Happy Parenting... Just a thought

Many have asked if I have ever experienced stress in my life. Especially after I left my job to be at home with my babies. Actually many relatives pose this questions and not my friends as most of my close friends are SAHM and the ones that are not are willing to give up their seat at work to be at home. Those who ask are usually the ones who think its stressful to be around kids. I think it's natural for some to feel that way. Not everyone enjoys a daily routine of dirty dishes, loads of laundry, krazy kids, haywire house, not forgetting cleaning and cooking and by the time hubby gets back, you have to magically transform it to a happy home. 

On a side note, I NEVER liked kids, but I fell in love with both my kids the day they were born.

I did not think twice to be SAHM. I enjoy the chaos everyday. I enjoy the time I get to spend alone with my kids. I can't find a single reason to be stressed. If they spill a drink, they learn to clean up. If they wanna play in the sand at the beach, I join and throw sand on them. If they paint their fingers, i join them and paint their faces. 

If they break something, I take my time to explain to them why they should not do such things. Of course, it takes a lot of time and patience and they dont learn it straight away. But what do I have to lose by doing that? My time? I have loads of time for my kids. 

I want happy kids, not kids who learn that hitting is the best way to be understood. Do we hit an adult when they accidentally break something of ours? No, we don't. Then why do we hit someone smaller than us who cannot defend themselves? Are we becoming bullies? 

I am no guru in Happy Parenting. I am most definitely not trying to teach anyone anything but I just thought of starting a page about this....maybe in not-so-near future.

 I am a very calm, patient, super positive person who has a very strong mind (I believe I can achieve anything with my mind). I don't know how to get angry or scold people and people who know me will definitely agree. Oh yes my hubby will agree too, he has never seen me angry and he has never heard me nag.( Or maybe I never had to nag him because he is such a darling who always lets me have my way.) I think I am like this because my parents brought us( me and bro) the happy parenting way. Not like there was a way to follow, but looking back, I realised I had a happy childhood , I enjoyed it, we got things our way and learned only when things go wrong.

Is that Happy Parenting? I don't know, but I most definitely enjoyed every single bit of my growing up years. It is not like I never fell down, but whichever path I took was my decision and my parents always supported me. If it was a wrong path, I was lead to learn to overcome the problem and was never made to feel that I made a wrong decision. 

I turned out to be a very happy child and a happy being. So if this is Happy Parenting, then I would want to do the same.

Ok then, time to sign off...Till I get the time to start a page on Happy Parenting... If ever such a time comes.

 

 

 

Hat Yai Holiday

We all know Hat Yai is Shopping heaven & the nightlife is more happening than Malaysia. Let's see what ELSE is there in Hatyai...

Transport

Firstly, u can travel to Hatyai via flight, drive in, bus, train, hired vehicles. To travel around Hatyai you can use the Tuk tuk service or hire a car. 

You can try hiring from Sixt at http://www.sixt.com/car-rental/thailand/hat-yai

Rental companies @ Hatyai Airport : Sixt, Budget & Avis

With Sixt, you can book first, no need to give cc details. Upon arrival at Hatyai, just go to their counter and they will be ready with your details Just make payments and collect your car. You can get a Honda (Brio/City) for MYR 100/ day. GPS is about MYR 30/day. They also have luxury cars BMW 3Series BMW 5Series, BMW X1, Benz and Alphard but only in Bangkok :p

Accomodation

There are many hotels at the city center. Malaysians favorite is Lee Gardens Plaza. Since we had a car, we booked Buri Sriphu, a boutique hotel, ranked No 1 at Tripadvisor during our visit.

Buri Sriphu Boutique Hotel

  I only write reviews for hotels that don't make it into the top ten list but are worthy of review. So since Buri Sriphu is the best in HatYai, a brief summary will do. This hotel is new, has all the frills where staff pick you from the car with an umbrella (if raining), luggage's sent to room, welcome drinks given, speedy check in, rooms well equipped, free WiFi, bath with tub n separate shower, swimming pool, kids pool, good breakfast spread. In a nutshell, NOTHING to complain about. Its about 10 mins from city center by car. You can always get a tuk-tuk from the hotel.

Activities

This are the places we went to:

1) Banthathon Temple, Songkhla GPS coordinate : N 07° 00.534', E 100° 25.855'.

Since it was Deleeina's birthday, we went straight to the temple. It is very close to the airport, about 20 mins.

There are many temple's in HatYai, but we chose this one because it has Ganesha and its on the way to City Center from the Airport.  There are no websites that mentions about the hindu deity in this temple. I got this info from a Hat Yai blogger. 

2) Hat Yai Municipal Park GPS Coordinates : N 07° 02.597' E 100° 30.233'

Pic - Google Images

There are so many things in the park, I dont know where to start. There is a lake at the bottom of the hill. They also have an IceDome, which is similar to our Snow House at I-City,Shah Alam.

 You can go up the hill by taking a tuk-tuk from the bottom of hill. We drove the rented car up till the top. There are 3 stations at this hill.

1st Station - Goddess Kuan Yin

2nd Station - standing Buddha with magnificient view of HatYai.
There is a cable car here that connects to 3rd Station. Its 300 Bhat per person.

Can you spot Goddess Kuan Yin below?

Bon Khao Restaurant before 3rd station
We stopped by here to have lunch. Food was good. Price was normal Malaysian price. They have a good view here too.

3rd Station - Erawan(Thai Elephant God),Brahman, Sivan n Ganesha

Erawan

Hindu deities: Shiva, Laxmi n Ganesh

Standing Buddha and connecting Cable Car

3) Tang Kuan Hill, Songkhla

At bottom of this hill there is a Lift Station.

The lift ride is about 30 Bhat for adults. 15 Bhat for kids and babies travel for free. At the hill, you get to see the whole of Songkhla. The view here was Fantastic.

However, if you are going during school holidays, I think it can get congested as there is only 1 lift which takes 3 mins to go up and 3 mins to come down. It can only fit about 15 people each ride. You do the math. I guess you can get beautiful pics if you go up during sunset.

That was all for sight-seeing. Now, for the main highlight of the trip: shopping. :)

Some places to shop:

Central Mall - The best place to shop for quality goods.

Other malls - Lee Garden Plaza, Odeon, Diana Complex (There's 4D Theater here)

Some of the vendors @ Diana Complex

4D Teather at 5th floor/ Skippy Wonderland @ Diana

After the 4D movie :)

Plaza's - HatYai Plaza (similar to Pasar Borong in Malaysia), Siam Nakarin n Nora Plaza. All NOT WORTH

Markets - Floating Market- (Thalat Naam) GPS - 7.04508,100.474906(Best place to enjoy Thai food, all at 20-30Bhat only.) Clothes also can go for as low as 80-150 Bhat. I managed to get more discounts with my broken Thai. So, better to try to speak their language to get better rates. Stuff here are all wear n tear types but at that price, how to stop yourself from buying.

Asean Trade Market (similar to our Uptown in Malaysia)-The biggest market in HatYai, very close to Buri sriphu hotel.Clothes here can go as low as 100-200Bhat. But there are bundle stores here too, so watch where you are buying. 

Hypermarts - Big C, Carrefour, Tesco Lotus ( I enjoyed shopping at Tesco Lotus)

Fantastic Food:

Tom Yam everywhere is HEBAT. Must try the Coconut IceCream - fantastic.

Mango Sticky Rice - Marvelous, Miaang Kam - Infused with all flavors. Pulut ayam, Len Chi Kang - Just too many nice sweet stuff inside... yumm yumm. Flavored, twisted potato. 

Food that I wanted to try but didnt manage : their Gelato, their Swensens icecream, SomTam, 

Oh well there's always next time, HatYai is just a stones throw away.

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.

Laidback Leisure & Lotsa Love @ Langkawi

We have been to Langkawi before and have visited the main attractions there - Cable Car, Island Hopping, Wildlife Park, Eagle square, Under Water World etc. I have blogged about it here : http://vodkavidvimly.blogspot.com/2011/02/langkawi.html

This time we wanted to just chill out and spend time with the kids with no itinerary to follow. So we got ourselves a room on the beach and chilled out.

Beachfront on Cenang Beach

I dont like writing reviews for hotels unless its an unknown, non-luxurious hotel, which can be useful for people who are looking for info. This review will be useful for those who are looking for a beachfront hotel @ Cenang itself . Most of the beachfront accommodation on Cenang are motels, which will only suit backpackers. This is a hotel with basic amenities, minus the frills. I mean, if you are an outdoor person, who is not gonna spend much time at hotel, then read on. Those who prefer to be pampered at the hotel, can check the 2 luxury hotels on Cenang beach.

OK back to the room.
If you would be satisfied with a room that opens up to the Beach, with spacious Bed and a long Bath to soak yourself in, then this is a perfect accommodation.

Note: All beachfronts @ Cenang are always fully booked. Book at least 2 months earlier. For this particular hotel, if you dont get the Sea View, dont bother with other rooms. Its not worth it, better check other hotels (http://vodkavidvimly.blogspot.com/p/travel.html). You can try Malibest Tree Top Chalet by Baron, but no babies/toddlers allowed.

Cenang during the day

Sun, Sea , Sand, Sunset , swaying coconut trees, sound of waves & swish- swosh of sand with squeals of kids splashing in the water

Cenang @  night (Advantages of having beachfront room)

Birthday Supper with candle light & moon light

Family Fun

Shopping

• Langkawi Fair

Billion - Things here are much cheaper than @ Kuah. You could come here first to buy the stuff (tidbits, chocs, liquor, toiletries etc) that you need for yr vacation.
Other than Billion, nothing else here. FOS is closed now. There is Perfume Desire but prices same as in Kuah.

• Langkawi Parade

Teoh Soon Huat - Can get all items here, but not much difference in price with shops in Kuah. Its like your local departmental store. Perfumes are more expensive here.
Other Outlets - Vincci, PDI, Giordano (its website mentioned Guess, but I could not find it). It also has a cineplex.

• Langkawi Plaza

Dont bother. Nothing here. Its seems people come here for the Reject Perfume shop, but its a very tiny shop, so for those who seek that place, dont bother. Better perfume shops in Kuah.

• Pekan Kuah

If you consider yourself like a 'makcik' & interested in crockery items, then its worth for u spend a whole day here. Its filled with plates, woks, pots and pans. People also buy travel bags here.
You can also get a variety of chocs here, the imported ones that you cant find in KL, u can find here. Chocs that u can get in KL, are only lesser by 3 - 5 ringgits AT MOST. Mostly are only 1 -2 ringgits lesser. My advise is no need to check prices in all shops. Just get into one, grab what you looking for and leave. Seriously, the difference of price within those shops are only 1-2 ringgits.
For Perfumes, there are 2 shops opposite each other: World of Perfumes & Cote De Parfum. Perfumes are cheaper at World of Perfumes.
Overall, the only thing cheap in Langkawi is Beer, Wine , Liquor, Ciggies and the likes.

• Cenang Street

You can get colourful beachwear & knick knacks here. We enjoyed shopping here more than any other place in Langkawi. There is also Cenang Mall. It has 2 storeys : Eateries on 1st Floor (Starbucks, Old Town, few fast food) and clothes & bags shops on ground floor.


We had a VERY RELAXED vacation although we moved around quite a bit. Enjoyed the time with the family.