My Boys Are Growing Up

It just dawned upon me that JJ will be 9 come September and JZ is turning 11 in November. 😳 How did that happen?? Where did my babies go?! Gosh. This year has really been a year of growing up for my boys. 

JJ just returned from his first residential last week and spent one night away from home. I made the effort to walk him to class that morning during drop-off but he didn't even hug my goodbye before we parted ways. 💔 Fella just hopped into class and started playing with friends the morning I dropped him off. 😤 #melampaubetulbudakini #bochaiwa #koayhoon #nomorehugandakiss 😢 

JZ, on the other hand, flew to BKK with the school team for FOBISIA for 4 days and 3 nights in early May – his first local-international-go-anywhere trip without us. ✈️ Came back safe and sound and even thoughtfully bought gifts for all of us! A pack of gummies for Didi, a fridge magnet for Mommy and a toothbrush for Papa. 😂 He also somehow also miraculously managed to come home with more money than he left with, in spite of doing that bit of shopping for souvenirs. 😳😅 #whatsorceryisthis #moneymagic #businessminded #gotitfromhisdad 

I feel like over the years, my children's independence has somehow become intertwined with mine. Or more like my independence has grown to become dependent on theirs. The more capable they are at caring for themselves, the more time I have to care for myself. Once, I was a carer; today, I am a supporter standing on the sidelines cheering them on while they spread their wings, claim their place in the world and shine all on their own. 

 Yes, my role has shifted.

But I'm not complaining. 😆

I do enjoy momsing... but I also find myself genuinely looking forward to this change in pace and responsibility. I'm ready! To embrace my newfound freedom from the daily demands of parenting, to rediscover the joy of personal growth, and to find fulfilment in this next chapter of my life. It’s time to get back to hanging out with friends, exploring my interests, rediscovering my identity beyond parenthood, and investing in my well-being! (Read: Facials! Manicures! Massages! Hair spas! Hooray!) 

 Here's to their independence... and mine! 🥂🥳

The Last Fun Fling

As fate would have it, the night before my admission at the hospital for surgery the following day, I discover my extreme sport of choice – rollerblading. LOL.

Wearing my nephew's rollerblades cos they fit my Size 36 feet!

Just two aunties forgetting they're old and just doing their thang.

We had so much fun rolling around in the porch while the men and daddies talked shop. Now I can't wait to get better from my surgery so I can get me a pair of roller blades from Decathlon and go rollerblading with the kids! #coolmom #coolaunt #bokiasi Now this is exercise I don't mind doing la! In fact, I enjoyed myself so much I impulse purchased a pair of skates each for the boys from Decathlon's online store on the spot. Early Christmas presents from The Husband and I – kautim! Haha!

Walking The Gardens In A Post-COVID-19 Era

Hi hi! This picture of JJ and I from this afternoon's walk was so very easy to post. Already naturally blog-friendly and pre-censored. HAHA. 😎😷

I tell you, I really dunno whether to laugh or to cry la with this #newnormal – haih. Dah lah, I hate exercise. Now, have to bungkus up half the face to meet SOP lagi. So, end up become super-duper, extra, maximum hot and cannot breathe. Really beh tahan. 🥵

But Penang Botanical Gardens remains as green, grand and glorious as ever. I wish I could say that the grounds were as people-free as seen in this picture but... no such luck, mates. Even at 3-something, it was already teeming with sweaty folk 🤭 all desperately trying to cepat-cepat clock in their exercise time before the real crowd arrives a little later in the evening. I just very clever to sim sim (that’s Cantonese for dodge or avoid) take photo. 😆

Run, my children!

Run wild and free!

Solar flare! 🌈 

I totally kena conned by the weather today la. It really looked like it was going to be cool and windy when we were still at home but nooooo... tipu wan. So damn hot. 🔥🔥🔥  If I knew it was going to be such a sauna, I wouldn't have suggested this for exercise in the first place. 🤐

JZ's 1st Swimming Competition @ POWIIS Dragons Splash & Dash, POWIIS Primary

The Husband and I always thought that JZ was made for racquet sports – he has the build for it, and he's good at it. #knowyourstrengths But when the aquatics department at school sent JZ an invitation to represent the school at a Splash & Dash 25-Meter Swim Meet, the #asianparents in us overruled all manner of logic and sense and said, "SWIMMING?? WHY NOT??" 😂😂😂


So a little under 2 weeks later, we found ourselves poolside, sweating our butts off, cheering our firstborn on during his first swimming competition. 😅

List of names and events.

Eager beaver parents.

Supportive Didi.

...but wait until tired. 😅😂

And there he goes!

JZ in action during his 25m Breast Stroke.

I did it!

He also competed in 25m Freestyle but I didn't get good pictures of that.

My champion.

Actually we have no idea how well he did. I think he tanked his Freestyle and maybe got second place in Breaststroke but... we left right after he completed his turn, and didn't stay till the end. HAHAHA. So... 🤔🤷‍♀️🤭

Pokémon Mania

At his old school in KL, JZ was super into Beyblade. Here in Penang, it's Pokémon. He has been trading cards with his friends at school (is that even allowed? 🤔) and has asked us to buy various types for him numerous times. (I've bought zero times 😂, Ah Ma gave in and bought once but I made him share half the stack with JJ. #toughluck) #sharingiscaring


Over time, interest turned into addiction. He has been so into Pokémon lately it's not even funny anymore. Card game – Pokémon  On TV – Pokémon  Go school – Pokémon  Come home – Pokémon  Sleep – hug Pokémon. (Thanks, Josiefinn.) Why??? I don't even get the Pokémon craze at all! At least Beyblade I could understand the thrill and fun factor. But Pokémon?? Nada.


JZ: Papa, you ask me to take care of Didi, right? (Justifying himself.) Can he do this? Howie give him one 3-Star Garchomp and he give Howie his one 3-Star Tornadus. Can?

JJ: *innocently, without skipping a beat* Kor Kor, can he just give me and I don’t give him back?

😂😂😂

Conversations such as these crack me up la. Big one memang straight like ruler; small one pula total opposite – give him A, B or C, he choose D. Boom! Businessman in the making, this one. 👍👍👍

JZ's 1st Swimming Time Trials

Today was a big day for my 6.5yo. He woke up bright and early to eat a hearty breakfast of eggs and oats, then shot off to school for his first ever experience at swimming time trials. 🏊‍♂️ #milestoneachieved #bigboyalready

It started raining when we left the house but it all worked out for good because, other than him having to brace swimming in icy, cold water ❄️, the weather was perfect after the rain. Read: NO MORE HAZE! 😷🤧 

Cloudy, overcast skies.

The skies clearing up after awhile.

My brave, little swimmer. 

That's my boy!

The kids were supposed to choose two events to participate in. JZ selected Freestyle 50m and Breaststroke 50m – yup, HIS choice. The two criteria required for today's participation? (1) Know the correct strokes, and (2) Finish the 50m.

We were so fortunate that, in spite of somehow not receiving a heat sheet (is that what those papers are called? 🤭 #noob) to let us know where and when JZ would be swimming, he ended up in the Lane 3 that was just right in front our seat, both times. (Yes, singular. There were not enough chairs to go around. 😩) What a blessing!

You know ah, with all these swimming events, the kids are required to put their swim caps and goggles on so... very difficult to recognise la. 😅 He may have come from my womb but at a swim meet, I really dunno who is who liao. All look the same from far. LOL! 

And here's our superstar in action!

Breaststroke 50m @ 9.37am.

Freestyle 50m @ 10.03am.

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My darling firstborn, JZ...

You did super well today and Mummy and Papa are so, so very proud of you! You definitely inherited your Papa's sporty genes. (Thank God for His grace and mercy! 😅😂) We love your keen interest in sports, your courage to explore the unfamiliar, your persevering spirit, your willingness to go beyond your comfort zone, and your desire to excel in all that you do. Keep up the good work, Son! Here's to more experiences and greater things ahead!

So much love,

Mummy

I Jump, You Jump... Except When Skydiving, Ok?

While watching ASTRO just two minutes ago,
a skydiving feature or advertisement appeared.

Pam Song: *turns to The Husband* Would you go skydiving?

The Husband: *thoughtfully* I would.

Pam Song: Wah. Really?? Not scared meh?

The Husband: Tandem ok lah.

Pam Song: Ooo... With who? =D =D =D

The Husband: *blinks* The coach lah! 

Pam Song: -______-''' CHEHHH... I thought with me!! 

The Husband: ... ... ... *matter-of-factly* We'll both die.

 *crickets*

So Not Made For Each Other

While I don't play Diablo III myself – I don't even see the fun in it – The Husband has been making me sit by his side every night just to watch him play. The man probably thinks it constitutes as "spending quality time" in his male psyche. *rolls eyes* Well, after 2 nights of watching him slay ugly-looking demons from the sidelines, I can safely conclude that I was not made to play this wretched game. I prefer Cut The Rope or Scramble to this any day, thank you. So here are three good reasons why Diablo III and I are just not made for each other:


-----------------------------------------------------------
3 Reasons Why I Was Not Made To Play Diablo III
-----------------------------------------------------------

1. I am super kiasi. I hate losing, I hate seeing my life level go down, and I hate dying. So what if I can be resurrected after a restart?? I don't want to die in the first place! >(

2. I am so kiasu I'll smash every crate, barrel and cart in sight to find gold, and then I'll waste time running around picking up every gold piece, weapon, armour and chipped jewel I can find... even if I don't need any of it. @_@

3. I am so kiam siap I would never spend hard-found gold to change the colour or design of anything cosmetic that doesn't improve my skills, bump up my armour, or make me stronger... though according to SOME people, looking good while fighting is important. -_-

Diablo III

After less than a day of going back and forth between "Should I get this?" and "IMUSTGETTHISNOW!!!", The Husband finally gave in to temptation and succumbed to the darkness that is DIABLO III. "THIS IS THE RPG THAT BIRTHED ALL RPGs!" he claims. "Issit?" my brain answers silently. "Ho hum," it continues, thoroughly unimpressed.


Took him long enough to download it after paying online and even during that few hours of waiting time, the man just couldn't sit still. He kept getting up to check on his comp! 64%. 71%. 73%. @_@ Oh em gee, you'd think he was anxiously awaiting the birth of his first child with all that eagerness! (He'd better be AT LEAST this eager when it is his first child or else... somebody's gonna get hurt real bad. *grunts*)


I'm not big on computer games. The only one I ever played was WARCRAFT III and even then it was cos he was playing it and I somehow got roped in in his effort to convince his then-girlfriend of two years – me – that what he was playing was actually fun... and intelligent. @_@ "Must think of strategy wan!" "Cannot just fight wan!" *snorts* Ok, if you say so.


So anyway, before he made the purchase, he watched a bunch of the promo videos online and I was made to listen to them as he went through them one by one. Lots of slaying, lots of sound effects in the background. But all I heard was some weird robotic woman's voice talk about demons coming and bla bla bla. (Didn't really pay attention.) So, tried using it to psycho him out of playing.


Pam Song: Yerrr... Why you wanna play this game?? Demonic wan!

The Husband: What?? I KILL demons wat. 

Pam Song: So that makes it ok? 

The Husband: Yup. Not demonic... heroic.

-_-'''

The man thinks he married a two-year-old.

Caine's Arcade

Inspiring goodness. This kid is in for

some really big stuff in days to come. =)

My Generasi

The Husband showed me that video last night and I went totally happy-nostalgic with fond primary school memories. (Standard 6 – best time of my life! Sadly. Haha.) I could relate to EVERYTHING in there! The colour pencils... the Pepsi Cola... even the "main getah" cartwheel. Haha.


The Husband, on the other hand... no reaction whatsoever. -_-''' The man even went, "What's the hell is that??" when "main getah" was shown. Wth!? Deprived wei. See lah... That's what you get for not going to a co-ed school. You only get half the experience... and half the memories. #sadcase

The Husband Draws... Something

Playing Draw Something with people who can't draw anything makes for pretty weird Draw Something experiences that come with every turn. The Husband noticed me playing with other people on my iPhone 4s two weekends ago and decided he wanted in on the fun, too. So, he downloaded the free version on his iPod Touch to play with me. (As usual lah, Blackberry too fail to be able to play such cool games. =p) This was The Husband's latest submission:

I looked once. Then I went back and did a double and triple take. What the heck was he trying to draw and say!? What is that... thing?? @_@ And then... I realised:

*face palm*

OMG, the fella draw dunno what dragon-looking thing until dunno how to draw anymore already then he just wrote down the answer. -_-''' Salah konsep sial!

Swim. Swam. Swum.

The Husband and I just came back from swimming in the less-than-hygenic communal pool downstairs. I swam a grand total of two laps (REAL laps ok; not that half lap shit that people often pretend is 1 lap – PFFT!) in like, 5-10 minutes, and then... the skies began to flicker dangerously.


Well, we didn't want to risk getting electrocuted right there and then so we went back upstairs all soaking wet immediately after and left a tell-tale drip-trail wherever we went, right up to our front door. (Forgot to bring along a towel. -_-')

Oh well... Looks like the stars are

not aligned in the favour of a healthier me. :-/

Not that I'm complaining, of course. =p

But hey, you can't say I didn't try. =D

Muar, January '12: One, Two... CIAK!

Day 2 in Muar started earlier than The Husband and I had hoped. No late mornings for us there. Instead, it was a mad rush for breakfast. The general rule of thumb when it came to all things food-related? Must! Be! The! First! To! Eat! Hahaha.


I guess that having grown up as a single child, I forgot that big families actually have to "fight" for their food. First come, first serve, cos the late go hungry. "Take the egg first!" "Put the tau kua on your plate!" "Eat faster!" Wahhh... With The Husband barking orders at me between every bite, eat also stress. -_-'''

So how to release all that tension?

Go fly kite lah...

Kite-flying in the afternoon of CNY Day 2.

Literally. HAHA. 

Jokes aside, the best part of our meals in Muar was the soup. OMG, THE SOUP! Heaven in every mouthful. If you don't look and just swallow lah, that is. Haha. Cos is made from what seems to be every part of every animal known to man. Pig's stomach, chicken feet, something's bones, full-body ikan billis – you name it, it's all in there. Everything but the kitchen sink. =p


And because nothing else even comes close to the soup, I shall refrain from talking about anything else in this post, and leave you with a picture of an almost-empty pot of super awe-mazing apa-pun-ada soup that makes me salivate at the thought (not the sight =p):

Super amazing soup. I had 3 portions in one seating!!

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Related Posts

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• Muar, January '12: Hello, Year Of The Dragon! [Friday, February 03, 201]
• Muar, January '12: Playin' With Fire [Friday, February 03, 2012]

Celebrating The First Day Of Spring!

Late last night, The Husband and I grabbed my camera and went down to the living room to try our hand at egg standing. (It was all over Facebook and when I explained to The Husband that it was "some-weird-equinox-something-something-day-of-the-Chinese-New-Year thingy", we decided we had to see it for ourselves to believe it. The Husband was doubtful; I was hopeful. But barely 3 minutes later... TADAAAA!!!

The Husband and his standing egg.

OMG, it's doable!!! @_@ But not for me. T_T The Husband's egg obliged us with a stand-up miracle but my egg simply refused to stay upright. Then, within minutes, The Husband's egg tipped over, too. Haha. So we spent the next 10 minutes or so trying again and again and again – with other eggs and even the very same one that stood before – but to no avail. Bleh. So potong. Oh well, at least I've got some pictures to show for our late night efforts. :-/

And egg, standing on its own!

Robin Williams

I wish I could have him as my MVO option.

Too bad he doesn't do advertising. =(

NOTE: He only agreed to do this Olympics series because it was pro bono.

Can't. Use. Arms.

Got cajoled by The Husband into playing Kinect Sports Volleyball on the younger BIL's brand new XBox yesterday. Didn't like the idea of having to exercise but I went along with it for lack of better judgement and ended up having some fun while jumping about and waving my hands in the air like a monkey.

But OH. EM. GEE.

Today – the day after – was a BIGGG reminder to myself as to why I hate exercising so much. I can't freaking lift my arms past my head!! Even taking off my t-shirt hurts like hell. My arm muscles are sore beyond belief and if you think I'm a sissy girl or just pathetically out of shape, think again cos I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE. The BIL is suffering, too. Heh heh. Oh yes, Misery sure loves company. =p Only The Husband seems to have escaped our fate. By some fluke, I'm sure. :-/

But whatever lah. I'm never exercising again. >(

And I'm only playing video games with controller from now on.

IS THAT ALL YER GOT, ZOMBIES???

OMG, I can't believe it.

In less than 48 hours since I started

playing Plants vs. Zombies... I'm done!

@_@ 

Like, WTH?? Liddat only ah?!

It didn't feel that way while I was playing but I just found out that there are a total of 50 levels in the main Adventure Mode that I just completed, and they are spread across five different settings – Day, Night, Pool, Fog and Roof. Naturally, different settings require different combinations of plants (there are 49 types) to kill the various zombies (26 types here) and... you know what? Forget it. The more I talk about it, the dumber I feel. -_-''' Zombies? Plants that kill? Pfft.

Anyway, I'm writing cos I'm done

with the Adventure Mode.

I mean, seriously... IS THAT IT???

I don't believe The Husband just made me spend $2.99 on what was barely 48-hours worth of non-serious gaming. My Penang brain just cannot accept. -_-'''

p/s: There are other modes I can play but... they're not very exciting so... I've begun losing interest in a massive way. Time to get back to Cut The Rope. =p

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Related Post

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• Stupid Game, Stupider Price [Monday, August 22, 2011]

Stupid Game, Stupider Price

I didn't get sucked into the Plants vs. Zombies craze when it took the iPhone users by storm last year. But then, this *points below* happened last weekend...

No, it wasn't me. The Husband did it. It's all his fault. Cos... $2.99 USD for a freaking iPhone game?! You gotta be kidding me, man. You guys know how much I love Cut The Rope to death, right? Even then, I only spent $0.99 USD on it. This is 3x the price!! Die also I play until worth it kau-kau, man! Zombies... BE DEAD! >(

i-Gun Traffic Rampage Viral Video

This viral blew me away.

So much unnecessary profanity in a 1 minute video,

followed by a million laughs to make up for all of it. =p

Go download the i-Gun Ultimate app here. Looks like it would make the perfect stress reliever while you're sitting tight in your car along the Federal Highway. =p