Just My Lil' Organic Life

Rain Collection System is a good Green Building Idea

2009-12-02T15:20:00.000+08:00

The only thing i can think of when it comes to life in Malaysia is rain rain rain and more rain. Other than that, it's the stifling heat. As it's the end of the years now, rain is in abundance. I suck at Geography and wont know how many inches of rain we get in a year. But i can tell you it's A LOT!!! It rains every other day here now. I can hardly leave the house these days. Getting in and out of the car with two kids in tow is a real hassle as my MIL likes to park the car outside the house. I have to reverse the car into the porch and get them into the car, drive out, get down from the car to lock the gates, and get in again. See what i mean when i say it's a real hassle. I'm really clumsy with the umbrella and i usually end up getting wet by the time i get back into the car, damn.

I know i shouldnt be complaining much as it's only the heat and rain that i have to live with. In a way, i'm also glad that we dont have that much natural disasters compared to other countries. Talking of rain, i heard of a Green Building Idea whereby one creates a rain collection system for the garden. It can be used to replace a costly sprinkler for your grass and plants. I have a garden and if only i know how to get it done, i'll get right down to it. It'll be good during the hot months. Saves me lots of time and money watering the plants. If you are interested in more Green Building Ideas, the link i left here in this post will provide you with more information on the subject. Check it out when you have the time, ya.

Too many clothes, not enough space

2009-12-02T14:13:00.000+08:00

Hubby has been traveling a lot since the beginning of this year. Over the months, he has accumulated quite a lot of things. This man, he shops more than i do. Being a woman, i feel inferior shopping with him as he ends up with more shopping bags eachtime we leave the mall, lol!!!! It's not uncommon to see him buying shoes and clothes each time he comes home. He claims he needs to dress well when he sees his customers and he does not want to wear the same clothing over and over again.

My wardrobe ran out of space long ago and i had to throw some of mine away to make room for his ever increasing pile of clothes. The guest room wardrobe is also full. Oh, that's an exceptional case as my MIL refuse to give away all her old clothes. She can no longer fit in any of them and yet, she takes up three wardrobes just for her existing and old ones, sigh. These days, i just leave hubby pants on the guest room bed. I think it's more easy for him to locate them when he packs his luggage. I hate it when he comes asking where his clothes are. I never bother to answer and just tell him to go buy more. My mind cannot keep up with his clothes, lol.

Since i dont have the money to renovate my house, the next best solution is to get a self storage for him. You know companies like Anaheim Self Storage provides storage units for rent. I'm so gonna go through the Yellow Pages and get him one that fits into our garden. I can then move every single unused items from the house and let them rot at the self storage unit. Dont you think it's a wonderful solution for all. If you are also running out of interior spaces for your items, maybe it's also time for you to consider renting a self storage unit. Check out the link i left here in this post if you are living in California.

I cant read Chinese, period

2009-12-02T13:41:00.000+08:00

I actually planned on spending a month in KL with hubby and the kids. It's the long school holidays and my big kid will be starting Std 1 next year. I was thinking it'll be nice to take him to the city so that he can have a great holiday there with his cousin. I even checked with friends who might have an apartment to let for a month. Some suggested i stay at a service apartment as it's more convenient and hassle-free. I was still in the planning stage when Pat told me to check out the documents that my kid's school gave me when i went to confirm his place a few months back. And that's when all my planning got truncated, sigh. I can see a long list of dates on the documents. As the documents were all written in Chinese characters, for once, i'm lost in a sea of foreign language, lol!!!!!

Being Chinese, i feel so hopeless and useless for not being able to read what's written on those documents. I wonder how my kid is going to feel when he starts school in a whole new environment. He can read and write in English. As for Chinese, i think he can understand a bit as he studied the language at the Kindy for three years. He doesnt seem to like it much, especially when it comes to the written part. I've only been to the school twice and i hope it has lobby signs in English too. I'd sure hate to be in a place where i cannot read nor understand what's on the signages. If the school doesnt have it, maybe i should bring the subject up to the school next time and point them to where they can buy Lobby Signs online. Well, i know my kid will adjust to the new environment. Just gotta be patient....

Breastfeeding your baby in a rocking chair

2009-12-02T12:34:00.000+08:00

When i was pregnant with Gordon, naturally, the first thing i did was to go online to look for more information. Being a first time Mom, i wanted to know as much as possible on how to deal with all the pregnancy issues as they arise. I'm lucky as i have my Mom, MIL and Sisters to share with me their pregnancy experiences. I'm the last to get married and also the last to have kids in the family. It's not entirely my fault as Gordon took 7 years to decide to come and live with me, lol. In a way, my first pregnancy was wonderful, with no complications whatsoever. I went for my regular monthly checkups, and saw my tummy getting bigger day by day, and Gordon kicking inside each time i call his name. He's a very playful baby even before he's born. He still is till today.

One of the best decisions i've made when i was pregnant was i wanted to breastfeed Gordon exclusively. That means, no water and no formula will ever be fed to him for as long as i breastfeed him. I asked all my friends who've breastfed their babies exclusively for at least a year and all of them tell me that breastfeeding benefits both mother and child at the same time. Baby gets the best nutrients on earth that's tailor-made especially for him, and breastfeeding helped my uterus to contract and lose all the pregnancy fat very fast. So fast that i got back into my skinny jeans in less than two weeks. I remember that well as i took Gordon out on the 12th day to get his Identity Card weaing my favorite pair of jeans, lol!!!!

A few friends asked me to buy a rocking chair back so that i can breastfeed Gordon in it. They all say it's very relaxing and helps relieves backache. Moreover, if Gordon gets cranky or has a hard time sleeping, the rocking movement will send him to dreamland in a jiffy. I never bought myself a rocking as my room is far to small to have one in it. I'm also thankful that Gordon never gave me any problems at all during the first two years. He's an angel during his baby years. Practically fuss-free. Still is when he's asleep now, hahaha. Well, if you have the space in your bedroom, you may want to consider buying a rocking chair back, line it with a nice comfortable rocking chair cushion, so that you can relax and breastfeed your baby in it. You can buy replacement Rocking Chair Cushions online here. Hope you have an enjoyable and wonderful breastfeeding journey with your baby. I did :)

My sanity getting tested

2009-12-01T16:41:00.000+08:00

It's only the second week of the long school holidays and i'm almost sott liao. The kids only want to fight, scream and cry. If this goes on, i'm going to haul myself to TR, lock myself in a room and throw away the keys, lol. My mind is so blank that i have nothing much to blog about these days. Oh, maybe i'll just tell you about the bout of food poisoning i had last Thursday. I was feeling so down and out, tummy cramps, fever and all. Lucky for me my sis took a week off to spend with her kids and she came over to take Malcolm to spend the night at her place so that i can get a good rest. Sometimes, i wonder why each time hubby goes back to KL, i just have to come down with kind of illness, damn. He's on his way home now. Cant wait for him to arrive home so that i can disappear and let him have them with him 24/7 :p

My 3 years as an online income earner

2009-11-18T14:04:00.004+08:00

Yesterday, 17th Nov, was the first time i wrote a paidpost on this blog. That was way back in 2006. I received $10 from that one single post. It was that very post that changed my blogging life. I gave birth to more blogs to cater to the paidpost industry that spread like wildfire back then. Malcolm was only 4 months old when paidpost fever hit me. There's money dropping and i sat here at my computer grabbing as much as i could 24/7. My daily income from paidposts alone can go as high as USD200/day, giving me a 5 figure monthly income many times over. For those of you reading this now and dreaming about jumping onto the paidpost bandwagon, the high tide is well over long time ago. Anti-climax lehhhh.....soli, hoh. Not my fault.

Many top Malaysian paidpost income earners have been through lots of ups and downs in this industry. They are my blog buddies and we all worked as a team each night. Our working hours usually start at 10pm and we will sit at our computer keeping each other company well into the wee hours of the morning. I used to work till 5 or 6am each day for two years straight, with Malcolm stuck to my nenn as i pummeled away at my keyboard. I cannot recall how i managed to do it but all i know is that i have lots of debts to repay and this is helping me out. Let's just say it's the 3 Ds of Self Motivation that kept me going. The Desire, Determination & Dedication to succeed. I'm going to add another 2 more Ds to it. For me, it's Desperation & Debt-free.

I dont waste time. I worked hard and i worked smart. I invested in the latest gadgets, softwares and multiple internet lines to keep my money flowing in. My blogs are on VPS and not shared hosting to ensure they dont suffer downtime. I cut myself off entirely from society. In a way, i'm lucky as my kids were still small and not "that" demanding yet. I really used all the time i had on hand to blog and blog and blog and blog. I've written tens of thousands of posts over these three years. At my peak, i can churn out around 200 posts in any given day, dun play play, lol. Life as a blogger isnt a glamor thing as people think. But beats telling people i'm an efnd silai at home. BTW, both hubby and i were partners in an Interior Design Business until we decided to call it quits. He went on to become a network marketer and i wanted to sit home and play Mommy.

Blogging is a way for me to maintain my sanity. It can a tad boring for someone like me to stay home with a baby. Moreover, life wasnt that good when i first moved into this household. I had lots of SILs whom i called IBS. A term i coined for them which means Irritating Bitchy SILs (IBS - Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a debilitating disease of the gastrointestinal tract. They love to come over and create disharmony within the household. But then, i have a great man by my side. He will fark them off on my behalf. They seldom come over unless they really have to. As for me, i'll rant about them on my blogs to let off steam. Definitely better than screaming at them, right. Why bother. My blogs are my best friends, my toys and my virtual money machine. To be honest, i'm only happy when i'm seated in front of the pc.

Come next February, all my debts will be fully settled. I can always do so now but i dont see the point as i dont get a deduction in interest from the banks, lol. In all, the timing is just right. I feel very blessed that i can now fully concentrate and give my kids the time and attention they truly deserve. Gordon will need a lot of attention from me as he's going to STD 1 next year. I will still blog of course, but more for leisure than anything else. I no longer make as much as i used to. Most of my income are residual type from Adsense, niche blogging, online affiliate stores and impression ads. Paidposts only make up a small fraction of it. But the monthly earnings are enough for me to splurge on myself and my family every once in a while, and invest for the future. Damn.... i still want my Mini Cooper. LOL!!!!

FYI, i am not an Internet Guru nor will i ever teach anyone how to make money online. I dont think i'm qualified for that. If you were to ask me how to make money online, i'll definitely tell you to start a bunch of blogs, and not one. I'm still learning everyday. The internet and ways to make money online changes fast and i have to keep up with the trend in order to succeed in the long run. What works for me may not work for you. You have to test water yourself. You can ask me anything you like but my answers will be from my very own online experience which may not be agreeable by everyone. I dont care whether you agree or not cos you are not the one that gives me money, ok. If i dont reply your questions, live with it. I got a life to lead. The internet doesnt bite. At the worst, Google kills your blog. If that happens, stfu and make another. I move on, i dont look back. That's the way i do things.

Gordon's gang also "go to school"

2009-11-16T12:49:00.002+08:00

According to Gordon, if he has to go to school, so must his gang. Only Goofy is no where to be seen. His sei8phor Aunt kept it inside a bag on top of the guest room cupboard when she came over to stay recently. Well, i think it's also time i start throwing some unused items away, or send them to the orphanage etc. So many has to go. Busy weeks ahead.

Need a new tax consultant

2009-11-16T01:14:00.000+08:00

Hubby told me last night he wants to look for another company to file his taxes next year. He isnt very satisfied with the one that did his last year. Well, i told him tax season is still a couple of months away and he still has plenty of time to look for a good cpa firm. I was chatting with a friend just now when she pointed me to this Las Vegas cpa firm. I checked it out and found that KondlerCPA is a well respected company in this industry. I'm going to get hubby to check out this company when he comes back from KL next week. This will certainly give him some ideas as to what to look for when he engage his next tax accountant. If you are looking for a good Las Vegas cap firm, then you may want to check out the link i left here in this post.

Found the driver for my HP Deskjet F4185

2009-11-16T01:12:00.009+08:00

I went to hp's website just now and found the required driver to get my HP Deskjet F4185 running again. It's been idle since i switched my pc's OS to Windows 7 way back in July i think. As i seldom turn my laptop on, i've not printed anything with it till now. It's being downloaded now and i hope the printer's head didnt dry out and conk out last time. It happens all the time. Come to think of it. I buy a new printer each time i have to print something, lol. Lucky for me printers are so cheap these days. Well, i may just take mine to the shop and get them to modify it for me so that i can save on ink next time. Let's see if it works or not first. Test it tomorrow when i wake up :)

Cant find it

2009-11-16T01:10:00.013+08:00

I searched high and low for the piece of paper that Malcolm drew on it all the way from Jusco till home. I asked him to show it to hubby when he was taking a rest outside at the living hall. I think my MIL must have thought it's rubbish and threw it away. I'm not going to dig through the dustbin. It's actually the receipt from 1919. It has horizontal lines on it and Malcolm patiently filled the gaps between the lines with various colors without going out of line. He placed the paper on the box of crayons as it's flat enough and provided the support he needed. I'll get him to draw another some other time. It's a good way to keep him seated and buckled up. If not, he'll be all over the car. Difficult to keep him in the seat these days. That's also one reason why i dont find it a joy to take them out on my own. NO WAY, mannnnn....

Interested in taking up a beauty course?

2009-11-16T01:08:00.000+08:00

Someone was telling me she wants to look for a good Cosmetology School. Her girl is graduating from high school and she's very interested in taking a course in the beauty industry. I like that very much. If only we have a good Cosmetology School here, i would have taken up a beauty course myself when i left school last time. Anyway, no one advised or guided me when i was still schooling. I just followed what my friends took up and ended up taking up Graphics Course instead. What a waste of time money as i never entered the advertising industry after i graduated, lol. But if i were to have taken up a beauty course then, i may have become the owner of beauty salon and spas now. Well, if you are interested in taking up a beauty course, then check out this Cosmetology School. Plenty of courses there for you to choose from.

Bought watercolor pencils and crayons for my boys :)

2009-11-15T20:36:00.000+08:00

I promised Gordon i'll buy him a box of watercolor pencils. And so, right after lunch, hubby drove over to Jusco. We wasted around 30 minutes just trying to look for a parking space. Damn, that place is so freaking jammed on weekends. We were just about to leave for Parkson when a car reversed out from his lot near the exit. So, it's double lucky day for Gordon.

I took him to MPH and he spent quite a long time there browsing the book section. I want him to like books more than my gadgets. Anyway, i've kept all those gadgets from him. Now that he has a brand new box of watercolor pencils, i hope the long holidays will be filled with lots of fun. Malcolm also got a box of crayons too. My two boys are so happy. Wait, i'll show you what Malcolm did with his crayons on the way home.

Gordon's favorite numbers - 1919

2009-11-15T20:27:00.000+08:00

Hubby isnt always around on weekends. Today is our lucky day. The kids havent been out for weeks, lol. So, when i asked Gordon where would he like to have lunch today, he shouted, "1919"!!!! It's the restaurant at Ipoh Garden East. The one opposite Tesco. It's his favorite place. I ordered all his favorite dishes like Mantis Prawns, Honey Chicken, Spinach Tofu and Seong Tong Yin Choy. We whacked everything in no time. Been to Restaurant 1919? It's a nice and cosy place that serves great food at affordable prices :)

Malcolm drawing an egg by himself

2009-11-12T23:27:00.000+08:00

Malcolm is honing his drawing skills at the magnetic drawing board. He just drew an egg for me. I'm lucky to catch it on my phone before he erased everything. See how important it is to have the phone hanging from your neck when you're with kids, lol. Really not bad haimai considering he just turned 3 in July. He's getting more and more interested in drawing and will always bring the magnetic board up to me so that i can hold his little in mine and draw whatever my boys wants. His favorites being the car, truck, lorry and train. And no, he cant draw those yet. Only the egg so far. But wait ya. It takes lots of patience and training. If you are considering a good tool to help your kid draw, buy this Disney magnetic board. Not the Doodle Pro please. That one's lousy. I know cos i have both. It's also cheaper by about 10 bucks and produces smooth fine lines. Got mine from Jaya Jusco.

My crochet top is ready!!!!

2009-11-11T15:02:00.001+08:00

I hope hubby can come back on time afterwards. The yarn shop called up and told me my crochet top is ready and i'm just dying to try it on!!!! The yarn shop is at Yik Foong and i can go there to buy my LCD monitor and pick my crochet top up. I wonder where hubby's gone to. He was mumbling something about order fulfillment the whole morning. Oh, wateva.... i just hope my credit card wont suffer another dent when i head to the yarn shop afterwards, LOL!!!!!!! I'm always tempted to buy more and more yarn each time i go there. I think i'm more addicted to buying yarn than working on the projects. Weird addiction, hoh....

Are you enjoying parenthood?

2009-11-11T14:55:00.000+08:00

I found some Davidoff cigars inside hubby's luggage the day he came back. He told me a friend's wife gave birth to a baby boy after trying for a child for more than 10 years. Well, congratulations to the couple. I hope they are prepared for all the parenting duties ahead. Parenting is lifelong responsibility and it takes lots of patience and unconditional love to bring up a baby. I've been blessed with wonderful boys and hope i can live long enough to see them grow up to be responsible adults one day. The long yearend school holidays are just round the corner. Where and how are you going to spend it with your kids? I havent planned yet......

Party time :)

2009-11-11T14:44:00.000+08:00

A facebook buddy of mine is planning for her girl's birthday soon. Her thread is so busy with so many people giving her suggestions from party food to party decorations. I even found out about this party invitations site from her super long thread, hehe. It'll come useful for those of you looking for party invitation cards. I cant attend the birthday party as she lives elsewhere. But i'm sure her daughter will be the happiest little girl that day with such a doting mom.

Is PURPLE the color of this season?

2009-11-11T14:26:00.000+08:00

Can someone come over to my place and stuff an appetite suppressant down my throat, lol. I've been up since 8.30am and havent stopped eating since. If this goes on, i wont be able to wear all those nice tops that i'm knitting and crochet-ing now!!!! I'm working on another crochet top. Hope i can complete it by month's end. I just got to know that the color of the season is PURPLE!!!! WOO HOO!!!! I love purple. Can someone confirm with me if it's really purple? I have this gorgeous purple yarn and am dying to start a project with it. Just havent decided what kind of top to knit or crochet yet.

Dell lcd monitor, Samsung lcd monitor, Lg lcd monitor, which lcd monitor is good?

2009-11-11T14:14:00.000+08:00

My 6 years old Dell monitor died on me last Friday. I havent been able to access my main cpu since then. Not that i care as i have a copy of my important files at an online backup storage. Even if i am working away from my desktop, i can still access my important working files easily.

I still havent decided which brand to buy. Some asked me to buy Dell LCD monitor again. Some say LG LCD monitors are good. Another suggested Samsung LCD monitors. I shall wait till hubby comes back after wards. I'll go to Yik Foong and check them out for myself. If the price is right, i'll buy one back this evening. Who wants to guess which brand will end up on my desktop?

Happy with myself :)

2009-11-11T13:28:00.001+08:00

I'm happy that a few of my friends noticed that my overall skintone has improved a lot over the past few weeks. I have to thank myself for that. I stopped burning the midnight oil, lol. Though the acne scars are still visible, they will fade off over time. The thing now is, i want to put on more weight. I want to tone up my body more. I want to give myself a mini makeover. I even want to workout on the treadmill if only i have one. Hubby also suggested we buy one. Me, i'd rather to workout at the gym. The kids might hurt themselves on it.

Sacrifice wat... utelmi $%^%$%^%$#%$

2009-11-11T13:02:00.000+08:00

I really do hate it whenever i hear those brainless silais talk about how much they've sacrificed for their kids and so forth. Niamah. Shut the fark up lah, ok. Your kids never asked to be born into this world in the first place. It's your responsibility to make sure they live to see the next day. Sacrifice what, utelmi. You kids dont need all those frills and thrills to become a better person. It's your very own kiasu-ness that you make them attend all those extra classes and then you go whine and rub it into them that you sacrifice this and that just so that they can attend those classes. If you cannot shoulder the responsibility of parenting duties, then do yourself a favor and dont have kids. You dont deserve to have them. Then mai nothing to sacrifice lorrrr, mahai.

Gordon's Graduation Day

2009-11-06T14:55:00.002+08:00

In the blink of an eye, Gordon graduates from Kindy. It was just like yesterday that i held his small hand and walked him up to his classroom on his first day of school. That was three years ago. He's so grown up now. Though not as tall as most of his classmates and schoolmates his age, he's still a big boy to me.

This picture was taken yesterday. He was so handsome when i sent him to school. Halfway through lunch, his teacher called up and told us he refused to take his graduation pic and asked if we can go back to the school or not. And so, we practically stuffed noodles down our throat and rushed back to be there for my special kid.

And thanks to a patient photographer, and also his caring teachers, Gordon had his Graduation Picture taken outside the classroom is many different locations and poses. The photographer showed us the pics on his Nikon DSLR. I told his teacher i want every single one of those pics!!!! He's soooooo handsome. Dont you think so :)

Gordon is the luckiest boy at his Kindy as he's the only one that had his Graduation Picture taken with his parents. Thank God i applied the best under eye cream the night before. The above pic was taken with my Nokia N82. Awwwww..... my boy graduate jorrrrr...... the first of many graduations to come (i hope)

Holiday soon....

2009-11-06T13:56:00.000+08:00

The past few days has been quite stressed for all. Hubby just went back to KL. I wish he can go back on Monday, but too bad, work calls. Soon, the long school holidays will be here. I dont think i'll have much time to myself for the next few weeks. Gordon will start Std1 next year and i'll use the time available to help him learn as much as possible. He's a much pampered special kid and he has to learn to take care and protect himself when he goes to a whole new environment. I cannot be at the school all the time, but near enough just in case he needs me to be there.

As his school is near the mall, hubby suggests i hang out there for the first few weeks. He says there may be a modern furniture exhibition there in January and MIL wants to give the living hall a mini makeover for Chinese New Year. I can help her look for a new set of living room furniture. Let's see how. It's still too early to say anything.

Sanity busters

2009-11-06T00:55:00.000+08:00

This is just so to remind myself never to go out with two kids together to the foodcourt with hubby at night. Why bother when i have to live with a blardy black face the whole time i'm there, niamahfulat.

New "Spinning Flowers" for the garden

2009-11-03T01:12:00.000+08:00

These are the new "Spinning Flowers" i bought last week. They really do spin well in the wind. My kids enjoyed playing with them. Nice, right.