Going into 2010

For those who play Farmville in Facebook, would know what flowers are these. Poinsettia! Yes, real Poinsettia; photo courtesy of Ms Lee from Australia. Thank you for sharing this beautiful flower photo.



What a year it has been for 2009.....

1. QUIT my job for first time in my 9 years of working life. Being a full time mother and spending more times to my 3 years + daughter for 9 months. It was tough but I am happy I am able to have more times and understand her more.
2. I am happy to be part of little gal's first year of her school life. I attended most of her Teacher-Parents Day (actually it is more like update of her progress from her class teacher), competitions and prize giving. I know if I were working, I would not have such times to go to her school and do all those stuff.
3. Learn to cook and experience new recipes. I am glad that hubby commented my cooking is improving. *wink*
4. Welcoming a new member to the family. Little gal has a little brother to share toys and play with.
5. Have obtained licenses to sell unit trust and insurance. So I am a certified UT and Insurance Agent!

As for New Year resolutions, it would be the same as before. Nothing new. Probably I have to add one more resolution. Save money for 2 vacations next year. Lol!

So, what is yours?


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Happy working

After been in this company for slightly more than 1 month, I only managed to secure 2 cases for my company. It is not that I have been lazy. Most of my cases are pending and customers are to get back on their confirmation. I did do my follow up calls (but mostly on holiday for past weeks), and usually my customers’ comments would be rental too expensive, lots too small for their business, not enough parking spaces, many small lots, worry no sales and the list goes on. Time is tough but I did not lose hope. I treated it as a challenge. I have been in sales before and previously the target was way higher.

Compared to previous companies, this company is much better in sense it is smaller. Decentralized system, decision-making is faster and no red tape. Colleagues are helpful and no office politics around. Everyone is working in their respective cubicles but we mix around. One thing I like is that less paper works and meetings in this company unlike my previous companies. For me, meetings are waste of times and to be result-orientated, I would much prefer to use the times for meeting to call and meet customers, and close deals

You can say that I enjoy my job. I set my own targets, my own appointments and manage own times. Irregardless of everything, I am still planning to pursue my interest in business. Hubby and I have plan to do new business but that would not turn reality soon. We have not really sit down and discuss in details on our business plan, but we are definitely plan to do something.

Our Christmas Day

I love Christmas. I love Christmas Eve as that is where family gathered together for a Christmas dinner and toast. Luckily the night of Eve was cleared of rain, as it has been gloomy most of the day yesterday.

We bought a lamb leg from Tom's which cost us around RM150.00. A bit tough I felt or probably I have a bad tooth. I couldn't chew my lamb well last night. Ouch! However I enjoyed the grilled fishes and potatoes dish, compliments from my BIL.



This morning we brought Baby Jay to his first church outing. Since it was his first, we decided to stay in the children room which is on the first floor. Most of the time, he enjoyed what he sees, but he managed to take "eye shut" for 30 minutes.

Half way through the summon, I received a call from my dad (s**t, forgot to put my phone into silent mode but what the heck! The room was filled with noisy children so it was very rowdy and I hardly can hear the priest talking). My dad is suggesting to us to follow him to visit an aunt's house for lunch. Well, we obliged to the request since it has been many years since I didn't see this aunt and cousins. Actually this aunt was given away and adopted by a Bidayuh couple when she was a baby, but throughout the years, she still keep in touch with dad and other uncles.

So after the church, we went home to bathe Baby Jay and off we went to pick my parents and sis. It was about 30 minutes or more drive to aunt's house which is situated after Taman Kwong Khiong in Batu Kawa. So coincidence, when we reached aunt's house, we bumped into other uncles and cousins. So a very big family reunion we had; a lot of catching up, exchange of numbers and emails, snaps etc. I didn't know most of them, which happens to be my cousins-in-laws, nephews and nieces. Lol! You can say, how big my family is.....And Baby Jay being the youngest, was the centre of attention. Everyone asking about my little gal's whereabout. If she was there, I am sure she will be excited to play with her cousins.



When we reached home around 2pm, we were too tired and lazy to visit a neighbour's house. *paisey* Baby Jay has a busy day as he hardly slept. As I was typing this post, hubby went out to buy dinner from BIL's cafe. I don't feel like going out again after spending most of the day outside. Nevertheless, it is a wonderful Christmas Day. How do you spend your Christmas?

Counting my holidays

I need holidays. I have been working for 6 whole days for past 5 weeks. Pretty fatique. And I lost count of what day is what day! Some days when I woke up in the morning, I have to think hard what day was it. Lol! Some mornings I just wish they were Sundays and I can snugged in my bed longer......

So I am looking forward to Christmas and New Year; I want to do nothing but rest and spend my times with my family. It is not that I don't like my new work. I actually enjoy it, as I meet a lot of new people and learn more from them. However once a while I would like to take a break; away from those deadlines and targets. *wink*

I am working whole day today, but will be creeping out early to get present for my little gal. Yeah, I haven't buy her present. Last minute Christmas present shopping. I couldn't wait to see her open her present on Boxing Day when she is back from hometown.

Here, I am giving a big warm ('cool'??) hug to all of you. Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!! Hope 2010 is a good year for all of us!!


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Winter Solstice & H1N1

It is time to have your tang yuen (glutinous rice balls) today. When I was small, my mother will get all of us to roll the rice balls into small round balls and throw them into hot boiling water prepared with syrup and pandan leaves. After that, we were to eat the rice balls with the syrup. I remember that I have to eat the rice balls according to my age; so if you are 15 years old, then you have to eat 15 tang yuen.

I remember last year I bought some tang yuen from supermarket. You know those with some black beans in them? Hubby enjoyed those tang yuen, but I do not quite like it. Too sweet I think. This year I did not cook any. I only knew that today is Winter Solstice when my colleague told me about it this morning! Yeah, I do not keep track of those Chinese special occasions.

When it is Winter Solstice, then you will start to think that Chinese New Year is just a couple of months away. Winter Solstice marking the end of Winter and beginning of Spring. Usually we would gather around the dining table and have dinner together, but as we grow older and who ever is married, move out from the house, we seldom uphold this tradition. However on this occasion, I did not missed going back to my parents' house for lunch this afternoon. As I expected, without fail my mum prepared the tang yuen for the family. And I did drink and ate few tang yuen, but of course I did not eat the numbers of tang yuen according to my years (age)! Otherwise I would not be able to eat my mum's delicious lunch if I drink a big bowl of the rice balls. Lol!



To a more serious matter, I heard from my mum today that H1N1 second wave started to hit the USA. So, parents, please be vigilant. There is vaccine for H1N1 but I understand that this vaccine is still new and not widely tested. One of my parents' neighbour just told her that her grandson (7 years old) was given the H1N1 vaccine in school in Taiwan recently. Less than a week, he was down with fever and just passed away. He was a healthy child but the school is required by relevant authority to give vaccine to all students!!

Another neighbour recently brought his children for vaccine in Australia after went there for holiday. The neighbour commenting that the vaccine there is much cheaper than ours. There were few cases of casualty in USA where children died after given H1N1 vaccine. So unless your child is sick, bring him or her to clinic. Do not bring your child for H1N1 vaccine yet. This is my personal opinion, and I am not trying to be judgmental to this matter as I am not expert or doctor to make comments. I am a mother to 2 children and as a parent, I am only concern for their health and safety. Unless this vaccine is proved successful and safe in containing the viruses, I would not bring my children for its vaccination.

The fruits reign again

Yes, it is that season again. Local fruits hit the market with fruitful harvests. Langsat, rambutan, durian, you name it, we can buy them everywhere from the road sides, wet markets, to people pushing a small cart in coffee shops asking people to buy them.

Usually I try to avoid those fruits because I cannot take too much of them. "Heaty". However I did take a few bites of durian and rambutans though. I don't really fancy the fruits but there are too many of those fruits around. For past 2 weeks my house is packed with durians. My BIL got them from friend so they comes in a big box. You can imagine the smell of the fruits in the house. Phew!

To avoid the fruits from been spoiled, we split open the fruits and keep them into containers to be stored away in fridge. Actually durian tastes nicer when it is eaten cold. Lol! Have you eaten the King of fruits?

Passport is not approved!

What is the logic here? Why I am not allowed to enjoy myself and catch up with old friends once in a blue moon?

I am complaining about my hubby. He does not allow me to go clubbing with my lady friends on Christmas Eve. His reason given is “family’s time”. Alright, I usually used this excuse when he gone out with friends at night, so now he is using the same excuse back to me. The only logic I can think about is that he does not want me to go and leave Baby Jay to his care. Baby Jay is also one kind. Demanding baby and loves people to carry him around. He is pretty strong now. Kick and cannot be still when he is carried or lied down.

It is not like I frequently go out at nights. Heard Jen is coming back to Kuching for Christmas so I would love to catch up with her. The last time we met was when she held her wedding reception a year ago.

Well, I wonder how should I get my passport stamped that night? Or maybe I get my friends for a lunch get-together instead. I actually much prefer a quiet place for meeting, rather than a noisy and loud pub. Hardly a great place to chat, don’t you think?

The mood is not there...

Have you start shopping for Christmas presents? It is about 2 weeks away and I have yet to think or have the time to shop for my family.

My 6-days job requires too much commitment on my side and at nights and Sundays, I am taking care of Baby Jay. By Sunday, I am too lazy to go out. I have been driving most of the times from Monday to Saturday, so I would prefer to relax and stay indoor.

Maybe this year is slightly different than the previous years. It is a tradition every year to bring out the Christmas tree, decorate it with ornaments, buy and wrap presents for family members and place them under the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. However this year would not be the same as my little gal is not around. She is the centre of attention last year when we bought a new 4ft tree and she helped in setting and decorating it. My SIL bought a new Christmas tree for her in Kapit, saw her photographs in FB. *smile*

No one take the initiative this year. The festive mood is not there. The tree is still in its box and so are the ornaments. I guess it has to wait for another year from the look of thing. Lol!

I was browsing through the Lelong.com.my the other night looking for some inspirations, hoping to find something good to buy for the Christmas. I have been thinking of getting a digital camera. I could not resist getting one as the price is low. But I guess that would be at the bottom of the list for the time being. Probably will get it next month, as I know I am going to put up a big hole in my pocket this month. Too much “withdrawals” than “deposits” this month. Headache!!!

Are they the cause?

My simple dinner. Cangkuk Manis Vermicelli and Bamboo Clams ("Tek Thang" in Hokkien) cooked in Chinese red wine.



One of my favourite dish of all times is cangkuk manis; I can cook it with egg, or anchovies. But I love my cangkuk manis the most with vermicelli. Hakka specialty.



BIL cooked this dish. Very "steamy" as he dashed a lot of red wine and ginger. It reminds me of my confinement day when I have to take a lot of those Chinese red and wine wine. Lol!! I usually love my bamboo clams to be cooked with curry powder, but I find this dish very appetizing. It brings out the sweetness of the clams. The clams are fresh and sweet, and with the taste of red wine, it added more sweetness to the clams.



Sorry if this bamboo clam looks obscene but I want to show how big those clams are. Telling you the truth, it is about the size of my little fingers. I love fresh seafood. Since I delivered my baby about 3 months ago, I have not indulge myself in much seafood for the fear of developing skin problems.


After delivered my baby, my skin has been extra sensitive. Is it because I developed allergy to certain food or change of hormone after giving birth? I don’t know about some mummies, but when I have my first child, I observed the 4 months of not eating certain shellfishes, belacan, etc. The elderly believed that for those undergoing C-Section, it is better to avoid seafood and certain food to ensure smooth recovery of the wound and prevent any skin irritation.




I did not observed the full 4 months of "no shellfishes" this round. Maybe I am getting bolder. Lol!! I don’t know what causes of my rashes but my guess is the former because when I take some seafood and sambal, I will have some rashes the following day. I took some sambal twice. The next day, both of my hands had rashes. Sometimes they are itchy and it takes time for them to disappear. I wonder is it because of my body’s rejection to seafood or do I have sensitive skin all of a sudden? Oh dear, how can I not taking those seafood for the rest of my life?? Anyone have such problem after giving birth?

Best Blog Award

Thank you mama mia for this beautiful award. It has been a long long long time since I received one.



Simple Rules to accept the award:
[1] Post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his/her blog link.

[2] Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you have recently discovered and think are great!

I have not done much blog hopping lately since I started this new job. Just today together with a female colleague, we drove around Kuching for almost 4 hours to deliver invitation cards to customers and potential clients. I drove my car while my colleague gone out and deliver the cards. We stopped at 4 shopping malls, Carpenter Street and Indian Street; which both is rather the busiest streets in Kuching. Some more there was some convention happening in the city area with many polices around. So, jam, jam and jam. Some more it rained heavily when we were at our last destination around 1something.

While sending my cards in the shopping malls, I am tempted to window shopping a bit. Yes, cannot stand the temptation of Year End and Christmas shopping. Some more the ambiance and decoration in the shopping malls make me in mood for shopping. Well, what to do? Luckily I did not bring much cash with me, so at least I would not spend on the spot. Lol!!


Ooopppss. Sorry, sway from the main topic of this post. Yes, the best blog award. I do not want to say that I am the best. It is up to my friends and readers to judge for themselves.

When ever I am free at night, I will try to do blog hopping, trying to update myself with other blogs. I have been following some interesting blogs prior to me working, which mostly are mummies blogs. Here I would like to add in some of my existing links too as I feel they are best blogs around too. Please! I do not want to miss out on anyone as you are great in some ways and your blogs are awesome. So, do feel free to grab this award anyway. Nevertheless, for the sake of this award passing, here are my picks and they are in no particular order:

Deana
Dora
Osindak
A mom's diary
Kucing
Didi
Merryn
Mnhl
Mummy Gwen
Reanaclaire
Little Prince
Cynthia
Wonderful Life
Slavemom
Sue Jean

Triple missions

First mission is to lose some weight. Yes!! My current weight is 53kg. Still some more bulges that I need to trim down. Maybe 2kg more would be ideal. *wink* To achieve my goal, I may need to watch my diet. Have a hearty breakfast, try to skip lunch (but if cannot, then take something light) and take light dinner (cutting down on rice and starch intake). Hmm, wonder if I can do it or not?? I have been taking vinegar for almost a month now. People said that vinegar help in get rid of those extra fat and burn them. Let see the result in another month time.

Second mission is to help my dad to lease his shop. He bought one shop in a new shopping mall. Talking about shopping mall, there has been some new shopping malls coming up. Everyone is going into shopping mall construction. I wonder with such population, can those malls survive?? Kuching population is still not that large and with shopping malls mushrooming around the neighbourhood area, it would prove tough to attract shoppers to the mall. I am now back into retail leasing, and after 2 weeks working, I am surprised to discover how much rental rate some malls offer. Sky-rocket rental irregardless of the size and location. On other hand, some even offers cheaper rate or discount for certain period.

Third. My resolution for new year. Yes, New Year is just few weeks ago. Have you start thinking of your new year resolution? I have think of mine. The most important resolution is to secure my shop and do a small business. Hubby and I have been thinking of doing business, and hopefully we would be able to achieve it next year. So, what is yours?

Home's security

Funny thing is that even the houses are in gated and security enhanced neighbourhood, we heard that there was break-in in one of the houses there. How could such things happen? Aren’t the main purpose we bought the house is because of the security? We suspected that it was an insider job. How could we expect to stay safe anymore? Some more every month we are to pay for the service charges for security and maintenance of the housing area.

Even though our house is not ready, hubby has seriously considered installing alarm and security system. It would be a better alternative since we would not be at home during the day.