December 2018 – HEALTH FREAK MOMMY

Goodbye 2018, Welcome 2019!

It’s the last day of 2018 already? I can’t believe how fast the year zoomed past us like a bullet train. Time is really like a thief! How I wish I could freeze all those good times. This year has been pretty good to me and my family. Health-wise, all started well until the very end. I am now down with flu, a bad throat, a throbbing head and lost my voice. Throw in an eye flu (Conjunctivitis caused by the flu) today and I am quite down and out. We were supposed to meet up with our besties again in Klang for seafood dinner but we’re going to have to be stuck in our neighborhood, having a simple dinner (with no fried, spicy and oily stuff) at our usual tai-chow Chinese restaurant. The birthday boy bought Musang King durian last night to treat himself and all I could do was to watch everyone in the house savoring and licking the fruit 😷

All I want to do now is to climb into my bed, do nothing but have an uninterrupted sleep until 8 tomorrow morning. Forget about counting down and all the merriment welcoming the new year. Sleep is all I need now to heal. Tomorrow will be the last day I get to sleep in.

I am glad that school is starting again. My exercise regimen resumes and I get back my sanity and my me-time at home when the girls are in school. The only thing I miss about school holidays is my 2-3 hours extra sleep each day.

Today I took the big girl for an eleventh-hour hair cut, then the both of us had Korean again for lunch. We had dinner at the same restaurant 3 nights ago, with my parents. This girl can never get bored of K-food, K-pop and everything K. While she digs into her Kimchi, I had steamed egg in claypot and downed a bottle of green smoothie.

I saw this cute little New Year note on Facebook today and thought I’d share it with you (edited):

To all my lovely blog readers,

The Boarding on Flight 2019 has been announced! Hope you have checked in only the best souvenirs from 2018 in your luggage?

The BAD and SAD moments if carried, must be thrown away in the garbage on arrival!

The flight will be for 12 months long. So, loosen your seat belts, jingle and mingle.

The stop-overs will be :

✳Health,
✳Love,
✳Joy,
✳Harmony,
✳Well-being
✳Peace.

Refueling will be at
👍Giving
👍Sharing
👍Caring
👍Forgiveness

The Captain (God) offers you the following menu which will be served during the flight…….

✅ Cocktail of Friendship,
✅ Supreme of Health,
✅ Grating of Prosperity,
✅ Bowl of Excellent News
✅ Salad of Success,
✅ Cake of Happiness,

All accompanied by bursts of laughter…
But remember, you will enjoy these meals and the journey better if you talk, share, smile and laugh together. Sitting silent and sullen will make the flight seem longer.

Wishing you and your family 👪 an enjoyable trip on board of flight 2019…..

💥✨💫💃🏃👫💑👯❤💖💌💍☔⛄🌊🌈🌁🌴🌹🌷🍀

Before the Flight 2018 ends,
Allow me to thank each and every one of you reader who takes the time to drop by my blogs, whether it’s just for a minute or a few seconds just to catch up on the happenings in my life, whether it’s just once a week or month. The fact that you checked on my blogs makes me feel loved. It makes the maintenance of my 11-year old triplet blogs all worthwhile.

I hope that you all will be blessed with an awesome and healthy year ahead.
😘😍💝🎁🎊🎉🎈

Love and joy,

Health Freak Mommy

xoxo

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Excursion at Sunway Lost World Of Tambun ~ 23 December 2018

The dreaded day came. This ‘Puteri Lilin’ wasn’t really looking forward to bringing the kids to outdoor theme parks in our hot Malaysia weather. Hell no! It’s a totally different experience spending a whole day at Disney Land or Ocean Park in winter vs. a whole day under 38C scorching sun in Malaysia. But it’s the school holidays and I can’t be a party pooper. And we had promised the girls that we would bring them to the Lost World of Tambun. So we got up early on our Sunday morning in Ipoh, had a quick breakfast and packed our 3 girls along with my niece into the MPV and off we went to Sunway Lost World of Tambun.

But on a Sunday during the school holidays on the eve of Christmas eve? We’re in for trouble! We waited for almost an hour just to get the tickets! The crowd was just CRAZY! And it was hot! Double whammy for the ‘Puteri Lilin’!

The hubs got us the X-press ticket on top of the regular ticket to enjoy shorter queue and free access into the Haunted Chambers and Adventure Park’s Zipline.

For X-press tickets, there were staff to help us wear the wrist tags!

As you can see from the photos, it was really scorching HOT on that day. The 2 older girls went gallivanting together and went on every ride at the theme park. Hubs, my niece, Cass and I went on the Viking boat ride only, which wasn’t really that terrorizing as the one that hubs and I went on at The Mall’s indoor theme park yonks ago. Nonetheless, I got a tad woozy after the ride. I can never get on a roller coaster or any similar ride without getting a dizzy spell afterwards as I have motion sickness.

At one of the souvenir shops, which is the very first place that visitors step into upon gaining entry into the theme park:

Cass was eyeing a brown monkey plush toy at the games stall and she begged her doting dad to win it for her!

Notice Cass’ hair under the sunlight? It’s almost blond and it’s natural!

You think daddy won the monkey for Cass?

Sure he did! He’s a sharp shooter basketball player! Cass was SO happy!

Tsk tsk, daddy spent almost RM30 on tokens just to win the monkey for his princess!

The only problem was Cass had to lug the fury stuffed animal on her shoulders and back the entire day we spent at the theme park! And it’s like putting on a fur coat over your shoulders under the 38C sizzling sun! At the end of our excursion, the monkey was drenched in sweat and rain water. Cass had to hand-wash her precious monkey when we got back to KL 🤩

We had hamburgers (photo not taken), fried chicken and fries for lunch, purchased at the amusement park. Food was totally disappointing and yet expensive, especially the burgers and fried chicken. The fried chicken smelled foul (like the odor of rotten chicken!) and we discarded 2 pieces.

Outside food is not allowed into the Lost World of Tambun. At the entrance, all your bags will be checked by the personnel and outside food will be confiscated and returned to the owners during exit. Water bottles are allowed though.

The next time we visit Lost World, we would have our meal at the Dulang Tea House @ the Tin Valley instead. I think the food sold there is more decent than at the amusement park.

After lunch, we covered the Tiger Valley, Haunted Chambers, Petting Zoo, Tin Valley and Zip Line. The Haunted Chambers was surprisingly pretty spooky. My just turned 7-year old niece was so terrified that she clung on to me and Cass.

Petting big, fury and cuddly cats at Catopia. These cats are housed in an air-conditioned room. Such good life these cats have!

Alycia did not enter the Catopia enclosure as she has Ailurophobia aka fear of cats. Yup, I only recently found out that she’s terrified of cats coz whenever we are out eating at an outdoor place and if a stray cat comes near our table, she will start to put her legs up on the chair 😞. Not only does Alycia fears cats, she does not like any kind of fury animals too. Weird, as I love fury animals and so do Sherilyn and Cass! Thank God Alycia does not have a phobia of cockroach coz Cass and I are horrified of it and we need someone at home to help us catch them cockroach. 😬

Next was Swan Lake, which is next to Tiger Valley. Here, you and a partner can lazily paddle the darling swan boats around a lake. Fishes aside, we saw a crocodile in the lake too!

Feeding fish at the Swan Lake. Fish feed can be purchased at a Ringgit a packet.

While the girls paddled lazily under the burning 3pm sun, I sought shelter at a small hut meant for storing life jackets, next to the jetty, dabbing sweat with a towel and wishing that I could leave soon 🤭

After the swan boat paddling, everyone was sweating bullets. We walked to the Tin Valley and petting zoo. By this time, the sun had gone down a little and the weather was much more bearable. We love this part of Lost World the most. The scenery of natural limestone hills and greenery is just breathtaking.

Feeding carrot sticks to deers:

Up-close with Juwita the giant female hippo and a humongous crocodile:

The highlight of the excursion for our girls was at the adrenaline-filled thrilling Zip Line at the glamping site.

Tents under trees at the beautiful glamping site:

At the Zip Line site:

The last part of our excursion was at the petting zoo but it had to be truncated as it suddenly poured cats and dogs. We had to run into a souvenir shop to seek shelter from the rain. When there was no sign that the rain was going to stop, we had to buy an umbrella.

By the time we reached the entrance of the park, it stopped raining! Dang it! It was already 4pm and everyone was tired, so we left.

The girls, especially Cass enjoyed themselves very much. The park is pretty well maintained and naturally beautiful with lush greenery, limestone hills and soothing background. Even my very persnickety hubby had positive things to say about the park.

Will there be a second visit? YES! This time, we will go in the evening to cover the night park, night safari, luminous forest, hot springs & spa and exhilarating Flaming Percussion show. This time we missed the hot springs & spa, which is the place that I looked forward to the most because of the dang rain, which really did rain on our parade and ruined our visit. We’ll definitely be at the Lost World of Tambun again and this time, only in the evening. We can skip the amusement park and the sun.

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Importance of Insurance

I can’t stress enough how important it is for everyone to have insurance in their life, whether it is medical insurance, car insurance, fire insurance, natural disaster insurance or life insurance. My insurance companies have taken care of my bills far too many times and had I not purchased an insurance in the first place, I would have to pinch from my savings to pay for these bills caused by unforeseen circumstances.

Some people believe that they can save enough money to replace their assets should anything happen to them. The problem is that, in most cases, the expenses incurred after an accident, the death of a loved one, or a disability are beyond any savings or wealth that a person may have accumulated and it is for this reason that insurance is such an important component of your financial planning.

When I accidentally crashed my new car into an office building yonks ago, thank God my car insurance paid for the entire bill of my car repairs and that of the office building.

Twelve years ago, our erstwhile insurance agent forgot to renew our insurance for natural disaster when it was due. And as fate had it, our house was hit by a terrible flood that swept through the entire neighborhood. Both my car and my hubby’s car were submerged in flood waters. The entire ground floor of our house was submerged in flood water up to my waist. We spent almost RM50,000 to repair our cars and house. And not a single sen was claimable because our dear forgetful insurance agent forgot to help us renew our insurance! Had it been renewed, we could have saved so much money.

Anyway, let bygones by bygones.

What I’m trying to say is that if you have not purchased any insurance yet for your car, your assets and your life, please do so before it is too late.

Not sure how to get started? And you do not wish to approach a persistent insurance agent who sends you a hundred messages a day?

No worries. You can do it discreetly online at Sureplify.com. Sureplify is an online comparison platform that helps consumers search for the best insurance plans in cost and time-saving.

Sureplify specializes in motor insurance. Their products include car insurance, term life insurance, foreign workers insurance, road tax renewal / delivery and JPJ backlist.

Sureplify features their best real-time pricing which allows users to compare insurance in terms of pricing and benefits from all of the top insurers in Malaysia (Etiqa Takaful, Tune Protect, Lonpac, AXA & MSIG), in just seconds.

Insurance is the right thing to get for yourself and your assets. If you do not have any yet, you should seriously consider getting one now.

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2018 Big Bad Wolf Book Sale

Drama Queen and Cass have been badgering hubs and me to bring them to the 2018 Big Bad Wolf (BBW) book sale since the sale started on 7 December. BBW is the world’s biggest book sale, with a 75% – 95% discount off retail prices for all their books across all genres. But I was reluctant to bring them to the sale as I have bought the girls quite a bit of books since the school holidays started from Popular and MPH.

But our Drama Queen had a crafty plan cooking in her head to get herself to the sale. First she got her friend who was going to the BBW sale to help her get some books. With that, she qualified herself to take part in the BBW KL 2018: Book Haul Contest. In this giveaway contest, 20 daily winners with the most creative entries (photos) will get a RM50 BBW book voucher. Our Drama Queen submitted two entries on the last 3 days of the BBW Sale and both her entries were selected!

These are her winning entry photos:

When Drama Queen won the first BBW RM50 voucher, I told her that I was still not bringing her to the sale. I told her that it would be penny wise pound foolish to spend over RM50 on Grab to bring us to MIECC @ Sri Kembangan just to utilize the RM50 voucher and I was certain that she and her sisters would surely trick me into spending another RM100 or more. But she wasn’t giving up hope yet. She submitted more entries the next day and continued badgering me to bring her to the sale. I finally agreed to bring her to the sale on condition that she has to win another RM50 BBW voucher to make our trip worthwhile.

Lady luck was certainly on Drama Queen’s side. She won another voucher the next day, which was the last day of the sale! And I have to keep my words of bringing her there. But I was still really reluctant to go all the way to MIECC as it was already past noon when the results were announced. And at that time, our dear Drama Queen was busy in the kitchen whipping up some organic nutty butter (Almond+Brazil+Cashew) as gift for her granny when we go back to Ipoh on Friday.

Drama Queen encountered a glitch with our Blendtec blender whilst blitzing the nuts on the last day of the BBW sale. The blender got overheated and auto-shutdown! And we didn’t have enough organic grapeseed oil at home. She had to remove the nutty paste from the blender, let the motor cool down, clean up the mess the kitchen before we left the house by Grab at 5:15 p.m. She only managed to fix the nut butter the next day.

In KL, any time from 4:30 – 7 p.m. would be the worst time of the day to go anywhere as traffic will be at its peak. But we had no other choice as it was already the last day of the sale and it would be a waste to bin the two RM50 vouchers.

So I had to take the bull by its horns and be prepared to get stuck in the jam all the way to MIECC and all the way back home. We only reached home at 8:30 pm and had a really late dinner.

Jamming all the way to MIECC from KL:

And jammed all the way back home after a heavy downpour. In the Klang Valley, traffic gets monstrous after a heavy downpour, especially at peak hours in the morning and evening.

Two very, very happy larks:

Checking their treasure. Our girls love their books more than they love me 🙄

Towards the checkout counter, Cass found a big piece of treasure ~ a super thick and huge Sherlock Holmes book at only RM18!! Normal price for this book should be above RM100.

The BBW Sale this time was really good, better than the one we went to three years ago. All the adult novels were selling from between RM10 – RM18 each. Drama Queen and Cass found what they were looking for. But Cass was a tad disappointed that all the Harry Potter books were sold out. I got workbooks for Cass at only a Ringgit each. I could have hauled more but it was already late and we were all hungry.

Behind the scenes of the winning photos:

As both Alycia and Cass helped in the photography, they get a small share of the vouchers too! 🤩

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Tips For Choosing A Good Mattress

If there is one item in my bedroom that needs getting rid of and be replaced with a new one, it would be our mattress. Our mattress is over 18 years old and has a good lining of pee, poop, puke and just about any other bodily fluid that one can think of. This said, our mattress gives us fond memories of the good times that we had co-sleeping with our 3 girls when they were babies. However, when I think of the amount of germs and bacteria co-sleeping with us now (minus the babies), I freak out!

I keep procrastinating getting a new mattress. The thought of moving the gigantic king-size mattress out of our squeezy room to have it replaced with a new one turns me off. Plus I hate going from shop to shop to try out mattresses. I recently found a company that lets you order your mattress online and lets you try the mattress for 100 days, risk-free!

I guess the time is up for our mattress to go next year. Getting a new mattress for my bed will be one of the items to tick off in my New Year Resolution next year.

Before you get a mattress, it would be good if you do a little research to find out how to get a mattress that suits you that’s value for your money. Here are some of the tips:

1 Research online before going shopping.

2 Consider a non-toxic mattress. Studies have shown that some people with autoimmune conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, experience flares when they are exposed to household chemicals. Mattresses can give off a strong chemical odor and may contain several toxic ingredients including:

plastics, foam, and synthetic latex, which are usually made with potentially harmful petroleum-based chemicals
flame-retardant chemicals
Since those materials may exacerbate pain, many people with chronic illnesses prefer to sleep on a nontoxic mattress.

3 Take the mattress for a test drive. When shopping for a mattress, try to lie on the mattress in the store for at least 5 to 10 minutes. Don’t feel self-conscious or let the salesperson hurry you along. It’s a big purchase, and if you don’t try it for at least 5-10 minutes you’re not going to get a real feel for it. Couples should test out the mattress together.

4 Be aware that firm mattresses aren’t always better for your back. Think twice before buying a hard or firm mattress, as some research has shown that the best mattress for low back pain is a medium firm mattress rather than a firm mattress.

5 Ask about comfort guarantees or trial periods before you buy. Always check whether the seller offers trial periods and guarantee before you buy, and be sure you understand the details, such as whether you’re required to pay shipping, if it includes a money-back guarantee or exchange, if you must return the mattress within a certain time frame, etc.

Sonno offers a 100-night trial period and a 10-year guarantee on all their mattresses. Plus, they ship FREE within 3-5 days, compressed in a beautiful box. If you don’t fall in love with your Sonno, the company will give you a full refund and pick up the mattress for free!

6 Check the warranty. A good mattress will have a minimum of a 10 year full replacement or non-prorated warranty.

7 Shop at a store that specializes in mattresses. The salespeople at a mattress specialty store usually have more training on the whole subject of mattress and sleep.

Why I am considering Sonno?

Sonno has been recognised by Superbrands Malaysia with Superbrands status after a strict selection process by Malaysia Superbrands Council. The brand produces high-quality natural latex mattress at an affordable price; which includes free shipping, delivery-in-a-box, 100-nights trial, and free return.

sonno malaysia superbrands 2018

Sonno mattresses are CertiPUR US Certified, which means that they are:
✓ Made without ozone depleters
✓ Made without flame retardants
✓ Made without mercury, lead, and other heavy metals
✓ Made without formaldehyde
✓ Made without phthalates regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission
✓ Low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) emissions for indoor air quality

Another feature I like is that Sonno mattresses are made without unhealthy pocketed springs. Metal parts act as a radiation antenna and this will amplify electromagnetic waves, which can be responsible for sleeping disorders and have even been linked to certain diseases. You don’t want to be spending a third of your life lying in an electromagnetic field.

I am now very tempted to order a Sonno mattress online and try it for 100 nights risk-free! Sounds too good to be true, right? It’s true. Take a look at the website to find out more about the Sonno mattress.

sleeping on sonno mattress trial

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7 Fabulous Reasons Why Blogging is the Best Job

Without a doubt, you believe that you have got the best job as a full time blogger. Writing and reading makes you unbelievably happy and you couldn’t imagine being part of the corporate world in a stuffy office. Being a blogger gives you so much freedom to do whatever you want with your day, whether you’re reading and reviewing books to try and enhance your vocabulary or contacting brands to collaborate with them. As enjoyable as full time blogging is, it doesn’t come without its struggles. It has taken you a long time to get to where you want to be and you still have a long way to go too. If you ever start to doubt your abilities or forget the reasoning behind your blogging career, you can simply step back and consider these seven fabulous reasons.

1. You Receive Amazing Products
When you’re a blogger you get a tonne of presents in the post almost every week, depending on how well known you have become in the blogosphere. If you really want to up your game in terms of professionalism you need to head to PhysicalAddress.com to see how you can get your own PO Box. You can check your own mailbox from your mobile phone so you can keep up to date with all of the fabulous products you have in the post.

person using MacBook in between teacup and plate of fruits

2. You Get to Talk About Everything You Love
Blogging is an awesome platform to be able to express your feelings and opinions on certain subject matters. Whether you’re reviewing books or talking about pop culture, there are so many opportunities for you to spark a discussion about topics that genuinely interest you. Being able to talk about everything you love is truly a job to be proud of and content with.

3. You Build a Supportive Community
When you’re having a rough day you can lean on your followers for support at any time. You will soon be able to see how invaluable this group of loyal people are and how much they really care about you. When you’re going through something personal, you should always try and speak about it on your blog so that your online community know you are going through similar life issues as them.

4. You Have a Creative Outlet
There is nothing better than having a creative mind that needs to be freed on a daily basis; instead of being chained to a dull office every day, you can spill your feelings into your blog. Being creative is an enjoyable activity for bloggers, so when you have the platform to do so it can feel extremely liberating. Most people aren’t lucky enough to have this creative outlet at their fingertips every day!

5. You Can Work Anywhere, Anytime
As a blogger you have the opportunity to work from anywhere your heart desires. Whether you’re cuddled up under a blanket in bed on a cold wintery day, or you’re sunning yourself on the beach on vacation, you can literally blog from anywhere in the world. There aren’t many jobs that allow you to work so flexibly, so be grateful for your ever changing schedule.

6. You Feel Fulfilled
When you have something inside you that just needs to be said, you have the perfect platform to release it. Feeling fulfilled is all about speaking your mind and doing something you truly love. As time goes on you will get to know exactly what job satisfaction feels like, because you are living it for yourself right now.

7. You Feel Like You Are Making a Difference
When you feel like you’re having a positive impact on a certain demographic, that can be the most rewarding feeling in the world. It is true that making money from your blog is not your number one priority, you want people to know that they are not alone in their lives. They can turn to this online support group and truly feel part of a team, even when they are having a rough day. As a blogger, you have the power to make a difference every single time you log into your website or social media.

So why wouldn’t you want to be a blogger? You get to meet amazing people, work on your own terms and truly feel like you’re impacting a community. Waking up every morning with a smile on your face, should be exactly how every blogger feels when they start their day. You have an exciting, changeable, fulfilling and creative job that will always be your biggest passion in life.

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Daily Exercise For Cass

Another activity added into Cass’ daily timetable is exercise. I make her do simple exercises like rope-skipping and floor exercises everyday. Sometimes she does skipping rope challenge with her Alycia che che, who is a pro rope skipper. Alycia can do over a thousand times of rope-skipping in 10-15 minutes.

After skipping rope, Cass has to do at least 15-20 minutes of floor exercise, targetting her pelvic/abdomen area to strengthen this area. She does straight leg raise, scissors, slider pike, mountain climber, heel tap, sit ups, planks, etc.

When I have the time, we do the floor exercises together. Our trainers will be from You Tube. We watch it from our internet TV 🤩💪

Cass needs daily exercise to beat constipation, to stabilise her cholesterol reading (she’s got borderline familial hypercholesterolemia or genetic high cholesterol. No thanks to my bad DNA 🙁 ) and to strengthen her pelvic floor.

It’s tough to get my ‘tidak-apa’ kid to do these exercises as she finds them boring. She wants to go to the gym with her Alycia che che but she’s still underaged and needs adult supervision. I don’t always have the time to accompany her to the gym. Now Cass can’t wait to turn 12 as she will get the golden ticket to go to the gym on her own unsupervised once she reaches this age.

No. of times viewed = 51

Unexpected Places Modern Technology Benefits Human Health

With today’s obvious examples like smartwatches and online pharmacies with integrated apps, you can appreciate high tech’s positive impact on human health. Still, tech plays roles that are not initially apparent to consumers considering the subject for the first time. The following modern-software implementations may surprise you.

Laboratories
Every person who has experienced a wait for lab results can appreciate tools that shorten that wait. Laboratory information software stands among those tools. Produced by businesses like ASPYRA Clinical Software Systems, LIS solutions help lab technicians manage their workflows and improve their efficiency. Such improvements let patients get important information faster, which can help them consult with their healthcare providers and move forward with important decisions sooner than before such software existed.

Wastewater Treatment Facilities
Imagine a poorly managed sewage system. It is an unpleasant idea, and it can lead to human health issues. Top municipal wastewater treatment facilities keep their systems flowing in the right direction with customized software that helps plant workers monitor tanks and know which buttons to push at specific times. When properly deployed in a well-maintained facility, this tailored technology makes the facility’s community healthier.

Dreamland
You probably know about clock apps and meditation apps, but you may be less aware of sleep-monitoring apps. These can enhance your health by tracking your sleep cycles and letting you analyze the data alone or with your physician. Features in this app category include white noise, sleep-apnea tracking and alarms that only ring when you are in a shallow sleep cycle.

Now that you know the above examples of today’s technology improving people’s health, you can take a new look at your surroundings. Surely, you will find other places where tech positively affects your life that previous generations would not have predicted. Future generations will benefit in ways that nobody has yet imagined.

No. of times viewed = 41

Wonderfly – Wonderful Ticketing Website

We will be making a road trip back to my hometown in Ipoh this weekend. This trip will be filled with celebrations from my niece’s birthday on 21^st December to big brother Ray’s birthday and Winter Solstice on 22^nd December to Christmas. The finale will be hubby’s birthday on 30^th December and the New Year celebration back in KL. My parents will be joining us in KL for the two final celebrations.

We have not brought the kids to anywhere for a real holiday this school holiday as hubby has been stuffed to the gills with work and back-to-back catering functions. Since he’s able to take a few days off from work to accompany us back to Ipoh for all the celebrations, we might as well have a daycation at an interesting place in Ipoh just for the kids. What I have in mind is the Sunway Lost World of Tambun, a self-contained wonderland cocooned by lush tropical jungle, natural hot springs, breathtaking limestone features of 400 million years of age and seven amazing attraction parks making it the ultimate day and night destination for a unique eco-adventure excursion for visitors of all ages.

While browsing the internet for the cheapest tickets to the Lost World of Tambun, I stumbled upon Wonderfly. And I found really affordable entrance tickets to the theme park right at Wonderfly! The ticket prices are way cheaper than that listed at the Sunway Lost World Of Tambun website and other ticketing platforms.

If purchased from Wonderfly, we would have saved almost a hundred Ringgit on the tickets for 8 pax. And we get instant confirmation on the purchase!

Born and bred in Malaysia, Wonderfly is a trusted online ticketing platform for consumers across all ages, travel agents, and tour operators. Founded by two young entrepreneurs, Wonderfly aims to redefine the way people obtain their tickets whether for theme parks, events, festivals or concerts via digital means.

This platform allows domestic and international consumers to make a smooth and easy process in obtaining tickets at unbeatable prices under one roof, ultimately eliminating the hassle of browsing multiple pages for the best deal.

For more information on Wonderfly, check out https://www.wonderfly.asia/

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Where To Look For Caregivers

Caregivers play an important role in providing care for your sick, aged or disabled loved ones.

A family caregiver is a person who provides any type of physical and/or emotional care for an ill or disabled loved one at home. Loved ones in need of care are aged parents, those suffering from a physical or mental illness, disability, substance misuse or other condition. In most cases, the primary caregiver is a spouse, partner, parent or adult child. Caregivers often take on the responsibilities of the patient while still providing for themselves and other family members.

However there will be times when we are faced with circumstances rendering us unable to care for our aged parents or sick / disabled loved ones.

When I was 18 years old and in college, my much loved maternal granny had a stroke. Consequently, she lost her memory. Both my parents were still working at that time and mum had to make a tough decision to send granny to a nursing home. Granny hated staying at the nursing home and would try to run away from the home. It broke my heart into a million pieces each time we visited her at the nursing home. When it was time for us to leave the home after our visit, granny would run to the gate, pleading with us to bring her back. I will never forget the scene when her caretaker had to quickly lock the gate after we left, leaving my frail granny at the gate in tears, waving to us at our car and pleading for us to bring her home.

It was this heartbreaking scene at the nursing home each time we visited granny that mum decided to hire a full-time maid and brought granny home. The maid took very good care of granny but sadly she passed on about a year later. In those days, caregivers were difficult to find, much less in a small city.

These days, people are more inclined towards hiring caregivers to care for their loved ones vs. hiring a full-time maid. Caregivers work in the home and help their clients with daily activities, such as bathing and bathroom functions, feeding, grooming, taking medication, and some housework. Caregivers help clients make and keep appointments with doctors, help the patients keep track of prescription, provide or arrange transportation and serve as a companion for their clients.

One good website to find caregivers is at CaregiverAsia. CaregiverAsia is an online aggregator of health and caregiving services. Through its award-winning platform, CaregiverAsia has created an online marketplace leveraging on a shared economy of Careseekers and Caregivers. Careseekers can access on-time, trusted and transparent home care services; whilst freelance Caregivers and healthcare professionals can practice independently with full control of their schedules and terms of services. CaregiverAsia also specializes in healthcare recruitment and the placement of healthcare professionals and locums into leading healthcare institutions.

Services at CaregiverAsia can be booked via their website or via the Caregiver App which you can download from Google Play Store or App Store.

CaregiverAsia gives instant relief to Careseekers by allowing them to search and book for respite, step-down and at-home care in a transparent and affordable manner. Booking confirmation is instantaneous and is available 24/7. Caregivers listed on the platform are certified/ accredited/ experienced in their service specializations and Careseekers may search and browse Caregivers’ service offerings and the certifications and experience they have. Post service, Careseekers and Caregivers are both invited to review the care session.

For more information, please visit https://www.caregiverasia.com/.

No. of times viewed = 17

Cassandra’s Follow-Up Checkups

Cass needs to do a yearly ultrasound scan of her urinary tract, especially the kidneys until she turns 12 years old. In the initial years after her surgeries, we used to go back to GMC Penang to have the scan done but her surgeon has given us the green light to have it done at any hospital in KL.

We brought Cass to UMMC once to have the ultrasound scan done, and then to HKL (Hospital KL). And in the last 3 years we’ve had the scan done at Pantai Hospital. Cass’ pediatrician has advised us to go back to the nephrologist and urologist at HKL as he’s of the opinion that Cass will be in better hands under the specialists there as he is only a child specialist and not a specialist in the area of nephrology and urology.

So I guess that this will be the last year that we see Dr Eric. Next year, we will have to go through all the inconvenience again when we go back to HKL to consult the nephrologist and urologist and for the ultrasound scan and blood works to be done. This would mean camping at the hospital from 8am through 6pm for 1-2 days or possibly even more days. 😖😭

I hate getting on an ambulance with Cass to go from one department to another at HKL. From the specialists’ clinics building, we have to wait for an ambulance to ferry us to another building to the radiology department to have scans carried out. Payment is sometimes done at the Accident & Emergency Department, which is the department which I shudder going to. One will always be greeted by lots of gory scenes at the A&E.

I. Hate. Government hospitals!! It’s a nightmare for me.

The only advantage is we get to save lots of $$$$ if we have everything done at a government hospital.

Cass having an ultrasound scan of her urinary tract at her latest checkup at PMC, Bangsar.

No. of times viewed = 69

Three Tips to Being More Mindful and Productive at Work

It’s normal to have days where you want to do absolutely nothing when it comes to your responsibilities and obligations at work. And that’s okay. You only need to worry when one of those days becomes way more, like three to seven days of the week. If you feel like you don’t want to do your job anymore, you should look into how you can be more mindful and productive in the office before you quit the position you have.

Side note: When you feel less than productive and attentive to your job, don’t make any impulsive decisions. You don’t want to be stuck with no job because that opens up a whole new can of troubles.

Commit to Personal Work Goals and Work on Accomplishing Those for Yourself

At work, you probably have both personal work goals and team projects. Both should be focal points of your attentions, but the personal work goals are typically the most pressing with a deadline. Ergo, pinpoint those and work on them for at least half of your workday. You should be able to leave work feeling accomplished because you worked on things that mattered most in your business.

Make a System of Productivity that Allows You to Focus on Work During Work Hours—But Don’t Bring Work Home

Work is often based on routine and systems, both of which can be stressful. This makes it hard to be productive because there’s so much that you could possibly stress over, especially if the project is a difficult one. Hence, the reason you should leave work at work. Don’t bring your stressors home because home and family are your sanctuaries.

Ask Yourself if This Job is What You Want—No? Then Make Plans to Change It

Sometimes productivity is affected by your love for your job. If you have zero interest in being there, then you might want to consider a career change. When you do things you love, you have a better chance of remaining productive and positive throughout your workday. Start with slow changes. Don’t quit immediately because you still need some level of income, but definitely start looking for something else to satisfy your career goals.

Perhaps you should look into going back to school to better your chances of a more fulfilling career. Look into Gardiner scholarships Tampa for ideas on where to go, what to earn, and what you can be.

No. of times viewed = 12

Guang The Movie 2018

I can’t remember when was the last time I watched a movie at the cinema. I think it was Avengers a few years back. And I slept half the time in the cinema. I always snooze off partway during the movie, especially if the movie is a fantasy movie or a cartoon. Movies like Star Wars, Harry Potter, Avengers, BumbleBee ALWAYS lull me to sleep! I remember sleeping through the Harry Potter movie many yonks back 😴

On Tuesday I brought the girls and the mil to the mall for a movie marathon. After lunch, the 2 older girls and the mil watched the cartoon Ralph Breaks The Internet: Wreck It, while I went shopping with Cass. I joined them to watch Guang later.

I did not even know that movie tickets are now bought from e-Kiosks stationed outside the cinema.

And instead of having tickets printed out, only two receipts are printed out from the e-Kiosk, no matter the quantity of tickets bought. At the entrance of the cinema, one of the receipts with the bar code will be scanned.

So canggih now!

I am really living in the dinosaur age! What do you expect from a middle-aged aunty who has no interest in movies, right? 😆

Guang is perhaps the only movie that I’d watched in a decade that managed to make me stay awake from start to the very end.

Guang tells the story of Wen Guang, a young man who struggles with autism. His brother keeps coercing him to find a job so that they can share family expenses, and he does go looking but it’s an extremely difficult process fraught with a lot of stumbling blocks. Unknown to anyone, Wen Guang who has perfect pitch, has a gift for music. The film is loosely based on the real life director’s brother who is autistic and is musically gifted.

Source: 'Guang' The Movie Facebook page.

Be warned that this movie is a real tear-jerker, so do bring lots of tissue papers. Some scenes are hilarious though. Guang is an excellent movie with an excellent cast.

Guang was nominated in four categories at the Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) Asian New Talent Awards – Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress .

Source: cinema.com.

Guang is a well-crafted debut that goes beyond the telling of the intimate struggles of a familial relationship. The plot presents a platform that questions on the issue of the treatment towards people of different abilities especially in the working environment and further mirrors the society’s approach on the matter.

Our girls loved it, especially Cass, who says that she does not mind watching it again. We are all hoping that a sequel will be in the making soon to tell how well Guang is doing at his new job at a piano shop and whether his loving younger didi will be in a relationship with Sue Ann, the kind-hearted kindergarten teacher at a special needs school.

Here’s another activity for your kids this school holidays. Go watch Guang with your kids and support our local film industry. HFM says you’ll love this movie as much as she does! ☺️

No. of times viewed = 41

Three Ways Your Toddler Benefits from Independent Playtime for Hours at a Time

When it comes to toddlers, nature usually wins over nurture. How so? Some children are born a little clinger than others, whereas some children are rambunctious and fiercely independent. Whatever the case may be for your own cutie, there are significant benefits to allowing your kiddo to play independently.

Sure, you can start out with half-an-hour, but encourage those 30-minute intervals to become several hours of independent playtime throughout the day. Why? Because independence is something your children need and there’s no better time to allow them teach themselves how to fight through being bored.

Independent Play Encourages an Active, Engaged Imagination
When your child plays independently, they have to rely on themselves to come up with something fun and engaging to play. Giving them a room full of wooden toys, puzzles, and books, or simply sending them outside to the fenced-in backyard, encourages them to engage their active imaginations.

Tip: You could even encourage active imagination with an indoor infant toddler swing. They’re supervised, of course, but they can bounce and play without relying on you for entertainment.

Independent Play Teaches Children How to Combat Boredom on Their Own
This is the era of instant gratification. Everything is literally at your fingertips at all times, but boredom can be a great learning tool. When children are faced with boredom, they come up with new and interesting ways to pass the time.

Note: Independent play encourages children to find hobbies, passions, and things that interest them. For example—you could provide crafty things, like paints and glitter. Let your youngster have the run of craft tables. This is where their imaginations thrive.

Independent Play Eliminates Heavy Reliance on Others, like Parents, for Constant Entertainment
While attachment parenting can be an awesome tool in its own right, children shouldn’t need their parents, or anyone else, for constant entertainment. Independent play shows them that they can have fun and do things for themselves, regardless of who is around.

Tip: If your kiddo is constantly underfoot or scared of playing alone, set a timer for 15 minutes and tell them that their task is to play independently until the timer goes off. It might take a few tries over the course of weeks, but kids usually discover how much they love simply using their imaginations to play by themselves.

No. of times viewed = 17

Sherilyn’s Holiday Baking

The Baking Queen in the house aka Drama Queen aka Sherilyn has embarked on some baking projects to kill time during the school holidays. This is the best activity for her to distract her from all the electronic gadgets in the house.

Here’s what she baked over the past 2 weeks:

Homemade pizza with the dough that she made from scratch:

Pizza toppings ~ mashed avocado, cherry tomatoes, overnight sauteed broccoli with fresh mushrooms, overnight ‘unwanted’ chicken breast from dinner and mozarella cheese. She ‘recycled’ leftover dinner into a yummo pizza!

Pancake using the Japanese pancake mix that her doting koo ma from Hong Kong gave. Sherilyn mixed the pancake mix with dried blue pea flowers tea from her granny’s garden. She was so delighted to have finally made a blue colored pancake using natural blue coloring 💙

Organic sweet corn fritters with kafir lime leaves (everyone’s favorite!):

A loaf of banana bread with pecans. I love this. This has a tad room for improvement though in that more bananas should be added and lesser flour used. She made this with only 2 leftover bananas in the kitchen and whipped it up in under an hour. But it tastes like an expensive banana bread sold at some fancy cafes. This is off-the-charts delicious when it’s lightly toasted in the oven the next day. You’ll get crispy exterior and spongy interior. Stays good in the fridge for over a week.

Nope, these are not coconut candies, though they smell like it. These are a work-in-progress project. They are bath bombs made using baking soda, extra virgin coconut oil, lemon juice and essential oils. Sherilyn’s still experimenting these and they are not saleable / usable just yet.

Lemon meringue tarts, which is another item that you’ll find in a fancy cafe costing over RM15 each.

The other day we were at Antipodean for breakfast after Cass’ appointment at the hospital. The hubs asked if I’d like to takeaway any of the cakes and tarts at the cafe and I told him that his Baking Queen could bake all those items ranging from chocolate brownie to oversized chocolate chip cookies, lemon tarts, banana bread and carrot cake. So thanks and no thanks. Our Baking Queen bakes the best cakes, tarts and cookies 😁

Evading the paparazzi again 🙄

The lemon meringue tarts are such a hassle to make. There’re 101 steps and our baking queen spent the entire afternoon in the kitchen to whip them up.

She baked a large round tart and several smaller ones to give away to her dance teacher and to her beloved kakak Maria.

Chocolate molten cake baked in the microwave oven for Alycia’s 15th birthday on 5 December 2018.

And these cookies were baked yesterday. A batch of butter peppermint cookies…

… and a batch of chocolate (using organic cocoa powder) peppermint cookies. She used my Peppermint Essential Oil from Young Living. She used 4-5 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil for each batch of cookies.

Sherilyn’s next project will most likely be gingerbread cookies for Christmas! And probably another meat pie which everyone loves.

No. of times viewed = 35

Cassandra’s Blood Test Report

Today is Cass’ blood test report collection day at the hospital. Dr Eric’s comment as usual was “not too bad”.

On the 36 types of allergen test, Cass has no allergies, though the test shows that she has a slight allergy to dust mites. The units of antibodies shown (24) are so minimal that she is not even categorized under Class 1.

The blood lipid test shows that she’s got borderline high cholesterol at 5.3 mmol/L, which is expected as she’s inherited my bad DNA of Familial hypercholesterolmia (genetic high cholesterol). Even with a sustenance of plain water, fruits, vegetables and very little meat with exercise 5x a week (till I was severely anemic last year), my cholesterol reading is still hovering at 5.8 – 6.

But Dr Eric ain’t very concerned and commented that no further test is required until Cass reaches adulthood. He has seen younger kids with double digit total cholesterol readings as both parents have genetic high cholesterol.

Dr Eric is the only pediatrician whom I trust. He’s been treating Cass since she was a sickly 6 weeks old infant and knows Cass’ medical history. He does not prescribe drugs and antibiotics to Cass unless extremely necessary, like in the case of a chronic UTI attack.

Remedial actions will be a diet similar as mine, which is a diet that’s low on high fat foods, reduced food portions (what? She’s got a bottomless pit!) and Cass will have to engage in more sports activities. This gives my ‘tidak apa’ girl a New Year Resolution for 2019 to work on and hopefully she will have a steely discipline to stick to it. I’ll see…

No. of times viewed = 126