Old certificates

What do you do with your old certificates, such as secondary school leaving certificate, certificate of participation in singing competition for the Speak English campaign for SRJK ( C ) schools (1979!!!!!), Sijil Kursus Komputer 1986, Sijil Tamat Pelajaran Sekolah Rendah, Vacation Training Programme (a.k.a. Industrial Training Program in modern times), Sijil Perlantikan Pengawas, ABRSM piano exam certs and all sorts of papers that “cannot be exchanged for cash”?

Should I just trash them, or should I just keep them to show my children when they’re in school that “Mummy did this and that and can still find time to study so don’t tell me you are too busy to do this and that and go and bathe!!!!!”

BE, DO, or HAVE

I would like to DO, BE or HAVE, all these (and more):

-- make a bomb
-- sew
-- bake a pizza
-- do really fancy makeup
-- tie my hair in beautiful styles
-- pick locks
-- speak and write many foreign languages
-- handle firearms
-- repelling (did only once. It was fun, but I don't know where you can do it here)
-- deep sea diving
-- a saxophone (I was in the school band before, so yes I do know how to play it)
-- a B license (for motorbike)
-- automated vacuum cleaner that can vacuum the floor and move around by itself
(much like the robot-mouse thing)
-- a light sabre
-- no extra fats around my waist and tummy
-- no stretch marks on my butt
--


more later.

Leonard and his cut

On Monday we brought Leonard to have the stitched removed from his little toe. He cut himself last Wednesday night when he was opening the bedroom door (really feaky accident), and when he saw blood flowing out, screamed "Mummy! Got blood! Got blood! Save me Mummy! Save me!"

I asked him to show me the cut, and it was quite a deep one. I called Sexydad to send him to the doctor immediately, used some gauze to cover the cut and bound it up with surgical tape. Then with a clean nappy wrapped around his foot, Sexydad brought him to the clinic.

Turned out that blood vessels were cut, so he needed stitches. Couldn't used the glue like Lucas. Poor chap had to bear with the pain. At least he's braver than me. The last time I had a big gash on my foot, I refused to have any stitches solely because I knew it would hurt.

The next day I thought it would be better for me to stay at home and rest his foot. And since he didn't go to the nursery, Lucas refused to go to. And Laurenz refused to leave the house becasue I was not leaving too. But Leonard must have recovered very fast, for he was running around, jumping from one sofa to the other, doing Jedi and kungfu fighting with his brothers....... I think I got conned. And the nappy that I used to wrap his foot--too much blood on it to wash. I just threw it away.

The cut healed nicely, and there's just teeny weeny bit of holes where the stitches ends were. Tonight when I changed his dressing it should be just fine.

Laurenz is 2!!!!

June 21, 2005--Laurenz is 2 years old. Two years ago, on June 20, 2003, I checked into the hospital at 10.00pm to deliver him, as I was at least 3 cm dilated by then, according to the gynae who checked in the morning. Because I was feeling some pain, and my doctor warned me that since it's my 3rd child, it could be a fast labour, I decided to go in early.

But the little joker seemed not to want it to be fast. And hospitals being what they are, or the doctors whichever it is, will prefer not to have any delivery done in the night unless it's a major emergency or it's really coming out. So they let Laurenz and me take out own sweet time (at least until the sun rises).

So I practise my Hypnobirthing techniques, which made the labour pains very bearable, and I could almost stay asleep most of the time, if not for Sexydad's snoring (he slept on the deck chair next to my bed).

By 7.30am on June 21, 2003, I was still only 8cm dilated, and the doctor had come into the delivery room to check on me. He suggested that we induced the labour to make it a bit faster (so that he can start his clinic on time). I was so bored with the labour pains and waiting, and since I had already finished my Mars, Time-Out and Picnic Bars and 100-Plus, andHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was to be released that day, I agreed. Hee hee hee. I had order my copy from MPH Mahkota Parade, and it was just next door to Mahkota Medical Centre where I delivered Laurenz. I want to read the book!!!!

Shortly after the induction, with 2 pushes, Laurenz was out. Getting him out was easy. Getting the placenta out took another 15 minutes at least. And painful too. The trouble with childbirth is that each one gives you a different pain or problem.

Anyway, we sent him to the nursery today to let him try it out. He's been bugging us with "I want to go to school!" for the last few days, and make a big fuss of wanting to follow his brothers when we dropped them off at the nursery. Officially he's to start on July 1, so these few days will be a trial run. Hopefully he'll get so tired and goes to bed at 9pm tonight, instead of 11.30pm.

The Why Why years

When kids around 3-4, they have lots of "Why" questions. This round it's Lucas' turn.

While watching Return of the Jedi,

"Mummy, why Darth Vader lie on the floor?"
"Because he's going to die."
"Why is he going to die?"
"Because he got the electric shock from the Emperor."
"Why he got shock?"
"Because the Emperor wanted to kil Luke, but Darth Vader carried him and the electric shock go to him lor"
"Why the electric shock go to him?"
"You just watch lah, please..."
"Why watch? Mummy, why? Mummy, why?"

When Lucas woke up in the morning last Saturday:

"Mummy, where's Daddy?"
"Daddy's gone to KL."
"Why Daddy go to KL?"
"Daddy's got to work, dear."
"Why Daddy must work?"
"So that he can make money and feed you, and buy you things, and send you to school..."
"Why must make money?"
"Otherwise how to buy food?"
"Why must buy food?"
"So that we can eat."
"Mummy, where's Daddy?"

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

The day Lucas got lost

Last Friday, May 27, 2005, the family went shopping in Jaya Jusco. I was at the cashier counter with Laurenz in the trolly, while Leonard and Lucas and Sexydad went to the toilet.

When the trio came back, I had paid and was trying to get Laurenz a cookie. Then Leonard said he needed to poop. (Why couldn't he do that when he went to pee???? I can never understand the male species and their pee and poop patterns).

So Sexydad said to me, "You take Leonard to poop and I'll take care of the other 2."

So I left hand in hand with Leonard to the ladies toilet, happily reprimanding Leonard for not pooping when he went to the toilet with Sexydad.

After Leonard had finished his big business and cleaned up, I browsed around the handbag section looking for something cheap and good to buy. No such thing existed at that time, and so we went back to where we were supposed to meet--the seats near the jeans shop.

Reaching there, I didn't see Sexydad and the two younger ones. But there was quite a gathering near the information counter, and somehow I was quite sure it had something to do with my children.

And there was Lucas with a teary face in Sexydad's arms, looking so sad and tired out.

Turned out that he got lost. How did Sexydad lose him?

Apparently when I handed the trolley over to Sexydad, Laurenz was trying to climb out of the trolley, and Lucas rushed off to join me and Leonard, which I was not aware of as I was happily giving Leonard a lecture on pooping and peeing and not wasting time. Somehow or other Lucas didn't catch up with us, and got lost and started crying and a kind salesperson brought him to the information counter, and they announced over the intercom:

"Terdapat seorang budak bangsa Melayu yang kehilangan ibubapanya........ etc etc".

Somehow in my browsing I didn't hear the message, and Sexydad even though he heard the message had assumed that Lucas was with me, and never imagined that this "budak bangsa Melayu yang kehilangan ibubapanya" yang actually Lucas.

Luckily a gentleman who was in the toilet when Lincoln was there with Leonard and Lucas recognized Lucas and when he saw Sexydad, he told him that Lucas is at the information counter crying--the one with the orange colour clothes.

And so Lucas was found and reunited with his clueless parents. When we asked the salesperson why they announced that the boy was a "budak bangsa Melayu", she said "Look at this eyes--such long eyelashes, who would think he's a Chinese?"

When I picked up Lucas from Sexydad, his heart was beating so fast. Poor chap. I wanted to cry seeing him so sad and frightened. But he was a brave and generous boy. When Laurenz started to get up to nonsense again and I had to chase after him (Sexydad had hurt his back 3 weeks earlier and can't bend), I asked Lucas to stay in the trolley with his daddy, he understandingly agreed.

In the car on the way home, I hugged him and let him lie in my lap, so glad that my baby is still with me. By the time we got home, he was again his usual self and happily playing with his brothers again.