Month: March 2008

Importance Of IT In Our Lives

Ever since I started blogging and monetizing my blog, I realized how important it is to be technically sound.  I never really had proper IT training and the very basic IT knowledge that I have now was learned on the job when I was working.  Had I known how important IT is in our lives now and how it can really enrich our lives, I would have gone to a technical school aeons ago.  If I could go back in time and choose a course that I would like to pursue, IT would definitely be one of my choices.  Tech schools and IT programs are aplenty these days and it is important to enroll into a good school to get the right start and foundation for a bright career path.

No. of times viewed = 169

This Is Daddy

That’s Sherilyn’s drawing of daddy’s head, with no hair, no ears and a tiny neck LOL!  She loves drawing and coloring and her writing skill has also improved.  She can trace letters and numbers quite well and can even write a few letters of the alphabet without having me to dot them for her.  Whenever Alycia does her homework, Sher will also sit next to me and do drawing, coloring or writing.  However, she can be rather irritating when she keeps asking me questions and seeking my attention when I am busy coaching Alycia in her homework.  Sher has been showing keen interest in going to pre-school.  I may send her to Aly’s pre-school in June this year.

No. of times viewed = 214

Pregnancy Rash

I have recently developed these tiny red and itchy pregnancy rash on my belly.   The rashes tend to flare up and become red when I am hot and sweaty.  They are rather itchy and if I scratch them, the itch is even more intense.   I try hard not to scratch them but when they are really itchy, I rub the area with my knuckles.  I read that scratching the belly will cause stretch marks.  Keeping the area moisturized will also prevent the itch.  I use Palmer’s cocoa oil, baby oil and pure Vitamin E oil.

Do you have these rashes too during your pregnancy?

No. of times viewed = 502

Breast Implants

If you are considering having a breast augmentation to look more voluptuous, do you know that there are two types of breast implants that you can consider, namely saline breast implants and silicone gel breast implants?  These implants come in a variety of shapes, surface textures and sizes which you can choose. The larger you want your cup size, the larger the breast implant the plastic surgeon will consider. Breast implants are not only for those who desire perfect beauty but also for women who have had a mastectomy and desire to have their breasts reconstructed. You can read all about breast implants, the procedures, finding the right doctor, view pictures and much more from lookingyourbest.com, a site that features mainly on breast implants and plastic surgery.

No. of times viewed = 140

Alycia Can’t Accept Being A Loser

My mum was teaching Alycia and Sherilyn the concept of addition and subtraction through playing cards when Alycia lost the game. She was so upset with losing the game that she cried and wouldn’t accept being a loser, though my mum explained to her that it’s ok to lose.

When I tried to snap a picture of her, she ran away from the camera.

and was really angry with me and with granny for making her lose in the game.

She cried and cried non-stop and couldn’t accept the fact that she had lost.  After about half an hour of meltdown, she calmed down a little.  I gave her a hug and told her it’s ok to lose. I told her that sometimes she has to lose and sometimes she wins.  We then had dinner and she was all smiles again.

No. of times viewed = 248

Will Our 3 Angels Follow Daddy’s Footsteps?

I bet hubby would be one proud and content daddy if his 3 angels were to follow him in his foot steps and take up a course in culinary arts, hotel management or pastry & baking in future. I am very sure he is secretly hoping that his 3 angels can take over his catering business one day. He would be more than willing to send them to a good culinary school or chef school in the United States to pursue a degree in culinary arts, pastry and baking, hospitality or restaurant management.  Well, if hubby can afford it and if the girls are willing, we can easily find a good culinary school from culinary-school-finder.com, a site with a long list of culinary schools and information on the schools.  This mummy is always planning her 3 angels’ career paths.  I wonder what choice of career my girls will eventually choose in future.

No. of times viewed = 190

We Are Absorbing Our Temp Maid As Permanent Maid

After working for us for 2 weeks, my temp Indon maid’s performance is still good.  My maid agent met up with me yesterday and I have confirmed with him that I will be absorbing this maid as my permanent maid.  In total, we will have to pay a whopping RM9k, which comprises of agency fee (RM3,600), 6 months’ advance salary for the maid @ RM500 per month, levy, medical and RM800 per month for 2.5 months for hiring a temp maid!  My hubby’s jaw almost dropped when I told him he still has to pay an outstanding amount of close to RM6k to the agent. 

I was informed by my maid agent that the agency fee will further increase soon.  Hopefully my maid will continue to be good and will agree to extend her service with us for another 2 years  so that we can save on the agency fee in future.   I am planning to do away with a live-in maid when my 3rd child turns 4 yo.   Hiring a maid is incredibly costly now and most of the time, the quality of the maids supplied to us is really below expectations and acceptable standards.  Most of the capable and good maids are already creamed off by employers in other countries like Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan.  These maids are also paid handsomely in these countries. 

No. of times viewed = 444

My Daughters The Future Fashion Designers?

My 2 daughters are real vain pots, just like mummy. Though they are under 5 year old, they have already acquired a good sense of fashion in the way they dress up and in their choice of clothing. I won’t be surprised if they tell me that they want to go to some famous fashion schools in Los Angeles in future to pursue a  career in fashion design.  There are many well-known fashion schools in California, especially Hollywood with its influence on the film industry.  Frankly, I would not mind my daughters having a career in fashion design but I would really want them to go to a good fashion school in California and get a bachelor’s degree in fashion design.  Looks like mummy is daydreaming here again!

No. of times viewed = 145

Back To School Again

Today is the first day of the second school term for school kids after a week-long school holidays.  Alycia woke up early and reached school early today.  Today is also the first day of Alycia’s computer enrichment class.   School hours are also extended by 15 minutes because of the computer class. 

As expected, Alycia came home with a bag full of books and homework.  The homework is more than usual as it includes the exercises that she had missed out during the 1 week that she missed school when she fell ill.  She will definitely be unable to complete all the homework in a day.  The Math is as usual really tough for 5-year old kids (in Aly’s case, 4 year-old).  Today her Math homework include the following :

1.  ascending and descending order within 30,

2.  fill in the missing numbers in the ascending order (within 30)

3.  rearrange these numbers in descending order (within 30).  In this exercise, numbers from 1 – 30 are all jumbled up and the kids are to rearrange the numbers in descending order. 

4.  fill in the missing numbers in descending order (within 30)

My mum and I are of the opinion that this exercise is really too tough for 5-year olds. Alycia was completely lost as she had missed the lessons when her teacher taught the kids this exercise 2 weeks ago.  Now, my mum and I have to take over the teacher’s job to teach her. When my mum taught her, Alycia’s mind was wandering somewhere else. She also complained of being sleepy and there wasn’t any interest shown in her in the exercise.  I am really worried Alycia will not be able to catch up as she has missed out too many lessons. 

When I bumped into Alycia’s teacher last Saturday, she was also of the opinion that the syllabus taught to pre-schoolers in Alycia’s school is a tad too tough.  However, some parents are complaining that the syllabus is not up to standard and that homework is not enough!  I really think we should not put too much pressure on our kids.  Some young kids in Singapore are already seeking psychiatric treatments for mental problems, as reported in today’s newspapers! 

Frankly, do you think that the Math syllabus taught in Alycia’s pre-school too tough or is this the norm in all pre-schools for 5 year olds?

No. of times viewed = 340

Learning With Granny

Granny is here again.  Being a retired school teacher and former private tutor, she has lots of activities for the gals to keep them fully occupied the whole day.   She will give Alycia tuition, read to the gals, teach the gals songs and nursery rhymes, play card games with them, do activity books with them and much more.  I wish granny can stay with us longer but she has to return to Ipoh soon. 

The school holidays have come to an end and tomorrow Alycia has to go to school again.  When granny is back, I will have to take over and sit with Alycia to coach her in her homework everyday.   Sigh…. this means less me time and less blogging!

No. of times viewed = 186

Warm Your Home With Peace Of Mind

For my readers who reside in the UK, if you are looking for a company to install a good central heating system in your home, the best place to go to is Northern Gas Heating. This company specializes in intelligent central heating systems with the latest controls and they provide gas boiler service at an affordable price. Their combi boilers are a popular choice in UK homes as they are high efficient, space-saving and cost-saving.

You may ask why choose Northern Gas Heating of all companies to do your central heating system or service boiler in your home.   Northern Gas Heating provides products and services that suit your budget and their services are guaranteed to be way above the industry standard. They take every effort to ensure that their clients use their products and services with a total peace of mind by providing excellent customer service, qualified, experienced and well-trained technical advisors to design their client’s individual heating system. Clients are also given an unbeatable free five-year warranty.

If budget is a concern to you, worry not as Northern Gas Heating has an excellent ‘buy now pay later’ plan with 0% interest free repayment scheme to help you make your home warm.  There are no further hidden extras. Quick contact Northern Gas Heating for a free quotation with no obligation today.

No. of times viewed = 232

Alycia Can Spell And Write Her Name

 

 Alycia finally knows how to spell and write her name on her own.  This picture was taken yesterday and now, she can write the letter ‘a’ and ‘c’ in the correct order. She can also write the number ‘8’  without having to draw 2 circles joining to each another.  Last week, she was still writing ‘c’ and ‘a’ in the reverse order but she has been practising her writing diligently everyday without being told to.  She was so happy and ran to me telling me that she can write her name and the number 8 correctly yesterday.  

Alycia can also draw quite well and loves coloring.  Hopefully she can very soon do Math equations too.  Alycia still has lots of catching up to do in pre-school, for the many months of classes that she had missed last year but she is definitely improving.

No. of times viewed = 167

Guided Tour In New York City

If I ever get a chance to visit New York City, I have been told not to miss the chance to hop on one of the CitySights NY double-decker buses to bring us for sightseeing to the major NYC attractions. These new double-decker buses will provide tourists with the best possible breathtaking views of Manhattan’s attractions, World Trade Center (Ground Zero), Statue of Liberty, New York Stock Exchange, Wall Street, Broadway, Trinity Church, Times Square, Madison Square Park, Top of the Rock, shopping trips to Woodbury Common Outlet and many more points of interest during the bus tour. The buses are equipped with state-of-the-art public address system with speakers located under every seat to ensure that all the passengers receive excellent audio reception of the guide narration even in the open air throughout the tour.

CitySights NY is a New York City sightseeing guided tours company that operates a fleet of deluxe motor coaches and new double-decker buses. Apart from this, they also offer NY harbor cruises, helicopter rides around Manhattan and day trips from NYC to Boston, Washington DC, Philadelphia & Amish Country and Woodbury Common Premium Outlets.
CitySights NY specializes in NYC tours and they have well-trained and knowledgeable tour guides, provide excellent customer service and high quality service at the fairest price possible.

So the next time you plan a trip to New York City, be sure to check out citysightsny.com to book your guided tour of New York City. Online customers receive $5 off per ticket!

No. of times viewed = 137

My Post Is Selected By Cremaid Again

Woohoo…. I am so happy that my post was selected by Cremaid again.  Thanks Miche for informing me about this opp and congrats on getting the referral fee again.  You scratch my back, I scratch your back, feels so good eh?

This is the email from Cremaid which I received this morning : 

Dear shireenyongCongratulations!
Your post “Are You Hunting For A Good Hunting Knife?”
has been invited to appear on the Conversation:
“Some great hunting experiences “
Your post will be syndicated to the widgets included
inside each of the participating posts.
Also, you will receive $5 as royalty payment via PayPal.

So folks, if you want to participate in the conversation / opp too, please click on the widget below my post, pretty please ok?  By clicking on the widget and participating, I will get a referral fee.  Quick hurry to participate now as the opportunity was just released a couple of days ago, so chances of your post being selected is high.  

No. of times viewed = 204

Flu Outbreaks And Tamiflu

Some time in the year 2006 when there were widespread cases of bird flu in some parts of the world and also in our country, hubby began to panic when there were news that supply for Tamiflu, the antidote for bird flu was running really low worldwide. He quickly went to the pharmacy and bought several boxes of Tamiflu (Oseltamivir) just in case we needed them. The boxes of Tamiflu are still in our fridge and have not expired yet. Well, we may still need them in view of the recent fears over a flu outbreak in Hong Kong which had left a few children dead.

Flu outbreaks can spread very easily from one person to another and from one country to another.  In Hong Kong, a seven-year old boy who died recently after suffering respiratory problems was tested positive for a flu strain known as Influenza A, a virus which was also found in a 21-month old who died last month in Hong Kong.

There are two known strains of the influenza virus – type A and type B and Tamiflu is proven to be effective against both types.  Before the Tamiflu supply runs low again worldwide, it would be advisable that you stock up a few boxes of them at home.  It is now possible to buy Tamiflu online at doctorchemist.co.uk, a UK based healthcare provider.   Before you purchase Tamiflu online, be sure to get the prescription from a registered doctor first.

No. of times viewed = 196

Flashcards

Alycia’s pre-school gives tons of flashcards (English, BM and Mandarin) to students each week. For kids with busy working parents, I wonder if anyone at home ever flashes the cards to them.  While it is really good to be receiving the flashcards from the school, the parent really needs to spend some time everyday to flash these cards to their child to reap the benefits of the flashcards.   Do I flash them to Alycia consistently everyday?  Nope, coz Alycia’s daily homework is enough to bore her and is taking up a lot of time till she does not even have time to go out to play.   I still do flash the cards to her several times in a week, but definitely not daily.  Saturday mornings are the best time for me to flash the cards to both my gals – they wake up fresh and they absorb better first thing in the morning, usually during breakfast when they are seated down.

No. of times viewed = 320

HEALTH FREAK MOMMY