When My Boys Were All Mine

I remember a time when the boys were all mine, 

When morning to dusk, it was just they and I. 

Every moment was ours – just my two boys and me, 

A mom and her sons, running wild and free.

We’d laugh, we’d play, we’d sing through the day,
At home, in the car – all along the way.

To school and to classes, we'd dash to and fro,

From home to Alice, Chiltern or Publika, we'd go, go, go!

Car rides begin with, "What are we listening to today?"
Then a loud Disney singalong, all the way.

A quick park, a mad dash and a crazy run, 
We'd race along the corridors to class – it was fun!

Every two hours, a quick change of venue,

Every night, we'd rush home just to meet curfew.

A shower then dinner, then bedtime at seven, 

Caden hugging my legs, Ethan in my arms – it was heaven.

Whether early or late, whatever the wait,
Always together, no matter the date.
Through every detour, every little delay,
I cherished the moments, every step of the way.

I was their world, just as they were all mine, 

That fleeting season, that sacred moment in time. 

Now echoes remain where chaos once played,

Still deep in my heart, those memories will stay.

Time Twist Thursday

Once a month, a couple members of KRPG and I – a.k.a the #KRServicingTrio – make our way over to the mainland for branding advisory sessions with a client of ours. Sessions typically start at 10.30am, which means we’ve got to hit the road by 8.15am in order to make two pick-up stops around the island, before crossing the bridge and heading over to the client's office.

Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge 

– more fondly known to locals as the Penang Second Bridge.

But after one particularly traumatic drive involving a very dead and very dried-up crow at the Toll Plaza on our way back, and me falling sick TKO-style for over a week right after (I totally blame the crow – caused me too much stress) we started taking turns, Taiping Meeku and I. Just so this ECD doesn't suddenly fall sick again and leave the team in the lurch. LOL.

So that's what we've been doing – taking turns behind the wheel.

(Read: A little shared trauma, a lot of shared responsibility. 😆) 

But today, the plan was a little different. You see, Penang tomorrow no water again. So one particular Taiping girl – not saying who but YOU KNOW WHO #iykyk – is abandoning the island and making a run for Taiping after the meeting. That meant one less pick-up for me cos she pandu sendiri.

Although she is literally "on the way" for me – only a 100m detour or so nia – I ended up being able to leave home at 8.45am, pick Hiyashi from all the way across the island, and still get to my meeting 15 mins early. 

How come ah? I cannot brain.

But also... I won't complain. Haha. 

Quit Playin' Games With My Heart

The boys have been begging us for a pet for a long while now. And not like a guppy or a terrapin that you contain in a glass box and feed once a day. No, no. They want a cat. 😺 Or a dog. 🐶 Like, wth? I blame all those playdates at friends' houses. One of JZ's friends has 7 pets of various kinds. Another has a new British Shorthair kitten. Craziest story is this: One of JJ's buddies has *drumroll please* 28 cats in his condo. 😵😵‍💫 #siaoliao


While The Husband (who's never really had a pet) is leaning towards ok-ing idea, I, on the other hand am not. Pets are A LOT of work! Living with two sporty pre-teens without a live-in helper is enough work as it is. I am not at all motivated to add more things to my to-do, to-wash and to-clean list, thank you. These people don't clear, wash and clean so they don't understand the amount of work that already comes with running a household of 2 adults and 2 kids. 😤 

Now, you wanna make it

4 adults and 2 kids PLUS 1 pet??

Aiya, mai laaaaa...

Don't trouble Trouble if Trouble 

hasn't trouble you la, come on! 😩

We visited CTY in Penang once with the intention of getting a pup for the boys. But after seeing the dogs step all over their poop, The Husband quickly made a mental U-turn and changed his mind. But today, while heading towards DPULZE Shopping Mall, Cyberjaya (that also has a big pet store), this conversation ensued:

The Husband: Ok la, boys! Let’s go get a dog! 

 JZ & JJ: Yayyyy!!! 

 The Husband: We buy from DPULZE! 

 JZ & JJ: Yayyyy!!!

 The Husband: Just kidding. 

 JZ & JJ: Booooo… 

JZ: Papa, if you want to say anything, and it’s a lie, don’t say it. Because you make us excited. Then you break our hearts. 

 JJ: Words of wisdom, Kor Kor. 

 The Husband: Haha. Okay. Sorry. 

 JJ: Yes. Then you make us want to cry and die.

😅😅😅

Needless to say, we left DPULZE without a pet.

You know, it's too bad my boys 

aren't familiar with the Backstreet Boys.

Otherwise, they'd be singing this tune right about now:

"Quit playin' games with my heart 

Before you tear us apart (my heart) 

Quit playin' games with my heart 

I should've known from the start 

You know you got to stop (from my heart) 

You're tearing us apart (my heart) 

Quit playin' games with my heart:

– Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)

by Backstreet Boys

Me, I'm definitely more of a dog person than a cat person.

And I do secretly love the idea of having a puppy at home. 🤫

But I've been there and done that with Princess. 🥲 I now understand that although having a pet has its fun and emotional upsides, the cleaning up after each poo and pee... the weekly baths... the nail-cutting and toothbrushing... the daily feeding and water filling... the inconvenience when going on holidays... and not to mention the heartbreak and emotional trauma that follows in the days after their deaths because, well, we'll definitely outlive our pets at this point... it's just not worth it. 

I would be perfectly happy to go through life

without having to go through all this again.

That's not to say my kids should never get pets. They can get their own pets when they have their own homes. Then I'll go over for some doggy playtime. 😎

Living In A World Where You Can Buy RM2,000 Cars You Can't Gift-Wrap 🎁

Ethan's turning 7 next month. This boy never wastes an opportunity to ask for a gift so, as per his usual pre-birthday MO, Ethan put on his biggest, brightest, most-charming smile and asked:


Ethan: Papa. what are you getting me for my birthday? 😁

The Husband: What you want?

Ethan: A car!

The Husband: What kind of car?

Ethan: This car!! *points to The Husband’s car*

Caden: Are you crazy??

Pam Song: 🤨 You can’t even drive yet.

Caden: Yeah!! Plus, it costs like, RM2,000 or something!! (LOL. If only. 😅)

Ethan: Oh ya... Plus, they can’t wrap it. 🎁

😂😂😂

#kidlogic #8yowisdom

D-Day, On The Way!

Empty streets all the way to the hospital

cos everybody kiasi Coronavirus. LOL.

The Hunt For A Double Scooter

A little over a week ago, the boys went to their friend's house for a playdate. There, one tried skateboarding for the first time, while the other tried double-scootering. After that one afternoon, there was nothing else I heard about for days. Skateboard-scooter fever was ON!

Decathlon was the suggested place for us to get a good quality skateboard. Unfortunately, it's sold out online and there ain't no Decathlon brick-and-mortar store on the island. 😩 #smalltownwoes So, it looks like JZ's gotta wait till Ah Ma and Ah Kong head down to KL. 

So, all I needed to get was a double scooter. And I have to get it ASAP cos I've got surgery coming! How to go scooter-hunting if I'm all bandaged up, right?? 🤕  Plus, I want the boys to be happily and adequately occupied while I'm in the hospital so they don't feel my absence. 😔 

The first place we went to had some double scooters but they were really old, faded and dusty. I wasn't going to spend a good hundred ringgit on that. The shop lady also said she didn't want to sell those scooters to us cos she said that they were old stock. 😅😂  #tautakpe

The second stop... BINGO!

*choir of angels sing*

Trying out the double scooter to decide if he wanted it.

After a few rounds of butt-shaking in-store,

JJ finally made his decision – "I want!"

After discount less than RM100. Not bad la. Can tekan brake summore. Plus, it was totally worth it after I saw how happy and excited he was. 😍 #happysonhappymom

It fit in the boot so I put it there.

But all the way home,

he occupied himself by playing

with the handles and brakes quietly.

 

And then, it got quieter...

I turned around to check on him and discovered that he had fallen asleep! 😴 Guess the excitement of the day wore him out. But even in sleep, he hung on to his new toy all the way home.

Storytime With Kong Kong – The Kampung Boy From Kedah

I grew up hearing stories of days gone by from my dad. Whenever I was in bed by 10.00pm, I was rewarded with a story. And each time, the story would begin in the exact same way... 

"Behind my house was a paddy field...

Behind the paddy field was a rubber estate...

And behind the rubber estate were some train tracks."

I enjoyed hearing all about how he caught fighting fishes and trained them to fight and win. About how he rigged his rubber seeds with candle wax so he could crack his opponents' seeds effortlessly. How he caught spiders amongst the trees and let them fight to the death. And how he (very dangerously) put nails and stones on the train tracks so they would go flying all around when the trains sped by. #donttrythisathomekids

Having said all that,

I'm so glad that last night,

the boys listened to their very first

kampung-boy story from Kong Kong.

Updated storytime experience for a very visual and tech-savvy next gen, of course, with YouTube videos of fighting fishes jumping out of the water and attacking each other, for added effect. 🙄

How Old Are You And Yours?

So there I am, in the car, on the way to a late breakfast with the kids, when out of the blue, I hear this conversation coming from the backseat...

JJ: Kor Kor, how old is your bird-bird?

JZ: ??? (At a lost for words. 😅)

JJ: *announces proudly* Because mine is 5 years old.

LOL! Why my son can think of such things wan??

😅😂😅😂😅😂

But you've gotta give it to the 5-year-old

and his 5-year-old logic la. He's right. It's 5. 😂

Girls Don't Fart 💨

SOMEONE – we all know who but the WHO didn't wanna admit 👀 – mysteriously farts in the car on the way home from lunch. A super duper smelly fart that makes lunch wanna come back out again. 😷🤢🤮 And so, begins the blame game. I have a family of XYs so I’m usually left out of the equation. For sure innocent ma. 🙆‍♀️ Thing is, today, everyone claimed it wasn’t them. 🤔


The Husband: Then it’s mommy la.

JJ: *immediately* NOOOO! 

The Husband: Yes! 


JJ: *defensively* NO! Mommy doesn’t fart! 

The Husband: *intentionally pushes the issue to rile him up* Yes! I heard before! V-e-r-y loud. And v-e-r-y smelly. 

 JJ: *getting angry* NO!!! Mommy NEVER! EVER! farts!! Right, Mommy???

You're right, Son.

Mommy never ever farts. 🙅‍♀️🙆‍♀️

Clever boy la, you. Sayang! 😘

Cool Dude Alert

Been busy moving stuff over to the new house lately cos – YES! Our home is ready! Finally! 🏡🎉🌈 Been trying to appease Mama by removing our clutter-load of boxes from her guest room whenever I manage to muster up some strength to do so. Slowly, slowly la. A few bags 🛍 and boxes 📦 – one car-load at a time. 🚙💪 

Today was no different. Loaded up the car with a bunch of old seaweed boxes, got into the front passenger seat, turned around to check that JJ wouldn't accidentally get squished by them if we took a corner, and was greeted by this sight: 

LOL. Tiba-tiba only got sunnies on, this fella. 😎

#macammacampunada Haha.

Cool, man, you. Very cool.

What Adults Do When Kids Fall Asleep In The Car

😂😂😂

Yes, shopping with Mummy and Kong Kong is a tiring affair. And the trip back from Queensbay Mall is too long a way for a tired 5yo to bear.  😆

Talking About God Along A Graveyard

While we were driving along Mount Erskine

and passing the many graves along the way,

JJ suddenly struck up this conversation: 

JJ: Some people don’t believe in God, right? 

Por Por: Yes. Some people.

JJ: Like my friend in school. He says he doesn’t believe in God. 

Por Por: Then what did you say? 

JJ: I said, “God is real.” 

My heart swelled with pride at his reply,

while The Husband looked at me

and said, “Our job is done.”

#proudmom #proudpapa #proudparents

#Christians #Godisreal #notashamedofthegospel

------------------------
Deuteronomy‬ ‭6:6-9‬
------------------------
“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

A Bump On The Head Leaves A Bunch Of Hair Dead

Dressed up for JJ’s 5th birthday today cos we’ve got some party plans later. And, if you didn’t know, a Song party means lots of pics so... OF COURSE must pasang kuat a bit la. 🙆‍♀️ (This is #momlevel pasang kuat. Don’t judge.) And since I’ve still got a head full of hair, OF COURSE must take lots of pics! 😎

Had to run over to TESCO to get some last minute stuff for the party and to pick up JJ’s 2nd rainbow cake this birthday prior to that. 🌈🎂 All was going well, I was happy, the kids were having a good time, I did some shopping, and then... on my way back into the car, I bumped my head. 🤕😲😱

No biggie, right? Hah! Wrong!! ❌❌❌

Not when you’re on Taxotere chemotherapy. 

I immediately touched the bump site to check on things, and my heart dropped when I felt a bunch of hair that was out of place. Worse, it felt like loose hair. Read: Hair that’s NOT stuck to my head. 😳 I lightly picked at the hair and, to my horror, it came off. Like, about 10 strands of hair just CAME OFF!!! 😱 *faints*


Got home, rushed up the stairs, got into my bedroom and closed the door behind me. Made sure to lock it, too, lest I freak out the kids. Then, I carefully took off my rubber band. Jialat. Saw another bunch of hair stuck to it. Finally, I ran a comb through my hair, and faced reality – okay, today is the day alright. 😢

That’s (almost) all the hair I lost

from just one bump on the head. 🤕

And it wasn’t even a painful bump to begin with. 😒

So what did I do next?

I retied my hair and got on with my day. 💁‍♀️

FOR SALE: BMW 1 Series 118i Sport Edition (2016)

And it's time again to say goodbye
to yet another baby. 😢💔😭

I'm super heartbroken about letting the 1 Series go because I really, really, really enjoyed driving this car. It's fast and zippy. Agile during urban drives and truly effortless on the highway. The feel behind the wheel is good and there's no rolling about. Handling is top notch. Shift the car into Sport's Mode and it's like instant #BeastModeON LOL. I love it!


It's like an agile feline – quick and light on its feet – went out and met a hunk-a roaring, macho beast, had an affair and this is its love child.  😂 A driver's car, for sure. Mechanically operated handbrake. Rear-wheel drive. Just some things keen drivers will appreciate.


It's compact size makes it very easy to maneuver through heavy city traffic and makes it even easier to park. The leather seats are super comfortable – they hug you in all the right places – and they make long drives a pleasure to take. And the colour... Don't get me started on the colour. I super love it!!! I mean, who wouldn't??? Look!

BMW 1 Series 118i Sport Edition (2016).

Colour: Midnight Blue.

Regularly polished and waxed.

Always parked in the shade (basement carpark).

Rear-wheel drive – the last of its kind, making it a collector's item.

Still under full free maintenance service and warranty by BMW. 

BMW LED headlamps with absolutely beautiful

daytime running light that resemble halos.

1 loving owner.

Brand new tires, changed April 2019.

A driver's car with a proper mechanically operated handbrake

– something a true driver will appreciate.

(Not shown cos my phone not wide-angle enough. 😅😂)

Less than 50,000km.

For me, it was a real pleasure to own and drive the 1 Series. I'm sure you'll feel the same way. RM120,000 negotiable. Drop me a comment if interested or send me a WhatsApp message! 😁

JJ's Funny (And Very Specific) Kind Of Love ❤️

While riding in a buggy on the way for JJ's rehearsal at his Suey Cek's wedding at Four Seasons Resort Langkawi, JJ suddenly turns to look me in the face lovingly (like this ---> 😍) and says...


JJ: Mommy, I like your nose. *jabs his finger onto my nose and squishing it in the process* And your butt. *pat pat* Because it’s boing boing.

Pam Song: 😅

 Urm… thanks, JJ. I’m glad you like me
from my face right down to my butt. 😘

JJ's Thoughts On Rapunzel From Tangled

I love my drives with my kids (when they're well-behaved and quiet 😆 #conditionallove LOL!). They remind me of the good time when melsong used to ferry me around in her PCH682 faithful ol' Proton Saga. And now that my kids are older, we listen to songs sometimes and chat sometimes. Sometimes, we chat about songs, too. 

So, today, in the car, while we were
listening to Tangled OST, JJ said...

JJ: *seriously* Mommy?

Pam Song: Yeah?

Ethan: Rapunzel doesn’t shower. She is a dirty girl.

Pam Song: 😅

Hahahaha. Quite true leh.

Cinderella showers in the morning. Little Mermaid did, too, when she first got on land. Mulan took a bath in the river. The rest... I can't remember somehow. Did Belle shower before her big date with the Beast? Hmmm... 🤔 

There's Song-Worthy Joy In Living

The Husband drives and almost kisses
(read: crashes into) the back of a bus. 🚌

The Husband: *jams the breaks* Whoaaa. Didn’t see that.

*heard from the back seat in a sing-song voice*

JJ: Yaaaayyy-ay-ay-ay... We didn’t die-ie-ie-ie-ieeee...

😅 Thanks, JJ. Yay indeed. 😂

If only we could all find such joy in living.
#powerofpositivity #theresnothingthatasongcantfix

What Do You Do When Birds Poop On Your Car?

There's a tree just outside of JZ's school that I park under during drop-off. I haven't really seen any birds on it, but I usually find bird poop on my car after that. Today was no different. I dropped JZ off at class and then proceeded to go back to my car with JJ, whom I've got to send to another school after. And then I saw it. I saw it all. Ugh. Yuck. 🤮😡


Pam Song: Haiya. The bird poo poo on my car!!

JJ: Haiya. I think Papa need to buy you another car. Right??

Yes. That's a very valid reason to buy a new car, JJ.
Please tell Papa for me, thank you. 😆

What Comes After 100?

JZ likes to count. He's got 1 to 100 down pat and that's good enough for me considering he's currently only 4yo and on his first Reception term. He does mention the words "thousand" and "million" sometimes but they're dramatic claims like, "His is a thousand times bigger than mine!" Or questions like, "Mommy, how many is a million?"

So anyway, on the way to school today, this happened:

JZ: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,... 15, 16, 17, 18,... 39, 40, 41, 42... 51, 52, 53, 54,... 76, 77, 78, 79,... 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, hundred, hundrety one...

😱😱😱

Urm,... good try, but... no. 😅😂

Look Outside

The kids were tired and borderline fussy on the way home from their 6-hours without us. JZ kept asking to play with our phones while JJ was whining over goodness knows what. So, in an effort to keep some measure of sanity within our car, I put the distraction method into play.


Pam Song: Look outside! What do you see??

JJ: *looks out and pulls a sien face* Nothing. 

Pam Song: Nothing? Look again! Don't you see anything? What about the trees? And the sky... And the stars... What about all that?? Nothing!? 

JJ: *repeats* Nothing. *sighs* The dinosaurs are sleeping.

LOL!!! Uh... okay.