Mumblings

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I need help! My younger boy doesn't want to stop eating. He just cannot see food or snacks cos he'll want to finish them off right away. For him, having food at home means that it must be eaten right away.

He's not exactly getting smaller. He's bloated up quite a bit in the past year alone that all his clothes just can't seem to fit him anymore. I'm probably going to have to buy him new ones real soon. He used to be such a picky eater. Just a little bit of food and he would be full.

Now, even after having a heavy breakfast, lunch or even dinner, a few minutes later he'll come to me and say, 'mommy, I'm hungry, can I have that snack upstairs?' And even after giving him that snack, he'll come to me a few minutes later and want to eat something else! He just can't stop.

I'm really getting worried for the little fellow. I hope it's just a phase he's going through cos I don't want him turning into a King Kong or anything like that. While I am typing this post, he just popped his head in and asked me if he can have the grapes in the fridge and he just had his dinner a few minutes ago. Sigh!

I think I'd better look into this ipods gift ideas that I'm thinking of getting cos an ipod makes great gifts. And my favorites are the ipod nano and the ipod touch... *hint hint*

I'd better quickly check out the prices at the price comparison site and then head downstairs and hide all the food or my son is going to eat us out of the house by tomorrow!
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At first look, I thought someone put the wrong model for the product but boy, was I wrong. It really is for men!!

Why on earth would a guy want to wear a bra??? *shaking head in disbelief*

According to Wishroom shop (the online lingerie retailer) representative Masayuki Tsuchiya, 'I like this tight feeling, It feels good'. *rolls eyes*

Wishroom Executive Director Akiko Okunomiya was surprised with the response. "I think more and more men are becoming interested in bras. Since we launched the men's bra, we've been getting feedback from customers saying 'wow, we'd been waiting for this for such a long time'," she said.

Uh huh... I guess the phrase 'Different strokes for different folks' really does apply to some people. I am still shaking my head in disbelief!

Source: stuff.co.nz
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Remember yesterday I wrote a post about not having any idea what to write? Well, I still don't have any idea about what to write. But since that post did earn me a little moolah, I 'forced' myself to figure something out... hehehe

Then I found out another assignment called 5.11 Tactical Pants waiting for me. I wasn't ready to write anything for today, I wanted it to be stress free day. But Christmas is near and every bit of extra moolah is going to come in handy especially with my younger boy constantly reminding me that he wants a huge Ultraman figurine or was it Iron Man??! That boy keeps changing his mind!

He is so unlike his older brother who doesn't really ask for anything at all. The younger fellow on the other hand has a list of things that he wants and he's forever changing and updating his list with new items. He thinks I have never-ending supply of money (if only). Until he gets that toy he wants, I know he'll never stop reminding me about it to the point of making me go insane!

And so with that in mind, how could I pass up this assignment? After all, every extra bit of cash will also help with the Christmas presents which I haven't even begun to buy any just yet. Should I try shopping online or not?? Decisions, decisions...

I was tagged by Yoon See of Greener Pastures with the 7 Random Facts meme.

I got to know Yoon See, a full time coach teaching piano, art and tuition through Emila's Illustrated Blog where I've been commenting like crazy cos she has been giving out great giveaway for her Top Commenter, Top EC Dropper and links the person who leaves the first comment in her blog. It's a fun place to be :)

First, the rules :~

1. Link your tagger and post the rules
   
2. Post 7 random facts about yourself
   
3. Tag 7 friends at the end of your post and link them
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on the blog

* I have hyperthyroidism... meaning I have an overactive thyroid gland
* I am a Padi Girl... well, used to be actually :)
* I am addicted to reality shows ~ American Idol, Akademi Fantasia, The Amazing Race, America's Next Top Model and One In A Million
* I acted as one of the ugly sisters in a 'Cinderella' play
* I am a non-smoker
* I love collecting stamps
* I collect IKEA catalogues!


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Ever since the first day I started blogging which was almost two years ago, it has amazed me at how much I can write. I didn't even realize I had that much stories to post here let alone almost everyday. I'm not a very talkative person by nature. I'm more of the quiet kind, well unless when I'm angry of course... I can spit fire just like a dragon! :)

Blogging has brought out quite a bit of my writing skills (if I can even call it a skill) that has been put aside since my school days where I had trouble even just figuring out what to write for my essays. Now, I'm practically writing something here almost everyday. I wonder if blogs existed back then, all my essays would have been a cinch to do :D

There are times, like today, I'm totally lost as to what really to write. The boys have been behaving themselves, so there goes one avenue for a story! LOL! Maybe later in the day something interesting will happen but until then, you'll just have to bear with me while I tell you about child support :)

This is something we don't really have over here, well I'm not so sure though, but if you are in the US and need some affordable legal help and solutions for your family legal matters, the National Family Solutions is the place to go.

With their ten years of experience in resolving family law issues such as custody, divorce, visitation and father's rights, they'll be able to provide some high value, low cost solutions for you. Getting legal help is really not cheap and most of all, quite complicated.

When it comes to legal matters, a lot of people are really unsure of their rights and the processes it involves. A lot of families went through difficult times simply because there was no program to help them. No solution for them to fall on. And that's where National Family Solutions come in. It was designed and developed to help provide low cost legal solutions for people that need legal aid.

Like I said, I don't know if they have something like this over here but if they do, I'm sure it'll come in handy for people in need of services like these. They're already going through an emotional time and services like this can help them considerably.

There, that's my little tip for the day... hehehe. Have a great Thursday :D
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News in brief...

HONG KONG: A restaurant chef ended up in hospital as a turtle bit his foot to escape the cooking pot in a restaurant, the South China Morning Post reported yesterday.

The 60cm wattle-necked, soft-shelled turtle sank its teeth into the chef's foot during a dash for freedom as it was about to be put in boiling water on Monday.

The chef was taken to hospital with a suspected broken toe, while the turtle - a delicacy worth hundreds of US dollars - was put back in a cage, having successfully won a temporary reprieve.

The owner of the restaurant in Hong Kong's Shau Kei Wan district told the newspaper that the turtle, eaten for its supposed medicinal value, would now be cooked and served up on Thursday. - 9news

Bravo to the feisty turtle but still I can't help but feel sorry for it. It'll still be cooked and eaten :*( It must be tough being a turtle. You can only 'run' so fast! Quick getaways are most definitely not for them.

They should have spared its life... put it on display for visitors or something. At least it was man urrrmmm, turtle enough to fight back. To those who ate the turtle, well, I have only this to say, 'I hope you get demam kura!!'
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I can practically smell Christmas just around the corner. I see some of the neighbors busily putting up their trees and decor. They're probably just as anxious as I am about Christmas :) Well, you can't really blame me cos I love Christmas.

I was initially planning to go home for Christmas but decided to change it to next year cos I found out that my youngest sis from Austria will only be back then and I wouldn't miss the chance of meeting up with her and bonding with my little (well, not so little anymore) niece.

I haven't seen them since the last time they came for a visit to KL and that was ages ago. I suppose I should start learning a little German seeing as how my niece speaks mostly German :D So far the only German words I know are Achtung and Michael Schumacher... hahaha

Oh and I guess I must also start looking out for some gifts to bring home for her when I see her next year. What better time to look for gifts than right now, ya? The shops are already promoting Christmas stuff and there are loads of things that I would like to get my niece but sometimes having so many choice can make me indecisive.

Actually I could do with a gift for myself. I need a new pair of frames cos I'm a little bored with the one that I have. I've had it for awhile now and I know that ZenniOptical has some gorgeous Holiday frames on sale right now. Maybe a nice red and green themed one, something that resembles Christmas, with a nice Santarina hat attached! LOL!

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Last Saturday, I received a surprise gift from Debbie. She did tell me she wanted to send me a lil' something for the post I did for her online shop, Crafty Heart a week ago but I totally forgot about it. Imagine my surprise when the Poslaju guy came knocking at the gate :D Thanks again Debb.

As soon as I opened the package, I couldn't wait to start my paper cuttings right away. So, the end product is the above, those flowers you see are the silk flowers she sent me. This project was the easiest to do cos I didn't have to cut the flowers since they were pre-cut already. Lovely aren't they :D Wah, perasan la sia ni, puji diri sendiri lagi tu... hehehe
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With the boys on their 7 week school break, coming home and finding the place in a mess is driving me insane. All they've been doing is creating a ruckus at home and scattering all their toys everywhere. Half the time the place looks like an industrial dump site! Sigh, that's the price you pay for having two boys I guess. Especially when one of them is the totally hyperactive type.

And sometimes they get into all kinds of mischief at home that requires loads solvent to clean their mess. My younger boy tends to love to paint with watercolors, markers you name it and he often time spills stuff all over the place. Maybe I should get one of those Solvent Recyclers where I can reuse all my solvents and not have to fork out money buying new bottles of them.

What is a Solvent Recycler you may ask? Well, it's a distillation process to separate solvent from its contaminant for reuse. Saves you a bunch of money having to perpetually buy solvents, which can be pretty expensive these days.

And NexGen Enviro Systems, Inc is one of the leading provider of Solvent Recycle systems. With their range of 12 models varying in size, they specialize in solvent recovery needs of small right up to high volume waste. And judging by the way my kids mess up the place, this would probably be a good thing for me!
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3 teams made it to the finale.

Ida & Tania...

Geoff & Tisha...

Sam & Vince...

Who will win TARA3 and the USD100,000 prize money?

Just 6 hours to go before the result is revealed. OMG! My stomach's churning!!

Lagi 2 jam... aiyoh... *gigit jari*

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A few nights ago, I was watching this TV show about traveling. I can't really remember what the title was. You know, one of those shows where the host going around the world and experiencing new cultures and stuff like that. It's a really cool job... you get to see the world and get paid as well!

I wish I could get a job like that. All the places you could see, all the food you could eat, all the things you could get and all for free. At the end of month you even get paid a salary. Isn't that like a dream job or something. But then, I guess the job wouldn't be suitable for me cos I'm a shy person, not the outgoing type. Imagine how tongue tied I'd be in front of a camera trying to mumble my way through the show! LOL!

Anyway, while watching the show, I noticed that almost, well to be entirely honest, all the cities and towns featured, one thing stood out glaringly which was that all these places, mostly in Europe, all of them had streets that were spotless. You couldn't see a single speck of dirt or even a stray paper or cigarette butt on the streets. The people there are so conscientious about cleanliness that you wouldn't find them throwing rubbish all over the road.

Unlike in this country. I don't even have to go far to see dirt all over the place. I just take step out of my house to the main road and you'll see people throwing rubbish there as if it's a dump site. Don't they have bins at home? Or at the very least, throw it at a proper dump site. I guess it all boils down to the attitude of these people. I haven't really seen a nice clean street with no rubbish strewn about unlike the spotless clean streets in those TV shows I see. I have to agree with what the current PM said about our country... 'first world infrastructure, third world mentality!'

The mindset of the people there are so much more different than what we have here. Over here the mindset is, there are people paid to pick up and clean the rubbish so I can just throw my garbage anyway. Yeah, they are paid to pick up rubbish but not from every nook and cranny of the road. I guess maybe they should be given one of those brabantia bins for free or something. Then maybe they might just decide to throw rubbish in the proper place :)

After all, these brabantia bins that you can find at Move Cookshop premium brand products that would add a stylish feel to your home so much so that you would actually use the bins to throw rubbish instead of on the streets! And speaking about Move Cookshop, I got a little bit curious and decided to look through it and found that they're actually a pretty neat online website that sell specialist, hobby and niche goods in the UK. They've been in existence since 2001 and they supply all their items directly from their own stock.

I fell in love with their infinite circulon, le creuset uk cookware sets and their guzzini utensil sets. They're absolutely gorgeous! Here's a little tip for you guys out there. If you're planning to buy some cookware or kitchen appliances for your loved ones, be sure to check out Move Cookshop before you decide on what to buy. I'm sure you'll find something there that will light up your other half's eyes :D
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News in brief...

TORONTO: An Ontario woman was charged with a traffic violation after having her nine-year-old daughter drive her home following a night of drinking.

"The woman was concerned that she was unable to drive having consumed some alcohol at a social function," police said.

The child was driving the car slowly along country roads in southeastern Ontario when police noticed how tiny she was and pulled her over. - Reuters

What would you do if this were to happen to you, would you ever let your nine-year-old kid take the wheel? I don't think so right. In fact would you even bring your 9-year-old drinking with you in the first place. Totally irresponsible, that's what I think.

If she was drunk, she could have taken a cab or at least called a relative to come fetch them. What does a 9-year-old kid know about driving anyway, even if it's an automatic car. Heck, I drive a manual and I still have no idea how to drive an automatic! Imagine a 9-year-old sitting behind the wheel and trying to peek over the dashboard and navigate home safely.

The fact that she was more concerned about being unable to drive pisses me off, what about the child's safety? Obviously she didn't give that much thought. Thank goodness the police saw the girl driving, if it was a criminal, I'm sure he/she would have abducted them both and done even worse! *cringe*
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Last week, while looking for a gift (for my youngest son's Sunday school class party), I saw these nice masak-masak sets (cooking set) on display. Made to resemble like the real thing, these cooking sets looked so lovely and it reminded me of my childhood.

Those days we didn't have those cooking sets though. Instead my sisters and I used old tins and whatever junk we could find around the house and we would pretend cooking dried leaves as fried fish! I remember a spot where my youngest sister and I used to play, under a rambutan tree (but it has been cut now... unfortunately).

Those days, more like 30 years ago, our house was surrounded by jungles with really large trees like the 'Belunu' and 'Bambangan' trees. During the fruit season, the area would be a hive of activity as kids and adults would patiently wait for the fruits to fall and we would be scampering to find the fruit, sort of like 'finders keepers'... hehehe

These days, kids are more into computer games and all those online stuff... which is a pity really because they don't get to socialize much and be what real kids are supposed to be. I guess that era has long gone but I'm glad I did experience that kind of childhood. I wouldn't trade it for anything! I would do anything if I could turn back time and bring my kids to enjoy what I went through at their age.

That's why I was happy when I my youngest boy came to me and said he wanted Baseball Gloves cos he wants to join his friends in the park nearby during the school holidays for a game of baseball. I don't really know if he actually knows how to play baseball but I was happy for him cos at least he was going outdoors to actually play with real friends and not just hang around at home watching TV or playing computer games all day.

I suppose I should be supportive of him and get a a baseball glove but I'm not sure where to buy one. I don't think baseball is very popular here and they don't have many places selling the stuff. So I did some online search (where else... LOL!) and discovered that Kidsportsinc.com markets sporting goods catered specifically to train kids ages 6 and above. And Franklin Sports is the brand of choice for them.

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I am late with my paper cuttings (as usual) this week. I made it at very last minute (last Saturday evening). I didn't know what to make!! Mental block, I suppose...

Then I remembered what Kadus Mama and her family did when they balik kampung the other day. Plucking rambutans and I thought that would be my theme for this week :D Thanks Kadus Mama for the inspiration! Hehehe

On a different story, I am pissed off with a certain advertiser. I managed to grab an assignment, wrote one long and nice write up only for it to be rejected because the tracking code has an error. And it's not my fault, mind you. I have been refreshing the site's page for the past few days and still unable to get the assignment and the correct code. Ciss, bikin panas betul.

A few of you have left comments in that post but I had to put it back in my draft because of the error. My apologies ya. I didn't delete your comments, I will re-publish the post once I get the assignment or do some major tweaking with the story line :D
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I have always loved crafts for as long as I can remember. One of my sisters (the 3rd one) is very good with crafts. I remember she did this adorable snow man for Christmas back when we were still kids. She made lovely paper dolls as well :)

When I started my hobby (paper cuts) this year, I had no problems finding colored paper materials. But they were quite expensive cos I preferred the thicker and textured papers. The flat ones just didn't cut it.


Actually, I really want to talk about Crafty Heart, an online store that provides affordable scrapbooking and cardmaking supplies to crafters in Malaysia. If you're into these sort of thing, then you'll find the items sold here are so much more reasonably priced than the ones you'll find at some of the local stores.

And with Christmas just around the corner, you can start making your own Christmas cards this year for your friends and relatives. They are so much cheaper, that you'll have more money left over to buy more presents... hehehe... and not to mention that they're much more personalized too.

Drop by Crafty Heart and check out some of the products that are available: ~

• Christmas Items
• Embellishments
• Silk Flowers
• Paper
• Ribbons
• Stamping
  
• Stickers

And you don't have to worry about the products being out of date or anything cos new items are added every week that you'll be spoilt for choice. Happy shopping! :D
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I've in the past wrote about this topic before and well, I'm going to write about it again today :D

I was at Taipan yesterday to get some things from the pharmacy and I noticed that the row of houses surrounding the Taipan area was filled with cars parked right outside people's houses.

I presume these cars belong to the people who work in Taipan who are either too cheapskate to pay the parking fees or just people who cannot find any parking space. But then, with Taipan, the reason is always about not being able to find a parking space. That area is synonymous for its parking problems.

If you can find a single parking space there during office hours, well it's like striking a lottery. I really wonder why that place is so popular. It's not like there's any fancy shopping mall there. It's just a simple commercial area, that's all.

Anyway, as I was saying, I noticed so many cars using the front of the roads right outside the residential area as parking space which brings me back to my original idea of why someone doesn't start a business what Park Let Ltd in London does. They sublet parking spaces like residential driveways, empty garages, underused commercial car park and rent it out to customers who need parking these parking spaces.

I mean, take a look at most of the driveways here in the morning. The porch is always empty so why not make some extra money by renting it out for people to park. It's a win-win situation. Both the house owner and the car owner benefits. The house owner with extra monthly income, no capital needed and the car owner with a safe, secured and covered parking space.

On top of all that, the parking rates would be considerable cheaper than the regular ones and you can make monthly payments, be guaranteed of a parking space all day. Saves you the hassle and stress of driving around looking for an empty parking bay.

I suppose if no one is willing to take up the London Parking for Rent then I guess people are still going to be driving around like crazy looking for parking spaces or even just park haphazardly and illegally like they always do. But remember, if any of you decide to capitalize on this idea, you heard it from me first, so I expect some (ahem) commission... hehehe
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OK, I'm going straight to the results. No mumbo-jumbo intro! :D

Episode 10 results :~

1. Ida & Tania (Malaysia) ~ each wins USD2,500
   
2. Geoff & Tisha (Philippines)
3. Vince & Sam (Hong Kong)
   
4. A.D & Fuzzie (Singapore) ~ Eliminated!

Yay!!! Ida and Tania made it to the finale... *chicken dance*

Episode 10 recap.

10th leg - Gokhale Institute of Politics & Economics, Pune, India ~ Bhaja Caves (60km outside of Pune)

Take the train to Pune Central train station

Find the Statue of Mahatma Gandhi and take note of details on the statue

Go to Standard Chartered Bank building to find the next clue

Teams must key in the correct PIN (year Mahatma Gandhi was born ~ 1869). Teams are allowed 3 tries, failure to do so will incur a 10 minute time penalty.

Fly to Muscat, Oman

Search for marked vehicle at the airport car park for the next clue

Make your way to Al Alam Palace for the next clue

Drive to Nizwah Fort (140km away), teams must search the correct clue box containing their next clue from among the other clue boxes scattered around the fort

Drive to Mutrah Souq, near Muscat Port

Detour

Carpet ~ Find two exact carpets, using the images in the Sony Cybershot as references
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Count It ~ At Perfume and Novelty store, count the correct number of dried limes

Drive to Wadi Tanuf at Al Jabal Al Akhdar for the next clue

Roadblock (only one person may perform task)

• Traverse Canyon, Wadi Tanuf Canyon

Make your way on foot to the Pit Stop!

Pit Stop : Wadi Tanuf

Related post:
TARA 3 : Episode 11 (Finale)
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Those of you who do assignments sure can relate to what I'm going through right now... hehehe

It's just one of those days when your brain doesn't function well and you resort to memes for help. So, here I am scouring through other bloggers archives to see if they've tagged me with anything cos I am in desperate need of an 'in between'.

I have an assignment that will expire in several hours!! Wish they gave me 5 days but even if I get 5 days, I always put it off till the last minute anyway and then scramble like crazy to get it done... sighhhh...

Thank goodness I managed to get what I needed. I'm saved!! LOL! Crystal, apalagi, kasi la tag sia ba... hehehe. Cari penyakit betul kan :)

I found this tag by Nick which he calls The Fantastic Four! And he even put a warning... 'You don't have to do this immediately but I've heard a few rumors about people who sat on this for too long turning into clowns and being chased by a crazed person wearing shoes from Beautifeel (??) trying to do the hokey pokey!!'

That was enough to make me do the tag right away, pronto!! I hope I didn't sit on it too long cos I surely don't want to be turned into a clown and be chased by a mad fella wearing Beautifeel shoes!!

OK, let's get started ya.

The rules: Copy/paste, type in your answers and tag four people in your lists! Don't forget to change my answers to the questions with that of your own.

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I can't believe it... in 1 month and 15 days, it'll be Christmas again! Woohoo!!

And the headache of buying presents starts :( My son has over and over asked me to get him this Ultraman Dyna toy, even told me about the price and where to get it. But the thing is, he changes his mind all the time. Next he'll want the remote control helicopter or the bicycle.

Yeah, I know I promised him a bike since last year but I haven't bought one cos of an incident a few months back. He fell from a bike he borrowed from his friend. He had a few wounds which he never told me. They were really bad but didn't really need stitches, thank goodness. So, I decided I had better not buy him a bike just yet.

And talking about gifts my friends have been asking me what I want for Christmas. Well, I could do with a nice red sporty Ferrari but I don't think anyone would spring one for me this Christmas... hehehe. Actually, I'm not the kind who looks forward to gifts. If I get one, fine and dandy, if not then it's no loss.

But if you're planning (ahem) to get me any Christmas gifts, I could actually do with a nice lamp for my room. And not just any lamp, maybe a nice Nestore reading floor lamp. I love reading and the lights in my room aren't really suited for reading.

You won't even have to go hunting high and low for it cos you could just look it up at ShopWiki, the online shopping site that works a little like what Google does. They're not like your average run of the mill traditional online shopping site that only shows you stores which pay for placement of their ads, ShopWiki will show you just about every store of the product that you're looking for. So it'll be so easy for you to search for my gift ;)

Ah, who am I kidding? I'll be happy to get a bedtime butterfly night light or even a candle for Christmas :D
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My day started off quite early. As usual on a Sunday, we head to church for the kids' Sunday classes. But not before having a hearty breakfast.

The boys tend to get whiny on empty stomachs so they must be fed above everything else cos when they're whiny they make mommy lose her temper. And losing my temper on Sunday morning is not something I need. I'm quite an impatient person but at the same time, I can also be a very patient person if I want to. I know... it's contradictory :)

I had a meeting with the boys Sunday school teachers today. The usual stuff, talking about the kids progress and I even got ticked off for not bringing my kids to church regularly. While I admitted it was partly my fault, ok, it was largely my fault but hey, I think it's between me and God whether I want to attend church every Sunday, once a month, once a year even once a century! If I'm to be thrown into the darkest pits of hell, then so be it.

I hate being lectured... first of all, I'm not a 16 year old girl. I'm doing my best for my kids, and one of them happens to be a special child. It's not easy juggling life in the city. She doesn't know even 1% of my life so I couldn't be bothered. So, masuk telinga kiri... keluar telinga kanan. I just smiled throughout and anxiously waited till she finished talking (for close to 10 minutes!). But I did feel like decking the teacher anyway!

Here's this week's paper cutting... the theme is 'Home Sweet Home'.

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Earlier this year, I enrolled my son for Mandarin class. It was provided by the school for free and it was conducted for 2 hours every Friday. I thought it was a good idea for him to learn an additional language and initially he was pretty excited about it. The first few weeks, all he did when he came home from school was try to practice his new language skills on me. Not that I understood a single word he said.

Fast forward eight months later, my son came to me one day and complained that he wanted to quit the Mandarin class. I was surprised as he didn't give any indication of not enjoying the class. I asked for his reason and he told me that it was a difficult language to grasp and that his Mandarin class teacher was a fierce dragon lady and so on.

Thinking that he was just being his sometimes lazy self, I told him to continue with the classes as learning a new language is never easy but that it'll come in handy for him in the future. I told him to just take things slowly and don't get too disheartened. I feel bad when I can't even help him in his Mandarin homework cos I really do not know a single thing about the language.

Recently, he came up to me again and told me that next year he doesn't want to attend the Mandarin class if possible. He looked so sad (I don't know if it was genuine cos that boy can sure act like a pro at times) but I gave him the benefit of the doubt. I know how it feels to do something that I don't enjoy, it's not a good feeling ya.

I feel there's no point forcing him to take the class when his heart and mind are not into it. Perhaps he should take an English language class instead. His English is far from perfect, at least I can help him with his homework. But at least he did try it out for a whole year, so dropping out at this stage is not too bad, ya?

Aside from the fact that my son is dropping out of his Mandarin class, the year has been a long and trying one... it has its up and downs but I guess that is life. There are times when I feel like giving up, pack my bags and head home but I don't want to be a quitter. I believe my sons have a better future here especially the eldest one. He has progressed tremendously compared to the first time we set foot in KL. He was such a timid fellow and afraid of his surroundings. I'm so proud of his achievements :)

Wouldn't it be great if I could just fly off to some place nice. Some place where there's plenty of snow would be great :) I've always wanted to play in the snow, building a snowman and make snow angels... hehehe. Maybe go some place like Telluride, Colorado where I could try my hand at skiing, something which I've never done before and have always envisioned myself skiing down a snow covered trail.

Originally a mining town, Telluride now is known for its magnificent views, ski resort, famous autumn color changes and slopes during the winter as well as extensive festival schedule during the summer.

And I wouldn't have to worry about equipment cos I could just check out Ski Butlers which provides telluride ski rentals right to your doorstep. All you have to do is make a reservation online or call their toll free number, do an in-house fit and your skis delivered right to you :D


And if in the process you need some help with it, especially for someone like me who has never skied before, I can always count on technical support from their customer service people and when I'm all done with my ski adventure, I can have all my ski equipment picked up, pack my bags and head for home. Now if only I could afford a vacation like that!
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2 legs to go before the winner is revealed. That's just 2 weeks from now. Sighhh... it has been quite a race and it's going to end soon. I feel rather sad. I'm still heartbroken Bernie and Henry got eliminated last week :*(

Still, we have to move on... as the race is not over yet. I'm glad Ida and Tania is still in the game. 4 teams left so in this episode, I'm guessing they may have the intersection.

The Intersection, requires each team to pair up with other team and perform all tasks and make decisions together until further notice.

Just about 5 hours to go before the show starts. I decided to publish this earlier and add in the details later. Heroes 3 is also showing tonight right after TARA 3 so I have to be real quick.

Episode 9 recap.

9th leg - Bolgatty Palace, Cochin ~ Pune, India

Fly to Mumbai and travel to Pune, make your way to Jawaharlal Nehru Cricket Stadium to get the next clue

Play a game of Cricket with the locals, teams must hit the boundary with 36 tries. Failure to do so result in a 10 minute time penalty

Using the Map Application on a Nokia 6210 navigator, teams must guide their auto rickshaw driver to their next destination for their next clue

Roadblock (only one person may perform task) ~ Who Has The Better Pheta?

• Search through a field of 50 men wearing a pheta, and locate the correct pheta with the word "Correct" written inside

Travel by auto rickshaw to Sony World showroom, Equity Tower in Aundh

Get someone to tell a joke (capture it on video). A panel of 6 judges must find the joke funny in order for the teams to get their next clue

Detour


Push ~ Transport 75 clay pots from Datta Shinde Pottery shop to Rajkumar Provision Store (1km away)
or
Crush ~ Crush sugarcane to get 40 glasses of juice and sell 200 rupees worth of drinks

Make your way to Desai Bahndhu Ambewal (U-Turn ahead)

A team that gets a U-Turn must complete a Detour task they did not take (therefore, team must complete both detours)

Geoff & Tisha (Philippines) U-Turned A.D. & Fuzzie (Singapore)

Pit Stop : Gokhale Institute of Politics & Economics

1. Vince & Sam (Hong Kong) ~ each wins an N96 phone
   
2. Ida & Tania (Malaysia)
3. Geoff & Tisha (Philippines)
4. A.D & Fuzzie (Singapore) ~ (Pre-determined non-elimination leg) Must arrive 1st in the next Pit Stop or incur a 30-minute penalty

Related post:
TARA 3 : Episode 10
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While I'm a fan of sports, football hasn't really been one of them. I'm more of the track and field kind of sports fan and well, maybe the F1 when Michael Schumacher was still in it :D But I do have my own personal favorite football team though and that is none other than the great Manchester United!

I've been a loyal fan of the club for quite a while now and even though I don't really catch much of their live games, I still do keep an eye out on what's happening with them. These days with the advent of technology, there is a host of information available out there to keep abreast of their progress, unlike the old days when all you had was the newspaper. Even then it was a day old news.

That's why when I found out that Carlsberg launched their web tv channel called Partofthegame.tv, I was pretty excited. It's a great site that offers more avenues for me to keep track of my favourite football team. It's located at www.partofthegame.tv and they have 5 dedicated channels featuring all kinds of stuff about football from those old classic football matches right up to life as a football fan.

On top of that they have cool video clips about funny moments in football and the weird rituals of the players and teams which can be found on the Football Magic Channel or even a few crazy and bizarre stories about the fans and their culture that sometimes goes beyond understanding. And as an extra you can upload any of your favourite football or fan moment on the Carlsberg web-tv site.

Ok, now excuse me while I go find out how Manchester United did in last nights Champions League game.

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The local paper (the Star) reported that hypermarkets now can extend their operating hours to 11pm on weekdays and 1am on weekends! I haven't tried shopping at midnight before and I would love to try it out :D

One thing I dislike when I do my weekly shopping is having to queue so long just to pay at the counter. Working people only have time to shop during the weekends and that's why the parking are horrendous and the crowds are unbearable.

I've on a few occasions taken out a few items from my shopping cart so that it doesn't exceed 10 items so I could pay at the express check out especially on days when the queues are exceptionally long. It irks me when one item doesn't have a tag and the cashier just look at you saying it doesn't have a tag. It's not my fault there is no tag right.

Why can't they just call their colleagues to check the price tag instead of giving me this hopeless look saying he/she can't do much about it. It happened to me in Mydin, Giant, Tesco even Carrefour and when that happens, I just tell them to ignore the stuff. It's absolutely annoying!

I bet it's going to be even worse with the school holidays and Christmas celebrations just around the corner. I can already picture the number of people who are going to be out in droves, especially during weekends and it's not something I look forward to. On top of that my two mischievous boys are going to add to the equation and I'll look like a mad woman screaming at them to behave...
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Wednesday nights used to be such a boring time, TV-wise that is.

There's CSI: Miami which I am not at all keen on watching. That Horatio Caine fellow is just way over the top with his acting. I mean, come on, what's with that tilted sun glasses removing head action that he's so fond of doing?

Then there was Doc Martin and the trailers I saw didn't look too appealing but with nothing else to watch I tried it out one day and I was pleasantly surprised that I actually like the show.

My first impression of the show was that it was gonna be a boring show, the main character, Doc Martin is not even good looking, and the setting is by a seaside English village and you know know how some of these English shows are. But Doc Martin was far from being boring.

He portrayed this quirky big town doctor with horrible bedside manners perfectly. You don't see him break into a smile even once throughout the show. He's perpetually grumpy looking and his awkward 'almost' romance with the village teacher is so fun to watch.

I found myself getting hooked to the show and can't bring myself to missing one single episode that I actually completed this project I have on payday loans way before the show so that the moment the show was over, I could head upstairs and post it... hehehe
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Finally, Heroes Season 3 will be shown on ASTRO! I can hardly wait but I have a teeny, weeny problem... cos tomorrow The Amazing Race Asia 3 Episode 9 will be shown just before Heroes and I have no time to post my report. Oh dear... what should I do??

How I wish I have a laptop like Marzie so I could just type away while TARA 3 is being shown. If worse comes to worst, I'll have to resort to watching the repeats for Heroes! Aiyohh... macam mana ni?

I guess I'll have to sleep on this, it's no big deal la, small matter. Right now I have more pressing things to think of... such as finding ways to get some cash advance for Christmas, New Year and the new school term! Money, money down the drain...
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I have been putting this post off for months already. It has been so long that I even have problems identifying who awarded me with what awards! I could just opt to ignore them but then I feel really bad. I feel as if I'm being unappreciative of my fellow bloggers for giving me these wonderful awards.

So, I have been going to each and every blog I could think of, lurking and going through their archives trying to locate the awards posts. Gosh! It was not easy... next time I think I'd better write down who gave me awards the moment I get the them and not procrastinate too long... hehe

And without further ado, let me share with you these wonderful awards. Beware cos it's a long list... and I mean really long list!

1. Uber Amazing Blog Award from Marzie, Emila, Jean, Ken, Yoon See and Tekkaus

2. Butterfly Award from Fiona, Emila, Jean, Yoon See and Ken

3. Red Rose Award from Dora, Sweetiepie, Ken, Jean

4. Super Blogger Award from Marzie, Ken, Emila and Yoon See

5. I Love Your Blog Award from Jean, Emila, Yoon See and Ken

6. I Love Your Blog Award (2) from Jean, Emila, Ken and Tekkaus

7. Best Blogger Award from Marzie

8. Eggcellent Award from Marzie

9. Walking Together Award from Jean

10. Amazing Friendship Award from Emila ,Yoon See and Ken

11. You Are Too Sweet Award from Jean

12. I Wuv Your Blog Award from Yoon See


13. Kreativ Blogger Award from Yoon See

14. Knock Out Blog Award from Ken


15. I Heart Your Blog! Award from Rozella

16. I Love Your Blog Award from Emila and Ken

17. Arte Y Pico Award from Ken

I told you it was a long list... hehehe. That's what you get for being lazy. Oh and I think I'm going to be extremely selfish this time and keep all these awards for myself... LOL! Besides, I'm sure by now, you all also have the very same awards, ya?

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I love it when it rains so early in the morning! It's freezing right now cos the air-con is switched on but I get to wear my thick sweater so no problems there :) The only problem for me was I had to send my son to school (he normally walks on his own) cos of the rain.

Well, anyway, I'm quite free at the moment. Done all my work, now I've nothing to do... nada... boringnya. Maybe I'll go and make my second cup of coffee. On second thoughts, maybe not. The 3-in-1 coffee packets are finishing and I don't want to be accused of being the coffee abuser. Hmmm, I saw a bar of chocolate in the pantry just now... I wonder whose is it...

So what do I do now? I can't just sit here and do nothing... I must look busy... Aha! I think I'll do Angie's (angeline-chen.blogspot.com) tag. She tagged me with a meme a very, very long time ago. I think it was called 'The Six Tag'.

Here goes...

1. Six people I tag:
I am tagging no one!

2. Six things I'm passionate about:
Blogging
Family
Paper Cuttings
Books
Food
Paid Posts... hehehe

3. Six things that I say too often:
Alamak
Aiyah
Apalah
Cis
Gila
Yakah

4. Six books of recently read:
Twice Upon A Wedding by Jean Stone
Forget About It by Caprice Crane
The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
Can You Keep A Secret by Sophie Kinsella
Shopaholic Takes Manhattan by Sophie Kinsella
Shopaholic Ties The Knot by Sophie Kinsella

5. Six songs I listen to again and again:
Save A Prayer by Duran-Duran
Victims by Culture Club
Freedom '90 by Wham
Forever Young by Alphaville
Hurt by Christina Aguilera
Better In Time by Leona Lewis

6. Six things that I have learnt from the past:
Trust no one especially busybodies
Take one step at a time
Don't worry, be happy
To hell with what others think of you
Be kind to people who are kind to you
What goes around, comes around!

Alrighty then. Now, let's have a look at what Canada phone number reverse really is. If you want to find out about a certain number in Canada, be it cell, business or residential numbers, just look it up at ReversePhoneNumberCanada.com. It is a great site that allows you to search numbers and get detailed information about the caller. Easy like eating peanuts, I'd say! :D
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Marzie or better known as Mariuca is having a little contest to commemorate her blog's 2nd anniversary. I have known her a little over a year and a half and she has become a good friend who is both helpful and accommodating.

Now comes the hard part about this contest. To actually name the bear so that it will impress her enough to win me the bear! Did I mention that I MUST win the bear? Anyway, after sleepless nights tossing and turning in bed like a fish being fried in sambal tumis (urrmmm, now I'm getting hungry) I came up with this perfect name for the little bear that is rightfully mine.

If you want to join (which you all should really refrain from participating so I can WIN!) then head over to her blog for the contest details.

And after much deliberation with the council of elders comprising Yogi bear, Smokey the bear and Winnie the Pooh, I have decided to name the bear, RANDY ROVER! You know why I chose Randy Rover? Well, if you've seen Starsky and Hutch, then you probably know who Huggy Bear is (Antonio Fargas from the original show) and that bear sure exudes the same attitude.

Anyway Marzie, I hope you like the name of THE BEAR. Just in case you can't decide on a winner, then you should just read the 'bold' letters and you will see the light... hehehe.
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Oh boy! My 3rd post of the day! I wonder how other bloggers do it... I salute you people :D My mind is completely burnt out already!

Have you been getting loads of prank calls lately? Are you at your wits end trying to identify the culprit? My advice is to buy a phone equipped with caller ID or register with ReportPhoneNumbers.com. You can Report Annoying Callers, and find out who owns that phone number who is pranking you! When you make a report, you can help stop telephone scammers.


The best thing to do is just cancel your home phone line and use your cellphone instead. If you do not recognize the number, just don't bother answering. That's what I do anyway. Be guarded about who you give your number to. Often, surveys and certain applications will ask for your numbers.
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News in brief...

TEHRAN: An Iranian man has filed for divorce and asked a court to protect him from his hefty wife, saying she lays into him every night when he gets home from work, the Etermad newspaper reported.

"I am a cleaner at a hotel and get home late at night. "But my wife thinks I do other things after work," the paper quoted the man, Behrouz, as he told the family court here. "Every night when I get home my wife, who is tall and strong, hits me."

Behrouz, who is slightly built, said he no longer wanted to go home and pleaded for the court to save him from his wife.

The judge has now summoned the wife to appear before the court before he gives a final ruling in the case. - AFP

I don't know whether to cry or laugh at this guy's predicament. Perhaps I shouldn't. I'm so used to hearing women getting abused and this is really the first time I read about a man begging the court to rescue him from his wife!

It sounds like a case of a jealous and suspecting wife to me. I mean how many times have we heard of the excuse, "Honey, I'll be late today, got loads of work to do" and in the end they find out their husbands are having affairs ya. But she shouldn't have gone overboard by resorting to physical violence.

Hmmm... I wonder if she was smaller built, would she had the guts to whack her husband??
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I'm so happy for Lewis Hamilton! What a way to clinch the championship, at the very final corner at that! :D

I didn't watch the race cos the live race was shown way too late for me (1.00am). I went to bed wondering if he could pull it off, I may be a Ferrari fan but ever since Lewis came into the picture, I was secretly (well, obviously it's not a secret anymore) rooting for him. But whatever it is, I'll always be a Ferrari fan... unless they sign up Alonso.

I suppose many die hard fans of McLaren would name their newborn sons as Lewis or Hamilton or probably even the whole name. I remember a relative of a colleague of mine naming her daughter Steffi Graf! No prizes for guessing the reason... hehe. But at least that's still a pretty decent name. Imagine if you had a dad like Frank Zappa and named your daughter Moon Unit Zappa! I'm sure he could have used some help during the naming session! LOL!

Sometimes finding the perfect baby names can be daunting especially for new parents. I remember naming my son at the very last minute cos I just didn't know what to name him. I didn't have the aid of websites like Gurgle.com for instance. Imagine how easy that would have made it for me. I could have probably found some cool name with some deep way back history attached to it, maybe something like Sir Galahad or something... urrmmm... then again, maybe not, Nigel sounds so much better :)

But then, if you really want a name with some ancient meaning or maybe just can't decide what to call your newborn, check out their baby namer guide. It helps you by providing meanings and origins to more than 20,000 baby names, from classic to celebrity to quirky! That should help you get a head start in naming your baby or babies... if you're expecting triplets! :)

Gurgle is a great site for every parents, both new and old. Besides just looking for baby names, you'll also find everything you need to know, from pregnancy related queries, feeling your baby kick for the time, pregnancy week by week progress to deciding the on the right childcare. Their tagline says it all, Baby Stuff Made Simple!

And if you seriously still have doubts, then perhaps you could check out the chat and answers section where a panel of experts will get right down to answering all your questions. Pretty neat, huh :)