Transitions can be tough for everyone

I wanted to write so much. Actually i have tons of stories  to write and tells. My minds keep telling me..go ahead and write something but the mood just  isn't there. :(

But I got inspired today and lots of things had  changed  and it makes my heart moves to write.

We're  here in Singapore relocated again. It has been 4 months and we are still trying to settle down. We have no other  choice but to leave Texas after 3 years of living there. Saddest part is that we missed our small apartment, memories with my small group of  friends and the kids school and their teachers. I really missed the school since i 'd been involved in kids school and their activities most of my time. I am thrilled!  Volunteering as a classroom mom is a fun thing to do and my kids are really happy whenever they see me around. And frankly i missed shopping! Gee...i' m not  a shopaholics! But what can't u  get in USA???  You can get everything under the sun. Even if we missed to have an authentic asian dinner tonight, the asian markets are almost everywhere where we lived. Just go and grab the stuffs you need. I was surprised at first when we came. The asian market there carries asam jawa,tempe', pandanus leaves, petai and other food stuffs from Malaysia. I learn to be creative when cooking with what we could find there. I could at least satisfy some of my 'cravingness' for Malaysian food. 

We are lucky that there are Halal restaurant in Dallas FW areas. Checking out the halal zabihah website and you can choose whether to go Thai's, Chinese, Lebanese or Turkish and many more. Our favorite would be an Iranian restaurant, Villa Grill, the kebabs there are to die for. My husband really likes the burger there, it is a homemade burger and easily beats out MCD Big Mac. I guaranteed :). And not miss out the Lion City Cafe in Plano and Secret Recipe Restaurant in Carrollton. The food there was mouthwatering and we really like the nasi lemak and kuey teow goreng. Secret recipe is the only place we could find a teh tarik... not that it can beats the mamak stall back home but at least it is something. The kids learn to drink Milo there as they have these Milo Dinasour (which must be coming from Singapore as we could find it here too). And if we have a craving for some KFC, we would go to a church chicken in Carrollton where they carry a Crunchy Spicy Fried Chicken and note that it is halal.. just that you have to call them 30-45 minutes in advance.

I was once at ledia's house for a get together and mkn2 ( dinner ).. she is one of my  best buddy in USA. Her husband is a lebanese-american. She benefited from her cultural marriage and cooked  the best home made lebanese food. Was i surprised! Ledia, maybe i forgot to tell u this. But that dinner was awesome! It really tastes like those in the restaurant but you made it yourselves. 

 Now i'm back to my roots in Asia. Closer to our home, Malaysia. Singapore ..Singapore ..am i happy to be here?? Right now we're still  adjusting to our new place. Generally i've set my goal to have  fun, meet  new friends, trying  out new foods and upgrades myself to the next level as a trailing expat's wife! That is what i called myself now.  Argh..it's just not easy!  But i  will take full advantage of the opportunities that coming~

 Panoramic~  Kids with their Asu ( my youngest sister )  at Marina Bay , S'pore

Happy 5th Birthday My Precious Twins~

March 5 2006, my water broke around 6 am in the morning. This is it! The moment me and my  husband has been waiting for the past 2 years. I was so calmed that sunday morning, I remember asking him to buy me ‘roti canai’ for breakfast before we headed  to the  Hospital. He was in the panicked state which I understand why. I’m carrying our first baby and it was a twin! What in the world am I doing eating roti canai after 1 1/2 hours my water broke! I guess  I  just wanted  to enjoyed  my last meal before doing the c-section. Or probably  without  realizing that  I was as panicked as him too.  During my pregnancy, I was always craving for roti canai and ice tea. Here is my great loving husband without failed  will always be there day and night buying my favorite food. I thank him a lot for his kindness. Roti Canai and ice tea..what a typical Malaysian babies I was carrying. J They were born around noon on a  calm sunday when everybody was able to come and visit.  5 yrs had passed. My twins had really grown up to be a beautiful girl and smart boy all around.  I’m very proud to be their mom. Most importantly, they really love each others. My dear Hannan and Aisya .. Mommy, daddy and aisara loves both of u so very much.

Happy Birthday Aisya Humaira & Aiman Hannan

Thanks for being my great  son and daughter.

        

Welcome 2011

Our family just got back from vacation again. Colorado. I must said i’m  bit disappointed with our  trip to Colorado this time. We waiting for snow to come but sadly there’s no snow  in Jefferson county.  Temperature dropped below freezing but there’s still no snow. What is winter vacations without snow am I right? Ruin my kids holiday’s  mood  is never in my  dictionary..so what did we do? We travelled 1 hour from our log house area and brought kids to mountain resort in Keystone where they can enjoy themselves.( Noted: we’ve been there twice! )  Playing snow castle, making a snow man, sledding and tobaggan.  It’s fun!     

Our 4 days 3 night vacations is not that bad without a snow. We felt bonding as a family while watching movies together, playing card games, story times and enjoyed foods together. I want my kids to remember that we always showered them with beautiful moment and love no matter where we are. That is the little things in life that make all the difference. :)

Bye bye autumn.. hello winter !

Happy first day of winter! We always associate winter with snow but it is warm and sunny here.in Dallas :) What a place! Weather in Dallas can be a joke. If today u experience cold weather, don't be surprised if its warm the next day. Weather can changed so much in a day.
Say bye-bye to beautiful autumn. I love it when the leaves turns their color in autumn. When the fall time comes, this means that the pile of leaves is here. Since our house is a town -home apartment, we didn't have to do all the raking stuffs. But my kids are pretty much excited when they get a chance to pile up all the  fallen leaves  from the maple tree in front of our house. I loved to see all those  happy faces when they  jumped  on the pile of leaves. Who doesn't? Moreover u can hear the crunchiness sound, the same sound you hear when you're eating cereals. :)) I can just sit down and watch  them playing and  giggling happily. It does make me happy. 
My girls would love to picked up the leaf piles  and throw it to one another. Or blow it to the air just like in the movies, or sprinkle it on others head. I can't get angry with them when it was so much fun!  I  felt  like a good mother. And u couldn't explain  the feelings when your kids said thank you and appreciate you so much  when they were really having so much fun for letting them go outside and play.
"Why the leaves change color mommy?"  I never expected this question from my 30 months old girl one day as i was doing my chores.  Trying my best to answer her question this is about Fall that i learn. Lets talk about Fall.
As summer ends and autumn comes , the days get shorter and shorter. When the days get shorter they is less sunlight. With the shorter days the leaves can't make as much food  and the chlorophyll  begins to disappear. So in the fall we start seeing the others color in the leaf  that the chlorophyll was blocking. If the temperature is too hot or too cold, the leaves are not as bright. If the days are sunny and warm but the nights are cool without being too cold the colors are brighter. ( sources: Kids wiki )

Kids pictures at Lake Catherine, Arkansas. We went  there last month for a camping trips. Having lots of fun. :)  

Getaway to Rocky Mountains.. into the spirit of holidays.

 I'm as happy as a clam :) Winter break is here! Holiday is here! We're  planning for vacation again. We have a tight budget but still wanted to have  a good vacation for family. And this time we choose Indian  Mountain in Colorado as  a family vacation. Rocky Mountains  never fails to brings us  the excitement as this is our 4th time there.  It is a mountain summit in Boulder County in the state of Colorado (CO). Indian Mountain climbs to 6,562 feet (2,000.10 meters) above sea level.

 Tobaggan, winter gear , shovel is ready to be dump in the car trunk . The charming log cabin ,  alpine tree and snows awaits us.We just can't wait  ^^

 
                       




 Woopp!  When kids get  exhausted and  stuck in the car because of the long journey  this is what happened.  I wish to have a nice vacation without having to worried about fighting and bitting in the back seat next time. I'm learning from my mistakes :)
Tips: Occupied them with their favorites  books, DVD players, games and snacks.  Sing a song & storytimes with my kids is another entertainment that i like to do.  

Hansel & Gretel

Hansel and Gretel...

I loved this story  when I was little. I was  4 yrs old at that time I think. My father bought this book for me one day when I was lying sick on the couch. I still  remember that moment when my father sat next to me and read the book until I fallen asleep. It’s like a special bond between me and my father.  Now I’m a mother to three wonderful kids. This is one of their favorite story during bedtime. Reading to your kids can  bring you and your kids closer  to one another. At least that is  how I felt when I was little. The magic of Hansel and Gretel. 

                                           Aisya & Hannan  ( bluebonnet season )