Arjoonha turned 9

My dearest arjoonha, my eldest son just turned 9 on the 9th of April. My sweet gentle boy. I am so super blessed to have him. He was a wonderful good baby and growing up to be a good natured boy. He loves watching tv, being read a book and told stories, he loves to be with his friends and cousins and love having visitors at home. He is kind and sympathetic and so mature for for his age. And I love him so very much. My wish for him is to grow up being a just person, generous and kind and love what he is and what he choose to do and to be a God fearing person. I love you arjoonha with all my heart.

Health and Minimising Regrets....2012

2012 has been a good year ...so far..we are only 2 months into the year. I have been pretty regular with my morning exercise, which is an 45mins - 1 hour of brisk walk. And I actually feel good doing it! I also think it's gonna be a more fitter me. With this I actually went for a medical test after so many years of not doing one, and all results came out good which is a relief...Can't afford to die now as my boys are still very young. So I hope to continue the walks...and so contemplating of getting a treadmill! yes a treadmill! What's stopping me, thingking if it will be something of a fad where I use it and then set it aside...! Many tells me walking out there is much better, yes...I dont live in Utah with clear air and beautiful landscape, I scurry in the morning to the nearest park to walk my rounds...And sometimes I dont feel like going out but I do feel like exercising, so shall I get a treadmill?? Or is it gonna be a purchase that I will regret?

We gave my mum for the first time a surprise birthday party. She is 75 years old. Reason why I shared this idea with my siblings because, I dont want her funeral to be the only first gathering where all our friends and neighbour will gather around for her. I want her while still alive and well to be able to see a show of love for her. It turned out very well indeed, and after the intial shock and drama(yes drama), she enjoyed it, And I really feel good about it as she has happy memories now, and I dont a day when I think back and wished, if only we did for her this...or that..

Next in line, is a weekend get away with 2 of my dearest friends...that have to wait till June...

Arjoonha turned 8

My oldest son just turned 8 yesterday! We had a party at home with his favorite food and cake and closes friends! He was at his happiest andneclaimed everything was absolutely awesome! Andto top it all he got toys that he wanted, UNO spin and another spin game..and has been raving about it since last nit. And to make things better one of his good friends stayed the night, so when they woke up this morning the excitement of playing with the new toys are even better. Seeing him so happy makes it all worthwhile. Every year I get excited about my childrens birthday and throwing them a fun party and tends to spend quite a bit ..this year I kind of scaclee back on the scale of the whole thing.for a few reasons. One I do not want my kids to relate happiness to spending money, I want them to know simple things can make them happy and also to focus on the important things, such as relationship and hospitality! Cakes can be so expensive about rm80-100.. Hhis time I baked his favorite butter cake with buttercream icing..he loved it ...and we had simpler party packs, home organized games and the winners get a gift each, like board games..the biggest expenses was in getting strawberries. That is arjoonha favorite fruit! So we had chocolate fondue with lots of strawberries of course. We had fried chicken, glass noodles fried, popish and cheesy wedges. And domino's pizza! ..kids had a blast, we were very exhausted but then agan the objective was met. Arjoonha had a memorable party with his standard two friends! My baby has turned 8.. And I wish he will grow up to be a God fearing and mankind loving human being and to live life passionately more then anything else!

A New Chapter...a kitten

I am no cat person. But neither will I say I am a dog person..but given the choice between both I would say I am a dog person. My children are more of a cat person, Arjoonha is a cat person, Bhaarath he loves most cuddly animals. What i wanted to say is we got a kitten! Our first pet. Her name is Arba, and Arjoonha named it. He said it's a Mexican name. And when asked what it means, he said it means Arjoonha + Bhaarata = Arba! So Arba it is! Arba has been with us for a week now. I like to see my kids being gentle with the cat, stroking and kissing it and lowering the TV volume when the kitten sleeps. They have been fighting over it as who can have it on their lap...

I did not realise...

I know I have not been blogging for such long time...3 months! I have been blogging in my head and have been so busy . Weekdeays are at office and coming home to pick arjoonha from school and schoolworks ... weekends have been so very busy with some activities or another. Last 4 weekends we were either not around or having some function. Am so looking forward to this weekend... Fasting month has come and gone, Bahai New Year, Arjoonha's birthday has come and gone. Lots has happened, the economy seems better this year then last, politically the country is still stinking...I am so very disappointed with myself for not keeping true to my dont procastinate resolution!!! Sigh..I have to do something about this and once and for all STOP PROCASTINATING!...Photos of happening last 3 months.

New Year 2010 and First Day of School!

Happy New Year! 2010 is here! I am wishing and will be working towards a fabulous year...so in 2011 I can say that was a year I truly lived:):):) New Year's day had a small party at my place and gathered family and close friends to welcome the 2010. And the days went by fast and today both my sons started school...Arjoonha my started year 1 and he is 7 and Bhaarath is 4 and started kindergarten. It's amazing the anxiety we feel for our kids, trying to shelter them from all harm and making it an amazing experience. It was a good day...as it could have been worst, things went generally pretty smooth. I did not go to work today and I thought i will go to work tomorrow, but will play it by ear. Arjoonha will be going to a homework coaching centre prior to his afternoon school..(how i wish he can have someone teach him in the house), but I am not chinese educated and he is going to a chinese school and needs someone to coach him..(ok i am rambling here, but I am not sure if all this is good for him,and the arrangement is conducive). Under the circumstances I will stick to this till a better plan comes up! Sigh...why do I worry so much, I should pray trust in God and let it go...and I must do more letting go this year! Life has been a blessing and I have so many good things happening...and I realise I have no right to complaint. Anyway Happy New Year again.

Year Ends

There is something hopeful and refreshing about year ends. Probably it's all the commercial, and hype..from the media. But year ends always makes everyone looks a little more cheerful, happier and relaxed. There is something exciting about a new year ahead, a chance to get things right, to start all over again, to wish and to hope to make things better then the past year! If I could just have a choice of one resolution, then it will be to try harder..and if I could have just one wish, then it would be wishing for peace to reign on earth! And we started our year end partying earlier...And had a sumptious dinner!

Simple Life!

When I was a young child our idea of a holiday or getaway is going to relatives or friends house during the school holidays. My parents will be busy catching up with their friends over meals or tv and we the kids will be chatting away or playing games such as hide and seek and as we grew older maybe monopoly. No strolling in the shopping mall, computer games and checking into hotels...we were not able to to afford that. And as a child I envied those who were able to stay in hotels and go to far away places for holidays. As an adult now I realise I begin to crave for those simple holidays where we are able to call into a friends or cousins place. This is exactly what we did last weekend. We took the kids to a friends place at another state and stayed at their home and we felt so welcome..and happy just catching up and chatting till the wee hours of the morning! We ate at home, went for walks and dinner...The kids...hmm they played, they watched lots of TV(sigh the idiot box seems to dominate all homes)... We did not spend much, it was a cheap break, but it was fulfilling, warm and fun..

8 years of marriage!

Today is our 8th year wedding anniversary! We got married at 5pm, 20th October 2001. Siva my husband was so nervous walking down the aisle and I was busy waving at everyone and he was getting all nervous as I was all over the place. I remember when we were invited to give the wedding speech, I literally grabbed the mic from him and gave the speech first not that I was domineering(though Siva will beg to differ), but because I was nervous and wanted to get it over with, and I remember not having a taste of our own wedding dinner because we were busy talking and meeting guests...and later we were so hungry and when all went home we went out with shorts and tshirt to the nearest tea shop and had tea! I remember us feeling a little funny that we were husband and wife and not merely a couple still dating..It all felt strange and comfortable! I remember us feeling exciting and fun preparing for our honeymoon to Thailand.. I remember Siva having sore eyes during the honeymoon but we just didnt care..It feels like a lifetime ago, but only 8 years ago. I married Siva not for the usual reasons, of gentle and being tall dark and handsome...err he is tall and dark though...2 out of 3 is not too bad I guess.. But I married him as I know I can totally rely on him. ...And he will be and is a great father..and he is the most generous and helpful person I have ever come across ..And he will put my welfare, my children, family and friends welfare first...I sure do hope we have many, many more anniversaries to celebrate!

Bhaarath's Birthday!

Last Sunday, May 17th we had a birthday party at McDonalds. I was at a lost for a venue and decided to have it at McDs. My baby Bhaarath turned 3. He had so much fun having get to celebrate his birthday and receiving many gifts. It was a simple and fun party with family and friends. I love you Bhaarath, may you have another 100 birthdays in your life!

9 April 2003...Motherhood.

I conceived my oldest boy, Arjoonha, about 8 months after our wedding. We loved him from the time we found out we were pregnant. My husband and I prayed for him everyday and read stories and sang to him. The pregnancy was perfect except for the 1st trimester where I was throwing up and feeling nauseas. When it came time for my delivery, there were some complications and he was born 'baby blue' not breathing, and they have to revive him. I remember muttering's from the nurses that I am bleeding too much, and Arjoonha being rushed off from the room to be resuscitated. I remember my husband running after the nurses ...and I remember him coming into the room about 1 hour later. I honestly thought that the baby did not make it from the look on my husband's face. He said the baby is okay and they are checking on him. I refused to believe and demanded to see a doctor. My husband came again with a doctor to reassure me that the baby is fine but they have to keep him in the ICU for observation. I remember being wheeled back to my room and I started crying when I was alone, as the whole experience is not what I expected. I expected to have my baby beside me and I should be feeding him. But I was alone the first night with no baby and felt cheated. The next morning I was wheeled to the ICU to see the baby for the first time. And he was a large baby at about 4kg. And I felt all the emotions a mother should feel, and wanted to take care of him and protect him. Both of us stayed at the ICU for 10 days, as his sugar level was very low. It was the longest 10 days of my life as I was so worried that something will go wrong. At the end of our stay I was so ready to go home to the normalcy of life and just to enjoy him without all those drips, and to be able to cuddle and carry him freely. I hardly accepted any phone calls during that time, and shut myself up from the rest of the world, except for my husband. I spent time saying prayers and also to record his daily progress and just caring for the baby so we could both get out of the hospital happily. And all ended well and we were back home! I never imagined I could feel so much love like the one I felt for my son!

Bahai New Year!

Had a great time hosting lunch for about 50 family and friends. It was also like a house warming do. It was really nice to have all loved ones together, though I was moving from one group to another and cannot really remember who I spoke to and who I did not, but it was just a nice fuzzy feeling. Kids had a great time making a mess in their rooms and thrashing all the toys (sigh)! Awi and I had a crazy time trying to figure out which piece belonged to which part. These are the signs of kids having too many toys...

My Mum!

My sister's and I

My mother!



It was my mum's 73rd birthday on Feb 15. We had a surprise do for her with family and friends at my place. My mother...what can one say. She is an amazing lady in the true sense of the word. She is a chinese by origin and given up for adoption to an Indian family. She was loved by her adopted mother who was a widow and my grandma passed away when my mum was barely 12. My mum has to go and live with a relative who only took her in as a helper to assist with household chores and taking care of her 10 children. She went through many tough days but her sense of humour, curiosity of life got her through. She could have easily chose to be bitter and sensitive, but she became totally the opposite. She even treated that lady with love and respect till her last days. She then later was married off to my dad at 17 and my dad was 34 years old. What I learnt most from my mum is about giving and welcoming people of all walks of life, races and religion. If there is a Radio or TV that is not working my mum will fix it, a leak in the roof she will fix it. A neighbour needs help, she will be there... A fun personality too. She is so very mischiveous, and loves to play pranks on people even till now..she drives us mad some times. I hope she will have many more healthy birthdays to come, and I hope that I can emulate her in living life!

I am not too sure...Happy Valentine's

I just realised I havent blogged for more than a month. I really dont know why, but i know I have this unsettled feeling inside me...Maybe I am anxious about the economy and the effect it may have on my work, the political climate of the country..and many more.Maybe i am menopausal, is 37 too young to go thru it?? I do have a lot in my mind to write though. Tomorrow's valentine's day. I am going to cook Roast Lamb Shoulder Jamie Olivier Style for husband and children. For the boy's they are not familiar with red meat, so will make them roast chicken instead,and we will have a family dinner with candlelight and all. I told my 6 year old that I am inviting him for dinner and he asked me where? I said my kitchen, and he said "I can't drive yet"..hmmm.. One can never be too sure what goes through 6 year old's mind. Happy Valentine's Day!

Family Portrait

There is something about family portraits that is intriguing. I always look for one when I am at someone's home. At my mother in laws house, there are faded family photos on the wall. It catches the era it was taken in with the 50s and 70s hairdo and fashion. And I will scrutinise each of their faces to see if they are looking happy or sad. I will ask my mother in law their stories. At my mother's place there are family portraits of her mother who adopted her but whom we never knew as she passed away when my mum was a teenager. Family photos gives me a sense of belonging and continuation. I have been wanting to have my family picture taken for some time now, since Arjoonha was 2. But procastination got the better of me. But then again it will not be a complete family without Bhaarath around. So since we have Bhaarath(my 2nd son) in our life now, it feels just about time to get it done. Here we go...all of of us.

I HAVE MOVED!

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Moving house is indeed stressful! And I only moved 45 minutes away from where I am now. How do people move to another country or continent! Dont think I will survive it! Gosh it is amazing the amount of things we manage to collect in that small apartment of ours. Yes we have finally moved to our new place, and it is slowly beginning to take shape. Slowly but surely we are getting settled in. New neighbours, new lanes, new schools, new markets, new playgrounds, many new things to adapt too! Will post more stuff later! Just to say I am back! I have a new colleague in my office, so a few changes in life, and i realise I am not very good with changes!

A visit to the man in White.

Arjoonha (my eldest one) has a skin condition and it looks like brown patches on his body. It started when he was 6 months old, and we have taken him to many doctors who was not able to diagnose it. Then about 2 years ago it was diagnosed as Uticaria Pigmentosa, which is a harmless condition which will eventually disappear as he reaches puberty. I am not sure if I imagined it, but I thought the spots were becoming darker, and I was concerned if it would be something more serious like skin cancer, especially after watching the episode of Oprah on skin cancer. So I decided to take him for another round of check up. I could have kissed the doctor when he said it was nothing to worry about but to bring him for quarterly review to observe it. He also gave him a topical cream to help fade the patches! Arjoonha was excited that he can have the day out with me. So we had fun having breakfast at the Starbucks which was located at the hospital; yes hospital is much fun nowadays! I remember my own mum taking me to hospital for routine checks as I had bout of sinus when I was a child. But it was not as easy as I have it nowadays. In those days we did not have a car, so my mum has to take me in a bus journey of almost 2 hours, and we have to stay at a relatives place to attend to the hospital appointment. I remember the highlight of the visit when my mum and I enjoy the delicious bowl of soup noodle at the hospital cafeteria!

Simple and Old Fashioned?

Serious about Pictionary

Arjoonha took a picture of a cat




Shopping complexes are perpetually crowded all year round in Malaysia. It is either we are spending money always, or during our free times sadly we do not have other useful activities to do. We really should have better things to do in life then going to the shopping complexes as a ritual; such as putting your time to good use, having friends to visit or willing to have you around, or you having friends over or maybe volunteering for a useful course...If week after week if we only have the shopping complexes to visit then it is time to reevaluate our lives, our values and maybe our everything. Yesterday we were invited to a friends beautiful home, away from the buzzing noise of the city. It is nestled in a real pretty green area of Seremban. We really did not have any plans, except to visit.So we had lunch, we had tea, children played to their hearts content in the large compound, we played pictionary and we had the old fashioned fun! It was really refreshing. I am indeed grateful to be surrounded by good friends who are willing to have us around!

It's raining, it's pouring..the old man is snoring...

I havent been much of a blogger recently. I have been busy with getting tenants for my current apartment and managed to get one. So one thing off the basket. The weather has been glorious, not many may agree; but after months of bright sunshine and blue sky, it has been raining heavily daily, and I so welcome the cool cosy weather. It is perfect when it rains over the weekend, like for now. I am at my dining table with my laptop, and hubby and sons are sleeping in the room. So the house is perfectly quiet. I am at my happiest now. I have been going through house magazines to choose colours and furnitures that I would like when I move to our house sometime October. There are so many to choose from, and so much to do, that reminds me to get a Gantt Chart up, so all will get done. We had pancakes with butter, honey and strawberry jam which I got from our recent trip to Camerons, this morning for breakfast. Family loved it so that made me happy. Here is the recipe:

2 cups of white flour
2 eggs
a pinch of salt
4 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
200ml water
50ml milk

Whisk all up, and heat up a skillet or a non stick pan. Pour a ladle full of batter and cook till golden brown on both sides. Serve it hot with butter, honey, maple syrup or fruit preserves.

My camera is out of battery, so will paste photo later.

The Clan

My boys Bhaarata 2 and Arjoonha 5...My pride and joy. They teach me patience, truthfulness, frankness and just to let go and run wild. I will like them to embrace life, love life and to live life. I want them to feel and to give goodness.