No gas, no gassssss.....

I knew something was amiss when the spluttering of the serai and onions in my wok started slowing down. Looked down at the flames and yes, oh yes.....there burns the last breath of my gas.

Called my neighbourhood gas man.

"Today cannot help you miss. I am in Bangsar!"

WHAT?? So far the 3 times I have called him since I moved to my new place has him running over in about 10 minutes. So, this was a first for me.

"So how?" I asked. "What time can you arrive?"

After much debate, he gave me a reluctant promise of before 6 pm.

So, off I went doing my other chores. If my parents were not here, you bet I would have just packed everything into the fridge and went out to eat.

But I had my parents and I had my relatives who were coming over for dinner. Rice was cooked and everything was washed and cut. So, we waited.

At 5.50 pm, the gas man called. "What is your address? Not xxxx place meh?"

"NO!" I answered. "I told you my place is yyyy place mah."

He got the address wrong and thus was now caught in another traffic jam filled place.

"This time really cannot help you miss. By the time I reach your place will be 8+ liao."

SIGH....and here I was on my way out to fetch my aunty and grandma.

Well...to cut the story short, my dad went over to the gas man's house, hoping he would keep some spare tanks in his house. And this act caused the gas man to pity us so much that he sent his son to bring his own gas tank over for us to use.

So, my mum cooked dinner.

And at 8+, the gas man arrived to give us a new tank.
He took the oportunity to nag and nag for us to keep a spare.

Truth be told, I don't really have the cupboard space to put a spare. And neither do I have a storeroom. So....the reason why I didn't have a spare. And he has always been so reliable. And I thought I had an induction cooker, worse case scenraio. But the damn induction cooker gave me a fuse shortage when I hooked it on last night.

So this particular incident is not one I want to repeat. My mum doesn't do well with stress and given the gas man predicted my tank of gas would last only till Christmas. And gave me a warning that don't tell me half way cooking for Christmas....

Space or no space, I have a spare now. Hidden in corners only cockroaches go! :)

I end this with a kind word of gratitude for the gas man who thought of our dinner and let us use this tank of gas. It was so much trouble for him but he helped where he could. Such a good samaritan.

Did I consider other gas tanks? I did. But hubby says they could have a different head? Is that true?

Reggie by Reggie Dabbs

The title of this book Reggie goes on to include 'You can't change your past, but you can change your future'. It is based on the life of Reggie who finds out in his second grade that his parents were not his real parents. And added to that, his birth was a result of a twenty-dollar deal his sixteen year old mother made to secure food. That was his past. And affect him this news did. But it did not stop him from making a future for himself.

The book progresses in this manner. Taking us through the years as Reggie grows up. The lessons he learnt and how we can apply these lessons into our life. There is a moment in the book that should cover most of what every other person is going through. Whether you are a teenager, a young individual or a father. He even adds questions and discussions at the end of each chapter for readers to ponder upon.

It is an inspiring book. A good read. Suitable for people from all walks of life. Thanks once again to Booksneeze for this complimentary book. It has certainly opened my eyes to a different perspective in life.

Caylee

Updates on my little girl @ 1y4+m.

She has got 4 teeth on the top, 2 at the bottom. Her bottom molars on both sides are sprouting. Thank God she has no fever or particular irritation.

No sign of talking yet, apart from a distinctive 'nen nen'. People ask me if I am worried. Frankly I am not. I have a feeling she will have speech diarrhoea when the time comes. She has always been slow and steady in her developments. And right now 1 talker in the family is enough to keep my mind and mouth busy.

Spoilt to the core. I blame her nanny. :) She gets coddled and carried and practically anything she wants from them. It is a ratio of 7 adults loving 1 baby in that house. So, you can bet she gets alot of brushing off at home, relatively.

Still wakes up at 2-3 am for PLAYTIME. I frequently have to bring her to the other room so that she would not disturb kor kor or daddy at that hour.

Loves to hold my finger or play with my nails while attempting to sleep. So, I have a permanent back ache due to my inmobility while putting her to sleep.

She is a real competitor. Always wants to beat the brother to things. Ask them to wash hands and this little girl will race to be first at the sink.

Loves to press the button on the ipad.

Knows the signal for 'no more'. And after seeing me lift my hand at another car to thank them for letting me pass, she now raises her hands at almost all vehicles passing by at the traffic lights. It's quite comical.

Loves to mimic us, especially kor kor.

Ask her who is Caylee, and she will pat her chest. Recognises most people. Mummy, daddy, kor kor, por por. kung kung....and even cher cher (my BIL's gf).

Loves the playground and will point at all the playgrounds she passes on her way home.

Recognises tiger and spider and ball and balloon and biscuit and dog and cat and bird and umbrella. Other pictures are a hit and miss. Starting to follow actions in nursery rhymes.

Very determined. Very focus. Able to do alot of stuff on her own after watching how we do it....including twisting the CNY red top cannisters and prying open a Jacobs cream crackers 900g tin.

Bought her a hair clip that day. Sometimes I can get it on her. Most of the time she prefers to put it on me.

Loves stickers. She thinks they are really pretty.

LOVES balloons. Up to the point I have to be careful not to walk pass certain shops in the mall that have those colourful balloons.

Still irritates the brother to high heaven.

Cameron Highlands

Highlights of our Camerons trip!

Food was excellent.

Recommended : Jasmine Cafe's smoked duck @ Tanah Rata RM28. Small portion but totally worth it. Hubby had the mixed grill which was nothing to shout about RM24.

Recommended : Lord's Cafe/T Cafe, Tanah Rata above Marrybrown. Simply food. Fried noodles RM 4.80. Great scones and chicken pie (approx. RM 2.80 each).

Read so much about the Strawberry Moment cafe. So, had to give it a try. Not bad for deserts. Had strawberry coffee ice blend and loved it. Loved it enough to buy a box of strawberry coffee...and still love it. We spent RM 48+ just on 2 ice creams, 1 coffee and 1 kids meal here.

The kids are not really into where we are going. As long as they have the food of their choice and the things they want to play with. In almost every farm, all Christopher wanted to do was to sit on those stuff and eat ice lollies! Caylee followed kor kor minus the ice lollies. She got a strawberry ball instead. And Christopher even managed to find an small aeroplane for me to buy.

The drive up to the Boh Tea Centre was exhilirating - only wide enough for one car. So certain parts was a real squeeze. But the visit was totally worth it. Nice walk up and nice cool air with breeze and so serene.


We + Ipoh in our trip. Tried a new eating place @ Stadium near Fairpark/Ipoh Garden. The fish head noodles were totally yummy - sour, not oily, totally yummy. They also had porridge for Caylee and the fried fish/meat fritters tasted like healthy keropok lekor.

Also chu chap chook for anyone who is interested!

Tried another shop near Pasir Pinji. I had the nyonya noodles, hubby had the BKT noodles and my dad had the curry mee. ALL of them were yummy. The shop is at the corner of the row where Kampar Cake Shop it. By the way....the wholemeal breads sold in this cake shop are totally good and fresh!

Konfeksi Ming Yue was THE place for salty peanut brittle, heong peang, small and good kaya puff and (cheap but tasty) mooncake. But no way can an outsider go there. These people have business so good they really won't bother if you walk away. Thank God for my mum and her goodwill! :)

At the end of the trip, hubby and I agreed - Camerons will be our always holiday location for a short break. The cool air allowed the kids to run around even in the early afternoon. So for once, Caylee slept uninterrupted till the next morning.

Moving to Cyberjaya

Yes.....it inevitably happened.

When hints are dropped, hints are picked up. Decisions are made way up there in the hierarchy ladder. And then just as an offside...I wonder how the staff feel?

So no matter how I would dread the commute ("we stay 2 hours away, you know! she says."). How the additional time on the road would affect my already JIT schedule. How I would now have to cook the night before and forgo my already infrequent exercise.

Did I mention my supervisors, in fact most people in New York, stay some 2 hours away? But that is really by their choice when they initially chose the job! The nearest cheap housing estate is probably Queens and if you have kids, most likely New Jersey is preferable.

Well, we more or less got the message "We don't really care how you feel. Its a management decision. Either go with it or get out." Which I am really tempted to do since HP allows work from home and free gym, as far as I know.

But I am rambling. Actually I would like to know.....how best do I get to Cyberjaya from Damansara at 7+am? And what about coming back around 4pm? Is the LDP way doable? I don't fancy paying toll of RM11.80 everyday taking the Elite.

Someone please HELP!