"Short hair now, Long knowledge too"

Whenever mummy and daddy asked me to cut my hair short, I will just ignore them because I wanted to be "pretty". That was 8 months ago where the conversation took place.

Then, I changed my mind 8 months later...because I think that short hair...

1. makes my head lighter
2. needs not spend too much time washing the hair...using extra time
3. prevents hair fall that happens every single day
4. can prevent me to spoil my mood for wondering what hairstyle when go out

Yesterday, I went to Meglio Mahkota Parade for a hair cut. I was sitting in the middle of 2 young pretty ladies and they both too decided to go for "short hair season". So many ladies prefer short hair including the actresses in entertainment world.

The hairstylist taught me some new thing.
Oh well, the hairstylist is my sister's friend who never stop learning and improving. I can tell you that his cutting hair skills is improving each year until we have 100% faith in him.

"When my hair is short, what fashion style should I follow?" I asked.
"It's up to you, it's not related to the hairstyle. It's about you, only you." he said professionally.

"How do you know if a person is dare in taking risk in having her/his hair cut?" I asked again.
"If a person is so fashionable, then she/he is the one falls in that group." he replied.

Baba Nyonya in Malacca [Google pic]

Another hairstylist washed my hair. He looked familiar, I thought. So we chatted and he is really a friend from former high school.

"Are you a Nyonya?" he asked.
"I am Chinese la" I answer and he was not the first one to ask.

Then he told me that he is actually Baba. My curiousity does take over me because one of my lecturers in university used to said that Baba Nyonya speak very good Malay.

"Is Baba Nyonya Malay same as Bahasa Malaysia?" he is my resource for the answer.
"Sort of but not that same." he smiled and said.

"is Apa Khabar same as Nyonya Malay?" I asked.
"Khabar is pronounced as Kha-ber." he read it out once.
"We spend so much time preparing food in the kitchen because to us, the taste of food is every important." he explained it.

Mother and daughter new hairstyles

:)

I love my short hair now, seriously. Feel so free finally:)

"Everyone is overprotective"

They said:"Don't be overprotective."

That's the reason why Max is still unable to stand properly without the help of a table or a person.

One of them said:"The more you carry a baby, the more he wants everyone to carry."

He was right. On the other hand, dad said:"When he grows up, we don't even have the strength to carry already."

He is right too.

But there is a good way for him to exercise his leg so that he can stand properly. One of the hospital staffs suggested...which is

"Let him play the toy table."

Immediately, we went home and took out the toy table from the storeroom. Initially, Max was so afraid to stand up and he fell once!

Then, he seemed to love the table and never stop playing it by standing up!

Well, perhaps he spent too much hours doing that. That's why he wanted to sit down to play the toys above by sitting on my lap. His butt was too heavy at night.

Open your mind and heart...you can "Invite Freedom Home" [2/3]

"But the mist was still hovering all over the swamp. At long last, I saw the silhouette of a man by a bridge but I wasn't sure; he was not moving at all. 

Was it really a person? Was it my imagination? 

When I got nearer, the figure began to move ahead, it was indeed a man with a small bag. I was so relieved, I finally found someone to ask for direction:"Am I heading towards the village of Lumbini?".  He nodded his head, phew, I was on the right track after all."

He was so firm with his decision of going to Lumbini although the bus was fated to stop at Kathmandu. Without thinking twice, he took his own path, chose the less travel path to reach Lumbini.

I was in a blur mode when he mentioned that we should follow our heart. Without a goal or plan? After continue to the book, I understand what he means by saying that we must plan something. After completing the planning decision, we do not need to worry about the outcome but enjoy the flow. That's what the author, Tham Chee Wah said in his latest book, "Invite Freedom Home".

How did I apply it in my life yesterday?
It was a rushing day yesterday. After came back from school, brother got to go to the hospital for his medical appointment.

He was supposed to leave the classroom at 1pm but he was so scared to be scolded by teacher. So he remained silent. So mother waited until 2pm like that. Anyway we finally reached the hospital but brother forgot to bring the appointment card.

"Why you forgot to bring!?" I raised my voice at the counter.
"I forgot to bring. Let's place the urine test into the basket first." My brother was panicked but later he cooled down and decided to do it.

Well, the nurse at the counter saw the sibling-commotion and spoke nicely to us. Thank God she was a patient person. Anyway, I kept calm myself and said:" We come for brother's appointment. Since the registration process was done, all we need to do is to wait."

Around 6p.m, brother's number was called. Brother, uncle and I waited for hours but we did not complain about it. It must be hard for a 13-year-old boy to sit down for hours without making noise for the first time.

Max loves the cover of "Invite Freedom Home"

What did I do for that 4 hours at the hospital's clinic?
I was walking to the brochure section. Whoa, the first brochure I took was "Mata Merah". Oh yea, yesterday was the first day I got this sore eyes early in the morning.

At least, this brochure reminds me to use clean tissue or soft clothes to wipe my eyes twice a day. And I felt better. But I did go to the 1Malaysia clinic at night.

Then my eyes were glued at the big televisions screen because "MedikTV" was aired. I am so proud of Malaysia for producing a program which raises our awareness of health in a simple and attractive way with graphics that simplify the message.

I saw a old man. He was so happy-go-lucky. He waited for hours but he did not complain or showed moody face. Instead, he went to others' seats and talked to them. He was a easy-going person. I was sitting far away yet I can feel his happy aura. Strong happy, friendly aura. That's when I know that a happy person can attract people to stick to him!

Anyway, I did not know that brother and I got a chance to talk to this happy man when all of us were waiting for a letter from the doctor. It was a nice conversation A brief yet unforgettable conversation.

Because I open my heart and mind to go with the flow, I have a chance to

1. Learn about taking care of the sore eyes.
2. Keep abreast of the importance of eating healthily, doing exercise from MedikTV.
3. Realize that being happy can makes the atmosphere a happy place.

As the author said:

"Relax. Relax into everything in life and know that it is Ok."

It's their 25th silver anniversary with triple news

Today is a very auspicious day. Daddy and mummy is celebrating their very first 25th silver marriage anniversary today.

What are the triple news?

1. It's parents' 25th marriage anniversary.
2. Parents' eldest daughter a.k.a my sister is 25 years old this year.
3. Mother married my daddy when she was 25 years old.

The parents have gone through a mixture of joy and sadness. Love is the thing that makes their marriage stronger and stronger each year.

Their love story?
Mother was a young 16-year-old girl when she met my father who was 20 years old at the time.

No, it was not love at first sight.
Mother's friend kept telling her how Handsome my father was, yet my mother thought  he was UGLY!

Then, I did not know how many months or years that daddy invested before he successfully stole the heart of my mother.

Why my parents are awesome?
My dad has been working for years at different places, different states in order to support the children and wife.

To him, family is the most important thing in the world. That's why he loves the atmosphere of Chinese New Year so that everyone can gather and spend the good time together.

Daddy is the one who prefers to solve problem rather than dwell on the cause. That's why whenever we made mistakes, he did not spend times nagging, scolding us. Instead, he helped us to solve the problem. This one year, I learn his way of solving problem, no more dwelling on past.

My mum is a awesome mother. She wakes up early for her children without even complaining.

Karl  Lagerfeld is right by saying:"The only love that I really believe in is a mother's love for her children.".
Well, I agree with that quote 50% because the other 50% of love I really believe in is a wife's love for her husband.

Us, the children are stubborn and do not obey her sometimes. Yet, she may be sad but then she forgives us after that. She does not hate us at all.

As Sherman Alexie said:

"I think all of us are always five years old in the presence and absence of our parents."

I am really thankful to have such great parents in this world.

Happy 25th Marriage Anniversary!

Max, the friendly little Man

Max was a lucky man. He met 3 new friends at 3 different places today!

1. At a coffee shop at 10a.m

A family was sitting next to our table. Their baby boy was so cute, sitting quietly on his Fisher Price's baby chair. My mother was talking to the baby boy's aunt. 

Max was busy looking at the 11-month-old baby boy. He kept looking and wanted to move forward, get closer to his new friend. But his new friend was too busy in sitting calmly.

2. At another coffee shop at 2p.m

We were having lunch. 

A family was sitting 2 tables away from us. 

But they had a cute 4-month-old baby girl who was so chubby.

We were sitting quite far yet Max still able to look at her, talked loudly, as if he was talking to her.

But the baby girl was too young to give any response to Max.

3. At a shop

A 1-year-plus boy was carrying by his mother.

Max wanted to touch him.

Actually, he wanted to take the boy's pacifier away from the friend. I pulled him backward, I mean Max.

The 1-year-plus boy was so cool. 

Then he cried because he did not want to go home. Mum thought Max made the boy cry.

He loves to make new friends:)

Mum and I baked cherries nestum cookies

Baking is the best way to fill boredom, delete laziness and strengthen family bond.

Have a doubt? 
Try to bake with your family members or loved ones and you can feel it.

Today we baked nestum cookies. Instead of pressing against cookies with a fork, we used cherries as topping.

Watch out for what?

1. Switch off the fan whenever you want to weigh the ingredients on a digital scale to get the specific weight/mass.
2. A cup is a measuring cup for baking, not our typical drinking cup. *I wanted to use the normal cup until mum told me that, we should use measuring cup.*

The recipe was copied from some websites.
Here's the ingredients:

• Plain Flour-250g
• Pure Butter-250g
• Fine Sugar-120g
• Eggs-2
• Nestum-3 cups
• Vanilla Essense-2 teaspoon

  Method:

 1. Whisk the butter until fluffy.

Whisk the butter.

 2. Add sugar, eggs and Vanilla. Mix well.

Left: Sugar with Vanilla. Eggs. Add them into the fluffy butter.

3. Next, add the flour into the mixture.

Plain Flour:)

4. Once the flour has been mixed well, add in the Nestum.

Nestum and mixture of butter, flour, sugar, vanilla and egg.

The measuring cup for baking.

5. After adding Nestum, use a spatula to fold through the mixture of butter, flour, nestum, sugar, egg and Vanilla.

Fold them:)

6. Then, roll them into a size of a tiny ball. And add cherries on top OR use a fork to press it down.

7. Bake them at 150C for 8-10 minuites.

This is it!

:)

This is the moment of baking cherries nestum cookies.

I love nestum cookies. Taste delicious.

You can try it too:)

I've completed 3 missions so far in 2013...

Did I mention that I jot down 24 resolutions for my 2013 goal.
That means, I just went through 1/8 of my full 2013 journey.

Well, I am kind of excited because this is my first ever resolution list in my 22 years as a person who comes to this world. I do not want my 2013 resolution to be at a standstill.

It's awesome to have your own resolution because that keeps you focused and appreciate the power of time. Everyone has 24 hours a day so let's make use of the power of time wisely.

One of my tuition teacher used to say this:
"It does not matter whether you want to be lazy for 30 years. But, when you reach the age of 50, you try to rewind what you have done for the past 30 years?"
This is a real serious thing to be considered in my life. Thank you teacher for sharing us with such as great sentences.

Here's my completed missions:

1. Save money to come back to Malacca in April/May during semester break
I will be back to Sabah next month. Being a home-person for almost a year, it must be weird to adapt to my life without my family again. I am looking forward to continue my life in Sabah but I still miss my family.

So, I want to come back to my hometown for a week during the semester break. Luckily daddy lend me booking-ticket-money first. If I find a job during the long semester break from June till August, I will pay him back the money.

Google: Flying home :)

2. Donate money to the needy
Last year, I was in a unexpected situation but I met many kind people who willing to lend us their hands including provide meals and shelters. This gives me full strength to help the needy too.

I am so thankful to my friend whom finally exposed me, gave me a chance to help. Although I could not make it to the visiting day, I still can donate some money to her. I trust her because we used to study in the same primary school like 12 years ago.

She used the money to buy stuff for the needy people. This is the picture:

My friend posted this picture to show us what she bought with the money:)

3. Passion in giving

Mother and I are so busy in the kitchen lately. We bake cookies and cakes during our free time. 

It had been like a month since I ceased working at Krista as a teaching assistant. But the spirit of ' Sharing food is good' does not fade away. I must thank Teacher Saras for showing me such a beautiful thing about food sharing. I do miss everyone of them so I asked myself:"Why not bake some cookies for them?"

Few days later, 2 students came to my house to visit me. They even said my cookies were nice. Well, I was happy because they said it was nice. Thank you so much.

I made Oatmeal cookies for the Krista buddies:)

There are 21 more missions that are waiting for me.

Today, we visited the neighbour's new family member

We are the neighbours visited the neighbours today.

Sydney Smith said:"The dearest things in the world are our neighbor's eyes; they cost everybody more than anything else in housekeeping."

The neighbours are the closest loved ones since we live nearby to each other.

In the evening, the neighbours will come to our house once in a while.
The old, the young will spend the quality time to have a brief conversation, sometimes incessant conversation when the interesting topic was shared.

Today, we went to visit the neighbour's new family member: One-month-old baby boy. He is such a big cute baby with round head. The way he stared and looked at us is so funny. Well, every baby is cute because baby is innocent.

The neighbour said that it was so hard to look after her one-month-old baby boy.
By looking at him, we thought it was okay and said:" You will feel the real challenge when he is 7 months old."
That's how little Max behaves now, as a 7-month-old baby. He moves like a worm or snake.

Baby Max:)

Time really flies. Baby Max is 7 months old now.
When he was a-month-old, he was so tiny and small. He had long thin fingers and we were so happy that he has the 'pianist' fingers.
Now, his fingers are not as thin as last time.

Like the neighbour's baby, Max could not move. He cried to ask for milk. That's how baby's cuteness steals our heart. We loved seeing him lying on the bed, doing nothing but acting cute. Now, we can never cease chasing him here and there when he is crawling.

This is the first time we saw the neighbour's baby for the first time. He is so cute and huge for his age. You will feel nothing but happiness when being close to a baby.

"The Fierce Wife Movie" gives hope to single mothers

This movie is the Part 2 of The Fierce Wife.

Part 1 Summary:
"An Zhen is a housewife who was happily married to her husband. She was so engrossed in her work as a perfect wife and daughter. 

But her husband had an affair with An Zhen's cousin who was from overseas. An Zhen divorced her husband."

Part 2 Summary:
"She is a single mother for 4 years before accepting the love of a perfect handsome guy named Tian Wei.

Tian Wei changed An Zhen from a unfashionable housewife to a perfect modern lady. He waited her for 4 years before An Zhen accepted him, finally."

Google: Left: An Zhen's exhusband, An Zhen, Tian Wei.

This movie gives motivation and hopes to single mother.

Firstly, from this movie, I learn that being a single mother is not that hard depends on how you view  your life. An Zhen's cousin became a single mother to a 4-year-old boy after the affair with An Zhen's exwife. She told An Zhen it was not hard to be a single mother. It was a short yet strong sentence.

In reality, those big superstars with huge achievement at such a young age are unbelievable. Take a look at Justin Bieber, Adele or even Alicia Keys. 

They were brought up by young single mother. Although their mothers were young when raising them up without a husband, they did not find 'single mother' as an excuse. Instead, they worked hard and live each day giving the best to their children.

Google: Justin Bieber's mother is one strong single mother.

Secondly, "The Fierce Wife Movie" shows the world that, single mothers can be pretty and fashionable too. Before divorced, An Zhen was your typical housewife who did not think of her look but dedicated herself 100% to her husband and daughter. Then, Tian Wei came into her life and showed her that "you can be pretty for yourself, too".

Chantelle Houghton becomes a single mother when Dolly was 4-month-old. Even though she was sad and devastated, she gave her time to her daughter and herself by making herself pretty and looks confident. Thus, being a single mother is not the end of the pretty-yourself world.

Google: Chantelle Houghton with baby Dolly

Lastly, this movie tells the world that a single mother still can find true love after a failed marriage. Although An Zhen's ex husband had turned over a new leaf, trying to vow her again, An Zhen found her better true love by accepting Tian Wei.

Hollywood's pretty and sweet Reese Witherspoon divorced from her handsome husband. But she did not give up on meeting her true love again. Well, she met hers finally and now, she is a mother to a new baby from her second marriage.

Google: Reese Witherspoon wth her love Jim.

"The Fierce Wife" shows us that"

1. Being a single mother is not that difficult when you can overcome the hardship.
2. A single mother still can spend some times to 'beautify' herself.
3. A single mother can find new true love too.

 

As Jody Watley said:

"Passion has always been important to me.

That won't change. What changes in a woman's perspective."

The family got 'cheaper' sweet muffins last week

Daddy decided to go to Kenny Rogers Roasters after everyone of us decided that Secret Recipe was not our 'day' last Saturday.

This is what we call 'Family' because my heart told me to go to Kenny Rogers silently without telling any of my family members. Perhaps daddy was indirectly bowed to his inner voice. Well, daddy also loved Kenny Rogers Roasters to bits.

I like the way the staffs set up a small table right in the middle of the main entrance to attract people on the promotion of Bcard in January.

The moment my family was ordering the food, I managed to ask the waiter about it. Turn out, it was a huge promotion in January by forking out RM10 for the card, we can get half dozen of Muffins immediately in January.

In reality, a muffin costs RM2.20. In conclusion, we saved few Ringgit Malaysia.

Look, the muffins promotion is true:)

Initially, the waiter told us that only two flavors was available: Vanilla and Banana. Then, we saw Chocolate Muffins. Curiosity took over me and without hesitation, I asked the waiter politely.

Ahh, I was not sure which waiters came first because they looked alike: Wearing a pair of glasses, a cap with almost similar face feature! 
This incident brought me back to year 2010 when I was a part time waitress.

"My friend came with his twin whom I'd never seen before. I was talking to my friend. By double confirm the menu, I looked at his twin. 
Luckily my friend was my friend, so we laughed together without me running away for the silly incident."

As a result of my asking, I found out that Chocolate Muffins sold out few minutes ago. The staffs baked the new ones and displayed outside, again.

Me with brother holding the Bcard.

Busy choosing the right food.

It's nice to spend some quality time eating with the family once in a while. It can be a last minute moment to decide the food but the process of chit-chatting, eating and laughing together as a family worth more than what we can imagine.

That day I learned that:

1. Latest promotion or attractive things must be placed at the most attractive and obvious places.
2. Make sure to look at the waiter/waitress when talking so that we will not mistaken which waiter was serving us.
3. Eating with family members is the most amazing moment in life.

As George Santayana said:

"The family is one of nature's masterpieces."