The 'Kiasu' mode in us kicked-up & went overdrive when we dragged our kids to watch the much anticipated 'Ratatouille' last night. It was a very fun, fun movie. Nevermind that it was barely 4 hours since I came back from my appointment with the MP mummies. I put my lethargy aside looking at the excited faces of both father & son and agreed to drag my butt out on the cool night.

It was a truly worthy watch. As it is, we are such big fans of fun animated movie. I guess it kind of rubbed off on Amirul & Amira who now still count 'Toy Story', 'Finding Nemo' & 'Cars' as their cult favourites.(not forgetting the collection of toys of these movies that are just piling up by the day)Father & son enjoyed it and are now gleefully rubbing their hands waiting for the DVD release so they could watch it in repeat-mode - at home AND in the car.

My curiousity was stirred when we saw the dish that this movie was named after on the big screen. Since it was animated, we cannot really tell how the real dish looked like although it looked really sumptous when served hot. So I did my 'googling' and ta-da found the recipe of 'Ratatouille'... I think it is very much like our Malay version of 'Sambal Goreng'. So anyone up for 'Nasi Ratatouille' ?

We got invited to a birthday invitation to celebrate the Birthday of a sweet girl, Dahlia, at her nicely retro-decored abode. It was just an all-girls affair for me & Amira as the first brother had to fulfil his weekly spirtitual obligations in the form of his religious class in the afternoon.

It was my first time meeting the mummy,Rina, and although it was a busy time for her, she did made me feel very much at home in between welcoming guests & entertaining the antiques of the kids whilst making sure that the food & drinks are adequately replenished. The guests were somewhat familiar to me as Rina also happen to be the cousin of my good girlfriend, Julie, who is now expecting her first much-awaited baby in France. So although I am not closely acquainted to them, the familiar faces of her family members somehow gave me a sense of comfort & belonging.

The food was yummy and I get to indulge in Yan's Rosemary & Herb Bun, Eclairs & Ham & Cheese Buns (sorry folks, no pics coz its not my function u know - paiseh lah to be trigger happy!)

Amira, as usual, initially quiet & reserved slowly warmed up to the unfamiliar faces and soon braved enough to mingle around only to have us take our leave to our next destination - our weekly Nani & Appa's visit.

We had a lovely time & thank you to the hostess with the mostess...:)Last Thursday, we bade Bon Voyage to my new tiny Princess Hana. She'll be visiting her daddy who's studying in Adelaide for 2 mths while her mummy recuperates & have a well-deserved rest. At just 3 weeks, I hope she'll have a pleasant maiden voyage. We'll definitely miss her & look forward to Hari Raya when she'll come back from her first-ever 'holiday'...

Amirul & Amira build themselves a Pal. Yup, u heard me right, BUILD, as in from scratch, well not exactly from scratch as the parts are all there for them to choose from. But it was a PAL made by them, customised from the type of animal to the fur-filling to the kind of outfits they don.

They have a structured process. First they had to choose an animal - both of them chose Bunnies, (Amira had always had a thing for bunnies, don't ask me why), then they had to fill the bunnies up according to how fluffy, soft or firm u want them to be. (no dirty thoughts eh...). They had to press a foot lever, much like the sewing machine lever attached to a transparent cement-mixer look-a-like that is filled with all the cotton for the 'flesh'. Than they have to choose a heart - hopefully they choose a good one - and put them right in the body before the bunnies are stitched up. The 'newborn' bunny will be cleaned on a special table top equipped with dryer & brush to help the kids with the 'cleaning' process. Up next would be the best part - the outfit choosing part.

You see, when we first stepped into the workshop atrium & spot the tiny outfits hanging on the racks, we could have sworn it was all made specially for our 3-week old niece, Mahira.(and yes, the husband was actually ready to buy a pink coat that would fit her tiny body so perfectly well) But it was actually outfits for the bears,bunnies, cats or even turtles that are waiting to be 'adopted'. They had the cutest outfits ranging from the Disney Princess range, sports attires, formal bride & groom, cheerleader, even a Hawaiian Hula girl. Don't even get me started on the shoes as the variety of choices can beat my collection anytime, hands-down. Oh, they also come with their own accessories like sunglasses & baseball caps for the boys & handbags & jewellery for the girls.

Amirul chose a cool-dude-biker image for his Bunny, now named Fonzie, wearing a leather jacket, khaki pants & converse sneakers with shades. It was such a reminiscence of how we used to dress him up as a small boy back when he was 1.
Amira,of course, chose a princess outfit, Snow White, which I find the skirt, waaaay to short for her long bunny legs.(not modest u know!). And yes she also named her bunny Snow White(hopefully not to be confused with her sleeping pink snow white rabbit & blue Cinderella rabbit at home). But for her shoes, she aptly rejected my constant pestering to get a nice lovely dainty girly shoes for her Snow White, instead the poor bunny got a white & pink sneakers which I think go so wrong with the princess outfit. He dad's reasoning was that it's definitely a better choice since the poor thing have to do lots of running-away from the evil witch (??!!) But hey, its HER bunny, HER Snow White & I'll just bite my teeth & take a back seat while the kids relish the new responsibility of playing mummy & daddy to new bunnies with their own birth certificates - how about that for an early dose of responsibility?

Its been 2 days since they got their new pals & I'm glad to see that they are still very excited over this new-found friend, bringing them around the house & earning a spot beside them at bedtime. But the question is - how long will this excitement last...I 'll be keeping tabs...:)

Apart from our own family vacation, about 2 to 3 times a year, we always look forward to my brother's overseas vacation, be it for work or leisure. Why you may ask? Because he always comes back bearing gifts that gives the whole household a rush everytime (yes,cheapos that we are!) This year, fresh from his 2 weeks work trip to New York, I specifically 'requested' & got (yay!!) my Kate Spade tote that would go oh-so-well with my Kate Spade wallet. My mom got another bag to add to her collection & my dad got himself a new-swanky walking stick.

The hubster got himself the new very-much-hyped LA Galaxy football jersey bearing the sought-after number 23 at the back (although I can't say he's much of a fan of Mr Posh Spice like me :)). The kids got their usual RL & DKNY tops that we are still very grateful for.

I guess I can give myself a break from any major retail therapy for a bit while I am still on a 'high' with my newly acquired gift. And oh yes, I lurve my brother...:)

Amirul have an Angel.

In the form of a pet cockatoo. Angel lives in our neighbourhood and have since been acquainted with Amirul since he was abt 3 yrs old. Angel is now abt 25 yrs old(parrot year). Angel recognizes Amirul & even kisses him whenever we meet her around our neighbourhood - thats how friendly she is. She's quite a joker too, always whistling when a pretty girl walks by(I still feel she should be whistling when a HANDSOME guy walks by..) & mimicks everything that we say. Since we are in the topic of Cockatoo, here's some interesting facts about cockatoos..

"In the wild, cockatoos are found mainly in Australia and neighbouring islands. There are also a great number of cockatoos to be found in captivity as pets or in zoos.

There are about 18 species and several sub-species, all of which exhibit their own individual characteristics. They do however share some common characteristics. All cockatoos have a bald spot on the top of their head, which is covered by a crest of feathers. The crest is erected to display emotions such as excitement or fright.
Cockatoos have very strong bills, which are used to crack open nuts and seeds, strip trees of bark and dig up roots.
They all have four-toed feet, with two toes pointing forwards and two toes pointing backwards, giving them strong grip and thus making them excellent climbers.
Cockatoos have powder down. This is a powder beneath their feathers that provides them with insulation. They also clean and waterproof their outer feathers with the thick powder from the down.

Cockatoos have long life spans. The average minimum being about 25-30 years, or in the case of the larger species, about 70 years, even 100!"

Yes, its a crisis allright...
Critical that we meet up, critical for good food & good company AND definitely critical for the mummies to meet up for a good chat session and MINI retail therapy - let me stress the MINI bit as SOME of us are able to refrain from giving-in to dire temptation & give the other comrades the much needed physical & emotional support :))

Our mid-day session started with our meeting point & also our initial 'lepak' place at Mc Cafe. After ordering my very BIG Mochacinno, we realised that the McCafe at PS do not serve salads & sandwiches except desserts & beverages. So after gulping mouthful of caffeine doses & giving the girls some 'fuel' ie 'alas perut', we decided to build up our appetite again by passing time (as in retail therapy session) waiting for the lunch time crowd to swell down before savouring our much awaited lunch at Secret Recipe...

Mira had loads of fun catching up with her own girlfriend buddies.

Yet another enjoyable day with the girls (big & small & mini included) & always look forward to another one soon...:)

With the 'Yellow Fever' still looming in the air, I digitally 'Simpsonized' my family to be part of the Springfield Community.U guys should try it too at http://simpsonizeme.com/.Thanks to 'SultryIce' for introducing me to this Fun site...:)
Have Fun!!

It was a beautiful bright & sunny Sunday Morning. Papa Coochie have left the nest fulfilling his weekly duty as a Football Manager of his team for a Tournament match. Mama Coochie with Coochie 1 & Coochie 2, is left to their own devices at least til noon. Remembering that they still have to get a little gift for Cousin Haziq who is celebrating his 12th birthday that day, the 3 remaining Coochies, boarded a bus, straight to town for breakfast & a little 'Prezzy Shopping'...always another reason to head downtown :)

It was a planned meeting to meet up lunch with Rima at Tampines but what was not really planned was the movie treat for the kids to catch the Simpsons movie last Friday. We took the train all the way to east in the morning more importantly for the mummy to check out the bargains galore on the last day of the Metro Closing down SALE. But of course it was still crowded with throngs of shoppers grabbing the best bargain with prices slashed 50% with an additional 30%. Since I do not have anything really in mind that I need (darn, the mind suddenly goes blank at sales like this!!) I just got some cheap toys for the kids & also found the predecessor of our good old days 'Game & Watch', now in small handheld keychain format. They only have 2 games, The Fire Rescue & The Parachure Rescue and I grabbed both for the daddy to relive his childhood moments.
After the daddy's Friday's prayers, he brought the kids to catch the Simposns movie which they enjoyed tremondously (the mummy included). Before heading home, we stopped by the arcade for mummy to 'refresh' her driving skills & abah to get his wish come true to drive a HUGE truck...a day well-spent :)

This year, we also did not manage to get any tickets like the previous years. So as not to miss out on the celebrations & be awed 'live' by the fireworks, we hauled the kids to the Padang to join other thousands of fellow Singaporeans & foreigners alike to join the celebration. There was a big screen that telecast the celebrations from the Marina Bay instantaneously, so at last we still feel like we are a part of the Marina Bay grand party. The kids get to see the parachutes with red smoke ascending from the helicopter & the jets & the big Singapore flag hovering amidst the skyline of the CBD. It was an amazing sight. And of course the fireworks were spectacular..and oh this is for my fear friend Jules, who manage to catch the live webcast on the net, "Here's more pictures for you to soak in the patriotic moment dear :) Hopefully you'll get to witness it live with ure mini-you soon ya?"

The eve of National Day was a rolling (pun intended) good fun day for me & the kids alike. After having to salivate & drool over Yan's (The Flour Box) bread rolls & cakes the past few days, I can't resist ordering one for myself.

In the morning was a rather rare occasion for me, having to actually leave the house at 7am to go to Amirul's school to witness his Sports Day & National Day Celebration. He did not win anything :( as one of his teammates dropped the baton & the another one actually ran on the wrong lane! But he got his wish fulfilled in the form of a skippping rope - his consolation prize- having bugged me for the past few days for it. So all is well in the end.

Picked up the Chocolate bread rolls from dear Yan & I had to endure the yummy bread aroma for all of 15 minutes whilst at the same time trying to stop Amira from picking the blue & yellow flowers before reaching the spectrum to have a good swim for the kids (in hope to tire them out early) & well-deserved R&R for me with my chocolate rolls & a mug of hot chocolate...aaaah BLISS... what more could you ask for...

Little Hana had her debutante ceremony also known in our community as "Kenduri Cukur Rambut". The event was hosted by my dear in-laws so me & hubby had to play the role of Deputy host & hostess for the afternoon. It was supposed to be a small intimate affair, but once organised by my dear mom-in-law it turned out to be quite a lively boisterous event with guests turning up even after the official time of 6pm. As always, we had fun although all tired out by the end of the day.

Amira had to play second fiddle for the day next to the 'Princess' Hana, even having herself to 'rewang' as dishwasher with Amirul. Nevertheless they had a good time & Amira had 3 changes of baju kurung each & everytime she got her outfit wet during the course of her 'duty'.

The last time we hosted an event of this scale was 2 yrs ago when we celebrated Amira's 2nd birthday. Back then the theme was pink, and for Hana the theme was Yellow everything from the decor to the flowers.

About 3 years ago, I would spend lots of worknights in our Emerald Hill office, editing videos, doing post-production, researching for creative concept & ideas for my then company, which specialises in webcasting & 3D Virtual game animation. It was truly tiring but fun as I had wonderful colleagues to work with and gained lots of knowledge from the experts from HK & Japan. My weekends used to be spent on being a camera channel switcher for concerts held at Fort Canning Park or some at Ngee Ann City. This shows would then be streamed & webcast live on the website for all to view. As the then-Studio Manager, my first priority would be to take care of the designers & animators under our roof & made sure that production schedules run smoothly. As it was a fairly small company, most of us would play dual-role as sound people, video assistants & even show producers for our online web documentaries.
I remembered once, I was assigned to do a 15 min web documentary on one of my favourite subjects, 'The Peranakans'. So we researched the topic, contacted the Peranakan Society & held interviews with its members & one of them was a certain Mr Peter Lee. The interview was held at his place at the the very posh-district of Bt Timah in his very, very huge grand of a house surrounded by greenery & water fountains & pool. Then I saw a huge portrait of his family, and my oh my, I was actually in the famiy house of Dick Lee! And the guy I am interviewing is actually his brother.Aaaah...I missed those days, not the late nights & burnt weekends but rather the nature of my work & particularly the people that I worked with most of whom are either from Japan, Hk or Malaysia.
Fast forward 3 yrs later, my then-graphic designer is now a Webmaster & a proud father of a 4 mth old boy, our Japanese marketing lady, Wakae, is now a successful Manager at a Japanese recruitment company, who is by the way used to be a party animal and now can't wait to settle down with her Scottish boyfriend, and Esther our good all-rounder of a Producer cum copyrighter cum in-charge of everything & anything has since recovered from her ovarian cancer 2 yrs back, only to have the dreaded disease making a slight comeback on her spine now. But all is well, she is undergoing chemotherapy & hopefully with her ever-positive outlook in life, she would be able to once again fight the battle yet again.
I love being in the fast-paced technology-based design world, but would I trade what I have now for another shot at it? Not in a million years...

Last Friday, Amirul & Amira officially welcome their first cousin from their paternal side, a cute little beauty, Mahira Hana. She was born via caesarian like this Auntie of hers with her cousins. But all went rather smoothly, & mother & baby are resting well.

I do not know what is with the month of July. It was an officially tiring month for me with a flurry of activities like functions & weddings galore week after week. The last few weekends, was filled with endless weddings, mosque functions & forums & personal activities like swimming & aerobic classes for me. I guess my body is not that strong (I think age plays a part too lah!) as the past few days I have been feeling quesy & lethargic as if my body is telling me to take it slow. Thank God my creative director is away for yet another business presentation in Kuching which leaves me free for the rest of the week since Monday.

Come this weekend, it would be another busy one for us especially litle Hana as she will be 'introduced' formally to the rest of the family & society, a little soiree-do for her hosted by her Nani & Appa. And yes I reckon this Mami & Mamu of hers will brave yet another tiring yet fun-packed weekend...

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