2nd Stage Cleared!

Ox year is looking good…

Hubby told me that our 2nd stage application has passed last night. It was a good news for us knowing that we did not waste our money for the process… since it cost us a bomb!

Now we will proceed to the next stage where we will be required to do medical check-up before they could grant us the full visa.

Keeping our fingers crossed again as this will be the most crucial part of the whole process… That reminded me to start my healthy lifestyle regime before we are to go for the medical! Urrgghh!

A New Year A New Me?

Honestly, I don’t have any new year resolutions. Even if I have I’ve never stick to any! So, to save myself from thinking too much unnecessary things I rather put my brain and energy to good use… make more moolah! Yeah!

I am nutty and I think I’ll stay that way… it suits me well!

Coming soon will be my current ‘indulgence’ which I think I have done a fair bit to raise my morale… Someone said I have been indulging in my son more than myself so I should reward myself after working so hard…

Hope you have a good new year celebration and a great year ahead! Cheers~

Are graduates’ kids smarter?

I read a relatively interesting article today from AsiaOne.com. I do wonder if we are smart (if we as the parents has the smart genes) will our kids be smart too? I knew a lot of parents of today, trying to pack their poor kids with all kinds of activities with the hope that these extras could give their children a head start but could that works all the time?

Though I’m not a believer in anything but I do hope I have smart kids cause I married a smart husband!

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Educators, sociologist and psychologists have debated this topic for decades with varying emphasis. Most parents today are convinced that if they provide as many opportunities as possible for the child, they have done their duty and their children are destined to become “success stories”. But this may not be as simple as it seems.

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Schools in Malaysia for example, experience time and time again the extraordinary performance from children who come from poor, neglected and even broken homes. This proves that so much depends on a combination of factors both in the heritage and the environment in motivating and enabling children to be proficient in what they do and excel in what they undertake.

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As parents, we need to dismantle our mindsets on what we may think are advantages or opportunities. A grand home with the latest computers, or even an up-to-date library does not guarantee the making of a scholar or a genius. Fractured relationships in a home may act as a motivation for one child and completely discourage another. Similarly, good health and early training may make one child into an athlete but may prove futile with another.

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Enthusiastic parents can, with the best of intentions overload and completely exasperate the child with options for which he has no inclination or talent. Parents need to keep their ears close to the ground to hear what children are saying and they need to have their eyes up above recognizing that the Creator has given each child a special gift. To provide space, encourage, and cultivate that gift is really the way to success but too often parents have their own agendas for the child’s life and make a mess with their well-intended strategies to achieve their own ends in the life of their child.

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We need to take our cue from a certain country in which graduate parents were encouraged to have more children as it was assumed that they would produce more intelligent human beings. But it has never been that way. A humble clerk and a housewife have produced a string of brilliant children. How does one account for this?

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Talents and temperaments often seem to be inherited but given a different environment and circumstances; where the emotional climate is conducive to the flourishing of latent talent, a child can develop exceptional ability and character. Let us be sensitive to their leanings and help them to develop the uniqueness that is theirs.

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Question: Tell me why some kids with every advantage and opportunity seem to turn out bad, while others raised in terrible homes become pillars in the community. I know one young man who grew up in squalid circumstances, yet he is such a fine person today. How did his parents manage to raise such a responsible son when they didn’t even seem to care?

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~Merry Christmas~

Mounting pressure

My boy will turn 3 soon and we still don’t have much luck at being a second time parents…

What make things worst is, blogging and reading some mommies’ blogs which posted on news that they were expecting… with an unplanned child. Reading all these has some how made the pressure mounting on my side. We have been trying and nothing seems to happen and I am actually sick of trying… So daunting isn’t it? Why it is so easy for some (who don’t want any) and so tough for us (those who really wanted it)??

With Chinese New Year coming, we will be expecting more of ‘when are you going to have a second child?’ questions coming from relatives. I know we can’t avoid it but since the Almighty won’t want to grant us any, there’s nothing we can do… just hope for the best I guess…

1st Stage - Cleared

We started our application for a better future down under sometime in April and submitted all the documentation in April. Then the hubby went for his IELTS in June and passed with flying colors which helps to add extra points to the application.

A month ago, the agent submitted hubby’s professional certificates for assessment and a few days ago, we got the news that he has passed that too. This means we have successfully cleared the 1st stage of our application.

Now, we have to make the 2nd payment so they can process the next stage… which is the Visa. If we pass this too means we will be granted a PR for 5 years.

Though this is not the best time to make any move, but it will be good when the economy turns around which could be in the next 2 or 3 years time. This will give us substantial time to get everything ready…

Keeping our fingers crossed!

Revisiting the date

In 2002, I was living in down under happily clutching my bag of books and notes merrily without the slightess idea what may come. Life was good… not much worries except the coming examination which I have to deal with in less than a month time. No big deal since I don’t have to sit for that many papers as most of my work are project based.

Then the bad news came.

There has been news of bombing by some terrorist in Bali… a place where the Aussies love so much for its beautiful beaches and a place for a little getaway. The news channels were blasting with images of flames everywhere in the once peaceful town of Kuta.

All of us were staring at the box gawking away while listening to the news report every day. There were death… many of them and it was a horrible scene. We saw people dying and some heavily injured and on last count, more than 200 lives were taken.

Our life started to change… Being Asians, we are often labeled as one of the ‘terrorist’ since we came from the vicinity. We still do not know who threw the bomb at that popular bar in Kuta beach but tongues started wagging then with lots of assumptions.

Anyway, my cousin was there with me to pursue his studies too. And being a young and ignorant boy man that he was then, I can’t helped but laugh at his antics. His mom was very worried about his safety… well since he was such a mommy’s boy, he’ll do whatever his mom asked him to. His mom told him to be careful and remember to not tell people he came from SEA.

Being curious, I asked him… ‘So, if your mom don’t want you to tell others that you’re a Malaysian, then where should you say you are from?’

Guess what was the joke?

He told me happily… ‘My mom said, if anyone asked, just tell them I’m from Hong Kong lor!’

Sometimes I just can’t help laughing at him… standing at 6 foot 2, double my size but has a heart smaller than the little chick! *faint*

Worst cramp

It has been years since I get terrible stomach cramp when it was the time of the month. Last night was one of the most painful episode since the day I became a mommy. I’ve not have such cramps after I delivered my boy.

I heard from many people that such cramps will normally vanished after giving birth due to harmonal changes and I can’t agree more before this episode. Now I wonder what is wrong with me?

After 2 days my stomach is still in pain which is rather unusual. I would normally has it for half a day and everything will go back to normal. The flow is still heavy but hopefully it will get lighter in a day.

Neglected

I think I have neglected this little diary of mine.

Well, not that I don’t have stuff to write but either I am too preoccupied with the daily chores or when I do wanted to write, the little boy will come and bug me. Then I am still not so familiar with this version of WordPress. I got all stressed up when the orientation of the post did not come out as I wished it would.

Anyway, will be writing more this week when I’ve finished up most of my work… and life goes back to a more normal routine.

Off to Vietnam

Tonight the hubby will be spending the night in Singapore enroute to Vietnam tomorrow morning. Dropped him off to the airport earlier after our shop trip to Bukit Jambul as I need to get some stuff from Kamdar.

It has been months since we last step pur foot at BJ and I was shocked by the way it has turned out… the entire place has been from bad to worst! The place is not being maintained at all… so messy and… just don’t have the word to describe this place…

If not for Kamdar I don’t think I would ever want to go there… again…