BABBLE BREAK

BABBLING WITH HAPPINESS

noreply@blogger.com (Alice) — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 01:30:00 +0000

This week has been most eventful and the three things I am happy about have got to be that:

1. The exams are over finally. It seems soooo long drawn because Kaelan's exam started so early and never seem to end.

2. So far, the results have been encouraging

3. And Auntie Betty's gonna be back....at least for a longer period this time round.

Can't wait to plan fun stuff for the kids this holiday and thankful I have chance to enjoy every moment with them.

BABBLE BOOSTER: Happy Deepavali

noreply@blogger.com (Alice) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 01:44:00 +0000

To all my Indian friends....a Happy Deepavali. I am really heartened by the fact that I continue to see many of my sons' friends having open houses and inviting friends from other races. This holiday, I have also seen many of the events organised by my son at home being attended by friends from all races. This is truly 1Malaysia and the wonderful thing is they do it naturally and not because of some slogan that the government drums into them.

So here's a babble booster for all Malaysians. There's still hope yet for all of us..

JEST BABBLING: TWO DOCTORS

noreply@blogger.com (Alice) — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 10:08:00 +0000

While in China , a man is very sexually promiscuous and does not use a condom all the time he is there.

A week after arriving back home in the States, he wakes one morning to find his penis covered with bright green and purple spots.
Horrified, he immediately goes to see a doctor.

The doctor, never having seen anything like this before, orders some tests and tells the man to return in two days for the results.

The man returns a couple of days later and the doctor says, 'I've got bad news for you, you've contracted Mongolian VD. It's very rare and almost unheard of here, we know very little about it.'

The man looks a little perplexed and says, 'Well, give me a shot or something and fix me up, Doc.'
The doctor answers, 'I'm sorry, there's no known cure. We're going to have to amputate your penis.'

The man screams in horror, 'Absolutely not! I want a second opinion.'

The doctor replies, 'Well, it's your choice. Go ahead, if you want but surgery is your only choice.'

The next day, the man seeks out a Chinese doctor, figuring that he'll know more about the disease. The Chinese doctor examines his penis and proclaims,
'Ah, yes, Mongolian VD. Vewy ware disease.'

The guy says to the doctor, 'Yeah, yeah, I already know that but what can we do? My American doctor wants to operate and amputate my penis!'

The Chinese doctor shakes his head and laughs. 'Stupid American docttah, always want to opawate. Make more money dat way. No need to amputate!'

Oh, Thank God!' the man replies.

'Yes,' says the Chinese doctor, 'wait two weeks. Fall off by itself!'

TODAY'S BABBLE: Halloween 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Alice) — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 07:52:00 +0000

It was just after exams for two of my kids and an appeal to have friends over to celebrate Halloween didn't seem like a bad idea...(yes, I know I'm a sucker for pleading). So what was supposed to be just a movie night with a small group of 4 friends over, turned into a full-fledged Halloween celebration complete with eerie music and special lighting effects for mood, a Halloween welcome sign and Halloween decor, bonfire, roasting of marshmallows, bbq, trick-or-treating round the neighborhood complete with costume, and ending off the nite with a scary movie. ...(well, it was planned to be a scary movie but some girls chickened out, so we opted for comedy instead). We even planned for some ghost story-telling sessions in a tent set up outside. Fellow blogger Bud aka Older Eyes obliged us with a great story on his blog, which I used as a teaser of what kind of stories are in store. (This guy really can bring the goosebumps out!). After his story, no one dared to get into the tent for more!!!!

Anyway, before that, we did up our home-made Halloween banner in a quick half-an-hour complete with cobwebs. Kaemon started gathering twigs and stuff for the bonfire as early as 6.30pm. The girls came not long after and headed straight for the powder room for their makeover. They did a good job - some were vampires, some were nerds. Quite a few came with lighted headgear which was quite useful since we kept the entire house pretty dark for effect. I lighted up lots of tealight candles at strategic parts of the house and Kaelan's haunted house music effect did great to create a most eerie and grim atmosphere. Mother Nature must be quite offended with us that day as the bonfire emitted quite a bit of smoke. We brought out the marshmallows and everyone quickly skewered their marshmallows into satay sticks and placed them over the fire. They said it tasted leafy but nice. When everyone was sufficiently famished, we proceeded to the courtyard garden for barbecue. We had some chicken wings, crabsticks, sausages and otak-otak and I added some Dominoes Pizza and KFC for good measure. Kids had a fun time by the pond deck, eating in the dark with ghoules screaming in the background. I guess the best part was the trick-or-treat walk about in our neighborhood. The kids were in a merry mood, singing and chatting happily as they walked past rows and rows of dimly lit houses. I could see that exam pressure was out the window and these kids were determined to have fun that night. We identified a few door bells to ring - neighbours whom we thought would be more into this type of thing. Since Halloween isn't something commonly celebrated here, we kind of caught our neighbours off guard. They were not prepared for noisy kids at the door step, singing 'Selamat Halloween". We also found out that many Malaysian households don't have ready stock of candy to give away, so the kids' pumpkin containers were filled instead with Hersheys and Twiggies instead. Still everyone sportingly came out for the trick-or-treat. The sight of a group of kids in masks and black hoodies and capes running about on the deserted, pitch dark roads and in the playground could have caused some worry for some people. The odd one or two cars that passed us by in the quiet of the night slowed down to see what the commotion was about and the people in them gave us some curious stares. As this was a last-minute plan and we hardly had a day to do the preparation, it turned out quite alright.

BABBLE BLURB: No Spoon?

noreply@blogger.com (Alice) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 23:06:00 +0000

What an ingenious idea for the day when you are yearning for hot piping soup and there's no spoon in sight. The human race, aren't we just so resourceful?

TOP SITES TUESDAY #83 Haunted Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Alice) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 23:43:00 +0000

Its Halloween soon and Haunted Tuesday a most appropriate theme this week. Halloween in Malaysia is more for the kids and the event isn't much of a big thing with the adults. Still, the businesses out there are cashing in on it and increasingly every year, we are seeing more and more Halloween merchandise being offered in stores.

I am one who would go all out for anything fun to add on to the kids' program for the year and so eversince they were small, Halloween has been celebrated by the family in some way or other, but most often in a small way. It can be as simple as snuggling up in a tent in the garden, with torch in hand, bbq'ing marshmallows and telling ghost stories or as elaborate as dressing up in full monster attire for a party or trick-or treat walk-about.

My son loves haunted houses and uses such projects to let his imagination run wild. He has helped organise two successful haunted house projects for his school carnival and topped sales in both cases. Seen here is the Grim Reaper in action.

I do love ghost stories. Many of those stories were told in bungalow stays or shared durng school camp outings. I would have loved to pass them on to my kids but memory fails desperately no matter how hard I try to recall. A natural block to cope with the phobia, I guess. I can remember them vaguely but the story loses its "oomph" because much of the details are no longer there.

But there were 2 unexplained encounters that remain vivid in my memory till today. Both were related to the death of my loved ones.

My oldest sis died of Lupus, a most dilapidating illness at the age of 50. My siblings and I stayed over at her house (in another state) a few days before the funeral. On the night we arrived at her place, we were all very tired and waiting in line to get to the bathroom. One by one, we left the main hall to get refreshed leaving only my elder sister in the living hall. She was viewing the many photos of my sis and her family mounted on the wall and started commenting on the photos to "me", with her back towards "me", thinking that I had not left the room. She said she thought "I" concurred with her on some of her comments and even conversed with her when she was looking at the photos. All this while she had sensed "my" presence in the room and had just assumed she was talking to me. When she finally realised I wasnt there, she just assumed that I had gone upstairs. When she met me later, she was surprised to learn that I had just come out from the bath and in actual fact no one was downstairs with her at that point!

The other incident was after my Dad passed away. My mum continued sleeping on their bed but without fail she would be pushed off the bed in the middle of the night. This continued for a full week and during that time, I did hear footsteps on the stairs in the middle of the night. I would always listen out for the last wooden plank to creak and it always did. Surprisingly I was not in the least alarmed and in fact comforted with the knowledge that Dad was back amongst us. (which was what Mum told us). I secretly wished he would continue to do stay with us in spirit. Mum finally got to sleep in peace as the pushovers stopped after the first week. Dad must have missed us tremendously and found it hard to leave. Why he chose to push mum down the bed, remains a mystery to us.

When I told my kids about these stories, I sensed that death disturbs them very much. I know its morbid but I wish that I knew of a good way to explain death to them so that when it finally comes, that they would be able to accept it well despite their grief. My youngest son always asked if I would turn into an angel and look after them as I always have. Each time, I would I would reply that I shall always be watching over them. I wish I can be sure of this.

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BABBKLE BOOSTER: TELL ME WHY

noreply@blogger.com (Alice) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 00:01:00 +0000

This 13 year old boy certainly boosted my week with this song. Apparently he wrote the lyrics and composed this world song, sang and recorded it. What a penetrating message and very sobering indeed coming from someone so young. This is brilliant!!

BABBLE BLURB: FINGER GUARD

noreply@blogger.com (Alice) — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 02:43:00 +0000

A must have in every kitchen don't you think? More so for those of us who are onion and garlic lovers and can't live without them in our food.

BABBLE ALERT: DANGER IN FRIDGE MAGNETS

noreply@blogger.com (Alice) — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 02:19:00 +0000

I know of many people who are very into decorative fridge magnets and have a whole collection of them on their fridges. Well, if you are one of those people, this might be one babble alert you should take heed of.

A number of researchers at Princeton 's University have discovered
something scary!

For several months, they were feeding two groups of mice: the first
group with food kept in a refrigerator, and the second group with food kept
in a refrigerator as well but with several decorative magnets on the door.

The objective of this experiment was to see how electromagnetic
radiation (that coming out from the decorative magnets on the door)
affect food items. Amazingly, rigorous clinical studies stated that
the group of mice that consumed the "radiated" food had as much as 87
% higher probability to get cancer than the other group of mice.

Inexplicably no Governments or health associations/institutions have
given any statement on this regard. But, just on the odd chance that this piece of information may bear some truth, I'm removing any decorative magnet from my refridgerator and put it far away from any food. I don't really fancy them on the fridge door anyways cos they do leave a mark once you decide to take them off especially so if your fridge color is white.

JEST BABBLING: Taxi Drivers Learn French

noreply@blogger.com (Alice) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0000

TOP SITES TUESDAY #81 Why did I start blogging?

noreply@blogger.com (Alice) — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 23:43:00 +0000

This is week #81 on Top Sites Tuesday… and the question this week is "What made you decide to start blogging?" Okay, first off I'm not a regular blogger, much less a professional one, that's for sure. I notice that some bloggers post one entry without fail everyday and I find it hard to instill that kind of disciplin in my blogging. So essentially I blog when I feel like it or if I have time in between the mad schedules that I keep everyday and in between time spent with the kids and a whole host of other work.

I started reading all about blogging when my son started getting into it. You know what they say about being aware what your teen is up to? Well, yes.. that was what got me in the know about blogging. I was just trying to be a responsible mum, finding out what the kid was up to. I knew that I cant afford to fall back on what's happening in his life. And if we were to remain friends, I had better keep myself updated and relevant. Wonderful part about it was that, my son did not view it as an intrusion at all. He volunteered to fill me in on what it was all about and together we worked on setting up our first blogs. Being more tech savvy, he even helped me design my very first Christmas themed blog which was so cool. He's changed lots of skins since then, experimenting with his HTML skills while I stuck safely to the ready designs from Blogger. I encourage him to blog so that he can hone his writing skills in a fun way and we enjoy reading each other's blog entries.

Over time, I found that blogging did give some respite from stress and decided to continue with it, treating it as a break from the routine and so the name "Babble Break". I don't especially go all out to get traffic or treat it as a money making thing like most bloggers. So if no one reads my blog, I'm fine with it as well. Come a point, my kids were asking me why I bother to write if no one reads the entries. HAHA! Well, I'm sure there are people reading it at some point, somewhere in the world. But the important thing is I'm doing this for myself. So it doesnt really matter so long as I derive some benefit or joy from it. Babble Break is really a hotch potch of babbles about everyday stuff that takes my fancy.and the other, Kitchen Trails is a log of sorts to record my experiments in the kitchen. I've had my fair share of heightened moments with blogging and the net, much to the chagrin of my better half. Hehe..I think he's rather thankful that I have sort of passed the stage when I would stay up just so that I could finish a post.

There's talk that blogging will soon be superceded by other social media like Facebook. Who knows, really. I find the media scene changing ever so fast. Already the kids are now more into Facebook and Twitter and their blogs are pretty inactive over the last year or so. For me, though, I think I shall be babbling on for a while still, time permitting. I don't make money from my blog but I have derived hours of satisfaction from writing and made some wonderful friends through it. Of course, a little motivation now and then, such as when people give lovely and positive comments, helps me along the way. I guess the most satisfying achievement so far for all my blogging efforts has been two wonderful T-shirts sent all the way to me by Wolfbernz and I'm thankful for that. Here's the link to my post when I first received the parcel.

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BABBLE ALERT: Greener than Green Peas!

noreply@blogger.com (Alice) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 00:03:00 +0000

This news was published in a Chinese Daily sometime in March. Apparently, a chemist bought a packet of peas from a famous hypermarket in Penang. After consuming the peas, he experienced some stomach pain and observed that his tongue had green stains. Being a chemist, he ran some tests and found that the peas were actually colored green!

Green peas are green rounded pea seeds that are sweet and starchy in taste. They contain twice the protein of most vegetable, so they are a healthier substitute for meat. Three quarters cup of peas provides 6 grams of protein, plus thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium and 645 units of vitamin A.

Unfortunately, it is claimed that food industries in developing nations are preparing the green peas form brown peas which are cheaper by soaking them in dye solution overnight.

All these chemicals have been banned by US food and drug administration in 1974 itself.
Frequent consumption of fake green peas leads to colon and bladder cancer.

So, yes this is definitely a big babble alert! Try the following if you suspect that your packet of green peas are "fake". Yikes

1. Put the peas in boiled water for 30 seconds, water turns
to green color.
2. After consumption check your tongue to observe green
color stains and light bitter in taste.

Symptoms

1. Stomach irritation, pain or acidity.
2. Urine turns to light green color.
3. Mild head ache.

JEST BABBLING: Over Fifty and Grappling with Gadgets?

noreply@blogger.com (Alice) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 00:21:00 +0000

A good laugh..this one, even if you are not over 50! Quite frankly, this strikes a chord with me. Here's the truth of the matter from one who is obviously grappling with the gadgets. It goes like this....

"When I bought my Blackberry I thought about the 30-year business I ran with 1800 employees, all without a cell phone that plays music, takes videos, pictures and communicates with Facebook and Twitter. I signed up under duress for Twitter and Facebook, so my seven kids, their spouses, 13 grandkids and 2 great grand kids could communicate with me in the modern way. I figured I could handle something as simple as Twitter with only 140 characters of space.

That was before one of my grandkids hooked me up for Tweeter, Tweetree, Twhirl, Twitterfon, Tweetie and Twittererific Tweetdeck, Twitpix and something that sends every message to my cell phone and every other program within the texting world.

My phone was beeping every three minutes with the details of everything except the bowel movements of the entire next generation. I am not ready to live like this. I keep my cell phone in the garage in my golf bag.

The kids bought me a GPS for my last birthday because they say I get lost every now and then going over to the grocery store or library. I keep that in a box under my tool bench with the Blue tooth [it's red] phone I am supposed to use when I drive. I wore it once and was standing in line at Barnes and Noble talking to my wife and everyone in the nearest 50 yards was glaring at me. I had to take my hearing aid out to use it, and I got a little loud.

I mean the GPS looked pretty smart on my dash board, but the lady inside that gadget was the most annoying, rudest person I had run into in a long time. Every 10 minutes, she would sarcastically say, "Re-calc-ul-ating." You would think that she could be nicer. It was like she could barely tolerate me. She would let go with a deep sigh and then tell me to make a U-turn at the next light. Then if I made a right turn instead…well, it was not a good relationship.

When I get really lost now, I call my wife and tell her the name of the cross streets and while she is starting to develop the same tone as Gypsy, the GPS lady, at least she loves me.

To be perfectly frank, I am still trying to learn how to use the cordless phones in our house. We have had them for 4 years, but I still haven't figured out how I can lose three phones all at once and have run around digging under chair cushions and checking bathrooms and the dirty laundry baskets when the phone rings.

The world is just getting too complex for me. They even mess me up every time I go to the grocery store. You would think they could settle on something themselves but this sudden "Paper or Plastic?" every time I check out just knocks me for a loop. I bought some of those cloth reusable bags to avoid looking confused, but I never remember to take them in with me.

Now I toss it back to them. When they ask me, "Paper or Plastic?" I just say, "Doesn't matter to me. I am bi-sacksual." Then it's their turn to stare at me with a blank look.
I was recently asked if I tweet. I answered, No, but I do toot a lot."

TOP SITES TUESDAY #81

noreply@blogger.com (Alice) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 00:36:00 +0000

My top of mind thought this Tuesday is that this little fella has the passion for singing. He has been at it every evening, singing his heart out in front of the computer. He would choose his favourite songs and then tries them out on his own and ever so often he would have the brothers, myself and the father gathering around him soon enough, enjoying his impromptu renditions. A rough diamond just waiting to be polished. Will this passion last and where will it take him?

My second thought of the day is that he's not too bad, actually...for his age I mean.
If you agree with me, click on my button. It would really motivate him. This one below isn't quite his cup of tea ("Way Back Into Love" by Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore) but he obliged me just because he knew how much I like it. So sweet.

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BABBLE BLURB: Sauce Dispensing Chopsticks

noreply@blogger.com (Alice) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 00:09:00 +0000

How ingenious! Wouldn't mind having one of these to go with my sushi.

BABBLING WITH HAPPINESS #9/10

noreply@blogger.com (Alice) — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 00:23:00 +0000

1. We had fun seeing little Kaevin practicing his performance for his school's Bintang Kecil Singing Competition. Not to mention the hilarious moments we had video taping him so that he could upload his singing onto Facebook. This guy is really passionate about his singing and Im so happy that he had a placing for the competition held on Wednesday. It was an awesome rendition of Justin Bieber's "Never say Never' from the movie Karate Kid. We had expected him to win this cos he was all pumped up and his showmanship and energy when he sang this song was really one of the best I have seen thus far. But, he got second despite the positive crowd response. Well, probably the song didnt go down well with three of the mature judges that day. And Im not surprised as it took me a while to warm up to that song too. Interestingly, the 1st prize winner was asked to perform her winning song again on Children's Day (Friday) and she received some "boos" in the process, and I was told she could hardly be heard. It seems the floor chanted for Kaevin to perform and some of the Std Sixes even went to ask the teacher if he could. I guess that says something about who should have been the champion that day. Who knows what the basis of judging was? Anyway, I'm just happy that he continues to sing well and enjoying it.

2. I am also happy that Kaelan emerged Best Speaker Finalist and Best Speaker Overall in the National Biotech Inter-School Debate Competition at the National Science Center. This despite his team being second runners-up. (They got into the finals after winning first in a couple of preliminary rounds). The topics were dry to say the least and the boys obviously knew next to nothing about Biotech, short of what ever little research they managed to do in the midst of studying for their finals. Still, they returned a pretty respectable showing. I have not seen Kaelan in action ever since he got himself involved in debating for fear that I might affect his performance. He has been returning with many best speaker awards this year and I really wish I could have been there during his triumphant moments. Oh well, never mind. I guess I'll be contented just posting up pics of his achievements. I can see that he and his team mate have a passion for the British Parliamentary Debates and hope to see them continue to hone their skills in debating. Keep it up boys!

3. I am happy that I have finally come to my senses about doing something that I might just regret 5 years down the line. Thank you, PohBL for reminding me what matters most.

BABBLE BOOSTER: I choose to be in the 7% .

noreply@blogger.com (Alice) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 03:06:00 +0000

These are really good tips to lead our life. But sadly, it seems that only 7% of people who know this or have access to this information, care enough to share it. I choose to be part of the 7% by sharing these simple, easy to practice and small steps to make life a little easier. Hope you will benefit from this and do the same by passing this on to your family and friends with the same post title!

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your parents and real friends will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it..
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20.. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ''In five years, will this matter?".
26. Always choose life.
27. Forgive everyone everything.
28. What other people think of you is none of your business..
29. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.
30. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
31. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
32. Believe in miracles.
33. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
34. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
35. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
36. Your children get only one childhood.
37. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
38. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
39. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
40.. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
41. The best is yet to come.
42. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
43. Yield.
44. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

BABBLE BLUNDER: Fancy Food Names

noreply@blogger.com (Alice) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 02:51:00 +0000

These days, it is common to walk into a chinese restaurant, ask for the menu and be gobsmacked as to what to order. That's because restaurants are now very creative with food names and some can be really elaborate. In such circumstances, we usually would ask for the Captain and request some elaboration on the dish. If you are one of those who are conservative with food and rather stick to the mainstay items that you have tried before, it is not a problem. But if you are one of those food fanatics who are always game to try something new, but would rather know what you are up against before you order....you might it find it little awkward asking the Captain for elaboration on this one - third item from the bottom of the menu.

TODAY'S BABBLE: How to eat your Mangosteens

noreply@blogger.com (Alice) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 02:32:00 +0000

I went..."Ooooooh! I didn't know this!" when I received this tip. So happened I had just bought myself a bunch so had a field day trying out this tip. It worked beautifully, especially on the smaller sized ones...so I thought I'd share. Enjoy your mangosteens minus all the dripping purple juice and say goodbye to stained clothes.

TOP SITES TUESDAYS #80 - What do you hear Outside your Window?

noreply@blogger.com (Alice) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 23:07:00 +0000

It took a random visit from Wolfbernz for me to get my butt out of my seat and start getting back to posting on Top Sites Tuesday. But I also really liked the pix for this week's theme. Reminds me of a nosey neighbour I once had who's not only preoccupied about what's happening on the outside but rather more interested about what's happening on the inside (of my house, that is). I used to have a very nice lawn and liked to add new stuff now and then. Each time that lady looks out of her window, you can bet she would be copying something that she has seen from out of her window. Ever since we moved to our new place, I'm relieved to say that what I hear on the outside has been all pleasant and more importantly...no nosy neighbours or copycats around.

Population density here is low and they buffer the traffic sounds well with loads of greenery. So while I live in the city, I have the luxury of waking up to the chirping of birds every morning. We have also included water features like a pond , fountain and water spouts outside the house so there is always the sound of trickling water throughout the day which is rather soothing and therapeutic. Of course, the downside of this is that it comes part and parcel with loud sounds of croaking frogs at night or after a heavy rain! Its also rather breezy where I live with wide expanse of land area so the sounds of the strong winds can also be apparent during the rainy season. And the sound of heavy rain hitting against the roof can be quite deafening too (bearing in mind we do get torrential rain in this part of our world).

But the true sounds that are music to my ears from where I stand by the window of my bedroom are the shrieks of laughter and delight coming from my kids as they play football or water blasts in the evenings. I remember when I was a little kid back in my family's house in Penang, the sounds from outside that would put a smile on my face too were the sounds of the push cart hawkers calling out their wares and the sounds of my friends shouting after them to wait. There was the local "tok-tok mee" man (hawker selling egg noodles), "satay babi" man, the ice-cream man selling ice cream potong, the "mua chee" man and the laksa man and the mee goreng man etc - All selling scrumptious afternoon snacks - the sounds of which I look forward to everyday after I come back from school and done with my homework.

Today, I live fairly near a mosque and the sound of morning and evening prayers coming from there seems to be getting louder these days. Sometimes I just wonder why we have to be subjected to this but in the spirit of 1Malaysia, I guess we learn to be tolerant. After a while, we grow immune to it and it doesn't really bother us any more.

Of late, I've been hearing new sounds, disturbing the tranquility of our neighbourhood. Not quite so pleasing because a new neighbour has just started construction on his plot of land. Thank god there is still another plot seperating his and mine. There are sounds of workers talking and screaming at each other, the droning of the cement mixer, sounds of moving trucks, banging of piles....I think you get the picture...completion date? 2012...argh!!!

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TODAY'S BABBLE: EXAM TIME

noreply@blogger.com (Alice) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 04:22:00 +0000

Its exam time again. My, my time really flies. It was about the same time last year that both my sons were facing their PMR and UPSR. And now its someone else's turn to sweat it out. This message is going out to Joshua and Nathalie, Lianne and Megan who are taking their SPM and PMR respectively.

That said, it will be soon enough that Kaelan faces his SPM next year. Argh!
They really should cut down the number of exams that our kids face.

ME ON MONDAY #4/10

noreply@blogger.com (Alice) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 04:13:00 +0000

What a relief..I just know this week is going to be a much more manageable week than most other weeks. And why you ask? Well, for starters, there will not be so much ferrying for me to do...both the older kids are off from school for an entire week because of the PMR exam. But wonder why I still wake up with a weird, dreary feeling. Is it because I am just two weeks away from a life changing moment? Sigh...lots of contemplating to do this week and no one can help me but me. One of those times in my life when I am surrounded by people I love, yet I feel so all alone.

TODAY'S BABBLE: Tilapia Invasion

noreply@blogger.com (Alice) — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 02:40:00 +0000

The tilapia fish in our pond provided fresh seafood to go with our sunday porridge for a long time now. They taste really fresh and sweet fried with a little bit of kunyit and the kids really loved the idea of fishing for their own catch everytime they felt like having fish for a meal. While we knew this situation will pose a problem in future, the idea of free fish was appealing and so we let it go for a while. We have been enjoying a fish meal anytime we felt like it. But as with everything else, all good things must come to an end. The tilapia were seriously killing our koi and stunting their growth since they zapped up whatever food we fed into the pond before the koi could even get to it. The tilapia started off as 5 little fry which Kaelan bought with his own RM1 when we first moved in. They multiplied quickly and soon enough the whole pond was invaded with loads of these white fishes. Our friends did warn us about this happening but not being avid koi lovers we did not take their warnings too seriously. I guess a lot to do with the glutton in us too!! Haha! Anyway, about two weekends ago, we decided to clear them all out and replace them with new koi.

It was hard work and took us a while before we finally got the last one out.

The kids naturally made a fun event out of the whole exercise.

We fried some on the very same day we cleared the fish out and had our fill of tilapia fish that day.

The fridge and freezer are now well stocked with fish which will last us for a while but the pond looks really empty. Time for us to put some colour back into the pond with some new koi. Got ourselves a couple the last weekend and intend to get some more this weekend. This time round, we shall heed the warning and keep it strictly an all-koi pond.

BABBLE BOOSTER: 7 Year Old on Dance India Dance

noreply@blogger.com (Alice) — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 01:51:00 +0000

Just the right kind of booster to end off a most difficult and tiring week for me. Certainly very well performed and I know my little one will be thrilled to watch this. Crotch problems aside, I enjoyed it tremendously...there's just no limit to the talents of young ones nowadays.

BABBLE ALERT: Nice in looks, horrible for wear

noreply@blogger.com (Alice) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 01:17:00 +0000

They looked nice and comfy and I thought they would do just nice for my tired feet (too much walking on hard wood flooring and an entire day of chauffering the kids can do much damage). So I got myself one. Came home and immediately put them to use but it didnt last for more than 2 minutes!!! One trip up the stairs and I nearly tripped when the bedroom slippers came off while I was walking.

Most dangerous and definitely something all should be forewarned against. Stay clear of these slippers currently still on sale in FOS.