time flies again

and it's almost one year since the last update....

now it's aidan who is nice to be photographed as he is the cheekiest one when fronting the camera....

times flies...

here's some of the 2012 shots...

nevermind the fever, Spidey still poses for the camera.

i love this pic... 

addicted to internet.

i love photographing brian, as well as having him in the family shots.

the unpredictably funny one.

his mood is shown on his face

picasa is good eh?

simple snap yet aroused some emotion n which we had a good laugh

here is LIKE a boy in melancholy, isolated, distanced, deep in sad thoughts, hopelessness.....

Hahahahaha...

No, he is actually nothing of that sort.

he is just tired having to wake up as early as big sis, reaching tadika even before the teacher has arrived to open the classroom door....

 and the most heart-warming thing he could say for a boy his age was, 'Daddy, off u go to work now...', when he knew he would need to sit outside his classroom alone while waiting.

Aidan at 22 month

sit back and relax...

sit back and relax to a soothing song....
my daughter first movie project, first dabbling with picasa.

words were not enough to describe....
her choice of photos, her choice of movie stars,
luckily she said the main actor (guy) was not handsome, else i pengsan....
but she chose Yang Mi because she is pretty.
she was very happy to hv completed the movie, and got me to upload it to youtube.
now 11.25pm, hving done it, she was very happy and without further 'pushing' SHE told me 'it's time to sleep, mummy u don't be late, ah' and in no time, she disappeared to upstairs!
having accomplished something, she can now rest.
(else, whole nite, no hard or soft instruction can get her up from her seat)

sometimes, as a mother, i guess i should be more 'sensitive' towards her needs...
no 'hard pushing' will do if a daughter already has sight on doing certain things - her way!

enjoying some cakes

he likes to eat on his own, and he likes the choc cake.

My daughter is wearing my clothes!

A brunch treat

At Cement

i want it, i will take it!

tat's what little bro's way of doing things.
and big bro will let him (younger one) step all over himself - no fighting, no complain.
when i asked brian, 'are u unhappy about aidan?' to which he replied,
'no because i love him. he is my little brother'.

playmates

some not in.... some other day, will capture.

Dare to dream; Risk safety and comfort for dream

This is from a blog which i followed, and I just paste the article here.

M

ost afternoons were spent alone in a stairwell, and it's hard to admit I sat there. Alone. Every morning I packed a lunch and stuffed it in my purse, usually opting for PB&J on wheat. After a couple weeks of floating around law school, I found a quiet corner adjacent to the dean's office where I sat in solitude. And thought. 

I thought about my mom's illness, I thought about my hibernating study habits, I thought about how much I spend at Whole Foods. I was all over the place and by the time I finished eating my apple, I was ready to head back to the library. Or just sit and wait. Sitting or leaving. Studying or running. Laughing or crying. I hardly knew what I wanted but the ache in my chest wouldn't go away. 

I'd wake every morning at 4 a.m. and drive to the gym, wait in line for a treadmill, then run. If you saw me on that treadmill illuminated by the overhead television displaying CNN, you'd think I was running from something. 

Perhaps I was. 

Two hours later, I'd leave my apartment--after a hot shower, a cup of oatmeal, and a good cry--and catch the campus shuttle to school. Then I'd find myself alone on the stairwell again. Rinse and repeat. 

People often assume the risk I took to start my business was not returning to law school. But that's far from the truth. I would have taken a larger risk staying in law school knowing just how unhappy I was. Sometimes we risk our dreams for safety and comfort, but I was ready to risk safety and comfort for my dreams. 

Today whenever I eat a PB&J on wheat, I am reminded of my solitude in the stairwell, knowing life will always be filled with risk...it's simply a matter of choosing which one you'll take.


---

My thoughts are - wow, it's sooo good that a person dares to risk her safety net to follow her passion. what wud my life be like if i had 'identified' my own passion at a younger age, and not be bound by the traditional thinking that i must get a degree and i must get a job. a job, regardless...

---
this is my niece, and i made her my model for shooting....

Today is Brian's birthday

and i had the most pleasure in getting the kids to help pack some 30 goodie bags for his classmates. no cake.

and here is the birthday present from dad, after he come back from the DAP political talk. and B is soooo happy!!

6 Quick Beauty Fixes With a Lemon

Considering its size, the vitamin C powerhouse we know as the lemon provides an astonishing number of beauty benefits, six of which are listed below. (One word of caution: lemons can cause skin to be extra-sensitive to sunlight, so don't expose yourself to the sun for too long after a skin treatment.)

1. Exfoliate dead skin and bring new skin to the surface by washing skin with lemon juice mixed with a little sugar.

2. Smooth wrinkles by boiling 1 cup milk, 2 teaspoons lemon juice and 1 tablespoon brandy. Cool the mixture to room temperature, apply and let dry before wiping it off.

3. Lighten age spots by dabbing them with lemon juice and rinsing off after 15 minutes. Repeat once later in the day.

4. Create a facial that both exfoliates and moisturizes by mixing the juice from 1 lemon with ¼ cup olive oil or sweet almond oil.

5. Fight dandruff with a daily scalp massage with 2 tablespoons lemon. Rinse with water and follow with a rinse of 1 cup water mixed with 1 teaspoon lemon juice.

6. Whiten and clean fingernails by soaking them in 1 cup lukewarm water and the juice of 1/2 lemon for 5 minutes, then rub the inside of the lemon peel against the nails.

a mom's feeling...

Oh, the joy of a baby

To My Little Man

© Rachel L. Nelson

Those super-sized brown eyes
Those round plump cheeks
That infectious belly laugh
That silly dimple-ridden grin

What makes my baby so exceptional?
Is it his kind silent soul?
Or is it the glow of innocence he radiates?

That wet raspberry kiss
That quiet little sigh
Those rosy red cheeks
Those snicker bar toes

What makes a heart fill to the bursting point for one little person?
Is it carrying him for those grueling nine months?
Or is it his inner spirit calling out to me?

Oh, little man your mommy loves you so!

nice dresses....

put here first, for ref. ... just in case, i got my hands on some nice fabrics, got a 'qualified' seamstress and most important, i've slimmed down enough...

amazing...

at least to a novice like me...

Happy Chap Goh Meh 2011

my boys play together

but my younger son tends to bully my elder one...

Simple flower display

Using recycle glass bottle

aidan and his blanket

aidan has developed a liking to suck his blanket....