Q-dees Reading Programme

I want to apologize to all friends who have commented on my previous post about reading at 3. I actually made a more thorough research about their reading program and I was wrong when I said they teach by memorization. I think I just didn't know the strategy. I read from one of my son's books explaining how Q-dees teach children how to read.

I wanna quote what the programme say about Q-dees Building Blocks Graded Reading Programme:

When children first start to recognize letters and words, it is better to concentrate on showing them words first especially those describing their immediate environment as this gives real meaning to them. Once children are able to read and recognize these common words, we can move on to teaching them the letters and letter sounds to ensure that the children can proceed to read and recognize other more difficult words.

There.

Once again, I want to ask for an apology for saying that Q-dees teach kids how to read by memorization. Now they actually teach by recognition first then they will move on to letters and letter sounds later.

I felt relieved after reading their programme. I have jumped to a wrong conclusion from my unreliable observation.

That's why they said Q-dees is one of the best kindy schools in Malaysia.

One of Q-dess programmes is doing swimming lessons for all children. This is a plus point actually. On the first day of his swimming lessons, I went to take photos.

His swimming coach
You can tell he's very happy with his swimming lessons with other kids (his classmates)

And of course, you can tell the whole family was excited to see him on his first day of swimming lessons. So we all went there and Samantha was filled with envy just watching her brother swim in the pool without her. Hehehe. Next time, Samantha... it will be your turn.

So I'm not switching schools after all! I was considering homeschooling already before I started looking up about their reading program. It helps to do research when we're not satisfied with what we saw, doesn't it?

So... my boy's preschool journey continues...

Clinique Repairwear

I have been using Clinique products for my face for 5 years now. I have oily skin and I tend to have break-outs. Worse, it's acne prone. I used to have huge acnes when I was in college and I couldn't do anything about it. Washing of face so many times in a day didn't help. No matter how much I use acne-free products, still my face would be so full of pimples/acnes.

Later on, I used Nivea cream and my acne slowly disappeared. What I did was, because it was a cream and if I apply it on my face after I wash and tone, my skin would tend to get more oily. So I applied it on my face 5 minutes before I was my face. It really helped a lot. My acne disappeared. But my scars are there... to remain forever. I had occassional breakouts due to the oils of my face.

Then I discovered Clinique. It's water-based so it has totally banished my acnes and pimples. My skin became smoother. I still got the scars but now it's not so visible anymore.

These are my favorite clinique products:

My daily skin care, 3-step process. Soap, toner, and moisturizer. I use twice daily. I buy the largest size which could last for 2 years.

I apply foundation before make-up... 5 minutes after I apply moisturizer. This way, it gives time for moisturizer to sip into the skin. This foundation is so light. You don't feel like you're wearing one... unlike using other oil-based products. When you apply foundation, your face seems heavy than usual. My color is the honey one. It just fits with my skin tone. I'm dark-skinned.Concealer. I usually put under my eyes, to cover whatever dark's in there. I got this tip from Bobbi Brown: Never ever leave the house without putting on your concealer.

Translucent powder. I used the cake powder last time... But then I tried the translucent once, I got stuck with it. It's better for my skin type.

My favorite lip gloss.

Eye brow definer. I don't have a perfect set of eye brows. So eye brow pencil is one of the most important make up that I must have. I used body shop too... cheaper than clinique's. But this time, I'm using Clinique, dark brown in color.

2 weeks ago, the Clinique shop in Subang Parade had a promotion. For a 310rm total worth of products you buy, you get a 6-piece gift which includes, repairwear, contourware, moisturizer, pink blush with blusher, city spf sunblock, and facial liquid soap. Quite a good deal. Hubby's treat.

I tried using the repairwear. It is so good you can feel the difference even only after 1st application.

Clinique, I love.

One in a Million - Malaysia

I saw the repeat of One in a Million Season 2 Malaysia again today. The first time I saw was last week. And my favorite then was Sarah. Well, today, she totally nailed it. She sang I Have Nothing by Whitney Houston. She was awesome. So intensed. So powerful. Not very pretty but she just sang beautifully. Ayu comes next. Another case of being a talented but not physically beautiful girl. She sang My Heart Will Go On. And it was also beautiful. These two are my favorites now. Primary is Sarah though.

Sarah

Ayu

I grabbed the photos from Blue Hyppo.

Trashcan

She has pulled it off, again. Who would ever write about trashcans? But here, Jirah has her reflections about trashcans. One of the lines that caught me again was this:

More often than not, we are ungrateful of the things God gave us. We don't like it when we don't have this or that. Sometimes we don't want to go out of our comfort zones and of our own little perfect world. In short, we just don't care of what's happening in our society.

She's in a reflective mood and she has influenced me (i was actually snooping around the net trying to find a nice gown designs and here she was, trying to ponder her way out of her reflections). And so she got me to pause for awhile and got me to thinking: what have I been doing to make a difference in this society? Most likely answer would be: nothing. I'm not doing anything.

What about you? Have you thought about making a difference in the society we live at? If so, what are those and what difference does it make? Maybe we can share it with her too in life.

Venus on NTV7

There's this daily program on NTV7 that's hosted by Aishah Sinclair. It's a program that talk about women's issues. It's called Venus. The name itself tells us what kind of program they're having. The first time I watched, I found it accidentally when I was browsing thru the local TV channels.

I was glued to it straight away coz the program that time was all about stay-at-hom moms (or about women in general). Well, not just an ordinary stay-at-home moms but those women who quit their career just so they could be S-A-H-M. It's even harder for them coz they have to adjust to a life of just staying at home.

I liked it when one of the women said: People think that because we stay at home and take care of the kids and home affairs we don't do any work at all. It's even more work to be a stay-at-home mom as you take care of kids 24/7. Quite true... for a stay-at-hom mom like me, I agree with what she said. It doesn't mean that when we decided to be a s-a-h-m, our lives are getting easier. It even requires more commitment and more hard work.

For a stay-at-home mom, you need to love what you're doing. You need to be passionate about it. Otherwise, it will kill you. You won't be effective in parenting if all you did the whole day is complaining and grumping around. It won't do any gooad at all in relation to being with kids and in relation to staying at home. You might as well go back to work.

Hmmm... I like Venus. And it's on everyday. I can get tips on parenting and such... or tips for women in general. Aishah Sinclair is also a very good and charming host. Well, I hope to see my friend Loretta to be hosting one of those shows one day.

My Page Ranks

I don't understand how page ranks and google work. But this I know, the higher page rank you have, the more offers you get to write advertisements. I have 3 other blogs I maintain now which I have abandoned before. But when I tried applying them to the paid reviews sites, I realized I could use them. So they're up and running again, for the sake of earning that extra $$$.

I have seen how my wordpress blog plummeted up from Page Rank 2 to Page Rank 4, and witnessed it plummeted down from Page Rank 4 to Page Rank 0. It has probably been banned coz I used too many (weak) links. But how do I get my Page Rank 4 back? Do I ever get it back? Do I have to delete all those linked posts just to get back my Page Rank 4? If I delete them, advertisers would sure ban me coz they have paid me to post them.

This business is confusing. However, I still get offers, but not as much. My other blogspot has Page Rank 2 still and thank God for it. My 360 yahoo has also Page Rank 2 which I am so grateful for. I could still use these two to earn more.

However, this blogspot has never gotten any Page Rank at all. I wonder what's wrong with this blog. Although I get offers to write post here, but they're not much and rates are lower compared to other 3 blogs that I use. I thought this blog should have more Page Rank in it.

Anyways, I have to do my assignment now. How to get Page Rank and if I have them and got lost somewhere, i have to know how to get it back. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

These are the page ranks I use to check my page rank status:

rank widgets

seo chat

weekend snapshot 10

we went to mont kiara last weekend to do shopping for kids and hubby. i wanna give them a treat from my blog earnings. and since both my hubby and i were craving for mexican food, we stopped by at ole burritos and ordered enchiladas.

since secret recipe was just next to the restaurant, we stopped by for a dessert too, brownies with ice cream. i'm not a big fan of sweets but i have them when they are really really good. secret recipe has the best cakes in the country.


Everybody loves weekend, it is the time for leisure, recreation and other religious activities. And when everyone is having a grand time, you want to capture it and share it with others. That’s why Weekend Snapshot is here for you. Come and join us!

Stand Firm

Pastor Dorai spoke in church today. He's my favorite speaker and I always look forward to his preaching. He preached the other Sunday and I was surprised he did again today. They usually take turns and he speaks like 3-4 times in a year. I found out that the guy who's supposed to speak today had sore throat and he asked Dorai to speak for him.

And so he did. Pastor Dorai uses a lot of personal illustrations which makes the message more effective. I like the way he presents the message. He's my favorite in short. What was his topic for today? He talked about standing firm in our faith.

He described faith not as something you do which you cannot see... or plunging into the unknown. It's believing in God who sees everything. He differentiated the faith from the grace of God although there's a distinct difference in it already.

He said grace is God reaching out to us, inspite of our unworthiness.

Faith is us reaching out for God's hand in times of unworthiness.

He said, to stand in your faith is in the context of discipleship. Meaning, we cannot have faith in the One if we don't follow or obey Him. We must be able to hear him and obey Him when He tells us something.

How do we know when He speaks? He does in a small still voice. Not a tangible kind of voice - well, some actually claims to hear one. But here, he said a small still voice could be one thing you hear from your heart. But of course, we must be able to differentiate between His voice and our own desires. We may desire deep in our hearts something and yet it's not God's will.

We may hear Him when our friends, pastors or Godly people around (or could be strangers) tell us something. He does have a lot of representatives. He speaks to us through His word, the Bible, too.

What happens when we don't obey Him? Sometimes, we harden our hearts and not listen to anybody because we are already set in our own mindset. But if we claim to be His disciples, He does the disciplining part. He breaks our hardened hearts. Whatever way He breaks us, it sure does hurt.

However, God, being compassionate as He is, is always ready to forgive us if we show real repentance. He will erase away our sins and we will be able to experience a breakthrough in our relationship with Him and our relationship with others.

Obey Him and stand firm in your faith.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

I had fun with Blogthings today... Hope you have fun reading about the meaning behind my name. :) What Janet Luison Means

You are fair, honest, and logical. You are a natural leader, and people respect you.You never give up, and you will succeed... even if it takes you a hundred tries.You are rational enough to see every part of a problem. You are great at giving other people advice. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people.You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts.You are prone to a little paranoia. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together.At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life.You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home.You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble. You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow.You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily.Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is. You are a very lucky person. Things just always seem to go your way.And because you're so lucky, you don't really have a lot of worries. You just hope for the best in life.You're sometimes a little guilty of being greedy. Spread your luck around a little to people who need it. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong.You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know.You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do. You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life.You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you.At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself.

What's" Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Are You Safe?

I have discovered that you need to have some kind of security online to be safe and theft protected. You know, some hackers can just steal your identity and password and can go into your files and all that. Debix is a service online that protects people's identities.

Once you have registered your name, it will be protected forever. For instance, if somebody other than you try to register with your name in another online services, then Debix will straight away notify you or give you a warning call and report such activities to you. It is great to know that there are services like this being offered online. There are so many smart people who just wanna benefit from other people's identity, hack into other people's files. It has been such a concern over the years that people can just hack you and try to intrude into your privacy.

Well, if this is one of your concerns, fret no more. Debix or Loud Siren could help you. By the way, Loud Siren is partnering with Debix now so it's a double bonus plus you can get a Debix promo code that they offer so you can have it cheaper. By signing up, you can receive a discounted rate of 89US$ plus a 30-day free service. You just need to know the Debix promotion code, enter the site, and sign up.

Photography and Typography

Photography is the process of recording pcitures by means of capturing light on a light-sensitive medium, such as a film or electronic sensor. Light patterns reflected or emitted from objects expose a sensitive silver halide based chemical or electronic medium during a timed exposure, usually through a photographic lens in a device known as a camera that also stores the resulting information chemically or electronically.The word "photography" comes from the French photographie which is based on the Greek words φως phos ("light"), and γραφίς graphis ("stylus", "paintbrush") or γραφή graphê ("representation by means of lines" or "drawing"), together meaning "drawing with light." Traditionally, the product of photography has been called a photograph, commonly shortened to photo.

One the other hand, Typography is the art and techniques of type design

, modifying type glyphs, and arranging type. Type glyphs (characters) are created and modified using a variety of illustration techniques. The arrangement of type is the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading (line spacing) and letter spacing.Typography is performed by typesetters, compositors, typographers, graphic artists, art directors, and clerical workers. Until the Digital age, typography was a specialized occupation. Digitization opened up typography to new generations of visual designers and lay users.

Source: Wikipedia

I got to attend a short course on photography and typography last week. These two are useful tools especially when you write newslettes and such. I love photography and I thought I took good shots... well, until last week. I made so much error in taking photos. When you take good shots, you have to be in a perfect angle to really get that great shot. I learned about the basic rules in photography.

Photography and typography go hand in hand in making newsletters or updates. I found that I'm already doing well in terms of typography.

I actually knew some basics in photography and typography because I have natural inclination at both of these. However, to be very creative in both is another story. I think it must be learned... from the professionals themselves. Liston was a good teacher. He made a lot of comments on my photos which was very helpful. I like constructive comments. I learn a lot from there. But one thing he told the class when the workshop was over was that I was very creative. It's a very encouarging comment.

I'm glad I went for this workshop: on how to be creative in your (multimedia) presentation. Now I know how to take right shots. But I have to be patient with the camera I'm using now. It is borrowed, old, and pathetic. LOL. My camera which was given by a friend was spoiled by my little photographer Schenker Nambiar. I am saving for a nice camera and hopefully, by the end of the year, I can have one for myself.

Photo courtesy: sxc.hu - classical camera

Linky Love

This tag is from pinay-mommy.

Cut and paste the following starting here.

I have randomly selected 5 of you below to be tagged and I hope that you will similarly publish this post in your blog. You will have to tag 5 other bloggers and just keep adding on to the list. (Do not replace, just keep on adding! Yes we hope it will be a long list!)It’s real easy! Tag others and see your Technorati Authority increase exponentially!

The benefits of Viral Linking:- One of the fastest ways to see your technorati authority explode!- Increase your Google PageRank fast- Attract large volume of new traffic to your site- Build your community- Make new friends!

The Strategist Notebook Link Addiction Ardour of the Heart When Life Becomes a Book The Malaysian Life Yogatta.comWhat goes under the sun Roshidan’s Cyber Station Sasha says Arts of Physics And the legend lives My View, My Life A Simple Life Juliana RW The Callalily Space Petra Summer in Blue Confessions of an Army Wife Bless’ Sanctuary Happy Life Living @ Evergreen State La Place de Cherie Chez Francine Le bric a brac de Cherie Little Peanut, Pea in a Pod, The Creative In Me Me and Mine Pinay Mommy Expressions from the Heart……ADD YOURSELF HERE

I wanna tag Julie, Aisha, thesserie, bem, and sharon.

Wedding

I have chatted with Axcell and Dewi again last Sunday. We all went to Banting to celebrate my Father-in-law's 62nd birthday. It was a nice time of getting together as a family. We had fun watching the kids running around their grandparents' garden.

Had a good talk about their wedding preparation update too. They haven't decided on wedding invitations yet. I asked them about her wedding gown and they're probably going to make one for her. I rented mine last time coz to make a wedding gown in Malaysia is just so expensive. Actually, someone has offered to do it for her... from her Aunty who lives in the U.S. Another one offered also, an Aunty from the Philippines.

To do wedding stuff in the Philippines is not expensive. There are affordable wedding cards available, custom made and when I say affordable, it really means affordable.... very cheap. There are wedding invitations online that are cheap too but not sure what type of wedding cards they wanna use.

Of course, I was thrilled when I learned that one of the colors they're going to use is red. I love red (next is pink). That's my primary favorite color. Looks like I have an idea already what to wear on that day. I just hope my tummy will go down a bit though. Hehehe. It's still bulging out. Well, probably I need to do tummy exercise.

Okay. this is finally the last post for now. I've been writing too much my head swirls, too much brain purging. I deserve a rest. Good rest. Good night.

Photo: bouquet of flower i took pic of during jac and chien's wedding last year in cyberview lodge.

Stretch Marks

Pregnancy and stretch marks go hand in hand. Well, at least for me they do. I used to be very worried about having stretch marks after I gave birth to babies. But when I got pregnant, I totally forgot about it and it's causes.

Stretch marks occur when you tend to go overweight with your pregnancy. That was what I was told. But since a lot of people were telling me not to mind my weight gain, having a "healthy" was always better, so I actually didn't mind gaining weight rapidly during my pregnancy. I actually gained beyond what I was supposed to gain. So you can just imagine how stretched my tummy was.

But then, towards the end of my pregnancy, that was 2-3 months before I delivered, I started using stretch marks cream on my tummy, hoping that it wouldn't leave a mark after I gave birth or hoping that it would prevent stretch marks from appearing. But to my disappoint, it stayed there, even when I used it months after my delivery.

photo courtesy: wikipedia commons

Now, I have a second child and am still using stretch mark cream but the stretch marks are very stubborn and just don't wanna leave me alone. Maybe I should try revitol stretch mark cream.

My Breastfeeding Journey

I’m a strong advocate of breastfeeding. Breastmilk is the best milk of all times. It benefits both the mother and baby. For baby, it gives her the total nutrition for the 1st 6 months of her life. According to survey, breastfed babies tend to have higher IQ’s compared to formula fed babies. They tend to be stronger and healthier. The longer you breastfeed, the better. For mothers, it can reduce postpartum bleeeding, reduce the risk of ovarian and breast cancer and can actually help in going back to prepegnancy weight fast.

I breastfed my first child, Schenker, for 16 months. I am glad I did. I’m happy that I gave him the best start of his life. He might be a picky eater now, but he’s healthy and smart. Although it took me a while to regain my prepegnancy weight because I gained more than I was supposed to gain. It was my fault. But with my second, a few months of breastfeeding and I was back to my prepregnancy weight.

Here’s my BF journey with my little girl, Samantha:

When Samantha was just born, I asked my Ob/Gynae if I could breastfeed Samantha first before taking her to the nursery. She said yes. So I did. She gave Samantha to me and I started taking her mouth to latch on. She finally did after a few tries. It was wonderful… It was like an instinct for her to latch on and suck. I didn’t have milk coming in (or out?)yet but she did suck.
3rd day - the milk finally came in. we were at home then. it was so difficult to get up and take her to feed coz my stitches were really painful everytime I moved. and how painful it was for my milk “machine” too! it was really tempting to give formula coz it was really very painful and I didn't have enough rest. but i tried resisting the urge coz I knew if i started giving formula, the milk production will decrease.

5th day - i almost wanna give up. after all the pain… tiredness… and sleepness nights… i just wanna abort the idea of breastfeeding samantha (exclusively)… But peter was very supportive (or pushy?) of breastfeeding. i told him actually that i wanna give up already… but he asked me to wait for at least one more week. and i said okay… why not… one more week wasn’t too long.

after a week- i felt comfortable feeding her already… no more pain… the milk was flowing to the max… sometimes Samantha would cry in frustration because she couldn’t keep up with the flow. she would unlatch and the milk would just spray like someone from inside was spraying the milk out! and i thought, i had breastfed my boy for 16 long months… why not for samantha? so i decided to keep going.

now - still happily breastfeeding (plus solids now). and planning to do as long as we both can do it!

way to go samantha! way to go… me! hehehe.

I am a strong advocate of breastfeeding. Everytime I know somebody’s getting pregnant or somebody’s gonna give birth, I talk to them about breastfeeding. It would be good to know that through breastfeeding, we let our children get the best start in life.

Note: A backtrack post. (Posted in my previous blog).

i'm not defined by status and possessions....

my sister jirah just created her own blog spot in blogspot called life. i'm quite impressed with her writing, especially on "i'm not defined by my status or possessions." i think for a 17-year old girl to write like that is quite amazing. well, she's an amazing girl so it's not surprising.

let me quote one of the lines she wrote:

My greatest opponent is "me", so "me" should get out of the way. I also realized that until now, I have not accepted myself and because of that I cannot accept the weaknesses, imperfections, etc of others. I must start with myself, and i think i've got to start now.

it's exactly right. we have to accept ourselves, we have to get to know ourselves, our weaknesses, our strengths, and our personalities. this way, we learn how to accept others for who they are.

i'm proud of her.

My Third Nice Matters Award

I just got my third "Nice Matters Award" from Ruby. My first one was from Mitch and the second one was from Sharon at my previous blog. Thanks Again, Ruby.

I wanna pass this award to:

1. Back to Mitch - for inspiring me to make money from my blog

2. Julie - for all the tips in teaching kids, their developments and such

3. Francine - for the reward she's giving out to her blogger friends... although you have to join the contest first in order to get the award. :P

4. Aisha - for writing that original short story about the "Peanut Farmer."

Weekend Snapshot 9

Today was Achacha's (grandfather in Malayalam) 62nd Birthday. All his children ( 3 men with their wives) and grandchildren (4 of them) went to Banting town (one-hour drive from where we live) to celebrate it with him.

Happy 62nd Birthday, Achacha!From left to right: Samantha (the only girl among the grandchildren, Joel (6-weeks younger than Samantha), Joshua, 2 years 3 months old and my 3-year old Schenker)

What could be greater than seeing children having fun...

Everybody loves weekend, it is the time for leisure, recreation and other religious activities. And when everyone is having a grand time, you want to capture it and share it with others. That’s why Weekend Snapshot is here for you. Come and join us!

Phuket Days

I had a good time chatting with Aisha today. We had fun catching up and trying to reminisce our Phuket days... Thailand days. I can say that everyday in my life in Phuket for three years was like a holiday... with beautiful resorts surrounding us and with beatiful and friendly people living in that place.

We used to have bonding time with the team and our leader would usually take us to another islands (once in 3 months). I couldn't forget Phi Phi Island as it was my first time putting on a 2-piece suit. There, nobody would care coz everybody was wearing something like that (or not wearing anything on topat all). My favorite destination though was in Raya Island. It was really a paradise with crystal clear blue water... We did some snorkelling and it was awesome to see beautiful fishes everywhere. We had fun in James Bond Island too when we did island hopping. How can one forget Phuket?

More on Phuket here: Phuket, Phuket, Phuket

"How amazing are the deeds of the LORD!All who delight in him should ponder them."Psalm 111:2

E-Commerce

Almost everybody is doing an online business nowadays. It's goo too because you can do your work at your convenience. But going into online business or any kind of business, you have to know the tricks of the trade. I have once started a business online, an ebay business. I didn't have enough experience so it was busted straight away even without getting started. But really to those stay-at-home moms like me who's aspiring to be a work-at-home mom so we can earn that extra income, online business is a great idea.

Ashop commerce offers solutions to merchants online. They offer ecommerce software for the buyers to manage their buys online. I know coz everytime I buy somethings online, I have to have a shopping cart. It does help you manage the products you buy online. That's why, when I start business again in the future (if ever) then I must have a shopping cart software.

Member Care

What is member care? It is a term which describes caring for a person wholistically. I've been involved in doing member care for some friends with my husband. I learned a person needs a lot of things to be able to sustain themselves and not just sustain themselves, but to also bloom where they are. We just need to care for them as a whole and not just a fraction. A lot of people need better caring from people who really cares. You know, when you take care of old people and have no passion in it, you can get burned easily.

There are also other organizations that offers nursing home for aged and needy people. At bettercaring, there are options that are available locally. You can do a search that can fit with your special requirements. You just need to find out what is the need and for who and they can arrange the right kind of care. They also can read daily care news and receive tips from the experts.

A lot of needy people do really need care. I care. Do you?

Boracay

I chatted with my sister Jirah yesterday but had to cut off the convo coz I was gonna pick my boy up from school already. It's nice to have chatted with her again. She's actually planning to go to Boracay next week for her friend's birthday celebration. I got very excited for her, knowing she'd have a chance to go to one of the Philippines' best resorts. I have not been there myself yet, but from what I saw from the postcard she sent me and from the pictures from the internet, the place really looked so beautiful.

While we were chatting, she was surfing the net on accommodations for hotel for their Boracay trip. She wanted to do hotel reservations online. It was quite expensive, she said. I asked her to look for motels also. Maybe she can find cheap motel rates.

I have found from the internet that you can do hotel reservations at a discounted rate. Hotelreservations can take you to beautiful places with hotel discounts and cheapest rate you can find from the internet. They offer rates for budget hotels, as well as the luxurious 5 star hotel accommodation, depending on your budget and needs. You can find great deals, really. Their website is open 24 hours daily and so even if you do late bookings, you sure can find help anytime, anywhere. Nowadays, with the current high technology trend, you don't need to go out and drive and go to shops or agencies to be able to do bookings. You can do so right at the comfort of your home... or office... or anywhere you are in the world.

Well, I'm just so happy for my sister to be able to go to this beautiful resort in Boracay. She studies in IloIlo and Boracay is just a few hours away from her university. It's a pity if she doesn't go there coz she's going to move to Manila (UP- Diliman) next term already. I'm glad she's taking the opportunity to visit places. Way to go Jai!

On Driving

Since I have grumbled so much about my driving, I feel that I should write my progress. As I've told you I got very upset with my hubby's comment... now I wanna tell you that he was right after all. I wasn't/aint able to drive the boy to school without practice... a LOT of practice.

So the next day, I tried my hands on the steering wheel again. I drove to school with hubby around. But the car stopped at the middle of the road and there was one car behind us. I got panicked again, so I asked hubby to switch seats real fast. I wouldn't know what to do if I was alone.

But this morning, I have finally driven my son all the way to school and home. With hubby around. On first gear the whole time. Hehehe. Cheater! But of course, I have to get that much needed confidence first, right?. So I wasn't changing gears.

But after school, my hubby had too many things to do he didn't come to pick my boy up from school. No. I didn't drive. Went to school with Samantha and the stroller.It was very hot but I took umbrella with me and asked my boy to hold it up for him and Samantha while I push the stroller. Smart idea, hey?

I'm taking my driving lessons slowly. Apparently.

Reading at 3

I admit... being a mom is not a joke... worse, a mom with a preschool child. I just can't believe that there are kids outhere who are just so smart that even on the second week of school, they're already reading their second book!

Here's the story. On the first week of school, the teacher took all my boy's books, except the two books (one is the Commnication Book from the teacher to the parents and the other is the Book 1). I didn't know that for the first week, you have to teach your child how to read what's in the Book 1. So, on the second week, last Tuesday, I happen to see and hear this one Chinese boy reading out loud his book to his teacher "Bubbly and Whizzy" something. I was amazed! How did he do that? Well, more like, how did the parents teach him how to read?

After school, I happen to browse thru the boy's book. And then I realized I haven't been teaching him or reviewing with him coz the book has a note that says introduced but not recognized. So I started reviewing his book. One more thing I discovered that they're teaching the kids how to read by memorization. How in the world can a three-year old child read "who" and "this?" (What's more with Bubbly and Whizzy?)

So being a stage mom (got this term from a stage mom friend Lalaine) that I am, I started reading with the boy. Today, Thursday, I was very proud that my boy could read "Who is this" already and so I told the teacher to ask him to read. The teacher was still busy with the other child so I watched them. And I got more upset when I learned that the child who was reading was reading his second book already. And my boy could barely read the first three pages of his book!

Is that boy a real advanced kid or my son is just real slow?

Anyways, I'm taking up the challenge. My boy must learn how to read. What a pity though... he's only three years old and he's already expected to read "This is Bubbly and This is Whizzy." Well... I have to go to Kinokoniya bookstore again and browse thru their teaching-your-kids-how-to-read section.

Our purpose in sending him to school was more on having a social interaction with kids his age. What happened to my purpose? Well, that's a reality that I'm glad I have learned early on. We actually planned to send him to school at the age of 5 last time when he was still a baby. But it changed coz we noticed that he's far... way far behind with his social skills. And am I glad we send him now. At least he won't really have a hard time catching up later on.

Nowadays, standard of education and level of intelligece are different than last time.. like decades ago. Decades ago, at 3 years of age, if you can recognize some letters, you're already considered advanced... (like how I thought my son was three weeks ago. LOL)

Anyways, I don't wanna push him. I just want him to enjoy his preschool days... and yet, I don't want him to be behind his classmates. I appreciate some tips from Moms who have/had preschoolers too (am talking about Moms who have preschoolers this decade).

Looks like I'd be ranting more on my boy's progress these days. So please bear with me.

Tag: My Year 2008

This tag is from Mitch. I'm not really into Astrology and such but...

The Capricorn horoscope 2008 brings much success and good things for Capricorn people as compared to the year 2008. In addition there would be higher income growths as well as growth opportunities in the year ahead. The year may also bring along some problems, which can be removed only with the positive attitude of Capricorn people. However these problems would remain only for a short period. The Capricorn horoscope 2008 also opens many growth opportunities for people born under this zodiac sign. They can get leadership position in the companies where they are working.Those Capricorn people who own their business can witness many positive gains as well as chances to grow their business.

The horoscope 2008 calls for expansion of horizons in the professional field. The horoscope 2008 talks of an exciting love relationship for Capricorn people. The horoscope says that the people born under this sign would be admired and loved. People who are in a relationship may expect love to grow in their relationships, while those who are planning to grow their family can also expect something positive. Those Capricorn people who are single can be sure to get married or get associated in a relationship..
The horoscope says that the Capricorn people should try to convert their hobbies into work, so that life can become all the more enjoyable for them. The Capricorn people should learn to accept opportunities as they come and work according to it.

There.

There goes...

I picked my boy up yesterday at 12:00nn from school. Starting this week, the class ends at 12:00 already. Last week was only at 10:30am. I realized when I was walking to his school that to walk at noon was just so hot! My skin was burning! And when we walked back, I tried pushing the strolley at the grassy park... only to find it harder to push (coz you know why. lol). So, I have resolved to finally get behind the wheel and drive. There goes my daily dose of exercise.

So when my husband came from work, I asked him to go with me coz I wanna practice driving already. So he told me it's not possible to drive tomorrow coz I don't have enough practice. But since I have resolved already to drive my boy to school, I went to the car with hubby and kids with me. Sounds like calling for trouble, hey?

After 500 meters of driving, I was gonna reach the school already. But since I was still shaking, and not confident and comfortable... when I reached towards the end, I panicked. I forgot how to stop the car! And so I was asking my husband. What to do? What to do? How to stop the car? He told me to press the brakes. Of course! I had to press the brakes! Silly me. So I pressed the brakes and pressed it like nobody cares. My boy, which was sitting at the back, felt the impact. So he told me, Mommy, please be careful.

Why would I practice driving with kids with me, you wanna ask. I thought probably it would be nice to practice with them with my hubby around coz the next day I was gonna drive already. I thought that was very smart of me.

Hubby commented after I pressed the brakes. "With driving like this, you can not." That was it. That did it. I went out of the car and asked him to drive us all home. And decided not to drive at all. Suffer the heat of the sun... just put sunblock on my kids's skin and walk. There goes my driving. LOL.

Of course, I was very upset with hubby's comment so I gave him cold shoulders until this morning. He showed me he got sms from Clinique (I use this product for 5 years now. It's the only product that doesn't cause breakouts on my skin coz it's water-based). So eveytime they have promotion, they'd inform us. The promotion will be on Friday. So he told me, since he has started teaching tuition again (he does this sideline to raise more funds for us), he wanna take me to Subang Parade and buy the promo. And only yesterday, I realized my foundation was finishing already. I couldn't resist the offer I started talking to him. So he asked me whether I forgave him already. I said, with that 310RM worth of Clinique (with 6-pc gift worth 350rm), I said, it's hard not to forgive him. LOL!!! What a worldly wife. Hehehe.

And so... whether to drive or not, it's still hanging on the air. If only I have enough confidence, I knew I could. The problem with me is that... when I first started to learn how to drive, I used automatic car... Now that I'm using the manual, it's hard not to get nervous with all the clutch ang brakes and gas pedals pressing... it's so hard to be coordinated.

Confidence, confidence, please come to me.

Weekend Snapshot 8

A Bunch A Month

One of my husband's goal in life is to make his wife happy (cheeky smile). And one of the things that can make his wife happy is by getting flowers. He started giving me flowers after his first visit to Phuket last December 2001. I was awed. Since then, he had been giving me flowers once a month. So for six years now, I've been getting a bunch a month.

Last week, he went to Cameron Highlands for work. When he came back this weekend, this was what I got. And since my boy loves flowers too, he got a bunch of roses. And of course, my girl won't be left out so she got hers too. We're a family of flower suckers. :)

Everybody loves weekend, it is the time for leisure, recreation and other religious activities. And when everyone is having a grand time, you want to capture it and share it with others. That’s why Weekend Snapshot is here for you. Come and join the fun here.

BYB - A Daily Dose

One week passed by so fast! Our boy's first week of school flew by just like that. My hubby was only around on his first day of school and he had to travel the next day to Camerons for the retreat with the students at the training center.

I was very anxious, knowing I'd be alone the rest of the week with the kids. Of course, I have released him to travel without us already... fully released. But I couldn't help feeling really anxious.

Well, I'm glad to say now that it wasn't that bad. I and ds sent him to school in a stroller. I should have taken picture of it, with the two of them in the stroller. It's fun to walk to his school twice a day. First to send him and the next is to pick him up.

I consider it a blessing to have his school nearby... and to be able to walk him to school too. I get a dose of my daily exercise. I stopped doing my exercise (walking) after I gave birth to my second child. Didn't really have time to do so. Now I have the opportunity to go back into it again. Until... well, until I decide to finally get into the car and drive! I think my laziness will call for it. I just hope it won't strike me (laziness) again.

Carts

What does it take to make money online? It takes a lot of effort and perseverence. It takes special knowledge in marketing and stuff like that, without getting sound so pushy. I have been thinking about making business online when I started buying things from ebay for my baby last year. So I thought why not sell too since I became a regular buyer already.

I tried. Really. I started selling on ebay. And since I didn't have enough knowledge before plunging into it, I got busted. The business didn't bloom. It didn't even start!

Now, I have a bit of know-how into this business thing, since I've been online for almost 24/7. We know that everytime we buy online, we need to have shopping carts too... like how we have to have carts when we buy groceries. Hehehe. I found that I need to have a shopping cart software to make it easier for the buyer to manage their buys. Ecommerce software does offer solutions for merchants to shop online.

Get Paid to Blog

Last month, I was talking about asking my hubby if I could monetize my blog. And he straight away said no. And so I said, I wouldn't do it without his permission. I want his full blessing so that whatever I do, it would be successful. Guess what? The next day, without me bringing up the subject again, he asked about what it takes to blog for money.

I started doing my research about getting paid to blog straight away. It's fun, actually. I get very excited everytime my blog gets approval for blog advertising. And more fun when my posts are getting approved.

One of my favorites is Smorty. I actually don't have to say it here. But I like the service very much. They're very up to date with their payment. I got my first earning from it. I thought about all the pressures and stress it brings to blog for money. But all it brings is fun and excitement. Fun to write and excited to get my payment.

His First Day of School

I rose up early in the morning. At 6:30. I was excited. Anxious. Mixed Feelings overcame me. The feeling I felt when I was going to give birth to him. Once again, I turned to Him. Cried out to Him for comfort. Not for me, but for my son.

You see... I never really exposed him to different people without me or his dad. We were always there for him. I could only count the times when I left him to the care of other people. The first of which was when he was 16 months old. I left him to Archee aunty and my Filipino friends, Alve, Mian and Barbara. We went to Bali, Indonesia for 5 days. The next time we left him was a few hours only with Aunty Pauline and Aunty Jac, our Chinese friends. We went for a movie then. He was already 2 years old. The next time was only for 30 minutes with Joshua and Janke when his dad and I went to buy some things from Taipan. The next was last December, when hubby's parents came to take care of them and we went for a Movie (Beowulf - I need to write my review about this movie). And that's it. So I literally cried our before God. No. I'm not exaggerating. I felt so nervous and excited at the same time.

I showered. And I woke him up, showered him, and put on his first uniform. He looked so dashingly handsome in his uniform. I felt the pride swelled up deep within again. I snapped shots. Hubby and I took turns.


Then we drove off to his school, which was a 2-minute drive only (10-minute walk). His grandmother came with us, to witness his first day of school, which was a bad idea (more on this coming up). I went with him inside his room. He was placed in the En-Beethoven class. The other class was En-Picasso. Nice class names they got.

When the class was about to start, the main teacher asked the parents to leave. He refused to let go of me. And he started crying. My excitement and nervousness faded... Reality crept in. My heart broke to see him crying like that, calling out for me. But I have decided to release him on that day. If I stayed with him, I felt that I would only make it harder and longer for him to adjust.

The grandmother (as I've told you, was a bad idea) kept showing her face. She said if he knew we were there outside, he'd be comforted. I told her if he knew we were outside, he'd keep calling out for us. She sarcastically remarked "Ok. You know your son better." But she kept showing her face. I understood her, alright... being a grandmother, she just couldn't to bear seeing her grandson in such a traumatic situation. Good thing I managed to talk to the main teacher (there's five of them in one class, one main teacher and 4 helpers) to talk to MIL to stop peeking thru the glass window. She stopped at first but later, she did it again, when the kids went out to the playground. She started talking to him and the boy wanna start crying again. The teacher told granny to go off it seems coz I saw it from a distance. That's why I said it's such a bad idea to have a grandma on the first day of school. I know it breaks their hearts to see their grandchildren cry out for people they're close with in such a new situation, new people and new environment. But we have to get used to it the sooner. Otherwise, we'd just make it harder for our kids to adjust.

This is just a quick tip to those parents who are sending their children to school for the first time: talk to whoever goes with you... and decide on an unanimous decision before going to school. or better yet, don't let others go with you. it spoils the plan.

Anyway... when the grandma stopped peeking thru the windown, the boy stopped crying already. phew! When the class was over, each of them was given balloons. They have free snacks also, btw. And when they came out, I was ready to receive him. I opened my arms wide and welcomed him, and congratulate him for his first day at school.

We both survived! LOL. I hugged him and he hugged me back like crazy. When I looked at him, he looked like he was happy only... like he never cried at all. LOL. And I asked him whether he liked the school or not, he just said yes. And when I told him to say good-bye and thank you to the teacher, he did it also, without hesitation (which he normally does when he meets new faces). And when I told him to tell the teacher "see you again tomorrow," he also said that to the teacher. Hehehe.
This is his after-school look. :)

So while we were walking home, I asked him what he did inside the room. He said he cried. And I asked him whether he would cry again the next day, he said no mommy, i will not cry. Hehehe. Talk only.

We came home feeling very exhausted. We were there for only 2 hours but I felt like we were there the whole day. It wasn't a happy first day of shool... but what to do? It's pretty normal for kids like that who are so attached to his parents. I think Samantha will handle it better coz now, we knew better, right? Hmmm... I hope so...

So, this was my boy's first time in school. I will write more on his adjustments and how he copes with school next time.

Invites

Axcell's wedding is coming so soon. Everyone in the family is so excited. I, for one, am already thinking what to wear on that special day. Hehehe. You know, I always wanna look my best on special days. Thinking high and deep of what to wear already. Hehehe. Anyways, now they're very busy preparing for the wedding. It looks like we have another grand one coming, knowing that it's gonna be held at the same venue we had on our wedding.

During their engagement, they have made their wedding announcements it seems. Now is the time to do (unique) wedding invitations. I have discovered that there are so many sophisticated wedding invitations that are available online. I don't know their motiff yet. So I don't know the type of wedding cards they're gonna make. I'm not sure whether they're gonna buy invitations online though. It would be cool to do that.

Btw, this is an ad.

Weekend Snapshot 7

My boy, playing with the whistle he got from his cousin's birthday party last Saturday... which was my birthday and my hubby's birthday too.

I didn't prepare something special for the New Year's eve but I put 12 different kinds of fruit on our dining table to welcome the New Year 2008.

Everybody loves weekend, it is the time for leisure, recreation and other religious activities. And when everyone is having a grand time, you want to capture it and share it with others. That’s why Weekend Snapshot is here for you. Come and join the fun here.

BYB - Well Done!

I’m one year older. So is my hubby. It still amazed us how both our birthdays coincided. He was born one year earlier though. Who would have known that his wife would be born on the exact date (January 5) a year after? That’s just one of life’s wonders that really amazes us.

We didn’t have a special celebration. My nephew did celebrate his birthday on that day although he was born on the 9th of January. They did it coz it was a weekend and his birthday falls on a weekday.

We were planning to go out on that day, but our plans had changed due to some unavoidable circumstances. We didn’t do something special, but deep within our hearts, we were grateful that once again, our Lord has blessed us with another year.

I was in reflections on that day… on what I have done for this whole 35 years (there, it’s finally revealed) of existence. And the result: not much… except that I’ve been trying to do my best on what I was designed for… my purpose in life. I may slack in many things. (I’m not perfect and nobody is) coz I believe God is not finished with me yet. I’m still in his mold, being formed and being perfected.

My highest desire though is to bless Him in everything I do, to give Him the glory He deserves, no matter how tiny that thing is that nobody can see even thru the naked eye. I hope that someday, when the time comes, no matter how old I will be… when I meet Him “eye to Eye”, He can say: “Well done, My Child, welcome to My Place.”

So what are my blessings, you may ask. I can tell you the 3 greatest ones. That I have a great man for a husband and two beautiful and wonderul kids.

Out of the Mouth of My Babe

It has really been fun having a conversation with my boy... I just couldn't resist to write.

Scene 1:

This conversation happened while we were going out, passing by the guard house. Everytime we pass by the guardhouse, he would always wave at the guard (a gesture he got from his daddy who always wave at the guard as a sign of "thank you" for opening the gate.

Schenker: (after waving at the guard) Mommy, the guard laugh at me.

Mommy: yeah, he smiled at you. you just made his day, i think.

Schenker: Mommy, the guard is a man?

Mommy: Yes

Schenker: Daddy is a man.

Mommy: yes, he is.

Schenker: (thinking) but Daddy is not a guard.

He's thinking logic here. Hehehe.

Scener 2:

At his daddy's office, it was raining heavily.

Daddy: Ayooo... (Malaysian slang way of expressing frustration) It's raining cats and dogs outside.

Then they went out... coz it was time to come home.

Schenker: Daddy, it's still raining?

Daddy: Yeah, it is.

Schenker: Where's cats and dogs?

(Giggles) Next time, don't use idiomatic expressions, daddy, okay? That was very funny.

Scene 3:

We just came back from a Christmas Dinner hosted by a friend. I went up to the room straight away coz I thought Samantha was asleep. When I put her down to be, she straight away stood up. So I changed into my nightie and went down. While on the stairs, my boy saw me... he exclaimed:

Schenker: Wow, Mommy, you look so pretty!

I guess that was the best compliment I ever got! Coz the next day, in the morning, while on bed, he came to me and said... Mommy, you still look pretty. Hehehe.

Scene 4:

I was trying out my new tops hubby gave me... you know, the tunic kind. And when Schenker saw me, he said: Mommy, you look like a dancer. LOL! The most honest compliment, I should say.

Scene 5: This is the most interesting part... Just happened tonight.

Schenker: (he was all over me) Mommy, Are you married?

Mommy: (wondering where he got the word from...) yes, I am married to daddy.

Schenker: Oh.

Then he paused, thought about something, then:

Schenker: Mommy, is Tricia (my friend's daughter) married?

Mommy: No.

Schenker: Is Uncle Jesu married?

Mommy: Yes, he is married to...

Schenker: To who? (Showing a bit of excitement on his face)

Mommy: To Aunty Lalaine!

Schenker: Ahhhh. Mommy, Tricia bite me like this. (Showed me how his friend did it - and I was amazed he still remembered coz we never talked about it after it happened)

Mommy: Why you asked whether Tricia is married Schenker? Why? Do you wanna marry her? (Mommy is also very naughty)

Schenker: No Mommy. She is still a small girl. When she comes bigger...

Mommy: When she gets bigger... then... what Schenker? Are you gonna marry her?

Schenker: Yes, Mommy.

Hahahaha!!! Uh-oh. My son has already somebody in his mind. LOL. This is just so funny... and scary. At a young age, he already knows this kind of thing. Does he?

Anyway, to Tricia's parents... our Boy is a one romantic boy, okay? LOL. He loves listening to wedding songs, in fact he knows the chorus of "Flesh of My Flesh, Bone of my Bone" song already. Hahaha!

Here they are 8 months ago.

I am so in trouble.

Anyways... these are just "out of their mouths" thingy... So no worries, tricia's parents. (Giggles). I am really giggling, even as I am writing this.

Watch out tricia's amma and appa! LOL!