X2 - part 2

Here are the pics. Special note to the 'toothless witch' : due to overwhelming demand for the trikini pics, I have decided to keep them in the safe deposit, and they shall not be exhibited till I become 'femes' :P



BTW, the song is called "Chasing Pavements" by Adele. I heart it now. :)

X2 Kui Buri- Heavenly Escape

We went away to the beach last weekend for papah's birthday. This is our second year keeping to our self-made family tradition of heading to the beach for Papah's 'cow-day'. Weeks before, Gooly was already packing and re-packing his beach paraphernalia; mini dinosaurs to bury, shovel and spade to discover and Halloween bucket for shells. Mahmee refused to buy a new beach bucket. That pumpkin pail has gotta have more usage, rite?

So early in the a.m, Mahmee made sandwiches, eggs and tuna. Gooly's were without onions. He absolutely detests them. We started the journey at 10am, expecting to reach Hua Hin at 12pm, and then it's another hour or so to Kui Buri.

The X2 (pronounced as cross to) Resort was.. what can I say? Mamamia? Ohhlala? The concierge/front desk was very different. A huge square bed of spring flowers greeted us, instead of the usual concrete slabs or marble/granite structure. It was all very al-fresco. Front desk service was efficient, which is pleasant and a little surprising, considering that we were still in Thailand. :)

That's the pumpkin pail..from last halloween!

The room was ..sigh.. what all honeymoon suites should be. A ceiling height glass door opens to a small private pool.

The cement floor dries up quick, so we needn't worry about Gooly slipping and falling after dipping into the pool. I must say the owner(s) and designer(s) of the resort have thought of EVERY little detail that made our stay seems heavenly.

Memoirs of a Geisha! I so want to read that..

Books were available. Imagine, just chilling out with a few good books at the beach. If we had stayed longer, I'd definitely devour the good selection of books. I'm a little surprised that the resort trusts that no one will conveniently tuck in the books home, and more than happy that no one has done that thus far. Should you go, please don't breach the 'trusting' bond. It's hard to come by these days. Oh, the same goes for the Cds they dubbed, complete with information for each disc i.e easy listening for beforeplay (hehehe.. sounds better than 'sexy music for foreplay?")

Hello pumpkin pail! Again!

Watcha building, Gooly?

Whose butt is bigger? :P

The beach was deserted which was GREAT! We never liked crowded beaches with vendors hassling you for lottery tickets or massages or whatnots.It was very therapeutic soaking my feet and watching the waves wash away all the 'sighs' and 'grunts' off my soul. A little soul-cleansing ritual of mine. : )

As the resort is very isolated; Hua Hin town is about an hour away, they knew they had to provide the BEST for everything. That's why the good selections of songs, books and FOOD!Mmmmmm.... the seafood was succulent..and salad, very fresh! The ambiance at the bar cum restaurant was cool, with jazzy music at the background. It will be very cool indeed if you had a bunch of friends and just hang out cos seriously, it does look like one of those happening clubs in town, only with less patrons.

Spa treatments are available but I don't fancy them. I'm sure they are good. Do try if you go.

We woke early the next morning, opened up the curtains, and had the morning sun greeting us on bed. I remember thinking, "Life is beautiful". Oh, i forgot to mention that it rained, but that didn't bother us at all! We headed to the beach when it stopped, or Papah will be hovering an umbrella over Gooly when it rained a little. Otherwise, we were in the room goofing around, listening to songs.. yup..practically doing nothing.

This is another one of my favourite shots..



Will we go again? A firm yes. Do you want to go? If I am not convincing enough, or my lousy camera didnt do justice, browse here www.x2resorts.com (will somebody teach me how to do a link already? :P) Anyways, I'll post some of the other pics taken from my lousy RM200 camera. I should really consider getting a uber canggih one...

Clouds again!

So, we know that his current interest is the fluffy cotton candy called clouds. And thus he wants to know, "Where do clouds come from, Mahmee?"

D'oh. When will he learn that Mahmee never really paid attention during Science Class in school? In fact, her head was in the clouds for all lessons! I think i gave him a nano-second of blank look.

"You know, milk comes from cows.. tomatoe sauce comes from tomatoes..where do clouds come from, Mahmee?"

My numbskull managed a feeble, "Water.. Something something about water." Please help *gasp*

Morning greetings

The first caring gesture he bestowed upon me was when he was about 2 years old. I woke and sat groggily on bed. Yes, kangaroo indeed I am not. I don't spring out of bed, smiling at the morning sun.

But that morning, Gooly did make me smile. "Spesikles, mamah!" He was waving my 2 inch-thick spectacles in front of me. Ah, so Gooly knew I couldn't see well.

And this morning, he woke and as usual, I pretended to be still asleep. He first covered me with the Minnie Mouse blanket, and then tucked something under my arm.I took a peek. It was the yellow lion toy.

He whispered, "For you, Mahmee." I smiled a little but still didn't want to wake. And then a kiss on the cheek with the message, "Good night!" (He doesn't care weather it's day or night, prior to zzz, one must say good night :D)

I don't know if he was sneakily doing all these to wake me up. Aiseh,but have to wake up lar. That gooly did so many stunts wor.

And the biggest smile and loudest, "Good morning, Mahmee!" greeted me the moment I pry my eyes open.

Why can't sulky morning me be more like him? Why oh why oh why..

Just to say goodbye

Early in the morning, the first thing that wakes me up is the sound of footsteps of that little fella. It's always a heavy thud first; he likes jumping down the bed. And then thudthudthudthud; he runs as fast as those little toes can manage to our toilet. My ears keep check of the gushing 'fountain' and then *koosh* he flushes. Straight out to the bed, and he checks, "Papah?" I don't know why but I always pretend to be still asleep. Once he sees that I am not the one he is looking for, he rushes downstairs, "PAPAH?"

That's about the time I lunge my heavy assets out of the bed and be prepared for the, "I WANT MY PAPAH..."

It irks me to have to console, cajole, sayang that fella when my brain is still not functioning (yeah, it starts ticking only after the coffee). And very frankly, I am tired telling him the same thing, "Elloh! Papah has gone to work! Don't work, where got money buy food?

But the last few mornings, he woke up slightly earlier, and was very happy to see that Papah was still downstairs. I was embracing myself for the crying bouts when Papah left. Kinda imagined him hanging on to the papah's legs while bawling, "NOOO!" But he didn't wor. He stood at the gate and waved baibai and even said cheerily, "See you later, papah"

Ah.. he just wants to send his papah off to work. It's quite sweet, ain't it? To wake and say goodbye to the one he loves? I should do that more often. (Yeah, if papah starts work at erm.. about noon?)

Post 'sai' 2 - The Mask

Gooly's aunt sat on his favourite ultraman (or was it Powerangel?)mask a few days back. I don't normally replace broken toys because he has to learn not to leave his toys everywhere. He didn't dare to cry when he saw the crack. His eyes were red, and he did say sadly, "Aw, it's broken." While I sympathised, I didn't want him to take his toys or our money for granted. You know, like "once broken, get new ones."

However, still feeling guilty about the sandwich 'incident', I asked if he wanted a new mask to replace the broken one.

"It's ok, mahmee. Look, I can still wear it." *Dons on mask, and strikes a pose*


"And it's not Christmas yet, Mahmee."

"Also not my birthday, Mahmee"

And then.. "When it's Christmas, I'll get you a mask.. a big one.. you like pink or Mickey Mouse?"

I love my Gooly infinitely. And a thousand times more.

Post 'sai' 1 - Swimming School

Usually when Gooly wants to go for a swim, I'd lament:
1. it's too hot
2. it's too cold
3. I have to mop
4. I have laundry to do
5. *wateva excuse*

Of course, I don't want to go because:
1. I like to sit and rot in front of the lappie
2. I don't like getting tanned
3. I'm lazy
4. *wateva reason*

But today, after the sandwich 'incident', I was more willing to make him happy. He wanted to go to the pool at 11.00am. Sure, no problem. Put some SPF 30 on and headed out.

I think what we did at the pool is more or less what they teach at those slaughter houses schools. First, we had pretend play. We went into caves to hunt for bears. Yeah, highly imaginative us went hiding at certain shaded corners to avoid being roasted.

Then it was singing session. His modified version of 'rain rain go away' as shown:


"Sun oh go away *ahem clears throat* Little Owen wants to play in the swimming pool *DUM drum sound*"

The sun did go away. And so we played some more.

Science facts next - what floats and what doesn't. (Mahmee doesn't :P)

Somebody left a swimming goggle at the poolside and we brought it to the management office. So, we had moral lessons too, about honesty and empathy (remember how bad we felt when someone took our swimming vest?)

Math lesson next. We counted fingers and toes. Hmm.. his feet seem to be bigger than mine. (Pic. hilang!)



All's well that ends well. It was another jolly good day, notwithstanding the lousy way mahmee behaved earlier. We went home a few shades darker (big deal!) but the gooly smiles were worth it.

Rringgg.. The school adjourned.

Like sai

I woke up having the crappiest mood. It happens. I hate it when it happens and crappiest becomes crappiest-est.

Gooly was hungry so I got down to fix breakfast. He was totally oblivious about my foul mood, despite the 'black wok' face. That's the thing with him. He is always happy and chirpy. He wanted a cheese and ham sandwich. With tomato sauce. Served in his green plastic plate. It is actually a typical routine, him deciding things that he can decide. But Mahmee got up from the wrong side of the bed, remember? So irritated she was with all the decisiveness of a three year old.

So I served the sandwich to his royal highness (sarky mahmee on bad days)and he wanted his plastic knife and fork.

"Why do you need a knife and fork? Just grab the sandwich in your hands and eat!"

He got down from his chair and went to the kitchen to get the utensils himself.

"FINE! Go cut up your own sandwich! You naughty boy! Never listen to mahmee."

He couldn't cut yet. So he said in a small voice, "Can you help, mahmee.. I can't do it."

"Why are you so stubborn? Why is it so hard to eat with your hands?" *start cutting sandwich as though slicing up a cadaver. "There! It's all cut up! Look.. it's like sai! Happy?"

Bad mahmmee.... bad mahmee......

Of course he wasnt happy. Tears welled up, and he turned away and sob silently.

Bad mahmee.. bad mahmee....

And then I thought, "Damn it, what's so hard with cutting up the sandwich for him?"

I felt sooooo bad. More so that he didn't throw a tantrum or retaliate. He just soaked up whatever thrash I threw his way.

Bad mahmee.. bad mahmee..

I hugged him, and said sorry. I hit my own hand and said,"Naughty mahmee.. Say mean things." My gooly kissed my hand. That angel is so forgiving. It was my turn to cry. He put his hand near my mouth and said, "Spit the 'sai' word out." I kkkktui out the baaaad word and he chucked it away. No more 'sai' word used inappropriately in this house EVER AGAIN!

I'm sorry, gooly. Thanks for teaching mahmee a lesson.

A jolly good laughter

How hard is it to be happy? For gooly, not very, apparently.Just a couple of songs and silly dances, and he can bring the whole house down with his laughters. Here.. See for yourself. I wish all the sulkers in the world are like him .Bah!

Jiak Pizzzzza!!

Gooly made pizza today. Mahmee ate pizza today. We walloped the whole pizza today. Burp! No more pizza until ...next week?

The chef..


Taddaaa!



Not very appetising hor? I tot of cutting half the pizza and let the auntie next door makan. But the end result errr... Shy only if I'd brought over..



Happy meal? You bet!

Little fluffy clouds for Mahmee

While having lunch awhile ago, I nonchalantly told Gooly that I write stories about him, and naturally he wanted me to read them to him. Actually, I was thinking of treating it like a surprise wedding gift. I imagine telling him on that fateful day, "Here son, things that you did and said which will embarrass you but made me proud. Now, run along and go play GO, your tigress wife is waiting for you." But I suppose he wont remember the few stories I read just now.

One of them was the entry prior to this one, about him wanting to touch the clouds and moon . To jog his memory a bit, I asked, "Do you remember we talked about this in papah's car yesterday?" He nodded. Then he added something else which makes me even prouder, if it's all possible.

"I bring the clouds down for you, and you can touch them too." He scooped his little palms into a bowl shape.

Thanks, my dear boy. When you are busy rounding up clouds and exploring moon, I'll be here on planet earth savouring every dreaming moment of yours. Mahmee is happy that you dare to dream about things that she has long forgotten ..

Sky high dreams

Carrying a conversation with Gooly can be tiresome when he is in the mood for the endless and unneccesary 'whys'. But very often I realised, if I have had the patience and method right, his questions are never unnecessary. This conversation took place today:

Gooly: Why is the sky high up and not down?
Me: What do you mean? That's how God made it.. to separate the sky and the ground.
Gooly: But why? I want the sky to be down..
Me: *baffled* You can't have the sky down.. where will the birds and aeroplanes fly?

He seemed fairly dissapointed. So I asked, "Why do you want the sky down?"

"Because I want to touch the clouds," was his reply.

I think that's a very good reason for his request. So I told him about sky diving and parachuting in which he can try in future. He seems satisfied.. He wondered if the clouds will be soft.. Oh yes, do tell mahmee when you know. :)

After a few moments of silence, he declared, "I will go at night so I can touch the moon too.."

That boy can really dream...

It's back to thinking how weird thais are..

We have been trying to get hold of the man who cuts the grass in this mooban. He is usually around doing odd jobs. As far as exaggeration is concerned, the lalang in my garden is waist high now. So we desperately needed him to come 'kaotim' those buggers.It's very mind-boggling how the locals operate their 'ricebowl'. Back home, the 'thambi' rings the door bell every month and checks if we need to get the grass cut. It's kinda like maintaining his customer base, lest that he doesn't come and we decided on another 'ahneh' fella. But here, the gardener doesn't offer his service even when he sees that the garden is transforming into a jungle.

Anyways,2 weeks ago, the uncle strolled by. I quickly opened the glass door, and hailed him down, and pointed madly at the grass and do the 'chop chop' hand signal. To me, it was quite obvious what I needed him to do. Afterall, he has been doing it for the past two years. Aiseh, he looked at me and queried, "Alai?" -what? Cut grass la, what? Ask you to come in yumchar meh? So I did some chop-chopping action again. He went,"Ohhh.. ok ok."

He didnt come on that day. Neither did he come the next day. By day 3, I was tulan annoyed and decided to ask my neighbour if she could get him to come over ASAP. She knew that snakes and cacings don't care much about territory and will cross over to her house from our 'semak samun'. Thus, she said she will help to summon that uncle. Later, I was told that he would get it settled by this week.

Today is the 2nd week since I 'handchopped' him. Still no sight and sound of him. Feeling tulan annoyed again, I went across the street to another lady who speaks smattering English, and requested for her gardener.

"But no same same," she told me.
"Mai pen rai (never mind)," I replied.

Just then, the 1st neighbour rushed out and proclaimed, "He is coming today!" I have no idea how on earth she knew what the topic of the day was. And the 2nd neighbour looked relieved that she has not caused my garderner to lose one job.

I ambled back to my house, scratching my head. Was it taboo to change gardener in this kingdom? Even for one who has failed to accomplish his task after a notice of 2 weeks? It all appeared that I was too fussy and impatient. I could almost hear them say, "You want to change gardener JUST because you waited for 14 days? Preposterous!" Seriously, I would have stomped the ground and insisted I want another garderner, if I had spoken Thai. But alas, I could only muttered an insincere "mai pen rai"

It's 4 pm. Is he coming or not? D'oh!

Aiya.. not all of them are rotten apples

I realised I have done injustice to the kingdom of smiles when I blatantly wrote about unpleasant encounters with the locals, or have I not? Haiz..Flagrantly amnesiac these days. Cannot remember if I posted my ramblings pertaining to uncouth locals here, or at the other blog or to myself or to unwilling listeners, or worse, Gooly's imaginary buddies.

Anyways, I must always remind myself not to generalize. Not all Thais are _____ (fill in blank. I wish not to digress), some are really nice.

Heheh.. of course something happened lar for this change of opinion.

OK, it's like this. Amnesiac me left Gooly's swimming vest by the pool and someone made a property out of it. *exhale inhale exhale inhale* It's a vest which doesn't cut the armpits like the ordinary ones. And getting a new one here would cost an extra Rm20, and so I stinged and stayed away from the pool for a while. One of the regulars noticed the absence and asked why. I briefly told him about the loss. And today, he honked us on his way back from work, and told us his son has outgrown the exact same type of vest and would we mind getting a second hand?

NO! I almost yelled jubilantly. So nice hor? Are you jeles yet? :P I *heart* Thais (some, not all )

Watevah

It's an understatement that all mummies in the world like to compare - my son is taller than yours, my daughter is smarter than his, my baby is cuter than hers.. yada yada yada.. you get the drift.

I used to tutor kids before I was a mummy myself. Some kids were reading by 2.5 years old. Zoweee! And mummies would expect them to write and spell by 3, cos they got bored re-telling how the kids can read Dr. Zues and recognise about 200 chinese characters. Gotta have some other things to brag about at the saloons and also during mahjung sessions, pronto!

Some kids were smart and lucky to breeze thru the spelling process, but they would get stuck when challenged to write stories. Seriously how on earth can they comprehend the complexity of a beginning, middle and end framework when they have only lived on earth for less than 4 years? It was a mixture of awe and pity I had for the kids.

I had an amazing student who read by age 2, wrote stories by age 4. Yes, yes, again and again, I told the mom, she is amazing.. she is talented. However, it struck me that she wasn't concern about the development. She knew the girl aced and nailed everything academically. But she still needed to hear it. After awhile, she even wanted to know how 'badly' or how slowly the other kids were progressing. *shake head, make tut tut sound*

Having surrounded by kiasu moms for a period of time, I am surprised that I am less kancheong, especially about matters concerning the oh-so-boring ABCs and 1,2,3s. Any given day, I'd choose politeness and decorum over the ability to spell tyranasau-even-I-can't-spell-it rex.

Once in a while, some retarded mums come along and irk the bejesus out of me by wondering aloud if Gooly was solving algebras or has finished reading Harry Potter and the Seven Dwarfs, cos their bookwormy kids have. Normally, I'd answer the truth, albeit silently, which is:

"You crazy ah, you think he got nothing to do ah? There are balls to kick, and cartoons to watch, you know..?"

What comes out from my polite mouth will be, of course:

"Wow, so panai one your daughter/son.." which is really a compliment. No sarcasm intended. The kids are indeed brilliant in every sense, but the parents are another story.

They must think I am insane for not subliming Gooly. So they try to test-try me again to be sure, just so there is something to talk about on MSN. When it appeared that I think making up a story using narration is equally awesome as writing it, they think of other things to compare.

One fella wondered how come Gooly is not eating spicy food YET cos his Letchumi is dipping her roti canai into curry fish already. And another time, some aunty commented that her grand daughter could gulp down a chicken drumstick and ten grapes at one go when Gooly could only chow down half a wing and 2 grapes. Wuah.. the quantity and type of diet consumed also can be measured and compared.

I should really say, watevuh to these folks.. cos I seriously don't fret about superlatives. I am happy that Gooly is clever, not cleverer, not cleverest. It's ok if Mirium could run faster. We can live without winning the suffixes -er and -est. I pity the kids whose parents/grandparents can't.

In return, they probably pity Gooly for an insane mum who has minimal understanding about being the best..

*shrug*

Everything was wet!

It's not very often that we go down-town areas to happening places like Siam Paragon or Central World. Reason being we stay in a ulu place, quite a distance from town. And the infamous Bangkok jam itself is unbearable.

However, Gooly and I went Paragon yesterday, because Papah was working late, the sun was shining, Sawisekilo wanted some 'only-can get-in Bangkok' seaweed and Mos burgers were calling out my name.

So we hailed a taxi and as expected, got caught in a jam along Sukumvit Road. And that's when the sun didn't seem so glorious. Indeed, dark clouds loomed over our heads as we got off to catch the BTS. Yes, where I stay is that kampung.. we need a taxi and a train to town. We could take the taxi all the way, but it will cost a bomb and with the horrendous traffic, BTS is an alternative.

Gooly like many other boys enjoy train rides. Mahmee hates it. The jerking motions, the screeching sound, the announcer's irritating "next station Nana, next station Nana" can really cause train-sick. On top of the icing is smelly, noisy passengers. Till yesterday, I was only aware of smelly and noisy passengers. And then I found out there was another category - obnoxious teenagers who are sexually confused, or maybe I was the one confused, sighting a butch snuggling up a pretty maiden. 'Shim' actually bought a bouquet of white roses for 'hish' girlfriend, which she happily and proudly displayed. I have just gotten used to the idea or seeing Aquas around without giving them a double look, and now I have to train myself to appear nonchalant all over again for these 'lovely' couples. I am indeed 'ulu' eh?

Eating Mos burgers was a very wet experience. Aiyo.. the meat was juicy and succulent. Yummy yummy. But the glutton and 'ulu' me held the burger in my hands, and got irrirated with the dripping juicy. After 'jiak par' then only I reaslised they have this puny notice on the wrapping paper which says, " This wrapping will keep all the juice in your burger".. something like dat lah. Meaning to say, I was supposed to hold the wrapper and eat to avoid all the juice from dripping everywhere. Paiseh.. no wonder people were looooking and smiling at us. And I thought, aiseh, so friendly one the people here. *smacks own forehead* All in all, I enjoyed Mos, but still think Ramlee is da best!!

And then it began to pour. Getting into the BTS was a nightmare. People thronged in, drenched in sweat and rain. My poor Gooly could have easily got lost in the sea of sardines. He was holding on to my hand and the pole for dear life. Numerous times I asked him, "You ok?", and he would reply, "Yes, Mahmee, I'm ok. You ok?" Ah.. my sweet boy was worried about Mahmee too.

If getting into the BTS was a nightmare, trying to get a taxi home was hell. The queue was like an anaconda coiling its way around the street. It was still drizzling, and standing at the taxi stand with a mushroom sized umbrella, I took out the bun meant for tomorrow's breakfast and gave it to Gooly. Nothing to do maa, so eat lah.

Aiyo.. my dear dear Gooly broke the bun into half, and gave it to me lor. I was so kum thung. Ok, if he had given me the miserable half-ed 'tau sar'bun on other occasion, I'd have gobbled it down while muterring a mouthful 'thanks'. But the whole ordeal of enduring poor public transport and the sound of rain pitter-pattering made the moment so special. So dramady.. like we were about to die of hunger, and my son shared his last morsel with me like that lor.. *sad violin music*

In the end, we couldn't take the challenge anymore. Called Papah and he had just finished his meeting, and came to pick us up. When we got home, it was almost 12am. Gooly was fast alseep on my lap, and I could still taste the sweetness of the 'tau sar' bun in my mouth, and my heart. : )

I don't foresee torturing ourselves using the public transport again for a long long time. Blek...

My Rain dancing in public

Here's the clip where he was dancing to some thai traditional music. I like his 'look left look right' moves. They look kinda like MJ's. Rain's moves are part of the routine too. Some parts you'll see him grabbing his crotch. That's because he had three balls instead of two on that day :P Aiya, he kept his tennis ball at the rubber-waisted area and it slipped down to its other 'comrades'. Enjoy.. *passes hat around and winks at BBH for this brilliant idea*

Krung krung chiang

Last Sunday, while getting lost at the many sois at Jatujak Mall (more popularly know as JJ Mall), goolypop and I chanced upon this charming performance of Thai traditional music. The melodious chang chang, krung krung made us stop. Seeing empty plastic chairs were available, we quickly parked our heavy assets to enjoy the music.

The musicians were pretty young, the oldest being a pre-teen and the youngest, about 5, I suspect. But boy, was I impressed! After a short intermission, they changed instruments, meaning to say, each of them has actually mastered several instruments. I can't even strum a guitar, ok? And these kids are playing the instruments skillfully.

The sifu is way at the back of the stage in green shirt. He would announced the next song to play and give stern looks if he suspected any of them was getting into mischief. While watching, I couldn't help but wondered, 'Do they go to school? Do they get enough food?' They seem to be a troupe of somekind, wandering from places to places where their service is needed.

While some privileged kids have the choice to learn the piano or violin and quit when they are bored, these poor kids do not have a choice. They learn to play to earn a living.

While classy folks put on smart tuxedos and pretty dresses and pull strings at concerts, these kids wear simple clothings and sit under the stairs to perform.

Well, to me, they are already virtuosos. Bravo! My hands were sore from clapping. If I weren't as thin skinned, I would have given a standing ovation.

On the contrary the thicker skinned goolypop had the cheek to spoil the atmosphere by showing off his hiphop moves. He was trying to steal the thunder! I stopped him, of course, after 30 seconds of shiokness lah.. :P

For some weird reasons (I think blogger.com can't stand him either), I couldn't load the video. Boohoo! Maybe at another post, I'd insert the video. For now, just a glimpse of how silly that fella can be :P