Ivan's First

"Mom, I'm going to tell you something but don't tell Daddy, ok?"

"Okay ... what's that?"

"JiaHui asked to be my coco (brother). She wants to marry me"

Puzzled??

"Wait a minute. JiaHui is a boy or a girl?"

"It's a girl !!!!"

"Okaaaaayyyy .... if she's a girl, why would she wants to be your coco? And she wants to marry you?"

"Yahh !!!! She wants to marry me when I'm big ! She says I'm handsome"

ROFL !!!!!!!!!!!! This is too funny, what till I tell Jef. Opppss, I'm not supposed to tell??? Oh dear, so difficult to keep a juicy secret like this. So, eventually I told. I warned Jef not to laugh at him and try to take him seriously. :P

So, who's this little daughter in law of mine? Lol

Dignity

What's dignity to a child? How do you explain the term used to describe the innate right to respect and ethical treatment for an individual to a 6 years old? Well, Jeffrey tried. Let's hear it from 'The' Man.

We were in the car, travelling from home to my mom's place. So, on the way there, we talked about PSP. One of the stuffs that could captivate Ivan's big heart. Can't recall how the conversation got started but I do remember Ivan jeering at me saying, "It's OK" when I hinted that I would buy a PSP soon and it will not be Ivan's concern (read : he will not get to touch it).

[Ivan] : It's OKAY .....

[me] : *hugging Jayden* ... I'll buy for you Jay. (My attempt at making Ivan regretting what he said)

[Ivan]:  It's OKAY ...... I'm OKAY ...

[me] : *continue hugging Jayden* I'll buy for you okay, baby? No need to wait for you to save up (I'm asking Ivan to save for it)

[Ivan] : Ok la Ok la ... Mummy, I want the PSP. *Ivan sucking up to me*

[me] : HHmmppppPPPPpfffff !

[Jef] : Ivan !!!! You got to have dignity !!!!!

[Ivan] : Nhuh??? What's dignity?

[Jef] : Erm .... It's about your face ... You need to have face. Like mummy was *yak yak yak .. Jef was trying to replay the scenario and to make Ivan understand the price of pride*

[Me] : *still trying hard to instigate Ivan to revolt* I'll buy for JayJay, okay?

[Ivan looking lost. Torn in between Daddy and Mummy]

[Jef] : Remember, face? You MUST have dignity Ivan.

[Ivan]: ..................

That was simply amusing. To see Ivan torn in between us and also his dream (the PSP). At this age, he could still forego his ego and self esteem just for the love of his life. :) Wonders what happens when he's 15 and when he's in his first puppy lurve? Hmmmmm .... wonders wonders. Boys, oh boys.

Happy Mid-Autumn

I would be posting some back-dated post and this is one of it. Mid-Autumn festival, celebrated on the 22 Sept 2010. Honestly, I don't really know why we celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival (there are just too many variants to the stories behind Mid-Autumn Festival). But, I do know that Mid-Autumn Festival is associated with mooncakes, brightly lighted lanterns, at times, pomelo and candles !

We celebrated Mid-Autumn Festival this year with some mooncakes and lanterns. Jef surprised us with lanterns he bought on the day itself. So, it was kind of a last minute plan event. This is the first time for JayJay and the first time for us to decorate our porch with lanterns.

Jay and his noisy lantern.

Jef bought an Ultraman lantern for Ivan and a battery-operated-reduced-noise lantern for Jay. The boys are of course excited. Excited for the lanterns and also for the neighbour's company (with 2 pretty daughters) who were also celebrating the bright round moon outside. 

Next year, I'll remind myself not to get tempted with fancy snow skin mooncakes and I should just stick with the traditional baked skinned ones. And, I mustn't buy too much too. As for lanterns, we kept the lanterns bought this year and we just need to get new candles. *wink* Hope your Mid-Autumn Festival was great too.

Ivan's proud of his hand made lantern

What Are Little Boys Made Of?

Snips and snails and puppy dogs tail. That's what little boys are made of.

It has been such a long time since I last posted anything here. There are so many happenings and I would need to rely on my old memory to recall all. So, instead of all (old memory is failing me already), here are 3 random things about my boys. Let's start with Ivan.

3 random things about Ivan :

• Ivan's just like daddy. An avid gamer. He can handle iPhone better than I do. Bet I don't even know how to switch it ON. Hahah, ok, I exaggerated. I do know where the ON button is. I just can’t locate games as fast as Ivan can. And, for someone who can hardly read the games instructions, he could start and play the game guided by instinct and probably, 10% from experience. By owning an iPhone, Jef literally 'owns' Ivan. For example, Ivan refuses to read his books. Jef strikes a deal with Ivan. Do your revision, then Dad lets you have the phone. Or, finish up your meal - fast. And you get to play the phone. Sounds more like a bribery to me. But well, it takes too hands to clap. There's demand, and there's supply. Fair deal, I'll say.

• Ivan is rather helpful (much to my delight!). Being an older brother, Ivan helps to clean up mess done by DeeDee. Usually, it's about keeping the toys, the canisters and containers from the kitchen cabinets. There were many times when Ivan has put back the stuffs nicely and Jay walks over and destructs like an unwanted monster. Though frustrated, Ivan didn’t lose his temper and gave JayJay two tight slaps like what normal boys would probably react. He merely says, “Hey ! Hey ! JayJay !!!!!! Mummy … ! Jay messes up again !!!!” Way to go, CoCo !

• Despite being out-spoken and rather vocal at home, Ivan is timid when he’s outside or when he’s facing others. I searched in the net and found plenty of help available. From today onwards, I pledge to live by this Golden Rule “Remember that a child who is withdrawn and timid will become even more so if you put pressure on him. Letting your child know that you accept him no matter what, will make him feel more relaxed in all situations.”. May the force be with Ivan and I. And also Jef. And Jay.

3 random things about Jayden :

• When he's not hungry or the food is not tasty or even when the portion is too much, he spits it out like a M-16 rifle. Pppffft pffft pffffft pffffft .. if you are not careful, be prepared for a face full of rejected food.

• Jay excites us with hugs and kisses now. He gave his first hug to CoCo. It started when Jay saw Ivan hugging me. He walked towards CoCo with his arms wide open and then he hugged CoCo tightly. Hhahah .. so tight till Ivan said, "Errr .. are you going to release me?".

Then, the first kiss. We were in the hypermarket when it happened. We placed Jay in the shopping cart and while pushing the cart, I leaned over to Jay and asked for a kiss on the cheek. To my surprise, he responded. A while later, Jef took over the shopping cart and asked Jay for a kiss too. Jay pouted his lips and kissed Jef on the lips. Well, I am not well and wouldn't want to pass on to Jay by kissing on the lips. But, Jef claimed that his kiss was Jay's first kiss and mine was just a peck. *watevuh!* Jef can disagree and hide in the dungeon of denial. Kiss made without pouted lips is still a kiss. It was his first and he was learning.

• On the other hand, though he hugs and kisses us, he loves to spank us too. He enjoys slapping us on the face, especially when you are lying down. Once, grandma (my mom) was lying down on the sofa. Jay walked towards her, then paused when he's nearby. He grinned at her and said, "eeiii .. *sounds like hey*". That was his warning to tell Grandma that he's coming. He quickened his pace and when he's near, he slapped her several times on the face and head - with both hands. Oh dear ... this boy is rough.

So, here goes. 3 random things to fill in the littleCommas' journal.

Ivan Turns Five

Ivan celebrated his fifth birthday recently. I must say that this year is the most special birthday as his birthday coincides with his school trip to Sushi King. So, instead of the usual 'bring-cake-in-school-and-celebrate-with-friends' thing, we brought cupcakes and sweets to school for his schoolmates when they got back from Sushi King's trip.

I would imagine that the trip to Sushi King to be fun-filled. They get to learn to make sushi there and best of all, he get to 'learn' to appreciate sushi too. Ha ! Hopefully he finds love in sushi, the same love I have for sushi. Ahh .. Anyway, feeling 'important' and knowing something's coming up when he arrived back at school must have also brighten up his day that day. Jef and I waited outside of the school with the goodies (slowly melting away under the hot sun) and finally, the orange bus arrived.

We quickly distributed the goodies to his friends as some of their parents or maids were already waiting to fetch them home. Ivan  helped with the distribution and shortly after, we headed home. Jef had to get back to work but it's okay as I had other plans in mind. I brought Ivan out shopping. Though we had gotten him a birthday gift, same time when we got Jay's birthday gift a month ago, but well, there's this niggling feeling of incompleteness which was bugging me. A birthday without a birthday gift is just like salad without salad dressing. Cake without cake decorations. Party without booze. Hmm, you get the idea. While it is not necessary to have, but it is the surprise element that could make a child very happy. Who could resist a smile and a hug from a child?

Dinner time, we celebrated Ivan's birthday at home. Blowing out 5 candles for the 2nd time this year and my little boy is officially 5. Happy birthday, Vernie !

Oh, by the way, teacher told me that Ivan won the best sushi competition (wow !) and that moment, I know instantly that Ivan must have shared the same special thing I have for sushi. Umm .. Sushi ...

Rabbit Ears

My recent conversation snippet with Ivan :

[Ivan] : Mom, look ! Rabbit ears .. !!

[I looked around, looked at the tv and looked at Ivan] : Where?  *puzzled*

[Ivan] : Here !!!

[Me] : Lol ... Then see mine. *I pulled down my upper lips like him*

[Ivan inspected my 'rabbit ears' and said] : Naaah ... yours don't look like rabbit ears. Mine is pointed at the top. Yours is like D.

I was amused and later shared the incident with Jef.

[Me] : Hey dad, look at Ivan's Rabbit Ears. Ivan, show dad your Rabbit Ears.

Ivan pulled down his upper lips to show off his Rabbit Ears.

I quickly smell the opportunity to record a humorous blog post for future amusements. But, the post would only be complete with a picture of the Rabbit Ears. I need to persuade Ivan to pose for the camera. I persuaded him for days and finally, he agreed. Just for the sake of comparison. See, I told him that he might have D (like me) instead of Rabbit Ears when he has grown older. The picture shall serve as an evidence that he once had Rabbit Eared nostrils.

Clone the Fluffy Project

I have introduced you to Fluffy before in my previous post. Fluffy the blue pillow. Super cuddly and soft. Jayden's favourite, Ivan's regret. Ivan's regret as the pillow was previously his. My mom made it for him. However, he wasn't very much in love with Fluffy at that time and hence, it was kept away till Jayden was born. With Ivan's permission, I gave Fluffy to Jayden and you know what they always say about "You never know how much you love it till you lose it?" Well, it's so true in this case. Ivan missed it so much and at times, fight over Fluffy with Jayden.

Then I decided to make Fluffy into Fluffies. Haahhaha ... Clone the Fluffy Project started with me looking hi and lo for kekabu (cotton). It wasn't easy but luckily, one of my colleagues knows where to get it and through her, I managed to get a bag full of cotton. Neat ! Next, I bought some cotton cloth and Ivan chose Blue and Red for the outer layer and Purple and Light Blue for the inner layer. I measured and cut the cloth to make 6 pillows. 2 for Ivan, 2 for Jayjay and 2 for Kayley (cutie niece !)

Then it's sewing them up. The initial plan was to send over to tailor to do it. Miss Tailor decided to charge me RM5 for each piece and RM60 for all. Hmm, too expensive. I can already buy a ready made pillow. Lucky for me that mom offered to help me with sewing. Her friends own a sewing machine. However, there were some technical glitches during the process and instead of a week, the job took more than 3 weeks to complete. Simple machine sewing ended up with manual sewing required.

Next ! Fill up with cottons. Stuffing the covers with cotton is simply the hardest of all tasks. It involves plenty of mess and sneezes. Sneezy me brought the entire project outside of the house for a stuffiing good time. Finally, the sealing up and dooooonnneee !

Oh, one final step. To help the boys identify their own pillows, I made some button-on cartoons. I made little chicken, 2 elephants, car, butterfly with flowers and dog.

So, was the cloning a success? Darn, no. Jayjay's love for Fluffy is deeper than the sea, higher than the mountain and simply irreplaceable. As for Ivan, the pillows are awesome to him. He simply love the cartoons. But not so lovey for the pillow. He's still in between his old love (Bobby) and current love (Sun - his bolster). Was I disappointed? I would be lying if I say no. But, having said that, I'm so happy to know that my boys are faithful to their love. Hahahahah ...

Cheeky Vernie

We were watching the tv and it was showing commercial about body lotion. There is a line of ladies wrapped in towels, applying lotion on their shoulder and hands. So, picture a line of ladies having their shoulders bared on the screen.

[Ivan with his eyes glued on tv while munching on a bun] : Mom, don't look ..

[Me] : What do you mean "don't look"???

[Ivan still with his eyes glued on tv, munching slowed down] : Don't look .. I can look but you cannot.

[Me] : Hey !!!! You are not supposed to look. I can look but you can't.

[Ivan *blush*] : Okay la .. You can look. I can also look.

Tale of a Wonderful Mother's Day

Jef offered to wash the cars yesterday with Ivan's help. My first thought, "Uughh, the boys would be so tired after the car wash and I will be left with 3 babies to take care of ! So, thanks but no thanks !". And I politely declined. Ivan was doing his homework and revision at that time and looking at him struggling to read the Chinese words, I changed my mind. The car wash would be fun for him and like what Jef said, it's a good bonding session for them.

I shared the plan with Ivan and he was thrilled to do the car wash. Equipped with a pail and other stuffs, the big boys went outside to start work. Jef suggested for me to go for a walk with Jay in stroller (brilliant idea!) while waiting for my car to be cleaned and groomed.

When everything's done up, Ivan said these to me while he was still clad in his damp shirt and pants.

"Mummy, is your car clean?"

"Do you like it?"

"Are you happy?"

(And I replied yes to all the 3 questions)

"Happy Mother's Day !!!"

(I dropped whatever I was doing and gave him a tight tight hug !)

Sweet of Jef to plan it out (though he wasn't really persistent about washing my car earlier.) :P This is indeed much better compared to a card. So, this year wash my car. Next year help to clean the house while I go for Spa? How about that, daddy?

School Trip

Ivan's back to school for a day yesterday. You see, there's this school trip planned out since last month that he *must* go. So, since he has recovered, we allowed him to go. It's just for a couple of hours, what harm can there be?

Loads. Harmful for me for worrying about him unnecessarily, that is. Being away from school for more than 3 weeks now, the anticipation of him going back (for a couple of hours) is too much for me to handle. Packing his bag on Thursday night (the night before the trip) was chaotic. Used to pack his bags without much troubles before this as I have established an efficient process to handle it. But on that particular night, I was freaking out. What to bring. Uggh ughh .. jacket? socks? What's for lunch? Should I give him some snacks in case he gets hungry? Where are the face masks? Need him to bring along. What about his red cap? Hmm.. what else?

Finally, I successfully loaded his bag with a bottle of water (750 ml) and packed him some snacks and some vitamins. I included a handkerchief (in case he sweats) and 2 face masks (so that he can change if the other one is soiled). The Big Day came and I drove him to school. I found out that the children are not required to bring bags and they need to carry their own bottle with them. *(&@#^%&@^% Oh dear, the bottle I gave him is a tad too heavy for him to carry around ! And, no bag means no snacks? What's my poor boy going to eat? He didn't breakfast that day. :(

I brought my worries to work together with my working bag until I got home from work. I found him to be fast asleep on the sofa. I waited eagerly for him to wake up and share the trip details with me. So, the minute he opened up his eyes, I asked him for the details. How was the trip and etc. Sleepily, he said, "I have nothing to say, mommy. Everything's fine." "Oh, you had a great time, then?" "Yes, I had a great time."


Hmm, so, why was I so worried? Separation anxiety? Geezzz ...

H1N1 Day 4

Today is the 4th day of medications for Ivan. We would like to thank everyone for your prayers and kind thoughts. Ivan is progressing well towards speedy recovery. Both boys are fever free since Monday and we are very thankful and happy. Thank you for being 'there' for us and supporting us. Your kindness encouraged us to be strong and gave us hope that things will end up well. Thanks. :)

Hmm, many asked whether Ivan caught the virus from school. I have no idea. So far, he's the only one from the school to have it. I told many friends, it could be the extra piece of char siew he ate or perhaps, it is from the toy he held in the mall or it could also be from Jef and I. It's like hitting jackpot and the prize is on us. We just couldn't believe our ears when the Dr called us to inform us of the results. We had to asked a few times for confirmation as though we are retards who couldn't understand the simple word 'Positive'.

Anyway, like I said, we are glad that the boys are fine now. *smiles*. And now, I *must* share with you  my experience. We have heard and read so much about prevention. But, (I'm not sure about you, but it's true for me) I know so little about the treatment. 

When you should be concerned : 
Ivan started off with really bad cough. It's bad when he coughs non stop. He just couldn't, despite the warm water we gave him or the cough sweets that usually works or even cough syrup. Once he starts, he would be coughing for a good 1 - 2 minutes.

2 days of coughing, he develops a temperature. The first reading was 37.2 and we decided to let him stay at home. His temperature increased to a range of 38 - 39 and lasted for 2 days. Jef brought him to see Dr again and Jef decided to give him the swab test. It's a simple test (just like how CSI crew takes DNA from the mouth with cotton bud); just that this is from the throat. Test took a day to feedback and costs about RM300+.


What's Next?
Ivan was given TamiFlu medications. It's those capsules that can be opened up to find the powdery contain. For Ivan, we were advised to mix with 10 ml of water with the powder and feed him only with 6ml. The rest of 4 ml to be discarded. There are 10 pills for 5 days. We were informed to expect Ivan in better condition after the 3rd day. 7 days of fever free to mark that Ivan's adequate to be outdoor.

Drink up more water.

Watch Out !
Do watch out the followings :
1. Temperature. Invest in a more efficient and accurate temperature detector. Check it out as frequently as you can. Take several tests each time for the average reading.
2. Signs of heavy breathing. For children particularly, if you noticed heavy breathings, this could indicate difficulty in breathing. If this happens, send to nearest hospital as soon as you can.

This is all I could share and I hope it's useful. If you are the care giver, be mindful that you should also be quarantined and practice clean hygiene. Wear face mask if you can.

Influenza A H1N1

We are in war. In war with AH1N1. Ivan caught the virus and today is the 1.5 days of war. There are 5 days in total.

As for Jayden, he’s having cough and fever. Because he’s in close contact with Ivan, we brought him for swab test too. His came back negative. We were thankful at first until Dr said we have to still monitor Jayden for 2 days. He still could get it though the report says negative for now. I’m so sad. And afraid.

We had no choice but to separate the boys. I’m now over at my brother’s place with Jayden while Jef’s at home with Ivan. My heart aches when I had to leave home. Leave Ivan when he needed me most. If I could, I would want to fight this war with him. Be strong with him and be there for him. L I’m torn between JayJay and Ivan. (Okay, I can almost hear Jef saying, “Please la … I’m here with him”) .

Ya, silly me. Jef is with him. Jef will keep him well. And I’m with JayJay and I will keep Jay well. Pray for us please. Pray that they are well on their way to a speedy recovery. Amen.

Ivan's Decision

I woke up late for work on a fine Friday morning and while driving Ivan to school, we had a little chat.

"Ivan, you have a wonderful day in school ya ... "

"Okay ......... are we late?"

"Ya, *sigh* my boss is going to fire me"

"Oooh ....... " Ivan replied gloomily.

"Hmm, or maybe I can work late today. I'll be back home late today lorr.." I said this to make him feel better. Atleast, the situation doesn't seem so dreary.

"And then your boss won't fire you?"

"Yeah, then he won't fire me" I said it with a smile.

"Ohh .. then you just let your boss fire you la" Ivan replied cheerfully, concluding the decision.

Bond of Brothers

Jayden snatching toy from Ivan. Cannot even take a nice picture without the boys moving much. Gee

You can choose who to be your friends but you definitely can't choose your family members. That's what people say and I can't contest to that.

As a normal unique human being, it can be tough not easy trying to live with one another under the same roof without arguments and conflicts. Everyone has differences and I had to admit that I am not very close to my siblings and I blamed it on the age gaps between us. Okay, okay, okay. I know it's just an excuse anyway because there are some others who managed to make it. *lalalalaa* That's another story for another day.

Back to my point. So, when I was planning for a 2nd baby previously, I gave this point a thought. My children would have 4 years gap and to translate that into simple numbers, Ivan's 5, Jayden is 1. When Jayden starts his Year 1, Ivan would be in Year 5. Ivan steps into his active-energetic-full of surprises teen life, Jayden just hit puberty. *sigh* What if the boys couldn't get along or wouldn't have common interests to share or when watching movies together seems like a bore or when having family time seems like a chore? The only thing they would be sharing is probably just the bedroom. Sad.

Just then, a little bird knocks me hard on the head and yelled, "Why the heck do you want to be worried about a non-existence issue?". *Fingers cupped on the chin, pondering on words from the wise bird*

The bird's right. Let nature takes it own course. Afterall, the boys seem are fine now. As a matter of fact, they are more than just fine. They love each other a great deal. (errmm .. though there are times when Ivan doesn't want to share his precious bread or Jayden snatches toys from Ivan. Well, part of growing up)

At the sight of Ivan, Jayden would never fail to beam with a bright cheerful smile. He gets excited at Ivan's funny faces and he laughs at Ivan's jokes though he probably doesn't understand it at all. As for Ivan, try telling him that you want to take Jayden away from him and he is ready to fight you anytime. He's protective over Jayden especially when daddy chided at JayJay and Ivan says, "Are you crazy? He's just a baby". He's a happy helper when comes to special requests to help take care of JayJay. He would love to help you swinging JayJay and now, he even wants to try carrying JayJay up. (which is not possible now as JayJay weighs more than half of Ivan).

There. Nothing to worry about. I'm not sure about how would they be in another 10 years time or how bad their fights will be. They will probably still fight once a while. Afterall, life would be so plain and boring without it. Besides, we bond through arguments. Hmmm ... nonetheless, despite all the face pinching and leg kicking, I do hope that they would love each other just like how they are now.

Year One soon !

My phone rang at 7 am this morning, waking me up from my beauty sleep. UUghhh ... who dares to call me at this hour?? When I finally realised that I'm going to be late for my important task today, I hurried to the bathroom and got ready to go out as fast as I could. Important task day today. I'm registering Ivan to Year One !

Ivan's 5 this year and being one of the kiasu parents (the other is Jef), I intend to make it there at school early and be the first few who registers. But looks like I can only make it to be top 50 there. (Thanks to that phonecall earlier, I can wake up in time to be among the top 50) Hmm ... wonder how I can manage it when the boys attend school next time. Wake up at 6, prepare breakfast and get the boys ready for school? Sounds tough ...

Anyway ...

I registered Ivan to a Chinese school nearby ! Yipppeeee .. another step closer to his bright future. HHahhahah ... should I start preparing for Ivan's graduation speech? Do I get to speak? :P

I'm nuts ... but excited. So, what's next? I gotta pray hard that Ivan gets a place at that school I registered him. *grumble*grumble* ..

Masculine Me

You have moustache...

*Ivan was talking to me, while his eyes are still inspecting my upper lips*

I don't have, Ivan. Those are just fine hairs.. everyone has

But you have moustache like daddy. And why are you wearing daddy's pants?

*I am wearing trousers to work today ... my own trousers of course*
It's mine. My own pair of pants, okay...

Hmm.. I reckoned that I am always dressed in skirts or dresses and just when I'm wearing trousers, he thinks that I'm masculine. Hhahahahah ... in my exaggerated husky voice, "I'm daddy today, Ivan"

I Love Coming Home

I love coming home to :

1. A little boy who's so excited to see me home, eagerly stretching out his arms for me to carry him up. When I carried little Jayden up, he pushes me away slightly to look at me. Then his face softens up and he smiles sweetly with me. And I know I'm home. :)

2. An active boy running up to me, asking me what I got for him today? Though I told him I didn't get him anything, he didn't look disappointed, well, good stuffs don't come everyday, right? He then told me that he had fun in Active Talk (one of the activities he joined in school).

3. After dinner and homework, Ivan was preparing to go to bed. He said in mandarin, "Mama, you are my trophy." I thought I heard wrongly. And he repeated "Mama, you are my trophy. I love you " ...... Aawww ... How can I be his trophy when he's mine? *sniff*sniff* I'm so touched. Thanks to Teacher Chen who taught him to say that in mandarin.

So, although it's already 11.45 pm and the boys are still not deep in sleep and I have not showered, I still love coming home.

Blunder

With only 2 children, I'm already getting their names wrong. I'm calling Ivan Jayden and Jayden Ivan. Well, atleast Jayden is not old enough to be bothered. But Ivan, at times, he gives me the stare. Imagine we were in huggy puggy, feeling oh-so-sweet and then I said .. "I love you, Jayden.. (but because I'm responsive to near-critical condition like this, I quickly add in) daddy and Ivan !" *phewww*

What a blunder. Then I thought of a brilliant solution. I can call them Vern (for Ivan) and Dern (for Jayden). Vern and Dern. If you emphasis only on the 'ern', they wouldn't be able to tell the difference easily. Hhahaha, so, if there's another case of getting the wrong names again, I bet I could still cover up. But (hmmm), Dern does sound alittle funny, huh? *sigh* Any suggestions?

Maybe, I should just let it be. It could be comical at times, for eg. "Ivan, quickly finish up your milk ya" and Ivan would be smiling silly, knowing that I meant Jayden instead of him.

Happy Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day

15 years from today, Jef and I will be celebrating our Valentine's day together, alone without the boys. They will be big enough to have dates to go out with and leaving us, the old ones, at home wondering whether they are fine out there and whether they are having a great time or not. They will probably be out in my car, with Ivan driving and Jayden tags along (or the other way, I'm not sure). They will most probably be on their own ways even though they went out together (heck, who will like to double date with a sibling?) and will still end up coming home together. My boys, my boys .. *sigh* I'm thinking too much.

Happy Valentine's Day, my boys.

Daffy Duck in Me

I speak funnily when I'm angry. The words came out jumbled up, wrongly pronounced and most often I'll just end up amused at myself and became less angry, which is good. One shouldn't stay angry for too long, it's unhealthy and cancerous.

Here are some examples and the intended phrase or words are in brackets.

" I say put it bown (down) ivan ! Why keep holding? (Why do you need to keep holding it?)"

" How many times you want me to repeat? Can you just put it pack (back) ? I'm warning you ahh.. One moore (more) pine (time), I'll slap you.. "

" Hey!!! Why are you so stubburnt (stubborn)? You don't undestandfth (understand) simple English huh (how to with me speaking like a daffy duck)? Later you'll spoilf it, you'll drop it! (You will drop it and spoil it!) don't ! don't touch my things! (Don't touch my things!) I count to three.. 1, 2 .. (I will not reach count of 3 usually) ! Quickly put it back... Or you'll talk to mr cane. "

Well, that doesn't seem so bad. Guess it has to be 'live'. You gotta see me in action to be able to agree. For the record, I do shout and hit ivan but I don't do slaps. Not his face. No.. It's just too wrong. :)