me being a PC idiot langsung dunno what to do! It was written ‘severe damaged’ and more.. Mampos!!! Apa lagi, I WhatsApp Doctor Kimmy asking if he is asleep. Thank goodness he is still awake. Remotely he assisted me […]
22
2011
Leave me alone, just don’t LOVE me no more..
I love to jog in the playground in the evenings (or sometimes in the mornings). I’ll do my best to arrange my time so that I can jog at least two to three times weekly. Even a brisk walk will do, as long as Ethan and I are able to get some fresh air and sunshine. Working out makes me feel sexy within :D But there’s ONE thing I dislike about exercising in the playground… […]
17
2011
Trudy & Teddy : Winning the RM300 shopping spree
Trudy & Teddy held a tea party recently and we were encouraged to dress up in pastel coloured clothing to match our kid. There is also a fashion parade where ONE contestant will be chosen as the Little Best Dresser. I have blogged about the fashion parade earlier. Read about it here. I came in black and white! Colour blind this Submerryn! >_< There were ten families (including us) involved in the fashion parade. Each […]
15
2011
Sunny Sandy Style
Ethan and I look forward to the evenings very much for that is the time we can shout, “FREEDOM!” hehe.. That is our playground time. A time for some sun and breeze! It is also a time to get dirty… Sand play! Ethan and my neighbour’s boys. One is six months older than Ethan and another is three months younger than him. So basically they are all of the same age range! What’s with the […]
10
2011
Stupidity is NOT a handicap
I spend a lot of my time in the mall. They are like my second home already. Many times I need to bring Ethan to the loo but I can’t just bring him to the ordinary Ladies’ as I have stroller and all with me. I always like to go to the special washroom.. It’s specially for the handicap or mothers with little children. But on many occasions, we had to wait for this special […]
6
2011
Little Best Dresser
We got Ethan some Trudy & Teddy apparel some time ago and I blogged about it here. That post (I think) got us invited to a Tea Party with Trudy & Teddy. It is a BIG dress up party! The invited boys and girls can take turns dressing up in pretty dresses, coat, smart shirt with tie, hair band and shoes. Trudy & Teddy, Parkson, Alamanda Putrajaya. To get the ball rolling, we were given […]
19
2011
My man is wet..
Was hanging laundry a little while ago when I saw his umbrella hanging on the gate like that. Hmm.. Pray hard it won’t rain today or for sure he’ll get wet! It has been raining every evening and I feel bad for not making sure he has an umbrella in the car today! Sometimes, we are so caught up with ourselves and kid that we tend to overlook our spouses. I realised that I’ve not […]
17
2011
Smelly feet
It’s Wesak and we don’t work on Wesak Day do we? :D My students will be sitting for their exams next week and I’m tied down with back to back classes the whole of this week. Yesterday was chaos with classes right down to 9pm. By the time I was done, I was exhausted to the max. Went to bed at 10.30pm without even going online! A rarity indeed! :P So what will we […]
16
2011
His twisted leg
We went to Tesco over the weekend. We rarely go to Tesco but somehow ended up there yesterday. I needed to go to the washroom so I told Ethan to stay with Darling. Came out of the washroom to hear some commotion between Darling and Ethan! I was gone barely five minutes! @_@ I heard this: Darling: Stand properly-lah! Ethan: This IS standing properly-LAH!! Darling: NO! Stand pro-per-ly!!! Ethan: YES-lah! Stand properly dy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I terus […]
14
2011
Sometimes, being DOWN is good.
A couple of days ago , Blogger went down for an hour for maintenance purposes. Most of us were in our work place then. It’s interesting to see how barely a minute after Blogger went down, FB and Twitter were flooded with horrified bloggers’ updates of not being able to log into Blogger. I was in the office too then and was wondering WHAT TO DO during that ONE hour. Should I spend that time […]
12
2011
Of guns and lollipops
ParenThots interviewed me not too long ago regarding the topic of toy guns. They wanted to know if I’m in favour or against the idea of letting my child play with toy guns. Well, in general I am against Ethan playing with toy guns. I don’t buy him toy guns just like how I don’t buy him lollipops! What good are there in both of them you tell me? BUT I do know that no […]
4
2011
Teddylicious Trudy & Teddy
I still remember on our 1st wedding anniversary, we toured Europe. I fell in love all over again. I love the culture, the food and most of all I love the Europeans’ sense of fashion. That was five years ago. *terkenang masa dulu.. hu hu hu :(* Try reading the papers or browse online these days and I bet the first thing that catches your attention is the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. […]
3
2011
A Touch of Comfort
I’m so done with telling the world how Ethan and I have been a little under the weather lately. Ethan’s been fighting a losing battle with flu and cough for weeks now while I get stomach discomfort at the slightest indigestion making me very stressed up when it comes to eating! Back to his runny nose, the skin surrounding his nose area is reddish and injured due to the constant friction and rubbing when I […]
1
2011
Always have protection on! Wear a helmet!
Howdy folks! How are you enjoying your long weekend? It’s a beautiful day — the sun is shining, the birds are chirping. What could be more perfect than a bike ride? The bicycle is getting more and more popular these days since it’s rather environment friendly. So make sure you ride safe! It’s important to wear your bike helmet to avoid head injury! Wear a bike helmet EVERY TIME YOU RIDE, even if you are […]
26
2011
EMO post
It’s that time again when I’m down, really, really down! EMO to the max! The first thing I did when I arrived office was try to deactivate my FB account but guess what? I wasn’t able to do that as I created Crafty-Crafted Fan Club and if I deactivate my FB account, the Fan Club will be affected! As EMO as I am, I’m still sane and no way will I let my precious Crafty-Crafted Fan […]
25
2011
Bad coach
I was down with food poisoning today. Can’t even lift my head what else moving around the house? So I spent almost the entire day lying on the couch, drifting in and out of slumber. While I was sleeping, I kinda overheard Darling and Ethan’s conversation. Ethan : How to do this, Daddy? Darling: Err.. dunno. Why so hard one this one? Nevermind, ask Mommy afterds. Ethan: But Mommy sick, kenot disturb! Darling: Ok… Apparently […]
8
2011
Amber on iPhone
Remember Amber? Not Amber Chia-lah! Am referring to Ethan’s Amber! He loves it SO much that he went looking for her in the App Store. Finally… he dapat! He installed this app in my iPhone the other day and happily told me that he now has Amber everywhere we go! (>_<) I so must change my password! Ethan and his two Ambers! (@_@)
6
2011
Malacca Butterfly & Reptile Sanctuary
One of the activities during our stay at Philea Resort and Spa, Ayer Keroh, Malacca recently was a visit to the Malacca Butterfly & Reptile Sanctuary. It is situated just after the Ayer Keroh Toll Plaza from North South Expressway. We took a buggy from the resort to the Butterfly farm. Kimmy feasting on crickets :P The first thing we did upon entering was to feed the monkeys bananas followed by feeding the iguanas life […]
30
2011
Philea Resort & Spa, Ayer Keroh, Melaka
We spent an unforgettable weekend at Philea Resort & Spa, the largest and biggest log resort in Malaysia recently. Located in fast developing Ayer Keroh, Melaka and wholly owned by Majestic Hotels & Resorts Sdn Bhd; they invested RM140 million for a total of 15 acres of luxury living and relaxation. “Philea was built utilizing natural resources. The resources are Malaysian-made; using 8,000 pieces of disused railway sleepers for staircases, more than 6,000 tons of […]
28
2011
I’m back!
I’m BACK!We went for a great nature’s retreat over the weekend and let ourselves get lost in the mystical magical log forest. It was a weekend to be remember for a lifetime. I can just sit all day indulging in this picturesque beauty… While we adults simply lose ourselves to the stunning log forest, the kids helped navigate the way out :D I need to recharge and will be back with the full entry on […]
26
2011
Artistically wrong
You know how Ethan and I love painting? But I think somehow somewhere.. something went wrong! He’s NOT suppose to be painting his nails!!! >_< See lah! Big toe gold.. small toes PINK! Aiyo! *Smack forehead*
22
2011
Painting an elephant
Ethan loves painting. He can colour perfectly using colour pencils and is now hook on water colours. Here is a video of him painting an elephant :D Enjoy :) Oh one thing.. you MUST watch the ENDING. It is a MUST! Look at him when he finally completed the elephant!!
8
2011
Smaland, The Magic Forest
I’ve been eyeing IKEA’s Smaland even before I had Ethan. I have always wanted to let Ethan play there but never have the courage to let him go mainly because I won’t be allowed to enter with him. A couple of weeks ago a sudden gust of courage swept over me. I brought Ethan to Smaland and asked him if he wants to enter. Of course he answered YES! I was worried as he will […]
15
2011
Red Packet Star CNY Lantern
I’m going to share TWO tutorial videos to make TWO different types of STAR lantern for the upcoming Chinese New Year. CNY Lucky Star Lantern Version 1 CNY Lucky Star Lantern Version 2 Check out the rest of our Chinese New Year decor collections or click on our playlist for the full set of DIY CNY Angpow Decor: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0tRhnSGZm9o9YSiYJApcMibzk35NwoqU* 1) Red Packet Ancient Coin Lantern 2) Ang Bao Gold Fish […]
6
2010
Universal Studio Singapore
After that horrifying experiencein the Night Safari the night before, we woke up early, fresh and ready to start the day with happy thoughts. Universal Studio Singapore In case you get lost. But seriously, you won’t! It’s all just a circle. Walk along the road and you’ll end up at the starting point. You won’t be able to get lost even if you wanted too! :P The weather was PERFECT! First stop – Guest Services […]
2
2010
Marina Mandarin Singapore
For our trip to Singapore, we stayed in Marina Mandarin Hotel. Conveniently located in the city, Marina Mandarin Singapore offers easy access to shopping and nearby attractions, stunning city views and a 25-metre mineral water pool. Attractions nearby the Marina Mandarin Singapore include The Esplanade, Merlion and the Singapore Flyer. Extremely wonderful, friendly and helpful staffs. The moment we stepped out of the cab, the porter helped us right away and the concierge staff lead […]
7
2010
MUST BUY – The Star paper TODAY!
WHY? Because WE are in it! Muahahahahhahaa… OK~lah, maybe I’m the ONLY one who is excited about this. But can’t blame me alright? After all, how often do I get to appear in the papers, especially The Star?! The Star 07/09/10 pg IT7 Ethan and I shared the page with 3 other moms who’ve banked on their hobbies and build successful businesses on the Web :D Read the article here.
1
2010
Thank you In Tech
A couple of weeks ago, a journalist from The Star’s In.Tech called me up requesting for an interview session in my craft studio on that day itself. I got like just a few hours’ notice and I was a nervous wreck. Thank goodness for my online buddies who managed to somewhat calm me down a little :P This morning I woke up to several sms-es telling me that we are in Tech Takes :D According […]
25
2010
Ethan on KidsNews, TV3 – The Video
I’ve been waiting for this for so long already! Finally it came in the mail :D From KidsNews On the 15/2/2010, we appeared on TV3 in their KidsNews segment. They have finally mailed me the DVD. Here’s the video. Enjoy :)
29
2010
Rabbit Fun Land, Broga
City folks live a life full of stress. If you are willing to go a distance of about a half-hour drive out of the Klang Valley, you’ll discover a fun petting land in Broga just outside of Kajang town. Unlike the old days when the winding road will guarantee to give you motion sickness, the newly constructed road will give you a feeling of calm and serenity while driving pass Nottingham University campus and then […]
22
2010
Scorching HOT!
We were in my in-law’s place yesterday until this morning. Went back for some kind of prayers held every ninth day of the Chinese New Year. If you know what that is, then tell ME! lol.. What I ‘dislike’ about going back to my in-law’s (besides the Chicken and Duck talk) is the lack of a cooling system ie. air-cond! In the afternoon, it can be scorching hot and without air-cond is ‘a little’ uncomfortable […]
12
2009
Getting ready
I browsed through The Star’s newspaper today (11/11/2009). And came across the writeup on ParenThot’s Family Day. Read closer and I saw this… Ok. So my name’s appeared in the newspaper today. Time for tension to kick in! Reality check. Have I done all that are needed to be done for this event? Let’s see…. Ethan has been very cooperative. He gets up in the morning and the first thing he does is to reproduce […]
14
2009
My Hero!
Last night we saw this dead Jerry in our car porch. It must be the works of Tom as the autopsy revealed that Jerry died from severe stab wounds caused by a sharp object (must be Tom’s bite!)Darling is afraid (geli) of all things furry. {Thank goodness I’m not a fur ball!} So yours truly had to execute the disposal mission. I took a garden spade, some old newspapers and a plastic bag. I poke […]
23
2009
Night-market trader..
For years I’ve not been able to go to my favourite night market in SS2, PJ. Why? Because it is held every Monday, a work day. Since I don’t drive, I depend solely on my driver (Darling) to bring me there. But if it’s a working day, it will be almost impossible to get him to drive me there. Since last Monday was a festive holiday, I took that golden opportunity to get Darling to […]
16
2009
Peranakan (Baba Nyonya Wedding)
When I got married, I did not do it the Peranakan style. I almost did not do it the Chinese style too. I did not wear that RED outfit (what is that call again?). I wore an English wedding gown. Mat Salleh celup lah kata kan… People like me are the ones that should be thrown far far away for not following custom. Anyway, all ME aside, my cousin Cherylene married her sweetheart Eddie the […]
21
2009
Ethan is TWO today!
My little rascal is two today. How time flies! I baked him a simple butter cake of heart and star shape. He helped me in the process and got very excited once he saw the cute cake! The cake. This is how they looked like fresh out from the oven. I got these silicone moulds from Daiso. Darling got him a cake that was supposed to be shared with my students tonite. But suddenly, the […]
22
2009
Ethan reading Mandarin @ 23mths old
I’m so overly excited right now. My little ‘Banana Boy’ can read in Mandarin! I don’t speak a single word of any Chinese dialect, but for the sake of Ethan, we got him some Chinese kindie books and started to teach him simple words such as family members a couple of days ago. Surprisingly, he gets it very fast! Even faster than when I was teaching him to read in English! Now, I myself needs […]
4
2009
How to start your child on reading (Intro)
Since the posting of Ethan’s reading video, I’ve been flooded with emails asking me to share tips on how to start young toddlers to read. I am all so happy to share my two cents worth as I believe in nothing but to make every child a reader. But, let me clarify with all the mommies and daddies out there that I am by no means an expert in this field and I should not […]
29
2009
Reading Sentences @ 20 mths old
Ethan has finally started to read sentences. It was quite tricky getting him to focus one word at a time and proceed to the next word and on and on. Initially he was overwhelm with all the words in a sentence that he just look at them and kept quiet! But now, he finally understood what reading sentences means and is slowly getting used to the concept. The whole-word approach is based on research findings […]
6
2009
Learning to read – Phonics vs Whole Word Approach
I am sure most of us would like to teach our little precious to read as early in their lives as possible. But not many knows what method to use. Generally there are two methods most commonly used in teaching/learning reading, the phonics way and the whole word approach way. The phonics way is reading by making sense of the spelling and sounds of the word while the whole word approach way is reading by […]