Aileen Zakka

not a ballet dancer

2012-02-03T23:18:00.002+08:00

ballet, to me,
is romantic, delicate, dreamy, feminine...
it is exclusive and analogous to perfection

i was rejected to the world of ballet because i was told to be too big and stiff

so when i came across them a few years ago
i wanted to own every pair of their shoes

......

and here's my latest addition
royal blue + velvet

it has found its perfect partner
a pair of floral socks

i am not a ballet dancer on stage
but i am one in my imagination ^_^

warmth

2012-02-01T00:34:00.000+08:00

finally!

a winter blanket made for little bb!

i wanted to make a thick and warm one for him for a long time....

searched around and found a nice piece of fleece in white....

together with the fleece, i also got some tiny loops/pompoms in mohair as trimmings

but the materials were sitting in my basket for months....

i simply didn't have the time to sit down and make the blanket...

last weekend,

i said to myself that i really ought to work on it otherwise we need to say bye bye to the cold weather and the poor materials will be all lonely until the next winter.

so this is it!

it is really thick and warm....

although it was difficult to make (due to the size and thickness of the blanket; and the smallness of my working table),

i am quite happy with how the blanket turns out....

i have this thing about tassels...

i like them tiny

made tiny chubby tassels with leftover wool from the birthday hat i made for little bb...

added one to each corner of the blanket.

i wasn't sure how it be like after surviving spins in the washing machine...

whether they will shrink, fall apart, etc

but all four of them stayed intact!!! *smile*

i used fleece on one side of the blanket and cotton fabric on the other side.

the cotton fabric is a "museum" grade kind of collection to me!

it doesn't show very well in these pictures,

but it is of very very pale blue with scalloped patterns all over.

i like it very much and have been reluctant to use it....

thinking i should save it for the "one" very special project.

it has been waiting patiently in my closet for a long long time.

with this winter blanket...

i think i have found THE project!

added initial monograms onto this side of the blanket.....
as for the tiny loops/pompoms, i had trimmed two adjacent sides of the blanket in grey and the other two sides in blue...

on the other side, the fleece side,

i added an iron-on .....

the iron-on is a circus house in nice pastel colors with a piece of lace....

alright little bb,

you are all set for the cold weather

(sorry, it came a bit late....
but it is better late than nothing at all ^_^)

the bread monster cannot make bread

2012-01-31T23:35:00.000+08:00

i am a bread monster

i can have bread for breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner and snacks forever....
i love all types of bread
plain, wheat, rye, pumpernickel, corn, cheese, onion, sweet, sour.....

i think it is in my blood
my mom tells me all the time that her craving during her pregnancy was..... BREAD

so finally
i got a bread making machine from dear friends for my last birthday.
which is terrific because i was planning to get one myself.
the ones from bakeries are actually not as healthy as we would like them to be...
they are high in fat, sodium, sugar, chemicals....
(ok, i think it is actually not that bad as i am still alive after all these years)
but more importantly,
this thing about bread has passed onto to little bb.
he loves bread.

so last weekend,
i finally gave it a try.....

BUT

something went wrong....
the bread came out to be too hard and salty.......

i am trying to make it look nice in here....

... even little bb is not interested in the bread...
he is more interested in the hole of they tray rather than the bread mommy made...
*cry*

but i shall not give up,
will try again soon...

i seriously suspect that it has something to do with the flour i used

an interview with a little person

2012-01-30T00:08:00.001+08:00

* I = interviewer
* LBB = little bb

I: who is your favorite person?
LBB: baa baa baa baa

I: oh i see, what about your mommy?
LBB: baa baa baa baa

I: do you have any siblings?
LBB: braunnn braunnn, ga gaaaaa

I: what is your favorite fruit?
LBB: buuuuu buuuuu buu

I: what is your favorite thing?
LBB: balllllllllll

I: what is your favorite toy?
LBB: garrrrr garrrrr

I: what is your must do as soon as you wake up?
LBB: boooo boooo boooo

I: what is your favorite activity?
LBB: *point towards the computer screen*

*************************

deciphered by LBB's mommy:

I: who is your favorite person?

LBB: baa baa baa baa

Mommy: that's his daddy..... daddy is his favorite person because daddy let him do all the things that mommy doesn't allow him to do, like watching TV, drinking lemon tea, eating ice-lollipop, the list goes on and on and on

I: oh i see, what about your mommy?

LBB: baa baa baa baa

Mommy: *sigh* there is no mommy in LBB's world

I: do you have any siblings?

LBB: braunnn braunnn, ga gaaaaa

Mommy: brownie and sugar. he loves playing fetch with brownie and brownie likes playing with him. though i am not sure about sugar. i am not sure if sugar sees little bb as her little brother..... as sugar is quite scared of this little monster who will grab her from the back suddenly.

I: what is your favorite fruit?

LBB: buuuuu buuuuu buu

Mommy: blueberry...... he has this "skill" of having many many many blueberries in his little mouth at one time.

I: what is your favorite thing?

LBB: balllllllllll

Mommy: ball or anything round in shape. a ball is a ball, a button is a ball, the sun is a ball.....

I: what is your favorite toy?

LBB: garrrrr garrrrr

Mommy: car

I: what is your must do as soon as you wake up?

LBB: boooo boooo boooo

Mommy: "reading" his good morning book, messing around with the pages!

I: what is your favorite activity?

LBB: *point towards the computer screen*

Mommy: *shaking her head* he loves watching BabyTV on youtube... his favorite song is twinkle twinkle little star.... every time his daddy turns on the computer, he has a big grin on his face as soon as he sees the logo appears on the screen..... but i am limiting this "favorite activity" to once a week... probably that's why there is no mommy in his world!

relaxed

2012-01-29T23:54:00.001+08:00

today is the most laid back sunday i could recall in the recent months
i was actually able to nap for almost an hour in the late afternoon!
napping is something i don't do....
as i feel like it is wasteful... not productive...

but i was just too tired today

after the nap,
i gave manicure and pedicure to brownie and sugar,
followed by a quick trimming of their bangs....
finished off with brushing of their fur...

tidied up the house a bit
finished off the blanket i made for little bb

and even gave my nails a new color!

not bad at all....
so even by slipping in a nap,
i was able to do the things i have planned for the day....
maybe i should nap more ^_^

his song

2012-01-28T02:17:00.000+08:00

little bb's favorite song.......

pink is my red

2012-01-27T21:54:00.003+08:00

first trial

2012-01-26T00:10:00.000+08:00

it's close to midnight now
about half an hour ago,
i did something for the first time in my life....
making pancakes!!!

cooking is never something i can handle
i am extremely clumsy around in the kitchen

but the pancake making experience just now
boosted my confidence level from a negative 100 to negative 50.....
(still a long way to go until a positive number!)

at least they look like pancakes!

why make pancakes?
the other day i was shopping in the grocery shop for little bb
thinking of what to get him as breakfast,
i came across the pancake mix.
i read the instructions which look like something i could handle...
so i gave it a shot...

today after work,
i rushed to the 10 dollars shop (well no longer 10 dollars anymore... it's the 12 dollars shop now)
to get the shape cutters...
little bb loves stars...
so i got him a couple of stars, plus a set of hearts and triangles...

after putting him to sleep,
i started messing around the kitchen....

i am glad i didn't burn down the kitchen
and the pancakes looked and tasted alright

i hope little bb will like them

if i didn't have to go to work tomorrow,
i would prefer to give him freshly made pancakes....
but i do need to work tomorrow,
so i guess reheating them in the toaster tomorrow is alright....

i wonder if he can tell they are stars
(but not the hearts yet as we haven't taught him yet ^_^
i do want him to learn how to love!)

blessings

2012-01-25T23:33:00.002+08:00

it was a last minute decision to make lai-see for chinese new year again

instead of doing the writing of the chinese character (which stands for blessings
like i did last year) myself,
i decided to cut a few out from other professionally printed lai-see.....
because my handwriting is really not that great...

i made a few more than last year
in addition to little bb and my beloved god-children sansan and didi,
a few more was made for those dearest... my brother, sister-in-law and a couple of good old friends...

each lai-see made stands for all my blessings....
i wish you all happiness, health and full of love....

2011.... 2012

2012-01-24T00:47:00.000+08:00

we have been helping little bb to burn his energy in the speed of light these couple of days...
with yesterday and today being the first two days of chinese new year,
he has been visiting homes of the grandparents, uncles and aunties, visited by godmothers.....
no time for napping in between at all!
in a way, it's good (for somotu and me) as he falls asleep right away after shower... hohoho

this is little bb's second chinese new year.
still,
he doesn't really know what is happening.

when he was given the red "lai-see"s,
he would either turn away or throw them onto the floor.

when he saw all the candies and festive food,
he didn't go begging for them.

perhaps next year, he would know that these are "good stuff"!

just now i pulled up the photos taken last year, his first chinese new year....
boy! he is no longer a baby now!

last year, he would hold the "lai-see" envelop i made for him
this year, he is more interested in the lens cover of my camera more than the "lai see" envelop i made.....

last year, the red bowtie i made for him was tooooo big
this year, the same red bowtie looks about just the right size

last year, he didn't have too many expressions
this year, he has way too many....

a new year... and hopefully a better one

2012-01-23T01:44:00.002+08:00

happy chinese new year!
this is the year of the dragon
the dragon is thought to be the most powerful and desired chinese zodiac
and that it will bring good things.

i surely hope it will....

just when i was going to put of my thoughts and wishes into writing here,
something has happened couple days ago which turned most, if not all, people's head...

perhaps what i wish would be difficult to come true with the recent sentiment in the place we live in.....

anyway, this was what i have started writing down the other day:

there has been so much negative energy in the community, in the city recently

it’s scary to see what it will evolve into…..

before complaining, growling about others and this place we live in

pause

think of what we have done for others and this place, our home

it’s all about give and take

it’s not a one way street

if we still want to complain and growl,

why not turn the negative energy into a positive one

take action

in a positive and constructive manner

make a change

every bit of small change add up to a big one

this place is our home afterall

“

More love

Less judgement

“

in my humble point of view,

i truly believe that this place we live in will become a better place for all
if each one has "more love and less judgement"

I keep reminding myself of this

And

I want the community in which little bb is growing up and living in, a better one

sofie hasn't grown bigger but you have

2012-01-19T00:05:00.000+08:00

this was you when you were around 6 months old

though you are just a bit more than double older now,
compared to back then,
you are a giant now

sometimes when i look at you,
i still have the thought of
"oh my, i can't believe someone like me can be a mother"

as i am sometimes careless,
sometimes forgetful
sometimes longing for freedom
sometimes childish

perhaps it is not so bad to have these "qualities"
...being careless, we can watch out for each other more
...being forgetful, i won't stay mad at your little mischievious acts for too long
...being a lover of freedom, you can sometimes have your own "space" and breathe
...being childish, we can laugh our heart out together over the smallest thing...

old-school

2012-01-18T00:44:00.000+08:00

in some ways,
i am very old-fashioned
or
i would like to say that i am old-school

i prefer things that are tangible, and with a human touch

this extend to little bb

i have been trying very hard to keep him away from TVs, i-phones, i-pads, etc
(it's hard because we have a technology guru at home!)

i like to spend our time together flipping through colorful books,
singing songs, dancing, doing crazy upside downs....
sometimes, i hold his hand to draw things, like stars (one of his favorite objects)...
and do coloring....

yesterday, we tried folding a fan
he didn't have a clue what was going on
and had an amazed look on his face...

this morning, i searched for origami instructions
and came upon a couple which i am going to give it a try together with little bb

this and this

bye bye 2011 christmas

2012-01-17T23:28:00.003+08:00

2011 christmas is officially over for us, reluctantly....

as we have finally waved goodbye to our christmas tree and decorations.

last friday night,

with the help of little bb,

we packed away the christmas tree.

little bb contributed to putting the silver ball balls into the storage bag one by one.

we assigned this task to him as we know he would love it!

he loves the silver ball balls!

one by one,

he carefully placed them into the storage bag....

sometimes he would pause, wanting to take them all out again...

we had to keep repeating "put the balls balls into the bag"

......

and sometimes he would make sounds like "awwwwwww"

as if he has summoned all his strength to put the ball into the bag...

watching him being very busy is very .....

i can't think of a single word to describe the following combined together:

heart-warming + funny + cute + happy + blessed

progress of the little polar bear

2012-01-16T00:31:00.000+08:00

you love cars more than daddy and mommy
you say "ka" more often and correctly than saying "mama" and "papa"
any thing flat and round in shape in your hands,
will become the wheel of the car,
you will keep turning it left and right as if you are driving a car...
and you will make sounds like "voom voom voom"
"yes dear, you drive really well and fast" '... hehehe

brownie and sugar are definitely more appealing than daddy and mommy
as you can distinguish brownie and sugar more than daddy and mommy
surely, two mobile furry balls are more interesting and fun to chase after
daddy and mommy are nothing but boring feeding machines! hohoho

when you are in for it, you will wave your hand to say bye bye
and you will blow kisses
when you are not for it, you look away and pretend you don't understand

when you first found out you can walk on two legs,
you kept walking, walking and walking as if you were training yourself to run in a marathon.
but now,
you are smart enough to know when and where you want to walk by yourself
and when and where you just want to be carried

your next favorite object to car, is ball ball....
or anything round in shape
daddy and mommy tried to show different shapes and their names to you....
but you only seem to like circles
a square is a circle
a triangle is a circle
a rectangle is a circle

you still don't like to drink water
which makes mommy really frustrated

you seem to like "reading" books
each morning, you will point your little fingers to the books' box
and say "boooo boo baaa"
mommy has no idea which book you want....
mommy will pick one book for you to acknowledge or reject
when you say "booo boo baaaa" again and point at the box again,
mommy knows mommy got it wrong....
it's a guessing game for mommy

you love hugging brownie
mommy knows you would love to hug sugar too
but sugar finds you a bit scary....
just give sugar some time.....
one day, she will either let you hug her
or
you will be fast enough to catch her before she runs away.

and yesterday,
for the first time
you were finally being recognized as a boy correctly

hair does make a difference...
but mommy misses your long hair look

yummieee

2012-01-15T00:24:00.000+08:00

meeting up with girl friends
...
chatting away
shopping away
eating away
laughing away
...
is always heart warming

what is it like if it is all of the above
plus one more
eating away

that is
eating away one
and
eating away twice

gosh, it's heavenly!

last saturday
eating away one was japanese
then
followed by eating away twice.....
very local style fast food!

i had wanted to try out this cute little local style diner
and finally had the chance on saturday....

the deco is 60/70's local style
lots of very old fashioned but chic little zakka here and there...

it wasn't our plan to order a table full of food
we just wanted to have drinks...
but the menu looks too good
and we couldn't stop ourselves from ordering...

clockwise from top....
* 3Q combo... mini egg tart, mini chicken pie and mini coconut tart
* egg-dipped cheese toast with scrambled eggs and ham
* the "baby" duo drink... ovaltine mixed with horlicks topped with marshmellow
* banana pancakes topped with vanilla ice-cream

just writing about them now
makes me hungry!!!!!!

all of them were super yummy!
especially the duo drink and egg-dipped cheese toast

i felt like floating on the clouds!!! yummy!

p.s.
the diner treated us local style jello poured with condensed milk!!!!
it has been a long long time since i had this kids' food!
yummy!

back..... forth..... NOW

2012-01-12T23:30:00.002+08:00

while chatting with my colleague this morning
i suddenly realize that i will reach a milestone in terms of age by the end of this year
immediately
i fired an email to my friends who will be reaching the same milestone this year
gosh
this number was so distance to me only yesterday

met them for lunch
and one asked whether by reaching this number would change our attitude towards life

then it all came
back
to me that
i was the one who swore to never get married and never have children

now
i am the only one in the group who had done both

and
forth
?
what lies ahead?
who knows?

perhaps it's best to just focus on NOW

NOW
little bb is fast asleep after a joyful day
and
i am sitting in my zakka room
listening to one of my favorite albums
enjoying some quiet moments to myself

more ♥

2012-01-10T23:04:00.001+08:00

my turn to play with lights

at the beginning of a new year
i find myself having a lot of deep thoughts
about my identity, my roles as a mother, a wife, a friend, a daughter, a sister
about my work
leading to questions...

just at the right time,
i stumbled across a few places where i found words and phrases that really strike me

one being:

"
to have more love
and
less judgement
"

may your year ahead be filled with love

playing with lights

2012-01-09T00:09:00.000+08:00

i see ♥s

pamper

2012-01-08T23:33:00.003+08:00

surrounded by the scent of rose tonight....

a good way to pamper myself

pink ♥ green

2012-01-07T23:06:00.000+08:00

♥ laduree ♥

♥

2012-01-06T00:22:00.003+08:00

i really like oxford shoes

if our cabinet for shoes is big enough,
i would have a pair in every shade and material i fancy.
beige, nude, pale pink, dusty pink, candy pink, dark grey, light grey, suede, leather, patent leather...... the list goes on and on

this pair is a recent addition
and they are definitely one of my 2011 best buys!
loving them!

christmas stays

2012-01-05T00:11:00.000+08:00

after almost a week,
little bb seems to have recovered.
the rashes on his little body are mostly gone
and his appetite is coming back.

i am so relieved and glad to see him being his usual self again,
seeing him being nosy, walking around, babbling make me feel over the top.

with him up and running again,
i feel like the rest of the things are all back on track.
and that i can focus on work and other things at home.

i started packing away the christmas decorations
with utmost unwillingness!
hmmm.... though the christmas tree refused to take its long break.
it insists on keeping us (especially little bb) company....
and it says i still need to practice some more on taking photos with the bokeh effect which only it can provide!
okok, so it stays.....

i suggested to somotu that since chinese new year is coming up,
perhaps we can decorate the christmas tree with mandarin oranges and turn it into a chinese mandarin orange tree.
i think it is a great idea!!!!! though somotu thinks i am crazy....

will see how much longer the tree can stay in the living room....

i really hate to say "see you next winter" to christmas....

i love christmas....

the last of 2011

2011-12-30T23:12:00.000+08:00

finally
on the last couple of days of 2011

it's the last working day today
since yesterday,
i have been trying hard to tidy up my work area at work.
things have gotten a bit messy
with pieces of paper and files here and there

to have a fresh new beginning,
i went through all the paper, files
said bye bye to the ones i don't need and saw them to the recycling bin

organized a bit better...

ta-da!
a refreshed working area awaits me in 2012!

and
the fever is still holding onto little bb.
middle of last night,
we woke to see him red as a tomato...

the doctor said his throat is infected
probably passed to him by an adult...
and that adult is probably me!
poor little bb....
and i am feeling guilty for not taking good care of myself.....
the good thing is he seemed to be a bit more playful than yesterday...
though his appetite has dropped....

i am still not well after almost a week....

get well soon to both little bb and myself ~~

38 ~ 39

2011-12-29T00:01:00.000+08:00

he was unusually inactive and dull after his dinner tonight
checked his temperature and found out he has a slight fever...
38.6 to 39 then back to 38.4

it's his first fever and our first encounter of bb's fever
i was a bit panicky ^_^
lucky that somotu came home just in time

somotu called a friend of his to ask for advice and to-do's
while i took off some of little bb's clothes to help him cool down
gave him medication (lucky we still have the fever reduction mediation from his vaccination awhile ago)
gave him some water....

he seemed to be cooling down

on a lighter side of things,
before all this,
i was having this as my dinner

apples, pears, pomegranate and nata de coco
i needed to detox after all the festive food

i wasn't able to eat much with little bb's fever....
so it will be my dinner tomorrow as well

hope little bb will be up and running again to greet the new year!
we don't have any special plans for new year's eve and new year's day
but i just want you to be your usual happy, cheerful and smiley self!

the 28th

2011-12-28T23:29:00.000+08:00

we have quite a packed day today!

i took the day off as it is somotu's birthday today!

it is always a big big big headache for me to think of what to get him as birthday present.
he is very particular and 9 out of 10 times,
he would blow off my suggestions...

since some years ago,
i have given up trying and would simply ask him what would he want.
(so not romantic!!! i know! but better than being wasteful!)

same again this year,
i kept asking him what he would like and he kept saying he didn't want anything.

ok,
so that's what i did...
nothing for him.
well, except the above photo i took last night....
dedicated to somotu!

happy birthday dearest!!!
xoxoxoxo

back to how we spent the day....
we had lunch at a new restaurant which turned out to be really good.
then went to pick up little bb's passport!
little bb had to attend in person as well!
we were thinking whether the immigration officer would interview him!
like,
"why do you need a passport?"
"why your hair is so long?"
"did your parents filled in the gender incorrectly?"
no, the officer was too cool and dull to even look at him!
hahahaha.....
and we got a bonus!!!!!
little bb's identity card!!!
we didn't know applying for the passport would come with the identity card as well.
i couldn't help but laughed out loud when i saw his chubby face on the passport and his little identity card! hahahahaha

originally, we were going to bring him to the salon i go to for a free haircut.
yes, free!
my hairdresser said it's his service for long time customer.... as long as the child is under 3 yrs old.
well, to be exact, i am definitely not a long time customer.... but why would i deny!
but i wasn't able to contact him....
so in the end,
we went to another salon to have a paid haircut!
more about his first professionally done haircut later......

he looks more like a boy now ^_^

we then went shopping for a chair to replace the one at home.....
headed home right after

then somotu and i went out for dinner...
yup, just the two of us.... for a change.

when we got home after dinner,
somotu was busy ensembling the chair
and so was little bb!
he wanted to help daddy so much
he looked really seriously, trying to hand the tools over, walking and crawling around the upside done chair.....
i love this picture of them working on something together....

dizzy days

2011-12-27T23:43:00.002+08:00

.... best spent lying on bed, covered by thick heavy blankets.....

2011-12-25T00:01:00.002+08:00

a lovely afternoon

2011-12-24T23:25:00.000+08:00

we had a very happy christmas gathering with our goddaughter and godson today

after a yummy (though a bit messy one because of little bb) lunch,
we went bowling!
yes bowling! little bb's first time!!!!!!
he seemed to like it and kept walking back to the lane....

sansan is a super good girl!
she has such great gaming manner! she kept encouraging little bb and even gave him a thumb up!
i am so proud to be her godmother!

after bowling, we all went running around in the playground...
little bb loved driving and wouldn't stop steering the wheels!

and here are our busy little drivers....

they said they were driving us to disneyland!

i had fun playing hide-and-seek with sansan and didi...
honestly, it has been quite a long while since i played this game...
it was fun and heart-warming ^_^

thanks dear joanna for having us for lunch and such great fun!

it's here!

2011-12-23T23:56:00.001+08:00

finally our christmas long weekend has arrived!

i am still exhausted
and still battling against the flu

but i get to spend the next few days with little bb round the clock!

tonight, we had our family dinner at my uncle's place.
our three babies were over-joy over there!
made my day seeing them so excited and happy and energetic!

i love decorating them!

2011-12-23T00:55:00.003+08:00

i went for a christmas cupcake decoration class
i thought it would be fun and festive
but i didn't expect myself to fall in love with cupcake decoration!

i have taken similar classes before,
but i just love this one,
probably because it has to do with my favorite time of the year
(not to mention that our teacher was playing the soundtrack of marie antoinette!)

it takes a lot of patience and care to roll the dough, do the color mixing, smoothen the fondant layer, cut the shapes, place the shapes and patterns onto the right spot, icing the top...

but the process is very enjoyable and at the same time therapeutic, especially after a long day at work....

i can just see myself doing the decoration non-stop!

i ended up with 13 different cupcakes.

and i must say this is the most difficult one to make... took me hours to finish it!

my little snowman which is dedicated to little bb!

i was going to wait till christmas day to show it to little bb
but he has already caught a glimpse of it and wanted it badly!

no boy, you just have to wait!
it's your christmas present from mama!

slow and steady

2011-12-15T23:36:00.000+08:00

this is the favorite time of my year.....
i actually don't want dec 25 to come too soon
i want to cherish every moment leading to this day....
cuz after this day,
i will have to wait for another year again....

slow and steady please
i am enjoying my time!

thank you dear!

2011-12-13T23:53:00.003+08:00

i absolutely adore this handmade christmas wreath from dear joanna

it is stunningly beautiful!

i wish i were half as talented as you dear!!!!

thanks so much!!!!

and i love love love the little postcard that comes with it...
love the words!

and i am so honored to receive wreath no.1!!!

♥ first trial ♥

2011-12-12T00:18:00.000+08:00

house full of ♥♥♥♥

will continue trying to take better ones tomorrow!

and special thanks to sugar darling for being my ♥bokeh model♥

more of them

2011-12-11T23:04:00.001+08:00

i finally found out how to get hearts here

i will be trying them out!

i love these blurry bubbles..

i love bokeh

hope i can get the hearts!!!!!

loved

2011-12-11T00:36:00.001+08:00

i just had a wonderful birthday on friday...

didn't really do anything special
other than going to ocean park and my favorite place for afternoon tea
then had dinner with dear friends

the most important thing was
i spent the day with my beloved ones

and happy birthday to all those who has the same birthday!

and many many thanks to my dearest friends for your wishes, time and gifts!

and somotu, thanks for doing something that you wouldn't normally do.. ^_^

happy day

2011-12-08T00:41:00.000+08:00

i am very happy today
cuz we finally got a christmas tree!

it's our very first christmas tree!!!!!

and i am very happy that i finally got the bokeh effect i want!
i love the blurry lights look in the photo...
i love the look so much that i took over 20 pictures of the same!
taking about being crazy ^_^

they know better

2011-12-05T00:20:00.001+08:00

sometimes i wonder babies are really still just "babies"
or they are playing dumb

i have been trying to get little bb to feed himself with his milk and food
but all in vain...
though i have read that other babies of the same age has already started feeding themselves
i think to myself that maybe mine is slow with these things and is not ready yet.

well, not really...
recently, i started giving him yoghurt...
that's when i think he is not as "slow" as i think....

with yoghurt, he gets impatient and will reach out his little hand
to take the spoon from my hands and start dipping the spoon into the yoghurt.
he must really like yoghurt.... ^_^

this "pro-activeness" extends to fruits... not all type of fruits
only certain ones, like banana and blueberries....

my conclusion,
babies like to play dumb...
they know better when to be lazy and when to be "aggressive"

i miss that week when i had to stay at home and be a part-time-full-time-mom.
it was only during that week that little bb finally can walk by himself, in quite steady steps...
^_^

let's travel to space!

2011-12-04T00:02:00.002+08:00

every time i see these little toes
i just couldn't help but want to give them big smooches....

these days, i like to put mine next to his
and show him what is meant by "big" and "small"
^_^

we just had one of the busiest saturdays
and one of the most laid back sundays

little bb were invited to a birthday party of a 1 yr old
the theme was about animals...
just like little bb's....
then i think to myself,
unlike for girls,
there doesn't seem to be much choice when it comes to boys...
it's either animals, pirates, racing cars.....
(okok, maybe i am biased...
i always think things for girls are nicer and cuter... ^_^)

i love things about the space
i once dreamt of being the first female astronaut
little bb, why don't we have a party about the space when you are older?!

my 2nd handmade christmas garland

2011-11-30T00:11:00.007+08:00

the second christmas garland is pretty easy to make.
the most time consuming bit was cutting the circles
and (ok ^_^ so there are actually two time consuming bits to it)
the sprinkling of glass glitter and drying.

as soon as the right size is determined,
cut out the circles, then fold into half, cut again to get the semicircles.
i got different printed patterns in red and embossed ones in white.

punch holes on the upper corners of the semicircles
for the ribbon to go through and link up all the semicircles.
i found a very nice piece of grosgrain ribbon from a craft store
which is thin enough to go through the punched holes.

to add a bit of glitter and shine to the garland,
i added chunky german glass glitter to the semicircles in white.
line the curved side of the semicircle with white glue
and sprinkle the glitter over it.
shake to let the excess fall out.
wait overnight for the glue to dry completely.

the effect of the chunky german glass glitter turns out well...
as they are chunky and transparent enough,
they resemble frozen ice tips!

work in progress

2011-11-29T23:55:00.003+08:00

with little bb's unwillingness to go to bed early,

the window of my free time diminishes

that explains why the christmas decoration is

still

work under construction....

well,

at least i got the big windows covered...

i am now working on all the doors of the house.....

hope i can finish it this week!

p.s.

i managed to take some pictures of how this paper garland was made...

super easy,

just takes a bit of time.

needless to say,

i don't have time yet to upload the pictures.

tomorrow i plan to run around during my lunch break to get more stuff for decorations..

one busy little toddler

2011-11-28T01:00:00.000+08:00

these are all the *artistic* work done by mama and little bb together....

we have been to this playgroup for three times

and look! we got five pieces of work done already!

actually there are a couple more

but they, including a piece of colored rock, are drying in the school now....

impressionism!!!

hahaha.....

this work is up to your imagination

whatever you see is whatever it is!

here, what we were supposed to do was to smear red paint and yellow paint

to make orange!

this one was made by rolling a toy car over blue paint,
then ran the car over the track....

as seen, the *driver* did not follow directions
he got a bit out of control

instead of going *8*

it ran back and forth.

~~~ i am singing in the rain ~~~
~~~ singing in the rain!!! ~~~

~~~ rain drops keep falling on my head! ~~~

a pear...... painted with a pear shaped stencil...

nothing exciting with this one...

..... and a pair of rabbit ears...

though little bb likes it in his hands more than on his head....

i kept putting it on his head

he kept pulling it down

not long,

one ear got pulled off....

hahahaha

what will we be doing together in our next session?

new outfit

2011-11-27T17:28:00.002+08:00

finally!
i received my order yesterday!

the iphone case which i like a lot was broken....
and since then i have had a couple of other cases which i didn't really like much.

then, i got a xmas update email from cath kidson
and saw this new pattern.

bird + flowers!

i'm loving it!

p.s.
somotu has changed the lens of the camera.
i still haven't figured out how to use it....
all the photos i took came out blurry....
needs more practicing

my pumpkin

2011-11-27T00:00:00.003+08:00

i have been very bad with recording bits and pieces in this space....
there is so much i want to write and make a record of
but i simply don't have enough time and energy...
will try my best to keep up.

anyway,
it has gotten to a point where i am seriously thinking of giving little bb a major haircut.

why?
because 9 of out 10 tens he is mistaken for a baby girl!
it must be because of his hair.

i have not really cut his hair since his birth.
his hair was a little bit curly when he was smaller and i found it to cute to cut...
then days after days, months after months, his hair grows longer and longer.

the only part i trim every now and then is the bangs.
simply because they were poking his eyes.
i have not touched the hair at the back.

now, the hair at the back has touched his little shoulders and have started to curl inwards....
to be honest, i think it looks perfectly ok,
well, at least he hasn't started school and i don't think it matters.

but recently i got so many questions about whether he is a boy or girl
which gets me start wondering whether i should try to cut the hair at the back....

even if i decided to,
i don't know where to begin with the cutting!
i am just scared that i will make him look even worse! ahahahaha

so as of now, i am still thinking...
perhaps i should take him to a salon...

anyway, last sunday,
i had to trim his bangs.....
poking his eyes again.

he didn't want to be bound to the high chair...
it was quite a struggle for us both...

at least in the end,
his bangs are much shorter....
though uneven!

he resembles a pumpkin now with his puffy face and bob hairstyle.

ready for christmas!?

2011-11-22T00:54:00.002+08:00

christmas is my favorite favorite time of the year

i love the warmth and love that fill this period of time

every year i will try to do something for our home

to further enhance that christmas feeling

and every year i will struggle with the color theme...

whether it should be all white or should i throw in a little bit of color

almost every year, i would ended up with white.

this year, i decided to be bold and try colors!

(i think little bb has some influence on this.....

with his arrival, i feel there is more *color* in the world!)

so, the colors are red, green and white!

(yes i know, how conventional and un-adventurous!

but i figure it's hard to go wrong with this combo)

i have started with the big windows in the living room..

it is a paper garland.... with strips of paper curved to make shapes that resemble christmas bells....

honestly, i think it doesn't look as nice as i have thought.

it looks a bit bare.

so right now, i am working on a second paper garland which will be a bit different from this one already made.

i have yet to fill up the rest of the house with other christmas decorations....

walking

2011-11-21T00:37:00.000+08:00

have been extremely busy with this and that lately
whether it is at work or at home,
it seems like there is a stream of things i need to take care of.....
hardly have time for myself anymore

anyway,
this past weekend, we had some good fun.
little bb has his first walk in the mall.
he was so happy and excited that he kept making very funny sounds in high pitch.
i guess it must be there are so many shops with colorful decorations and people walking around which got him really busy and nosy.

little bb has been kind of slow in learning to walk.
for one, we all agreed that he is one little lazy body.
he prefers crawling to walking.
i think it's because he has figured that it is much faster to get to where he wants to go by crawling.

and secondly, it's really because he wasn't given enough chances to practice.
when we all go to work, he is usually in his playpen or high chair.

last week when i stayed home,
i let him do all the crawling, stumbling he wanted...
and he did make a lot more progress with walking.

i can tell that he is realizing the fun and adventures that comes with walking
and he is enjoying it more and more!

mixed

2011-11-14T23:36:00.001+08:00

tears almost came out when i needed to get up and get ready for work this morning

little bb was still sound asleep
and i looked at him for a long time
i ran my fingers through his hair
i pat his face lightly
and kissed him on his face

however much unwilling and difficult it was
i got up

it was more difficult for me this morning than
that morning when i had to get up at the end of my maternity leave

i guess it is more difficult now than back then
because little bb is a lot more responsive to a lot of things as he is afterall, a year old already
and he babbles and giggles and smiles alot

as i settled down in the office,
began my daily work,
responded to emails,
answered phone calls....
i found myself enjoying this other part of life.
i still like the kind of challenge and satisfaction associated with work.

i don't know,
i still don't know whether i would like being a full-time mom for good....

at this moment,
it would be ideal if my work allows me to work on certain days of the week only
and i could spend the rest of the week with little bb without having to check blackberry or answer phone calls.....
but this is just in my dreams....
don't think such kind of job exists here!

day and night

2011-11-11T01:21:00.001+08:00

i did not return to the office today.

worked from home instead.
wanted to stay home and make sure our helper is alright.

morning was quite packed with work.
managed to sneak out during lunch hours to get food for little bb and our helper.
rushed back to take a conference call at 2pm.
i don't like conference calls that starts at 9am or 2pm sharp.
9:30am or 2:30pm is better.....
anyway, had another call at 5:30pm....

little bb made some good progress today with walking by himself.
he loves to crawl and is too lazy to try to walk.
today, i used toys to lure him to walk a few more steps than usual....

these are from yesterday...
the star ferry ride across the harbour,
followed by an early dinner at a nice cozy little deli
where little bb did some *drawing*
and had his first taste of frozen yoghurt...
(i seriously think the chocolate syrup topping made him overly excited till 1am last night!)
then followed by a nice stroll along the harbour

last day

2011-11-10T12:59:00.000+08:00

we finally took little bb to ride the star ferry today

we had two rides ~ from tst to central and back to tst from central

it was a very nice ride.... cool autumn breeze kissed us and city night lights greeted us on the return trip

had a quick but nice dinner at a nice deli

strolled along the harbour, watched the beautiful night lights along the harbour and across the harbour

and were able to see the xmas celebration night lights too!

it was a very very nice and relaxed day....

though sad news ended the day, our helper has returned from home.
her mother passed away on sunday.....
we feel sorry and sad for her loss...

day 7

2011-11-09T01:21:00.001+08:00

weather continued to be pretty bad today...

no,
this is the standard description of weather like today's.

actually,
i love it.

rainy, cloudy and a bit cold.

how do i like to spend such a day?

in the past, it would be
~ staying at home, listening to my favorite albums, doing nothing or reading magazines, or making things
~ riding in a car, watching the rain, watching patterns they create, watching the rain drops slide down the windows, listening to the rain knocking on the windows
~ daydreaming
~ sipping coffee
~ cuddling with brownie and sugar
~ having somotu next to me

now, it is
~ all of the above
plus
snuggling with little bb, sniffing his baby (and sweaty) scent

today is spent as above....

somotu took half day off and off we drove to a far away place....
i enjoyed the ride in the car a lot.....
the rain, the music and my loved ones

p.s.
brownie and sugar have a new look after the visit to the parlor

p.p.s.
these days are coming to an end soon.....
i will miss these days

p.p.p.s
i realize i hardly have any time for myself...
i don't get to brush my teeth, wash my face sometimes (yucks!)
i don't get to drink water
i don't get to eat properly until when everyone is sound asleep (like now, i am eating away when it is almost 2am.... so unhealthy but so yummy)
i don't get to look at the mirror
i don't get to comb my hair
nonetheless, little bb sees me the same ^_^
who cares what others think or see!? haha!

day 6

2011-11-08T21:55:00.001+08:00

my original plan was to ride the star ferry to central with little bb...

on sunday, while we were walking along the harbour,
it suddenly dawn on me that little bb has not yet rode the ferry.
i think little bb will love the ride as there will be lots of people and
can get close to the sea!
it's also the perfect weather to do the ride, with the autumn breeze,
it will be an enjoyable one.

however, weather was quite bad today.
it rained most of the day.
though i am not bothered by the rain, i was told not to go out...

but i couldn't sit still in the house, i wanted to bring little bb out.
so instead, we went to the mall nearby,
went to the book shop to read some books,
checked out the toys
and had tea with grandma....

little bb is quite fond of "reading" books.
he loves to keep turning the pages back and forth,
pointing at the pictures and "saying" things,
though i have no idea what he is trying to tell me,
i pretend i understand ^_^

p.s.
one thing i am quite concerned with is that little bb doesn't like to drink water....
and it seems that he is also becoming picky with fruits.
he used to like all kinds of fruits (well except avocado),
but today, he hide his face when i was trying to give him banana....
???

cake x 2

2011-11-07T23:20:00.001+08:00

i spent quite a bit of time on the birthday cake for little bb's 1st birthday party.

i wanted the cake to be a bit more special,

and i didn't want to go back to the one where we ordered one when he was 100 days old.

i did check out one located in central.

it is supposed to be quite popular but i didn't find any designs i like.

moreover, for the price they are charging,

i think they should do a better job.

i also thought of taking a class to make my own

but i figured there wasn't enough time,

plus i don't have an oven at home.

just when i thought i might end up just getting a conventional one,

i found a boutique party supply shop which carries cute and a bit less frequently seen items.

the party themes and stuff for girls are a lot prettier than the ones for boys.

but obviously, i don't have a choice here!!

the set for boys that i ended up picking was animal parade.

it comes in a color theme that i like, pastel tones.

no, i can't take bright red, bright blue... hahaha

i thought i might as well ask the shop owner if they have any recommendations for cakes.

and he did!

the cake shop was one which i had come across before.

it was a promotion they did at a shopping mall and yes, they made some very pretty cupcakes.

what i did next was did some sketching of how i like it to be made and in what color...

i wanted it to match with the animal parade theme.

after a few sketches, a few phone calls and emails,

the shop confirmed that they could make one.

i was anxiously waiting for the delivery date,

wasn't sure if it will indeed turn out to be the same as what i had drawn.

and of course, i was worried too about the taste.

this is it!
i am very happy with it!
the animals were done very nicely... they were even coated with glitter!
and i love the scallops round the cake... they were done very finely, just the way how i had it in my sketches.
i am also glad that the guests quite like the taste... it was chocolate underneath the fondant.
not too sweet and the cake was soft and moist enough.
i didn't get to take pictures of the cake myself though,
thanks to ah king, joanna and KM for taking pictures of it for me.

..... and the animals (actually just the zebra and the birthday message) found themselves on another cake on the actual birthday of little bb.

the other animals, the lion, the giraffe and elephant, were adopted by our little guests...

we were left with just the zebra.

i got this ready-to-go cake simply because it was small enough for just the few of us,

and it is in white color!

i decorated it with marshmellows left over from the party.

i think they look quite nice together!

day 5

2011-11-07T10:25:00.002+08:00

wow, it's day 5 already!

i think i am already missing these part-time full-time mom days!
yes, i am extremely tired and my back is not getting any better...

but i love being with little bb and brownie and sugar round the clock.

we didn't go out today.

after little bb's early morning feeding,
we both slept till almost noon!!!!
what a luxury!

shortly after, my parents came over to keep us company.

with them being around,
i was able to do more serious tidying up of the house.
all the birthday presents little bb received since his little party were still lying around the house!
now, they are finally in their proper place...
and we let little bb played with some of them.
no, we can't let him see all the presents in one go.
otherwise he will be spoiled!

guess what we had for dinner...
KFC!
it's been awhile since we had these fried chicken sets....
i like the one that is spicy with honey.

i was reading the school hand book to somotu aloud after dinner.
why?
because i want him to hear what the school has to say about watching TV. hahaha....
and i also find the treatment of misbehaved little bodies (or in their words "classroom management") funny yet useful....

i didn't really get the kind of attention i would like to have from somotu
but,
in return,
i got something even better.
little bb loved hearing me read these boring reminders, policies and notes!

he have his eyes wide opened, full attention on me....
he giggled when i read
and frown (even screamed) when i stopped reading.

i love his reaction
but i wonder,
why he isn't he as excited when i read him his own story books????

oh, i finally took down the happy birthday garland.
though the paper pom poms i made are still up there.
little bb loves them...
i will be moving all of them into his room...

day 4

2011-11-06T01:03:00.003+08:00

nothing particular today
it is just like any other sunday....

only today we were a bit more laid back and stayed home until well past 2pm to go out for lunch.
we had yummy japanese food.

then went shopping for pre-walker shoes for little bb...
it was quite fun to watch little bb having his little feet measured for sizing.

before heading back home,
we did our normal grocery shopping....

i didn't get to get my regular mocha from my favorite coffee place...
it felt like something was missing, as if the day was not complete.
anyway, we needed to rush home because somotu's mother was coming over to see little bb.

after everyone left,
i mopped the floor. i just couldn't stand it un-mopped.
i swear i only mopped the floor three times,
but somotu said i did it six times.
i think he has some counting problems, hahahaha....

my back is very broken now,
i need to sleep....
good night.

p.s.
i didn't get to do manicure and pedicure for brownie and sugar....
didn't have enough time and energy
perhaps i will bring them to the parlor....

day 3

2011-11-05T23:48:00.003+08:00

in a way today is just like any other saturday.

usually on saturdays, our whole day is spent with little bb

and for a good half of the day, we will be out, not at home.

the only difference for today is that

little bb has started another playgroup.

this one is quite different from the one we have been going in the afternoon.

apart from having two native speaking teachers (one mandarin and one english),

there are more activities that allows creativity and imagination.

there are also more running around (up and down different play areas located on different floors).

for example, we drew dots with water color,

we messed around whipped cream with oranges (yes, what a strange combination),

we mixed red and yellow paint smeared on balloons to get orange color....

there was even tea time!

little bb was given two finger biscuits, slices of banana and a cup of water....

only that little bb was more interested at checking out other kids and the classroom than eating and drinking.

and i must say i love the classroom setting.

the playgroup we go to in the afternoon has a more free setting.

the parents will just sit on the floor with the kids.

here, we are in a real classroom.

there are little chairs, little tables, tiny play kitchens, baskets of toys,

racks of books, and many other interesting things.

i love having the chance to sit side by side with little bb on the tiny little chairs

and do our fun activities on the tiny little tables together with other kids.

this is exactly what it should be like when little bb starts kindergarten,

him sitting on the little chairs at the little tables,

paying attention to the teachers,

playing with other kids.

only by then, i would not be allowed in the classroom.

i really treasure every second of these moments....

it won't be long until little bb starts kindergarten,

followed by primary school, then secondary school, then college....

as he grows older, he will start building his circle of friends, and social network,

his dependence and time with me and somotu will diminish over time.

all these moments that i get to spend with little bb now

will be moments i will cherish in the future.

p.s.
little bb was handed a welcome pack which comes with
~ a cap
~ a shirt
~ a vest
~ a backpack! little bb's very first school bag......
though there are no books to put in yet! hahahaha.....

p.p.s.
if i am asked what i expect out of these playgroups / classes....
frankly,
not much...
other than for him to have more opportunities to interact with his peers.
when we go to work on weekdays, he is mostly in the house with limited company.
sometimes, i am worried whether he will be too bored, too lonely or become a lone ranger!

day 2

2011-11-04T00:21:00.002+08:00

most of day 2 was spent in pain
because i strained my back (again) while
picking up little bb from his cot this morning.
i couldn't move for awhile.

but that didn't stop me from doing the household chores....
being a hygiene freak, i just couldn't sit back.
so i vacuumed and mopped the floor,
tidied up things, made the bed, etc...

tiring and painful but happy as i get to be with litte bb and brownie and sugar
every second.

somotu came home earlier and we went strolling in the park...
the weather was nice and there were birds chirping and singing...
little bb seemed to be fascinated by all these sounds around him.
he kept looking up and pointing at the sky.

when we came to the big water fountains,
little bb was equally excited....
he must be thinking why water is going up, instead of coming down
like the water coming down from the tap at home.

since the weather is much nicer and cooler now,
we will bring you to the park more often.

it was too hot for your dad during the summer times...
your dad melts under the slightest hint of sun ^_^