tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31359515020989913182012-02-16T21:32:13.672+08:00...and a lot more besidesscirocconoreply@blogger.comBlogger1371100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-20776501959041675532011-07-06T11:44:00.003+08:002011-07-06T11:49:38.502+08:00

I have already told the girls that next week they will be going back to Malaysia, and they were suitably excited as they get to meet their grandparents, uncle, and other relatives.This morning as I was dressing them I again mentioned that today is Wednesday, and next Friday they will be going on a plane to Malaysia.Jun Yen asked me, does that mean we won't be staying in this house anymore? I

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-68519006985278828212011-02-08T14:50:00.001+08:002011-03-08T12:45:20.344+08:00

Hubby got a car when he first came over here and now that I’m here with the girls, he decided to get another for our convenience. When we went to collect the new car, I dropped hubby off at the dealership and started to leave to go back home. As I began to drive off, Jun Lee told me “Mommy, stop, don’t go. Wait for Papa.” I told her that Papa is collecting the new car and would drive back himself

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-17034856526473343822010-12-26T13:00:00.000+08:002011-03-08T13:23:33.458+08:00

We don’t really celebrate Christmas, but it's a welcome holiday all the same. This year we made plans for a day trip as it was a weekend anyway. Problem was, most places here are closed on Christmas day. Good thing then that the Healesville Sanctuary was open, so off we went on a rather sunny Christmas morning. We chose this place as we wanted to bring the girls to see the animals. They were

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-1599621941749251942010-12-20T12:39:00.002+08:002011-03-08T12:45:33.961+08:00

I joined the Public Library near our place recently as a good way to expose the girls to more books, plus we can also borrow audiovisual items for them too. It’s great as we get to borrow up to 30 items, which is enough for the whole family.I brought them to a “Story Time” session where a Librarian would read a few stories and have some activities at the end. As expected there was a huge turnout.

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-44485338743718161122010-12-18T12:25:00.002+08:002011-03-08T12:45:47.620+08:00

As I am alone with the girls during the day, they'd pretty much go where I go, and that includes being out in the backyard when I hang out the washing. They love it as they get to run around on the grass and also came up with a new game. We have a lemon tree in the backyard that produces far more lemons than we can use, and consequently a lot of lemons would just fall onto the ground. The girls

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-85523439764176953672010-11-30T07:37:00.002+08:002010-11-30T08:07:31.226+08:00

I was at the optical shop the other day to replenish my stock of contact lens when the optician mentioned that I should bring my girls over for an eye test. I was thinking 'Huh? Do they need it since they are so young...' He then explained that as my hubby has a high degree of astigmatism, it could affect my girls as well.We went to the optician yesterday at 1Utama. I prepared my girls before the

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-86202803856556905652010-10-13T07:19:00.002+08:002010-10-13T07:24:44.684+08:00

I bought a t-shirt recently which has a big picture of Winnie the Pooh's face and a bee on his nose, with the word POOH at the bottom. The girls saw it when I was folding it after washing. They kept asking me to wear it over the next few days. When I finally did, they said it was pretty.I was upstairs in the study doing some work in the afternoon today when they heard me opening the door and

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-43817877505327213072010-09-30T23:16:00.000+08:002010-10-04T15:25:32.397+08:00

We went to the park as usual this morning. The girls were excited as this time we kept aside some bread to feed the tortoises in the lake.As we were throwing pieces of bread into the lake to feed the tortoises, 2 pigeons nearby who spotted some bread crumbs came near us to eat.Normally the girls would not be scared but this time the pigeons came a bit too near for comfort until the girls actually

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-18545111945979310992010-09-28T16:21:00.002+08:002011-03-08T12:01:32.386+08:00

The girls have been quite keen at playing at cooking for a while now, but lately their repertoire of "dishes" has expanded considerably, as they observe the dishes that they have had over lunches and dinners at home, out at restaurants or even from TV shows. They were 'cooking' the other day and asked Kongkong (maternal grandfather) what he would like to eat. He answered 'fish head noodle', and

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-66150508588561062622010-09-26T15:49:00.001+08:002010-09-28T16:22:20.231+08:00

Recently we came up with 3 questions we use to test the girls, and which usually confuses them, especially Jun Yen.First Question: What is your name?Second Question: How are you?Third Question: How old are you?They know the answers but may not be to the correct question. So what they do is just take a guess. I tried to translate the questions into Mandarin, hoping it would help. Jun Lee is able

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-66031977115911975262010-09-26T15:01:00.000+08:002010-09-28T16:01:12.028+08:00

When the girls were just learning to talk, they'd repeat things we say. My wife would say they were like parrots, and they repeated "Parrot" as well, haha!A few months back, when they repeated something wifey said, she again said they were parrots. This time however, to her surprise, Jun Lee replied, "No, a parrot is a bird..."When I heard that I tried getting Jun Lee to say the same thing, but

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-2718955131127061072010-09-20T19:25:00.000+08:002010-09-21T15:31:51.049+08:00

Until recently the girls have always been the youngest among their cousins, until my elder sister gave birth to her second child, a baby boy. When I visited her I would usually bring the girls along.Both of them have seen tiny babies before but as they grow older they seem to act more like big sisters.I'd ask them to sing lullabies to the baby when the baby is crying. During one of these

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-8395576824864406652010-09-18T21:05:00.000+08:002010-09-28T16:20:35.617+08:00

Lego has always been a big part of my childhood, and I used to spend hours playing with them and making the most fantastic things. I never seemed to follow the instructions though... Anyway this isn't about me, so over to wifey...We've always wanted to buy the girls a Lego set. However most of the sets we saw were either simple Duplo ones or were the complicated ones that required you to read the

scirocconoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-36659376115176586162010-09-11T23:17:00.000+08:002010-09-15T11:23:06.810+08:00

After being away for a while to sort things out in Melbourne, I've forgotten the order of the TV channels.I wanted to let the girls watch cartoons while I do some housework but forgot what channel it is on. I tried many times, pressing here and there to find it. In the end I gave up and asked the girls what is the cartoon channel... They both answered together, "Mommy, 552 is cartoon!..." And

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-91006033329320135232010-09-04T17:57:00.007+08:002010-09-04T20:43:56.221+08:00

Got these out in record time (for me anyway...) Have not put them in order, nor put proper captions, but they'll do for now.The Australian landscape... Canola blooms along Princes Highway... Ancient bowling pins... Manual water pump... View from the entrance to Sovereign Hill... Trying our luck panning for gold... Replica of a store in the Chinese camp... Port Campbell on the Great Ocean Road...

scirocconoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-59915725239464321452010-08-03T23:30:00.005+08:002010-08-19T22:11:26.951+08:00

Usually hubby would be the one who organises birthdays for the family, being the one who looks around for nice restaurants to try out.This is the 2nd birthday celebration that he's missing this year but since it's his dad's birthday, he chipped in with suggestions and had me assist to pull it off.We went through a few restaurants and settled on Frangipani... Normally the prices are rather steep,

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-48219578088533277572010-07-31T20:00:00.001+08:002010-07-31T20:38:54.981+08:00

We'd usually meet on average about once a month with EH, AW, Minggy, YH and sometimes SL, DS, and T joins us. These are all friends I knew through hubby, and we're a pretty close bunch. Although hubby is away, we had our usual gathering the Sunday before last, this time for dimsum at Jaya One.I told the girls the night before that we would be meeting the aunties and uncles the next day and they

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-60250045294122146312010-07-24T09:30:00.000+08:002010-07-24T09:30:00.356+08:00

A few months back, I used to get to work early while hubby and the girls are still in dreamland. The girls will usually get up when hubby goes off to work around 8am. Soon after hubby left, the pattern has changed and the girls began to wake up earlier at the same time as I did.There are also days when they don't let me to go work. Once as I was about to take a shower, Jun Lee asked if I was

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-79780594745112937602010-07-24T07:32:00.003+08:002010-07-24T07:50:07.561+08:00

Its been a while since we posted as hubby's not around and wifey is extremely busy at work and dealing with the family and the house. Hubby had bought a jigsaw puzzle for the girls earlier and they seem to like it. Grandma bought more new jigsaw puzzles for the gals lately as she thought of giving them new toys. We were at first worried that it was too difficult for them and they would not be

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-91829908612580974562010-07-23T11:35:00.002+08:002010-07-24T07:32:11.365+08:00

They girls did a very cheeky thing today that deserved a scolding, yet being very funny at the same time.Grandfather (Yeye) returned with a packet of buns in the evening, as everyone hungering for a bit of tea. As it was near dinner time, they decided to just share one bun among Yeye, Grandma, Jun Lee and Jun Yen.Grandma then went into the kitchen while Yeye went upstairs, leaving the girls in

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-54686200474175327442010-06-26T22:13:00.005+08:002010-06-28T20:06:32.082+08:00

We've been meaning to introduce the girls to the seaside, and finally managed to do so in April when we made a trip to Avillion Port Dickson. Not the best seaside resort around, but it was close to home, and the hotel was pretty good. So this is the beach... Writing our names in the sand... Look, Mommy!... See, such fine sand... What a great view!... Happy Birthday Papa! A bit early huh...

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-57898517656970111082010-05-19T19:15:00.004+08:002010-06-28T20:09:45.715+08:00

Things I like:1. Great coffee everywhere2. Drivers stick to their lanes3. The weather is not frickin hot4. Proper road signs that actually direct you where it's supposed to5. Good air quality6. Drinking water is free in all restaurants7. Great pizzas everywhere8. Speed limits are strictly enforcedThings I dislike:1. Chips are served with everything2. Parking is ridiculously expensive3. The

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-35048908306264051052010-05-15T20:25:00.002+08:002010-05-17T15:38:31.605+08:00

There are certain games that somehow girls will tend to gravitate to and like to play. We realised this when we found that recently they seem to like to 'cook'. They'd come up to us and ask what you want to eat and then play-cook whatever we request. They will also sometimes bring a make-believe menu to ask us to order the food and drinks, just like in a restaurant. I suppose they are imitating

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-50160499341270010212010-02-20T23:45:00.009+08:002010-06-26T22:14:35.522+08:00

Gong Xi Fa Cai...Xin Nien Kuai Le...Happy New Year... these are the phrases we taught them to say when they meet people during CNY. They can even sing the Gong Xi Gong Xi song perfectly. Teaching them and getting them to do it all to perfection with us was a doddle but to get them to say/sing it when they meet people was close to impossible... Stage fright I suppose... Haha... better luck next

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-84086934597475354272010-01-10T23:42:00.004+08:002010-03-05T14:00:11.442+08:00

Since resuming regular play in October, I've been experimenting quite a bit with my gear, and fortunately by December had made my pick. I'm now using a Wilson KSix.One Tour 90 (the famed Federer stick) strung with Gosen OG Sheep Micro 17 synthetic gut at 55lbs, and Yonex Supergrap white overgrip.Amidst all the experimenting I have tried out many polyester strings, and a few synthetic guts, in a

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-23163296709569469182009-12-29T20:02:00.000+08:002009-12-31T16:14:04.242+08:00

Our bunch of friends initially suggested having a Xmas potluck at our place on eve or the day itself, but as we were out of the country then, we moved it back to the 28th, yesterday night.It was nothing fancy, everyone brought stuff over, and the motley collection came together as quite a feast. We had honey garlic chicken wings, fried rice, satay, and home-made blueberry muffins. Our

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-43741564971849799262009-12-28T13:26:00.004+08:002010-01-06T15:02:59.486+08:00

Goodness... I haven't updated for more than 2 months now!Mostly its because I've been pretty busy both with work and our personal lives...Such a lot has happened in these last 2 1/2 months, what with the girls' birthday and our vacation in Hong Kong and Macau. Will definitely resolve to sort out all the backdated posts by end of the year!Updated! With lots of pics... The write-up I'll get around

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-54008651385961414952009-10-12T22:36:00.000+08:002009-10-14T10:40:28.417+08:00

Yesterday night my girls gave me a bit of a surprise. They already know how to count to ten about a few months (how many?) back, but yesterday they started doing so in Malay! Both took turns counting satu to sepuluh!I found out later that my Mom had taught them that...They can recite the numbers from 1 to 10 quite fluently by now, but can't really count yet. Next task to teach them...

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-49510685288992637872009-10-01T23:01:00.003+08:002010-01-11T11:42:41.734+08:00

Been playing with the Wilson KSix.One 95 (hereinafter referred to as K95) extensively of late, and also managed to get some court time with the Wilson KSix.One Tour 90(hereinafter referred to as K90).The K95 first... When I first picked it up it struck me that it felt pretty hefty even though it's the Asian version that weighs in at 310g vs the Rest-of-the-world version at 330g. When I first

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-47627852047884992112009-09-30T09:56:00.004+08:002010-01-11T11:53:56.409+08:00

Have been going through a renaissance of sorts lately. I have always been an avid tennis player, but have pretty much laid down my racket over the last 5 years, and even before that was playing sporadically. It's a bit of a pain to find players considering the popularity (or lack thereof). I can name 3 or 4 groups I can join for badminton, but not one for tennis.And face it, good though playing

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-32414279231072476472009-09-16T22:50:00.000+08:002009-10-14T10:55:02.815+08:00

The gals’ Grandma bought a CD of childrens’ songs in Mandarin a while back. They really like it a lot and always ask to listen to it (saying "ni wawa" meaning clay doll, one of the songs in the CD...) especially during the day when they are in their play room. By now it has become habitual for them to want to listen to it when they take their nap in the afternoon. Lately, we realise that Jun Lee

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-31589783049599824012009-09-13T21:15:00.004+08:002009-10-14T10:55:49.882+08:00

There is a picture of a toy shop in one of the Peter and Jane books which are among those books the girls look at pretty often. I placed some toys on the shelf in our bedroom for easy access to keep them occupied in the morning while we wash up before bringing them downstairs, which they call the toy shop. I figured that to them, having a lot of toys lined up in one place makes up a toy shop.We

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-59374431988520066852009-09-06T23:27:00.001+08:002009-09-09T11:39:41.969+08:00

Took the girls to the pool yesterday at the club. It was their first time in a pool, so before we even took that first dip, had a few considerations...Firstly, public pools are not ideal, what with the amount and variety of people. Furthermore public pools are usually of the "for serious swimming" variety with no wading pool to speak of, which is what they really need for now anyway, not an

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-64800586216833292592009-08-02T17:05:00.001+08:002009-09-30T09:51:03.704+08:00

After our last vacation in the Cameron Highlands, we have not been anywhere out of town, and it was high time that we took a short break. Considering the hazy and hot weather of late, anywhere near the seaside just didn't appeal, much as we wanted to bring the babies to experience the sea.So somewhere close and cool then... For us Klang Valley people, where else but Genting... (don't get me

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-33647462830118460172009-07-29T20:48:00.001+08:002009-07-30T10:25:41.007+08:00

Their vocabulary has now expanded quite a bit. Jun Yen still remains the one who is more vocal, and Jun Lee the more reluctant one, and she usually won't say it unless she says it right. Jun Yen on the other hand is willing to just say whatever she can, accurate pronunciation or not. The way she calls Pooh Pooh (for Winnie the Pooh) comes out as "Fooh Fooh" which is so cute...Yup, they pretty

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-78845234907566553392009-07-06T22:50:00.001+08:002009-07-13T11:54:50.773+08:00

The girls don't seem to be very interested in toys. And by that I mean the real toys. Instead they seem to like playing with the everyday items. List includes stools, indoor slippers, containers of all sorts...Jun Lee making Teh Tarik...Our Bowls and Cups... They also love printed material of all kinds including books (not just the childrens' books) magazines, pamphlets... and they tend to stuff

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-56234319245259800852009-06-20T15:57:00.000+08:002009-07-07T16:06:05.069+08:00

Sometime in May I wrote that they can pronounce Mommy (sounding like "MaMi") here.Since then they've progressed onto a whole host of words. By now they recognise people by age and address them accordingly. For babies their age they would call them "baby". For older children they would call them "cheche" or "korkor". Adults pretty much fall into the "aunty" and "uncle" category, and "kongkong" for

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-18002066460839659452009-06-09T22:43:00.004+08:002009-06-10T14:43:55.530+08:00

Happy Birthday Mommy!!!... We had a barbecue on wifey's birthday with family and friends, just a small do. By the time we got to the cake cutting, JL & JY were quite sleepy already... Plus it wasn't me taking the pics, so they were quite bewildered by the photographer. It was wonderful night, and wifey had a great time. Plus we hadn't had a barbecue for such a long time it felt good to be

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-12894646792620514032009-06-02T22:44:00.001+08:002009-06-10T15:18:17.539+08:00

See me wink... Che che's ear... ... ... ... Mommy is here... The girls are usually put to bed at 8pm, and we'll wake them up at 11pm or so for their last feed and change of diaper.During that time they're usually quite active and happy as they've had what amounts to a long nap, and had their supper, what's not to be happy about?...The routine would be:1. Feed them milk2. Carry them onto our

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-8647322928161447002009-05-31T13:58:00.000+08:002009-06-01T14:02:00.536+08:00

It used to be confusing when the babies call Mama. This was because we were not sure whether they are addressing their Grandma or Mummy. There was a point when they used to call their Mummy "Mamama" and their Grandma "Mama". After a while, it was back to Mama. About a month back, they started to call their Mummy "Mimi".Now they mostly call Mummy (yep, the full deal), but still revert to Mama once

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-42402997081386712632009-05-24T09:53:00.005+08:002009-06-30T16:50:08.783+08:00

Wifey's writing...Now that they are older, we have started to bring them to the park for their morning walk on weekends. It's good to expose them to the greenery (as well as the lake and the waterfall...), all worlds away from the everyday busy concrete jungle.The first time Jun Lee was fine and walked by herself quite quickly. Jun Yen refused and had to be carried by her Mummy for a while till

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-47239002783326746402009-05-05T22:42:00.001+08:002009-05-25T09:52:55.416+08:00

Over the years (since I learnt how to drive that is...) these are the cars (if you can guess what they are) and engines that I have owned or had a close acquiantance with...4G154G134G92P4G93P4G18M111.960XU10J4R1ZZ-FE1AZ-FES4PHD4FFuture engines which I'd like to own include:N52B25/B30M272.E251AR4GR-FSEK20AK24Z2EA113 2.0TFSIEA111 1.4TSIYup, just a bit of geeky, self-indulgent scribbling... :)

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-61972817166554342492009-03-31T20:40:00.001+08:002009-04-10T11:52:44.569+08:00

I haven't been posting up any food reviews of late, and that's either because the places I've been to recently didn't warrant much mention.This place, I had to post up a review.Imagine this, a very very old (possibly pre-war) shop literally a few feet away from the dusty and noisy Jalan Pudu, with no signage of any kind, with 7 or so tables, and where you have to wait for like an hour (usually

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-4867167055120007932009-03-18T22:50:00.002+08:002009-03-18T23:50:54.804+08:00

Concurrently with Jun Yen's fever last week, we also saw signs of the lower molars! Both sides!Also she has been like a parrot the past weeks, repeating almost perfectly the words we say. We've really gotta be careful now...Jun Lee has learnt to lay out the cloth diaper (that we use as a towel of sorts) when she sees her sister being washed. It's really cute... yeah, words can't describe it...

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-45611225533796506132009-03-18T22:14:00.003+08:002009-03-18T22:46:26.980+08:00

Almost a month with no updates... yup, it has not been a good two weeks...Jun Yen and Jun Lee, in that order, got sore throats and the accompanying fever, cold and cough, also in that order. By now Jun Yen has pretty much recovered, but Jun Lee still has a cough.To make matters worse, I came down with the same vicious brand of flu last Sunday, and was on medical on Monday. Tuesday was pretty much

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-78527974248959381102009-02-23T22:30:00.003+08:002009-02-24T15:07:41.324+08:00

It has become a CNY custom to meet up with our friends for a "Lou Sang" session, but by the 6th day we were all a bit tired of pig's trotters, steamed fish, prawns, roast chicken etc all the traditional CNY goodies... So it was quite welcome when CK suggested Japanese food...Our plan was to go to Umai-Ya at Uptown, which had been satisfactory on a previous visit, but as it was fully booked that

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-29221446892592243082009-02-22T23:38:00.001+08:002009-02-26T14:37:14.078+08:00

Yeah, like I said before, wasn't gonna be long before the other one starts teething again...We were at 1U last Saturday and while wifey was at a particular Japanese cosmetics counter, I kept our daughters amused. Evidently not easy...While playing with Jun Yen, saw signs of 2 teeth on the lower jaw, flanking her two existing teeth... Haha, apparently I was the first to spot it, as neither wifey

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-9382045587235200992009-02-13T07:22:00.002+08:002009-02-13T15:53:55.392+08:00

It's been quite a while since anything food related came onto this blog. It doesn't mean I haven't been eating out, but definitely less than before the babies came along. Nowadays distance and baby-friendliness become great concerns in dining out.Yesterday night was an exception as Mom offered to take care of JL & JY while we take a break.Jaya One being a hitherto relatively unexplored place (I'd

scirocconoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-56218513020967089682009-02-12T20:06:00.007+08:002009-03-18T23:38:54.939+08:00

Okay, here they are... Gong Xi! Gong Xi! Hmm... I think your's looks nicer than mine... Yay! Got angpow from Yeye and Grandma... Angpows and Oranges!... Mommy with Jun Lee and Jun Yen... Chinese New Year mood... Is it for us???... Yay! Got angpow from Kongkong too...These are the first pictures posted here courtesy of the Canon system. All were shot with the 450D, the 17-40L and the Nissin Di622.

scirocconoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-22091056931853749292009-02-04T23:22:00.000+08:002009-02-05T11:25:27.223+08:00

Past few days Jun Lee has been behaving quite cranky, not to mention pooing a lot, and erratically. Typically this would indicate she's teething again, and yesterday we were proven right. After quite some time with 6 teeth (2 lower, 4 upper), we spotted a new tooth on the bottom left...No sign yet on Jun Yen, but if past behaviour is anything to go by, it should be soon...

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-64992223719045563422009-02-01T23:16:00.005+08:002009-02-10T10:00:00.369+08:00

Year of the Ox eh... Does that mean we get more grass???...Okay lah... since it's Year of the Ox, here's a pic of our kerbau friends...Taken by the side of the road from Teluk Intan to Bidor. Yeah, I know it's a lousy pic, but it was as close as I got before the Singh chased me off for disturbing his kerbaus... And with a 17-40 lens... never had a chance...Anyway, I was musing earlier today (

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-39360199371562911702009-01-30T17:05:00.001+08:002009-02-20T11:00:52.456+08:00

Coming VERY soon!!!I've been shooting in RAW again with the Canon, and oddly enough, I found it a lot easier to work with than JPEGs, and have actually been going through them a lot quicker...

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-19694804675957848632009-01-20T22:26:00.000+08:002009-02-26T14:06:14.089+08:00

An updated review after 6 months...It's proven to be a nice car to drive, with no problems at all that required warranty claims.Just went through the second service (at 5,000kms) and the engine's well run-in by now. It as gotten a wee bit smoother (but that wasn't an issue to begin with) and has gotten more responsive with the extra miles on it.The clutch take-up point as mentioned earlier ceased

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-45735943012521940772009-01-18T01:16:00.006+08:002009-05-26T10:11:21.829+08:00

Here's to make clear I do not have a fixation with anything Star Wars...After 9 years of being a Nikonian, I have finally moved from Nikon (known in certain photographic circles as the Dark Side) to Canon (also known in certain photographic circles as the Dark Side).Confused? Apparently the term applies interchangeably depending on who you talk to... Reason Canon is known as such is due to their

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-56239531662315805632009-01-10T10:17:00.001+08:002009-01-29T15:46:52.521+08:00

Now Jun Yen knows how to lie down on top of her pillow for milk too! Only thing is Jun Lee can tuck her hankerchief under her neck on her own, not always spot on, but it's a start...

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-2369053555243242322008-12-30T23:07:00.000+08:002008-12-31T11:11:14.406+08:00

Since the last weekend Jun Lee now knows how to plop herself onto her pillow when she sees the milk bottle. She actually started doing so about a fortnight back, but would end up with her head not actually on the pillow. Now she's doing it quite accurately, and it's so cute to see her go to her pillow (either in the cot upstairs or the playroom mattress) when she sees us coming with the milk for

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-39845306681238463022008-12-26T14:07:00.001+08:002010-01-11T12:17:01.578+08:00

This will basically document the stuff I have at any point in time. It is most telling that I change stuff very often, but then luckily I almost never lose any dough on them...Sep 2008Nikon D40, Nikon 18-70mm f3.5-4.5, Nikon SB-400, Crumpler 5MDH, Nikon 80-200mm f4 AI, Manfrotto 190PROOct 2008Nikon D60, Tamron 17-50mm f2.8, Nikon 18-70mm f3.5-4.5, Nikon SB-400, Crumpler 5MDH, Nikon 80-200mm f4 AI

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-63006682945329806052008-12-22T13:09:00.003+08:002009-02-24T14:53:50.487+08:00

Jun Lee & Jun Yen woke up around 0730 (fairly typical time) and sent me running to make their milk. However, they drank very little, about 3oz of their normal 6oz. Went to breakfast at the coffee house at 0900, got a seat on the verandah. Food was okay, with a decent selection. The service was also alright with plates being cleared in good time and all, but the replenishment was so slooowwww...

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-46259788246428004892008-12-21T23:55:00.010+08:002009-02-24T14:57:42.577+08:00

To my amazement, I actually finished editing the photos by Saturday! So here's the post on our recent holiday... complete with pics!Brought the babies on their first holiday last week (13 Dec) to Cameron Highlands with their Grandpa, Grandma and Uncle too. Although I'm tickled pink describing it as babies' holiday, because indeed, what could they be needing a break from? Hehe...Stayed at the

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-40671499847034360222008-12-20T08:54:00.000+08:002008-12-23T09:04:53.031+08:00

On our recent holiday to Cameron Highlands, I ended up booking the 3-room apartment at the Hotel Equatorial for 2 night for the sum of about RM1,500, based on my favourable perception of the Equatorial Melaka.Decent hotels are not exactly plentiful in Camerons, with the only premium hotel, th Cameron Highlands Resort, charging prices similar to a hotel room in London. We previously stayed at the

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-87817316635144257672008-12-18T07:45:00.001+08:002008-12-18T11:17:31.334+08:00

Okay, I KNOW I take forever to upload pics, and wifey's breathing down my neck doesn't help. I've never quite managed to be happy about the stuff that comes directly out from the camera, something always needs tweaking.Lest you think I'm guilty of fakery and embellishing photos, I'm not, and my tweaks are usually limited to exposure adjustments. The exposure meter can sometimes be wonky... Nikons

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-79977796809370755972008-12-08T11:50:00.001+08:002009-02-02T11:06:26.267+08:00

I spent a good part of yesterday with the twins as wifey was out for some shopping and gym.Bro came over for a while, and saw Jun Lee do a nifty trick to get back her toy. Jun Yen is the more possessive one, and tends to grab toys from Jun Lee. For whatever reason, despite being bigger than Jun Yen, she seems to lose in most of these grabs.Today Jun Lee was playing with a plastic ring, which is

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-20401172627187661222008-11-16T23:50:00.001+08:002008-11-21T11:10:49.933+08:00

Oh my, over a month with no updates... Well, it's certainly not due to lack of material. The babies just celebrated their 1 year old birthday last month, and I've only JUST finished editing and compiling the pics. Will post them up soon...Yesterday Jun Yen went around saying something that sounded like "sherka" repeatedly, and I was at a loss why, until wifey realised it probably meant "cher ke"

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-85065024630953904472008-10-31T23:50:00.009+08:002009-02-10T09:54:27.888+08:00

A year has passed and the twins are now ONE! Yup... time flies...We had a birthday party to celebrate on the 18th October with our relatives and friends. Thank you all!Jun Lee & Jun Yen were very happy, and very well behaved, though they were still having a bit of a cold. Both of them, being very excited to see so many people, made quite a bit of noise and wanted to touch everything. Grandma had

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-90320824950618837732008-10-08T22:00:00.004+08:002008-11-05T17:59:33.292+08:00

Yet another update on the pregnancy blog. It is simply too long to post up in this form. As such I will put it into a Word file, complete with index and all. Hey, whaddaya expect, it's close to 9 months long...Jasmine's Pregnancy BlogOkay, my bad, wifey actually gave me her pregnancy blog to post up not long after the twins were born, but what with one thing or another it didn't get put up, till

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-76895887562910906432008-09-20T10:23:00.000+08:002008-10-06T10:36:11.646+08:00

Up till now both babies can do a few acts of their own. These include:a) Clapping hands - already mentioned before, only since about 2 months ago JY actually does it louder maybe because her palms are fleshier. They do this pretty regularly when they're happy, and most notably when they see their milk on the way...b) Red Indian cry - they'd cup their palms over their mouths and go '...wa wa wa...

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-21197551138180244612008-09-10T22:38:00.001+08:002008-09-11T15:52:15.256+08:00

Last Saturday we finally found a chance to visit wifey's hometown, what with the babies being too small earlier, father-in-law's travelling, and our own schedules, settling on a slot was a bit vexing.We originally aimed to leave by 0830, but what with one thing or another only got moving by 0930 after dropping off the maid at my parents'. Even though it was only a day trip, the amount of stuff we

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-33471024029762969482008-09-09T00:36:00.006+08:002008-09-09T14:34:46.403+08:00

As an addition to my post on small cars here, I'm including this review of the 2nd gen Proton Saga. This was actually prompted by a friend asking me for my thoughts on this car, and though I had driven it I didn't include it in the original post as I was thinking more of hatches than sedans. But seeing as it shares the same price bracket (and more...) with the Savvy, it would make sense to

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-44015948013262943972008-09-03T09:47:00.009+08:002009-02-02T11:41:50.741+08:00

August 31 was Malaysia's National Day (or more accurately Independence Day...) and as it fell on a Sunday, the next day (Monday) was a holiday too. Papa, you're gonna take care of us the whole day?...Unfortunately, wifey had to work, so it was up to me to take care of the babies that day. Haven't spent the whole day alone with them for a while now...Day began rather slowly, they woke up (okay,

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-80035666453400140052008-08-18T17:14:00.001+08:002008-09-03T10:48:58.180+08:00

Surprise, surprise! We actually found why Jun Yen has been so naughty and restless of late; she has a 3rd tooth! Both twins already have two lower front teeth. Jun Lee hasn't grown her's yet.Over the last fortnight or so it's like the twins took a personality swap. The adventurous streak in Jun Lee seems to have been toned down and taken over by Jun Yen. Now she's the one who's crawling about all

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-76645073015798075782008-08-09T22:26:00.003+08:002008-09-03T10:49:16.542+08:00

By now even Jun Yen can crawl very well (when she wants to...) and both can stand up if they're holding on to something, be it the cot, wall, mattress or me or wifey...Jun Lee can stand unaided but only for a while before she gets scared and sits down. Jun Yen has a stronger waist and can actually stand up, though she needs to hold onto something as a guide, even my pinkie will do... Why I say

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-8304292460998322432008-08-04T23:47:00.006+08:002009-02-02T11:42:16.671+08:00

The babies since mid-June have learnt to sit on the potty unassisted. They were previously using an old blue circular one but had to be held while they went. Decided to try to let them sit on one alone, and one night I went out to Babyland and got a 40buck potty! One of those contoured stuff which allowed the babies to sit firmly. I got a white Chicco one. Jun Lee on their new potty...By now Jun

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-89693146459467511952008-08-04T22:36:00.005+08:002008-09-11T15:54:38.951+08:00

By now the babies are making all kinds of sounds, including the Papapapa episodes earlier. We've noticed by now they seem to find a new sound, make a lot of it because its new, then stop completely a week or two later.Jun Lee also picked up "Teh teh teh..." a long while back, and always used to make that sound when she's climbing or crawling. It's really cute... As I probably mentioned before, in

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-34470262362308000982008-08-03T22:20:00.008+08:002008-09-09T14:32:36.662+08:00

Being on the lookout for a small car lately, wifey and I have been doing a lot of test driving and so far the cars I have tested include the Naza Bestari 206, Suzuki Swift, Hyundai Getz, Proton Savvy, Perodua Myvi and even the just-launched-last-Friday Hyundai i10. Here then are quick reviews of all the cars mentioned. Also of interest would be a review of the Saga.From all that driving around 3

scirocconoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-20408957533467423372008-08-01T01:02:00.007+08:002009-02-02T11:42:46.056+08:00

Yeah, it was Dad's (Grandpa to them...) birthday celebration last Sunday!We had already decided since February that we would be bringing Dad to this place for his birthday. We brought Mom here for her birthday this year, and she found the food was rather unique, and also because they do a cheesy and funny Mexican serenade for you if it's your birthday, which she thought would amuse Dad. First

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-84631488567336177812008-07-31T13:55:00.001+08:002008-08-04T22:25:57.989+08:00

Went for the 10k routine service (oil change, inspection, etc.) last month on the 10th at the Toyota Service Centre at Jalan 217. I had always taken the Altis previously to the one in Sungai Buloh (which is not as daft as it sounds as I can get there quite easily through Kota Damansara...), but was less than convinced with their level of service. Most notably they took forever to order and

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-51475664930371562282008-07-14T13:42:00.001+08:002008-09-09T10:43:27.718+08:00

Yesterday we brought Jun Lee and Jun Yen to visit their relatives in the Puchong area. My aunt (babies' grand aunt) and my sister-in-law (babies' aunt) happens to live in the same area, although it does sound absurd to actually say that Bandar Kinrara and Bandar Bukit Puchong are in the same area... Those familiar with Puchong will know what I am talking about, for those who are not, suffice to

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-82917407418509068112008-07-13T22:19:00.000+08:002008-07-14T10:28:23.373+08:00

Jun Yen has managed to learn 2 things at once this week!She learnt to sit up by herself sometime last week, except that her technique differs from Jun Lee's. Jun Lee would roll onto her belly, tuck one leg under, and pivot up on the side.Jun Yen would roll onto her belly, tuck both legs under like she was going to crawl, and push herself up vertically.On Saturday, we also found that she knows how

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-83925666263000407372008-07-06T23:03:00.001+08:002008-07-08T09:33:44.424+08:00

This evening I wanted to take a nap with the babies, but after an hour I can report that I didn't get any sleep! Both babies were quite amused to see me, and while Jun Yen was content to look at me and gurgle and play with her toys, Jun Lee literally climbed all over me!She stood on my belly, touched my face, pulled my ear, tugged at my hair and played with my toes!!! Despite getting up to move

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-45790664753176240422008-07-04T22:50:00.002+08:002008-07-04T22:53:47.459+08:00

Jun Lee could clap her hands since last week before Mommy returned home. Granted not clapping like adults do, but she's learnt to put her hands together to make a little sound. So now we have one daughter who sings, and another who claps her hands, hehe...

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-33305102639864828252008-07-03T00:28:00.006+08:002009-07-26T14:25:35.534+08:00

Finally got around to put these on the car on Tuesday evening. Don't ask how much I got it for lah... ;P Its closest competitors would probably be the Michelin MXV8/Pilots, Bridgestone Turanzas and the Yokohama Drives.You can't get them in retail for now as it has not been officially launched for the Malaysian market, though they can be seen on the road as OE tires for the new Honda

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-89383131286979324272008-07-01T23:35:00.005+08:002008-07-03T13:58:24.401+08:00

For as long as anyone can remember, trade has relied on a group of people who usually add little value, yet in many cases derives a healthy profit from simply juggling the products from the producer to the end-user; yes, I'm talking about the middle-men.Ever since I was old enough to understand economics, I have been baffled as to why these group of people get paid so much to do so little...The

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-69582963243389519492008-06-23T21:45:00.001+08:002009-02-02T11:44:06.425+08:00

Jun Yen has been quite vocal lately, of which her Papa is one example. Last week we found that she has learnt to respond to us. Mom and Dad demonstrated this by saying "chang ge" (sing) to Jun Yen, and she would do so. To make sure it was no fluke, we did it a few more times, with consistent response from her. Bravo Jun Yen! Encore!Doe a deer, a female deer... Yesterday evening Mom played the

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-47098642336554700802008-06-22T19:32:00.003+08:002009-02-02T11:44:28.864+08:00

The babies now interact actively with each other, and since they spend most of their day on the large mattress downstairs, they tend to come into contact with each other.Funny incidents have included Jun Yen sucking Jun Lee's toes, Jun Lee licking the top of Jun Yen's head. They also love to play with each other's diapers which are really colorful. Jun Lee especially likes to disturb Jun Yen. Jun

scirocconoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-40822776834758168442008-06-20T23:08:00.004+08:002009-02-02T11:45:35.790+08:00

Since the week before (9 June) we have already put the babies back into cots as they tend to get in each other's way on the mattress, and also because Jun Lee tends to disturb Jun Yen.For the first week we've rotated the cots, with each baby sleeping one night in each. Since beginning of this week we have stuck to putting Jun Lee in the wooden cot as she tried to climb past the barrier on the

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-82335770819670162412008-06-16T23:30:00.001+08:002008-07-03T13:38:36.606+08:00

Jun Lee can now sit up! Yeah, sure, she and JY have been doing that for a while now, but now Jun Lee can do it on her own!You can put her lying on her back onto the mattress, and very quickly, she will roll onto her belly, tuck one leg under her belly, and push herself up!

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-12567459366800934722008-06-14T23:18:00.008+08:002009-02-02T11:47:25.027+08:00

Here’s a typical weekend day, or at least as typical as it can be when wifey’s not around. Woken up at around 0800 by Jun Yen making whimpering noises. Must be hungry, poor girl… Jun Lee still asleep. Nowadays Jun Lee usually sleeps till later, but that’s because she hardly sleeps during the day. Very active lah…Handed babies their milk, and that kept them busy for a while. As usual after they’ve

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-83810892487850046322008-06-10T23:09:00.014+08:002009-02-02T11:46:26.710+08:00

By now both babies can crawl, or at least inch along, quite well. Again, here they're very different. Jun Lee is more physically inclined, and moves all over the mattress they spend most of the day on. A week ago (2nd June to be precise...) she crawled over the pillows we had put to fence them in, fell and cried like no tomorrow. (and the next day developing a sizable bump on her forehead)Of

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-69414508342513831662008-06-05T23:18:00.006+08:002009-02-02T11:46:42.172+08:00

After dinner at Kura (and the requisite walkabout in 1-Utama...) dropped by Secret Recipe at Centerpoint for wifey's requisite slice of cake to wish and blow candles upon.Wifey saw Baskin Robbins next to Secret Recipe and asked for ice-cream cake instead. So got a slice of nice pink strawberry cake RM10+) and got home to find Mom had tucked the babies in.We woke the babies up (I know, I know...

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-57828932624840697212008-06-05T23:17:00.009+08:002008-06-20T11:41:13.380+08:00

We went to Kura at One World Hotel for wifey's birthday as we had heard good things about it. Also, the choice of ala-carte Japanese was deliberate as this week was sheer gluttony. (Wed - King Crab, Thu - Kura, Fri - Serena Brasserie, Sat - Hooi Loong) So something light yet sufficiently refined to slot in between those feasts.We were seated at what I can only describe as cubicle. On the plus

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-63999357809743691912008-06-03T23:32:00.004+08:002008-06-16T18:10:22.383+08:00

Last week, Jun Yen had already learnt to babble something that sounds like Papapapa... much to wifey's annoyance. Though I'm fairly certain that she has no idea what it means and it's most likely just plain babbling. Still, it's a pleasure to hear, and is music to any father's ears.Also Jun Lee yesterday learnt to say something similar, but certainly not Papapapa, if anything it sounded closer to

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-65811913452432679702008-06-03T23:31:00.001+08:002008-06-16T13:20:15.098+08:00

Went out for dinner today at King Crab for wifey's birthday. Mom and Dad's treat. Brought babies along, and for some reason today parking was packed along the road, so getting babies off proved a bit of a chore.Ordered the Crab with Creamy Sauce (Lai Yau Hai), Fried 4 veges in shrimp paste (Sei Tai Tin Wong), Pork Belly with Yam (Wu Tao Kau Yuk), Clams in Superior Soup (Siong Tong Lala) and

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-42311803944665062762008-06-02T22:55:00.012+08:002009-02-02T11:46:51.185+08:00

Here's a day's worth of detailing the car. I think its fabulous, though not as bright as it could be as the shine is somewhat blunted due to the orange-peel as mentioned below. Compounding, compounding... later lah, huh... 5 hours worth of work! No lah, it's not a solid 5 hours working on it. If so I would have passed out from exhaustion a long time ago... A lot of the time was spent waiting for

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-54871843679536750582008-06-02T22:55:00.011+08:002008-09-09T10:45:16.728+08:00

From my previous post, doesn't take much to guess that yes, I am an Autoglym fan. I've used Meguiars, Kit, Turtle Wax, Armor All, Simoniz, Amway, 3M and goodness knows what else, but at the end of the day, nothing beats Autoglym for ease of use and durability. You can just get away with using only SRP, and it'd last for months, but coupled with EGP, I have gone almost a year without waxing my

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-22228024274583873192008-05-24T23:55:00.006+08:002009-02-02T11:48:23.100+08:00

It might seem odd that I've titled this post "Trip To KL". A friend to whom I mentioned this "trip" the night before jokingly remarked that I made it sound so eventful, when really going to KL is as mundane as you can get.As I reflect on that, I realised that having children adds a new dimension to your life. Suddenly every little event becomes fresh again as you have the children with you. Our

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-52192252285669462742008-05-20T23:00:00.006+08:002009-02-02T11:48:59.896+08:00

You'd be wondering if I was caught in a time warp, reviewing a car already superceded, but I just wanted to put down what I thought of the car.So, the Toyota Corolla Altis E120, sold in Malaysia (and the USA and most of Southeast Asia) a variant of the plain vanilla Corolla, positioned as a more up-market alternative. It was initially sold in 3 specs; the 1.6E Auto & Manual, and the 1.8G. The

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-55364746356209536042008-05-19T23:19:00.011+08:002009-05-26T13:34:50.019+08:00

Finally got hold of our car last week (Friday night to be precise). Concurrently, sold off my car that had served us well for 1 1/2 years. Remarkably good condition if I may say so. Barely 40k kms, just out of warranty. Sold it to a friend, so we'll still see it quite regularly. Did a detailed review of it in another post here.As for the new car, was a bit intimidated by its size at first, but

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-30074163250918197552008-05-18T23:10:00.012+08:002009-02-02T11:51:52.370+08:00

I make it a point to try to bring the babies out once a week, even if it's just a short hop over to my parents' place, just to get them used to the outside world, unfamiliar faces, and riding in a car.Mommy, this is how we rolled around in your tummy!In some way this was prompted last week when both twins became quite good at recognising people (and consequently crying at the sight of strangers..

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-19280769910569577322008-05-03T21:45:00.013+08:002009-02-02T11:57:25.995+08:00

We're home! Whew... All I can say is, what a relief. I think this is one of those holidays that was not restful and took its toll on me. Of course, a large part of it wasn't Indonesia's fault, but largely due to a vicious flu that I caught from a colleague while in Singapore. Again, not Singapore's fault either... the colleague is Malaysian... :PLake Toba as seen from SipisopisoThe weather (hot

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135951502098991318.post-47394844949897209502008-04-25T22:59:00.009+08:002009-02-02T11:54:02.359+08:00

I was away since Monday evening in Singapore on work, and only got back this evening around 8pm, though the flight landed around 6pm, thanks to the crazy long queue for taxis at the KLIA.I wasn't around for the babies' 6 months old birthday (if there is such a thing...) but wifey took some pictures of them. Here they are wearing the pretty blouses Grandma & Grandpa bought.Papa, we're 6 months old

scirocconoreply@blogger.com0