Ethan My Son by Pat

Today is 27 Nov 2007. Ethan is exactly 16 months and 9 days old. He is a cute little boy, smart, expressive, loud, mischievous, active & sociable. He love being around with people, getting all the attention. When he made a funny expression, it can bring the sun out. When he manja his daddy, it is so sweet that it melts my heart. Talk about shifting, he could be crying with tears and the next moment, laughing out loud with tears still wet on the face.

It's amazing to see how fast he is growing. The memories of having him in my tummy seems like just yesterday. I still can remember the pain of my wound after the C-session to take him out. That fragile, not good looking little baby has become a toddler running in the house with mummy chasing him like mad woman. Most of my time is spent playing with him, entertaining him, stopping him from playing with switches, electrical appliances, stopping him from eating the fruits for praying, guarding him while he climbs the stairs, etc. So, if you guys ask me "How was my weekend?" This is how it looks like:

Every minute of my weekend (except sleeping time) is filled with activities. When he wakes up, all the time is dedicated to him. When he sleeps, that is the only time I have to clean the house, iron clothes, prepare for cooking, etc. Meals are no longer about tasting the food and enjoy the ambience. It's about practising the skill of keeping his mouth full while I find time to shaft a spoonful in my own. Is it tiring? Yes, damn tiring! The key is - it is also FUN and rewarding. Seeing the little fella walking on his own, seeing him picking up things himself, seeing him dancing, hearing him singing (or was it humming?) to the music, money can't buy that kind of joy.

Well, things are not always rosy. When he started throwing tantrum like a little "sakai", he is testing his parents' patience to the max. There are many instances that he is at the verge of getting a spank. So far, he has been lucky. Don't how long that luck is going to last him. Sigh! I went through emotional roller coaster without doing Basic Training. Hahahaaa... The mummies out there will share my feelings and know exactly what I am talking about. :)
Overall, it is a joy having him and he makes me feel proud. Sometimes, when I watch the little fella sleeping, I felt disbelieve. I couldn't believe this little fella loved by so many people is my son. You mean I "made" him? He is "mine"? Cannot be. Too good to be true. Hahahaaa... silly, huh? :) I guess, that's my pig talking.

One thing for sure, I love this little fella to bits.

-Pat-

Chee Chong Fun

This chee chong fun...is mouth watering and sii pei ho chiak! ...that means fuckin' good in hokkien. It can be found at Swatow Lane. Used to be on the streets but now they are placed in a food court. Spoils the atmosphere but thankfully the food quality is maintained.

And this wu thou kou is to die for too! Check out the tiny dried shrimps clinging on it. Stop drooling!!!

Bata

This little corner shop could and would not escape my attention. I just had to stop and shoot it. The Bata shop is the very first shop i stepped into when i was a kid and i believe many a Malaysian kid had their very first shopping experience in a Bata shop as our moms and pops brought us in to buy our very first Bata shoe for school.

Remember those white canvas shoes with green soles? Remember the weekends spent washing them and then painting them with shoe white and get penalised if they were dirty? Remember using chalk stolen from class to whiten them before the discipline teacher came around for inspection? Remember the excitement of walking into the shop and excitedly choosing your shoe?

Remember the BATA experience...

Happy Birthday Sumandak!

Nov 17th was sumandak's birthday and we were in Penang to attend a friends wedding so there was no cake for sumandak. My fault as i had not planned anything special for her but my sumandak was most forgiving and being who she is, was more than happy to accept chee chap chook & char kueh teaw as her main course and the kueh kueh as her birthday treat.

Moral of this story is...be thankful for what you have. In my case it is having a wonderful sumandak who is understanding and not fussy about what she gets but appreciates it all the same.

Webspinner

A lone spider exploring a leaf and it's boundaries. It goes nowhere but just about every inch of this leaf as if he is afraid of leaving his...comfort zone. It reminded me of something Whirlwind said..."One who is not able to envision the new possibilities, will always be driven by what he/she will lose".

How many of us are in this predicament?

I know i am.

Tai thow pet

Tai thow pet that's what we called this longkang variety of guppies. They are not as pretty as the fantail variety sold in the aquarium shops. These variety are very sturdy and resillient. They can live in the worst water conditions. Doesn't matter is the water is filled with lard or industrial oil, they just seem to thrive. I was told they were introduced into our lonkangs to eat mosquito larvae to keep the mozzies in check.

When i was much younger, my brothers, cousins, friends and i would catch them and keep them in bottles for pets. Hence began our very first hobby. No longkang was to big or too deep for us, with net in hand we would just jump in and get our tai thow pets!

Prince of Peace

The little prince had his very first concert and his royal subjects...Uncle jeff, steve and aunty jo was there for support together with his royal mummy and daddy, kung kung and por por too. A rather nervy Prince he was too. Never has he has such an audience and of cos the throngs of pappa and mammarazzis' flashing away with their digital apparatus...outdoing each other with bigger and better models and we wonder where the kids learn their kiasuism from...not down south i'm sure. Even i was taken aback by their enthusiasm err...kiasuism.

Prince in the waiting and being led to the stage by his trusted aide and..

..2 of the 7 dwarfs. A message from the Prince as he is being held aloft by his nervier than thou father...Peace on Earth.

Binkz Family Reunion

We are the Binkzs'...JaJa Binkz, Papa Binkz & Mama Binkz.

We met some 9 years back and our relationship has weathered many a storm. We have been through quite a bit together and individually...we have had our fair share of stormy cups. We have shared our darkest and brightest moments together too...relationships, commitment issues, dying fishes, boyfriends, girlfriends and everything under the sun.

The last time we 3 got together was a couple of years back so it took us meatballs, sausages, great coffee, bak kut teh, thit kuan yin, more coffee, toast and a chilly-nipple-hardening weather to update each other on our trials & tribulations and a little peek into the near future. All in all we just had a great time together without our other halves.

I love it that we are the Binkzs' again!

50% - A Tag Team

50%...that's us! Half of a full cup. This is only possible cos the lady in the pink cap, my 25% is a ready partner-in-crime in our mission to have people fly. Yup...we bring people to the edge and we push 'em off! I'm ebony & she is ivory and what a team we make!

Tuah's Foot

Apparently our local legends have a habit of leaving their footprints all over the place. Here's is another that i am revisiting. The puddle next to my US size 9 Timberland boots is the footprint of the legendary malay warrior...Hang Tuah. It sits atop a rock facing the Straits of Malacca. He must have been a huge guy...a giant of a man as potrayed in his legends. I wonder whose footprints i will be coming across next in my travels?

Perhaps i should leave my footprints for future generations to ponder about... How would I like to be remembered? How would YOU like to be remembered?

Tiny yet Pretty

How insignificant these little white "whatchamacallit" flower is. It may not be the prettiest little thing at your very first glance but if One would stop and linger for awhile and really take a good look at it then One would appreciate its beauty in it's simplicity. Not loud but it stands out amidst the drowning greens and make them look dull.

Less is perhaps... more.

Hairy Encounter

During one of me recces' for eco challenge i had this hairy little encounter. It was just sitting there quiet as can be and hope that no predators notice it, but i spied tehm with my eagle eye. Were i a bird i would feast upon them. An unwary person might just bump into them and the unlucky person would be scratching their way all the way home.

Lucky for these caterpillars, i see the beauty that is in them and allow them the space to grow into their little cocoons progressively and finally emerge from them as beautiful butterflies that they are. Hmm...just like people, if we see the beauty in them and allow them space to grow they will transform into the beautiful beings that they are too.