2 handed octopus

All that I need

sandra.miabambina@gmail.com (Sandra@miabambina) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 04:27:00 +0000

We've been here for over 2 months. We are all have been settled quite nicely. But yet our container of stuffs is not here at this moment. At first it bothers me. We got limited clothing, limited tableware and kitchenware, none of our personal and old loved personal pillows, blanket or other comforting items.

But you know what? After while it doesn't seem to bother me anymore. I mean I of course still miss our personal stuffs ( old photos, books,my PC, my oven, my kitchen gadgets !!!etc) but this experience shows me that... we can survive with the minimum of stuffs and still be happy . It is all in our mind set !

We can be fussy about food , high maintanance in daily life, compaining alot about what we do not have. The list can goes on and on and on...... I am always try to be positive ( trust me sometimes , in one of those days, it is not easy ) but again... it is all in our mind. To be happy is indeed a CHOICE .

It is up to us to live as a grumpy person about everything , everyone ! Or we can be grateful about everything even for the most simplest thing !

I can complaint about : not to have a outdoor yard anymore, not to have our car, not to have daily sun for our laundry, not to have the chance to eat nasi lemak daily for breakfast, not to have the space like in KK, not to be able to speak Malay or English, not be able to read everything ,..... etc etc etc...
I can set my mind with the words : I HATE...... this .. I HATE that... I HATE .....

Or I can choose to be grateful for : the nice aparment we have, the nice surrounding we have, The nice view over the park, The good transport system here, The job that my husband has, the opportunity to be able to experience life in this part of the world, and even for the cold and chilly weather (so I can put on my knee lenght boots over my skinny jeans :P ) To be grateful that we are still together as family even though we have moved.

It is nice to have all the fancy stuffs in life ( well I am not a fancy person at all ) . I am simple, practical and an easy going person. I can eat in the local eatery or in the 6 stars Michellin restaurant ( if somebody wants to treat me kekkekeke) . I don't have problem to take bus , subway, to dress down or dress up if the occasion rise, I don't main to bargain, I must say I have a low ego :). And I dont feel shy to tell my BMW's owner friend that I took buses .

What are you grateful for?

Try to ask this to your children as well.
Teach them to see things from a different light. It will work wonder when they keep telling you : mom, my friend has this this this, and went to here there here, and buy that this that......
instead of counting what they dont have, it is better to be grateful of what they have.

Don't you agree?

Her "classroom"

sandra.miabambina@gmail.com (Sandra@miabambina) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 02:01:00 +0000

We use our study room as her classroom , it is small, and filled with (soon to be here) my main PC, my dh' s books , and alot of her books and Maya books and art n craft items too.

Picture 1 shows her books to study for today. It is mostly about 2 pages each book .

This week topic would be about : Abraham, Jacob, and Esau for bible reading.
History/Social Studies: Early civilization , Egypt, invention of writing, daily life, people of the Middle East. Geography : Egypt, Nile river, Indus river, Mesopotamia, Sumer, Iraq, and Omen.Scince: elephants, camels, kangaroos, bats,sloth and anteaters.
Language art : suffix, action words, similes and descriptions.

Picture 2 , showing her blank map and markable map.
She knows where is Jakarta, Torino, Kota Kinabalu, and Shanghai to began with .

Picture 3 : one of her favorite reading book : Titanic lost and found. ( I wish I read this one as a child so I will enjoy Di caprio more in the movie !! :P )

Have a active week a head and burn those "holiday" fat !! :P

A day in the park

sandra.miabambina@gmail.com (Sandra@miabambina) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 03:31:00 +0000

We just live across the largest park in Shanghai. And it is planned. My husband wants to live here, so the kids can get expose to at least the :"man made" park.

To enter this park , it is not free. But the park is so huge. We went to see the " Mei hua" or plum flowers festival. And just rent the " bike" . There is small theme park with roller coster, and other rides for kids, pedaling boat and mini boat too. And also picnic area.

We brought panini with us and had a small picnic at the park. The weather is nice and cool ( not cold) and sunny too.

What I 'd never imagine

sandra.miabambina@gmail.com (Sandra@miabambina) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 13:17:00 +0000

What I'd never imagine or thought I would become is to be a homeschool mom. I never see my self as person who can teach or have the patience to do so.

As people say sometimes to do something we need to be thrown to the situation where we do not have other option but at the end we will benefit from that.

For example : 12 years ago if I hadn't meet husband and married to him soon after, I wont be able to converse in Italian and because I want to communicate with my inlaws so I learn the language.And 8 years ago if I hadn't move to China, I will still can not speak or read some Mandarin. The situation forced me too. And I am glad that I learnt it. It is a valuable skill. And if I hadn't move to Sabah I might not even started my online store. And now if I hadn't move to China again,I wont get the kick to start to really home school Indy.

As I mentioned I took the sonlight core 1+2 for Indy. And we are just started. But it is a wonderfull experience for us. I mean US in the meaning of my husband, me , Indy and even Maya. For me and Indy we are learning a great deal about bible , history ( for the moment we are learning about stone age era, and the oldest town ever found ( Jericho), and soon we will learn about the first great civilitation and the mesopotamia), Geography , we are learning about continents and ocean, Indy can named all of it !! And soon we will learn about Middle East,Science we are learning about apes, tigers , rhino, giraffes.
Even my husband is reading one of Indy's book the history . And Maya is also "learning" about South East Asia. She can sing : in south east asia there is malaysia, laos and burma.....and indonesia.... :) ok it is not all complete but she managed to name a few :)

We are learning a great deal together , and the priceless is the experience to learn as a family, Which I think is great.

Indy is also learning about language art, Math, and some other skills later on ( like being reporter, writer etc).

One of the book that I like is the window on the world. It tells about the other groups of people around the world. About homeless kids, gypsies, kids in Sunda, Kids in Iran etc. This is a great stuffs to learn, to be less selfish , to appreciate other race, other culture, other people. To teach them to be less ignorant ( I must admit I saw many ignorant adult that only know about them them them , their state, their city, their country but when they go out side they are just so blur and know nothing and even some are ehm .....rather racist if I might say... they like to linked certain race to certain negative image, my own experience I heard one kid when being introduce to a lady from a country , the kid said oh my parents said the people from there are not nice and like to steal !! OUCH.... )

Other good thing about homeschool is that Indy got free time to help me with the chores. And it is important to let them learn the basic skills even it looks so simple like: make her bed wash dishes, water the plant, feed the fish or manage her allowance.

Also she has a lot of books to read in part of reading /language program,And Indy reading skills has improved a great deal. She can read real good. For some parents it might be nothing, but for us, her improvement is really significant and make us proud.

One of the most important thing is that Indy asked me everyday can she read more books, doing more works on her science workbooks, and she even read bible on her own, and love to memorize the bible verses. All without being chased with cane or rotan!! Thanks God to that.... I do believe if she wants to learn it by her self she will excell in anything she learn.( this rules applies to anyone including adults!)

Anyway , this is just the beginning of a journey and I hope it will turn out well.I will update again about it . And I even have a crazy idea to homeschooled Maya when she will be six ! ahahah.... I got the books already , and will have the experience, and I know the kids are enjoying the process of learning as well as the materials.....so... why not?

Homeschool Chinese New Year Party

sandra.miabambina@gmail.com (Sandra@miabambina) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 03:10:00 +0000

who said just because she is home schooled her social life will be boring? Thanks to the support group here, she is just have much active social life and celebration like other children in the public school. And yes even Maya is joining in!!

The group has arranged the party in the community center restaurant and we paid a small renting fee for the place , like MYR 7 per family! And each parents bring foods or drink, some volunteer for any CNY related activities and these moms are so creative. The children had a blast!

They got the sing a song activities in Chinese of course wtih the theme :TIGER! Since we are welcoming the ROARING animal. And there the hongbao games with the 12 Chinese animals zodiacs characters, making tiger mask, mandarin oranges finger painting, lantern making ( we all know that Chinese New Year is identical with lantern) , and the last but not least

FIRECRACKERS!!!!

The food also consist some of the Chinese traditional food like dumplings, mandarin oranges, spring rolls etc

Sorry for the messy arrangement of the photos

GONG XI FA CAI!!! XIN NIAN KUAI LE!!!!

Beauty of the soul

sandra.miabambina@gmail.com (Sandra@miabambina) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:19:00 +0000

Life so short
So, think what is good
Speak what is kind and
Try to live your best , then this world will be bright and beautiful to you.

When money is lostnothing is lost.
When health is lost something is lost
When character is lost everythingis lost

Live like a candle. which burns itself, but gives light to others.
Impose your own terms upon life
If you don't you will have to accept the terms of others.

Look backwards with gratitude,
Upwards with confidence
and Forward with hope.

When you truly care for someone
you don't look for faults
you don't look for answers
you don't look for mistakes
you accept the faults
and you overlook the excuses

Have a stunning and aspiring day !
Remember to enriched your soul not just your apprearance.

2010 handbook

sandra.miabambina@gmail.com (Sandra@miabambina) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:24:00 +0000

Good one to share. I just realized I don't have any new year resolution yet.
I don't want to goal for something fancy or anything... and I got this email from a friend.... and I think it is very do able and great !!

Health:
1.Drink plenty of water
2.Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinne like a beggar
3.Live with the 3 E's: Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy
4.Make time to pray
5. Play more games
6. Rea more books than you did in 2009
7. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
8.Sleep for 7 hours
9. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily , and while you walk , smile!!

Personality
10. Don't over do, keep your limit
11. Don;t take yourself so seriously, no one else does
12. Dream more when you are awake
13. Envy is a waste of time, you already have all you need
14. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his or her mistakes of the past that will ruin your happiness
15. Life is too short to waste time on hating anyone. Don't hate others
16. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil your present
17.No one is in charge of your happines expect you
18. Smile and laugh more
19. you don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:
20. Call your family often
21. Each day give something good to others
22. Forgive everyone for everything
23. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under age of 6
24. Try to make at least 3 people smile each day
25. What other people think of you is none of your business

Life:
26. Do the right thing!
27. God heals everything
28. However good or bad situation is, it will change
29. No matter how you feel , get up, dress up and show up
30. The best is yet to come
31 When awake in the morning, thank God for it
32 Your inner most is always happy , so be happy

Devastated.......................

sandra.miabambina@gmail.com (Sandra@miabambina) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 03:41:00 +0000

I am devastated.... so sad ..... and I can't believe that this is happening.

All I will share in this post is that something happened over the week end to one of my close friend 's daughter . She is almost like Indy's age, heatlhy and sweet. In a blink of one night all became the total opposite.
Now she is in the ICU, and hooked to machines. No medical history No illness.

Is this fair? Is this right? We just spent one happy morning and went to Disney On Ice together less than 2 weeks ago.. and now.....

I can only pray.... I can only pray and keep believing in Him. He gots his plans.... but we hope for miracles.

I am now maidless but Thank God that my aunty is here. I will support and help my friend no matter what.
I am here for them no matter what, my friends can always count on me in happy times and in bad times.

Please keep the girl in you prayer. Thanks!!!

Sandra .... the one who homeschooled her girl?

sandra.miabambina@gmail.com (Sandra@miabambina) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 11:49:00 +0000

Yes.... so I am back to the " expat" socialisation here. We got to known by names , husband' names or nationality, by our living area or face features ( X the one with glasses, L the one that lives in PPP compound, K that married to the Japanese and so on)... but I think... now I will be known by Sandra the one that homeshooled her girl. ^_^

I see it as a positive sign. I knew that sometimes I am known by : S the Indonesian lady, S that married to the chef or to the Italian, or S that lives in bla bla bla..... and I just add one more title to my self. And I think I like it ! ;)

So far, the reactions I got is turning to be positive. Some will asked me what is the schedule or where do I get the curriculum from, and some said that is great because we can have vacation any time we want, no need to be fixed by the school holidays.

Some will be concern about the socialisation. But I said, in general case, HS kids won't have social problem, as they are easily adapted to any situation and pretty easy to mix with children from different background and school. And also most of the HS kids will be more mature in the socialization because they spent more time with adults .

Indy is still at the very early stage, but so far, I've got a lot of compliments from people about her. Mostly are for her manners and independence, but also for her friendlines towards other kids. Her Mandarin tutor mentioned that she is very friendly and fun to be with and is a fast learner too. And she can concentrate during lesson compared to other kids ( that need to be reprimand every now and then to sit on the table to finish the workbook)

Even Maya got some compliments too because she behave good during Church service and during lunch :P

Adios for now

Copy cat vs Inspired

sandra.miabambina@gmail.com (Sandra@miabambina) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 03:41:00 +0000

What I'v been thinking recently is there any line that seperate inspired and copy cat?
What 's seperate them? Or is " inspired " is the new word for "copy cat?" And where does our intregity, our individual uniqueness go to?

If someone said that they are inspired by someone or something and do exactly the same like the person he or she is inspired with? If I said I am inspired by a mom who homeshooled 5 children, does it mean I need to have 5 kids of my own?

Inspire is to affect, guide, or arouse by divine influence..

Influence..... yes we will receive many of influence in our life. But that doesn't mean to copy 100 % ( erhm or 75%) of what other have done. If one person sells bread in front of the school main gate and I am inspired by tha and also sell bread in front of the side gate, would you consider that as inspired?

But when you are being copied , somehow you know that you have made IT! Meaning that you've done something impressing and make others people want to do the same too.

See all the FAKE designer bags? That means the designer has MADE it... it is a form of "compliment"
"oooh I've been copied means my designs are cool."
Fake bags or the "Replica" is suppose to mean to look like the real one, but it doenst have the same quality like the Real Deal.
Have you spot the so called " desinger inspired bags" ? These kind of bag will not copy the real deal 100%. If you look at it carefully it might spelled "PLADA" instead of PRADA. Or GUSSI instead of GUCCI. Or maybe there stars on the logo got one less point?

Fake or not fake or real or not real , you decide!beside it is just a bag....!!!
But do you want to be a fake person too? Now that is the real question....

oh I must go now.... with my LV bag,,,,, real or fake? You can be the judge... :)
but me as person? I am the real deal :)

Have a great week a head!!

The Homeschooling life

sandra.miabambina@gmail.com (Sandra@miabambina) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 02:36:00 +0000

I just started for 2 weeks. So I am the bean sprout ( Tao Ge so and not Tao Ke so) , so tiny, weak, blur, not sure where to go, what to do..... and yet I enjoy it ( at least until now haha) . I think with HS my life and Indy's life will be more " interesting" and unusual. And I still want to have my social life going on. So I will need to work on that.
I m not the most social person here, but I would love to meet a friend or two at least once a week over coffee or lunch, or do my nails ( oh I think I saw one nail saloon in my neighborhood so yipee to that)

Yesterday was the first HS meeting for my area of the town . There are 3 HS supporting group here. 2 on the other side of the city ( one is for younger kids and one is for older one) and there is one on my side of the city. They are mostly Americans with one or 2 British families and one from New Zealand and Canada too.

They've been very welcoming and supporting . And I am sure I will have tons of questions to them. Some are " veteran" in HS. They homeschooled since forever. And one mom homeschooled 5 kids ! YUP 5!!...

So that is inspiring to me . Very inspiring indeed! I was like a lazy potatoes comparing to them. They are the true super moms. I need to send Maya to pre school, so I can concentrate to HS Indy peacefully. But the good thing is that , well, I think they don't judge me for that. There are other moms too with same situation with me, and need to send the youngest one to pre school. I've been very honest to them and told them that two kids at home is too much for me at the moment, with the changes of everything and HS thing. I just couldn't handle that much at the moment, so the best solution is to send Maya to preschool. And they said if that best for me than I should do that.No preaching.

The group meeting is once a month.2 hours. The first our is the parents section while the children will enjoy an hour of sport with a coach. Then the next hour is for the kids' activities. Mainly they will have some theme . Like this time was "show and tell" where the children show an item or two, can be anything. Some show a new digital camera, their lego, buggy board, t-shirt, Indy show her telescope. The next meeting will be for Chinese New Year theme I guess.

The group main purpose is to give encouragement and support to HS parents . And also to share about where to buy things like books, art supplies, and also do co op for buying bulk for books, and find contact and information about where to find certain activities ( piano lesson, mandarin class, art n craft etc). They will arrange field trips in Spring , parties, and other activities. I think it is great, to not to feel left out of social life just because they are homeschooled.

Oh and don't think that the HS moms have no life, They are still active in bible study, going to gym , doing grocerries and looking great. I wonder how will I do that ? hmm.......

And for Indy's age group, soon there will organize a weekly meeting based, to do some science project as group, or just outdoor activities, or even art and craft sessions. And all are based on parents contributions and ideas. We still need to talk and plan for this one. And Im thinking if I can find on how to make stimulation of Volcano's erruption from used paper over the internet, that would be fun !! :)

Right now , we are a bit too late to join any class . But in March Indy would love to join some sport's group ( she got Trampoline and Multisports or Gymastic in her mind) , I offered her to join ballet class but she refused. I also asked her if she 'd like to join Fine Art class or Design and Technology class, to my surprise she choose the design and tech over fine art! This will also start in March ( due to the CNY holiday and we were late to register so better to wait) . The class sound very interesting , they will make 2 projects on each term ( 8 weeks) and they will make Plane( that can fly I think) and Castle ( with tiny details like lights,crane, well etc) so actually it is Science based but in a fun way ! Sounds pretty fun to me!

Right now im still finding our way to do HS that will work best for me and Indy. Balancing time for fun ( and blogging and facebooking too) .

wis me lak

Friendship

sandra.miabambina@gmail.com (Sandra@miabambina) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 05:06:00 +0000

Happiness keep you sweet

Trials keep you strong

Sorrows keep you human

Failures keep you humble

Success keeps you glowing

But Only Friends will keep you GOING!!

I think this is great reminder for us. No matter how great , how beautiful , how great, how strong, how popular, how successful and how rich we are... It means nothing without friendship. Share our life, our sorrow, our failures, our views, our success , our heart with friends.

Teach your children to be a good friend, let them explore , they might meet somebody that is not right or somebody that is not perfect sometimes. But from their experience to make friends ( either the failure or the success ) they will be a better friend in life. Let them see beyond the boundaries, don't let race, religion, social status be barriers.

We all been here, happy, sad, sorrow, failures,success.... but when all of these happen to you, it will be more meaningful if you share it with friends. Share your success and happiness with friends will even make it sweeter, share your sorrows and failures with friends will make it lighter.

But friendship needs to be" nourished" , if you just let it alone, it might fade someday. Keep in touch personally is not that hard . Say hi with a chat over the internet, sms or email. It is just a click away ! :)

Have you contact or call one of your friend today? you might brighten up somebody's else day and it will make your day too!!

Cheers!

Just to share....

sandra.miabambina@gmail.com (Sandra@miabambina) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 11:03:00 +0000

Enough with our updates for the moment . My blog will be more than our updates. :0) later you all will be bored with our updates :)

Well I also want to share about what I see in life and beyond who knows it might be useful for others.Right now I am in the middle of changes. I will not say it is a big change. But a medium one.When I first came to Shanghai back in 2001, it was much harder. I didn't speak or read or write and I didn't know a single soul.

This time, at least , I can speak, and read a bit. And it helps A LOT! I also know more or less about the city.And I still have friends here, and thanks to facebook and online chat we are still in a good contact with each other.

Some times we always try to fit in to the society. Try to be liked by most of the people. We create our " image" for others to see. Our ego is taking control.

I never try to fit in to any society. Since I was young I know what I want, and I never be the followers. I mean if I like it I willl follow, But I will not choose or doing something I was not sure about just to FIT IN.
In College years, almost all of my friends are smokers. I could be one too. But I know clearly what I want, and I did not try to be accepted in their group by being a smoker. Untill this day I never smoke and happy with it but I got no problem with those who does.

Since I was young , I know my limitation and expectation quite clearly. I know I can't work sit in the offfice from 9 to 5 or do "paper"job. I like job that allows me to meet people, interact with people and allows me to travel. That is why I choose to study in Hotel and Restaurant Management. I knew excatly what kind of man I would marry one day. I can't have a 'static" life, where my husband will just sit in front of TV during his off or holiday or just take me to malls and malls. I just couldn't. I know I want someone exciting, some one adventurous, spontanious,some one that can challange me, some one that can say no to me instead of yes all the time.And I also know, when I want to do something, I will do it if I have the passion for it.

Right now , most of people we know here are stunned with our decisions to home schooled Indy. And I got plenty of "blank faces" responds :). It is less travelled road we've choosen, so the reactions are "normal". Just like when I started to Cloth Diapered Maya or breastfeed my girls until they were over 2 years old .But then again, I am not always a crowd follower, so I am used to this reaction.

Most of the time, I try to concentrate of what I am doing . Like when I run my online store, I know enough about other online stores, but I m not " obssesed" to the details or what they are up to, or what is the latest " blog wars" etc. I do what I need to do .And let others to comment what they like, it is their rights to do so.

" A thoroughbred horse never looks at the other horses. It just concentrates on running the fastest race it can"

I never think if I have more or less than others in life. I am content whith what I have.
And I never allow my self to have a big ego , because big ego never bring you any where but downhill. Never think you are a big fish in a small pond, because when you think like that, you will drown and lost once you move to the ocean and see the real big fish there. We will never learn anything positive if we keep thinking that we are better than other people.

Changes is not always easy but if we are sure about ourselves and know what we want in life , I am sure we can handle it gracefuly.Trying to fit in is not always needed. Love yourself, be your self and don't care too much with what other think.

Image is what people think we are but Integriy is what we really are

I choose Integrity over Image, how about you?

To learn is to change

sandra.miabambina@gmail.com (Sandra@miabambina) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 07:24:00 +0000

We are finally in the new house, but our container is still in KK. The house is great, has plenty of storage and since this is a duplex unit, it has 2 floors, we are on the top floor of the building , the 11th floor, and the compound has about 25-30 towers.

It is not in the donwtown , can be considered as the suburb, some said to live in this are like not living in China at all, because we are in the new area. The house still feel " foreign " to me, as I always need my old stuffs to make me feel at home. Right now we are using new bedsheet, new plates, new glasses, new this and that. I will need my old bedsheet, old pillowcases, old plates, my old coffee cups ( that hosted many tea time in our home at KK and some of you drank many times from that cups!! :P )

Anyway... we are on "trial" day today, I started the first day of homeschooled Indy. I can't say It runs perfectly today. With new routine, new maid, new house, new place, plus Maya is home..
Everything is different.

But to learn is to change.. and I m willing to change my routine, and change my schedule. Maybe this is the opportunity for me to re discover something about my self that I didn't know before.I am not sure what I will achieve or when. But it is not only the mountain we will need to conquer but ourselves.

Part of that, I also found the school for Maya today. But will only start after Chinese New Year, it will be in Mandarin and no English. :) I am not sure how she will cope, but I have faith in that wild spirited girl . :)

We have met some old friends, get in touch by phone. And maybe we will meet one of the Shanghai homeschooler family this week . The girls had their first playdate here, and saw snow for the first time too.

Some how they still miss KK so very much , specially Maya, she still cry when she remember her Kakak Helen in KK. Poor girl and poor woman. They both cried so loud on the phone the other night. Their bonding is very tight and special, and I feel blessed to be able to witness such a great love from 2 strangers at the begining . It is great to know such a great love does exist!!And I will be forever grateful to my maid in KK for her amount of loves she give to my kids. And I will keep in touch with her no matter what.

In this foreign land some how people are more welcoming , at least in the beginning compare to the first time when we just arrived in KK. No one cares, the company didn't even care or welcoming us. The only family that made me feel welcome is Indy's best friend family from Burma. They helped and guide me from choosing school and hospital, where to buy some stuffs and all.But of course once I got to know more friends ( like you) I feel like at home and got some great tips about the city or where to shop!! :)

My husband colleagues are nice enough to hosted a small but nice Christmas party to welcome us to Shanghai.
The thought it self is very heart warming.

That's it for today... I will try to upload photos for next update. Right now I am using my netbook and it is so slow....

Take care and HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010

LOVE from all of us!!

Our updates

sandra.miabambina@gmail.com (Sandra@miabambina) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 13:37:00 +0000

So we left KK on Saturday the 19th December 2009, that was my dad's birthday. To think of it, life is funny and full of surprises. Exactly 5 years ago on the same date, we were in Shanghai for a short holiday, celebrating my dad's and my niece b'day in Shanghai ( my niece Abby's b'day is on the 20th of December) . And we just moved to Guangzhou on October that year , but we visited Shanghai for a short trip with my dad and my eldest sis and her family,
And yet , here we are again 5 years later , we are going back to the same city on the same date.

The trip was smooth sailing. There was an hour delay from KK to KL . But overall all were good. The departure from KK is heart breaking , specially to see Indiana's friends started to cry. This is the first time that actually people are crying for us. It made us feel weird, and guilty and bad all together. Indy told me on the way to the airport, after she shed a bit of tears that she feel sorry that she made her friends sad. And when I asked her : are you sad? She said a bit but she is more worry that she will forget them . I told her, no she won't forget them because we will still be in touch and think about them. And that made calmed her down.

As for Maya it is sad to watched her cried to say good bye to her kakak, our maid. Our maid cried and cried and it was a heart breaking thing to see.

We stayed one night in Concorde KLIA. Thank goodness makcik Taty picked us with her beloved husband and my anak angkat , :). We chatted and talked and laughed. And of course cursing each other as usual. I am glad she stayed with me in the hotel, and early next day, her dh picked us again and send us to the airport. No tears here, all were good. Planned are made,.. we will see each other in Shanghai. :). And hopefully" the beq and the tet "will conquer the Great wall of china together!!

Back to us,at first I was more worry for Indy , but it looks like she is doing very fine. She adjusting like a pro ( she is a pro after all, this is her 3 moves ) But for Maya it is hard for her to understand as this is her first move , for her KK is her home, KK is her town, and she is still thinking that we are on holiday and we gonna move back to KK soon. :( I told her we are not going back, she is insist : I want to go to KK! I said we will but not that soon

Every thing is big and fast in Shanghai. As for me, I don't need any adjustment ( except for the weather wise, when we arrived it was minus 3 ) I lived here before, love the city and still loving it, but every thing has it pro and con, so right now I m trying to focus on the pro rather than the con. But I miss my Astro and E! channel badly though.

And to my own surprise my mandarin level is not as bad as I thought either! Hah! that is something really good at least. I can manage daily conversation and needs.

The unfortunate thing is when we arrived my dh was sick for 3 days, with high fever , I almost never see him this sick before. And I m worry we might get it as well. Finger cross....every one looks ok until today.
Due to his sickness we must delay our medical check up for the Residence permit to the next week.

I managed to see some apartments, and by now I just signed the leasing contract. We found a good place for us, will post the pick when we move in soon. But we need to wait more than one month to get our container, so no unpacking will need to be done soon.
Speaking of unpacking.. today I got a maid, she looks ok, and the kids like her too. And that is important.
I interview a few by phone and even met some of them. No one sounds or appear "suitable". And most of them asking for about rmb 2500 so that is about RM 1250 to 1500. That is a high salary, but that is the market price. Our maid now just arrive from her hometown , but she worked in Shanghai before, there fore her pay is slightly lower that the normal market price.

Oh and everything is much much cheaper here. And guess what, I bought a sweater in ROXY warisan square, on 50% disc. I thought I scored a good deal ( rm 100) yeah right! When I went to Carrefour herehere, I saw the identical sweater for half price! GRRRR.... and of course without the brand and all but it is the same thing. Welcome to China!

The girls spent their Christmas here . We still stay in our friend's house. So Santa is not visiting this year. But they got 2 presents from us. For Indy she got her long waited Telescope. She wants to learn more about stars and moon and planet. And I bought her the virtual dog game too .
As for Maya she got one remote control shovel machine ( she likes to see when people building the houses and building in KK) and she got a 3 wheels scooter to replace her old scooter that we left in KK .
And I got my suede with inner fleece boots that I've been eyeing for months. It is super comfy , super warm and the sole has a great grip . Love it.

Oh the girls have no problem with the cold, Maya often walk bare footed inside the house's freezing floor. I keep yelling at her to put her home shoes. They still taking bath twice a day. But when we go out, I make sure they are well dressed. 3 top and for bottom they must put a long socks and long pants.
So far so good. The lowest temperature is -5 so far, and when the wind blows it feels like someone slapping your cheek.

Overall we are doing good here. By next week we will move to our new house. Not yet a home until we will get our belongings from the cargo. And no Wifi yet in the new house, so I must use modem ( banging my head for not packing the router in my luggage)

I will not post the photo here. I m running out of time, But you can see some photos on my FB's badge on the right side :)

Merry Christmas everyone and have a Great Year a head!!!

No Boundaries

sandra.miabambina@gmail.com (Sandra@miabambina) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 06:28:00 +0000

So the times has come. We will leave the country soon. This is the last post from Malaysia using my PC at home :) . Next post hopefully will be soon ( mobile blogging ). After we arrive in Shanghai, it will be depends on how fast I can get my new China Mobile numbers and if I can use the GPRS or 3G service soon.

The makciks being so kind to arrange pot luck lunch for me. I think it suppose to be some kind of surprise, but , I kind of know it. :P So sorry if I was not that surprise ... got six sense mah. :) But I didn't expect any gift at all. So I really appreciate for all the effort and time ( I know it is hard to make it happen as you all are busy moms )

So all are packed by now. Our dogs will be adopted with a same person, so they will stay together. That is a relieve for us, and the new owner , a friend , will also update us with their pics. That is what my girls want to know.

The heartbreaking part for them ( specially Maya) is to say good bye to our maid. For her , she is like a closed grandma figure , old and kind. And I know, my maid will cry a lot too. sigh.....

But again, love , family and friendship has no boundaries !

Thank you to you all and to this city ,who and which is already being a part of my children's childhood memories, being our friends,and being a place that my children will remember the most.

Until we meet again..... sure will visit back ! ^_^

Ta daa......

You can go higher

You can go deeper

There are no boundaries

Above and beneath you

Break every rules , coz there are nothing between you and your dreams

Jumped every bridge, I've run every line

I risk being safe, I always knew why

So here I am still holding on

This is not the ending but just the beginning

sandra.miabambina@gmail.com (Sandra@miabambina) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 05:01:00 +0000

As you read at my previous post, I must let my " baby" go. But I don't think it as a good bye, but more like to send a kid away to a college and see it grow. :)

Due to relocating again, I think this is the best of my online store, to stay here with it's loyal customers .

I hope you will still enjoy Mia Bambina and love it more!

Hugs

Sandra Rocco

SURPRISE!Mia Bambina is welcoming the new owner

sandra.miabambina@gmail.com (Sandra@miabambina) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 10:40:00 +0000

As you all might noticed, Mia Bambina is being stagnant lately. And we are sorry for any inconvenience caused.But here come the good news : Mia Bambina will have a new owner!

Due to changes in my husband's job , I am not longer be able to run MB ( geographic reason) ^_^ , but I am more than happy to welcome the new owner, she is a great friend, a wonderful mom of 2, and the most important that is a passionate supporter of breastfeeding, cloth diapering, and baby wearing. A "Green Mama" in the whole package ! Which why she will make a great next person to run Mia Bambina Online. Without further delay, let me introduce you to the new owner : ( drum roll please...) Farrah Rahim .

We will make this transition progress as smooth as possible. And I will still assist her behind the scene but I don't think Farrah will need much of my assistance as much as she thought she would be :) . And I firmly believe she will bring Mia Bambina to even better level that it ever been before. One note to Kota Kinabalu's customers, Mia Bambina won't be based in KK anymore but it will be base in the Peninsula from now on.

I want to use this chance to say a BIG thanks to all of you who has been a great customers and for your supports. I also want to apologize if I said something that I didn't mean to or do something that is not very pleasant to any of you. To be able to run this biz have been one of the memorable time of my life, and I learn a great big deal out of if, to be a better biz woman and to be a better person and the most important to be a
better friend.

You can contact Farrah at farrah@miabambina.com or sales@miabambina.com for further information.

And once again, please welcome Farrah as the new owner of Mia Bambina!

Sandra

sandra.miabambina@gmail.com (Sandra@miabambina) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 07:17:00 +0000

Our lunch!salami!!!cheese n more!muaahahahah

Sent from my Nokia device

Couple Retreat

sandra.miabambina@gmail.com (Sandra@miabambina) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 02:46:00 +0000

I've been waiting for this movie since a few months back. Keep seeing the behind the scene on E! I thought it won't show in Malaysia. But finally it is here! I love the actors and actress. And definitely love romantic comedy.

It is great to watch this with our husband too. It is an entertaining movie but it's also remind us to respect , value and the most important is to have fun with our spouse.

In our daily life, we talk a lot with our spouse, but mostly it is out of " necessities" like: what bills to pay, the children tuition fees, where and what to eat for dinner, etc etc"
Many couples do not connect to each other like they used to before married or before children. And it is not rare , in some cases, some couple fell " weird" around each other when no one is around them ( no children, no parents, no friends, no in laws) They feel "lost" and " can't enjoy each other company" if there are just 2 of them.

In Asia , it is common practice to bring parents, in laws for vacations, dinner, sleep over. The more the merrier. And it is a great value to teach to our kids. For holiday season like Christmas, Chinese New Year, Hari Raya,etc. Or it is also common to go holiday with bunch of other families and relatives.

While the western tradition, while it is a tradition to spend time with family too during holiday season ( Easter, Christmas,Thanks Giving, etc) , they are also sometimes more on the "selfish" side compare to the Asian.
In the meaning of : it is rare that grandparents will take a full care of the grand children, because the elderly there will enjoy the most of their golden years ( taking cruise, go to holiday all around the world), and once the kids' reach 18 or 20 they will move out from the house and try to earn some money while studying by working part time . Mean while in Asia, it is normal to have the grandparents to take care of the grandchildren full time, and it is common to live together with in laws even after the children got married, surprisingly some people are still getting financial support from their own parents.

Nothing good or bad, right or wrong , it is all depends on what we want in life. I want my parents to enjoy more in their golden years. Though it will be great to have sometimes our parents to take care of our children but to take care of them full time is a hard job, and I don't want to give them any more financial burden . They 've done their job to take care of us and spend money for us, it is time to give something back in return.

Back to the couple thing , I think when a couple can't enjoy each other company anymore without the " buffering" person, I might say there are some "glitch" in the relationship. When a couple can't have fun anymore there is a " glitch" too. When the couple don't enjoy each other touch or like to cuddle anymore or even worst decreasing of the sex life, there are some " glitch".

All married have glitch here and there. There are no perfect marriage. But when marriage turns to "work" then we must find the way back to make it " enjoyable".

Fix that glitch now ! Why don't it start with going to cinema with your spouse? The Couple Retreat is a great movie for couple. :)

Happy weekend!

New Moonmania

sandra.miabambina@gmail.com (Sandra@miabambina) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 07:53:00 +0000

Finally ....we saw it! And we will see it again.. and again.... and I will read the book again.... :0) .

Twilight pandemonium has taken the world. Young, old, middle old, a bit older, teenager , moms, aunts ^_^.

And yes.. as you can see ( and tell) I am one of them. It is nuts, and crazy , sometimes doesn't even make sense. But I think it is cool to still be able to "love" something and "passionate" about something.

My nieces and nephew said: you are the only " aunt" that love twilight in my school. My sis said : Geez....my teenage daughters are not so into Twilight like you" ;")

But we need to be entertain ( and NOT just buy compulsive shopping). But by books ,movies and music too.

So here are the photos taken on the early NM in Kota Kinabalu. We thought we will be the noisiest but NO! hahaha . When the famous "Jacob the six packs" and" Edward's daylight appearance in Volterra" was shown... the whole cinema go : AAAAAH............OOOOOH.......and... WEEEEEEE.......And for the last sentence by E.C in the last part of the movie....almost everyone clapped their hands! And that is the power of Twilight Saga.

Another show anyone? I am going to see it again tonight :p...

Next obsession : you guess it....of course ! ECLIPSE!

He is not a babysitter!

sandra.miabambina@gmail.com (Sandra@miabambina) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 01:41:00 +0000

I am a mom of 2 young girls ( and the time yet to come until they become teenager). Are all the TV program suitable for kids? NO!

Adam was performed in the AMERICAN Music Award and it was almost 11 pm , he was not performing for Nickelodeon, Teen awards or kids choice award. So leave him alone.

Was his performance is family appropriate? NO!
But so do the Desperate housewives, Friends , Sex an the City, and even Keeping Up with the Kardashian ! These shows all content vulgar language, talk about sex and a lot of kissing.

Have you heard one of Eminem song? Even Katy Perry lyrics said "Bitch" is it suitable for a underage kid? NO! Have you seen the kissing between Madonna and Britney at the MTV awards?

For your Entertainment Official Video

sandra.miabambina@gmail.com (Sandra@miabambina) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:49:00 +0000

Great video! Great music, a great guy.
Controversy is still hot post AMA ! :)

Whataya Want From Me?

sandra.miabambina@gmail.com (Sandra@miabambina) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:29:00 +0000

One Sweet Day!

sandra.miabambina@gmail.com (Sandra@miabambina) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:00:00 +0000

The next day after her school concert we attended the " Advance Cupcake decorating class" held by Deana Cakes. As you all know, I am a fan of her cakes . 2 weeks ago we attended the first cupcakes decorating class. This time we are playing with fondant. Finally I know how to make it :)

Making the fondant from the scratch ( not pre made ,ok?)

Knead knead knead..... and mixing the color.

Yay! one ready to me mould pretty in purple fondant!

Cut and embossed , it is ready to cover one cupcake!

The "pro" tools

Yay! One is done !

The little artist . Getting busy with fondants, colors, designs. She never run of ideas!

Then... came the intruder!!! Cikgu Deana is so patient to teach Indy. We gave Maya " black" fondant ( as per request) and spatula, so she can get busy too ( and not disturbing) . Maya is having the time of her life, since when playing with play dough can be so yummy too!!!

Funny notes: when we reached home, she still got the fondant in her hand ( mixed of black and yellow and REALLY looks like play dough) , She ate it in front of our maid, and our maid screamed in horror.LOL. Maya with her cool style said : ini boleh makan ,bah! ini bukan mainan , kak! ini gula gula buat kuih!

LMOF!!!

The playful Maya with so serious Indy ( trying to make a "pink turtle")

Cut Cut Cut.... and Sculpt , Sculpt....

And TA DAAAAA our creation :

Indy made most of this , specially the 3D deco. I helped her to mix some colors, and covered the cupcakes.I did some embossing and cutting too ( Hey!! I also want to learn mah!!! hhahaha)But she had a great fun embossing, cutting, making cars, bottles, mushrooms, turtles, cubes, cutting numbers.

Too bad we must leave about 30 mins early. But we did bring home 2 boxes of cupcakes, learn new skills, and had a fun time! Thanks to Deana who is willing shared and spent her time ( despite of her morning sickness ^_^)

Indy is very happy and told me : She ( Deana) is so nice ya ma? She really sound n look like teacher oh when she teach me ! ( LOL) I am so happy that Aunty Deana wants to teach me.

The cupcakes might last a few hours, or a few days, but the experience and skills and memories will stay for a long time. It is worth it!