The big 5

I had not been updating my blog for such a long time. I wanted to resume my blog after reading my old blogs. So many memories being rekindled and it made me feel it's important to continue it as a journal which my family and I can look back. Not so much for achievement but for fond memories to cherish.

One of the memory is on 23 June 2019. And this is the story....

It felt like a tremendous efforts to drag my feet to complete my very first 5km mileage in a single run. I am that glad I did it. Not easy but satisfying. I know I just started running only recently. But I just wanted to try it out. 

I ran along a new route after studying it. This include climbing at hill to a nearby reservoir. 

Breaking into 6km

After running past 5km I was inspired to give it a go to clock in my very first 6km mileage in a single run. And yes boy I did it! Managed to finish at 55:21 minutes with an average pace of 9'08" per km. Well the speed and time is nothing to shout about but am very pleased. 

I wasn't tired nor exhausted after that. Am feeling good physically. That's a good sign indicating my body is getting pretty good shape. Giving myself a pad on the shoulder 😁. Already my mind is thinking the big 10km! 

Why puppy eat their own poop

It has been passed two weeks already since we first brought Jessie back. She has growth a bit. At least not losing any weight as she has developed quite a steady meal time. She can eat up to four times a day. That goes the same in her defecation frequency. She would call for attention in her certain parking tone to tell that she needs food or the urge to ease herself.

But something odd we notice. She would eat her own poops. That's pretty gross sight to see, and not normal. We would wash her mouth after that since we are not fast enough to stop it. At least it makes her hygienic.

According to PetMd.com it is a normal behaviour. The following are the some reason that leads to the weird habit:-

1. Curiousity

2. Poor digestion

3. Boredom

4. Stress

5. Hunger

To avoid the possible repeat of this habit, it is recommended to:-

1. Give enough of food

2. Clean immediately after puppy eliminates.

Pets does improve kids behaviour

After one week having Jessie in our midst does show some changes in our kids - Ivan and Reanne behaviour. Most noticeably is that our kids have demonstrate caring and empathy by showing concern over Jessie well being i.e whether she eats well, needs to play and needs to ease herself.

vetStreet.com write about the Five Ways Pets Are Great for Children, which include:-

Pets may prevent allergies

Pets may help prevent obesity

Pets may improve grades

Pets teach responsibility

Pets teach unconditional love

Another article by UK Pet Health Council - The benefits of pet ownership for children also echoed the benefit pets will give to kids. It said that research proving that pet ownership has considerable educational and therapeutic benefits for children. Studies demonstrate children who interact with animals have higher levels of self esteem, have greater empathy and better social skills. 

Hope to see more positive behaviour improvement from our kids. 

Is she a rottweiler or dachshund?

Finally we adopted a puppy into our family on 30th June. A friend of my parents whose adult dog just gave birth a month plus ago and we happen to be the last visitor to come and adopt the last puppy. We were told the puppy is a cross breed between golden retriever (male) and dachshund (female). At first it was purely a visit to see whether the puppy is suitable for us but somehow I guess it was love at the first sight especially for our kids, Ivan and Reanne who are super excited on the idea to have a puppy. At the same time, my parents' friend were eager to give the puppy away. So we end up adopting the cute puppy on the spot.

Poor puppy was covered with ticks when it was handed to us. We immediately brought it to our cousin who happen to operate a pet's grooming shop to see how to help the poor puppy. It was already well past 7pm in the evening. On the way, we brainstorm with the kids what name to be given to the cute puppy and we finally agreed on Jessie. Then it took almost 2 hours to painstakingly hand pick those parasites all over the puppy body. By the time we reach home, it was already 9pm. 

While settling down that night, we try to figure out Jessie's breed as her feature does look like a rottweiler and at the same a dachshund. 

Having pets can improve your health

(Photo taken by Elena Shumilova)

The dilemma to have a dog in our family is getting somewhat grabbing our attention to decide of late. I believe of lot of us are having the negative side of the idea to have a dog at home. Mainly the concern of cleanliness, hygiene and health concern knowing the fact that dogs can be a messy and dirty animal.

I for one is looking at the practical side of it; having a dog (at least one) can help to improve the security of our house from intruder compared to houses that have none. And the kids are also very keen to have a pet at home as playmate. But still in my mind picturing of smelly car porch, shedding dog's hair every where is kinda bothering me. But surprisingly research found out the otherwise and it might deduce some of the concerns you and me are struggling about. 

Abstracting from WebMD article, research has shown that living with pets provides certain health benefits. Pets help lower blood pressure and lessen anxiety. They boost our immunity. They can even help you get dates. Even more surprising is that studies have suggested that kids growing up in a home with "furred animals" -- whether it's a pet cat or dog, or on a farm and exposed to large animals -- will have less risk of allergies and asthma  It further said that if a dog lived in the home, infants were less likely to show evidence of pet allergies -- 19% vs. 33%. They also were less likely to have eczema, a common allergy skin condition that causes red patches and itching. In addition, they had higher levels of some immune system chemicals -- a sign of stronger immune system activation.

So how about that. And finally we are seriously considering the idea to become reality to have a dog in our family.

6th Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon

Yes dear parents the annual hot air balloon fiesta is back this coming school holiday. 

I would strongly recommend the following main event stretching from 27th to 30th March:

7.00am - 9.00am:   Hot Air Balloon Flying Show (Blue Zone)
7.30am - 10.30am:   Tethered Hot Air Balloon Rides (Blue Zone)
6.00pm - 7.00pm:   Hot Air Balloon Flying Show (Blue Zone)
6.00pm - 9.00pm:   Tethered Hot Air Balloon Ride (Blue Zone)
9.00pm - 10.00pm:   Night Glow & Fireworks Display (Blue Zone) - Only on 29th March (Saturday)

The tethered hot air balloon rides is a must to try but only limited to children who are above 4 feet. Please bear in mind it is very popular among visitor as such tickets are sold out super fast. So be there early to purchase it. Ticket price at RM20 per person.

Counter open:
7.00am : Morning Flight
5.30pm : Evening Flight

*Subject to weather conditions. Limited to 180 tickets per session.

Look at the layout below to locate the Blue Zone area.

For more information, please go the this website and Facebook.

Worship Together

I stumbled upon this very useful site when I try to search certain worship song's chord and lyric. It also provide playable audio selection of your song choice. Really useful for personal worship reference as well as for those involve in worship ministry.

Check the site here

The power of introverts

The other side of perspective we ought to know about introverts, which they are more than what they seem.

Our first apple cake

Mummy's first try of making an apple cake turn out to be a great success. Ivan and Reanna did lend a hand to help out.

The baking process was the most challenging part as the kids are anxious to eat it. When finally the oven timer was up and with barely a few minutes of cooling down, it already at the kids mouth. They were fighting for the biggest portion.

All of us like it so much. TQ mummy for the delicious cake!

How to Maintain Your Android Phone

By now it is very obvious, it is either you are a iOS, Android OS or Window Phone OS. For me, I am for now a Android OS user for my phone. 

Being a smartphone user (mine is actually a budget entry smartphone), we tend to most of the time got carry away with all the hypes about the apps and features of the phones. Like my friend said, it makes us keep attaching and playing with it. Many a time we forgot the needs to maintain it (I am also at fault).

Here might be some useful tips on some steps to maintain Android phone performance.

1.  Clear the Cache

Have an app that's always crashing? Rather than force-closing or uninstalling it, try clearing its cache. This simple step will help resolve most of the issues that troublesome apps may be experiencing--and it won't create new problems, as forcing the app to shut down might. To clear an application's cache, open the Settings menu on your phone and click Applications. Then select Manage Applications and tap the app that's been having problems. Don't worry--all of your data and settings will remain intact; you're just getting rid of temporary files that may be causing difficulties.

2.  Uninstall Apps

3.  Clean Out Your Memory Card

Cleaning out your SD Card may not boost your phone's performance, but it makes sense to remove any old or unused files that are just taking up space on the card.

For more detail, go PC World.com

All you can eat Durian Fest

This Jom Durian V which will see seven tonnes of durian brought to Subang Parade for a durian party to raise funds for the Children’s Wish Society of Malaysia. For a minimum donation of RM20 per person, you will get to enjoy durian to your heart’s content for one hour.

They are having 4 session for to choose from:
1st session = 1.30pm - 2.30pm
2nd session = 2.45pm - 3.45pm
3rd session = 4.00pm - 5.00pm
4th session = 5.15pm - 6.15pm 

Tickets for Session 1 and 2 have been sold out. Those who wish to participate in the event should quickly head to Subang Parade to purchase tickets for Session 3 (4pm-5pm) or Session 4 (5.15pm-6.15pm) before they run out.

For details, call Subang Parade at 03-5032 9778 or head to the shopping mall’s guest services counter on the Lower Ground Floor to buy the tickets. 

Or go to https://www.facebook.com/SubangParade 

Got burn by hot iron!

Ouch........three of my right hand fingers got burn when accidentally touch the hot iron surface! This is totally unacceptable dumb dumb accident happen when you know it shouldn't. Such dumbness seldom happen when I do my regular ironing of my working clothes. Oh well, accident is an accident. Sincerely hope this will not repeat itself. Fortunately I am a left handed. Still can do my writing! 

• 
  

  Just in case it did happen to any unfortunate people out there, this is what you can do:-

  A hot iron can burn your skin if you touch it. The severity of the burn depends on where the iron comes in contact with you and how long it touches your skin. A momentary touch on the edge of your hand may cause a minor burn that leaves a red mark and pain that quickly fades. But the flat side of the iron falling against the more delicate skin on the inside of your arm can cause a more severe burn. Treatments for iron burns are taken in stages.

Immediate Treatment

• Immediately treating an iron burn can reduce the severity of the burn and improve your chances of escaping without infection or a scar. If you have a minor burn and your skin is unbroken, put the burned area in a cool-water bath or lay a cool, wet towel on your skin to relieve the pain. Do not apply ice to your skin, as that can cause more tissue damage. Do not apply butter to a burn.

Morib and Bagan Lalang Beach

Back in Feb, we made a short trip to Morib beach. First and foremost because the kids haven't been there before. And secondly both Pei and me have not been there some pretty long time. We heard that there was an improve beach facilities too. So there we went to check it out.

Indeed the place was beautified for people to picnic there with food and souvenir stores. Unfortunately the beach is still not favorable for swimming. Muddy and silky sand.

Of course we didn't go there empty handed nor empty stomach. We stop by Dengkil to buy the famous local hand made 'Ka Heong Pau'.  You should give it a try if you do come around this area.

Feeling not quite satisfied we then continued our journey to Bagan Lalang beach. The beach here is much better for lay back time and dipping too. As usual Ivan and Reanne kept themselves busy playing the sand.

Overall it's a nice short breakaway for a family of four like us.

iCreate 1.0

Must be those inspiration day for the kids.

With some assistant from mommy, Ivan and Reanne turn their imagination into craft toys with some recycling boxes. 

Ivan create an airplane and Reanne made her very first girl robot. Reanne named her creation Bi Bi. 

I can see that both are very satisfied with want they have made. And they happily post with it!

Ivan's super airplane

Reanne's Bi Bi robot

Tribute to Steve Jobs

On October 5, 2011, Apple announced that its visionary founder had died. "We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today," the company said. "Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve."

Although I am not an Apple product user as per say (yet to purchase iPhone, iPad etc), I believe the betterment and innovation of technologies brought about by Steve Jobs is immense if not immeasurable. In many degree he has through his beloved creation Apple have changed the world. Even the words he shared challenge us to re-look our life purpose in whole. He talks about dreams, life, death and love.

My favorite quote of Steve Job, "Stay Hungry. Stay foolish"

May you rest in peace. 

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1976921,00.html#ixzz1a0Iu8adS

The Pursuit of Happyness - Real Thing

Do you still remember the movie above starring Will Smith and his son? I'm sure you do. It's an amazing movie re-telling the real story of Chris Gardner from homeless dad to millionaire stockbroker. This is what he got to share:

You struggles to earn a living might be different from his or anyone else's, but Gardner says the answer to pulling yourself up is the same. Find something you're passionate about and go for it. "Maybe it's not time for us over 50 to be finding a job," but instead finding a career to create,Gardner says. "Maybe it's time to find our button and push it."

Here's his advice for people contemplating a midlife reinvention:

1. "Ain't nobody gotta dig it but you." Forget what other people think or say. Do something that makes you happy. "We're afraid that because everybody might not like it" we shouldn't do it, Gardner says. "But you gotta push that button."

2. Go with what you love, but stay grounded. "Probably the hardest question I get asked is 'How do I choose between passion and practicality?'" Gardner says. "I can't answer that. I had to do both. I was passionate about pursuing a career in financial services. But I was also passionate about feeding my child."

3. Start a business. Gardner added his voice to the chorus of experts who see a wave of small-business startups run by baby boomers pushed out of Corporate America due to ageism or the bad economy. That's OK, he says, because entrepreneurs over 50 are in a better position than younger workers to capitalize on their "reputations and Rolodexes." It's the start of a creator economy, he says, "with a whole lot of folks being entrepreneurial."

4. Have a plan. If you're starting a business, hope isn't enough. You need a plan that's clear, concise, compelling and consistent. On top of that, you need to be committed to what you're doing, he says.

5. Play to your strengths. "Your skills, talents and expertise are transferable" to other types of jobs and industries, he says.

6. Look out for yourself. "The cavalry is not coming....and things might be getting worse."

7. Remember what's important. For a long time, Americans worked to get things, Gardner says. It's time to focus on what really matters -- family and friends.

8. Any progress is progress. "Baby steps count, too, as long as you're moving forward," he says.

Reanne going to kindergarten next year

Another significant mileage will be taking shape soon in our family. We have registered Reanne to attend her very first year kindgarten this coming new year 2012. Reanne will join Koh Koh Ivan in the same school. 

We can see that Reanne was fairly comfortable while she was in the school interacting with the teachers. Ivan also looks excited. While waiting for the new school term to start this three months, we need to get Reanne prepare to begin a new routine. Waking up two kids early in the morning, wash them, dress them, feed them and send them to school will going to be double the effort for mommy. Nevertheless it's a great milestone!

On 2

The following wall backdrop have caught my attention for quite some times already. I was unable to resist myself to take out the camera to capture some photos with it. Walla!

We are brother and sister.....2 years gap

Already attended 2 years kindergarten

See we are 2gether

We are 2 pretty sisters

Logos Hope - Largest Floating Book Fair

THE MV Logos Hope is the newest ship of Operation Mobilisation (OM) and will visit Port Klang from 29 Sept to 23 Oct 2011. This is the vessel's first call in Malaysia. Logos Hope replaces the MV Doulos which last visited Port Klang in 2006.

Known as the world's largest floating book fair, the ship carries over 5,000 titles on a wide range of subjects for sale at discounted prices. Through this, the ship has met the educational needs of communities around the world. The book fair will open daily for the general public.

Logos Hope is also here to bless the community through conferences and seminars on board, through ministry teams sent on outreach, and through a two-week volunteer programme for Malaysians to experience work and service on the ship.

This is one of those interesting outing worth going with children. So I am planning to go with my little kids more so they have not been into a big ship such as this. 

For more information please click here