My Parisian Trip

Before I launch into my story about Paris, let me apologize for not writing in a while. Have some personal things to settle - like changing jobs, finally!! - and my trip to Paris - yea! My hubby was sent by company to Paris and what with accommodation, half of food and air fares being taken care of, I've decided to follow him :) :)

One word to describe - expensive! Try multiply everything by 5, then there is not a thing you can buy. A simple breakfast like 2 small cups of coffee, 1 quiche and 1 club sandwich costed RM150!! Imagine! It was our first day and we were wondering why in tarnation that we didn't think of bringing instant noodles, haha!

The city is actually really beautiful - lovely old houses, cobble stoned roads, autumn leaves - also not exactly clean, as expected by big cities :). The sights are really nice - Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Notre Dame, cathedrals, etc. Entry to Louve museum was Euro 9 per person. Lots of people! The palace was huge and beautiful.

Shopping? LV was good. Good savings from the tax refund of 12% plus a bit more off. That is if you are preparaed to get a LV. So are some of the branded goods. But local goods? Nah! There so call 'pasar malam' standard lady's top is about Euro 30 - equivalent to more than RM150! Our Ringgit Malaysia is too small. I was also looking for kids clothes and toys - surprise surprise, amazingly hard to find unless I went to the wrong places. Their local departmental store Monoprix only offered a very small selection. My kids were disappointed :(

Some of the must tries though! Fantastic hot chocolate!!! There was one cafe along Champ Elysees (a happening area) offered hot chocolate that tasted like melted chocolate bars - heavenly! Coffee was excellent and so are the wines! Really tasty snacks and pastries ... must try.. their escargots and fresh oysters - yum yum!! But try not to convert to Ringgit equivalent la! Else, you wouldn't try anything :)

I went along their Parisian markets. Interesting really. Here are some photos.

Guess what cars are their taxis?

Yes... Merc and VW!! And they are just everywhere!

And finally, home sweet home! We missed our chicken rice, hokkien me, cantonese hor fun, plus plus plus. No rice and noodles for 5 days was too much on us! :)

My Desert Rose

"Fu Gui" plant or some would call 'desert rose'. My confinement lady gave me a 'fu gui' plant to add to my collection - the dark red type. Very nice.

And the plant just bore fruit which is not a regular thing. My nursery advised me to lightly tie the fruits up or bag it up coz once the fruit becomes ripe, it will break open and the wind will blow the precious seeds away. I didn't understand that :p. I would never have thought that the seeds once exposed are actually very light and featherly. Just my blurr-ness despite my passion for gardening - but it's never too late to learn ;) Well, I have never seen one before! Here is how the seeds look like.

I had fun! I took some pots and started planting the seeds. I was told that 'fu gui' planted from seeds will have very nice roots and 'bongsai' like. Really excited! I have planted 36 seeds. Some flown away unfortunately. Can't wait to see how many successful ones I'll get :).

Just fyi - For those stalks that we cut from the 'fu gui' plant and stick it to the soil, those cut stalks will not have 'nice' roots but will still grow into a good plant.

It's simple to take care. All it needs is plenty of sun, less water (like once every 2 days or no watering during rainy days) and fertilize once every 2 weeks! I was advised to use Japanese soil ... and mixed with red soil (dry soil). And if you are particular, there is a type of fertilizer specially for 'fu gui' plant .. less salty. Have fun!

Tribute to MJ - 7 voices from 1 guy!

I just MUST share this with you. Absolutely fantastic!

There is this young guy from Yale University who made a video of himself and his buddy to honor the legendary Michael Jackson. His name is Sam Tsui. What's really impressive is that what appears to be a group of singers is actually himself x 7 (wearing 3 different shirts, same jeans) performing 7 different vocals to MJ medley - and to me, it's beyond good! And the editing putting it all together - wow WOW!

Check this out! Here it is :)

New Scholastic Booklist again!

My son's kindy recently sent out a new booklist from the Scholastic Book Clubs. This is one booklist that I keep looking out for. Besides cheap pricing, the books are really good and relevant for young readers. In my earlier post, I have some photos of the books I recently bought. I don't mind getting more to create a little library for my kids. After Ryan, they can be passed on to little Raymund and little Rachel. Books are treasures and a great investment. My views :)

Meant for preschoolers, the list actually coded the recommended books by the level of reading difficulty. I went for the easier ones as I'd like to encourage my son to read more and the different stories to create interest in reading. The books are quite cheap after the discounts. And the Clifford Phonics Fun Pack that I bought recently, that I found so useful ... I found another version. I hope to get all versions. Emailed to the customer service but no reply so far :(. Anyway, what could have costed RM47.80 from a regular bookstore is only RM28 for a pack of 12 books. I got a few other books too.. intended to pass from Ryan to his siblings. Hopefully, they can last that long ... knowing my kids :)

I showed this booklist to one of my friends with a kindy-going kid. Seems that his kindy also distribute Scholastic booklists on periodical basis. It's better than to buy from a bookstore :)

Whilst we can get English books through our kids schools from publisher/distributer like Scholastics, I have yet to see any for Chinese and Malay books. I'm still scouting for good ones for my preschoolers. No such luck yet. Happy if someone can give me some pointers :)

Inspiring Music: Hannah Montana's The Climb

I just watched Hannah Montana the Movie quite recently. Ya, its a kids show but I really like the music, The Climb. Very inspiring and spur you on - whether in life, at home or at work. I'd like to share it with you. Here goes:

I can almost see it.
That dream I'm dreamin
But there's a voice inside my head saying you'll never reach it.
Every step I'm taking.
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction.
My faith is shakin.
But I,I gotta keep tryin.
Gotta keep my head held high.

There's always gonna be another mountain.
I'm always gonna wanna make it move.
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose.
Ain't about how fast I get there.
Ain't about what's waitin on the other side.
It's the climb.

The struggles I'm facing.
The chances I'm taking.
Sometimes might knock me down but
No I'm not breaking.
I may not know it but these are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most, yeah.
Just gotta keep going.
And I, I gotta be strong.
Just keep pushing on 'cause,


There's always gonna be another mountain.
I'm always gonna wanna make it move.
Always gonna be an uphill battle
But Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose.
Ain't about how fast I get there.
Ain't about what's waitin on the other side.
It's the climb.

Yeah-yeah

There's always gonna be another mountain.
I'm always gonna wanna make it move.
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes you're gonna have to lose.
Ain't about how fast I get there.
Ain't about what's waitin on the other side.
It's the climb.

Yeah-yeah-yea

Keep on moving,
Keep climbing,
Keep the faith,
Baby.

Its all about,
Its all about the climb.
Keep your faith,
Keep your faith.

Whoa, O Whoa.

Little Rachel Recovering. It's Mummy's Turn Now - lol

Little Rachel's fever finally stopped recurring since yesterday ... after 6 days 6 nights of me freaking out. Her rashes broke out on Sunday..spreaded on Monday.. and on the way to recovery now. She is still having rashes all over but it is less red and swollen now. The better outcome from this ordeal is that her double eyelid emerged again - she's cute with it.

Some people advised me to give her young coconut water to reduce her body heat in view of the viral infection or 'kar mar' in cantonese. I asked my confinement lady - they know alot about such things and chinese remedies :) - she said coconut water is not suitable for my little girl since she is under 1 year old. Cause 'wind' she said. The better is to look for a Chinese medicine called 'ling yung' and 'sai ngau' and double boil with a bit of rock sugar for 2-3 hours. It will help reduce body heat and detox. At the chinese medicine shop, I got the 'ling yung' (look like shredded white flakes') plus some other stuff prepacked. Unfortunately, 'sai ngau' has been banned by government. When asked about the young coconut water again, same advice. Don't give my little girl. Combined with the chinese medicine, it will be too 'cool' ('leong' in cantonese) for her which will lead to cough. Boiling the medicine now. Gonna feed her tonight and see if it works.

As for me... I have been having dry cough and mild flu for over a month. This was the remnants of the last cough and flu that I had almost 2 months ago. I have been going to quite a few GPs to try and get rid of it. Didn't work. I had it really bad this morning. Eyes tearing, nose running, heavy head and coughing like mad. I was finally referred to an ENT specialist. Went today. Diagnosed 'chronic allergy la-di-la-di-la' - sorry forgot the other half of what he said :). It's related to bronchitis. What actually happened was my earlier virus aggravated my sinus allergy and it has worsen since then. The mucus has flowed backwards into my throat and lungs causing my frequent and worsening dry cough. My nose - the insides - were so swollen, blocking air passage. That's why all cough syrup and antibiotic didn't work for me. It wasn't virus infection. Which is kinda good thing - coz I want to rule out H1N1. I had to go on 2 weeks medication and follow up with him again. Worse case - if this doesn't - I have to do a scan to check my sinuses. I hope not!

I told my friend who had a similar problem - prolonged dry cough and such - and advised him to seek specialist advice. Any sickness prolonged (though mild) is not good. Normal GPs may not know how to treat or even have the right medicine to give -my GP told me :(

There ... the story of the week for me - countless visits to docs :) ;p

Now My Little Girl Has Rashes - what else?!

My poor little girl woke up with rashes all over her body. Fever came back but mild. Took her for another round of doctor's check and advice. Apparently, it is what the Chinese calls 'kar mar' (direct translation: fake measles) or otherwise known as viral infection. However if fever persists for another day, we have to take her back tomorrow for blood test to check the possibility of dengue. But doc was quite certain that it is viral. Sigh! Will it never end? My poor little girl is so afraid of the doctor now. She screamed and cried when the doctor checked her. But at least the H1N1 part was cleared. According to my friend who did the H1N1 screening (Swab) test, it was a pretty painful process. They use a long thin plastic stick where the end is like a baby's cotton bud. Then the cotton bud end is inserted into the nose - all the way up inside - to get the mucus. My friend told me that she was tearing when the doctor did it. It was no wonder little Rachel was screaming like mad. My poor little girl!

At first, we thought the rashes was due to heat. As we were told by our folks not to bath our children when they are sick or having fever, Rachel went without bath for a few days. She was just wiped down carefully. When we told the doc, we had another lesson :) ;P! Always bath our kids even when they are having fever. But refrain from wetting the head/hair. Doc's advice! If not, the film of oil and dirt would have caused the body temperature to rise. Hence, we may see a rise in temperature or even a slight fever which could otherwise be none. Cleanliness is important even while sick. Just don't wet the head. This is another advice which contradicts our older generations belief. In my case, I believe and will follow the doc. It makes sense and they are after all the professionals.

Rachel was given calamine to soothe her rashes. We are not to administer paracetamol to see if fever still persists. Looks like I have to go to work tomorrow worrying and on standby :(

Little Rachel is Well

Thanks to all well wishers. Little Rachel is on the road to recovery.

After 2 days 2 nights of high fever despite medicine, her fever was finally broken yesterday evening. So far, it never recurred... thank God! Earlier yesterday, our pediatrician came back to report negative on H1N1 screening test but warned me to look out for rashes which may be a signal for dengue. One hurdle over, another to watch out for. But the antibiotic must have worked. Relief!

She has been good and active today. Still having a very light cough. Hopefully the antibiotic can get rid of it soon.

It's late. Going to bed now. Will probably blog again tomorrow.

Nite, Nite!

Ryan Takes Care of Daddy & Mummy

My 5 year old Ryan was telling me -

"Mummy, Ryan take care of Mummy. Also take care of Daddy"

I asked him, out of curiosity to see how he was going to answer -

"How will Ryan take care of Mummy?"

Ryan: "I hug you"

Me: "And?"

Ryan: "I kiss you"

Me: "Some more?"

Ryan: "I love you"

He said them so seriously. My heart just melt melt melt ... :) :)

Much earlier, he was telling me that when he grows up, he will build a house for Daddy, Mummy, Ryan, Raymund, Rachel and the kakaks. Haha! It's still a long long way ahead.

But it is the thought and the heart that counts :)

Sponging My Kids To Bring Down Fever

I spent the whole night sponging my little Rachel to bring down her high fever. Of course, she didn't like that coz it was wet and she was half asleep. But it is important.

After administering medicine... normally I go with paracetamol or Neurofin first and if it gets worse, I'll go for Rectal Suppositories (past 39 degrees). I have earlier asked my pediatrician about this - thank God! And it's better to get the medicine from pediatricians so that they can advise you the right dosage and timing.. as well as if there is any possibility of allergic reaction - you'll never know!

During a fever, sponging is important to bring down a child's fever. Here's what I normally do:

1. Administer oral medicine first, if it's not done already
2. Switch off the air cond but keep fan on at low.
3. If there is shivering, I'd cover him/her for a very short while coz the fever will follow very soon. Then take off the blanket.
4. Prepare a bowl of luke warm water and 1 or 2 soft face towels.
5. Then soak the soft towels in the luke warm water and remove excess water.
6. Place the towels on the forehead covering the eyes (very important), neck, body and back until towels are dry or become hot.
7. Then rinse the towels in the bowl of luke warm water again and repeat. I'd sponge the palms of hands and base of feet if they are hot too.
8. Keep the thermometer handy to see if the fever is coming down
9. Repeat until fever is low or gone.
10. Change the child to dry light clothing. Do not overheat him/her.
11. Feed plenty of liquid
12. Then go to the doctor to check out the cause once available. In my case, most high fever happened past midnight. So I had to take time to bring the fever down. If it happens to you, don't wait. Go immediately.

Someone used to tell me to use ice cold water for sponging. No go! Do not sponge with ice cold water or alcohol. Alcohol would bring down the heat too fast.

I read somewhere that if the fever gets too high, then strip the child and put him in a tub of waist high warm water and sponge him down. I haven't tried this yet, rather I'm not brace enough to try it ye :( , as most of the time, the sponging works for my kids but I have to be very patient. It takes me more than half an hour to an hour to bring down the fever, and until my pediatrician is available.

Ya, I know some of the older folks would think that this is nuts! Some of them think that covering up the person with loads of thick blankets until sweat breaks is the best way to cure. Now, that is nuts! DON"T ever do that! It can fry the brains! That's why we have some mental retards due to high fever!!

Another strange advice from one of my doctors. You know the Kool Fever pack that is available in pharmacy? It seems that it doesn't work. Go for sponging instead. Well, it was an advice anyway. I have no idea! Why not check with yours? Let's share views.

Most important is to check if the child is active/alert, eating and drinking well. If he shows signs of lethargy, can't eat, can't drink and running a high fever.. or worse still, having a fit, that's a real danger sign. Rush him to the hospital immediately.

At the end of the day, I'm no doctor. Best ask your doc for advice in the event of emergencies. From my experience, not all doctors share the exact views. Happy to hear your feedback :)

Down with Flu and Fever Again

My little princess was having a fever last night. I gave her paracetamol to control the fever. But in the middle of the night - it's ALWAYS in the middle of the night!! -, it shot past 39 degrees. I was pretty worried what with H1N1 brewing in our country. She showed no signs of flu or cough yet but the fever was worrying. Sometimes, these other symptoms can come later. I have been having cough and flu for the longest time. I think I must have passed it to her. Ryan was also having a flu.

Hadn't had much sleep last night. Too busy sponging Rachel trying to bring the fever down. Even so it was still above 38 degrees.

Finally, I guess the suppository finally kicked in. I gave her half (because Rachel is less than 1 year old) the rectal suppository Voltaren 12.5mg (the wax like medicine that we insert into the rectum) when the fever reached past 39 degrees. I always have it ready in case my kids are down with high fever and so far, rectal suppositories helped to bring down the fever for a period. Her fever broke in the morning.

I took her and Ryan to the pediatrician. Rachel's throat was red. So, it wasn't teething that caused the fever. She had to take antibiotic, cough and flu medicine. The pediatrician told me to watch for persistent fever in the next 1 day. If it occurs, I have to take her again for the H1N1 swab test, just in case. The pediatrician said that even though my cough and flu was mild, I can be a a H1N1 carrier since my body resistance is stronger. But quite unlikely since I had no fever... BUT then again, just in case. She is still running a low fever between medicine doses. The good part is that she is very active and alert. The danger is really when the child is not alert and appears lethargic. I really hope that the fever would go off soon.

Being a mummy paranoid, I booked for flu vaccines and H1N1 vaccines when it becomes available. There is a waiting list! I'm past number 70! I asked the pediatrician if the H1N1 vaccine is safe with no side effects. He told me that it is and it's not something new. Just a production issue now - where demand is greater than supply. Assured, I booked for it. I should have asked if I can book for us adults too but forgot! Too much on my mind!

I hate it when my kids are sick... very stressed up worrying. Part and parcel of being a mum. And mum of 3 means that I have to expect domino effect! One sick, all sick!! Sigh!

Kids and Snakes

I just watched Anaconda on Astro ... again... with my eldest son Ryan earlier tonight. It suddenly struck me that I had to teach Ryan what to do in the event that he met with a snake at anytime, anywhere.. and worst, alone! We live near a forest and the residential playground is very near to that forest. What if a stray snake or two decides to wander to the playground or touch wood, our house! I can imagine what Ryan or Raymund would do. Either 'Mummy! Snake! Scared!' or 'Mummy, see the snake! So cute!' or 'Hello, snake!'. Horrifying!!!

I told Ryan that if he sees a snake anywhere - playground, house, garden, just anywhere - don't go near. Run and look for Mummy, Daddy or someone. Tell us that he has seen a snake. If little brother, Raymund is nearby, he is to pull Raymund quickly away and run straight to us adults. I instilled a bit a fear in him saying that snakes can bite ... pain ... blood... can die...blah, blah blah, little kids fear. The last thing I want is for him to get curious and check out the crawlies. I got him to repeat what he is supposed to do IF he sees one. Better safe than sorry. Never leave to chance!

Nice & Noisy Merdeka Weekend

I had a nice and noisy weekend babysitting my 3 kids and my nephew. Three boys and my baby girl - definitely noise, noise and noise. Every half minute, there will be someone shouting one of the boys' name. My hubby had to work during this Merdeka weekend unfortunately. What I thought could have been a boring quiet long weekend was just the opposite. My mom and my nephew came to stay with us. My nephew is the same age as Raymund... so, imagine double whammy on Terrible Three!!

Well, I contributed to the noise pollution too, trying to discipline the boys .. if it ever works. But I had good fun. I really enjoyed the warmth and children's happy voices... as well as the boys' constant fight over toys. They sure had great fun! I myself got to tend to my little garden. I'm in the midst of changing my landscape. Hot and sweaty work but satisfying.

My son Ryan just threw tantrum - he wanted his 'poh poh' (grandma) and didn't want to go to school tomorrow. We decided to give way and let him have another day holiday.You'll never know where the kindie kids went over the school holiday and if their parents are considerate ...H1N1! In fact, I was even toying with the idea of stopping his kindie attendance altogether (until next year) and get his kindie teacher to prepare homework/materials so that I can coach him at home. I'll see how on this. I may do just that if the H1N1 situation worsen.

Back to work tomorrow. Sigh! How I wish we have 7-days weekends! Ha, ha! Dreaming big time!

My Beautiful Double Layer Hibiscus

I bought 2 young hibiscus plants. Was told that they are of the double layer hibiscus type - huge and beautiful. One of them is yellow and the other is red, I think. I have been waiting for them to bloom for yonks. However strong wind and weak stalks caused the baby buds to break a fall. Finally, one of them buds strived through the wrath of nature! I had a nice beautiful double layer hibiscus. Here is a picture. The lighting wasn't good as I took the photo at night. Too excited to wait. Anyway, each bloom will only last a day. A pity.

I love gardening. It's my newly discovered hobby since I shifted into my house. I love to see colours in the garden. More so, I'd like to see my plants grow through my care. It is very satisfying! I'm not a pro in gardening but I have been learning through trials and errors. The nursery where I get most of my stuff from, its owner, he is willing to teach me how to care for my plants and garden. Some would say that I have green fingers. I'd say, no such thing coz hardy cactus died in my hands in the earlier days. It is very much the case of acquiring knowledge and learning through trials and errors as with many things.