Inspired Momx1

Recent Updates

2017-06-09T12:09:00.003+08:00

Now that the boy is 14, he has his own friends. On his birthday, we ate out all day long and the foodie boy was the happiest! lol... We had big breakfast at a nice cafe. Mommy got 2 discount vouchers from fave. At only RM11.90 each, we had quality big breakfast and a drink. So really worth it. Lunch we had the boy's favourite Super Kitchen Chilli Pan Mee and dinner we went to Leong Ah for dinner. Mommy also bought a vanilla mille crepe cake for supper.

Mommy can take a breather for now after having completed all assignments. We went watching Wonder Woman at TGV D'Pulze on a Thursday to grab the RM10 promo. Ya, mommy is a cheapskate, always hunts for best buys. Why D'Pulze? We both love the no crowd shopping mall. There were only 5 of us in the theatre. Nice!! We love the female lead. Gal Godot is such a stunning beauty.

Today, he has badminton date with his buddies. Mommy ordered Domino's online and arranged delivery to the sports centre they were at. Simple. A birthday treat for his buddies. The boy's birthday always falls on school holidays. Most of the time his buddies are away on holidays. School holidays are almost over and everyone is now back. He's happy, his buddies are happy and mommy is the happiest!

Bond

2016-07-02T23:15:00.003+08:00

Aloha!!! *blowing away spiderwebs.....*. It has been more than two years since I last posted any entries here. Some blogger mummies dropped me PMs and comments somewhere in my old post entries and asked when I would start blogging again. I had a gathering with fellow cousins the other day and one of my cousins asked the same. My boy too. He says, mom, your blog is dead! When will you start writing again? I miss reading your blog! Me too, son.

I spent some time reading my own blog a couple of days ago and ha, those old entries brings back old memories, sweet, sour, bitter and spicy, all rolls into one. ok ok, I exaggerated a bit la... Let me jot this down before it flies out the window again.. Be warned, this is yet another *syiok sendiri" post of yours truly. Lol....

On the way back after his badminton session today, we had this conversation in the car....

Son: Mom, I think we have the closest bond compared to my buddies with their moms.
Mom: .......
Son: Such as K hor, that day I hitch a ride home in his mom's car, the mom asks him questions, he's like very reluctant to answer wor. SH also acts the same.
Mom: Oh, yakah? You are different mah. Your mom is a weirdo, don't like shopping, only go online shopping, prefers to stay home. That's why you get more chance to stick to me lor... But now hor... You are a teen and you like to argue....
Son: Healthy debate is good mah, you did say that before...
Mom:...........

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Class Change

2016-04-25T12:48:00.002+08:00

The boy is recently placed in KRK. He is the only Chinese in the class. On the morning of class change, his friend from previous class was so kind to introduce him to a Sikh from the same class. They became good friends instantly. The night before the class change, he was still reluctant to leave his friends from the old class (mostly friends from primary school and newly made friends) but he now says his present class is better after just 3 days. Boys... Glad that he is adapting well.

Boy: Mom, Dhiraj has got green and brown eyes (pupils). He has fair skin too. He looks like your idol, Aamir Khan.
Mom:Wah! Really?!! I really want to meet up with him one day la....
Boy: the skin colour only lo.. Nyek.. Nyek...
Mom: Ceh! but I am still envious leh. Never had I got a Sikh as my friend during secondary days!

xxxxxx

Boy: Dhiraj and I are the exotic races in class. Arrr.. Josephine too. I think she is a Kadazan...
Mom: good what. You get to learn other people's culture more.
Boy: *nods head in agreement

xxxxxx

Boy: They hor, always like to say babi and bodoh when scolding people. I overheard at the canteen some even refer Chinese as Cina Babi.

Mom: not scolding you right? Then just act blur lor... Or if you have to say something, then Melayu nasi lemak, India tosai, errr.. What else? Not wrong right as these are the food we usually eat.

Boy& mom: LOL!!

xxxxxxxx

Boy: *shows me the messages in his class WhatsApp group..
One Malay boy asked: Are you Cantonese or Chinese since you say doh cheh is Cantonese?
The boy answered: Cina dan Kantonis Cina jugak maaa.
Then the Malay boy responded: ohh, aku tak tau maaa... Then lol...The rest followed suit. LOL..

Really, we must encourage our kids to mix with kids of other races to learn, understand and respect each others' races, culture and religion better from young. Only then we can see hope of racial unity at the end of the tunnel, hopefully the day will come...

‪#‎race‬ discovery#exploration
‪#‎satu‬ Malaysia
‪#‎WeareallMalaysian‬

Bumbu Bali @Bandar Puteri Puchong

2014-02-17T10:31:00.001+08:00

We went for lunch at Bumbu Bali on my birthday. It was a sumptuous lunch for us and though the price was a bit on the premium side, the portion was huge! Both the boy and myself could not finish our portion, needless to say it all ended up in our "bandaraya's" tummy. Burpsssssss...

The interior decor of Bumbu Bali

We ordered a jug of Barley lime equivalent to around 4 1/2 glasses @RM18+

Cute little glass of orange juice that comes with kid's meal

Fried squid, cumi cumi something @RM19+ if I didn't get it wrong

The boy's chicken and chips @RM23+?

My order, Nasi Campur @RM37+, premium price but so yummilicious!

Spaghetti Bolognese @RM11+ and it comes with a small glass of a choice of soya bean milk or orange juice.

Daddy's had the kid's meal as he knew too well he had another important role to play later, Bandaraya! Sapu!! Hehe...

IOI Privilege Carholders are entitled to a 10% discount of the total bill. We were not one and we paid RM130+, not too bad considering the quality of food and service that we had. Thumbs up!

My Valentine...

2014-02-14T16:54:00.001+08:00

Today is a double Celebrations for those who celebrate Valentine's Day and Chap Goh Mei. We don't celebrate these occasions but instead we will have our all in one celebration two days later on my birthday.

The boy's school declared "cuti peristiwa" today in conjunction with Chap Goh Mei. We love cuti peristiwa as it means no replacement school needed for the said declared holidays.

This morning we had a bit of revision done before heading out for lunch. We stopped at our favourite air-conditioned cafe nearby and took a peek from our car only to spot heads, heads and only mountains of human heads through the tinted glass partition of the cafe, full house it was.

The boy was famished so we ended up in Pizza Hut for a quick lunch. The boy spotted couples dining at the restaurant:

Boy: Ooo, mommy, today is Valentine's Day hor and look, so many couples here.

Mom: We are a couple what and you are my Valentine.

Boy: No, daddy is your valentine, I am not.

Mom: No, you misinterpreted the word "Valentine". It simply means your loved ones. Am I your loved one?

Boy: Of course yes!

Mom: Then next time hor, when you take your mom out for a meal on Valentine's Day, don't feel awkward ok? I am your valentine (loved one), remember?

Boy: *nodding his head while enjoying his bowl of mushroom soup*

Mom: ^.*

Better Year Ahead

2014-01-09T09:13:00.001+08:00

2013 had been a turbulent year for me and I lost 5 kg within 6 months! For the days that lie ahead, I promise myself that I must work harder to make our "project" a success but never ever forget to pamper and love myself more.

The gardening stand hubby bought for me months ago can finally put into good use.

My baby sawi sprouting!

One tiny little okra seedling showing its shy appearance on the far bottom right. Yeah!

My 2nd batch of corn seedlings starts to show up and say, Hi World! :)

After gardening, I made myself a bowl of Korean Shin Ramyun gourmet spicy noodles for breakfast. Hubby bought it during a Korean food fair. Yummeh!!

Okay, time to get down to business.

A Beautiful Day

2014-01-08T10:37:00.001+08:00

I woke up this morning feeling refreshed and couldn't wait to accomplish some of the tasks that have been playing in my mind but did not have the energy to execute. Self reminder to self again: Health Is Wealth!

I made a mini American breakfast for the boy, 2 sausages, 2 eggs, 2 toasted bread spread with peanut butter and butter and a cup of hot Milo. I just love to see his face expression the moment he walks down after bath and sees his "sumptuous" breakfast laid out on the dining table. Needless to say,he walloped everything I prepared for him and off he went to school with a full stomach and a cheery mood. My "easy to please" boy. Hehehehe....

I had an hour doing gardening before hanging out the laundry. My corn patch is ready! The ABC soup was already boiling on the stove, rice washed and wax sausages in the steamer and i will only have to press the "ON" switch before going out to fetch the boy later and stir fry one vege dish when we get home and tadaa.. Lunch is ready. Now I better move my butt out of the sofa and get some serious tasks done. Need to bake a batch of cinnamon rolls this evening for the hubs to take to his office tomorrow. What a beautiful day!

Love Myself More

2014-01-07T10:32:00.001+08:00

Again, I made 4 slices of French toast for breakfast this morning and the boy finished them all and downed a cup of soya bean milk. In the car on our way to his school, he suddenly remembered and asked me: What are you gonna eat for breakfast, mom? You asked me to finish it ( the french toast) all? He then put his palm on my forehead to check for temperature. I have been under the weather for 3 days. No temperature but make sure you eat when you get home ya, he said. Awww...

He is in the top class again this year and came home with piles of homework since day one, brought home 7 yesterday which he started doing from 3pm and only managed to finish all just before the clock struck 7pm!

He has started tuition this year, only for Chinese subject while for the rest of the subjects, tutor mommy will still be the one in-charge.

We both love our new routine i.e. start and end our day early. I have so much to do but my body health is holding me back. Self Reminder: The top priority in my must do list: LOVE MYSELF MORE.

First Day Of School 2014

2014-01-02T14:43:00.001+08:00

This year marks the first year of morning school for the boy after 4 years in the primary school. We had a good start in the morning. I got up at 5.58am just before my alarm set off. The boy bounced up of bed on my first wake up call to him. After his bath, he came down and walloped 4 slices of French toast I made for brekkie coupled with a cup of Milo. We even had time for a 10 mins' chat before heading to school.

Traffic at the school was heavy but bearable. I dropped him off at the school gate and headed back home to do my gardening. After breakfast, I washed a load of laundry, swept and mopped the floor and still have time to catch up reading my novel and Fb updates before hanging out the laundry and then it's time to prepare lunch.

I cooked spaghetti with carbonara sauce for lunch and also made the boy's favourite mashed potatoes. Headed out to fetch the boy at 12.10pm and traffic at the school was horrendous! The school kids came out from all directions and I had no idea which gate he was coming out from. The weather was scorching hot and without an umbrella with me, I felt I was melting away under the hot sun! Spotted the boy finally after 20 minutes. The traffic then was worse, almost to a standstill! Bumped into a friend while walking to our car parked 500 metres away. Her car was still crawling with her two kids in the afternoon session in the car and it was 25 mins past the supposedly afternoon school starting time! Crazy!

We got home finally and the boy had two bowls of mashed potatoes, one big plate of carbonara spaghetti and one mango for lunch. How not to become chubby eating like that huh but I like his healthy appetite and enjoy seeing him eat! Ahahaha...

After lunch, we took a break before he started on his homework. He told me he has very mean teachers this year, especially the Maths teacher! She set out rules of do's and dont's and stressed that whoever against the rules "就死定＂！（will sure die)!

After finishing the line, he turned to me with a wicked look on his face and asked, mom, do you think it's good or bad news knowing very well what my reply would have been. The mom said, GOOD NEWS, of course! I like the teacher already! He gave me a killer stare followed by a long sigh.. Hahaaha... I have one subject down and can put more focus on other subjects. I know him too well, he works best under pressure. His performance is tip top when he gets good (mean) teachers. Wuahahaha.... Bad mommy here. :D End of report.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!!

2013-12-22T10:17:00.001+08:00

Daddy's birthday was on the 20 Dec. The mom and son team had a discussion prior to that and had decided to bake a cake to celebrate this special occasion. It took us hours to churn out the cake, from measuring of ingredients to ready to be shoved into the oven and finally the frosting part, our first time doing it and that was tough but somehow after patching and repatching struggling to even out the cream cheese frosting, finally it's done! Tadaa!!! Our first bake together: Carrot and Walnut Cake with cream cheese frosting!

As hours were spent on baking and dolling up the cake, that left me no time to cook up a storm for dinner. As both small and big boys love fried rice, so fried rice it was for dinner! Heh!

We had our birthday song and cake cutting session later in the evening. The cake turned out moist and not too sweet and it was just nice washing down with a glass of homemade lemon juice! Will surely bake this cake again soon as the whole family enjoyed eating it!

Mind Mapping

2013-11-14T15:21:00.001+08:00

School holidays are approaching!! Weeeeee..... I thought I should teach the boy mind mapping so one fine evening, when we were about to start, he asked for a 10 minutes' break. When the time was up, this's what he presented to me. A mind map of his hobbies..

I took a closer look and grinned evilly at the part where he wrote sleeping 10 hours a day! He will be in standard 5 next year and in the morning session. Hmmmm... Let's see if he can still maintain his 10 hours in lala land... Let us all pray hard for him. Amen.. ^.*

Me!

2013-09-23T22:09:00.001+08:00

Mom: *self mumbles* I took care of my mom when she had cancer then FIL when he was struck by stroke. Now I am taking care of MIL. Wonder who would take care of me when I am ill? *lets out a long sigh*

The background echoes.... ME!!!! *with one hand up and a cheeky smile on his face*

I am a true believer in karma. You get what you give, whether it's good or bad.

When MIL first came to stay with us 3 months ago, she was technically semi bedridden. As she was against the idea to go under the knife, can't blame her on that as she was already 75 and her health was not in a good state. She first went for Origin Point Therapy but it did not seem to help much to ease her pain. We then resorted to admitting her to the TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) section of Tung Shin Hospital but that lasted a mere 5 hours. hmmmmm....

Then a friend of hers recommended Master Chia who specializes in Electromagnet Accupuncture Therapy and bingo, he is a real godsend! We hit the right spot, finally! Master Chia deserves a full blog post that I am going to write and publish soon. After 18 rounds of daily therapy sessions, MIL can finally sit straight up all by herself and finally walk, albeit with a four legged walking stick, still a great achievement, nevertheless!! A big yeah!! Now it's time to treat her osteoarthritis pain, on the knees in particular, the natural remedy way...

Go...Go...Go...Ole..Ole..Ole..

2013-08-21T17:28:00.001+08:00

I found this note I wrote to him and put inside his lunch box during the start of his 1st term exam this year. It has been 5 months and neither did I know he has been keeping it like a precious treasure map. He told me he would take it out and read whenever he feels down at school. Awwww... He even drew some pictures on the note but darkened it with pencil when he knew I wanted to take picture of it. Lol....

Guardian Angel

2013-08-01T15:27:00.001+08:00

Boy: Why are we so close and we can chat like best friends do?

Mom: hmmm... Guess I was your guardian dog (born in the yr of dog) in my past life. My duty was to protect you, the sheep (born in the year of sheep) from harm and danger. We were so close that God granted my wish to be your mom and you, my son in the present life.

Boy: *nods with approval and satisfaction*

Mom: ^.^

The boy is very sensitive of his mom's emotions since young.

During the hubs' uncle funeral not long ago, we were there to pay our last respect. Uncle's only son is a Down syndrome child, in his late 30's now. He was sitting on a chair when his younger sister came forward and insisted that he stood up as a respect to their late father. He forgot after a while that the chair was removed and proceeded to sit down. Blang.. and landed himself on the floor. I quickly put my sunglasses on before tears started rolling down my cheeks. The boy sensed that and quickly took a peek at my eyes behind the sunglasses. His eyes turned red too when he saw my teary eyes. :(

Just the other day when I went to fetch him from school, the sky was gloomy but I put my sunglasses on anyway. The moment the boy saw me, again, he dug out my sunglasses and examined my eyes closely for any signs of tears or unstable emotions and his mouth kept uttering to me if I was sad. I assured him and told him everything was alright but he didn't believe me. I then asked what made him think I was unhappy. He quickly quoted saying I didn't ask him how his day was which I did without fail before that. Oh well. Life goes on...

New Challenge

2013-07-31T14:38:00.001+08:00

It has been long since I last updated here. *Blow spider webs and dust away*. School holidays are less than a week away. I have no outdoor activities planned for the boy this time as we will gonna stuck at home anyway. It's a new challenge having to take care of a difficult semi bedridden MIL. I am still grateful though as my FIL, a stroke survivor is very understanding and obedient and that kinda soften the edge of my otherwise rough days. Oh well.

We will have more indoor activities instead, starting to learn playing with his musical instruments like ukulele and flute from you tube, home science experiments, gardening etc. He did quite well in his 2nd term exam, being able to squeeze himself to the top 20 for the whole standard 4 of about 300. I think that's exceptionally well with no help of tuition and all. However, the father believes he can do even better with outsourced tuition and be in the top 10. Oh well, his kiasu mode is on! My take is since we have plans of sending him to further studies in Singapore when he is 15, I would rather spend more time with him learning something beyond the local school syllabus. Hmmm...

Visual Entertainment

2013-07-02T15:23:00.000+08:00

We terminated subscription to a digital tv provider long ago when our son started primary school four years ago. It was under utilized anyway as only the hubs watched the TV in the evening after work.

Now that the parents in-law are here staying with us for an indefinite length of time, we plan to subscribe to the digital tv providers once again. The old folks coop up at home during weekdays so we hope by subscribing to the provider, it provides more choices of visual entertainment and they won't get too bored at home.

Sabahan Avocados

2013-06-13T12:54:00.001+08:00

I love eating avocados and I remember there was abundance of them when I still lived in Sandakan then. My mom would buy them very often, scoop the flesh out, mash them with some condensed milk and serve chilled. It was so delicious, I tell ya!

After moving over to KL for more than two decades now, I almost forgot about how heavenly this fruit tasted until I was smitten by the fruit smoothie craze months back. Prior to that, I did come across imported avocados sold at the supermarkets but its price and quality put me off. I remember paying RM12 for two avocados and they either turned black and rotted without ripening or simply would not ripe! Bad experience!

When I went back to my hometown during the recent school holidays, I "casually" (okay, enthusiastically) asked my big brother if he could get me some good quality ones. And yes, he or rather his wife got me 10 of which 4 was hijacked by my mom! Hahaha.. Though Sabah is well known for its gigantic home grown avocados but good quality ones are not easy to come by. My second sis in-law got some from the market and its flesh wasn't as good and smooth, tainted by its brown root-like tentacles. She had them blended into thick smoothie form and it still tasted yummy!

So I bet my siblings know what to get for me when they come visit me! LOL!!!

Playing Kites

2013-06-05T10:15:00.001+08:00

Even though the kids are so into electronic games, when the sun goes down, they will move their butts out of the house and play some outdoor activities.

Looking back, I really miss my childhood growing up with my two elder brothers. I was a tom boy then and being the only girl in the family before my baby sister came along eight years later, my dad and two brothers doted on me except for my mom who was the no nonsense type. My siblings would tag me along wherever they went, be it out to the jungle collecting rubber seeds to making our own swords and weapons for pretend fight. Guess they had no choice as I would threaten to report to dad should they refused to tag me along. LOL... Yup, I was quite a spoilt brat back then. Those were the days, sweet, unforgettable childhood memories...

Desa Cattle Farm, Kundasang, Sabah

2013-06-04T20:36:00.001+08:00

We went in three cars and our initial plan was to stay a night in Kundasang and two nights in Kota Kinabalu. We had to cut short our trip when my brother in-law's 4WD met a road accident that involved three cars while on our way to Poring Hotspring. The whole bunch of us instead visited the police station in Ranau for two hours while waiting for my brother in-law to lodge a police report for insurance claims purposes.

After police report was lodged, we went ahead with our plan to stay one night in Kundasang as the engine of the 4WD appeared unscratched, only its front body suffered damages.

We checked into Cottage Hotel in Kundasang around 2pm and had late lunch at the hotel restaurant. We were so famished that though the food was mediocre, they were all swept clean as soon as they were served. After refreshing ourselves in our rooms, we squeezed into two cars and headed to Desa Cattle Farm, not far from where we stayed.

As we approached the cattle farm, we were all taken in by the scenery which was simply captivating. I still have lots of photos not uploaded in my camera and most of the photos here were taken with my iPad while the last two picture was plucked from the internet. The place was so crowded that the long line at the snack counter was horrendous. We only managed to grab 4 cups of ice-cream before they were all sold out! Holy Moo Moo Cow!!

To be continued...

English Tea House & Restaurant, Jalan Istana, Sandakan

2013-06-03T18:00:00.001+08:00

My baby sister took us for afternoon tea at this refurbished British colonial bungalow overlooking Sandakan bay and on its far right was Sulu Sea. The scenery from the tea house was breathtaking and pleasing to the eye and mind. We had tea while the kids had iced lemon tea and hot chocolates. We also ordered a set of Devonshire tea served with tea, scones, sandwiches and mini cakes and slices of cheese cakes and double chocolate cakes to share while enjoying the peace and serenity of nature with magnificent view of the ocean and greenery that surrounds the place.

The scones were served with clotted cream and strawberry jam with the texture of the scones bready and cake-like inside to which I did not favor much, I still prefer it to be light and flaky.

It was a relaxed and chilled afternoon spent with my dad, baby sister, nephews and niece and I wish I could do that more often and thanks to my sister for the treat.

Mom's Garden @Sandakan

2013-06-03T16:45:00.001+08:00

I love to take a stroll at my mom's garden while admiring her plants and flowers. She has green fingers but too bad her avocado plant is too young to bear fruits. I love eating avocados but I can only get imported ones in KL. They are so pricey and there's no guarantee they are of good quality and "edible". Mom is propagating some of the plants and flowers for me to bring back to KL. I am the "plant killer" among my family members, am keeping my fingers crossed that they survive under my care!

Dim Sum @Lee Yuen Chinese Restaurant, Taman TatLee Jaya, Mile 4, Sandakan

2013-06-03T12:32:00.001+08:00

Big brother took us for breakfast at this restaurant one fine morning. The food there was not bad but I personally felt that the chee cheong fun skin was a bit too thick compared to what we had in KL. The boy ate a loh mai kai (steamed glutinuos rice with chicken) 2 char siu pau (bbq pork bun) and 2 wu kok (yam puff). Burps..

Cousins' Bonding Time

2013-05-29T17:34:00.001+08:00

When the sun is up above the heads, this bunch of rascals turn the air-cond on at full blast and have a whale of a time playing electronic games.

When the sun is down, they crawl out of the comfort zone and play outdoor... basket ball, badminton, hide-n-seek, masak-masak....

And here I am, shaking legs while blogging away and waiting for dinner time, homecooked by my 2nd sister in-law. Bliss... Hehehe...

About Perfect Scores

2013-05-26T19:49:00.001+08:00

While doing his BM homework, the boy and his mom had this conversation...

Boy: Mom, it must be a breeze for the Malay boys in my school to score in their BM papers, right?

Mom: Do you score perfect marks in your Chinese papers or not?

Boy: Hahahaha... Never. *period* *no more questions asked and continues with his BM homework*

I think yours truly aka Ian's mom is getting pro in answering questions thrown to her by her witty boy. LOL...

Two More Weeks....

2013-05-13T15:12:00.000+08:00

Three more days before the boy is done with his exam. Two more weeks before we are back to my kampung... Yeah!! Can't wait!! :)

It's a long holiday every end of May in Sabah in conjunction with Harvest Festival. We have plans to drive to Kota Kinabalu with the whole gang of my family, it's going to be a fun trip! Everyone is excited especially the boy who is going to celebrate his 10th birthday in Sandakan for the first time. I can't wait to go to Desa Cattle Farm, Tamparuli, Kundasang.......... again. My last trip there was more than 20 years ago with my fellow ex-colleagues with whom I still keep in touch. Before I left the company for good, the whole bunch of us went for a trip to conquer Mount Kinabalu. Sweet memories...

Other than that, I can't wait to enjoy mom's home cooked food and meet up with my childhood friends. See you soon, Sandakan!! :)