Casual Comeback

Well, let's just say I was in a coma from Jan 2016 till Dec 2017. So, just awaken from the dead , this is a new me , ready for a fresh start in 2018.

Everything is gonna be new as me and hubby and kids are going on a journey to explore the world of learning without school. Let the world be our school as we enjoy our day to day activities with our two lovely bundle of joys. 

2 years of school was enough to make me understand that I am not passing any knowledge to D1. The whole year, he doesn’t understand a thing thought in class (well, coz it’s in BM). Then one month before finals, I teach him how to score points; how to answer the questions in the exam with the right keywords so that he will get the points. And I make him get all A’s for BM, BI, Maths n science. Just by teaching how to answer as per teachers marking scheme and A is confirmed.... I was like “what knowledge exactly I am giving D1? I did this my whole life - learning to score points by answering as per teachers marking scheme and after donkey years , we are still doing the same thing. ”

Ok, after 2 years, I realised, there’s no point in complaining about the system but I am not doing anything about it.... so me and Hubby decided , WE ARE NOT TREES to just sit there, so we are WALKING RIGHT OUT OF IT.....

GOODBYE SCHOOL... HELLO WORLD... 😁

This is what you get from bored kids... houses built from scratch .. own design.... random blocks ... no manuals, no sampes whatsover.... just pure creativity unleashed... the WORLD is our school ... let the kids explore it....WE ARE GOING TO LEARN A LOT FROM THE KIDS .

D1's house

D2's house

Merry Christmas N Happy New Year

Yeahhh my last post for the year is about my meet up with my bffs.. Known them since uni days and we have been very close ever since..... We meet up whenever we get a chance... But now its even harder since 2 have migrated ....nevertheless,  We had so much of fun chatting, singing , dancing , in house-shopping n whatnot .... Thanks to our darling host Vaani.... Nalina missing here.... Missing u gals already.... 

Rathna on Skype

Ordinary October

Ok thats a lie... its nowhere near ordinary... I am taking off from my Saree Designing as I am packed with things to do.... School Concert... Exams.... Dangles N Dazzles....... Dvali in few more weeks....Hubby and Kids.....

Now Where did I leave my wonder woman costume?

Sick September

Oh my God... The haze is so bad it's driving us nuts... Donno how long its gonna be like this... Pls get better by Nov

Ambitious August

Yes, all very ambitious ppl took it to the streets. We had high hopes.... Let's see were this step will lead all of us to..... For a better country, better future for the next generation.

I hope 10 years down the road, we are NOT still taking it to the streets bcoz we are still ruled by the same party... sigh!

Jolly July

Kind of a Jolly month.... dont have much to concentrate on.... then Aug, SEPT, OCT n Nov will bog me down... but of coz by mid NOV I am an excited soul... muahahahahaha.... mid NOV come to me FAST!!!!

Mayday

It's a busy May... Preparing trays for niece puberty function in June... Haha biasala excited to do this kinda stuff... Pics will only be out in June after function.

Dresses N Drapes

    Its 2015 and I have great news to share.... It's been a great 2014 with Dangles N Dazzles and it has helped me to start another page for DND Enterprise. I present to you .... Dresses N Drapes.

Dresses and Drapes would be a place where customers can find unique sarees and dresses as I have home designed items as well as some from other parts of the world. 

Well, as I am juggling the role of driver, chef, nurse, maid, teacher etc at home, I prefer to take some time working on my designs. So, my plan would be to introduce one new home design saree every 3 months. Hopefully, I can deliver as planned.

:)

All the best to me.

Exciting October

Had an exciting October as I was busy planning for family trip in November. Yogyakarta... city which connects two UNESCO heritage sites. Cant wait to climb up and touch the stones of Borobudur and Prambanan. Well its gonna be a rainy week and with 2 kids on tow, can expect an exhilarating adventure.

DevDeleeina by Dangles N Dazzles

June is around the corner and as usual I am excited as ever. June always calls for celebration at home as its my daughters birthday, my birthday, my mums birthday and Father's Day (to celebrate my dad, hubby n my bro). Which means June always calls for a full celebration at home for all of us. 

This year, June is even more exciting for me as I will be launching my primary jewellery line - DevDeleeina. As its my first baby in the production line, I have combined my kids name to brand it. DevDeleeina means King of Beauty and my collection of vibrant colours are a real beauty.

Please feel free to visit Dangles N Dazzles  at https://m.facebook.com/DanglesNDazzles.

Dangles N Dazzles

I never thought that I would be able to do what I am doing today. When I newly started working in 2004, I knew office life is not my cup of tea. I could not accept a rigid, routine lifestyle. I knew I want out, but did not know what to do. Still, one of the vague ideas I had was to own a costume jewellery shop. Of course, there was only negative remarks about that idea, because it would cost a lot of money to start up. 

I pushed through, in and out of jobs and found the best at British American Tobacco. The working environment was the best I could ever get. We worked under the 'Freedom of Responsibility' motto. I was able to go to work and leave office at my preference. I could take a break for breakfast, lunch or tea as long as my workload allows me. Yeah, that was really my cup of tea. But, still something in my heart, kept telling me, there must be something better than this. Something that I could do while I spend time with my family, without leaving home, AT ALL (coz, at BAT, we even have the luxury to work from home). Yeah, I know, bulan pun dah jatuh ke riba, tetapi masih mimpikan bintang-bintang di langit. 

When I became pregnant with my second child, my hubby told me that if I wanted, I could stop work and be at home. What??? I did not hesitate at all, I wrote my resignation letter on that day itself. After a month, I was a free bird. I enjoyed every moment with my kids and cherished each and every moment of it. 

Now that my son is attending Pre-school and my daughter is going to be 2, I found myself attracted to start up an online business. With hubby's motivation I launched Dangles N Dazzles in Jan 2014. The logo - DND, incooperates the initials of Dev Aarsyan, Nethianathan & Deleeina. I already had the idea, pics and logo in end of 2013 but was not confident to launch. Something that kept me sceptical was the fact that I had very few friends on FB(about 300-ish). With such low network, how am I ever going to get viewers, let alone followers. 

Anyway, with some confidence from hubby, I started it and surprisingly, FB does a really good job. News does spread around, and I did get viewers and also followers who are not in my group of friends. Of coz, its a very slow process considering the number of friends I have, but it still exceeded my expectations. In fact, all the major target that I set for 6 months and 12 months was achieved easily within 4 months. (Well maybe coz I wanted to take it really slow, I set very low targets, but still the results are impressive). 

So here am I now, doing exactly what I vaguely thought ill do, except that its a virtual shop. I believe in the law of attraction and this is one of the few things in life which I manage to attract. I enjoy what I am doing and the best part is I get to do what I love and not miss a single event in my children's life and hubby's too. :)

Modern Gift Trays

Lets touch a bit on Indian Traditional Functions, such as engagements and puberty functions. During these functions, the maternal uncles will have to bring gifts for the girl or bride or bridegroom. Those days trays were very simple where gifts were arranged on the trays and presented as it is. Nowadays people take the effort to decorate the trays to make the gifts more presentable. Here are some pics to show how the trays look like these days.

5 mins Choc Mug Cake with Microwave

It's been raining and pouring and boring. You want to have a dessert in ... like the next 5 minutes?

 Here is a simple recipe to make chocolate mug cake in less than 5 minutes using Microwave.

Ingredients:

4 teaspoon flour

4 teaspoon sugar

2 tsp cocoa powder

1 tsp oil

6 tsp water

Dash of baking powder

Dash of salt

In a microwaveable mug, mix all the ingredients above. It is better if watery consistency. 

All microwaves vary.  Try setting it at medium and bake for 1.5 mins. Let it cool.

Remember, cooking is still in process while its cooling down.

If it becomes hard, next time lessen baking time. If not cooked, next time increase baking time. 

Happy Trying :)

Alcoholic's Alphabets

Since its been a hectic September for me, I thought of a lazy blogpost; that is the Alphabets of an Alcoholic. Hey, isn't it OctoberFest already?

A - Absinthe

B - Bacardi

C - Chivas

D - Dubbel

E - Edelweiss 

F - Flaming Lamborghini 

G - Glenfiddich

H - Hennessy

I - Irish Mist

J - Jack Daniels

K - Kilkenny

L -  Long Island

M - Mojito

N - Neat

O - On the Rocks

P - Piña Colada 

Q - Quads

R - Rum

S - Smirnoff

T - Tequila

U - Up

V - Vodka

W- Whiskey

X - Xtra

Y - Yeast

Z - Zonked Out & Zzzzz

Hope this post doesn't offend anyone. Oh wait, it's MY blog!!!

ATV Track @ Giant Banting

I thought I won't have time to blog this month, but luckily I got some breather at the last weeks of the month. 

Anyway, nothing much to write about, just a small attraction for Banting kids. Since we do not have GoKart track or any similar rides in town, this can be interesting. 

So, we have a new Giant in town and it has a race track at the car park. It's not a grand race track, just enough for kids to learn road rules and it has a cute roundabout.

It has kiddie ATVs that has several speeds that can be increased as they gain control of their vehicles. These vehicles are not the same ones you see in the mall. These are quite FAST. 

It is open 10am to 10pm everyday. Any ride is RM 10 for 15 mins. They provide shoes for safety.

For adults who are bored of waiting for 15 minutes can hop on a mini ATV. Adults upto 60kgs can ride these and they are much faster than the kiddie ones.

Things to improve:

- some rules for kids to follow. E.g ride on the correct side of the road, wear safety helmet, etc

- those finish their rides should ONLY exit at entrance. Some walk back through the track and risk being hit by a speeding vehicle.

Now, lets lurk inside Giant Banting:

Of all the tenants, the last one will be favoured by kids, again:

More about Kids Playland:

It's a cute, clean indoor playground with FOC ride machines. You know those machines that moves / sways when you insert a coin? Well, here you just press a button and kids can sit as many times as they like. 

That's all folks. 

Yang dok kat kota, tak perlu la menyindir, memang tak gempaq mana pun, tapi cukup syarat utk orang Banting. :p

CRAZY about June

I know its only May but I wanted to share a little family history and also a link to the month of June.


My Parents have two kids:
Girl : DOB - 16 June
Boy : DOB - 13 Nov

Me & Hubby have two kids:
Boy : DOB - 16 Nov
Girl : DOB - 13 June
(Notice the date pattern of my kids birthdates with my bro n me ?)


My mom - 19 June. 
Me - 16 June
My Daughter - 13 June
Both Mom & Daughter birthdays 3 days apart in JUNE.


I know its silly for a 30++ old to get excited about something like this... but I go crazy whenever June is around the corner. :)

Nangelam Maaritom (Translation : We have changed) from Capatti's to Curries

Change from Capatti's to Curries

"Nangelam Maaritom" was a famous indian curry ad. Last time only one Curry Powder brand was known in the market and everyone was only using that curry powder. People didnt bother to try any new ones because they were just used to the old one and even if it doesnt taste good anymore, there are people who still REFUSE TO CHANGE. So, the ad was to show that people have now accepted another brand and have moved on, and now its your turn to do so.

 If you have believed in only one brand in your whole life, but you notice that the quality of that brand is deteriorating, dont you think you should AT LEAST TRY A DIFFERENT BRAND? If you choose to change, it will do two GOOD things :

1. You get to know whether the other brand is good enough or not. At least you have given them a chance to prove themselves.

2. You are also doing something good for your "so called favorite brand". They will realise that their fans are moving away and will improve their quality.

At the end of the day you get two competitive brands to choose from, rather than simply receiving crap from one just because you are ignorant and stubborn and not giving someone a chance.

If you have given BRAND B many chances, again and again and again, what's the harm in giving BRAND P ONE chance , this time? INI CURRY LAH !!!

P/S : Seriously, I was only talking about curry powders. :P

Cool ways to stay cool

Its boiling hot in Malaysia right now. I have some cool ways to cool off, in no particular order. These are other ways than switching on the air conditioner at your home for 24-7 until the weather becomes better.



1. Take a dip
MY Favorite. These days almost everyone have portable pools at home. Just jump in it and have a splashing family time. Other options are community pools, rives, beach, lake anywhere... just take a dip!

2.Dress less
Wear as little as possible (Fashion kills, please hide your boots and leather jackets for sometime). Wear loose cotton clothes. Time to bring out your skirts n mini dresses.

3. Hydrate yourself
Drink plenty of water. Nothing beats this. Or you could try lime juice with a pinch of salt instead of sugar. Time for some ice cream too.

4.Open Windows.
 In the morning (before it gets hot), leave the windows open for cool air to come in.As it gets warmer close the windows. You can also cover your pillow and bedsheets with a comforter during the day and take away the comforter when u want to sleep (if you are lazy to do idea No.10)

5. Wet Tshirt
Grab a cotton shirt, run it under cool water, wring it and wear it. Its super cooling to do this and it dries up before u know it. If you dont like the thought of having a wet shirt on you, you could just wet a towel and place it around your neck. Keep repeating as it dries. Go on, try it. It will make you forget the heat.

6.Shopping malls (well, at least u are not using your aircond)
If you are not in the office, and want to save on electricity bill, run to the nearest shopping mall. Although u only intend to window shop, you may end up with a hole in your pocket... hehehe

7.Misty Breeze
Fill some bottles with water. Store them in the freezer. Place them in front of table fan. You can place them in a cup or bowl to catch dripping water. As the ice melts it gives you cool air. Other options are to get those fans which also sprays water. There are also portable ones that you can carry around with you.

8. Home facial
Some swear by it. Slice some chilled cucumbers or tomatoes and place them on your face. Lie down and relax your self. Sip some cucumber or tomato juice while doing this.Alternatively, you could refrigerate your face products (masks, toner, cream). Oh so cooling to use.

9. Sleep on the floor.
For those who can, try sleeping on the floor in the afternoon. Its very cooling and you can sleep well.

10. Cool sheets for a nice cool dream
Keep your pillow cases, bedsheets in a plastic bag and keep them in the freezer. Take them out to use just before sleeping. Good Night. Cool dreams.

Naadi Astrology - Real or Reel?

Naadi Astrology or Naadi Jothidam is a form of  astrology where it is belived that everything that happens in each individuals lifetime have already been predicted  many years ago and is written on palm leaves by the sages.

One place in Tamil Nadu which is famous for palm leaf readings is the Vaitheeswaran Temple. I have never been there nor experienced any palm leaf reading myself, so by right, I should not be writing about this. Anyway, its just my opinion based on others experience. 

Based on others experience, I gather that the naadi readers MAYBE trained/experienced cold readers. What is a cold reader? A cold reader is a person who guesses information about someone by analysing his body language, dressing, manner of speech etc. Just by this simple analysis, a cold reader can guess a person,s background, way of life, race, etnicity, level of education, occupation etc.  

A naadi reader also asks questions which you will need to answer with yes or no. They may start by giving a series of alphabets and ask wether your name starts with any of this alphabet. Then they switch to a differrent question - maybe about your siblings and then they return to asking about the letters in your name. MAYBE its a form of distraction to you and you dont realise that he is trying to get the information right out of your own mouth. 

Next, from others experience, I also gathered that most of the info that were given (which were obtained from you) which has already happened seemed to be correct, whereas your future information is something that you cannot vouch for and you just have to wait for it to happen to be sure. For some, the future predictions are not all true and for some future predictions were just vague that they are not sure whether that was what was predicted. My question is this - None of my friends who saw this naadi astrology was told the name of their future spouse. If they can predict future accurately and also name people you know, why they cant get the name of future spouse? (Unless of course you have someone's name in your mind and they sort of guess that out of you)

Based on someone's experience, (well, this someone was dishonest to the palm readers), he found that palm readers just guesses names from your answers. This guy, lets name him Babu, created some names and prepared a mock life story for them. He created 5 different characters, wrote them down and went to 5 different astrologers, pretending to be each of those characters. The reason behind writing it down is so that he would be able to answer the yes no questions when asked. 

For example, he created a Ragu with wife Shanti with 2 siblings and so on. When he gave his thumbprint to palm reader A, palm reader A managed to guess the name Ragu, wife Shanti and all details correctly.   (But of course, the palm didnt say that this man is actually Babu.)
When he went to palm reader B and pretended to be Sashi married to Laxmi, palm reader B also manages to give correct info. All the 5 palm readers were able to give correct info as per his creations., but none told that he was Babu and reveal his REAL life. This only proves that the thumbprint serves no purpose in finding the palm leaf of an individual. Secondly, the are not reading your name off the palm leaf, but guessing it from your given answers.

There... I said it, this is my OPINION. if you believe that the palm readers are giving your name based on the palm leaves that are derived from your thumb prints, and later reading out your whole life story from it, so be it. You are a believer, everyone else need not be.
    
    
    

Kinta Riverfront & Camerons... 10 days before delivery

I dont write about hotels or hotel reviews, but Hotel Kinta Riverfront saved me from travelling KL-Cameron-KL in a day. Since I was 9 months pregnant, the travel will surely tire me but we badly wanted to go up Camerons before I deliver. We had no choice but to go on that week itself, (which is a school holiday), because the week after that, I may be in the labor room. As 2nd June was school holidays (plus Agong's birthday), all hotels in CH was FULLY booked. Not a single room available.

So, the next best thing was to find hotels nearby (Tapah / Simpang Pulai/ Gopeng/ Ipoh). There were all fully booked too! After few days of trying my luck, I found Kinta Riverfront and  just booked blindly. That was just one day before travel. Thankfully we got a place to stay and kept my fingers crossed that it should be "stay able". I was too afraid to check online - what if it was dodgy and that will deter me from going for the trip, so I just hoped that it will all be fine and went on with our plans.

Travelling during school holidays is the worst thing you can do, but we had no choice. The drive up north on the highway was terrible. Cars were not moving, so we used the trunk road which was clear. As we reached Ipoh and approached the hotel, it looked ok.



The Riverfront looked like "Longkang" Front (pic below), but thats OK. After all we just needed a place to sleep tonight  after going up to CH and back down to Ipoh.

For such a last minute booking and limited (more like NO) options , the room was fantastic. First of all, the hotel is brand new only 6 months old, so everything in the room was new and clean. Nice long bath and rain shower and touch screen for all switches.

See through bath ?

Saturday Evening

We checked in and got ready to go up CH via Simpang Pulai. This is the first time I went on this road up to CH and I preferred it compared to the Tapah Road. This road is wider and much safer. As it was school holidays and after 6pm, the jam to the night market at Brinchang was terrible. Just 3km before the night market, cars were not moving and it took about 2.5 hours to reach the market from there. Well, we had no choice, so we just enjoyed the cool breeze while stuck in the jam.
After the night market, we left CH at 10.30 pm, and the journey coming down was no hassle as it was clear. We were in Ipoh within an hours time via Simpang Pulai.

Sunday

After the tiring journey last night, we needed to have good breakfast, and the hotel had a good variety of food. I could sit there eating for 2 hours. Next, we hit the swimming pool and Aarsyan enjoyed his time there. The swimming pool has see through glass... not something I expected in a hotel in Ipoh.

We left to KL with a happy heart. Nice needed vacation for a very pregnant mother. Thanks to the 2 handsome men in my life.