RYAN'S B-I-G RED RIDE

This ride is pretty realistic ... it really does look like a real sports car. The ones that we surely cannot afford (& even if we could ... we wouldn't). The ones that most (much) older men (with lots of moolah to waste) ... experiencing a mid-life crisis ... would buy! Its a red, black, mean machine ... & my boy enjoys sitting on it ... if only, for awhile.

As my Hubby pointed recently, to his son - "Like Mummy said ... Never, ever buy a car, that costs more than a house!" ... Yep, I really said that, whilst commenting about how wasteful & frivolous people can be ... with their hard-earned money. But I never thought that Hubby would turn my many often-ramblings, into a quotable QUOTE! Haha! I see the "wise-ness" in it ... & yet I guess most people, really don't!

Why would someone ... anyone spend S$ 250,000 on something, with four wheels! A car is just a means of transportation, it gets you from Point A to Point B. As long as it's safe & affordable, we are happy as peaches. Do you know what a quarter of a million dollars can do for the poor or needy? Do you know how much a charitable organisation can do with that kind of money? Do you know how many families can be helped with that moolah?? Isn't there a better way to spend that hard-earned money ... than being a show-off ... that's parading, telling the whole world - "Hey! I can afford a Porshe/Ferrari/BMW .... can you, huh?" People can be so wasteful sometimes, it really amazes me ... what goes on in their head!?

I let Ryan sit on this ride ... coz its the only sports car we can ever "afford". Even if Ryan can afford one (when he's an adult), I hope I would have instilled in him, values ... built enough character & maturity ... to see that wastefulness is not how, we try to lead our lives. I hope, even when Hubby & me are long gone ... my son will not lead a spendthrift life. I hope he will be an independent, thrifty & wise young man ... who knows the value of hard-earned money. I hope he leads a purposeful life. I hope he can tell ... what's a necessity ... what's a luxury; whats a need ... whats a want! I really hope ... he will make better choices in life!
As I grow older, I am (definitely) more jaded ... towards a life of wastefulness (if there's such a word). I feel myself becoming more simple (in my thinking) ... in how I lead my life now. I see the frivolity in a lot of things people do & that even includes my own stupid-buying-decisions (in the past). What used to be important to me then ... is no longer important to me now. Does that make ... any sense?
I am long past ... the material stage of my life. Maybe, as I approach my own mid-life (crisis) - usually the 40s (rite?) ... I have come to re-examine my own life & question a lot of what's happening around me. I now tend to make decisions that will simplify my family's life. A lot of things don't matter so much ... to me. Is that so difficult to accept ...?
Its not that I suddenly hate shopping .. on the contrary, I still love to (window) shop or buy (necessary) stuff. Its what I buy now ... that's a great contrast, to what I would have bought ... in the past. Its not that I suddenly hate (eating) food ... I'm still very much a foodie-to-the-core. It's just that all that expensive & delicious food ... is just that, only food! Food, whether in a foodcourt or in a high class restaurant ... still feeds our stomach, still satiate our hunger ... in the end, all food turns to poop! Duh!
As Hubby will be changing jobs next year, we as a family ... are gearing up for pretty tough times ahead. We will make it ... I know we will! Its just that it will be tough, in the beginning but I hope at the end of the day ... we will emerge stronger & better .... in spirits & financial standing.
We now tighten our belts ... so tightly. We cut costs whenever we can, we delay purchases that are non-emergency, we put off things that can (surely) wait, we spend less & yet ... we spend more time together. Infact, we are closer as a family now because we find other more meaningful things to occupy our time - yep, we do mundane things ... like spring cleaning our home (ever so often), go kite-flying, go to the library, go to public playgrounds ... activities that make happy memories, albeit cheaper ones.
Yes! ... we are definitely going the "el-cheapo" way ... but it seems to make us cherish each other, even more. Isn't that ... SUPER ironic ??! ...

Time to go!

A GREEN RIDE IN JB

Sometimes my parents (mostly just my Dad) join us, on our (at least, once a month) grocery trip into Johor Bahru. No, no ... not so much to buy groceries themselves (coz we can do that for them, easily) ... but mostly just for the simple outing instead. They are always welcome to join us ... as long as they don't mind the numb-ing of their bums ... whilst waiting to pass through (both) the checkpoints, hehe!

I took these, whilst my boy was on his (usual) rides in JB. My Dad tried to amuse his grandson, as Ryan was busy going round & round aimlessly. These rides are so much cheaper in Malaysia, so I try to indulge him whenever we are in JB, rather than back home.

He tends to (always) chose the same ride, at the same venue ... he's (always) never tempted to change his fav "vehicle" ... unless its already taken by another rider. Most times, he ends up choosing a scooter or bike rides, seldom cars or jeeps, etc. Hhhmm ... I do wonder why? Well, maybe its just Ryan's preference, that's all .. nothing more.

Is that Hubby's finger I see?

Grandpa ... amusing his grandkid.

My Dad ... trying to make Ryan come to him.

Ryan, making the most of his short ride ... by going further ... away.

IT'S BREAD TIME

We enjoy our simple cuppa (of tea, usually) every so often. When we get the chance to have a leisurely chat, over some toast(ed) bread ... we will indulge (ourselves), whenever we can.

These were taken at Ya Kun (our favourite roti place). Whilst waiting for our serve of roti, we let Ryan listen to his fav (over-played) song by Linkin Park (see here ... on why this song is constantly on the re-wind). I got some funny pics from my son, this time ... hehe!

My two (cheeky) boys ... looking cute!

More cheeky antics!

Look at Ryan's pose ... is that a cheeky look or what? He's coming out with some funny moves, these days. Gosh! I don't know where he learnt them from ...

Another funny pose! Can you see Hubby's handphone near the plate of bread? Can you guess what song, its playing?

Ok, this photo ain't pretty but ... I just had to include it. So unglam rite? Haha!

Another not so pretty photo. It looks like Ryan ... lost all his baby teeth.

Not a good look on him, ya?

Ahh! This one's better!

UP DOWN, UP DOWN ...

Have you ever seen the "Little Einsteins" from the Disney Playhouse Channel? If you have, you might have heard this phrase before ... by June (I think) when asking Rocket ... to move "Up down, up down" (in a sing-song tone).

As you can tell, Ryan is a rather big fan of the toon. He picked up these phrase & uses it every so often ... in his daily life. I managed to capture his actions, of mimicking those words in photos. If you look at the photos, & imagine saying - up ... down ... up ... down, whilst doing the said action, you can see the sequence in the pics. So (very) lame ... but nonetheless cute (at least for me) ... haha! Enjoy!

Looking contemplative or serious? Ermm ... I can't really tell.

Is it my imagination ... but does everyone look fatter ... lying down?

Ok ... here we go!

Ready, set ... go!

Up ...

Down ...

Up ...

(Oops! Another) Up ...

No more "down" Mummy! ... I'm done!

All smiles!

I'm giving Mummy, one of my brooding model-like pose!

One last shot, for Mummy!

I RESOLVE TO ....

Yes, I resolve to do a lot of things in life but not all of the things get done! Yep! I can be such a procrastinator but I am only human! First & foremost, I resolve to do up A-L-L of my back-dated posts ... especially ones that have pictures to go with them, all awaiting my lengthy commentary (in blogland). As far as I can see, I am almost halfway through & aim to get everything up-to date, before the end of the year. That will allow me to start 2010, with a new batch of photos and stories - no more back-dating into the past!

But ... to my slight "horror", I realised that there is a big batch of photos (taken my my trusty Nokia) ... sitting there, "waiting" for action too. Oh no! I've totally forgotten about them, as I've come accustomed to taking most of my pics with my digicam. Previously, I did take lots of photos with my 5-mega pixel camera phone but I've decided to concentrate on my digicam as its of a higher mega pixel (8.2), even though its much bulkier. Its makes for downloading of pics to the computer much easier too (lesser hassle lah!). Hhhmmm ... now I realise, that I got another batch of pics, waiting in line for me. Arrgh!!!

I try not to make it a chore coz I wanna enjoy doing up the posts to accompany the photos but when you have a whole bunch of photos, languishing in computer land, its gets somewhat frustrating & "tiring" at times. I wish I didn't take so many photos sometimes ... but I am one of those people that just find simple joy, in every little (mundane) thing that we do. Even a simple tea time ... or my kid giving me a cheeky smile ... calls for a photo opportunity. Yes, I can be so LAME!

Sometimes I wonder if I'm being silly ... giving myself much "stress" over nothing! Its just that its such a waste to let these digital photos just sit there in my hard-drive, doing nothing! The photos were already taken, memories captured ... I felt it was my "divine" duty to at least put it up in my blog ... for everyone to see, especially for Ryan's sake. As he grows older, I find that he's acutely aware of our outings & enjoys looking at the photos that I've snapped ... when he sits on my lap. He smiles & recalls certain things that we did on each outing & even mentions the company we had for that day. It shows his enthusiasm, his zest for life, his enjoyment & his reminiscence of each "adventure". Even photos from an uneventful trip to a playground, keeps his spirit (very) high ... until of course, the next trip to the slides!

It does give ... the tedious "job" of updating my blog, a little spur & I have to admit ... the joy in Ryan's eyes, is the simplest catalyst ... that drives me to update this silly blog of mine, every so often. I really hope ... I will find the time & the energy to carry on ... at least for a little longer. Maybe once I get everything up-to date, it'll be less of a chore & more like a joy. Oh well, I'll just try my best & see how things go.

Meanwhile, life continues .....

EAT RICE ? SHI FAN ?

Lately Ryan's appetite has been slightly better. Errm ... am I gonna jinx it ... by saying his appetite is good? I dearly hope not!

Oh well! He is definitely eating more, compared to a couple of months earlier. At least he's eating more than his usual egg prata & McDonald's Chocolate Milkshake. He's now expanding his menu - local chicken rice, rice - with chicken, carrots, radish, potatoes, tomatoes, wolfberries, salmon, fish fillets, eggs (all these, mostly making up the ingredient list of simple home-cooked stuff, I usually cook at home). Most of these foodstuff are cut up into much smaller pieces & mixed together with his white & brown rice, so he doesn't really know what's inside his bowl! Sometimes I even try to sneak in tofu, broccoli & other (yucky) healthy stuff ... but I do what I can ... when I can.

I managed to snap some pics of my boy enjoying his simple fried rice with egg, at home. I set him up on his kiddy chair & let him have a go at his own lunch. Ok I'm one of those mums who loathe to clean up the big mess that kids make under their chair, whilst they eat.

Unlike most mums in the West, I am your typical Eastern/Malay mum .... errm, one that (rather) feeds her child & do with lesser mess-cleaning. I know I know ... it doesn't teach a child to eat on his own but I do what works for me & my child. It might not work for everyone ... neither is it the best thing to teach your growing kid. We do try to let him eat on his own sometimes (especially in public) but a lot of times ... my patience gets in the way & I choose to continue to feed him instead (or Hubby takes over). If we let him eat on his own, he would probably take more than an hour to finish his small bowl of rice. Sigh! I don't think I have that kind of patience ... tick tock tick tock!

All set up ... for lunch!

Oops! Dropped a grain. I hope Mummy didn't see that!

Mummy, I'm being a very good boy ... & eating my rice.

Another scoop!

Some cartoons ... to while the time away!

Yes ... I'm eating my rice Mummy.

Double oops! More rice on the floor!

Yeah! Lunch's over! Now I can play with my toys!

Trying to be cheeky.

Hi Mummy! Look at my fire-engine!

FRENCH THE FRIES ... PLEASE !

One fine day, Ryan simply announced - "I want french fries". Errm! Since when did Ryan know how to say - french fries! Hubby & me simply chuckled & (of course) I did not fail to ask him again, just in case I'm hard of hearing. Coincidentally, we were in McDonald's then ... so I guess that's what inspired Ryan's french fries guise. Oh well, if its french fries my kid wants, french fries he'll get.

That was a few months back, since then ... Ryan's "graduated" to asking for "big-gher" (burger) whenever he sees the big red arches. On a wimp, we decided to let him try a double cheese-burger (cost only 2 bucks, which is much cheaper) instead of a Fillet-O-Fish, which was my first choice. Yes, fish is so much better (& healthier) than (fatty) beef ... but then again, Ryan does not eat beef or other sorts of beef products, except for the DC Burger. Ryan do eat plenty of salmon (fillet or head) or fish fillets - cooked by muah at home ... so I figured - why not let him have a taste of beef, lest he boycots this meat, when he's older.

Oh well, variety is the spice of life, ain't it?

Ryan busying himself, scribbling on the serviette ... with Daddy's pen.

Don't know why Ryan enjoys playing with the digicam cover? Interesting, meh?

I guess here ... he's pretending to take photos of me?

Smile, Mummy! I take a photo of you instead.

More random scribbling.

Let me empty A-L-L the lovely & oily french fries, all over the tray!

It's really empty now!

Oh my God! Is that salt I see?

Oh well! A bit of garam, ain't gonna kill anyone? Who cares!

ON THE PLAYGROUND, WE WENT

I guess this is the indoor playground that Ryan plays on ... most often. I think its coz its pretty close to our place & indoors, so whether its warm outside, its still rather shady here. The playground is also relatively new so the equipment is still in good condition & still relatively clean. The only grouse I have is that the other day, when we dropped by (on a weekend afternoon, which is not often), the place was packed with kids (& their parents) - it was noisy & crowded!

Because there's a wet playing area, a lot of the kids that were wet (rather irresponsibly, if I may say so) choose to play on the dry playground equipment too! This made the dry area extremely wet! So, for the kids who did not want to get wet (like Ryan), they inevitably get drenched & dirtied by the wet stains, all around them. As the drenched kids wait in line or hang around, puddles collect below them, creating "dirty" water that never fail to get splashed on the kids (whose parents choose to keep them dry).

Arrgh! As you can safely guess, we did not stay long ... just a couple of minutes, was all it took to turn us off this typicaly-ugly Singaporean behaviour. We see it everywhere ... but it still never fails to amaze me, what some Singaporeans do in the name of "free" liberty & their-own sense of freedom & righteousness. I would never allow Ryan to wet himself & go dirty the dry playground equipment - its really very inconsiderate & inappropriate! As much as I love my kid, there are certain things that I won't allow him to do.

He has to learn to share certain things - especially, playthings for public use. He has to learn to be considerate - coz he's not the only child that wants to enjoy the slides. He has to queue up, to take turns - coz he's not the only one that wants to play on the swings. He has to learn to be courteous & considerate ... something that's extremely lacking in a lot of the young kids in "wealthy" Singapore. My kid is definitely not the best behaved nor gracious child around, but I'll be damn if he turns out to be those typical inconsiderate kids. I'll make sure of that ... even if I have to be the (only) screaming mum on the playground, in order to teach my child some decent manners. So there !

Fortunately, when these pics were taken (in early October), the playground was relatively empty ... so Ryan had a wonderful time! Thank God for that!

Enjoying himself on the see-saw.

I caught him ... in mid-movement - about to get off the green seat.

He wasn't too sure about this ... hehe! Was afraid that he would fall off.

Daddy giving Ryan a helping hand.

Getting ready ...

Looking very cheeky here!

Awww! Father & son!

Aaah! My little-twin boys .... see ... even their smiles are so alike!

Climbing up the steps.

Down the slide.

Holding on to his Daddy!

Look Daddy! I'm sliding down .... weeee!

What's this weird looking thing??

Let me try it out!

Don't I look like a victorious little hero??