Girls went to Zara’s classmate’s birthday party. Parents now are so willing to spend on children’s birthday party except us.

After a month of juicing and peeling apples almost daily, see what I can do now….

Within a month, our residential area has a big Mid-Autumn Festival pot luck, and then another Hari Raya celebration cum Family Day within our clusters of homes. I’m so loving our housing area.

At times when we have things to do in the night, the girls will entertain themselves. Here, Zara was reading a book to Zaria, and then sharing a joke.

I was wondering why it took Jelly more than 30mins to hang up the clothes to dry, and then I saw this.. she was on her phone smsing non-stop!! That’s why.
Maybe we should start imposing no cell phones policy during working hours.
We allow them a cell phone just in case they need to stay in touch with their families, and they abuse it. Sigh.

I so like this little French boy.. Sethy.

Girls had their sports day, and boy, they can run! (Daddy has to improve on the panning skill.)

She’s so focussed on the race.

One day, Zara decided to write some Chinese sentences. Alright, there’s some mistakes, but I think quite a good attempt.

I wish I was like HN and HN’s husband Lybil, who are so soft spoken, especially with their children Sophie and Sethy.

We do raise our voices with the children, and although they may not like it, sometimes we just had to do it to get our message across. What do the children do when we raise our voices at them?……….

Not sure what happen, but I think Zaria was scolded by Daddy who was coaching Zara with Bahasa Malaysia (she was probably disturbing them). So she came upstairs extremely upset, and complained to me, “I don’t like my Daddy any more. I think I’m going to throw him in the dustbin. But if he says sorry, I’ll pick him back up from the dustbin.”

And later the same day, Zaria wanted take some photos with the point and shoot, so I let her. I strapped it around her neck (in case it dropped, it won’t crash on the floor). She happily went down to look for Daddy, planning to take some shots of Zara and Daddy.

Daddy, of course freaked out. His cameras are his second (and third) wife ok. He told me off claiming I’m crazy to let Zaria play with the camera, and snatched the camera away from Zaria and told her loudly she cannot play with the camera. So again, Zaria came up stairs, this time crying. I told her that’s because the camera is so precious to Daddy. She replied through her sobs, “If I die already.. then you no more meimei right. If the camera spoilt, daddy can still buy another one. Who’s more precious.” o.O”

Zara on the other hand tries not to say anything mean when she’s angry (one part of her nightly prayer is “Jesus please help me not to say anything bad.”). So what does she do? She draws.

Today, she got scolding from me because she was fooling around when she was doing her keyboard practice. So she stopped playing, turned off the keyboard, went down stairs, and 15 minutes later came upstairs with this drawing.

(I locked her in a chamber, and shot her with a gun, the speech bubble is saying, “I don’t love you.” See how wicked I looked! o.O”)

I laughed when I saw that (couldn’t help it, really). I asked her if I looked so evil? And if I would ever shoot her? She broke down and cry, only after some hugging and reassurance, she stopped crying and felt better.

While shopping, I was passed this brouchure.

The girls took over the brouchure, had a look and both said, “Eeeeeyer… so disgusting… How come the auntie gave you thiss??”
I told them she’s trying to sell me this coffee that will make me be lovey dovey after drinking.
“It’s a love potion?” They asked.
I didn’t reply, but just joke with them. “I think I should buy this to drink.”
Zaria shrieked, “Eeeeyer, then you and Daddy will be like that?”
Zara agreed, “Eeeeeyer….I don’t want” Then she thought for a while and added, “Anyway, how does it know who to make you love?”
I told them it doesn’t make you love someone new, it just makes you love a person you already love more.

Zara then said, “I think Zaria should drink this… that will make her love her family more and will not beat them.” (as Zaria has been throwing lots of tantrums last week, and always beat us when she’s not happy).

After a couple of days, she picked up the brouchure and said, “I don’t think it’ll work with you and Daddy.”
I asked her why?
She said, “Because, it’s the way you treat each other. You always scold him, and he….. *shook her head* I don’t know how to explain it.” o.O”
I asked her, “So, what should Daddy and Mummy do to be more loving.” (hoping she’ll give us our visa to go out)
She said, “You should just think and not say anything. Just think… and then after that, do whatever you need to do.”
I probed further, “Huh? How will that work? Just think?”
She replied, “Yes, just think….. think a lot, think a lot on how you can be loving, and just do it.”

o.O” I don’t know what she meant, but she’s speaking like a love guru.

Some of the things the little one said recently.

One day we went to visit a friend who lives in Valencia. I told the girls, “Uncle Chang’s house is so nice right? It’s surrounded by trees.”
Zara replied, “Ya, it’s like a forest.”
Zaria asked, “Does he like to hunt?” o.O”

We were walking around Solaris, when we passed a restaurant which had some Paris Cafe kind of music playing, Zaria asked, “Is this a Ratatouile’s restaurant?” (if you’d watched Ratatouile, the music played in the movie is all Paris Cafe kind).
And when we walked passed another restaurant which was blasting pop song, “This one is not Ratatouile’s restaurant.. the music is different.”
Good that she’s observant.

When she’s angry with us, she sometimes will says things like,
“I’m not talking to you any more.”
“I don’t like you any more.”
So one day, she was angry with me, and I asked her, “Are you talking to me?”
She said, “I’m still angry with you. But I’m talking to you. Oh Kay!!” o.O”

Another day, she was angry for no reason and threw a tantrum, so I asked her during dinner, “I think you forget to say something to mummy for your behaviour.”
“Let me calm down first… Oh Kay??!!” o.O”

She spilled some barley drink so Jelly scolded her. She came upstairs asked if she could drink mine. I told her, “Go and ask Aunty to give you a glass.”
She drank mine, and said, “She’s angry with me, so what can I do?” o.O”

One day in the car, Daddy and I were having a heated discussion.
Zaria said, “If the two of you cannot get along, I’ll have to saperate you. One go to ma-ma’s house, another one stay at home!” o.O”
Zara explained, “They are not fighting ok, they are just talking.”

When the ice cream man arrived at the play ground, a few children rushed towards him to get their ice cream. Zaria asked if she could have one as well and I said no. Zaria said sulking, “All the children are so happy except me!” o.O”

She was walking and then she adjusted her panties, we asked her, “What are you doing.”
She replied, “My bum bum always eat my panties!” o.O”

So entertaining.. this one.

The other day Zara taught me something.

Zaria was playing with a watermelon in the kitchen.
First trying to kick it like a ball.
I told her, “Don’t do it, this is not a ball!”
Then she tried picking it up.
I raised my voice, “DON’T DO IT. This is NOT a ball!”
She ignored me, and then picked it up (she’s really strong, this one), and then tossed it like a ball.

“SPLAT“

The watermelon cracked into two.

It was the time of the month, you know, when women get grouchy, and easily irritable.

So I took the cane, and gave her a twack on the butt.

She cried of course. Looking for Jelly, then Daddy to ‘sayang’ her.

Zara who just came out from the toilet, saw the watermelon cracked into two, and Zaria wailing. She told Zaria, “Never mind Zaria, it’s a small matter. It’s not like you broke mummy’s precious jug or what.”

It’s like this light just shone down on me. Yah, it’s not even a precious jug or what, why did I cane her? Then I told Zara, “But I caned Zaria, even though it’s not a precious jug.”
Zara told me, “It’s ok. Just remember next time don’t do it again.” o.O”

So that day, I learnt from my child.

Thank You.