Kecik & Pacman’s Playground

I’m finally getting around to being able to blog more often. Thank goodness for proper internet connections and life-saving DVDs! *lol*

Looking back, I really miss being home in Malaysia. This trip around, it was mainly just spending time with family. We didn’t go anywhere but to Parkroyal for a weekend getaway, the Bird Park and the Butterfly Farm. I really mean just family because for most of the time, I actually forgot to contact friends! I don’t think some of them were pleased but you know what, I miss family more so, I hope they understand.

Some good friends came to visit me and I even managed to sneak in a lunch date with an ex-KDU mate with Arianna. Mindy brought Naomi along which was great. It was nice seeing how they reacted with each other. Fun!

We took a short trip into the Butterfly Farm while we were at Parkroyal. It was our second stay there and I must say that it was better this time around.

Here we are at the entrance. Note the welcoming note “Save our butterflies’ and keep that in mind.

Here are some shot of the butterflies around. There were so many but because they were fluttering most of the time, it was tough getting shots!

Check out the camouflage!

Of course, me being the sucker for being on hands with animals and all, I couldn’t resist the animal show coz I knew that they would allow the audience to touch the animals.

The stick insect, so fragile looking that I was afraid of dropping it.

I think that this is called the Scorpion stick insect coz it was spiky and looks like a scorpion too.

I found this a little bit ticklish and though most would squirm at the sight, I found it interesting. :) I was glad it didn’t *fart* at me!

I would never, ever touch a house cicak but this I didn’t mind.

The following shot is funny. Keep in mind the welcome note you read earlier…

This was to be a shot of a really gorgeous butterfly but before I could snap it, *someone* decided to poke it! Hence, the pink blob to show where it was suppose to be. How to save the butterflies la? *lol*

I guess we couldn’t resist just another shot of her in action. But this time, it was intentional. :)

Apparently quite interested in the fish!

I didn’t expect the place to be that huge but trust me, it seemed as if we were stuck in there! It seemed to go on and on and on. One route lead to another exihibit and there was just no way out. Scary up to a certain point. I got sick of the butterflies at one point.

Too much of a good thing is always not good. Towards the end, Arianna got bored too. I’m just glad that we decided to go earlier in the morning coz by the time we left, it was stinking hot and terribly humid. Needless to say, we packed back food for lunch. I had my standard nasi kandar and Ted had his roti canai. :) Cheap and yummilicious!!!

These days I’m no longer concern that Arianna is not trying to walk at all. I’m too busy literally watching her she is busy climbing up chairs!!! Omg….I really can’t leave her alone. I used to think that the DVD was my saviour until she discovered why bother watching telly when I can climb up and down chair, right?

Ever since we were in Kulim, her routine changed a little. She no longer takes her morning naps but instead, has an early lunch, a bath and a bottle before going off for her afternoon nap. She wakes between 3.15pm and 3.30pm - yes, that accurate ok? And then has some fruit or cake to tide her till dinner at 6pm. Then it’s bath time again another bottle before bed and in bed by 8pm. Normally la. Sometimes she goes to bed later at night but the lastest she’s gone to bed has been 9.30pm which was the night we had our Christmas party at home.

I’ve been trying to get her back into that routine and although I’m doing ok with the routine, getting her to sleep is a whole different matter. She has not gone to bed without crying, be it an afternoon nap or at night. As much as I pity her for leaving to self settle, I know that it will be good for the both of us in the future. No need to say how tough it is to leave her to cry it out but I must thank the good Lord that she doesn’t carry on for long. *touch wood*

Needless to say that I myself have not gotten back into my own routine because I still don’t know how to cook lunch without having to peel myself away from the kitchen to check up on her. Once I caught her perched on our coffee table!!! That table is now lying on its side. But what am I to do with the chairs?? Told Ted that perhaps we should think about going all Japanese and get them large cushions instead. *lol* I don’t think she has any understanding of the fact that she can fall down from the chair if she isn’t careful, as she hasn’t. *touch wood* But at least if she does fall, it’s carpeted so it’s not too bad. I would be worried sick if we had hard floors instead.

My answer these days to the question ‘What are you up to/What are you do now?’ would be ‘Watching Arianna’ because that is what I am literally doing. She knows that she isn’t suppose to stand on the chair coz when she does, I tell her to sit and she does. Then the next minute, she’s up again but turns to look at me to see if I’ll say anything. Cheeky little monkey! She seems to know what things are wrong or she isn’t to touch but she does it anyway and then turns to see if anyone says anything. Terrible la…

She’s also learnt how to throw tantrums when she doesn’t get what she wants which is something I knew would happen sooner or later but I would have preferred later of course. And when she does throw a tanty, I normally leave her be. The only thing that worries me is that she tends to throw herself backwards which would result in her banging her head on the floor so I wait in front of her and catch her head before it reaches the floor. Cheating I know but better than tantrums plus crying from banging her head right? Double dose..no thank you!

As for Pacman, I can finally feel her kicking and so has Ted so that’s a relief. Was getting concern since I hadn’t felt anything for awhile although I still am concern as she seems to be only kicking at the bottom and no where else. Will be sure to bring it up at my checkup next Tuesday and am also scheduled for my sugar test for GD. Hope I get the all clear!! *fingers and toes crossed* I also feel that I’ve popped out a fair bit so I can officially say good by to my ‘fat stage’. *lol* At least people will see that I am finally preggers!

I’m not really a fan of watches and I’m not particular about what time or brand of watch I am wearing. To me, as long as it can tell me the time whenever I need to know it, I’m as happy as a lark!

But I do know some people who are only attracted to certain brands Gucci watches. I didn’t think much of it till I checked out the variety they had and now I know what the fuss is all about. :)

Working in a banking institution, I know how debt is treated and all I can say is the person who has to call up customers and hassle them for unpaid loans and what-nots, have the worst kind of job! I would think twice about joining any commercial collection agencies unless I know that they have some sort of management system that makes life better.

We’ve just ushered in the new year and I believe that for the first time, I’ve celebrated it alone. Well, technically Arianna was around but praise God she slept through all the racket from the fireworks and also those totally out of tune barbarians who live beneath us. Talk about noise pollution, this would be the epitome of it. Sakit telinga sungguh!!

As for Ted, he is at work so I am alone at home watching world class fireworks going off at Sydney Harbour where around 1.5 million people are currently packed in. I am so glad I am in the comfor of my own home. I cannot imagine who it would be like being in the midst of it all. I can understand that its definitely worth it but for now, I think I’ll pass. And to be honest, now being summer puts me off the whole idea even more!

It’s 1am now and I guess I should be heading off to bed. Arianna hasn’t quite got back into routine and the past 2 nights have been a nightmare because her internal clock has not adjusted to the time difference. Poor little thing!! It was hard on both of us but fingers crossed, things should be fine from tomorrow onwards. *touch wood, touch wood*

Just like Aida and Ben, she would cry and not go to sleep despite me being right beside her. The first night, I had rocked her for at least an hour and then have up and decided to try sitting beside her and patting her. I guess tiredness gave in and she finally went to sleep as I patted her. Maybe she is still getting used to her own bed after not being in it for 6 weeks. Last night wasn’t as bad but it still was. This time, I didn’t bother rocking her at all and went straight to the patting and when that didn’t work, I pretended to sleep on the bed hoping that she would fall asleep as well. That didn’t quite work and left me with a headache instead what with all the pretending. So I gave up and just left the room. That made her cry and scream a little but not long because I was darn sure that she was tired, just that she didn’t want to go to sleep.

Today, I went straight and tucked her in. She wasn’t happy at all but because I had woken her up at her normal wake up time ie. 8am and she had her nap at her normal time as well ie. 1pm, I knew that she would be ready for bed. So when 9pm came, off to bed she went. Crying she did but not for long and I’m glad that I didn’t cave in and go to her. Here’s hoping that things will be better tomorrow. :)

Happy New Year to one and all! May 2009 bring us all much happines, good health and a hell of a lot of wealth. :D

I know that many of us have many sorts of insurance that we take to ensure that we are covered in case anything happens to us. We take on insurances that protect our life, vehicle, home as well as belongings too. But what about a disability insurance?

I know of a friend who was working in a factory and an accident happened to him. He almost lost the use of his left hand as it was mangled by the machine he was repairing. At that time, he didn’t know about this insurance but he was lucky that the company took on the medical costs as well as supporting him while he was on the road to recovery. I can’t imagine how he and his family would survive if they didn’t step in. Hence, it’s always better to always be a step ahead for we know not what the future holds.

It’s been awhile since I last updated this blog. I’m still complaining about Streamyx but mostly it is because I have been spending most of my time learning up the tricks of the trade from Mum. Yup, I’ve been busy sewing. :) I’m still far, far, far from perfect but I am quite confident that I can reach the height I am aiming for. But all in due time and time is certainly not a friend at the moment.

Suddenly I realise that Christmas is around the corner and Ted is flying out from Sydney tomorrow!!! As much as I am excited to see him as we do miss him dreadfully, it also marks the daountdown of my return to Sydney. :( 10 days from Ted’s arrival is when we fly back and that leaves me very little time to learn up as much as possible. So while I have the sewing bug in me, I’m going to have to make the best of it.

So far, I’ve only managed to complete a patchwork blanket which was intended to replace Arianna’s busuk black Jetstar blanket but sadly, she has taken no notice of it. Hence, it’s officially Pacman’s.

It’s an easy-peasy project I completed in just 2 days simply because I already had the scrap material all cut up. It was supposed to be used for another blanket but was left incomplete so I took over and got this done. Many thought that it was a quilt but it’s not as I didn’t put any sponge behind the patchwork so it’s just a patchwork blanket.

My first attempt of sewing a pair of long pants for Arianna turned out to be funny looking! *lol*

When she first wore it, it reminded me of a clown so I’ve dubbed it Arianna’s clown pants. When Sis saw in on FB, she called it MC Hammer pants! So I’m not sure anymore what it is but hopefully it will do its job at keeping her warm during autumn next year. I made it longer [hence the folded up bit at her ankles] and the thigh/bum is bigger too.

I’ll have to mend the pattern for this as the result of this was due to my wrongly calculated pattern. I’m pretty sure I can do better next time. :) I’ve also just completed another little project for when we go to Parkroyal but will need to get Arianna to pose in it for me first before I put it up. :)

Now back to the sewing machine!

Ok, I guess I was wrong to say that I thought that Arianna would be somewhat of a social butterfly. It seems to be that she deals well with kids but doesn’t seem to enjoy the attention she gets from grownups. It is a pity because she is as popular as the last time but the only difference is that she doesn’t give anyone smiles freely anymore.

Not only that, anyone who so much as says something to her, will get a very unhappy whinge from her. I personally find that a little embarassing because they really mean no harm at all. They were just being friendly and to get such a reaction from her, although puts them off, it makes me feel a little bad because she as being unfriendly.

I didn’t expect her to be this way at all. In fact, the only time she actually gives a shy smile willingly is to old men. *pengsan* And as long as she approaches you in HER own time and in HER own way, there was no way anyone could get a smile from her! It’s been about 2 weeks since we’ve been here and she is still unfriendly to one of my uncles who lives nearby. Thankfully, she is ok with my aunt, who happens to also be my Godma. Even then, it takes a little while for her to warm up to my Godma too.

Now I’m wondering if it was indeed a mistake not sending her to those kiddy playgroups that they have around. And even if it is so, it’s a little too late now that she’s past 1 year old and I’m in no mood to take her to playgroups in my beached whale condition keeping in mind that I may be required to be seated on the floor with her. Who knows la? I’ve never attended any playgroup sessions so I really don’t know what to expect. That said, I’m not sure how I can help her develop a little bit of friendliness…or is it something that comes within the child? If so, I’m in deep trouble!!

I have to say that I really miss bloghopping - what little of it that I used to do, especially to my regular stops. I wish I could drop by as often as I used to when I was back in Sydney but I tell you, the Streamyx connection here is worst than getting a hernia!

What pains and irks me the most is that I’m paying [well Mum is anyway] good money for an ADSL line which is SO blardy slow that it really makes think why the heck should we be paying that much for a line which is as slow as the ancient dialup?! Really damn sickening you know?? And all TMNET can say is, o…it’s your area. Then why the hell offer the package huh??

Aiyo…..seriously la. Talk about scamming us from right under our noses!!! So I guess till I get back or if by some miracle the line gets better, I won’t really be stopping by your blog to say hi and comment. But rest assure that I really do miss reading what’s been happening at your end. *MUAKS*

I know this is long overdue but I wholly blame blardy Streamyx for the lateness in this post as well as updates on my other blog as well. In fact, it’s affecting my entry into facebook too!!! I miss my Scarrabulous and all my Blood games. STUPID BLARDY STREAMYX!!!!

Anyway, coming back to the topic at hand. It’s mainly about our trip from Sydney to Penang. I was very stressful of the whole journey right to the moment we boarded the plane. I was stressing out on how was I going to deal with her during the take off and landing, what was I going to do if she decided to lay the Devil’s child…heck, I was worried about everything and nothing!

I guess she knew something was up the minute we checked in and was waiting for time to start boarding the plane. We arrived relatively on time and I was so surprise that there was no queue at the MAS check in counter. In fact, I had to let people through since Arianna fell asleep while on the way to the airport and since the checkin counters are always slow, I told Ted to wait till she wakes up then bring her over. Apparently we didn’t need to wait at all which was good since checking in was a breeze. I managed to bring onboard a 23kg suitcase without a fuss. *phew!* I had one bag of all her toys and books and another bag for nappies and change of clothes. All was not too bad until it was time to go and she just began to cry. All the time we were waiting, she refused to go to either me or sis. She just wanted Ted - guess she knew something was up. And saying good bye was tougher for Ted than me. Poor thing now has to return home to an empty and quiet home for the next month. He’s been sms-ing me to bring Arianna home. Poor thing!

Anyway, once we checked in, I made sure to change her nappy before we boarded just in case and also, I didnt want the hassle of changing her in that tiny cabin toilet. I really wonder how overweight people find travelling on planes….the seats and toilets are really ridiculously small! I didn’t bother getting on earlier and just joined in the line towards the back as advised and it was certainly less hassle and didn’t have to wait long before take off.

Once we settled into our seats and we were VERY lucky that the plane was almost empty hence, we got a row of 4 seats to ourselves. Arianna sat between me and sis and as soon as she sat down, I strapped her in and she was happy. We piled up the pillows on both sides of her seat and one behind her back for the fun of it but she seemed to have found it very comfy and soon, it turned into her cosy nest. We tucked her in also for fun but she didn’t mind it at all. And when the plane took off, I have her her bottle of water and the ressure or noise didn’t bother her one bit. Soon after, she just kind of fell asleep on her own. Guess it was a combination of tiredness and boredom that sent her off to lala-land. She did sleep a fair bit and I tried to get some shut eye myself but couldn’t really get any coz I was making sure she didn’t fall through the strap. It was a good thing she fell asleep that fast coz dinner was served and it was great timing since I had a chance to enjoy my food. I kept the bread roll and crackers for her which came in very handy when she woke up.

Totally out! Looks so comfy too. *lol*

It was a couple of hours before she woke up and after that, she just played a little and had her bread, crackers, and a bottle. I took out 2 books for her and her little piggy and she played with that a little. And I let her watch Shaun the Sheep which she watches back home too so she was occuppied for a brief moment. But that was about it. Guess it was also the time difference that made her feel sleepy and after her bottle, she pretty much fell asleep again. Not that I’m complaining but I felt so blessed and relieved on how she dealth with the whole flight. She slept right through until about an hour before we landed and from then, I just kept her entertained with her books.

Once we landed in KL, I put her in the sling and we pretty much had to rush and get our liquor. Who would have thought that MAS would have switched gates and not tell us about it????? We had to walk so far to get to Gate A2 to only find out that it was at A6 or something like that…may have sounded near but it was on the other side of the airport. Really pissed me off coz I was getting tired and sore from the sling as I didn’t have time to switch shoulders. Sis was scolding me coz I was carrying Arianna instead of her as planned. O well, it’s just one of those things.

We finally got to the gate in time to set foot in first. And thankfully, it too was empty so Arianna got a seat for herself. She screamed when I tried to pick her up to sit down with me since I didn’t know at that time if the plane would be full. Apparently she thinks that those seats are somewhat like her carseat since she is strapped in. The stewardess was a little skeptical about her seating on her own but I assured her that she was fine and used to the sitting on her own. Now I am worried about the trip home since it’s obvious that Arianna thinks that she has a right to sit on her own seat in the plane. I can but hope that there will be empty seats for us on the flight home….

All in all, I’m just glad that it went well. :) O, by the way….we got to Penang at about 11pm and reached home about 12.30am since we stopped to buy some food back. Arianna was wide awake until 3am when her internal battery went dead flat and fyi, that’s was 6am Sydney time. Gosh, I don’t know where that child gets all her energy from!!!! Must be from all that sugar she had while on the plane! *lol*

Although it’s been a few since we arrived here, she still hasn’t gotten into her routine yet and looks like it will be awhile before she does. In any case, she is dealing fine with Nana and can giggle and laugh at Nana’s silly faces and sounds and I’m so glad that it’s working out well that way. However, she isn’t dealing well with strangers as she used to and I expected it since she is so much older. I always thought that she would end up being a social butterfly but apparently I am dead wrong. It takes quite awhile for her to warm up to anyone but she totally can’t handle strangers talking or touching her which most people do over here. She whinges and pulls away, and then pulls this face which simply says, ‘Go away!’. Most of the time it works but sometimes, people don’t get it and continue playing with her and that makes me pretty mad cause she ends up crying.

I think what makes her more and more wary of strangers is the fact that people here do really stay and away but instead think that it is perfectly fine to just reach out and touch a child and she is not used to that as no one in Sydney does that to her. Apparently it is rude to do so and if one wants to touch the child, they would have to ask permission from the parents. And I know this because someone who had seen her wanted to touch her and had asked me before doing it. At first I found that strange since no one asks here but it is the norm over there and I must has grown used to that and hence, don’t really like people reaching out and touching her and upsetting her. Weird eh?

O well, I’m off to see if this stupied blardy Streamyx is working or not….I’m blogging in Notepad now since the connection is worst than bad. I don’t even know what to call it anymore! *Arrrrgghhhhh!!!!*