Being tagged

Aiyo, now is my turn being tagged. Was told that CNY cannot owe anybody anything over the year so better pay now so I can go back for a "kuai lei nian" (enjoy my new year).

4 jobs you've had in your life:
1. Translator/ Demonstrator (equivalent to tutor in uni.) . When I was studying in Australia, my part-time job, easy and can earn good money, enuf to cover my living expenses. I was very fortunate to get the job. One is with the migrant health unit, the ohter is in the uni that I studied. Chinese-English-chinese.

2. Financial Analyst (first job after I graduated)

3. Church worker

4. Counselor


4 movies you could watch over and over:

1. 汪洋中的一条船 (a boat in the occean)
2. The Sound of music (loves the songs)
3. Beauty and the Beast
4. Beach



4 TV shows you love(d) to watch:
1. 星星知我心 (taiwan soap opera)
2.Don't watch tv nowadays


4 places you've lived
1. Sitiawan
2. Singapore (went there to study, secondary school)
3. Perth & Newcastle (for high school & Uni
4. Puchong


4 places you've been on vacation to:
1. Nepal (Tried trekking to the base camp, never reached the top but fun,beautiful scenery, can lose weight some more)
2. Vancouver
3. Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong
4. London,Bath, Straford Upon Avon (Shakesphere' hometown)

4 places you would rather be:
1. My Home with dh and my princess
2. Anyplace with good friends and good foods
3. Cool mountain with beautiful scenery
4....


4 of your favourite foods
1. Durian
2. Cheese cake
3. Rambutan
4. All good foods ( i like to eat wan, look at my size you know liao! hehehe)

4 of your favourite beverages:
1.Milo
2. Irish Cream (Bailey)
3. Coffee with Bailey
4. Ribena


4 (or more) websites you visit daily:
1.My own blog: contendedmum.blogs.com/
2. My hotmail mailbox/ Office email system
3. All the blog list in my mind! (Still dunno how to upload that to my blog yet)
4. Mymomsbest /Moms Daily

4 tagged:
1.mumsgather
2.The suzette
3.Shopping mom


So I don't owe anybody anything oledi ya for the new year:) Happy woof woof year!

Chinese New Year Countdown and new clothes

Yippie, tommorrow I am going back hometown for CNY celebration!! I took half day leave tommorow, so can leave earlier, hoping to beat the friday evening jam when every one is balik kampung after work.
When I read many of the mama buying many new clothes for their little one, I feel very the malu leh (shy) as I didn't buy any new clothes for my Qi Ning as she oledi has a few new clothes in the closet which she has never wear before. So I am going to let her wear all those new clothes. And my niece, Juney told dh that she bought new clothes for Qi Ning, there you go so many other people are buying new clothes for Qi Ning. But I guess is different when mummy buy right?! :)
Let me think, so far from birth till now, I think I only bought her a pair of shoes and a set of clothes when she was baby. Others were all bought by others (friends and family members) or hand-me down. I guess that's the bonus for being the youngest in the family, even after you oledi a mum, the older siblings still think you need help, so they will buy and prepare all the necessary for your baby as well! Actually, when I was single, I seldom buy new clothes for myself as well. Usually my sis, my bro and my mum is the one who buy clothes for me. Even till now, my sis and mum would still buy new clothes for me(lucky me)!! My da lou (eldest bro) will supply me with shoes and handbags.
My Qi Ning also very fortunate, friends and family will also buy stuffs for her even people who have not meet her but just saw her photo in my office, decide that she is so cute and will buy little little things for her. The other day, one of the student saw her photo and bought her two beautiful hairclips!! I think she inherited her mum's (i.e me) look, which seem to attract people to buy gifts for her! hehehehe. Come to think of it, even before she was born, I oledi received gift which was meant for her! So blessed!
Zara'a mama asked why I don't post photo of Qi Ning in my blog, so this new year break I will learn how to upload her photo to my blog so you all can also see her cute cute picture hey.
HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR TO ALL AND HAVE A BLESSED REUNION WITH YOUR FAMILY.
Gong Xi, Gong Xi and remember to brinmg your precious one around to "bi nain" (new year visitation) and collect lots of anypow, yea...

Blur sotong & wonderful hubby

I know I am quite a "dai tou har" (blur person) but never thought it can be so bad! Last Saturday, I put the kettle on without the water. That morning, I brought Qi Ning downstairs with me. As soon as came downsatairs, I went on to kitchen and just switch on the kettle without checking if there is any water. I just assumed that dh has filled the water as that is what he does for me every night since the maid left so that it will be easier for me to put the kettle on the next morning.
On Saturday morning, while I was in the bathroom, letting Qi Ning sit on her potty, dh came downsatairs.

DH: You boiled the water already ah?
Me: Ya, I already switch on the gas.
DH: Wow, you so fast ah. What is this that I am smelling? Something burning, did you put any water in the kettle?
Me: Huh, no, I didn't (look sheepish) , I just switch on the gas, I assume you filled it with water. (forgot that I mentioned something about don' t have to fill the kettle last night)
DH: Aiyo, no wonder the burnt smell, lucky I notice it, you didn't smell anything meh?
Me: No woh, I am in the bathroom with little girl mah!
DH: arrgh......!

Good thing dh discoved my act earlier or else I may cause a fire!

That morning, after breakfast, I took Qi Ning to my brother office while dh stays at home. I thought he has some personal things to take care of. I didn't expect him to do spring cleaning, but I was pleasantly surprised when I returned home from my brother office. He has tooked down the curtain, washed them and cleaned up the corner of the house! I felt so touched, such a sweet husband that I have! He is not the romantic type who would sweet talk but he will put it in action such as cleaning up, take the rubbish out, make you a cup of drink, filled the car petrol for me etc.. He do all the practical things to make life easier for me, what more can I ask for?! :)

New maid or no?

It has been two months since our maid ran away from home. So far we have been managing it ok. But lately, dh has been saying that we may need extra help. Guess he is tired as he did quite a fair bit of the household chores and Qi Ning is at the stage where one person need to follow her around constantly. My mum says she is at the stage of "little cow dunno the fear of tiger", literal translation from foochow meaning she dunno the danger and has no fear!
For me, I think I am coping ok without the maid. Of course I am coping better because hubby is the one who does the laudry and cleaning the house!! :) I only wake up a bit earlier to cook porridge for baby and take care of her after work.
To be frank, with a maid, I really live like a "shao nai nai". Morning wake up, breakfast is served, after work, there will be somone to take in my bag and dinner is being cooked while I take my shower. I hardly lift a finger to do house work. I only play with Qi Ning, entertain her. When she poo or pee, the maid would clean up after her. Now either me or dh would have to do that. I don't mind doing all this as it allowed me to experience what it is like to be involved in every aspect of my girl's life. I appreciate the contribution of those stay at home mum and dad even more.
I know many of my friends who migrated oversea also has no maid at home and they are doing ok. I dunno whether is because we are spoilt by the extra help of maid, we are becoming more dependent on them. To our benefit or harm I also dunno!
We have discussed and talk about what are the possible alternative. I told him, with only Qi Ning, I think is till manageable but if no2 comes along then it might not be as easy. I left the decision to him as he is the one doing most of the house work at home now that we don't have maid.

Yea, is CNY soon

This year I am very excited baout CNY, really looking forward to it. I am counting my days when I can go back to my hometown for CNY. We will first go to my mum house for reunion lunch then only travel back to Penang for reunion dinner.
I guess I am the lucky where hubby's hometown and my hometown are not too far apart. If not, susah nak go two place for reunion meals. I remember the first year after I got married, "guai guai" followed hubby home for reunion dinner, but I really miss the reunion meal in my mum place. So second year, clever already, begin to sweet talk hubby to stop by mum's place for lunch before heading to Penang as my hometown is in Sitiawan. We tried it out last year, worked out ok so this year we do the same. Already inform mil, yippie, I get to eat reunion meal in both families, lucky me!

To wean or not to wean?

Two more days Qi Ning is going to be 16 mths old. I have been toying about weaning Qi Ning from breast milk. But the little girl don't seem to be ready to wean. She was on formula milk (one feed) for a while but lately she has totally refused formula milk again! It takes us quite sometime to "train" her to take formula milk. Dunno why she's rejecting it now. If she doesn't reject the formula then I am more ready to wean her, I actually plan to wean her after CNY. But now, seem like got to shelf the idea or else she may not get enough calcium.
Actually in my heart I don't really want to wean her so soon. Is just that many people keep telling me that if I am seriously trying for second one then I better wean her. I know of breastfeeding mothers who conceived without weaning. Hope I am one of those as well, if not I'll alway keep on toying with the idea to wean or not to wean!!

My Sticky Tape

Qi Ning has been a real sticky tape this few days. Even at night when she sleeps, she will roll real close to me. If I attempt to move away from her, she would wakes up! Actually she has always been close to me, just that this few days, maybe because she is not feeling too well she is extra sticky.
When I told my friend that Qi Ning is a sticky tape, one of them reply, "I think is double sided tape" i.e mommy is equally sticky to Qi Ning! :) I think what she says is true. When my maid ran away, my mum actually offer to take care of Qi Ning, if I let her bring Qi Ning back to Sitiawan. Of course my answer is no lah. She actually asked a few time and even asked is it because I don't trust her to be able to take good care of Qi Ning. I told her no is more because "Wo bu sir de" (I can't bear to part with her). Then my mum said, "why so many other people in our hometown would just leave their babies at home and let the grandparents to take care." Told her we are all different lah. My parenting philosophy may be different from theirs, I prefer to take care of my own baby. I don't like to be a weekends mum or holidays mum. I would like to see my precious little one everyday. Little one add so much joy to our life!

Talk about being beautiful

I dunno whether is just Qi Ning or all girls are like this, wanna be beautiful. She is only 15mths and already know what is beautiful. Each time when she see beautiful things, she will reach out her hand to grab it, eapecially all the ladies jewelries. When she meet jiejie or autie with beautiful necklace, bracelets, earings, she will want to touch. And she somehow will notice it even when the blur blur mommy hasn't notice. Sometime the kind autie or jie jie will take out their necklace or braclet to let her wear for a while, you can see her beaming away! One thing good about her is that she knows that don't belong to her, after a while you ask her to give back she will be willing to give back.
At home she into all my lotion and cream. Whenver she sees me applying the cream and lotion, she would want to do just the same.
Sometime, when she cries, I just put a ribbon on her head and distract her "See, Qi Ning so pretty with the ribbon" she stop crying liao!

Qi Ning the thinker!

On Monday, we went to Subang Parade for lunch with a friend whom I have not seen for the past two year. This was the first time she met Qi Ning. She commented that Qi Ning seem to be a thinker because Qi Ning will be looking at her, observing her and from Qi Ning's eyes, can see as though she seem be processing what she observed.
Many people have commeted about Qi Ning being a thinker after meeting her for a first time. I do notice that very often she seem to process through thing in her mind. To me I thought that what all toddlers do anyway. Maybe is just her careful nature. Whenever she meet a new person, she will scan you thorough and observe you first before she decide to play with you. When you say something to her, especially when she is unsure, she will give you the kind of look that seem to say, I am thinking about what you are saying.
Yesterday, Qi Ning started to jump off the sofa. She will stand on the edge of the sofa and then jump from the sofa to the mattress on the floor just next to the sofa. Is quite dangerous if she does that unsupervise, even supervise is still dangerous. Dh say I must not allowed her to do that. I hope she will forget about the trick and won't jump again today. Or else mummy will have heart attack seeing her jump!
She is quite good with words nowadays, whatever new words that we want to teach her, she will repeat after us. New words that she has learnt lately.
1. Good night (she will say night night, her pronouciation for good is still not very accurate)
2. Dirty ( she will add on eer dirty, because that is what mummy will say as well :)
3. Turkey, duck, chicken, obstrict (nearby my house there is a little farm with some animals,papa has been bringing her there)
4. Gong Xi (CNY is near so have to teach the magic words so can get more ang pou!! hehehehe)
5. Thank you become "tan q"
6. Please become "bees"
7. Uncle & Auntie
Is amazing to see her developement day by day.Things that she learnt and stunt that she does. Papa, mama have to be careful with what we do in front of her nowadays as she learn so fast. The pther day, I was using a sharpener to sharpen the color pencil in front of her, the next day she does just the same! Talk about copy cat!! :)