Congratulations Mrs Ham

Dear Joy,

We have known each other for about 10 years now and it all began with the most cheesy cliche pickup line of, "Have I seen you somewhere before?"

Yes, you probably would have, the bus rides that brought us closer.

How we observed that there will always be this man who will always sit at the very same spot in the bus, how we sat far away from your little brother who is now not so little anymore and of course, the sardine-packed moments where the bus driver tries to be funny and is very generous with his jam-brakes. 

It had been a real joy knowing you, having you in my life.

The days of stringing along helium balloons on your birthday at pasar malam, very much an envy to the children. Celebrating your very first college birthday at the LICT student lounge.  

We have had our fair share of drama and you are always there to save me. Yes, you have always mostly been my savior. From Bangsar toilets, puking in front of people's house and our many visits to different police stations to running away from receiving flowers. That was one epic moment for both of us, our immediate response to a simple, "HELLO" we heard right outside your gate. 

Our favourite lunch and meal in college days were the RM1 puri and fries dipped in mayo from Bombay. Us, trying our best to scrimp so we can have enough for our assignments. 

How from four original aunties -Sonia Faith you and I to more aunties, that well, became one of us too. I think it must be a success on our part to turn that pessimistic woman into somebody optimistic, well, at least she is when she is with us or else, we should have just pushed her under that train track that very night. 

The joy of us, 8 squeezing into a car and going to club the night away. 

I believed that there are times I might have really disappointed you but I am glad we worked things out in the end. 

I am sorry I laughed at you when I heard you sprained your ankles just by going down those three steps.

I am sorry I asked you to hurry across the busy Sunway FAT MAIN ROAD when, erm.. you had a bad ankle.

I appreciate how you took me in at your place and vice versa. That too, had stories on their own -creepy ones and also funny ones, shared together with Z and Lu. 

They say how friendship will slowly cease, sizzle out after we leave for the working world but no, you and I remain the same, despite how far we are apart from each other. 

I have never got to meet your previous boyfriends but that does not matter because the very boyfriend you showed to me, when I was in labor, is now your loving husband.

You are like a sister from another mother to me. You have always been there for me for all my important moments of my life and I hope I can be there for you too because I just want to. No reasons. I love you and will always do. (thats what I always tell you, eh?)

I appreciated it that you came to both my wedding dinner and the ROM, which was crazily early in the morning when you have got to rush to work right after that, how you came and stayed with me while I was in labor and massaging my legs that I could not feel at all, which was just plain funny. How you got to hear Jaden's very first cry when he came into this world and you were even there for me after my surgery, when I was all alone in the hospital. 

I am truly happy for both you and Marc, that you both took the next step into the next chapter in life. Marc has never ever looked happier in any other times when he said I do and signed those life contract papers.

Thank you for allowing me into your life, for letting me be able to be part of your big day moment and I pray that I get to be there to help massage your legs back one day. Next year, perhaps?

Anyway, I shall end this post by saying once again, 

Joy Lee-Ham, you are one of the most beautiful girl I know, inside out and I hope you will have a blessed marriage and well, grow old together with the man that is so in love with you.

Congratulations to you both, Mr and Mrs Marc Ham.

xoxo
Emily Loo

Proud

Jaden has been showing me signs of improvement and I am so proud of him.

Today, he showed that he is very much aware of the pretty fireworks that was going off right outside our balcony and he even asked me for more when it was over. How on earth am I suppose to conjure it up for him ? but this is a good sign as we have been bringing him out during new year's eves to see fireworks but usually it goes by unnoticed. 

His diaper was already full with pee and he came to me, took my hand and put it on his diaper and showed me that he wants to take the diaper off and pulled me to the toilet. He wants to a bath. 

He sits patiently and finish playing the magnetic fishing game.

He takes down toys from the shelves that he wants to play and he really plays with them. This is really one breakthrough to me as he was never ever interested in toy play. Do you know that it is  vital that a kid should want to play with toys? 

When we reach home, while I lock the grill door, he bends down and takes off his shoes. 

Before heading into the toilet for a bath, he knows how to pull down his pants, take them off and then diaper off. 

He attempts to want to feed himself with a spoon, although at times, he think it is faster and less work to use bare hands.

Little things like these makes me happy and proud. He may be doing what other kids could have done maybe 2 years back but I am still nevertheless the beaming proud parent when I see this coming from my son. 

He kicks the ball around, sometimes playing with his father. 

He highfives, hightens us. He claps his hands.

He tries to solve his problems by himself, and of course at times give up by just walking away in frustration.

He goes to the kitchen, pulls me there and parks his butt on the dining chair. Thats how I know he is hungry and wants to eat.

When he gets up from nap in the living room, he will help carry his pillows back into the room. 

He may not open to learn new things at first, turning his head away but once he gets it he does it with so much confidence exuding from his face, that it made me beam with so much pride. 

We (therapists and I) are going to start toilet train him and hope that we will tackle this completely by June 2012. I am going to give Jaden time to learn and pick up this on his own because I know deep down inside the head there somewhere, he is my little clever boy.

I wont be enrolling him into kindergarten in January 2012 yet as we are just starting to go into full force in his ABA program which he has been showing good progress. Don't want to alter his time and get it all screwed. He needs the hours to really learn things. 

Jaden, he might have made me want to pull my own hair out a few times but most of the time, I just want to hold him tight and tell him how much I am proud to be his mother and I love him with all my heart. 

He might be 'slow and weird' to some but he will always be the apple of my eye, my little hero, my little smartypants. 

Rice Cooker Salt-Baked Chicken

Family dinners are an important affair to me and since I have my own family now, I would want Jaden to have this type of practice too. Sadly, its not really a success because his mother turns out to be the world's lousiest cook.

Yesterday was the Winter Solstice festival and not only do the Chinese eat tang yuen (glutinous rice balls), they will also have a family dinner / family gathering. 

Since it was only 3 of us and the big one has to work, we settled for just tang yuen while the small one will have his dinner as usual but I do try to make his dish a little more special than norm.

Turns out I am one day late and well, better late than never.

I googled for some salt baked chicken and came across this blog, and found it to my cooking convenience. There are a lot of style to salt baked a chicken but well, this one blog made it so ABC for me, there is no turning back.

In my mind, if this meal turns out to be a success, then I can also cook it for the Chinese New Year reunion dinner. 

Turns out, I didn't fail nor did I score with flying colors. It was just ok. Something was missing somewhere in flavoring and I can't seem to source which ingredient did I leave out or did I not marinade it right?

Jaden seemed to like it, without whining as usual if he does not like his meals so guess I pass this test. Maybe, just maybe just more garlic and salt and ginger? Or maybe a little of his tamari sauce as marinade?

Hmm, I would still have to tweak until I get the recipe right. Just like my roast beef, I finally got it the way I want it to roast and still have that aromatic moist in it when you sink your teeth into the meat... but it took me quite a few tries to get it right. Roast pork = FAIL ! Siu Yoke = FAIL ! *sigh* 

I am still better off sticking to honey-bbqed pork ribs, roasted garlic potatoes, potato boulangere  and maybe roasted chicken chop for the small one when it comes to oven cooking. 

Christina Perri - A Thousand Years (Official Music Video)

I want to be her when I grow up

I am so darn inspired to wannabe like her. Can you guess her age, anyone?

I bet not la rite if you have not heard about her before but she is the rave of the moment, the talk of the town with her 5 hours daily of skincare regime and self-grooming, 

These are her answers to some of the questions on how she maintains her look..

Keeping the body fit to look younger

One should do regular workouts and should keep the body and mind active to stay young. One should have enough of sleep and stay away from smoking.

Eating healthy food to stay and look younger

One should eat fresh healthy food for a young skin and body. Eating right food makes whole lot of difference in one's appearance. One should have a balanced diet and 4-time meal in small portions.

Skin care
Eating right food, as fruits, milk, nuts and vegetables are the best way to feed the skin. But one should follow a definite skin care routine to keep the skin young and healthy as it is affected by outside factors as dust, dirt and pollution too.


Drink lots of water and fluids to wash off the toxins.

It keeps the skin away from most of the skin problems including black heads and white heads.

Putting right make up

One should apply the right make up for the age.
Too bright colors and shades don't suit as age grows so one should apply light make up and should wear light shades to look beautiful and forever young.

One should always apply vitamin E based cream or lotions all over the body to keep the skin soft and supple. One should never go out in the sun without applying a sunscreen protection on the uncovered skin parts. Sun damages the skin the most and makes it look older. One should follow the cleaning, toning and moisturizing regime every night before going to bed. Doing all these things will really help one to retain the natural beauty of the skin and stay young.

So still guessing how old the woman is as shown in the picture?

Her name is Masako Mizutani, a 43 year old housewife from Nagoya with two children, which her eldest is already about 20 years old. 

Yes, you heard me right. She is 43 looking 23 years old.


You can check her blog out here. 

Just goes to prove the quote from Helena Rubenstei so true: “there are no ugly women, only lazy ones.”

Turning Two Eight

Hubby has his way of surprising me and this year, he managed to surprise me to a new level.

Turning 28 was nothing really to shoutabout for me now. It only reminded me that I am two years closer to the Big Three O but oh wells, just having the day as MY DAY was enough to make me feel all special.

I got to spend a pre-birthday with my girls in Singapore, just normal things that we would usually do  when we meet up but it is a nice change to have friends. Had the Santouka Ramen that I was madly craving for and did a little shopping. 

Then, back home, Hubby had all his things planned out for me while I was away. 

He, had stalked into my personal folder to find out what I had liked and voila, when he came back from outside after saying he has to go collect some things, he had my little one carry it past me.

Aaawwwwww,,,

It was so darn cute that my little one played a tiny part in delivering my birthday present to me. 

In fact, I really did not expect this present. Afterall, I had already exceeded my quota for 2011, in fact, 2012 too but ssh.. I don't mind adding on for 2012. =p

It was a Gucci that I have been eyeing since late last year/early this year. Its the same model, only that the colours for the season has changed, and what the colour he got me, was even better than the one I had been eyeing.

*sigh* I am very very touched by what he has done for me, to step into these type of boutiques, which I can never really ever picture him doing so as he is not into all these materialistic stuff and how he did it just for me, I am just too touched beyond words.

My heart aches because hes got to buy it from the KL boutique. If I knew what he was planning, I would helped him plan to get it for me through Europe. I am one lady who would want to get these at the most lowest original price ever with tourist rebates. Yes, I am stingy like that but well, he has just made this my second most expensive bag in the wardrobe for me and the most most treasurable one. =) =)

We went out for dinner, something I have been craving for quite some time. 

To say he don't know me is crazy. ok, maybe not when he is accusing me of something that is really not me but most of the time, he strikes it bingo! Knowing what I want to eat, what I like and how I like it .. hmm...

Ice-cream cake and ice-creams... hmm, he sure knows how to work his way into my heart and little stomach. hehehe =p

I have been spending 6 birthdays with him and each birthday has been good. Keep it coming Mr !!!

It has been a good quiet little birthday, just the way I visioned it this year. 

Thank you Mr Yap! 

The Godson @ 16 Dec 2011

The SimonYap clan has been waiting for this day to arrive.


I am so darn sure the whole Teo clan too, is even more anxious than us for this wonderful day to arrive.


To hear the first cry of the little one that has just joined us in this world, known as Little Baby Teo for now, the firstborn, first grandson and also the first great-grandson for the Teos. 

Yes, I am talking about Simon's bestfriend, Iz who has just officially became a father to a beautiful, bouncy healthy baby boy. 

It was already such happy news to hear that they were getting married early this year, and then the news about Grace that got pregnant and now, this is better than any of those two previous news because I just love babies. They are like yummy little things. =p


and I have been prepping Jaden for quite some time now that he will soon become a big brother as Hubby has also been given another status in life. He has now been promoted to being Baby Teo's Kai-yeh, automatically giving my very own son a sibling!


Aaahh.. bliss! I love happy news! 


p/s: apparently Jaden didn't really approve of me carrying the baby.. is he jealous?