Chris Medina American Idol Season 10

"What kind of guy would I be if I walked out when she needed me the most?" - Chris Medina

Watched it the first time on Star World, I cried.
And then I watched it again on Channel 5, I cried even more!
(Especially the part when Steve Tyler kissed her and whispered in her ears,"That's why he sings so good, because he sings to you."
The floodgates just opened big time.

Big heart. Great voice.
Chris Medina, you just got yourself a fan.
Juliana Ramos, God bless you, you beautiful woman.

Sibling Love

A nong nong time ago it was either:

Me VS Bah (The elder brother who is way smarter than I am)

OR

Me VS Nizam aka Jambi. (The younger brother who thinks he is way smarter than I am)

I was, without a doubt, their common enemy.

And everytime they bullied me, I'd run to my ol man (below left) and he'd give them a good shelling.

Like Father like son sia sleep with mouths open.

Actually I'm guilty of this too. Only mine got additional 'eyes half closed' Nyehehehe!

The perks of being the only girl!

Hahaha! Hihihi! Hohoho! Huhuhu!

(Don't mind me k. Ever since the bangs I have become a full fledged camera whore.

It has been 2 days and I am happy to announce that this narcissistic phase is over. Jelak already. So Mr E, you can now stop shaking your head and heave a sigh of relief.)

Yes, we fought and will surely have fights.

But all is good now that we are all adults.

Sort of.

We have our Aww moments.
Like this one.

Nyla and Rooqs are currently under the weather.

Nyla with mild UTI and Rooqs, chicky pox.

And then we also have the not- so- aww- aka- feel- like- doing -a -Yakkkk -Dush moments.

Like this one.

Very AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH right?

Either no reply or give a "no" as a reply.

Akshen sey. Debik kang?!

Nevertheless, I am very thankful for these two guys as my siblings.

I haven't seen them for more than a week so I am missing them a great deal.

See you both at the parents' crib next week.

She Bangs!

I blame deciding to slice my bangs on Anne Hathaway.

She la...so damn pretty on "The Devil Wears Prada.

Anne totally rocked the thick, straight bangs lor.

Now, if you all must know, yours truly here have a phobia of bangs actually, no thanks to a horrible experience many years ago.

I remembered showing this hairdresser (nyonya bawah blok) a picture of Penelope Cruz with bangs.

Well I assumed that anyone in the hairdressing industry can cut fringe mah.

No need to be extraordinarily skilled one la.

Last time when I was a kiddo, my mom also cut my fringe what.

Boy was I friggin' wrong for it turned out to be a MAJOR disaster.

I am not kidding hokay.

You don't believe me?

Nah, I show you.

Had enough of laughing your eyes out?

Damn I look si bei slap-pable can?!

Jambu la tu, fringe macam lalang.

So bad right?

Mr E a.k.a big time PINOCCHIO said I looked alright.

Alright ke babai.

So many many years passed .....until yesterday.

I had an overwhelming urge to do something different to my hair.

I don't know about you ladies but for me, if that urge comes, I die die MUST cut NOW NOW NOW.

And obviously I had a case of bangs amnesia.

I wanted to take a fringe plunge. again.

I knew I had to have a reallllllyyyyy extraordinary hairstylist do this job for me.

That one person is none other than Abang Sam who is super duper G.O.O.D!
Abang Sam is a hairstylist for Local, Foreign Celebrities and Royal Families yo.

Portfolio baik punya.

He totally transformed me la!

Before you vainpots bombard my email to ask where is his salon (which 6 already did after I twitpic-ed), I better give you all the information I have now. Thanks for all the compliments by the way! Kembangz sesangat! :)

Sharing is caring so here goes!

Abang Sam Unoss

Flair Salon, Novena Square 2

#04-27-33

To book an appointment, call 6737 8095

And do remember to mention my name NURA J hor!

You might just get 10% off your haircut done by Tuan Director Sam.

BEAMS!

I am totally loving the bangs too people!

Never mind that pimples will pop up like mushrooms on the forehead.

When I left the salon, I couldn't stop looking at my reflection in every reflective material man:

mirrors, car windows, my Iphone screen and even my laptop screen sia!

Maklomlah new look.

Abang Sam even told me that I will look okay even if I tie up my hair.

He's right!

Mr E gives the thumbs up too. Saaaap!

The only person who doesn't really fancy my bangs was Nyla who gasped and then said out loud for all to hear when I fetched her from school yesterday, "Mommy what happened to your hair?"
Yeah, I was embarassed alright but what the heck, hidop mesti confident! Hehehe!

The babe just needed a little getting used to.

This morning, I went to the clinic because I observed that Nyla was frequently peeing the past 2 days.

Turned out to be a mild infection. :(

When the doctor passed her the cup to pee, she couldn't so we had to kill time and wait till someone feels the urge to pee.

Apparently, someone had another urge. Yeap, same urge the mommy had yesterday.

You guessed it.

Nyla had a haircut while waiting for her bladder to be full.

Chey!

Yesterday she said 'not nice!', then today, look like my carbon copy.

Copycat kiss the rat, go home let your mudder slap!

Kapiak!

And yeah, she too loves her bangs!

Nyla's Favourite Alphabet

I am trying to limit Nyla's TV time and only let her have about an hour of TV after she returns from school.
Chatted with the other moms of her friends in school and most of their kids do not watch TV in the mornings.
Just a week ago, I've been discouraging her to watch the idiot box.

Nyla: Can I watch TV?
Me: No, Nyla. Your friends don't watch TV you know..
Nyla: Long pause...
Nyla again: Oh ya? Then how come they know of Mickey Mouse and Ben 10?
Me: ????!!!!

Well anyway, it's been a week and Nyla's still not past the 'cold turkey' stage. Hehehe!

She is beside me now, writing about her trip to her Daddy's office yesterday.

Now, remember "My Favourite Alphabet" entry thingy.
I asked Nyla if she wanted to do this game and because she doesn't want to feel left out, she agreed.

I explained to her the RULE of the game:

YOU NEED TO USE THE FIRST LETTER OF YOUR NAME TO ANSWER EACH OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.

She got excited and really enthusiastic...

1: What is your name: NYLA...that was easy. (Akshen pulak)

2. A four letter word: (I drew blanks for her _ _ _ _) Her answer: N E E T (Neat) (Good one!)

3. A boy's name: Noddy..See Mommy, lucky last time I watch TV. If not, I cannot answer this question. (??!!!)

4. A girl's name: Natasha..My teacher's name. (I was impressed....until we reached question 5.)

5: An occupation: Hmmmm.
Nyla: I don't like this game. What did you write? I just copy yours.
Me: Can't copy. You must be original.
Nyla: I CANNOT.
Me: Think harder!
Nyla: Gardener?
Me: No. Gardener begins with the letter 'G'
Nyla: There's letter N what in the word.
Me: Yes, but you have to follow the rules babe.
Nyla: But I'm a kid. Too difficult.

SO BOTH OF US AGREED AND MODIFIED THE RULES OF THE GAME:

THE FIRST LETTER OF YOUR NAME (In Nyla's case, 'N') MUST BE PRESENT IN THE ANSWERS YOU GIVE.

Back to Number 5

5: Occupation: GardeNer..what did you answer for Daddy?
Me: Mothering.
Nyla: Then I change. Put Nenek.
Me:????!

6:A colour: BroWn...eh your toga la. Nutella Brown.

7: Something you'll wear: Baju KuruNg (Yes my girl loves our traditional baju kurung. BUT she only loves the top. So last Sunday, she wanted to wear the baju kurung top with bermudas.)

8: Food: IkaN bilis

9.Something found in the bathroom: PaNties...we hang on top one before we bathe. (Nyla, you don't have to go into details.)

10. A place: Choa Chu KaNg

11: A reason for being late: LoNg Nap

12:Something you'd shout: Oh NNNNNNooooooo!

13: A Movie Title: RapuNzel

14: Something you'd drink: GreeN Tea

15. A musical group: Can be just 1 singer? You put Maher ZaiN. (gasak kau la nak)

16. An animal: HyeNa

17: A street name: PaNdaN GardeNs.....so many Ns Mommy! Good answer huh. (Yes, Nyla, bonus point for you. Nah!)

18. A type of car: PiNk car

19: The title of a song: Hot aNd Cold..Katy Perry's soNg.

Nyla: I'm done right?
Me: Yup.
Nyla: Can watch TV?
Me: No.
Nyla: sighs...then whines....sighs....whines.
Me: Write about your trip to Daddy's office.
Nyla: You so boring one.
Me: Whatever.
Nyla: When I have kids, I will let my kids watch TV forever.

Asian Children's Festival 2011

We 'attacked' Sengkang Library last Sunday.
It was very nice to see the activity room filled with children and their parents, all smiling and excited to hear us read aloud our "The Big Good Wolf."

Unfortunately, Haryani couldn't be with us because she had filming duties.
We missed you babesy!


Fret not, because I roped in my partner, Jenn, a highly energetic individual who could impart her amazing Art and Crafts skills to the kids.


Before we revealed the story of "The Big Good Wolf" to the children, Jenn read aloud "The True Story Of The 3 Little Pigs" just to give a different perception of wolves to the children.

And then, it's "The Big Good Wolf" Time baby!
5 year old Nyla is already an experienced storyteller thanks to her experiences at Jurong Regional Library, Bedok Library, Woodlands Regional Library and I must say that through lots of practice, one just keeps getting better.
Real proud of this babe.





Art Activity time.
Jenn, the Art instructor for that day taught the children "Bookorigami" where the kids transformed their paper into a mini book. :)



As majority of the children present were preschoolers, they became authors/illustrators for their own picture book.
We told them to write their names on the front 'cover' and then to draw 'yourself', 'your favourite fruit', 'your favourite toy' on the rest of the pages followed by 'The End' on the very last page. :)





Thank you to all who came!
I also met a few familiar faces like Ariff/Aida and their families, Rini/Hubby and her boys, Is and Shad, Vi, Shiqa and Miqa!
Thrilled to see them indeed. :)

Anyway, Haryani, although you were not around, the song you composed for us sure lives on! Heheheh!
"The Big Good Wolf" theme song was a hit la dey!

And the babe has been singing this song every time.
Very obsessed one.
She keeps writing the lyrics...



She sings your song in the shower (and makes sure the mommy sings with her too)
She sings your song before bedtime.
Dont believe?
Nah See!






So glad to be part of the Asian Children's Festival 2011!
We hope to participate next year too with our new book.
Stay tuned for this one.


And yeah when that happens, Daddy E will have to participate in the read aloud as well because we need a male voice. :) Heee!

Nyla has also updated her blog.
There is another video in her entry.
She choped that video first.
Click here

Enjoy!

Lustmonday - where Mondays ain't blue no more

Yoohoo ladies!
Presenting Lustmonday's specially manufactured beauty: ROSE GARDEN

The pretty vintage roses prints bustier top and chiffon bottom with lining. :)

Absolutely perfect for the upcoming Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day!







Anyway, Lustmonday is feeling very generous.
So here goes:

Do join their mailing list and you can get a dollar off.

Not satisfied?
Ok I poke Lustmonday's Towkay to be even more generous!

P

O

K

E


Finally sealed the deal for my BELOVED readers because I hold you all dear to my heart. :)

Now, when you see something you really like at Lustmonday and you wanna buy it.......

MUST MUST MUST remember to quote my name: NURA J because

you get FREE normal postage AND the towkay even said this," I can provide gifts like belts for your readers."

AWESOME OR WHAT?

So whatcha waiting for darlings?

Happy shopping at Lustmonday - where Mondays ain't blue no more.

My Favourite Alphabet

It's 2am.
Mr E is sitting opposite me, still doing his lesson plan. I finished mine half an hour ago.
Mr E thinks that I am still struggling with my lesson plan.
Logged on to Blogger and scanned through the entries that never got published and came across this one.
So decided to do for the fun of it.


I need to use the first letter of my name to answer each of the following questions.
I cannot use any word twice and I can't use my name for the boy/girl name question. So here goes!


1. What is your name : Nura

2. A four Letter Word : Nice

3. A boy's Name : Nani (My Papa J's nickname! His mommy calls him 'Nani'. So cute hor.)

4. A girl's Name : Nyma (Now you all know already the name of my future second child. But hor, my Chinese friends are begging me to reconsider because it means 'milklady'. Poor child will be teased by her friends.)

5. An occupation : Nurse

6. A colour : Nude

7. Something you'll wear : Necktie

8. A food : Noodles

9. Something found in the bathroom: (damnnnnnn rusty) Nail (I actually spent a good 5 minutes scanning my toilet lor.)

10. A place : Norway (Can't wait for my BFF and her Norwegian hubby and kiddos to come back! Wednesday come quick!!!!)

11. A reason for being late : Nausea

12. Something you'd shout : NYLAAAAAA

13. A movie title : Notting Hill

14.Something you drink : Nestle Yoghurt Drink

15. A musical group : N Sync (Ultimate favourite leh last time!)

16. An animal : Numbat

17. A street name : Nassim (Thanks Singapore Edition Monopoly!)

18. A type of car : Nissan

19. The title of a song : Never Say Never

Aiyo, Mr E is still not done with his work.
I do for him also la....

1. What is your name : Mohamed Esman

2. A four Letter Word : Mute (From just now, he was quiet mah.)

3. A boy's Name : Matt

4. A girl's Name : Maysaa (Nyla was nearly named as Maysaa by the way!)

5. An occupation : Mothering ( The mother of all occupations, me feel)

6. A colour : Maroon (Hot colour for Toga this one!)

7. Something you'll wear : Mask

8. A food : Maggi (If he does this, he'd surely put 'Maggi' as his answer!)

9. Something found in the bathroom: Moisturiser

10. A place : Maldives

11. A reason for being late : Menstruation

12. Something you'd shout : MAAAKKKAU!

13. A movie title : Maverick

14.Something you drink : Milk

15. A musical group : Metallica

16. An animal : Monkey/Monyet

17.A street name : Mount Emily

18. A type of car : Mitsubishi

19.The title of a song : My Way

Ok I think I better quit pretending I'm doing work because my eyes are real heavy liao!
Nites!

UNO with a Maths twist

Somehow, children grasp concepts faster when they are having fun.
And I believe that there are many fun and exciting ways for children to learn Maths.
One of the most fun Maths activities that my Bottoms Up tutees enjoy will be playing with UNO cards.

Nope, we don't play UNO the traditional way during class.
This modified UNO game got Maths twist one and I guarantee their multiplication skills will improve.
Confirm plus chop!

So basically, I'll pair them up.
Each person picks a card.
Say Tutee A picked a card with Number 8, while Tutee B picked a card with Number 7.
Both will need to multiply the 2 numbers.
The one who announces the answer first will get to keep both cards and they go on multiplying and collecting as many cards as they can.
The one with the most cards WIN!

Now, Nyla also enjoys watching this UNO competition amongst my Bottoms Uppers.

So I thought about how I could let her have her fun with the UNO cards since the UNO cards belonged to her. (Princesses Edition somemore..yah, I pity my Bottoms Upper Boys! Heee!)

Nyla is currently learning simple addition and subtraction in school.
So what I did was to let her select 2 cards at a time.
She could:
add up the 2 numbers on the cards....
OR
compare which number is greater or smaller....
OR
subtract the smaller number from the bigger number.

Watch this video for a better understanding, mommies!



Hope you liked what I just shared.
Have fun playing with your cutesies. :)

FIL

This one's for you my Papsy in law.

He is definitely the father in law every daughter in law wishes to have!

Back when I was pregnant, every Sunday (his off day), he would go to the market and buy for me Tau Huay (Beancurd)

And then during my confinement period, he would hide one corner of the house...wait for me to pass the ubat periuk or essence of chicken and gulp it down for me.

Till today, my mother in law does not know our secret. Huahuahuahua!

Seeing me very overloaded with tuition assignments, my absolutely kind hearted father in law has taken over the duty of sending and fetching Nyla to and from school on the days I teach.

Nyla is thrilled because she doesn't need to go through the hassle of public transport! Heeee!

Me: Bapak will be fetching you from school later ok.

Nyla: YES!

Me: You like?

Nyla: YUP!

Me: Why?

Nyla: Because Bapak will buy for me chips, yakult and whatever I want. Maybe later I ask him to go to Macdonalds Drive-thru....Sure can.

Amboi, anak ini?! Cantik muka?!

Anyway, THANK YOU BAPAK!

NURA SAYANG SEKALI KAT BAPAK!

Shakin' & Rollin' Good Times

http://parentingchildreninsingapore.com/shakin-rolling-good-times

Nyla has already blogged about this event over at her blog.
It's mommy's turn now.
The only downside to Nyla blogging is my entry always seemed second best one.

The first time this happened was when I wanted to blog about our great time at Tanjong Pinang last December.
The moment Nyla heard that I had expressed interest in blogging about Tanjong Pinang, she immediately sat down, wrote the entry in her blogging book and asked me to help select the pictures with her.
It took her less than an hour to get that entry published since her rantings are short and sharp!


Ok so as you already know, we had a story telling session over at Woodlands Regional Library last Saturday in conjunction with the Asian Children's Festival.
Last year, I was also a 'participant' during the Asian Children's Festival by sharing with the other mommies and daddies how I use New Media to interact with Nyla at the "Be a New Media Parent" workshop.

This year, it was a much easier task for me since I had my 2 sidekicks, Nyla and Haryani.


And Nyla is wearing my vest.
Initially I was wearing a white top with that vest she was wearing.
She got jealous because according to her I looked prettier.
I asked what would make her happy. Her reply "You give that vest to me la. I'm so plain."

So I sacrificed because I didn't want Nyla to sabo me during the storytelling session.

During our farewell, Nyla was a lil clingy to Haryani. She hugged her once, bade goodbye and then ran to Haryani again for a second hug. "Aunty Haryani is so comfortable!" Nyla told me. Real sweet!

So, the deal was for me and Nyla to read "The Big Good Wolf" aloud (Nyla was the voice of the main character, Isabella)







while my babester, Haryani lead a sing along session.


And then both Haryani and myself would unleash our little audience's powerful imagination together by asking them to help us write the ending of our fractured fairy tale titled, "Sleeping Doggy"




Can you spot Nyla? She decided to 'resign' from her duty and join the audience in writing the ending of "The Sleeping Doggy."


I am all for 'involved' parents! Gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling!





Another mommy discussing with her children...
And background, Nyla posing posing with her buddy Shiqah.
Focus Nyla Focus! Tsk Tsk!

Parents and children unite to try and come up with the most creative ending because we told them we would have a 'gift-away'. :)

The top 3 most creative kiddos each went home with "The Big Good Wolf' book worth $15.99.

So this was the unfinished story all of us created together...

Once upon a time, there was a dog named Pinocchio. Pinochhio worked in a castle as a guard. It looked after the treasure in the castle. One day, an evil vampire put magic sleeping potion into Pinocchio's food. Pinocchio fell into a deep sleep.....

And big congratulations to LI YUE for his creative ending.

Everybody in the castle was worried. The king said, "What if our enemies come and steal all our treasure?"

Nobody dared to fall asleep. Then a hero appeared! Miqa was his name. He said, "No one other than me has the power to wake Pinocchio up!" To everyone's surprise, Miqa played Lady Gaga's music (Must be Bad Romance song). The next moment, everyone heard "Woof! Woof! Woof!" That is Pinocchio's favourite song! Hip Hip Hurray! Miqa saved the day!

Ok dokies! So our next library pit stop will be SENGKANG LIBRARY yo!

We will be roping in my partner as well, Jenn for she is also a drama mama.

A full hour of fulfilling kind of fun it shall be again. :)

See you next Sunday 3pm at Sengkang Library parents and kiddos aged 4-8!

Mimpi Indah Jadi Nyata (Dream come true)

It was a terrific Tuesday for me, 2 days ago as I was reading Berita Harian.

Kak Hanim, thank you for the excellent write up, Ma'am!

There is no way in advance for a woman to know whether she would be a working mother or a homemaker until she has a child or children herself.
I used to think I could never stay at home.

I did not see myself as the type of woman who derives much pleasure from fluffing her nest lor.
Besides, my life was working out pretty fine.

That was just Nyla’s first year.

I took on a graduating low ability class and they performed very well during the national exams and exceeded everyone’s expectations. Boy, I felt like Superwoman! And nothing could stop me.

I also didn’t have any problems at homefront thanks to both my mothers and helper......until my helper’s contract expired the following year.

Unfortunately, she didn’t want to renew it because she missed her son terribly. As much as I was desperate for her to stay, I could not be selfish and deprive her son of his mother.

My own mother was struggling when our helper left. She wasn’t getting any younger and definitely not stronger. I remembered I was on medical leave and had a peek of how my mom was coping without a helper. Seeing her rush to the kitchen to cook or to the laundry area the moment Nyla took her nap pained my heart.

Nyla is my responsibility. I did what I had to do.

Like Nyla, I too keep a journal and I shall share with you few of my writings..

Date: April 16 2007

Sometimes, things don't go the way you plan them to be and I am currently experiencing them back at home. I love what I do now but at this very moment I must not be selfish and think of my only child. She is only a toddler and they say that the pre school years are the most vital. I know it is not going to be a breeze but sometimes it is nice to think only happy thoughts. Like how I can bring her to the garden every morning and chase the bees and the butterflies..or if we are lucky, we get to see the bee enter the flower and I teach her a thing or two about pollination.Like how I can go to the library and read books together.Like how I can bring her to the playground in the evenings and let her go 'Weeeee' as she slides down or sing to her the 'Buai laju laju' song as we sit together on the swing.Like how I can take her on a bus or MRT ride to visit her gramps.Like how I can watch her take that daily afternoon naps or even join her! Heaven!The list will just go on and on.The decision has been made, I guess.My babydarling, Mommy's coming home..........

I went to the principal’s office and requested that she grant me six months off work, citing childcare reasons. She was very understanding and my request was kindly approved.

Initially, I felt afraid staying at home because I have never handled Nyla all by myself.

Date: June 10 2007

Ever since I embarked on my new job at home, I hardly have time for myself. I miss work. I miss my lunches with my babes. I miss my work station buddies. I miss the pupils. Most of all, I miss ME. So tiring and trying staying at home. I've always thought that now that I have quantity time in my hands, I'll make full use of it and spend it with Nyla.Boy, was I damn wrong! Honestly I think I am a better mom as a working mom. I give my all to the babe when I return from work. But now, I give my all to the household chores! The sweeping, the mopping, the cuci jambans, the endless laundry, the ironing, yadda yadda.The first week was bad but now that I get the hang of it, its better.I don't sigh anymore if I look at the messy state of my house when I am playing with the babe because the reason for my leave is to spend time with my child and thus I should focus on that. Grass is not greener on the other side man. When I was teaching, I was so envious of those homemakers/housewives. But now that I'm in their shoes, man, it's not at all fun.

However, overtime, I was jolted by how much I actually enjoyed myself with the babe. I woke up each day and tended to Nyla by bathing her, dressing her, cooking for her, cleaning up after her, playing with her, bringing her out to the park, teaching her, talking to her, reading aloud to her, disciplining her, caring for her when she’s ill, laughing with her, hugging her, kissing her and the list keeps going on!

Date: July 4 2007

I am so happy today because I can finally tie Nyla's hair! (Simple things like this also need to write down! Lol!)

As usual when one is having loads of fun, time just zoooomed!

And yeap, my six months of childcare leave was soon up.

In 2008, I returned to work when issues at home have become more settled.

Got a new helper and enrolled Nyla in a pre school.
Everything and everyone soon returned to normal.

Everyone except me.

I was missing my daughter terribly.
I was only with Nyla for 12 hours, of which 9 hours spent sleeping. I started to resent work, not teaching but the administrative work and few of the soooo unnneeeccceeesssaaarrrry endless meetings. Truth be told, I’d be doodling my daughter’s name on my notepad.

I would get very upset whenever I received leaflets on Nyla’s excursion trips because I couldn’t go.

I missed her very first excursion trip.

My niece, Shofi and nephew, Hassan went on my behalf instead.

Date: May 8th

Title: DAMMIT

Nyla is going on an excursion today. She is obviously excited. I have packed her hat and her PE attire. Last night as I packed her stuff for today's outing, I put up a very brave front for my girl. I acted excited. In truth, my heart ached so much because I cannot be there with her. As most of her classmates' mothers are following, Nyla's mother absolutely cannot, due to work. I don't know who to feel angry at. I hate myself sometimes. I always say,'Nyla is my utmost priority!' but I am so contradicting myself here. I can't even be there with her for her very FIRST excursion. Lousy mother you are, Nura. What is the point of being a dedicated teacher when you are not dedicated to your own flesh and blood? People think it's easy to just run away from my situation and just go on the field trip with Nyla but babes, trust me, IT AIN'T EASY! Anyway, you always turn to family when you are in desperate need so Nyla's cousins, Shofi and Hassan will follow my girl. Well, they are definitely my super substitutes! I'm sure Nyla will have a blast. I have asked them to bring camera and snap as many pics as they can! How come my heart still painful one??????

Date: Feb 26 2008

Title: EXHAUSTED

It's been crazy and hectic in school. I miss Nyla so very much. When I leave the house, she's still asleep. When I reach home, she's getting ready to sleep. I don't know if it's me being sensitive but I feel that she does not seem to miss me. I don't think I can ever go on like this. Please...Don't make the long hours in school kill my passion to teach.

Teaching and Nyla MUST go together hand in hand. I need a 'light bulb' moment.

Never had I imagined or expected that my Goldcoast trip in December 2008 would be a catalyst to my decision to opt out of the workforce.

I spent awesome quality and quantity time with my babe.

The night we returned to Singapore, when my husband was snoring blissfully and the babe sleeping soundly with her mouth agape, I debated my options.

It was the first sleepless night after so long. Heee!

I thought about the choice constantly, whether to work or not.
I knew there were certain things I had to rule out in my decision making.
I didn’t want to be in an all or nothing situation.

I knew I wanted the best of both worlds.

I wanted to teach and at the same time be Nyla's main caregiver.

For dreams to come true, you need to be surrounded by a supportive family for together with you, they help examine our options...'balancing our dreams with practicalities'.

So after much discussion, Mr E and I sorted out the finances and prepared ourselves.

-Mr E and I sold our condominium at Bukit Timah and bought a 3 room HDB flat.

-We are now car-less.

So basically, our financial belt has been tightened to the very last hole.

Our shared motto to prepare ourselves when I quit work to set up The Bottoms Up Club was MINI MATERIALS, MAXI LIFE.

2 years have since passed and we still firmly stand by the above motto having the best times of our lives. :)

Not only am I having the time of my life teaching the Bottoms Uppers, I am writing children's books with Nyla, conducting workshops with my partner Jenn, parenting symposiums with my Mr E, the Excluzif Toga line with my mom and I still am dreaming to do more. Insyaallah!

My life is definitely richer and more meaningful, doing the things I absolutely love....

Mr E gave me a New Year present. How apt!

I have already finished reading it.

Let me share with you some excerpts..

...You may be worried about your existing financial commitments or you might think that you don't have enough money to do whatever it is you'd like to do, but you'll see that there are always multiple ways to address these issues. Flexibility and hard work are key components.

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With the right vision, planning, and determination, anyone who wants to can live what they love. May you be blessed with a passionate life.

Wonderful ey?

PS: If you don't have Tuesday's Berita Harian with you, read all about Mimpi Indah Jadi Nyata here.

Peeps, thank you all for the kind words over at Facebook, Twitter and email! Hugs!

Back to school

Yesterday and today, I viewed many photos of kids beaming (and crying) in their uniforms over at Facebook and Twitter.

So the school term has begun!

It's Nyla's fourth and final year at Chiltern House Preschool and she's all proud. :)

Mommy here shares her joy but deep deep in my heart, there was that slight tinge of sadness because my mini BFF is growing up a little too quickly.

Do you feel it too mommies?

Let me share with you Nyla's preschool journey...

Nursery 1

Nursery 2

K1

K2 (kapoh-ed the pic below from Nyla's blog)

The girls went crazy when they saw one another.

Hug here...Hug there...Hugs everywhere.

And Nyla hugged everyone except me.

Left me standing there as she skipped away, giggling with her friends.

No goodbye hug. No goodbye kiss.

Thanks ah babe.