This Is How We Do It

The birthday celebrations didn't happen at home. Small fry shared her birthday with classmates in play school. I think she enjoyed it. Or rather, the boys in class did.

These are the lovelies. The last three rows on the right got a little smooshed as we were getting out of the bus.

Living it up with her friends at play school. The girl in yellow on her left is her best friend, Chiara. Notice the lack of girls in class.

Party favours were given out while the kids were waiting for parents to come pick them up. This is the part that everyone enjoys, especially the boys.

The aftermath and the stragglers.


All in all, I think it was a good one. Small fry's first class party (that was her own). I hope there'll be many more (mummy's just too lazy to book a playgym, get the invites done, invite all mummies, daddies and kids, etc.). Yup, class parties are cool!

Happy 3rd, Sweetie!

Happy, happy Birthday, Small Fry! Love, love, love...Mum.

Could you find a happier three year-old?

WC Withdrawal Symptoms

It's over and I'm still not over it.

I missed the match during extra time as I needed to get small fry into bed. But rushed out when I heard shouts of "Goal!" waft up from outside the open window and caught Iniesta's goal on replay.

This morning I had to TV on to catch the extra time replay and celebrated with the Spaniards when they hoisted the trophy.

It's now almost 3pm and I'm still scanning the news online for World Cup-related stories.

I can't believe it's all over and I have to wait another four years to feel the excitement and emotion again, this time staged in Brazil.

FOUR YEARS!

Sob. Sob.

The team though, to watch out for in Brazil: Germany.

It's Over!

YESSSSSSSS!!!!

I am ecstatic that Spain has won the World Cup. I've always admired their style and precision and they are deserving of the title and trophy. Especially after the way they were harassed and harangued by the Dutch. Urgh, if the Dutch have to resort to physical tactics and fouls to trip up a worthier opponent, it shows just how good bad they are at the game. The germans at least had more class and sportsmanship than to resort to such tactics. It was an ugly game to watch.

And what a beautiful goal, right at the end by Iniesta. I love watching the Spaniards play, even though they didn't get to 'play' much against the Dutch aggression yesterday.

No matter, they won.

Viva Espana!

P.S. Small fry was a vocal couch spectator in both the Spain-Germany game and the final between Spain & Netherlands.

DIY My Home, Ikea-Style

It all started with the couch. Or getting rid of ours, actually.

I love the size of our old couch but despised the way I end up almost slouching off it after sitting on it for 30 minutes or more. So I'd been using the floor more often than I liked.

So, out with the old L-shaped and in with the new Ikea Ektorp. White, no less. The cheapest couch for loads of function and minimal form. With that in mind, I got a second cover in a different colour as standby. And a load of cushions in different sizes.

I was out when the small fry awoke and saw the couch for the first time. Jona related her reaction:

"Oh dear, Mummy bought a new couch!"

Pause.

"It's so white!"

Yes, even a 3 year-old thinks the couch is too white.

It really is so white that it is quite blinding when the morning sun hits it from behind the full-length windows it sits against. Gives the phrase, putih berseri new meaning (we'll see how long it'll remain thus, though).

As a result, I've been busy sewing cushion covers from Ikea's mod and retro prints. Also, two matching remote control caddies. Couldn't stand the fugly black ones that are sold in Ikea, and since I have a store of material, I rigged a couple up. Actually started out with just one but the small fry conveniently hijacked the first one and my plan for just one when she started plucking out the remote controls and filling the pockets with her toy trains instead.

The dining table has suddenly gotten a burst of colour too after we had lunch at Ikea and I realised we could cover the dining table with a nice cloth too, just like how it's done at Ikea. The cloth (also from Ikea!) was as much to beautify the table and to catch stray liquid that somehow manages to leak its way under the glass and getting onto the table. At least this way, we'll have a colourful tablecloth that also acts as a sponge.

Oh, and the side table between the two- and three-seater is also Ikea-bought. Sigh, our house is now a living catalogue for Ikea.

And to think it all started with the darned couch!

When I'm Not At Home

I've had to sneak out of the house a couple of times during the small fry's nap times to minimize the fuss she makes. On one of those occasions, Jona reported to me on her conversation with the small fry when she woke up.

"Where's Mummy?"

"Mummy's gone out."

"Oh dear, naughty Mummy!"

"Why do you say Mummy's naughty?"

"Because she went out when I was sleeping!"

"!!!!"

"Stupidlah, Mummy!"

This is the small fry at 3 years-old. I wonder what she will say when I'm away when she's teen.

*Shudder*

It's Just A Simple Question

I needed to find out about a location of store I wanted to get to in Subang Jaya. Turns out it's harder than I thought to find out where a place is located.

I started out the conversation:

"Hi, where are you located?"

"Er..." In the background I hear her calling for another girl.

"Hello?"

"Hi, where's your shop located?"

"Located?" Pause. "You hold on, ah." In the background I hear her calling for a guy.

"Hello?"

"Hi, where are you located?"

It's only when the man answers and on the THIRD try that I get an answer to what I thought was a simple question, plus directions to boot. And I had to ask a total number of THREE times, addressed to THREE different people.

What is happening to the state of English and the comprehension of the language in our country? Going to pots!

Stuffed

Note to self: do not eat and talk.

Correction, do not have too much of a good time talking and eating. If you do, serves you right that you are awake now feeling like you could burst all seams at your sides and ends of your limbs.

The Soothing Dictator

Hubby's driving the car, small fry's in her car seat and I'm seated next to her. I'm trying to have a conversation with hubby but it gets increasingly difficult with constant interruptions from small fry.

“Don’t talk, Mummy, don’t talk!”

"Don't talk!"

“Calm down, calm down.”

Pat, pat, pat, pat on my knee.

"Calm down, Mummy!"

Pat, pat, pat.

“Calm down, calm down, aaahh. Don’t talk.”

Pat. Pat. Pat. Pat.

"Don't talk."

Pat. Pat. Pat.

Tea For Two

We had a loooong day today. And we finished off with tea for two.

Wednesday is gym day, so we got done with class at about 1pm. I'd decided small fry needed to see the doc today because she's sounded like a wheezy old man for the past week or so. The Rhinathiol is so obviously not working.

Our beloved Dr. Vas was on leave when we went to her clinic on Monday. She's just back today but was at Paragon in the afternoon. The clinic there opens at 2:30pm and we were there by 2:15pm. Waiting there outside the clinic suite for 15 minutes or so, the line started building up. By the time the doors opened and we registered ourselves, the clinic was full and we found out that Dr. Vas would only be in at 3pm.

So I sat down and popped open my book while the small fry entertained herself with the myriad of toys and the toy kitchen at the clinic. Made a friend while cooking too. And when she got bored, she alternated between watching videos on my phone and playing with the iPod. All in all, very well behaved.

Astoundingly, when she was called in, she was extremely cooperative with Dr. Vas, even coughed on demand. What I love about Dr Vas is she will only give antibiotics as a very last resort. So I discovered why the Rhinathiol didn't work to curb the cough; it needed to be taken as a combo with Fedac, Zenmolin and Singulair. We walked out with a course of antibiotics for standby with strict instructions to only take that as a last resort if the cough didn't clear.

I was starving and small fry seemed to think she was too despite gobbling up all her snack while waiting to see the doc. So we went for tea.

It was a table for two with cushy velvety chairs, one for small fry and one for me. I ordered stew with bread on the side and a hazelnut latte. The small fry busied herself with the iPod so I popped open my book again. And there we sat like two civilized girlfriends out for a spot of tea, each ensconced in our chair doing our own thing but enjoying the other's company too.

Small fry was curious about the hazelnut latte when it got to the table and insisted on stirring the froth with the spoon. Which led to her wanting to try the latte. Note to self: order a normal or bitter latte when out for tea with small fry. Hazelnut latte is slightly sweet and of course the small fry decided that latte was her cup of tea.

"I LIKE it!" she exclaimed after tasting the froth off the spoon. I had to contend with giving her a few more small spoonfuls of the latte before she promised that the next spoonful was the last one.

So there it is. I can now have a civilized session of tea/coffee with my 3-year old. How cool is that?