8

Ah... little man is turning 8 tomorrow.

Didnt plan anything big or fancy. Just a simple dinner with family with a cake which we havent even ordered yet. No more characters cakes. Good that he is happy and thankful to have just a cake, any flavour "as long as it's with love".

Took him to buy a pressie of his choice. Took him a long time to decide on what is worthwhile. Nearly bought a kre-o box but he decided that it was too expensive. Went home empty handed but he is hopeful that he finds something cheaper and nicer another place another day.

Proud of you, son. You make good choices in life.

Happy birthday.. your birthday always marks the new beginning. Still holding your hands as long as you want me to.

Love love love n lots more,
Mohm

To Cambodia and back

..in 15 hours. Thats what we did.

As mentioned earlier, we have dumbly forgotten that one can enter the Kingdom and stay not more than 30 days for each visit. Our tickets back to msia are 40 plus days from date of arrival. Too much enthusiasm, i suppose, for our yearly trip to our second home.

And so we asked around for the nearest border for a quick exit and Aranthaprathet is the answer. Supposed to be a three hours drive, but i think we arrived after four hours or so.

As what i have expected, the sight of Cambodia is a sad one. Not exactly a place to bring your kids along unless they are much older (like Gooly's age). In the extreme heat, we had to endure the smelly ditch and the sight of poor kids begging on the street.

Lolly was asleep in the car all the way, which made the journey bearable. Otherwise she will doing sommersaults and drive us crazy with her antics. We were warned (thank goodness for google) of scams, and were told the process of entering and exiting the border to be a hassle-less one. And true enough, upon arrival we were approached by so many locals who offer to do visa and tax which were not necessary at all.

I put Lolly in the sarong, and she dutifully let me carry her throughout the walk from thailand to Cambodia (make it sound like its a high-risk adventour, but it is just crossing the friendship bridge - less than 5 minutes walk?) Meanwhile, gooly was warned to stay real close with us. Well of course..the place is famous for drug smuggling activities. The scene of dusty roads with sweaty men pulling carts was exactly what we saw in the opening scene of a 007 movie. I felt like a secret agent already with my first step across the border.

For formality's sake, we went to the casino after much insistence from papah. Kids could go in as well. It was like walking into the supermarket! And lolly banged on the buttons of the Slut, I mean Slot machines. No money came out, much to our chagrin. We had buffet at the casino cum hotel - 169baht each pax. No complaints..but not impressed either.

After contributing to the economy of Cambodia with 1000 bahts at the casino, we headed out to the border again. The queue was effing snakey long. Guess many of them were doing visa run like us. Koreans, russians, chinese..all sort of nationalities. Some were there for the casinos though. And that was when lolly was sleepy and thirsty and tired and hot. Oh - uh..not good not good. Plus a Korean boy was teaching her all sorts of pole climbing stunts (or she was instructing him to do?). So we paid 200bahts to cut queue. Another contribution.

But there was another long queue in the small buiding. Darn. We took a shufti and wondered who we can pay but the officers were all stern looking. Sked...... So i made lolly cry and stood very near to an unattended "Visitors with children" counter. But still no one cared. Finally papah had to approach an officer and explained our predicament (a crying baby is no joke ok!). He kindly allowed us to go first. But damn! He said our passports werent stamped at the Cambodia side. We have asked the porter where to stamp our passports, and he said it wasnt neccesary unless we planned to go further into the town. Since we had no intention to stay longer, we didnt get them stamped lah. But hello! That was only applicable for Thais. Do i look thai to you??! *wave malaysian flag* Harrumph! Trust a porter for important info!

And so we detoured back, through the "friendship bridge" and met some officers who offered privileged v.i.p stamping minus the queue. Oh sure! Take my money..i just wanna go home! Another 700 bahts contributed.

Finally..stamped and back to Thailand and straight into the car. Drove till sunset and beyond....all tired and drained. All of us.But we felt a notch tougher, with qualities of a back packer who can endure forests and jungles and volcanoes!

Ok..only i felt that way. The others were like, what a boring hot trip.

Im gonna pin "Cambodia" as a place visited. Teehee.

Having a lil girl

Before lolly, there were many things i couldnt understand about girls. Born with a modicum of male hormones i couldnt stand many things about girls.

There are girlie things that i absolutely adore like little hair clips, bows, mary janes etc. But i coulndt stand frilly dresses, smallish useless bags, faux pearls, tiaras. Tutus are fine, though. Also, I couldnt fathom why girls need and want to play with freaky dolls or dress up as princesses. Gag! Gag! Gag! And i was suddenly diagnosed with Major Roll Eyes syndrome whenever i saw princess wannabes.

I know. I was so sick. I just needed a little girl to cure me of this strange anal illness.

And along came lolly. Ahhh...the giggly girl who loves shoes - the bigger the better. And bags! Atta girl! We shall share treasures together. She doesnt particularly like dresses. Or jeans. She prefers to be au naturale.. Is there a nude camp somewhere for lil babes? She dislikes any hair accesories but on some good days, she allows a simple clip on her fringe. And when that happens, i squeal....cos she looks soooo cute!

Very often, she rushes to attain any bags within reach (sometimes a plastic bag) before we head out. (Squeal again....cos its so cuteeeedee). And she hangs the bag around the elbow-line just like Jackie O. When the bags are too big (mine), she drags them on the floor. Blasphemy! Show some respect to bags, girl! And of course those bags were confiscated and placed back at the altar for worshipping purposes before more damage is done.

The other day, we went to the toys department. As usual, she played with the dinosaurs making realistic roaring sounds terrifying other little girls. I smiled a little. And then she walked towards some dolls. She kissed them, and rocked them, being all motherly (and cute, of course). And as we were leaving, she placed them back GINGERLY (a notable change) on the shelf and waved bai-bai. I was like "shut up and take my money! This girl needs all the dolls in the world!"

So i have over-come my anal-ness about girlie stuff. Not entirely. Princesses are still gag-able. But at the rate of cuteness she emancipates at every girlie activity or attire, i will be sold if she ever wanted a Snow-black dress complete with tiaras and make ups!

But before that comes...ewwwwwwww! At that tought. Yucks!

Lolly at 20 months

Of late i realised that lolly has turned over a new leaf. I think she reads this blog and finally understood what i felt all this while. Not to say that she was "that" bad a kid, but i supposed compared to Gooly...lets just say i have it easy with him. Or maybe i havent remembered every thing well, only the rosy parts. If that is the case, i must give myself a big pat on the butt for successful selective memory.

Ok so... Lolly, i would say...is a rambunctious kiddo. While it was fun to watch ( a little) her stubbornness, cheekiness and divaness, a part of me wanted her to be sweet and gentle. Lets face it, she will go straight to jail by age 4 if she continues to behave and believe that she is the daughter of Godfather 1,2,3,4 and 5. Or that she rules the world universe. I am so afraid that she will grow up kicking cats and all!

I wanted her to kiss me, and not say "NYO" just because that is one of her few almost phonetically correct words she can utter.

I wanted her to say please and thank you and sorry or at least show the same gestures, like all children should in their everyday life.

(there was once she stepped on my toe -physically, and her cries were louder than my yelp. I taught her how to say sorry. But she just cried snd cried like i have scolded her unreasonably. Well, my mom asked why did I scold her unreasonably! Applause..
applause.. sombebody give my daughter an over acting award please)

After reading my blog, I pressume...she finally gets it - how should a kid behave. Either that or my patience works. I held my tongue everytime i wanted to scold. I spoke to her in a mumsy way. You know, I listened to my own voice in home videos, i can puke at my own high pitch - all darling - ilafu voice when speaking to her. Gag!

I dont scold unless its about respect and manners. Every other mischielfs, i just bear and grin it. "Can you (effing) not swim on the (effing) floor cos its (effing) dirty, sweetie mushroom dingadum darling poopsie pie?" (censored expletives at tip of tongue in parenthesis)

For now, it kinda works. Ooh..the following parts is what i want to rave about!

Ok..hear this *excited*, she walks out of the lift and says 'tatu' to whoever holding the door. And she does it with a slight bow. Teehee!

And she accidentally hit me, ran off crying to her papah (like she was the one kena hit), ran back to me, kissed my wounded heart, sayang-ed my actually-not-so-painful finger. Awwww!

When i say, "Kiss mummy!" she would! And i ask for a couple more, she would oblige. With the biggest smile! And tightest hug! *heart melts*

Sometimes she stirs in her sleep, calling out "Ai!" and when sees or hears me, she smiles and lets out a chuckle, and goes back to sleep.

Its little things like these that make me know for sure that she likes me..loves me.

And the biggest joy is that she is eating more...with proper utensils! No more sweeping food onto the floor, or feeding the dog. She munches happily, and throws in compliments like "Hmm..naish."

Im loving my lil lollypop more n more.

To age 2 and beyond...!!

One of those days..

Today is one of those days that i looked at my daughter's face, and marvelled at her cuteness. Mind you, it is not always like that. Yes, daughter..very often i look at you and throw my hands up in the air in exasperation. Like the time you didnt want to wear your diaper (as always), saying NYO! in a very opinionated tone. I asked what do you mean NYO..you will shee shee on the floor? You calmly walked into the toilet and pointed at the WC. Oh, i would applause, really if only you dont uhm...stand and pee.

*throws hands in air in exaperation*

ok, that aside...

You were really good today. *smilze* you woke with the cheeriest smile and you ate egg toast. Oh jolly good. There were days you refused cheese, yogurt, bread, anything the butler served. You wallopped some noodles for lunch with your favourite snack, edamame (that you never say NYO). I was impressed with your appetite. Come dinner, you ate almost a whole corn with some soup, sea weed junk-snack and a mini bun. You just grew another stomach, eh?

In between, we went swimming and took a nap together. Heck, you even allowed us to put you on the stroller to the pasar malam nearby. Despite being rather limited with vocabulary, you do astonish me with your observation. It's like you know how I roll. You take off my spectacles, arrange the pillow exactly the way I do - to 'ajak' nap time.

And you smiled at me so much. With your head cocked slightly. And your fringe is longer, so we put a pin, and it always makes your face rounder with your chin edgier. oh how i love to kiss the tip of your chin. It tickles you so much, your laughter echos through space.

And when you laugh, the whole world laughs with you. :)

I admit there were days that i do get mad at you. You are so stubborn, strong willed...naughty! And i know shouting, scolding dont work for you. I make a conscious effort to talk nicely to you and to be more patient.

You have a shirt that says "Naughty girls need to be loved too!" I so know that! And I so strongly believe that.

And today, its just one of the days...you realised that you need not to whine or cry to get something...that you need not to be naughty to get attention, perhaps?

Naughty or nice, 'ai' still loves you. But being the latter makes it so much easier.

Its really simple, girl. You already have a cute face. Just continue having fun without driving other people up the wall. You can do it!

Nike says so.

Bringing Lolly out

Admittedly i dont bring lolly out much in kl. For safety reasons (of other people yo! This girl is dangerous yo!)

Ok lah, besides that, its also because she doesnt like to go on strollers, hates being in a car seat, runs amok, steals things ? And her paraphenelia of pillow, milk bottles, diapers, etc. breaks my back. .oooh! It's such a chore to bring her out.

But slowly i am phasing out the un-necissities. First to go was her milk stuff. No more drinking whilst in the car! That way i can just stuff money into my bra and panties and have twpo free hands to wrestle her when the need arises (or to cover my embarassed face, depending on which is more important).

I have taught her the "hands behind" trick. She is not to touch anything when we say "hands behind". It's not a guaranteed thing though so we still avoid crystals, chinas and other breakable stuff. For at least another ten years.

Everytime she goes into mishief, i stupidly say, "Hoh! Look! Uncle is looking." or auntie is looking. Or dog is watching. Or che che is laughing at you. *duh

Or when she refused to do something she is supposed to, i also stupidly say, "uncle say must...eat your rice" pointing at an innocent passer-by. Heck! She does what other people says...even when the dog asked her not to jump into the pool. Try "mummy says", she will do the opposites.

Anyways... We brought her to jatujak market. Crazy idea. Fun...but crazy.

And i carried her through the mazes of Platinum Mall, while repeatedly scared her with the mannequins. That was the most fun part.

We went to the zoo. It was feeding the tiger time. Ideas flickered. Yaa...feeding her to the tigers would have been fun to watch. The gladiator girl of mine would survive, i tell ya.

More about the zoo later. Another post perhaps. With only pictures. Of her head inside and out of the lion's mouth.

Dont worry, i will pixelise the lion's face to avoid gory scenes.

North bound

I feel obligated to blog, or to put it more aptly, to remember about this year's trip to our 2nd home, Bangkok. Since we went back to Msia in 2009 (i think), we have returned every year and i have never written anything for i fear the memories wil be bitter-sweet. I have never wanted to leave Bkk, and thus the bitterness but now i have accepted the fact that I have, and have fondly embraced the idea that Bkk is a yearly getaway. No need to be a sour grape already.

Ok, so this year we are here for 6 weeks. Our visiting visa is valid for only 30 days though. So it's another adventure we will brave through to get our passports stamped. Yet to plan where to exit and re-enter though. *grin

More about that later, i am sure.

To begin with, our flight to bkk was a smooth one. Mainly cos i prayed so hard that Lolly wouldnt hijack the plane or terrorise the other passengers. She fell asleep despite it being a 7pm flight. Phew! But of course before that, whilst waiting, she was running a marathon, and threw in some stunts of jumping over (and tripping) over people's bags. *pretend not to be her mom mode auto-on*


Gooly, needless to say (but still wanna say) was the greatest Manny on earth. He helped with all the luggage and grudgingly helped to 'control' the babe-ster. Sometimes he laughed (like when she fell flat on her face),sometimes he was amused (like when she called every white-haired male "kong kong" ) but mostly he was slightly embarassed and mang-chang with her antics (she was playing mahjung on the floor).

Meanwhile, i was praying fervently that her energy level will plumment down to zero upon entering the plane.

And it did! *cues music for "the eye of the tiger"

And then i took time to thank gooly for his help..and his patience. I woudlnt have made it without him, seriously.

In retrospect, the whole evening wasnt that bad. I'm just making her sound like a horror-terror cos i am sure there were times that she was one crazy tot and i have not written it down.

Then again, it could be im finally getting used to her antics. Nothing shocks me anymore (the stunts that she partakes). Heck, i am a pro at turning on "who is this kid? Somebody call the SPCA already!" look now.