My Zen Creations

I tried some new crafts. Cotton cord and cement were my best friends for a couple of weeks.  

Ahh... so calming.

Letters to My Boys: 10 Things I Want You To Know

Taken from here.

1. Size doesn’t matter.

Yes, I am talking about your penis and your biceps, but I am also talking about your bank account. Someone will always have more than you. Don’t focus on having the biggest or best of everything. Spend your time focusing on other shit, like being a good human being. Surround yourself with those who genuinely like you for you and don’t give a fuck about your material possessions. They will be your true friends.

2. Don’t drive like an asshole.

I don’t care if you just got your license and are cruising around with your buddies, or you are able to slap down the cheddar for a gun-metal gray Porsche. Don’t drive like an asshole. You are not invincible. You are not the only person on the road. You are not going to impress anyone.

3. Be clear to women you are intimate with.

If you put your hands on someone and they say no, even if they just said yes, they mean no. If they are not able to talk, walk, or open their eyes, there should never be a question in your mind that the answer is no. And if you ever decide to do something that will land you in front of a judge, you can bet your ass I will not be by your side asking them to go easy on you. You will be on your own because I believe the second someone decides they are in charge of another person’s body, they deserve to face whatever is coming to them, alone. Just because I am your mother and you changed my life does not mean I will try to cushion the blow and undo damage that you have caused. You do not have the right to anyone’s body but your own.

I would like to think you will only be intimate with girls you are in a relationship with, but I am not an idiot. If you don’t want a commitment outside of a one-time fling, be very clear. If you want to be in a relationship, be very clear about that too. It can be hard to put yourself out there, but don’t let someone walk away because you were too afraid to be vulnerable. Also, don’t let someone walk away thinking you want more from them than you really do.

4. Notice.

Take note of things. Be aware. If it is a beautiful night, go out and look at the stars. If you see something that needs to be done for someone and you are capable, do it. If your partner gets a haircut, has PMS, or says they could totally go for some chocolate, take note.

5. You will go far if you are kind and generous.

Be a generous tipper, donate to charity, and give your time and your gifts. You never know who you will meet and the lives you can change by being kind and generous. Everyone you meet is going through something—remember that on the days you feel like flipping them off.

6. Don’t bother caring what other people think about you.

Don’t conform. You do you. Own who you are. If people are not doing something you want to do, sometimes that is even more of a reason to do it.

7. Marry someone who rocks your soul.

If you choose to get married, don’t settle. Don’t worry if I will like them. If they make you happy, that is enough. Just make sure they make you truly happy, bring you laughter, and really encourage you. Most of all, make sure they bring out something in you that nobody else can.

8. Don’t be afraid to get emotional.

There is nothing more attractive than a man who is in touch with his emotions. If you want to cry while watching a Disney movie, then you should. Don’t hold that shit in.

9. Ask for help when you need it.

Don’t be too proud to ask for help. Surround yourself with people who will want to help you when you need it. Just remember to return the favor.

10. Actions speak louder than words.

If you say you are going to do something, then do it. And before you go opening your mouth to make promises, ask yourself if you are really serious. I am not just talking about calling a girl or helping a friend move; I mean the big things in life. If you said you would do it, then you should.

You are not what you say you will do. You are what you do. Don’t try to be a perfect man. Just be a good man, a decent man. Remember, people forget a lot of things, but they never forget the way you make them feel.

Naughty Nuri & The British Circus

Quite a happening place that Naughty Nuri's. So we celebrated Daniel's birthday there because the waiters sing their birthday theme song for the lucky folks.

Ambience was very relaxed and festive. They blast fast happy music and the staff dance and holler around. Only the cool Filipinos can pull this off.

Food wise, it is uniquely Indonesian Balinese. Their signature dish is the pork ribs. Oh-so tender. Pork knuckle was so-so. The fried rice was awesome.

Rice with Fish. Can't remember the exact name.

 THE Pork Rib.

Bacon Fried Rice.

The naughty family.

Last weekend we managed to catch The Great British Circus at Sutera Square. The boys enjoyed it. It is quite rare to have a circus come to JB, so I think this is was a good opportunity to see it. I was being very good by not taking any pictures throughout the show but I couldn't resist the last one! 

The interior. 

The climax of the circus, The Globe of Death!

In the end there were THREE motorcycles inside going vroom vroom vroom around and around.

It's still showing until 19th June. Go catch it!

Happy Productive Weekend

I just love weekends that are well-utilized AND relaxing at the same time. It's so strange, it felt like there were a lot of activities going on, yet a lot of time to chill. Is this some kind of twilight time-stretched zone? I don't know, but I welcome it!

So, my last weekend was like that. 

Daniel's drum school had a mini recital. There were just 4 students who performed very short pieces. Just a little exposure for them to experience stage performance in front of a small audience.

Attended the husband's friend's daughter's birthday party at DoubleTree Hilton. She's 3. Uh-huh.

Played badminton and had a walk around the neighbourhood with Darren, while Daniel played badminton and cycled with his neighbourhood friends. This is what I love most about living in a Malay-dominated housing estate. The kampung spirit is still very alive here. Kids playing with each other, riding their bicycles around, going to the park, playing futsal, badminton, feeding stray cats, riding to the petrol kiosk to buy junk food. etc. 

Went to the market with the husband, then to a lovely kopitiam breakfast at Jalan Tan Hiok Nee.. just the two of us.

Collected tickets for the Great British Circus at Sutera. Circuses are so rare now, so I thought it would  be awesome if the boys could experience it for the first time.

Tutored Daniel in Bahasa. To me, this constitute a productive day. Haha. But seriously, I feel very contented if I manage to teach him something. Even if it's just a page of a workbook. Yesterday, I made him remember a few commonly used peribahasa. A day well-spent.

Hand-painted and made a confetti spots zipper pouch for an Etsy buyer.

Had my car serviced and all 4 tyres changed.

Waterplay and swimming at the club. The same pool I used to swim in since I was a tween. I just love the familiarity and the nostalgia of the club. Guess what, everything is still the same! Apart from the renovated pool and the new wading pool design, the surrounding remained unchanged. Same clubhouse restaurant, same bathroom, same floor tiles, same lights, same feeling. 

Yesterday, Darren achieved a new mini-milestone in swimming. A few weeks back, he swam for the first time, but not the proper way where his head was kept under water all throughout. So yesterday, after much persuasion for weeks, he did the dip-lift-breath action. You know, the practice where you dip your head in the water, then lift and take a breath, and repeat the whole thing for as many times as you can while holding the pool edge. We're getting there! 

After a comforting hearty porridge meal at Gu Zhao Ren Taiwan Porridge, the husband bought home a pack of DURIANS!!! I don't what is your version of a perfect day, but to me, this is THE perfect day!

A Scandinavian Boy's Room

A long-awaited post! The boys' room extension was finally completed about last month. Now it's double the size!

The mess...

Laminated flooring in progress.

Almost there!

Kepoh-ing with the painting.

Completo! The Scandinavian themed room I've always wanted to create.

Their study, reading and playing area.

The ingredients to get the Nordic look (stockist details at the end):

Wall art.

There are plenty of printables on Etsy. I basically searched "Scandinavian wall art for children's room" and eventually narrowed down to 3. 

Here, I am actually not very pleased with the frame arrangements. I didn't plan very well.

And speaking about wall hangings, a lot of people want to hang nice arts on their wall but never got around to do it because they hate drilling the wall. I hate it too. So my best way was to get the light FISKBO IKEA frames and then hang it using the 3M hook (photo somewhere below).

It really works! No mess!

Bed linen sets. 

Storage and large cushions... (and a retro fan!)

Curtains. This photo makes the room look dark, but actually it is still rather bright even when all the curtains are drawn.

*The making of the room*

WALL ART

Fine Little Day Apple Poster from bloesem. Purchased online from their shop and self-collected from the shop owner's humongous British colonial white bungalow house at Nassim Road, Singapore. 

Printable Cat Print from AtelierKokoon

 

Printable Yin Yang Bear 'Find Balance' from TutuPepe. 

Rabbit poster from synplus. Have yet to display this in their room.

My own art. I'll be happy to share the pdf file.

This 3M sawtooth hook is my favourite.

BED LINEN SETS

Ordered from Taobao.

Designs like these are not found anywhere in Malaysia, Singapore or even IKEA. And the impressive thing is, the quality is actually good. Smooth 100% cotton, and doesn't make one feel hot lying on it. Initially I was skeptical but I really wanted these designs so I took the risk, and now I'm very satisfied with them! 

The Cloud & Pine Tree bed linen set.

The Swiss Cross bed linen set. 

You can select from the many designs in that link, and also the size. The set comes with a choice of fitted or flat sheet. ( Not all sets do, so check first)

CURTAINS

This adorable Whale Curtain was also ordered from Taobao, custom-made. The eazyla staff was awesome! They helped me communicate with the seller (in Chinese of course, not my forte) on the measurements and all the other details. I'm impressed how good the service is! Most of the sellers will customize the size and include the backing for the curtain hooks. They also offer a few types of backing depending on the kind of hook you want. 

STORAGE

You probably recognize this ubiquitous 3-shelves rack, found in Giant and local furniture shops. Super cheap...looking. I remember back then, it only came in this brown. Now there are white, black, colourful and also in laminated wooden texture that actually makes it look very atas ( found in TESCO)

So, I znged it.

I made boxes without the top using plastic corrugated boards which were cut into sizes and joined with binding tapes (the strongest stickiest type). 

The front part is covered with this Scandinavian Half Circle Wave fabric from luckyshop0228. 

I used the same binding tape to add a tab at the bottom as a pull-out.

And that cute bear paper bag storage is from Tellkiddo.

CUSHIONS

It is also hard to find nice covers for LARGE cushions. IKEA offers a limited selection. So I got their large INNER cushions, and made a couple of covers with these fabrics:

Small Cross and Cloud Pattern cotton fabric from luckyshop0228 as well.

For one of the covers, there weren't enough fabric for both sides, so substituted one side with this really cute duck pattern fabric, also from the same shop.

I must say, it is a happy room! I don't know if the boys appreciate the style but they love the extra space! 

Scandinavian Floral Fabric

Remember the fabric I bought from Taobao?

Ta-da. These colours make me SO happy.

The bigger pieces will be made into totes. Still sprawling somewhere in my craft station...

Kuso Virtual Reality

We stumbled upon this in KSL.

Nope. Not getting it.

No TV

I impose a No-TV timezone at home, from 2-5pm. Because I want the boys to be bored. Because when you're bored, you are forced to create your own activity. In which I hope they will do other things like playing with the toys I bought for them every Christmases and birthdays, drawing , reading and just day-dreaming. Because it makes them more creative.

Does it? I don't really know for sure, but I think there might be some truth it this.

So last night, Darren confessed that he watched TV during the forbidden timezone. AGAIN.

Not the first or second or third time.

I had it. I scolded him for real. Yelled and glared, and everything monsters do to scare kids.

You know that cry that makes you catch your breath? Darren cried like that for the first time (lucky kid), and he was scared and kept crying. After what seemed like eternity, he was standing in a corner, still crying. I asked him, "Why are you still crying?"

" *catching breath* because... *catching breath* *sob sob* I cannot breath properly *wail*"

I have never, in my life, resisted a laughter this hard before. And he looked SOOOOOO adorable. And so poor thing.

But I was still disciplining. I sat him on this bed, where he was still sobbing and trying to catch his breath. After another eternity, I caved in. I held him in my arms and patted his back.

So, today, it is NO TV day. Yes, the whole damn day. Good for them.

April 7th

I had the loveliest dream that morning before I woke up for work. I was carrying an adorable little baby, maybe a couple months old. I didn't get a clear facial view, but oh, my baby was the cutest little mushy thing ever.

I think it was the most wonderful gift from God. A dream. The only closest reality I can have with the one who got away. This was not something I imagined or consciously created, but given to me in the form of a dream.

I told two close friends, and one of them suggested I light a candle for him. And so I did.

I didn't say anything to the husband. I don't know why, but I get the feeling that he will just brush it off and say things like "Aww, it happened so long ago, don't think about it anymore ok?"

That's the thing with loss and grief. People around you tells you to cheer up and 'don't think about it anymore' because it makes one sad. I know they mean well. They want you to be happy and not mull over sad things. Those who has not lost an unborn baby will never ever know how it really feels. How it feels after one month. How it feels after one year. How it feels after 5 years. Let me tell you. 

It feels the same. That empty space that was created for him, will never be filled. It is like his room.  Once in a while you open the door to that room, it looks exactly as it was left.

Anyway, the husband went out for mahjong. I was disappointed but I couldn't say anything. What a torture. Well, it is not a date I expect him to set a reminder on his phone calendar anyway. I just didn't want to make it like it's a big deal, though it feels big to me. Oh shut up Ally.

Peace.

Outing with Relatives - Junk Sales @ Evangelione

Aunts and uncle from Japan were visiting. I just had to bring them here...

Sangkaya

Evangelione's Junk Sales. Daniel is rummaging through 'old things', hoping to find an XBOX. Haha, in your dream, dude, in your dreams.

Uncle Asakura was happy to find old cassette tapes and covers.

Vintage bags and homemade cookies.

Happy day!