Thank you

A big Thank you to Anonymous - you know who you are, for all the supportive words and encouragement. You made my day. (Check out the comments section for Anonymous' posting)

Kopi 'kau kau'

It's Wednesday afternoon and that translates to music classes for the boys and in turn that translates to one hour of waiting till they finish. Somehow, it's not the same as when they are skating. I can stay for hours at the rink and watch them (in momspeak, this means - keep an eye on them and make sure they don't slack!!). But if they are not skating, I don't have that much inclination to watch the others, unlike some parents who will purposely turn up and hide upstairs just to watch their kid's competitor practise. Yes, we know you are there!!! Besides it's not that fun watching public skaters struggling to stay upright! So with one hour to kill every week, I invariably end up at my favorite 'kopi kau kau' shop in the mall. The coffee is much cheaper than Starbucks , Coffee Bean or even Dunkin Donuts. Here, I pay only RM2.75 for a cup of good ( mind you, good not great) hot coffee, done the local style, hence the 'kau kau' factor!

I usually do the coffee 'take-out' at this place when the boys are skating and bring it down to the rink. So frequently so that the boy serving me just now gave me 'take away' cup instead of the ceramic ones they use for dine-in! Guess this shows that they recognise me already! Maybe next time, I don't even have to tell them what I want - kopi kau kau kurang manis. It's kinda addictive cos I do find myself craving for a cup sometimes. By the way, the 'yin yeong' here is pretty decent ,too!

Cheers!

Blogging is 0% censorship and 100% transparency

Thank you to Anonymous who commented so encouragingly after my last post on self censorship. Hey, hope you don't mind me using your quote as a heading ! :) Yeah, you are right but it's just my cowardly nature that makes me shy away from fully expressing myself!!! Haha...like the lion in Wizard of Oz who lost his courage!

Yes, blogging should be 0% or almost 0% censorship. Afterall, it is merely the blogger's view and does not represent anything else. And Anonymous is absolutely correct in saying that we can write about anything we like. ( er..most anything la - safer to stay clear of political and religious issues!!!) Well, thank you for your valuable input. I shall try to 'open' up more. Hmm..let's see how this blog will turn out.

Some people out there are really party poopers. I have bookmarked one particular site that regularly posts up latest episodes of my beloved TVB series. (It's an aunty site that focus on TVB series, family and food - all my fave topics). This blogger got bombarded by readers when she was slow in posting the latest episodes ( she was busy cos her child was sick) and the straw was that they 'cursed' her child for getting sick !! Can you imagine the mentality of these people? So in the end, she decided not to post the shows anymore. Can't blame her though, she was merely doing people like us a favour and she and family kena scolded with four letter words! This is one side of blogging that really turn people off.

Anyway, it's great to know that people do read my blog and think about the contents for all it's worth!! I have read Kenny Sia's blog and of course we are not in the same league...hey,we are not even on the same planet!! He is so awesome. I am just an 'aunty' who thinks she can write!!

Thanks for your support and time! Cheers.

Harry Potter and the half Blood Prince and others...

Caught that movie a week ago but sad to say, it didn't quite live up to expectations. In fact, I thought it was a bit draggy and I was kinda wishing for it to end. It certainly was not too memorable - the most interesting bits were the scenes between Ron Weasly and Lavender Brown. The 'won won' thing really cracked me up!! Harry does not shine here at all. :( I think Rupert Grint outdid himself here. All his scenes were really funny, thank goodness, otherwise I might just have nodded off!!

I saw a trailer which I thought was exciting. 'The Orphan' piqued my interest and as a great lover of good horror movies, I think it might be worth catching. However, due to the content, it's probably rated 18, so I'll have to persuade the hubby to take me. ( He hates horror movies) Sigh....

Just watched Jackie Chan's 'Shinjuku Incident' on DVD with the boys. They have waited a long time for this. Yeah, I know I am rather behind times but what to do? It was rated 18 and I couldn't bring the boys to watch it at the cinema. It was good, but very gory and violent - hence the rating. But I guess it's a good movie to educate the kids , or rather scare them into not messing around with the mob. The hand cutting and face slashing scenes were most disturbing and I really felt like vomitting when Daniel Wu got his hand cut off :( Urgh..

Okay, movies over. Time to get back to my favourite TVB series. Latest one I am watching now is 'Burning Flame 3' Okay la, but I am not a big fan of Wong Hei. Kevin Cheng is quite cute though, wonder if he really skates as in the series? Anyone knows? TV beckoning now - cheers, people. Drop me a line if you wanna yak about this series!! :)

Self censorship

I've discovered that it isn't easy writing a blog. Well, not as easy as I originally thought it would be. How hard can it be when you just write whatever strikes your fancy, right? WRONG!!! Hmm..I am still so naive in such things..haha. Recently, I have discovered that some people don't like being written about, good or bad. Well, of course everyone don't like to be written about in a bad way . But some people don't even liked being mentioned !! So being the nice person that I am (ahem, ahem), I have to exercise self censorship as I simply do not want to step on people's toes, intentionally or otherwise.

I have concluded 3 very very important things. First, I can never ever be a reporter !! Even if I were to report facts, I am so afraid that the truth will hurt some people and I simply don't have the guts or thick skin to interrogate for the facts. Second, I am also afraid that people might misunderstand my piece and be sensitive about it and worse still, don't like me for it. And very sadly, third, I am a BIG coward, afraid of stirring up trouble !! haha...guess now I will just concentrate on neutral stuff, ya! . Does that defeat the purpose of writing a blog?? You tell me!

Seven birthdays

My Mom always have problems remembering her grandsons' birthdays. Granted it's not an easy task, as she has 7 of them! And on top of that, she ain't no spring chicken anymore so the memory is bound to be unreliable sometimes.

Anyway, she had this brilliant idea of giving them all ONE big birthday party, irregardless of when their actual birthdays are! Saves her the trouble of trying to remember each one and leaving someone out in the process! That sounds really fun, so we all went along with it. The date chosen was originally July 5, to coincide with both Ian (Australia) and William (Shanghai) being back home at the same time. So it was perfect!! All grandsons present. Or so we thought. The venue was chosen, food( Japanese buffet) ordered, cakes, all 7 of them (see photo above) ordered from Pyramid Tower Hotel, and guests invited and confirmed. It was going to be a great party!!! But it was not to be...:(

The party was to be on a Sunday, but on the Sunday before, I got a call from Mom saying that William has been quarantined because he went out with a friend who tested positive for H1N1!!! Arghhh...again that pesky virus- don't you know you are not welcomed? Thank God, he was alright.

So the party was postponed to the following Sunday. Luckily, all the stuff that was preordered could be postponed!! Whew...so the party went on, albeit a week later. William's friends showed up , again thank God they were ok as well.

It was a lovely , (hmmm. sound so Victorian eh, lovely ,hehe..) party. Food was superb and plentiful- Chef outdid himself - he promised that if we could finished all the food he will supply extra for us to tar pau FOC ! But as it is, we ended up tat pau-ing also cos the prepared food was so much.

The cake blowing was hilarious. All the boys had to decorate their own candles - I couldn't be bothered to do so many!!! Ron was most unimaginative, as expected :) Zen complained that his cake ( actually it was a strawberry tart) was too red cos when the candles, which were red, melted, we couldn't distinguish the wax from the berries! Ryan tried to be smart- got some help from Auntie C. ( Check out his creation at bottom)

The band from the next room played 'Happy Birthday' through the windows. ( Next room was the bar. There were windows that could be opened between the 2 rooms ) It was really funny. The waitresses had to hold back the curtains so we could hear the band!! The highlight was when Grandma gave angpows!!! What a fantastic day ,huh, boys ? Thanks to Grandma! Make sure you guys come up with something special for her birthday.


Zen's very red and oh soooo delicious strawberry tart. Can you make out the candles? Colour matched perfectly!

Ron's arrangement - quick and to the point! He had the same cake design as Ryan, though not by choice.

Ryan claimed that his candles marked a '14', which is his age. He was annoyed I could not see it! I think my eyes 'senget' lar...cos other Moms saw it!!! Hehe...sorry la :)

Cool stepping

Gosh, I didn't know it takes this looooong to upload the video! Seems like I have been waiting for ages and ages and ages and...you get the idea. Hehe :) Sprouted a few white hairs in the process.....neck got longer..... had a shower...dried my hair....had dinner......still uploading ???? Yawn... :( Is this normal or it my connection too slow? Is my file too big- should I have compressed it or something?

Anyway, I had a great step class yesterday, conducted by Annie who creates such fantastic choreography in her routines nowadays. Still getting a high from it - that's why I want to share with everyone. Besides, a lot of friends ask what I do in the gym..well, this is it! Keep it up, Annie!! Way to go, girl. Shall miss her when she goes on her maternity leave....:( Her classes are so much fun and I'm a big big fan now. The downside of her class is that it's only 45 mins - no thanks to California who trimmed it from its original 60 mins - big spoil sport - boo boo, and triple boo to you.

This is the secnd time we did this routine, the first time was last week where we only managed 4 combos. Yesterday, we did all 6 combos and it was really fun. We had 3 cameras , including mine. So pro, eh? The other 2 cameras had the view of the bigger group while only me and LL can be seen here. Actually, it looks a lot nicer with a bigger group. We looked kinda lonely here, don't you think so? Check out the other camera angles on Facebook - LL and DY have uploaded theirs. I've viewed it. It looks a lot more impressive.

Excited moms - The Skate Malaysia saga continues....

My friend MN caught this moment during the Freestyles 8 and 9 Tests conducted during Skate Malaysia 2009. This, although not an official event, was one of the highlights of the competition as it was not often we get a chance to witness the Freestyle 9 tests. For those not in the know, Freestyles 8 and above tests under the ISI guidelines are not usually conducted locally because it needs to be tested by 3 Gold Test judges which we do not have here. As such, it either have to be videotaped and sent to Hong Kong for evaluation or we have to wait for an occasion such as this for the testers to come in from Hong Kong. Or in the extreme case, the skater goes to Hong Kong to be tested!

As you can see, all the moms (except Chrisha, who's definitely not a mom!!! hehe) got 'Grandstand seats' - er...actually we were all standing on top of the bench!! I am second from the left ( with cap and my trusty cup of coffee in hand). See if you guys can tell who else is who...of course Chrisha looks sexy even from the back!!

If this looks like fun to you, that's because it IS!!! A lot of excited cheering and clapping going on. Four skaters took the test, including Ryan. But the most entertaining to watch was W from Jakarta. You could really see the happiness on his face each time he landed his jumps . It was so endearing!! Well, there were of course some very anxious moments, especially when Ryan did his program. I thought my heart stopped beating for that 4 long long minutes. Not to mention the sweaty palms!! And my trusty cup of coffee helped calm those pesky butterflies.

Sum tong, Xin teng,Sakit hati, Heart pain,all of the above

See that long white scratch right across the photo? It's on my precious car, hence all the heart pain etc stated above. Happened last Monday, when I went to the gym in the evening. I parked my car in the usual general area where I always parked, went into the gym, had a great class, came out very happy and drove off home, without noticing it. Reason is because it was on the passenger side door!

It wasn't until the hubby saw it that night and gave me hell that I came to know of it. As can be seen, it is unusually long and deep and as the hubby said, it looks deliberate rather than an accidental scratch. He then proceeded to give me a long lecture as to whether I have been picking fights with somebody or if I had offended anyone. Honest to God, I have not indeed, and I have no idea why someone would deliberately and maliciously put such a scratch on my car. The passenger side was next to a pillar and no way was my car obstructing anyone!

The whole incident put a damper on the rest of my evening, even writing about it now put a sour taste in my mouth, not to mention my blood rising as well. Well, to the %*#@&^^ (I have a lot of names I would like to call you but I shall refrain cos this is family friendly blog) person who did it, I hope you are happy cos you certainly have achieved your goal of making me miserable. In fact, I am wondering now if my migraine attack was due partly to you or not. Well, irregardless, I think I shall blame you for it. I have no inkling why you would want to do such a thing, and if I have indeed offended you unknowingly, I shall not even bother to apologize because I believe you are too small a person for me to even consider apologizing to. I like to think that I am big enough to handle this and you are so small , both in mind and morals that you do not merit anything. As the saying in Chinese goes, we are big people who do big things and are not bothered by insignificant people like you who resort to petty and furtive actions. Makes sense, huh? I pity you for not having the guts to come face me.

To those of you who park there, do be careful. Hubby is convinced someone is out to get me, hence this 'warning' . ( That's his exact words). I shall be wary and I would love to find the culprit and tell him or her or them exactly what I think of them!. Hmm...actually not much to tell cos not worth talking to such people, only this ; ' *&^%#)@!!!!! to you!' Duh!

Post Skate Malaysia blues

It's been almost a week after Skate Malaysia 2009. How time flies.....after a few hectic weeks of frantic practices , nagging and worrying, I really found myself suffering from post competition blues.....hmmm...is that why I got migraine for 2 horrible days this week? Had to spend 2 very miserable days in bed at home because of the stupid throbbing in my head that would not stop! On top of that, I was vomiting as well, I hardly ever get that during my migraine attacks...I think this is the 2nd time in my migraine history, so you can guess how bad it was. Anyway, luckily it was after the competition and not during :)

So the boys got few days reprieve before hitting the ice again on Thursday.The rink was sooo quiet that night. Even the coaches needed a break..Haha ! I 'bumped' into 2 of them at a pub that night after skating!


Note the cute table setting - so colorful and fun!

Was looking at some of the photos taken before the competition - those taken during ice time. We had a lot of fun during those times. There was one of Ryan at a beautifully laid table ( kiddy style), eating salmon and spaghetti that my good friend J made specially for him. He was so embarrassed ! I meet some really nice people at the rink - L, who always make such fantastic food on Sundays and ice time days. That particular ice time session, she made sticky rice and red bead soup! Can you believe that? It was really heart warming to have such thoughtful friends who take the trouble to cook and pack everything to the rink. My other good friend, A always give me sweet potato cakes she made herself. I am embarrass to admit that I only ever bring store bought food as my contribution :( But I think it's best for everyone cos if I were to cook, no one would eat it!!! Or worse still, someone might get diarrhea. Haha.. I also want to mention another friend J (also), who painstakingly made Julian's Freestyle costume for him! We are ever so lucky to have such great people there , like a big big extended family. Cheers everyone, and thank God for miracles like you guys.

Machu Picchu

Just watched a documentary on National Geographic and decided to add Machu Picchu to my 'Places to visit' list.

Machu Picchu is simply awesome. Even the name sounds so mysterious and romantic! Doesn't it look great? I can just imagine how it feels to be there - like seeing the ruins of Angkor Wat or the Great Pyramid at Giza. Indescribable.

Located in a mountain ridge, about 2450 m above sea level in faraway Peru, it is one of UNESCO's World Heritage Site. Machu Picchu is a settlement built primariry from rocks, all fashioned by hand around 1462.

It is considered an engineering marvel, built with technology well ahead of its time. Rocks were just placed in place without cement or mortar and they were painstakingly chipped to make a perfect fit between each other.

Series of water canals were built to carry water from the surrounding mountains to the settlement, and they even have man made fountains and baths!

Definitely a place to see!! Must find out how to get there.....:) Anyone been there?

Thanks to Coach WK

I am truly thankful to Ryan's coach WK. Without him, I think Ryan would not be skating the way he does and would have have achieved so much. So WK, a big big THANK YOU from us.

WK has been Ryan's coach from Day One, way back in 2000. So effectively, he has taught Ryan everything he knows. from Pre-Alpha to now. From a bunny hop to a Double Axel, and hopefully in the near future, his triples. At that time, Ryan was half his height and of course way way behind in skating skills, barely able to walk on skates, let alone glide. Now, Ryan has matched him in height and hopefully in skills as well. But no matter what, he will still be Ryan's Sifu. It is so interesting to look back at the photos taken back then and now. Back then Ryan had a 'coconut' hairstyle but WK has not changed a bit.

So, with Ryan's latest achievement, I want to say to WK, " I'm so glad you are his Coach and there for him every step of the way. You made this possible."

Skate Malaysia 2009

I am feeling kinda pressured to post something about Skate Malaysia 2009 after seeing all the great photos that my fellow skater friends and parents posted on their Facebook entries. Really good photos, especially the ones put up by AT. So pro...!

It was a great competition, despite the fact that some skaters from overseas canceled due to the H1N1 flu. Boo to you H1N1...get lost. There was also a sad moment on the last day as our local Freestyle 9 skater BV had a nasty accident on the ice :( Get well soon BV, we are all praying for your speedy recovery. Thus, we missed some good skating since some of the overseas skaters were going to compete in Freestyle 8 :(.

The opening ceremony was fantastic. The Minister from the Kementerian Belia dan Sukan came to officiate...Well Done Pyramid! And the highlight were the performances by Chrisha Gossard and Jamal Othman. It was one of the rare occasions we get to watch world class skating on our shores. Thanks to our Head Coach HJL....kudos! Pat on the back..pat...pat..

Jamal and Chrisha - don't they look cute together?

Chrisha is well known to all the skaters in Pyramid but this is the first time we saw her perform and it was really fantastic. She was soooo sexy and all the males, ( and most females, too!) were simply mesmerised by her. For a moment there, I thought a hot blooded male might fall down from the balcony upstairs due to his excitement! She has that kind of effect on people, especially the male species.

Jamal, who is the current Swiss National Champion is just awesome. His performance was so entertaining and a bunch of us moms had so much fun just screaming at him from upstairs! I know some people thought we were mad, but who cares? It was fun!!! We even threw him a teddy bear ! Sigh...brought to back to my teenage years! Later, a skater mom told me we were like the young girls at a concert!! haha...:) But I clarified that we know him and we were just playing along with the show. Don't want people to think we were desperate....:p

The competition days were like a blur - went by so fast! Must be because we had so much fun despite all the anxious moments. Today was like just dragging by...must be withdrawal symptoms!! Chrisha will be back next month and Jamal, please come back soon!!