Balls! Balls! Balls!

Our little Keira loves playing with balls!!! Big and small. Clutch them. Roll them. Throw them. Bounce them. Catch them. Kick them. Whatever it is; she can do it all! 

She even knows how to dribble the ball - and the right technique too!!! Although, she could do with a little more practice on her catching.

She has not turned 2 years old, and she yet seriously kicks a ball better than boys her age or older. She has such strong legs and technique. Must be inherited from her daddy and influenced by the football matches she tunes in to with daddy.

From the age of 6 months, when she hears the word "Goal!" or watches a football match on TV, her leg immediately strikes out a kick or two. Cognitive conditioning at it's best! 

Even till today... Don't believe me? Need proof? Watch this video...

Not to mention, at her toddling age, she is already a pro in dribbling!!! And why shouldn't she? She already gets plenty of of practice daily as kicking and dribbling is her favorite playtime activity :)

Looks like my little girl can be a striker!... I foresee after-school "soccer mommy" duties in the near future for me! Yippee!!! :)

Although, I also make sure she learns during playtime and use the balls as bait (since the interest is there).

Here are some of the "learning with balls" activities we enforce on our little toddler during playtime:

• Use different colored balls to reinforce the colors when you throw/kick it.
• The understanding of size and texture. eg. big, medium, small, biggest, smallest or hard, soft, smooth, rough etc.
• Counting with every bounce, throw or kick.
• Understanding the concept of words like in, on, through, up, down, next to, in front, behind, top, bottom while doing different activities with other items including baskets, cups, hoops etc.

What about you? What are some of the fun ways you teach your child to learn with balls?

#TBT: My karaoke competition days!

Came across an old photo of me in action during The Heritage Club Karaoke Competition in Penang. 

This must be at least 10 years ago, during my so-called late-night, party girl days! 

If I'm not mistaken, I was singing "Baby One More Time" here. Went right in to the finals, but I did not win the competition though.

I learnt an important lesson during those days competing in such competitions - there's no chance to to win such competitions unless you have a troop of supporters who are avid drinkers, spending lots of $$$ on booze. Then your chances of winning is much, much higher!

But I was not there to win as I don't drink or smoke, nor do I have an entourage of drinking friends accompanying me. All I had was a small entourage of less that 5 people and neither of us drank or spent much money on the drinks. 

I was mainly there to build my self-confidence and test my skills in singing on stage in front of a crowd. Most importantly - my performance was great; I had such a blast on stage; and I LOVED the attention!

I miss those good old days!!!)

Remembering My Former Boss, Prof. Dr. Tan Toh Wah

Two days ago, on April 15, 2015, Kevin and I received the saddest news on the passing of our former boss, Prof. Dr. Tan Toh Wah. 

Earlier this evening, we went to pay our respects by attending his wake at his residence in Island Glades. 

As we walked into his home, and seeing him lying in his coffin and then seeing his wife was a truly emotional moment for me. I did not expect to ball my eyes out in tears as I hugged her tightly and told her how truly sorry I was for her loss and what a good man her husband was. I didn't think she expected me to be overly emotional, as she was quite calm and collected. I, on the other hand, was a crying wreck as all the memories of him flooded my head. 

It was nice of her to allow me time to calm myself before she came to sit and talk with us. It was only then that we learnt that Dr. Tan had been secretly battling against cancer the past 10 years, and he was actually getting better the past two years. Up till about two weeks ago, after starting the new cancer treatment in Singapore, he seemed to be getting weaker and short of breath. But he fought with everything that he had... In the end, the cancer got the better of him. He passed away at his home and peacefully in his sleep.

I knew Dr. Tan very well from the time he was appointed Principal of KDU Penang in 2001. Mainly because during the start of his tenure, he restructured the Marketing department and pulled me out of the Marketing/Sales team to work under his direct report, specifically handling Branding, PR & Communications for the college. 

I was moved from my comfort zone of working with team members on the ground floor to flying solo and seated in the Principal's office on the first floor. Of course when that change first happened, I was quite offended by it and a "sour puss". And the young ciku that I was, thought that he hated me and my easy-go-lucky, party gal style and wanted to just discourage me so that I would quit on my own terms. I thought perhaps he did not like my crazy work antics and wanted me seated in his office so that he could keep a watchful eye on me.

Whatever the reason was, I was determined to not let this man get his way and being the fighter and strong-willed person that I am, I promised myself that I will not be deterred and will keep working hard cos I know I am good at what I do (and I know it!) and I will keep proving it if I have too.

As weeks and months went by, and I started getting accustomed to my new role and relocation of my new work space, I actually realized he had done that one bold move not because of what I had initially thought. It would be easier for him to "mentor" me and work closely with him, to understand better of his vision and goals in order to align my responsibilities to what he required. He also wanted to help me build up my self-confidence even more and allowed me the ability to specialized in the area that he saw was a perfect fit for me - away from Marketing (which in KDU terms is more of sales/recruitment). Smart man! I did not see that at all in the beginning, but I am thankful for that change he made.

Of course his glaring and serious outlook would make just about anyone who did not know him scared shitless *pardon my French* to approach him in person, or when one gets called by him into his office. It's like the feeling of "auw man, what did I do now?!" Seriously, it literally felt like being called into the principals' office and get ready to be scolded for whatever it is you did or did not do.

But as I worked closely with him, I discovered that there was nothing scary about him at all. Deep down, once you get to know him, he was such a kind, sweet, gentle and generous man. An academic who goes by the book for sure, but a damn brilliant one and I am very honored and privileged that I was given the opportunity to know the great man that he was during the four years under his direct report. 

He was simply AWESOME and such a great joker, and he was my bapak, my mentor! 

Even after I left KDU Penang, and after he too moved on to other opportunities, we still kept in contact over the phone and email, and met on several occasions for lunch etc.

He missed Kevin and my wedding celebration in 2009 as we were unable to get in touch with him for a period of time then, but he was always there for all other occasions.

He came to visit us at our home with his wife for Raya Open House and our first born's aqiqah ceremony on August 17, 2013, together with Dr Koo Wee Kor (another brilliant man and former boss) and his wife. Little did we realize then that occasion would be the last time we would see him, and the last photos we would have taken with him. He looked amazingly healthy and younger then too.

  

Thank you, Dr. Tan for making the time to visit us that day (and many other occasions) and for all your guidance and friendship over the years. Thank you for entering our lives and making such positive impact on all of us. You will always be in our thoughts and prayers. You will be remembered and missed dearly. May you rest in peace and god bless your soul.

Deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to his wife, Dr. Mary and family during this sad time.

Catching up with back-dated postings for over the last year or two! Bear with me, please!

Yes, I admit that I have just been extremely "lazy" the past year+ to update this blog and have been using the easiest excuses available - transitioning into motherhood and juggling between baby and work - to not find time to blog and document the amazing adventures of motherhood and having a baby. 

Well, it all ends now! So, expect to see many backdated postings as I randomly pick photos and interesting, true stories to share of our adventures as a family as memorabilia of the good times and cherished moments/memories.

Hopefully this new wave of energy will also keep me motivated to continue updating my blog as well, aside from catching up with backdated posts. Think I can do it?

More importantly, thank you friends and family who have been endlessly trying to persuade me on Facebook, in person and on the phone, over the past year to continue to document all my motherhood adventures and keep the stories alive so that they can read more and see more photos/videos of our adventures and Keira growing up. 

I'll try, try, try to get as much of the posts up as and when I can after work, and will also try to update the latest too! 

In the meantime, please bear with my backdated postings as I travel back in time to recapture the essence of those treasured moments and document the happenings/events accordingly.

XOXO

Could She Get Into Modelling?

Just look at that adorable little face!!!

Our little smiley munchkin, Keira Eliza Lee, could be a child model, don't you think?

Big eyes? a

Gorgeous smile? a

Milky complexion? a

"Mixed" look? a

Happy, bubbly and loves to pose? a

Loves the camera? a

Photographs well on camera and video? a

So, Mami Poko? FrisoGold? Heinz Baby? FisherPrice? Johnsons? and other baby brands... why are you not calling??!!?? 

[Reminder to self: Perhaps hubs and I should get our little one active in getting connected with the model casting scene first in order to get a start for that to happen? After all, it's all about Marketing one's self first before anything can happen.] 

Slightly more than a year ago, we did ask around, but the fact that we reside in Penang seems to be a major factor. There are not much opportunities to explore on the island for baby/kid models. All the opportunities are in Kuala Lumpur, so it seems! That's where the action is I gues.

So, we took a teeny-weeny step to test-market by meeting up with a casting agent in Bangsar when we were in the capital to attend our daughter's godmother's wedding in February 2014. Just to get a look-see-feel of it.

Sure, they took some great headshots of our Keira at 8 months old for their files/records and said they will call us, but did reiterate that the fact that we lived in Penang is definitely an issue... 

 

... and of course, that was it! We have not heard anything since.

More than a year has passed and I no longer await anxiously by the phone for any call from the one casting agent we met last year, but I am still tempted to test the market for her again.

On the cuteness barometer, our baby is definitely in the "sangat panas" (damn hot!) scale. There's no doubt about it!!! It's not just my hubs and I that think so, thousands of others think the same as well. Eherm, about their own babies of course *lol*

Our little munchkin is turning 2 years old next month (in 6 more weeks, to be precise), and in my mind, I believe it's a good age to get her started in the industry IF there are any opportunities available for her as a child model, big or small. After all, she LOVES the camera and the camera LOVES her, so why not?

So, here come the million-dollar-questions in a row: Does "hotness" count? How do people get their little ones started into the baby modelling business? What's the first step? What are the names are some of the better agencies in Malaysia or Singapore? What is a good age to get started? Do parents need to be connected to the "right people" first in order to get their little ones into the industry? How does it all work? ... I seriously want to know how parents breakthrough the barriers and get their kids into print or TV commercials, as it does seem like a fun industry to be in, especially if your child LOVES the camera. Do share if you have any tips!

My Little "Punjabi Princess"

We attended a relative's wedding this weekend in Penang. For her mehndi or berinai night, which took place on April 10, 2015 (the night before the bersanding ceremony), the theme was Punjabi attire.

Hearing that, I could not resist dressing up my little princes up in the little Punjabi suit I had bought for her a few months back during a work trip to Chennai, India. Surprisingly, the attire that I thought would be loose was just nicely fitting. Oh no, good thing too that I tried it on her for this occasion, otherwise she won't be able to wear it if it was any later. Nevertheless, we managed to squeeze her into it with minimal pain. It's the taking it off, later that night, that was the heartache as we had to cut it off her cos her head and arms could not slip out.

Here are some cute shots of our little princess in the Punjabi attire at 1 year 11 months, taken on the evening of April 10, 2015. Isn't she a beaut?! 

Don't you wish your daughter is as hot as mine? Don'cha? *wink*