Day 267 - New beginnings, tiny humans, a face and shared flowers

Today I'm smiling because...

...of new beginnings. Helped my brother Pe Khai move as he bid farewell to his humble abode for greener pastures (literally).

...tiny humans are so darn funny.


...I see faces.

...of the way Pe Khai's new neighbour's beautiful wisteria flowers spill over onto his side of the fence and fill the air with the most wonderful fragrance.

Day 266 - Sloppy kisses from my niece

While babysitting my niece today, she did the funniest thing to me - as I was on the sofa, she stood on my legs and planted a big kiss on my lips.

"Aww that's nice," I laughed. She laughed too, then proceeded to lay another big sloppy one on me. 

Can I just say, having a child's snotty face and slobbery, wet mouth enlarging as they inch their way closer and closer to your face until it all goes pitch black because their face is completely pressed up against yours, is a little unnerving! 

I cracked up laughing (I have a bizarre self-preservation habit of laughing when I panic) after she kissed me a few more times. She doesn't give quick, fleeting pecks either - oh no - she leaves her mouth there for a few good seconds (good value for money)!

My cracking up caused her to start laughing as well, and as I moved my head and turned away to avoid her incoming sloppiness, she pinned me down on the sofa with her knees, grabbed my face with both hands, stared deeply into my eyes then intently at my lips, and forced her wet mouth onto mine!! My god I was hysterical with laughter.

Afterwards, she cuddled up against me as we watched Giggle and Hoot together (if you have/are looking after/know a kid that's less than 5 years old - chances are the kid loooves Giggle and Hoot) and I couldn't resist snapping a photo. I look dopey and exhausted, but aww look at how adorable she is!  

Day 252 - My cute niece and homecooked dinner at Keng's

My niece likes to do this thing that I find incredibly adorable. I've tried capturing it on camera a few times but failed - she becomes conscious of the camera that's staring right at her and begins desperately wanting to play with it (she's been exploring different textures recently). Basically what it is is every time I put her in her high chair and pop into the kitchen to prepare her food, when I look up at her over the counter she always waves gleefully at me. It's such a silly little thing, but I find it sooo cute!

Today, with Brett there to do all the waving, I managed to get a couple of quick snaps.


After a full day of babysitting, we headed over to Keng's for a homecooked meal.




And with all the wonderful food and equally (if not even more) wonderful wine, surrounded by amazing views of twinkling lights and free flowing conversation till 3am in the morning, I couldn't help but think to myself - life is pretty darn good.

I also fell in love with a "fruity notorious black tea"!

Day 249 - Mom's ok, old friends and surprised Snowflake

Today's smiles are from:

1. Finding out that Mom is ok and unscathed after she got into a car accident. More like a big smile of relief. Kids, always wear your seatbelt. 


2. Catching up with an old friend like Wang Wei just like old times, and laughing over his endless supply of hilarious stories over beer and cheap and cheerful Thai takeaway. There were tales about funny, undecipherable colleagues, to a human-hating ragdoll cat named Sunshine who took a massive dump in Wang Wei's bed (under the comforter!), then left an even bigger pile of crap in the middle of the walkway in front of the door after Wang Wei caused her great distress while attempting to communicate using this Human-to-Cat-Translator app! 


3. This!

Day 239 - Kids do the darnest things

Spent the day babysitting my niece today, and instead of me entertaining her, she kept me well amused!

She showed me how she had big shoes to fill (I think having a thing for shoes runs in the family),

Then demonstrated how slides are the best thing ever by spending hours on it (kids take infinitely longer than adults to get sick of something),

And when I fed her some cheese slices, she held a piece in her hand as if studying it, then pushed it into my surprised mouth and giggled!?! After cheese it was time for some blueberries (which she loooooooooves, I'm sure they're her favourite thing in the world), and as she happily munched each away, I was absolutely shocked when she held up a blueberry and offered it to me!

Day 197 - Ducks at Quanjude and Mamak is coming to Melbourne

We had lunch at Quanjude, where I had the honour of consuming the crispiest and fattiest roast duck skin.

The adorable duck crockery of these peking duck specialists made me giggle...

...and so did watching my little niece eat (and like - she nodded furiously) her first peking duck. The girl has good (and expensive) taste!

Mamak is finally coming to Melbourne!! We spotted this while walking down Lonsdale St, I had to hold back the cartwheels!

Day 193 - My niece laughing at a panda puppet

It makes me laugh to see how easily a mere panda puppet can make a child (and her mother) laugh like this.

Day 189 - Kids fast asleep and their tiny feet

Kids are so cute when they're fast asleep. I don't know how they do it, but you just instantly forget the little shrieking terrors they can be when they're cranky and awake.


I also find it highly amusing that toddlers trot around on such tiny little feet that can barely support their comparatively massive bodies!

Day 188 - They've arrived, Oly OMD camera, Cougar in a blanket and weird Engrish

1. Pe Yang and Mom are here!! 


2. I got a new friend today:



3. There's a Big Issue seller whose cat Cougar sits alongside her. I usually stop to give Cougar a quick pat and scratch on the head and a few rubs on her nose when she's not surrounded by cooing passers-by. Surprisingly there was no one crowding around her today so I managed to get a quick snap of her in her blanket. I can't believe she sleeps through all the commotion!



4. So apparently these clips will make the house indispensable. Mmmkay!

Day 157 - Korean BBQ feast and flying cat helicopter

1. So yesterday Pe Khai went for Korean BBQ, and sent Pe Yang and myself this photo:

Today, I went for Korean BBQ, and sent this photo back to the two of them:
We wish you were here Pe Yang, can't wait to see you soon!


2. I can't decide if this is the funniest, weirdest, or coolest thing I have ever seen!

Day 147 - Winnie the Pooh's wisdom, beautiful mess of autumn leaves and my curious niece

I love...

...quotes from Winnie the Pooh. One of my absolute favourite quotes that I carry with me is of course, the classic, "You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think".

But this one is probably a close second.


...the gorgeous colours we're seeing now,

and the beautiful mess that the autumn leaves leave behind.



...a child's insatiable sense of curiosity and fascination,

and determination to investigate everything very closely!

Day 138 - Sick comforts

Stayed in bed for most of today to try and come out on top of this damn cold.

I felt dreary and crappy, but it wasn't all too bad because...

...Snowflake kept me company and made sure I was nice and warm in bed...


...receiving a postcard from Pe Yang, sent from Taichung, Taiwan, had me lost in the clouds for a good few minutes...


...and being delivered homemade soup, juice, lozenges and get well soon flowers from Brett is just downright lovely!

Day 134 - Happy Mother's Day

For the past 4 years, I've been taking part in the Mother's Day Classic run.

Mother's Day is pretty much the only day of the year when I willingly get out of bed at an ungodly hour to put on work-out gear, lace up my runners and brave the chilly morning outside.

This morning, it was much colder and wetter than previous Mother's Days. Seeing so many ponchos in the colourful crowd was a funny sight!

I love participating in the run for so many reasons. I find it fun - yep, fun - to be running, jogging, walking, strolling, sometimes almost crawling, alongside so many other people who are there to support a good cause. There were 44,000 participants in Melbourne and a total of 125,000 across Australia this year.

Going down roads lined with trees wearing their autumn colours always take my breath away.


And I always look forward to gorging on copious amounts of fairy floss afterwards!


I'm very fortunate to have never lost anyone to breast cancer, but my heart always goes out to the participants wearing tribute cards. One of the tribute cards I noticed today was on the back of an elderly man, it had a picture of a woman and the words, "My shining light". It broke my heart. But at the same time, it was humbling to be amongst so many who had been affected by breast cancer. It was inspiring to see so many people trying to make a difference - to raise funds and raise awareness for breast cancer research.

I got to thinking later on in the day. Everyone - everyone you've ever met - everyone you've never met - every baby - every person who has died - everyone in every photo you have seen - everyone has, or had a mother. I started thinking about the role and the job of a mother, in light of something else I've been pondering over a lot recently - why do people have children? I can understand that the answer(s) are highly subjective and personal, and I haven't found or formed my own definite answer yet. I have an inkling, but I don't think it'll become clear to me until the second I hold my firstborn in my arms and become a mother.

No doubt about it, being a mother is tough. It's a demanding job. After performing 2 nappy changes and receiving an earful of waaaaaaaaaah yesterday, it dawned on me that this was just a tiny snippet of daily motherly life. Mothers around the world do this and much more, tirelessly, day in and day out.

As I grow older, I only begin to realise that it takes a lot to bring a child into the world. A mother's courage should never be downplayed or disregarded - from carrying us in her womb for 9 months and embarking on a life-long journey of riding the ups and downs with us, as well as everything in between. Mothers everywhere should be saluted - everyday should be Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day with all my love to my mother, my sister-in-law, and every mother out there.

Thank you mothers. We wouldn't be here without you.

Day 133 - Spending the day with my niece

Today was a day of many firsts.

It was the first time I spent all day alone with my niece.

It was the first time I fed her solid food.

It was the first time I changed a diaper!!!! Oh God I thought I was going to pass out!

But I survived, long enough to change another diaper! Eurghhhhh!! I have to say though, I think I expected it to be worse..?!? I must also add that I'm very impressed with the modern diaper - it holds everything in so well, and it's surprisingly easy to put on!

Anyway, moving along...

It was the first time the both of us had a big laugh together. When I was feeding her, she shook her head to indicate she didn't want anymore food - I thought it was the most adorable thing! I tried to talk her into having a few more bites, which led to more head shaking and laughter! I laughed at her because she was soo adorable, she laughed at me... probably because I looked like a crazy auntie in hysterics... I laughed at her cute laughter, she laughed at my laughter. This went on for about 15 minutes.

It was also the first time I was unable to put her to sleep.

As she cried, wailed wildly and screamed, I did my best to soothe her - I changed her nappy, I gave her more food, I sang to her, I gently rocked her from side to side, I cuddled her closely, I checked her nappy again, I offered her water... but all my efforts were futile. She wouldn't stop crying, and I couldn't figure out why.

With one of my ears deaf and the other one ringing, I had to remind myself of some sage motherly wisdom - this too shall pass. Whatever the moment, be it the crying, the shrieking, the giggling, the laughing, the tantrums, the spats, the sad tears, the happy tears, the milestones, the celebrations... all these precious moments, they all too shall pass.

So enjoy the moment everyday whether they're good or bad, because they won't last forever.


And almost always, you'll find that the journey was well worth it.

Day 123 - My niece's first smile for the day

Today, it was seeing the first smile appear on my niece's little face after she had been crying all morning from an extremely high fever.

It felt like sunshine after the rain.

Day 120 - Wooden blocks make a happy baby, seeing someone doing what they love and loving what they're doing, and catching up with old friends

What makes me smile?

1. Seeing how happy 2 coloured wooden blocks can make a baby!




2. Watching someone doing what they love and loving what they're doing. In this case it's Fred DJing at Creamfields - not bad at all for his 1st gig!
   



3. Catching up with old friends over pasta and wine, reminiscing old times and sharing new stories. 

Day 103 - My niece's big smile

It's Pe Khai's birthday today - Happy Birthday big brother!

My adorable little niece was all smiles and giggles throughout the night. Watching her infectious laugh put a massive smile on my face.




They say children reinvent your life for you. They really do.

Day 97 - Pe Khai's surprise birthday lunch at Yarra Valley

What an absolutely gorgeous day today was! 30 degrees and sunny, it turned out to be the perfect day to make a trip to Yarra Valley. Pe Khai's birthday isn't until next week, but since it was the Easter long weekend we decided to have a surprise birthday lunch for him at De Bortoli.

Birthday La Belle Miette macarons from Joanne in the prettiest of colours were my breakfast on the go.

Specially printed menus - but Pe Khai still had no idea of the surprise celebration - it took him a good minute to realise after looking at the menu properly!

The food was lovely! Antipasto to start - parmesan biscotti, fior di latte, veneto salami, school prawn fritti (yum), estate cured and marinated olives and roast red peppers.

Followed by house cured and smoked salmon with spiced yoghurt, baby beets, peas and micro radish.

Main was the incredibly tender, melt-in-your-mouth 15 hour slow cooked beef with braised faro, baby spinach and pine nut gremolata.

With a vanilla panna cotta with local berry salad for dessert.

It was a beautiful day to catch up with family, and play with my niece as well as Chiang and Fenella's 3 month old daughter, Janelle.




Good Friday indeed!