Saturday, October 10, 2009

Coco is ONE












A logn time ago, we invited a couple of friends to our house for a house-warming cum Coco's birthday celebration. The Tan family and their apricot-coloured poodle, Chloe, and Ye Seong and Sheena (Coco's inlaws) and their two doggies - Bizzy and Myra came excitedly over.
ALan and I had spent the whole day cooking. We served up Pork Chop with Apple Sauce, Seafood Aglio Olio, Salad and also Creamy Mushroom Soup. Phew. For dessert, there was the decadent chocolate fountain with fruits (strawberries / bananas) and marshmellows.
We all had a good time chit-chatting (the common topic was our DOGS) and the guests all brought pressies (for both humans and dogs). Sheena even bought lamb pies for all the 5 4-legged creatures and I had baked them a peanut butter and cream cheese cake in lieu of Coco's birthday. Meiting's butter cake was also mouth-watering, especially when it was coupled with the melted chocolate. :D
It was almost midnight when our guests left and Alan and I retired for the night.



Split & Sew

PHeW. Just "knocked off" from baby delivery class. We were at Christine's from 930am - 1230pm and then 2-5pm. Learnt relaxation techniques (which almost put us to sleep), breathing procedures, etc etc. I brought my moist banana cake ( I had baked the previous evening) to class to offer to all - it was a hit during tea times. hahaa

During lunch (1230-145pm), we went to have wanton mee at the coffeeshop and then picked up a ladder (RM200) for the house. Alan hauled it back to Christine's to be placed in the car and we had a short snooze before the class started.

At 145pm, Christine screened a traumatising tape on childbirth and I watched in growing horror as a little blue alien was squeezed outta the womb of a woman in 1988. Jiu ming ah. It makes me wanna forgo childbirth. Immediately!

At 5pm, after dismissal, we bade our teacher Christine behind and headed to Bangsar Shopping Village. We bought a small basket to store Ethan's shower essentials and another small little compartment for Alan's loose screws (for his RC car lah). We also purchased some light bulbs and florescent tubes for the car porch lights which had blown. Our aim : TO make our car porch really bright and unwelcoming for all the would-be robbers!

After dropping the stuff at home and a quick shower, we left for dinner at Robson's with En. Our maid is putting on a heck of a lot of weight and tonight we saw why: We had one claypot herbal chicken, one steamed fish, 2 huge prawns steamed and 1 plate of stir fried veges. Now we are relaxing at home again (Alan is busy spray-paintining YET another car body for his RC car.)

Friday, October 9, 2009

Madness in Bangsar


With the proliferation in criminal activities in Bangsar Baru, Alan and I have put in more measures to make sure our home is a safer place.

Yesterday, Mr Iron Grilles came to take measurements. Disregarding aesthetical value, we are installing iron grilles on the low wall adjourning our next door neighbour's house. It was their miserable excuse of a fence (those holely green wire things) and this very low wall that enabled the agile robber to get into our compound, in the first place.

He skipped over their green wire fence and hopped onto the huge water filter system (conveniently placed just beside the wall) and then heaved himself over our wall without much effort a week ago to steal Alan's shoes. All in all, Alan lost 3 pairs of business shoes (one brown pair which he paid a fair bit and was worn only a couple of times and once during our wedding dinner) and a pair of Crocs (orange with lace that Alan likes alot).

The SCARIEST part of it all, was that after the bugger made away with the shoes at 1230am, he came back again at 450am (on the same morning), and peered into our next door neighbour's house to see if more loot could be obtained. OMG!

After discussing our SOP against such perpetrators (which includes hammering nails to a long thick stick and beating the life outta the robber(s)), grilles was one of the solutions. We also upgraded our CCTV system outside the house to capture the identities of the robber(s) in greater details - soon we will be able to see how many nostril hairs they are sprouting...

Also, I've gotten myself a PANIC BUTTON. It's mobile (which is good) and once pressed will activtate our screeching , ear-piercing sirens , at anytime of the day / night. I insisted on it after hearing the trauma of Alan's friend.

MY( her initials) lives a few lanes down in the same vicinity. Whilst she was outta town two days ago, her father heard noises coming from downstairs in the house at TEN AM. He went down to investigate and witnessed three men trying to break into their house. They were equipped with crowbars and all and had already pried open the padlock. Thankfully, they were unable to get into the house because the grille sliding doors were locked as well.

And apparently, a week or two ago, there was another case (as shared by the next-door maid) along our same lane of a break-in on a Sunday Morning at 1030AM! The robbers in Malaysia really are very ballsy / desperate. They DARE to break in in BROAD DAYLIGHT. Amazing, but true.

I wanted to invest in a Rotteweiler for our front porch. But when we leave KL for home eventually, what's going to happen of him? *sigh* There's absolutely no space for 3 (we hope to fetch Ash home to live with us) doggies, 1 baby (by then toddler) , 1 maid and Alan and myself. *sigh* Hence, the structural measures put in place.

I wish the police / Residents' Committee here would do more about it. All the residents here are sitting ducks, just waiting to be targetted. Apparently, the old aunty who lives two doors away had her gold chain snatched whilst she was on a walk with her pals one day as well. And another neighbour had his house broken into when he and wifey were out for lunch from 1130am - 1230pm one fine day. This is MADNESS!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Baby Ethan

I spent the day reading up about baby deliveries and also purchasing some baby stuff online. SIgh Somehow whatever I do nowadays is either directly or indirectly linked to BABY ETHAN :P

I bought , from www.thebabyloft.com a bright orange silk sling to carry and breastfeed Ethan in and also a seat protector (in case he pees on his car seat / stroller etc).

Yesterday, Alan picked me up after 6pm and we headed to The Gardens for dinner. Before that, we bought En some two pairs of berms (which she requested for) and also after dinner, went to Art Friend to pick up some stuff. Dinner was a delicious spread at the Taiwanese restaurant. I had chilli beef noodle set and Alan had pigs intestines with rice set and we both shared meesuar. :D YuMz

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

A Shoe Robber and an Eventful Weekend

Since my mother knows about it, I can write about the trauma here in my blog and spare no juicy details.

On Friday 2 October 2009, at around 130am, a robber (who came on a motorbike) n peeped (in full view of our cctv) over our wall twice and then determined that no one was downstairs and the coast was clear, climbed over my neighbour's fucking low gate and hopped across the adjoining wall and came into our front porch.

He took two pairs of Alan's shoes lying around by the front door and then greedily endeavoured to open the shoe cabinet for more loot and unwittingly triggered the alarm system. My dogs barked loudly and he fled as Alan, with a toothbrush still in mouth (we had just finished watching a dvd downstairs and had gone upstairs to prepare for bed) and I came downstairs to find out what was happening.

We discovered the shoe rack was open and narrowed it down to Alan having forgotten to close it and a fallen shoe had triggered the alarm system. Never did we even imagine a robber had intruded into our house and made off with our shoes!

It was only the next morning that we realised that Alan's shoes were missing. And upon watching the cctv tapes, realised that a desperado had made off with the loot in the wee hours of the morning. What is WORSE is that we realised that that fucker had come back at around 450am that SAME MORNING and peered into our neighbour's house next door to see if there is anything to be stolen.

Imagine just how big his balls must be! Errmmm metaphorically speaking lah. YuCkS.

ANyway, the next morning, we called in the police. The first police car arrived at around 1030am, about 15mins after Alan made the report. The Malay officer strolled into my porch (the other officer refused to even come out of the car) and took my statement. Errr to be more precise, he asked me to WRIte my own RepOrt because he cannot understand English.:P So I utilised my Report Writing skills (which I had dutifully taught all Crescentians in Functional Writing) to pen a report of what had happened the night before. He wasn't very impressed that we had called in the police because of a few pairs of missing shoes and exclaimed , "shoes ONLY"?? Sheesh man. He is entirely missing the point!! It's not every day in Singapore that people hop into people's houses and steal stuff, you know!!! But then again, it's a common occurence in KL. :P

After finishing my chocolate muffin and a glass of water, he grudgingly took off his boots and came into the house when Alan arrived home and insisted that he watch the cctv tape of the robber. The police officer looked pain bored. As he left, he informed us that Puan Hamidah, another officer would come a while later to investigate.

It was almost 1+pm when Puan Hamidah came. and Boy had she a busy day! Apparently Bangsar had been hit three times in the same night by SHOE ROBBERS (prob the same fucker) and she took down my report (she had another person to translate what she was asking into English and what I said to her into Malay). :P n then her people swept for finger prints and took some photographs and enjoyed a glass of refreshing iced coke each before leaving our premises.

Upon rewinding and looking at the tapes, we also realised that the robber was zooming up and down on his motorbike and peering into our neighbour's houses as well - and therefore, as dutiful neighbours, we went painstakingly to inform each and everyone of them.

The Lohs were very hospitable and invited us in. They also volunteered to keep an eye out for us since we were always away from home. :) The other neighbours looked petrified when they heard the news. :P

A few hours later, we were on our way to Muar - leaving the house again empty but alarm armed.

We arrived in Muar at Daddy's house at around 9pm, starving and exhausted. My chocolate muffins were a big hit and that was nice. We had a quick buffet dinner and chatted with the relatives before heading to bed early that night.

Saturday 3 October 2009

We were up at around 9+am after a night of tossing and turning. After a hearty breakfast, the MJ kakkis had arrived and soon the table was open...hahaaa.. I promptly lost $40 to all the high achievers.

Lunch was a squeezy affair and it was hot and sweltering. The seafood, albeit fresh, did not make up for the lack of ambiance. Thank heavens for the air conditioner back home and we chilled when we got back and Alan tried to recooperate some of my losses.

We left for the wedding dinner at 615pm and arrived at a most chaotic affair. Some guests had not enough seats, the children were running and screeching on the stage, the aisle were blocked because people were lining up to take photos with the bride and groom, the red wine (which tasted like vinegar) had weird things floating inside etc etc ... In general, it was not one of the more exciting wedding that I've attended in a while....

We arrived home at 11+pm, exhausted and drained...

Sunday 4 October 2009

The MJ kakkis arrived early (at 8+am) that morning and we rubbed the sleep from our eyes and fed our stomaches before indulging. My luck was better than the previous day's but all in all, we still managed to lose a little. All in the name of fun! :D We polished off a few durians just before lunch was to be served. hahaha

Lunch was at the fishing port and a tight squeeze again. We weren't impressed with the chilli crabs that Uncle Qiao had so sincerely bought because of the way it was cooked. The chilli taste totally overrided the taste of the crabs!

After lunch, more money was to be made / lost and then the delicious packets of otah were delivered to the house.

It was around 4pm that we finally bade e'one farewell and made our way back home to KL. Phew. What an eventful weekend.