Group piccy! 30 countries represented.. old n young, all amazing minds! View from the river while punting.. king's college chapel i think.. hot polish guy telling about the bridge.. sides of bridge all sealed so ppl cant jump off n escape, replica of the one in Venice where they would lead the criminals to prison. in cambridge, this bridge connects the students to the exam hall so same difference! hehe how gorgeous is that! too bad abt the ugly red thingy.. a juxtaposition of old n new i guess.. hot mr polish guy tour guide again, i couldnt stop drooling at his muscles working the pole as he punted. lol... Us on a punt punting along river Cam.. ;-) a metal bridge behind Other delegates getting onto the punt. ;-)
Life Long Learning equates to Infinite Knowledge... go figure! Mt Kinabalu as the background of my presentation. Martin took this gorgeous shot, had time to promote Sabah tourism! hehe Lovely Zita n me.. ;-) met some really nice folks. my buddy thorny from thailand.. ;-) i love this bench! Learnt a new skill.. can now juggle! weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Flowers in bloom.. weather doin good! George Pickering used me as his monkey model.. haha basket of fruits n goodies, n the lucy cavendish sunday roast beef dinner menu.. my neat desk! hehe... has even a comfy seat by the window.. ;-) my comfy bed in the college room.. reminds me of my room in st mary's hall so long ago.
Been havin a great time here in Cambridge.. the weather is a bit drizzly (it's england remember!) but sunny at times too so that's great. been going wild shopping.. ok not that wild, but did buy a few choice items from M&S for me n kids and at Ann Summers mostly for me.. ;-) i love it! hehehehehe.. size does matter, esp when i can actually fit stuff! hehe The course itself has been lotsa fun, we had a 'taste of britain' food and booze tasting session before having a 3 course english roast beef dinner with delish raspberry tiramisu.. yummy! hehe, there goes my diet. but i'm countering that by walking like hell. everyone walks everywhere here as most of the streets are closed to cars. my calves really really really hurt but the shopping n sightseeing are worth it. hehe.. will be putting some pics here soon as i download them. ;-) miss my lil cherubs but a mommy's gotta do what a mommy's gotta do! hehe anyway, here's some pics from the last download, before i left for cambridge..
best 5 ringgit motorised toy yacth spent! hehe.. bes had lotsa fun with it.. for abt 10 mins. hehe My girl playing her big sis role impressively! hehe
Khai Ma Aloysia (Lanner's godma) n Besra just before i left KK. awwww
Cuddle me quick! i'm soooo adorable!
Daddy n baby girl at our beach.. lovely family time spent combing the beach.. ;-) she's wearing a cap with the words 'lil miss magic' embroidered specially for her.. its from a jimmy buffet song, one of martin's favourites.
Hey guys, back home it’s about 2.30pm Saturday 11 July but right now I’m writing this from the skies above Pakistan in a plane on the way to Heathrow.. It’s been a real hectic run-up to this point as I’ve been so busy with my girls (school debate team). As most of you would have known by now, I was writing 40 debate scripts for them for 5 rounds of debates. They got a bye for the first round (8 scripts down the drain) and debated the second round but lost. They did put up a good fight and like Miley Cyrus says, sometimes you gotta lose. All in all, they used 4 out of 40 scripts.. lol.. ah well, at least I have a corpus of debate material that I can use in the future. ;-) It was still a fun experience for me cos I got to meet up with many chummy ex-debaters and English teachers always have a riot when we get together. Anyway, back to the point, I’m really rather excited that I’m actually on a plane to Cambridge for the Longman ‘Amazing Minds 2009’ English Language Teachers’ Conference. When Ivan the Longman rep of Sabah encouraged me to fill in the form, I didn’t expect, although I greatly hoped, that I’d be Malaysia’s ambassadress to such an international convention, all expenses paid! Also couldn’t believe my luck that it would be in Cambridge, at the Lucy Cavendish Ladies’ College where great women have been born, mostly to wed great men from Cambridge Uni! LOL.. hehe.. plus the fact that I get to meet the ELT God himself, Jeremy Harmer. Brings me back to college days when we had to write papers after papers and dissertations quoting him so it would definitely be nice to shake his hand and put a face to his prominent name. But that’s just the Cambridge end, I’m also super looking forward to going to the opera and globe theatre with Beatrice when I get to London. ;-) What can beat a Shakespearean play (As You Like It) and a famous opera (The Barber of Seville) although I was considering going for a concert but honestly don’t think I have the time to squeeze that in. ;-) Will just see how it goes, go with the flow… hehe, oh and lingerie central, here I come! finally, things that fit and don’t look like granny owns them! Won’t be shopping much except for cheese sauces and gotta eat a Steak Bake from Gregs! hehe.. and take millions of pictures! Anyway, will stop babbling now and try to get some sleep. ;-) still have 7 hrs to go.
This is home, and home is where the heart is.. as you can see it's almost done, still waitin on the electrician and the windows and sliding doors to be installed.. but we're getting there. ;-)
this is from the front balcony looking in. three rooms on the right , a study, nursery, common toilet n kitchen on the left.. very spacious and the breeze if fabulous.. ;-)
View from back of the house out into the riverview.
My kitchen, my pride and joy... looks better in real life of course.. ;-)
View of the river, part of which we own, from our bedroom.. mmmmmm
My very own bathtub.. sighs.. counting the days when i can finally sink into the millions of bubbles in my own home. ;-)
Martin's work in progress fish pond.
Martin standing along our 360 balcony.
below: side balcony view facing our mango tree and river.
Went for Cora's 8th birthday party last saturday night.. can u guess who's behind the balloon, mask and under the pointy hat! hehe.. she had fun although mommy wanted to beat up a lil boy for pulling besra by her ponytail.. n then there was a girl who threw sand in bes' eyes n made her shriek in shock and pain! grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr... mommy talons extendin! latest pic! finally managed to take a smiley pic.. hehe.. he's a big boy now my lanner. i called him my cutie pie.. n when bes heard, she said "Noooooooooooo, he not your cutie pie!" n when i asked why, she replied: "You don't eat him!" hahahahhahahahahah kids say the cutest thing!
my graduation cheongsam... bought 8 years ago... yay! I won! I won! yippieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Great news! I can fit into my purple pheonix CheongSam which was my graduation outfit 8 years ago! hehe.. i've lost and am still losing weight so this is further motivation to lose more and get back in shape. my gym buddy aloysia is once again happy with me as we can resume our strict regime of 30 mins intensive every weekday. lol.. before you know it i'll be paper thin! yeah right!
anyway, we had a Teachers' Day celebration at my school SMK Majakir last Saturday.. and while i was singing the national anthem i could feel the tears well up. has it really been a year since my demotion fiasco? last year i went to see the principal on teachers' day, depressed as i'd found out the ministry was planning to place me some 130km in the jungle away from civilisation in a place called Gadong, Beaufort. with puffy eyes cos i cried tons, i went to see him n they were at the hall celebrating teachers' day. he thought i was reporting for duty so promptly announced to the whole school to welcome me, their new english teacher... gosh i was mortified! even went up on stage to take the teachers' oath and sing the teachers' song! but then it went so well after that, once mr loh found out abt my predicament, he said to enjoy the celebration and he would deal with it.. lo n behold, 2 weeks later, i was officially placed in his school. hence the end of my nightmare!
so last saturday my life came full circle. in one year, everything has changed. i'm happy now, love my job, love my school, love my family esp my two kids and hv an almost completed house. I even got the best dressed award and mr loh did mention me in the speech again, this time to say how elegant i looked. there was singing, clapping and lots of laughter.. and i sang the teachers' and school song full of pride. what a far cry from last year. i really must count my blessings... ;-)
here's one of the stars on my blessings list.. Lanner boy with his chubby cheeks! went to the doc's today and he weighed in at 5.5kgs from 3.8 last month.. hehe besra used to put on a kilo a month but 1.7kgs is simply astounding.. lol.. i'm so blessed he's such an easy baby to care for, eats, sleeps, pukes, pees, and poos but doesnt cry much.. hehe..
back at work now n can feel the pressure is on! the relief teacher for me decided she didnt hve the experience or expertise to mark the exam essays so i'm saddled with 60 essays to mark in 2 days! yikes! still i count my blessings that i'm finally in a school where i'm so appreciated and i'm giving back as much as i have received and then some. so excited for my debate girls because we won the district level and now will be debating at the state level championship...
which brings me to my other blessing on the list.. just found out the that the competition is from the 6th to 9th in a rural town of Kota Marudu.. which is absolutely PERFECT! as i leave for england on the 10th and dont get back till the 20th... weeeeeeeeeee. man upstairs works in mysterious ways!
other such blessings is of course my delicious husband, my incredibly smart mouthed girl Besra and a lovely house almost complete.. ;-) everything is rose tinted at the moment, but like everyone else, we could do with more money in our coffers! hehe.. pls donate to the wiles foundation, just ask me for our bank account number!
Kate (left) and Cora (right) are virtually Besra's big sisters, esp if u see them together.. they adore her and vice versa and they r great at looking out for her and entertaining her for hours although Bes can be a demanding lil 2 n a half year old.. spent most of the afternoon today with Besra and the girls at Martin's workplace and they had a blast swimming in the pool and making sandcastles.. in this pic, the girls buried Besra's legs and she found it really amusing.. ;-) Cora being buried to the neck and if u look carefully she has fake sand boobies! hehehehehe..
anyway, lanner stayed home with the nanny while Bes and i had some quality time together and later with daddy too.. feeling a bit melancholic cos Tuesday is fast approaching and i actually have to go back to work after 60 days of maternity leave. ah well.. gotta get back to reality some time eh!
1. BabyLanner, 17th April 2009, 2.95kgs, natural birth, 6.30pm water broke, 7.58pm entered the world. 43 weeks old, 5weeks premature but happy n healthy. Pic taken the next morning. ;-)
2. 18th April, baby n mommy in passenger seat while daddy drove us home for the first time. ;-)
3. Sleepin peacefully in his crib at home.. lookin a bit red n yellow though...
4. Eyes open shot.. sort of metallic blue colour.. may change to brown eventually like Besra's.
5. At hospital Likas.. probably day 3 or 4.. cant really remember. was there for 7 days. day 1 had full blood transfusion.. this was when his jaundice level stabilise and he could wear clothes again.. prior to that lanner was naked under the uv light for days with only fake black eye glasses to protect his eyes. tubes still in his hand as shown above. my boy is strong.. didnt cry much like the other kids.. n he's pull through brilliantly!
6. mommy n baby boy.. on the road to recovery..
7. Daddy n baby just before he left for his fishing tournament.
9. Family shot at the hospital.. view of the sunset in the background..
10. My boy in a froggy outfit! used to be Besra's and prior to that belonged to Liz's kids (Australia).
11.Awwwww.. so cute!
12. One eyed pirate or punk rock kid? hehe.. which do you think? 13. Besra doing a mommy.. ie breastfeeding the baby turtle! go figure! heheheheh
14. A month old.. managed to put on a whole kg even with the jaundice scare.. 3.8kgs.. nice n round now. ;-)
15. A brilliant picture if i say so myself.. two cousins... Dylan n lanner.. my boy is older by 2 days (5 weeks premature) while cousin Dylan was 10 days overdue.. hehe.. go figure!
16. Taken today.. what a big strong boy he is now.. possibly 5kgs.. can lift his head and shoulders up for quite some time.. marji my nanny says kids 3 mths old only can do this.. its a great milestone cos the docs said to watch his development in case he's affected by the jaundice episode. so far so good.. physically developing well and passed his hearing test. fingers crossed!
Got the good news a week ago but I'm blogging abt it now cos they've actually purchased the ticket to UK for me so it's as good as confirmed! For those not in the know yet, I've been selected to represent Malaysia at an English Language Teachers' Conference by Longman Publishers at Lucy Cavendish Ladies College, Cambridge, England! Teachers from 30 countries all over the world have been invited and I'm super excited that I get to go! weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Meeting the great man himself.. the English Language Methodology bible writer himself Jeremy Harmer! Plus going punting in the river (i hear its like canoeing but with a pole) and to a gala dinner ball! Wow!
Been online shopping... for tickets! Have booked a 5 pound ticket to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre for As You Like It. They rebuilt the theatre almost exactly as it was when the great man himself was alive.. when i was studying in London in 1999/2000, i watched Anthony & Cleopatra almost as soon as i arrived in London and a week later watched Julius Ceasar on my own (a play which i studied in highschool.. so u can imagine how awe-struck i was to see it come to life!). A groundling ticket is the cheapest and BEST seat in the house cos you literally have no seat, instead u get to stand right up near the stage and many swear that getting spat on by the actors (actresses are banned as in the old days) is the ultimate shakespearean experience! hehe.. take a look at the pics!
View from the outside...
& of course the inside... i'll be standing in the yard.. hopefully close enough to the stage to be spat on! weeeeeeeeeeeeee!
As you like it... is Shakespeare's pastoral comedy. haha i just found out pastoral means idealising the lives of shepards and the lot. this play is where we get the phrases 'All the world's a stage' and 'too much of a good thing' hehe.. anyway.. very excited to see it dramatised as it should be. ;-) Also spent $$ on a ticket for The Barber of Seville at the Royal Opera House! Price includes Champagne (i bet its only one measly glass!) and the program book. hehe... if you dont know the opera, you'll recognise the music if u go listen to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmTcmBn56Jk. Gosh i'm sooooooooooooooooo excited abt revisiting london!
Anyway, fingers crossed I dont miss any planes, trains, busses, or shows... ;-) will definitely keep ya'all posted. ;-)
Lil children say the cutest things.. here r some of Besra's bests...:
1. After watching Ryan Seacrest: 'RIGHT BACK MOMMY, RIGHT BACK!"
2. When she's jealous: HOW ABOUT ME MOMMY? (In her sad, pitiful voice)
3. After daddy kisses her: MY DADDY PIKEY! (PIKEY:SPIKY STUBBLE, she cant pronounce the 'S' well)
4. When she's excited: PRESENT? FOR ME??? YAY! (Jumps up and down)
5. When she's being loveable: I LOVE YOU MOMMY. I LOVE YOU DADDY. (using the cutest lil voice ever!)
6. When she wants attention: TALK TO ME MOMMY!
I particularly like number 6... so incredibly adorable... anyway, just thought i'd list this so that one day Besra can read this and say: That was me?! ;-) I love my lil girlie... ;-)
Group piccy! 30 countries represented.. old n young, all amazing minds!
View from the river while punting.. king's college chapel i think..
hot polish guy telling about the bridge.. sides of bridge all sealed so ppl cant jump off n escape, replica of the one in Venice where they would lead the criminals to prison. in cambridge, this bridge connects the students to the exam hall so same difference! hehe
how gorgeous is that! too bad abt the ugly red thingy.. a juxtaposition of old n new i guess..
hot mr polish guy tour guide again, i couldnt stop drooling at his muscles working the pole as he punted. lol...
Us on a punt punting along river Cam.. ;-) a metal bridge behind
Other delegates getting onto the punt. ;-)
Life Long Learning equates to Infinite Knowledge... go figure!
Mt Kinabalu as the background of my presentation. Martin took this gorgeous shot, had time to promote Sabah tourism! hehe
Lovely Zita n me.. ;-) met some really nice folks.
my buddy thorny from thailand.. ;-)
i love this bench!
Learnt a new skill.. can now juggle! weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Flowers in bloom.. weather doin good!
George Pickering used me as his monkey model.. haha
basket of fruits n goodies, n the lucy cavendish sunday roast beef dinner menu..
my neat desk! hehe...
has even a comfy seat by the window.. ;-)
my comfy bed in the college room.. reminds me of my room in st mary's hall so long ago.
best 5 ringgit motorised toy yacth spent! hehe.. bes had lotsa fun with it.. for abt 10 mins. hehe
View from back of the house out into the riverview.
Martin's work in progress fish pond.
Cora being buried to the neck and if u look carefully she has fake sand boobies! hehehehehe.. 
1. BabyLanner, 17th April 2009, 2.95kgs, natural birth, 6.30pm water broke, 7.58pm entered the world. 43 weeks old, 5weeks premature but happy n healthy. Pic taken the next morning. ;-)
4. Eyes open shot.. sort of metallic blue colour.. may change to brown eventually like Besra's.
7. Daddy n baby just before he left for his fishing tournament. 
9. Family shot at the hospital.. view of the sunset in the background..
10. My boy in a froggy outfit! used to be Besra's and prior to that belonged to Liz's kids (Australia).
11.Awwwww.. so cute!
13. Besra doing a mommy.. ie breastfeeding the baby turtle! go figure! heheheheh
15. A brilliant picture if i say so myself.. two cousins... Dylan n lanner.. my boy is older by 2 days (5 weeks premature) while cousin Dylan was 10 days overdue.. hehe.. go figure!
As you like it... is Shakespeare's pastoral comedy. haha i just found out pastoral means idealising the lives of shepards and the lot. this play is where we get the phrases 'All the world's a stage' and 'too much of a good thing' hehe.. anyway.. very excited to see it dramatised as it should be. ;-)