Fun with water

I guess all kids just loves water. Here she is playing with water. She dips her hand into the pool of water and play with it. Swirling, splish-splashing, pouncing, whatever she do with it just like experimenting the feel and touch of it and the kind of cooling feeling on her little hands!

Fun time with water is so far her favourite passtime! LOL.

A liking to Power Puffs Girls

Well, Power Puffs Girls, I have no idea who are they till now, because my lil one loves those cute big eyes. There are 3 little characters which are, Blossoms, Bubbles and Buttercup. Guess which one my little one love most? Of course the green one, Buttercup. Oh you must remember that her one year old birthday cake is also a Buttercup character!

Here she is taking a picture with the Buttercup poster. Sorry my darlin, they do not have any Powerpuffs girls dresses or any garment in your size! Oh what a pity......

The New Generation Gap

I have been thinking to blog about generation gap for a while now.......
After some readings and thinking this is what I have found so far.



Briefly,


The Builders Generation (1925-1942)
Influence by WWII, Great Depression & major authority figures.

Baby Boomers (1943-1960)
Influence by TV, Rock&Roll, Threat of Nuclear war and Cold War.

Generation X (1961-1981)
Influence by PC, AIDS, Single parent families, multiculturalism & downsizing companies.

Generation Y or Millenials (1982-Present)
Influence by Internet, Globalisation, Sept 11 and environmentalism.



Well, Since I am from the GenX; I will mainly blog about GenY.

Since long ago, people always try to understand what the young ones are thinking rather than the old ones, so naturally, I am interested in the younger generation which is GenY or The Millenials.

Due to my profession, I come across many GenYs and because of that I have always wanted to know more about their behaviour and experiences.

The truth is, there are always exceptional examples who does not follow the stereotypes BUT, mostly often it does.

Well, the world we grow up in is very different now compare to last time. Of course the perceptions and expectations are different too.

GenY does not understand the value of money as everything seems so easy for them. Everything is almost provided for by their parents and need not know how hard it is to earn money on their own. Starbucks' coffee can only be a norm to them than those normal black coffee by the Kopitiam.

Internet, Wi-Fi is normal and gadgets like handphones are a must, come on, during my time, handphone is a luxury and now is just a tool easier for me to communicate. For GenYs handphone is a need not a want and I bet there should be a message texting competition for them as they type sms faster than any other generation with their own text language only they know best. Seriously, there is a big difference!

The pop culture influence and peer pressure is much different now, they tend to work well in a team rather than individually. GenYs hit hard on peer pressure, they go all in groups and seldom alone. Look at the latest boy bands and girls group all in threes or fours or more! More songs feat with each other rather than hit a single song on their own. Is it a trend? The invention of You tube, Facebook, Twitter, Blackberry..... the shout outs and videos are all being felt by everyone, GenYs do not want to be alone, they afraid to be alone and they want everyone to know their every single move.....

Globalization, more understanding of the cultures of the world and inter-race marriage is more possible than last time, which used to be a huge taboo for all cultures.

Due to the single parent agenda, more and more youngsters opt for cohabiting rather than having married to one another, like the famous Brad and Angelina..... why? Well it is no longer a social stigma, unlike 30 years ago. The idea of being responsible to each other is kind of scary to them. There are not much of a commitment and marriage spells trouble for them. It is somewhat economical too on saving rent and utilities bills. The fear of having a divorce too add in to the idea of cohabiting. This idea also contributed to many unmarried mother and lack of population in certain countries.

This spills on to the fact on being environmental-friendly. Less people = Less pollution? More awareness now than ever in GenYs, their quest to save the world is more obvious than before. The global warming the weather changing is more obvious now than in any decades. The doings of us and our forefathers seems rather bad to the environment and they hate us for not being caring to the environment.

In the workforce, generally the GenYs have too much expectations compare to GenXs. They will tend to switch jobs more frequently than any other generations. They need more feedbacks, more encouragement, their mere participation is frequent enough for a reward. Their work ethics are practically different than ours. They prefer a work-life balance, which is life come first before work. They want work to be enjoyable as well as life.

Well I can still go on and on but I guess you guys get the picture. In order to improve myself, I need to understand what GenYs are like generally as more than often we meet them everywhere. To understand meaning to improve and upgrade to the latest trend as in to keep up with them as well. The trend of GenYs are affecting a lot of GenXs, if we do not understand them no one else will.

Fishy fingers anyone?

Some fresh juicy fish meat cut into bite pieces; add a little salt to season.
Flour: add some seasoning too + some herbs. I add thyme.

Breadcrumbs: Love the Japanese breadcrumds they are the best!

Now you have seen my homemade fish fingers.

Yummy and easy to make, just for you and your family.

1. Dip fish into the flour mix.
2. Dip into egg wash.
3. Dip into the breadcrumbs.
4. Deep fry in hot oil.
5. Hurray, it's done!
   
   

Walking

Finally, today she's able to walk on her own properly without any assistance! She's more confident now although she trip over a few times but manage to stand up again and walk..... Hurray!

Personal interpretation of Mexican food

Well for the first time am eating nacho chips for dinner. Of course these goes well with salsa and cheese dips, but am going to do something different.

Here's my salted pork to go with the chips.

Here's the chicken to go with it. Some ginger and honey to marinate. :P

Finally some tomatoes with french beans......... yum!

Salad of the day

Honestly, I hate vege when I was little. But when I enter college suddenly I enjoy vege; since then I have been a loyal salad lover. Don't ask me why, I do not understand this myself too!

Alright, here's my personal comfort food. Lotsa salad leaves with onions, smoke salmon and balsamic vinegar. If you want add some tomatoes and olive oil too! Yummy.

Back to homecook again!

A few dishes of homecook dish for dinner.... Chinese sesame chicken and slice ginger pork with lettuce. I have no time to cook rice as there are only two person eating. So the better choice is to "ta pau" the rice. Easier for me and saves some time for me to concentrate on the main dishes.

I am so tired of eating out as there are no good food outside (unless no choice or too tired to prepare any food) and furthermore it is economical to eat in also more healthy. Will always love homecook food no matter what.

Like I say, am prepare to come back and cook more food..... as my lil'bean is growing up fast now and I can say easier for me to cook at home. :P

Wobble on...

Who's wobbling about in the house?
My lil' bean of course..... she walks.... er hem... wobbles a few steps on her own and then holding on to a chair then continues her journey by holding on to the wall like a spider man and then start to push things around the house.
She's has started to move all the furniture around the house which of course I forbids her to do so........ then she'll throw her tantrums and start crying out loud! Well I guess this period of crying and getting what she wants by pointing her finger will pass on after a while.
She bosses her grandma around the house.... my god! Wnd she tried the same thing on me which did not succeed; then the only thing she'll do is scream and cry out loud! Only god knows that I did not torture her! Sigh......... well this will be some memories for me and her to look back later on.........

Little milestones to remember....

My lil bean has started to ...........

24 Sept: Wave goodbye and say bye!

26 Sept: Clap with both hands... Yay!

4 Oct: Clap with rythmn.

10 Oct: Abilty to pronounce a few words (Bear, Bird, Ball)

13 Oct: Walk with one hand holding on.....

18 Oct: Ability to pronounce (Duck, Dog)

30 Oct: Walk a few steps o her own.... trying hard!

Walking on...

Mama: You still want to go round the house again?
Baby: I want go garden.... go visit tortoise.....
Mama: Alright hold my hand and here you go....
Baby: *Walking not balance*.... Ah there's the garden! I want see bird too!
After watching the plants and birds....
Mama: Let's go visit tortoise now....
Baby: *Walking holding mummy's hand*
Mama: The tortoises are sleeping wor... let's go some where else.
Baby: *Walking towards the kitchen*
Mama: Well you are not suppose to go into the kitchen! Lets go somewhere else maybe your room?
Baby: *Walking to wards the room, holding mummy's hand still.
When reaching the room, Baby suddenly let go of her hands and hold on to the walls and start making spider-man's moves.... holding on to the wall and slide across the room.
WHOA........

Baby: One day I'll manage to walk by my self..... hheheheh :P

Zen stories

I happened to stumble upon some intersting stories......... which are called Zen stories. I had wanted to search for some story books for my lil' bean and in the end I saw these wonderful zen stories.... (well not really spiritual) but more about moral.

I have indeed sort out a few which I think it is suitable for teacing kids about moral and attitude towards life. (Actually it does applies to everyone, no matter how old you are)!!

1. Letting Go

Two monks were returning to the monastery in the evening. It had rained and there were puddles of water on the road sides. At one place a beautiful young woman was standing unable to walk accross because of a puddle of water. The elder of the two monks went up to a her lifted her and left her on the other side of the road, and continued his way to the monastery.
In the evening the younger monk came to the elder monk and said, "Sir, as monks, we cannot touch a woman ?"
The elder monk answered "yes, brother".
Then the younger monk asks again, "but then Sir, how is that you lifted that woman on the roadside ?"
The elder monk smiled at him and told him " I left her on the other side of the road, but you are still carrying her."

2. The Blind Men and the Elephant
Several citizens ran into a hot argument about God and different religions, and each one could not agree to a common answer. So they came to the Lord Buddha to find out what exactly God looks like.
The Buddha asked his disciples to get a large magnificent elephant and four blind men. He then brought the four blind to the elephant and told them to find out what the elephant would "look" like.
The first blind men touched the elephant leg and reported that it "looked" like a pillar. The second blind man touched the elephant tummy and said that an elephant was a wall. The third blind man touched the elephant ear and said that it was a piece of cloth. The fourth blind man hold on to the tail and described the elephant as a piece of rope. And all of them ran into a hot argument about the "appearance" of an elephant.
The Buddha asked the citizens: "Each blind man had touched the elephant but each of them gives a different description of the animal. Which answer is right?"

3. Nothing Exists
Yamaoka Tesshu, as a young student of Zen, visited one master after another. He called upon Dokuon of Shokoku.
Desiring to show his attainment, he said: "The mind, Buddha, and sentient beings, after all, do not exist. The true nature of phenomena is emptiness. There is no realization, no delusion, no sage, no mediocrity. There is no giving and nothing to be received."
Dokuon, who was smoking quietly, said nothing. Suddenly he whacked Yamaoka with his bamboo pipe. This made the youth quite angry.
"If nothing exists," inquired Dokuon, "where did this anger come from?"

4. Maybe
Once upon the time there was an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. “Such bad luck,” they said sympathetically.
“Maybe,” the farmer replied.
The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. “How wonderful,” the neighbors exclaimed.
“Maybe,” replied the old man.
The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune.
“Maybe,” answered the farmer.
The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son’s leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out.
“Maybe,” said the farmer.

5. Just Two Words

There once was a monastery that was very strict. Following a vow of silence, no one was allowed to speak at all. But there was one exception to this rule. Every ten years, the monks were permitted to speak just two words. After spending his first ten years at the monastery, one monk went to the head monk. “It has been ten years,” said the head monk. “What are the two words you would like to speak?”
“Bed… hard…” said the monk.
“I see,” replied the head monk.
Ten years later, the monk returned to the head monk’s office. “It has been ten more years,” said the head monk. “What are the two words you would like to speak?”
“Food… stinks…” said the monk.
“I see,” replied the head monk.
Yet another ten years passed and the monk once again met with the head monk who asked, “What are your two words now, after these ten years?”
“I… quit!” said the monk.
“Well, I can see why,” replied the head monk. “All you ever do is complain.”

Interesting stories........... :)

My 2 favourite things of all time.

I honestly do not know why my lil' bean likes these 2 objects, but I am glad as these 2 of her favourite stuffs ease my job of putting her to sleep.

1. The Yellow Blanket aka. "Chou Chou".

This one blanket gets her to sleep easily, no matter where she goes, this one has to follow her all the way. It sooths her and calm her down, like in her own comfort zone. Whenever she's upset just throw her the blankie, she'll be fine! Amazing isn't it? After smelling it for a while she will be happy once again.
2. The Dooodoll aka. "DooDoo". http://www.dooodolls.com/

Well, I bought this doll for her from MPH Bookstore.... weird place to find a doll for kids; well it was a love at first sight..... she fell in love with it since the minute she sets eyes on it. I really do not know why, there are many other dolls but she chooses this one doll. Luckily she did not get one with weird eyes or expressions.

Bishop Dress

After researching around for some time, I decided to make a dress for my lil' bean for her first birthday! So this is it! This is also my first attempt on creating the smocking, not bad huh! :)

I love the colour combination of this dress, and the cotton lace that I found from the shop. The cost of this dress is quite high.... almost near to RM100! That's because it is pure cotton! Hope my lil' bean likes it!

2010 Grand Prix SIngapore

I have always wanted to go see a F1 Grand Prix at least once in my lifetime........ and my dream came true. This is one of the places to go in my List other than PARIS. After being grounded for almost 2 years finally I get the chance to travel again for a god damn good reason, the GP! Thanks bro for the birthday present, you make this dream of mine came true! Love ya XOXO!
Fancy Lantern everywhere..... and of course the people.......... luckily no rain that night!

The Huge crowd...... seeing people come from everywhere.....preparing for the excitement that will take your breath away!
Ok let me say that I have got a good spot, as in standing high on the grand stand platform in Zone 4. How come I got to stand high up and got a nice view....... it is because we went there early like around 5pm to reserve the place until like say 8pm in the evening when the final GP starts. Let me say, luckily there were 4 of us so 2 of my group went to buy some food and drinks, while another 2 of us stand there waiting. That's how we got the nice spot!

Guess who won in the end....... !!! Well, my skills in photography is still intact with me. I manage to capture the fastest car like using just a simple Canon Power Shot S90. Not even using Zoom lenses. LOL!
After Party in the Esplanade........ a DJ spinning in the outdoor theater! Mariah Carey performing on stage........ a few beers to end the night! Had a fantastic weekend! Cheers everyone!

Baby First Grab...

When my baby turn one, we did a small mini ceremony according to the Chinese tradition. This tradition has been on going for ages and used to be very superstitious; but now in modern times it is more like an activity for fun. Indeed my baby has lotsa fun!

This tradition is named "Zhua Zhou"(抓周) or Grabbing Test, which used to predicts infant's future career path, personality traits and interests. A number of things are to be presented in front of the baby, so he/she can choose and grab what she likes or prefers.

I had place 12 different objects in front of my daughter for her to grab and Er...hem.... I am not revealing what she grabs.... just only the things that I placed before her.

1. A Bag
2. A Stethoscope
   
3. A Measuring tool
4. A Money bill
5. A Tambourine
   
6. A Box of jeweleries
7. A Book
8. A Hammer
9. A Brush
10. A Seal
11. A Cooking utensil
    
12. A Toy Doggie
    

Instant photo shoot!

I have wanted to shoot instant photograph for a long time now, and since it's my lil bean 1st birthday, I make it a point that all of us in the family to go for it. Well, I wanted to buy an instant mini polaroid camera but later find out that the cost of the film is quite expensive; so I decided that we go shoot the photos in the instant photo shooting machine which is much better and more fun! Here are some of the wonderful shots..... LOL. We all did have fun, and will make this an annual event as long as the machine is still there!

Happy First Birthday!

I have wanted to celebrate my baby's 1st birthday inviting close friends and relatives. So this is it! The Theme for the party was Rubber Ducky and the colours were red, yellow and white.

Here is the lovely cake and the decoration center piece for the main table. Both were stunning and the talk of the party. The kids had a blast too! It was an enjoyable tea party. Of course my baby love those ducky deco and her cake. Thanks to Ween for the lovely deco!

Some of the food for the party........ mini sausage rolls, mini croissant, mini egg tart, mini cheese sandwich, cream puff, Red eggs, animal biscuits, watermelon, ice-cream.... la la la la..

Balloons for everyone! Yay!

Happy Birthday My Little one!

Lovely Cream Puff....... me and hubby didn't even get a bite and it's all gone. I guess it's a big hit!
Yummy!

Lovely duckies in the Bath Tub..... rub-a-tub-duck, Count how many in the tub!

Pinning the Duck on the tub.... games for kids!

Oooo... my little one enjoying herself opening the presents! LOL!

Hope y'all that attend have lots of fun!

I know We did!