Yoyo Flu

Just as the kids were showing signs of recovery from their last bout of cough and flu, they went downhill again!

Last night, Joshua was feverish. After dinner, he perched himself on a chair right next to the heater and claimed that he was cold. He was burning. I gave him some medication and sent him to bed early. Then he coughed non-stop throughout the night. He didn't sleep much. Neither did I.

Today, it's Joanne turn. She is having exactly what Joshua had last night. Both kids are sleeping now as I write this. But I know I'll probably be in for another rough and sleepness night.

Just what kind of bug is floating around? Apparently a lot of other people have fallen sick too. It's probably more common in winter than other seasons. Newbies like us are even more susceptible to winter flu.

Guess Joshua will have to skip school for a couple of days again this week.

The Signs

Driving in Melbourne can be both easy and hard. Let me elaborate.

The demerit system for traffic offences is fully carried out. If pulled over by the traffic policeman, you can't "settle" it by the roadside. No way. Try that and you'll end up in jail. So almost everyone drives within the speed limit, uses signals when turning or changing lanes, gives way to pedestrians and cyclists and best of all, nobody cuts queues here! Road rage is a rarety here.

And the cops mean business. Half the time they are in unmarked cars. So you don't know where they are. So that means you'd better be on your best behaviour while on the road. And therefore, it's easy to go around when everybody obeys the road rules and drives the same way.

Now the hard part. You really, really have to pay attention to the road signs. Trust me, they can be so different. A stretch of road of less than 1km in distance may have varying speed limits - 20km/hr, 30km/hr, 40km/hr, 45km/hr, 50km/hr and 60km/hr. Then you have to watch out for bicycle lanes, merging lanes, parking signs with different information, horses on the road (in the City).

You may also need to share the road with trams. I hate this. The markings confuse me half the time! Then of course, there is the tricky hook turns in the city where you need to temporarily park your car on the left of a junction before you can turn right! That spooks me all the time.

Well, you win some, you lose some. Enough said.

Huggies

"Mummy, give me a hug" - these are the favourite words of one of my kids. Normally, people would assume the request comes from the younger child. But heck no. This is Joshua's (the older child) motto, and he says it every time he sees me. Well, almost.

Sometimes, I don't know whether to be flattered or frustrated. I mean, Joshua is six and yet he is a tad too clingy with me. I detest the term "mummy's boy" but he seems to be turning himself into one. I have no part in it. I want him to be more independent. I don't want to be the mother hen fussing over him all the time.

He is the exact opposite of his younger sister. Joanne is fiercely independent and doesn't give two hoots whether I give her a hug or not. The thing is, after seeing her brother asking for a "huggie", she won't even ask for one. She is pretty cool about this huggie business. Of course, she is so adorable I'll just give her a bear hug anyway.

I suppose I shouldn't be complaining. Children are children for such a short time. Once they hit their teens, they probably don't want to be seen in my company. So maybe I should just shut up and enjoy the huggies sessions while they last.

Are You OK, Mate?

Those were the four words that Alex heard from a kind stranger as he was slumped over the steering wheel of his car, completely inebriated and not able to do much except waving back to indicate he was fine.


That's what happened when you had too much to drink. Alex would later pass out in the car for six hours before waking up and driving home.

That took place in a car park in the city last night. Now, if that had happened somewhere in KL, Alex would have been robbed of all his belongings while he was out and perhaps even thrown out of the car and had his car stolen too.

He was fortunate that Melbournians are much less likely to commit crime than fellows in KL. In fact, many are always ready to give a helping hand, like the stranger who asked Alex if he was okay. This is not to say that it's crime-free here. There are the ocassional break-ins, car thefts, murders and arson attacks.

But the frequency and extent of these crimes are much, much lower than in KL. You don't feel scared walking down the street at night. You need not worry that someone might break into your house if you've properly secured your doors and windows. Your kids are not likely to get snatched and pushed into a passing car while on their way to school.

Of course, you still have to be careful. That is a given. All I can say is that Alex was lucky he didn't pull that stunt while in KL. That would have been disastrous!

Trashy Trivia

Sometimes, I amaze myself with the amount of trash that I know.

Just the other day, I turned on the TV and there were flashes of well-known celebrity faces. And I could name EACH and EVERYONE of them. Nicole, Hugh, Cate, Keanu, Julia, Mischa, Matt, Brad, Uma, Kylie, Heath, Scarlett, Elijah, etc. If there were a test on "Spot The Celeb", I will pass with flying colours, unlike a certain driving test in which I had to sit for FIVE times before passing.

Alex, seated next to me, was impressed. He coulndn't name a single one of the stars. Can't blame him, though. He's into Cantonese movies, not Hollywood fares, although he seems to start developing an appetite for movies from the West. Well, living in Australia does that to you.

Anyway, it isn't just famous faces that I recognise and know. I have a knack of identifying a movie by seeing clips of it even though I've never seen that particular movie before. And when it comes to my favourite stars, what I know is even scarier.

I don't know why my brain is so darn good at absorbing nonsence info like that. But I have a sneaky suspicion I'm not in anyway unique. Millions of others are probably like me. Sad but true - our brains are not being put to good use. Sigh ...

Footy Season

I'll be the first to admit I know next to nothing about Australian Football, or Footy as the locals call it. It looks a bit like rugby and American Football, nothing like the Association Football or Soccer that we Malaysians are more familiar with.

But people do go nuts over Footy here. Football players are big celebrities here. I know none of them except for this fellow called Ben Cousins and all for the wrong reason. He was suspended or something like that for drug abuse and it was a big hoo-haa. The news coverage on him earlier this year made it impossible for me not to notice him. That was months ago. I don't know whether he's playing now in the league.

Personally, I think the game is rather rough. Not very good for Asians with smaller built. If Joshua starts playing Footy, I'm sure he'll end up with bruises all over his already skinny body! Thank goodness he seems more keen on drawing than holding the olive-shaped ball.

But apparently, there has been a slight rift between him and his school buddies who are fans of Footy. During lunch at school, those Ben Cousins wannabes will take to the field and try to emulate their footy heroes. Joshua probably feels a little left out.

Fear not, though. Joshua's teacher says there's no cause for concern. Once Footy Season is over, the boys will be back to their "usual" selves again. Tag will probably be in again.

Road To Recovery

The kids are getting better. The weather is getting warmer too. Hopefully, that means they won't be so susceptible to bouts of cough and cold anymore.

I took them to the clinic 2 days ago. I needn't have bothered. The over-the-counter (OTC)medicines that I'd been giving the kids prior to seeing the doctor turned out to be the right stuff. Well, unlike GPs in Malaysia, their counterparts here don't have the habit of prescribing medicines unnecessarily. Antibiotics prescriptions are unheard of unless the patient is really, really sick. So I can play doctor too, as long as the kids' conditions are not too severe.

The thing is, OTC medicines here are very effective (and hopefully safe for use). It's true. Joshua and Joanne recover much faster here than they did in Malaysia when they fell sick. And I feel much more comfortable knowing they don't have to resort to antibiotics for no good reasons.

Maybe if the Malaysian government forbids doctors from selling medicines, they will stop prescribing medicines, particularly antibiotics, like there's no tomorrow!

Neighbours Bad For English?

Question: Why can't the Brits speak English properly anymore?

Answer: Because they watch too much Neighbours!

Hey, don't laugh. That pretty much sums up a news report entitled Neighbours Blamed For UK Accent Change I read today over National 9 News .

Who would have thought that a soap opera would have such an impact on the British population? The middle and upper classes in Britain are apparently worried about this trend. The younger generation is speaking with a mixture of Australian and British accents.

It doesn't concern me. After all, I don't speak with either accent. While I prefer listening to the "proper" Queen's English (I am, after all, a sucker for Historical Romance novels and constantly "read" the dialogues in Queen's English), I think the Aussie flavour is pretty cool too.

Well, I initially wasn't that big a fan of the Australian accent - not if everyone sounded like the late Steve Irwin. I mean he was a great guy and all that but his thick accent was quite, err, something. But having lived Down Under for the past 8 months or so, the Aussie accent has grown on me. I kind of like it now - as long as it's not too thick!

Well, Joshua is already speaking with an Australian accent. Joanne is sure to follow suit when she starts Prep next year. So yeah, Australian accent is cool to me. So what's the big deal about speaking English Neighbours-style?

Choked

Today, I nearly choked to death. Well, maybe not to death but it was quite scary.

I was in a hurry to pop my flu capsules - thanks to the kids I've caught the flu bug too - and didn't pay attention to the small piece of foil stuck to one of the capsules. You know, it's one of those things where you break the foil to pop the capsule out.

Anyway, I took 2 capsules, popped them in my mouth and washed them down my throat with water in one single gulp. And immediately, I felt something nasty lodged in my throat! I gulped down more water but the thing was still stuck. It was the most uncomfortable feeling.

I tried to cough that darn thing out but it wouldn't budge. And I could feel something beginning to block something in my throat. What if my windpipe was blocked?? Would I pass out and the kids wouldn't even notice?? I started to panic.

I rushed to the toilet and forced myself to throw up. What if I couldn't get it out? A vision of me being rushed to the hospital flashed before me. Then it struck me - if I passed out first no one would know my predicament. The kids were oblivious to what was happening to me. And they didn't know how to call for help.

After retching for a few seconds, the miserable piece of foil dropped into the toilet bowl with the name of the brand still on it! It was about the size of a thumbnail. Instant relief.

After that, I told Joshua I almost choked. He just nonchalantly said, "why?"

I don't want a repeat of the incident. So I'll make sure I look carefully before swallowing anything. Also, I taught Joshua how to make an emergency call. Just get the phone and press 000 and press "talk". Of course, I made him memorise the house address too. You never know when you need that kind of help.

Knocked Out

Both kids are knocked out, again. Well, it's winter after all. And now that Joshua is back at school, he is once more exposed to the elements that will have him sneezing, coughing and complaining of a stuffy nose and sorethroat. Many kids in school have the same symptoms.

He was sick before the winter holidays. He recovered last week only to have a new bout of cough and cold today. This time, it comes with a slight fever and worse, he's sharing the discomfort with Joanne now.

Cross-infection. I hate this term. It spells trouble, sleeplessness and frustration for me. If both of them recover at the same time, that's fine. But if one recovers first while the other is still in the throes of attempting to ward off the cold bugs, there is a big chance the former will catch it again from the latter. And this can go back and forth for some time!

I hope both Joshua and Joanne get well soon. Otherwise, I'm going to fall sick myself!

Harry Potter Mania

For a book and movie reader, I probably have committed the deadliest sin - I have NEVER read a single Harry Potter book, nor have I ever watched a single Harry Potter movie from the beginning till the end. I've seen bits and pieces of some of the movies but those don't count.

Shocking huh? What kind of book and movie lover is this? I mean I love Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books and Peter Jackson's blockbuster movies of the same titles. But somehow, I never came around to reading Rowling's offerings.

Why? I don't know. I just never did.

And I don't quite understand how Harry Potter has become such a global hit. I mean, there is so much hoo-hah over the leak of the last installment - Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. And gosh, people lined up early in the morning at bookshops across the world to buy the book on the day it was released in the market. Wow, these must be real die hard fans.

And Rowling must be laughing all the way to the bank - whether Harry Potter dies or not!

Proudly Australian

Back in Malaysia, we have this "Beli Barangan Buatan Malaysia" campaign. Buy local, support local goods. Apparently, there is a similar thing in Australia. You'll see the label "Proudly Australian" in many locally produced and manufactured goods.

It's hardly surprising since the market here too has been inundated with goods "Made In China". The funny thing is, even the "Made In China" products here are better than those seen in Malaysia.

Anyway, it's not just locally grown and manufactured goods that are the pride of Australians. They have another kind of goods and exports that they are immensely proud of - movie exports.

Yep, just look at Nicole Kidman. She is BIG here. I had no idea until I got here. You can find pictures and news bits about her in EVERY issue of the tabloid magazines here. Every move she makes, every statement she issues, every man she is seen with, etc, are all documented meticulously. Good thing she doesn't live in Australia. She would've been hounded by the paparazzi all year round. Wait, maybe that's why she doesn't live here.

And of course, there is the multi-talented Hugh Jackman too. I never thought much of him until I saw Kate & Leopold, in which he played a poor nobleman from 1876 transported to the 20th century. The movie sank but Jackman as Leopold truly shone. Leopold and Wolverine were as similar as black and white. That was when I realised this guy CAN actually act. And to my utter surprise, I later found out he actually had a stage and musical background. Wolverine in musicals?? Yeah, his range is that amazing. Needless to say, I'm a big - and perhaps a bit obsessed fan - now. Yeah, my desktop wallpaper features Leopold. Gorgeous. Ha ha.

And there are others too - Cate Blanchett, Russel Crowe, Naomi Watts, Heath Ledger, Julian McMahon, etc. And I just read that many Australian TV actors are also in the running for various awards in the Emmys.

Watch out Hollywood. Aussiewood will rule someday!

Nasi Lemak, Anyone?

Food and I - we go hand in hand. I go nuts when the buffet table is covered with an assortment of food. Trust me, I'll be one of those who makes at least 5 trips to the buffet table. And each trip features me with a HUGE pile of food on my plate and an equally HUGE grin on my face.

But strangely, I'm not all that fussy about food. Sure, if the food looks and tastes great, it's a plus. Still, if it's not, I don't hang myself over it. Which is fine because where I am now, I'm also the chef of the household and I'm not known for my culinary skills. So no gourmet stuff, just ordinary meals that get the family going.

And I didn't seem to miss any of the Malaysian hawker stuff like nasi lemak, mee goreng, char koay teow, asam laksa, roti canai, rojak buah, pasembor, etc, until 2 friends brought them up in separate ocassions.

During one of our recent chats, Nani, my partner in crime since our reporter days back at The Sun, talked about the nasi campur with the spicy crab and prawns that we used to gobble down during our lunch break. I hadn't thought about that for nearly 2 years until she brought the subject up. And that night, I had the strangest dream - me and Nani on a weird mission to find our favourite rice stall and no matter what we did, we just couldn't find it. Gosh, what a sick dream.

Then Sangeeta, another ex-colleague who has also migrated to Melbourne, tempted me with talks of how she got some nice nasi lemak bungkus not far from her house. I begged her to give me the address. Alas, I haven't checked the place out yet.

Well, Malaysian food isn't all that hard to find here. But more often than not, it tastes a bit weird, even though the chef is really Malaysian. You can even find nasi lemak in some of the Asian grocery shops but I have yet to be tempted to give it a try. The look of it is enough to make me cringe. Maybe I should learn to make my own nasi lemak. The roti canai sold in the grocery shops, however, isn't too bad.

All this talk about food is making me hungry. Thank goodness I still have lots of potato chips in the house ...

Posh In LA

Let's get one thing straight first. I am NOT a big fan of the Beckhams but I've gotta say this - they, especially the pouty half of the duo, sure know how to make a spectacle of themselves. So when the new reality TV show starring Mrs Beckham herself made its debut last night over Channel 9, I just had to catch it.

For the uninitiated, I'm referring to Victoria Beckham: Coming To America. The first episode showed how the former Posh Spice first arrived in LA ahead of her family "to find a house, a school and a manicurist"!

Boy, it was a circus! Honestly, it was so hilarious I don't think any of it was real. Half of it was probably staged. Still it had me in stitches in no time! And Victoria wasn't all that bad. I mean, she at least had the grace to poke fun at herself. Of course, she poked fun at others too. If you haven't seen it, you should check out the part where she accepted an invitiation by some ageing LA socialites to a tea party. Gosh, those women were so scary that Victoria actually looked normal!

And naturally, everywhere she went, she was trailed by the paparazzi. At one point, she dropped in a sex shop and got a blow-up doll, dressed it up as Posh and used it as a decoy for the circus to follow.

Oh, another part I found hilarious was during an earthquake demo provided by a so-called earthquake specialist (California is prone to such natural catastrophe after all). As instructed, she ducked under the table with her butt sticking out. She was wearing something really short and she promptly shouted , "Can you see my knickers??!"

And guess who she brought along on her trip? Her hairstylist and her make-up artist! Over-indulgent? Most definitely but if you have that kind of money to blow it, why the heck not?

Hail, Hail!

Okay, I take back what I said yesterday about the winter in Melbourne. After babbling about snow never making an appearance in Melbourne, it actually SNOWED in some parts of Melbourne this morning! And apparently, today was the coldest in Melbourne in nine years!

No, I personally didn't experience any snow in my area but I did have another kind of icy encounter - hail. What really boggled the mind was the speed at which it took place.

The weatherman did say something about hail early today but as I was leaving the house at around 3pm to pick Joshua up from school, I took a good look at the sky. Bright and sunny. It didn't look like it was going to rain at all. Then, as I arrived at Joshua's school about 8 minutes later, I noticed the sky had turned very dark. Strange. Then it started to drizzle as Joanne and I walked towards the school compound. Then it got really, really windy. We nearly lost our umbrella.

As we took shelter under the roofed verandah, the wind started to howl. Then some really scratchy sound surrounded us. Some of the mums waiting there squealed and started to get excited about something. I looked up and saw, for the very first time in my life, tiny hailstones! And they just dropped from the sky!

They were like little pebbles and started melting almost the minute they hit the ground. Of course, the temperature dipped at that point. I felt as if I was sitting in a freezer. Both Joanne watched the hailstones in awe! Apparently, the locals were in awe too. I guess hail isn't all that common.

Unbelievable. The weather changed so drastically in less than half an hour. I'd never experienced anything like that. It's true when they say Melbourne is a city with four seasons in a day!

Winter Time, Victorian Style

Most Malaysians identify winter with snow and icy weather. Well, in many European and North American countries, that's how winter is .

But not here in Victoria. Yes, it's still freezing cold, especially at night and early in the morning but the temperature hardly ever drops below zero degree. My cousin told me there were a few times when the temperature did dip that low but that happened 20 or 30 years ago.

Of course, there is snow in the mountains but you actually have to travel there to experience snow. So that doesn't really count.

Back to my first winter experience in Melbourne - I don't mind the cold all that much. It FEELS like winter but minus the hazards that come with snow. I can't imagine driving when it's snowing! My driving skills are not that up to mark and it's better to drive in more familiar conditions. Even the foggy windscreen in the morning is already proving to be a challenge to me. I shudder to think if I have to drive on slippery roads covered with snow! I'll probably end up doing time at the Box Hill hospital with broken limbs.

One more thing - a sunny day in winter maybe sunny but it can also be freezing at the same time. I mean, it looks awfully warm outside if you're looking out from the inside of your house but once you step outside, you feel as if you've stepped into a freezer!

No wonder I see people in the movies wearing such thick clothing with the sun shining brightly above them and they don't get sweaty at all. Back in Malaysia, you would've had a heat stroke dressed like that!

Having experienced much cooler temperatures here, I don't know if I can ever get used to the hot and humid weather back in Malaysia again.

Do It Yourself

If there is one thing that one must absolutely have in a household in Australia, it is the toolbox - with all the tools intact.

You see, we have to assemble furniture IKEA-style. Yep, unless you don't mind forking up lots of money getting someone to set up your furniture (labour is pricey here), you'd better learn to be handy with tools.

I'm lucky. Alex, being an engineer, is pretty good at reading manual instructions and putting the pieces together. If I were on my own here, I probably won't have any furniture in my house! Either that or I'll have to make sure I get so filthy rich that I can afford people to assemble my furniture for me.

The same goes with chunky electrical items. You know how confusing it can be when you see all those cables and wires with different colours and you just don't know what goes where? Yep, you have to figure all that out yourself too. The guys from the electrical shop will just drop your Plasma TV, fridge, washing machine, etc and then make their exit. They don't hang around plugging in the wires for you.

Well, Australia is a great country. But sometimes, certain things are still better in Malaysia. At least you don't have to worry about fixing the wrong leg onto your brand new chair. Guess you can't have it all!

Sticky Business

Kids love stickers. I don't know why. I loved them too when I was a kid. But back then, there weren't that many choices.

Fast forward 20 or 30 years later, you find a wide range of stickers to suit all ages and tastes. Just walk into any supermarket, stationery or book shop. They are everywhere, enticing kids to go nearer (and eventually bug their parents until the latter relent and buy them some).

Popular cartoon and superheroes characters are the bestsellers, naturally. I've had Spider-Man, Superman, Batman, Ultraman, Pokemon, Hello Kitty, Barbie and the latest craze Transformers stuck on the furniture in the kids' playroom. Thankfully, Joshua and Joanne know that the walls are off limits.

I don't know if the teachers in Malaysia practise this but the teachers in Melbourne actually use stickers as rewards to kids who have done something well in school. Well, there are "official" stickers too! Joshua is a goody two shoe at school - hence the increasing number of stickers in his collection (he doesn't throw the stickers away, he peels them off his jacket or shirt and stick them on his toy box!).

Stickers are great fun, I suppose. I use them too to reward the kids when they behave. And they certainly are way cheaper than toys.

Excuse Me, Sir?

"Excuse me!" A woman in her 40s shouted after an elderly gentleman about to return his shopping trolly after putting his groceries in his car boot.

"Excuse me!" She tried again, louder, and the man turned around.

"Would you like me to return the trolly for you?" she offered.

"Why yes," the old man replied, delighted that he didn't have to walk all the way back to the other end of the car park.

I see scenes like this all the time here. It's amazing how strangers will step out and offer their help to you. My family and I've enjoyed this previlige too from time to time. And they are especially nice to women with kids and the elderly.

They hold doors for you; they give way to you; they immediately pick up things that you or your kids drop; they tell you where an available parking bay is; etc. The bus drivers here are excellent. They listen to you patiently as you ask them about directions or places you want to go. I boarded enough buses in KL to know that bus drivers there don't give two hoots about their passengers.

All this talk about Malaysians being friendly, helpful, caring and hospitable is just what it is - talk, no action. Oh sure, they exercise all that when approached by Western foreigners but somehow don't think about extending the same treatment to their fellow countrymen.

The situation is the other way round here. Melbournians (I haven't been to other cities so I'm not quite sure how the folks there behave) are generally helpful and friendly to others - regardless of their origins, backgrounds and colours.

Public servants here smile at you and listen to you tentatively. Back where I came from, all you see are surly faces, old stares and appalling standard of work at government departments.

So it's not surprising I don't miss home all that much, except for my parents and my sisters.

Heroes Vs X-Men

The only TV series that I'd been watching - Heroes - finished its first season last Wednesday. Cool show, I quite like it, and I especially like Hiro (played by Masi Oka). He's cute, no? And quite likely the soul of the series.

I don't know about others but I can't help comparing these Heroes with the mutant X-Men. Heroes, of course, seem more earthly - at least they look more human although they come with various superpowers that rival those of the X-Men.

Claire for instance, can regenerate tissue immediately whenever she gets hurt. So can Wolverine (though they look nothing alike!). Too bad she doesn't have claws.

Parkman can read other people's thoughts. Pretty much like Prof Xavier and Jean Grey. Too bad he can't fling people around with his thoughts.

Peter Petrelli can absorp other Heroes' abilities. Rogue has something similar since she too can temporarily absorp the powers of others through direct skin contact. Luckily Peter doesn't suck the life out of others.

Nikki/Jessica has superhuman strength. So do quite a number of X-Men. Too bad she has a spilt personality.

DL can walk through walls. This ability has been seen in the X-Men movies. There's also a character that morphs in Heroes, like Mystique does.

Heroes and X-Men. They both rock. But one shudders to think if either is real!

Mad About Pets

The Aussies love their pets, I mean they REALLY love their pets. You see them walking their dogs everywhere. About a quarter of the mums who pick up their kids from Joshua's school bring their dogs along. Dogs seated happily in moving vehicles and lazing under the tables of sidewalk cafes are also a common sight here.

Even shops and restaurant operators are "dog-friendly". They don't normally allow dogs in their premises but they do provide bowls of water and something that allow the owners to tie the dogs' leashes to outside the shops while their owners pop in the shops.

It's not an exaggeration to say that some of the pet owners treat their pets as if they are biologically born to them. No kidding. I know many Malaysians love their pets too but I daresay their affection is nowhere close to what I've seen here.

I've seen people carrying their pets across the street lest they get hit by other moving vehicles; I've heard about people taking sick leave when their pets are sick; I've visited pet shops with a WIDE range of stuff for pets that I'd never seen back in KL; and of course, I know these people sleep with their pets.

I had pets too. I personally love cats. But you'll never catch me calling my boss saying that I can't come to work because my cat has been puking all day. I'll probably be fired from my job.

Snipped

Joanne has done it again! She snipped off some of her hair while I wasn't looking.

Well, at least it wasn't as bad as the previous time. In fact, I didn't notice it until just before I tucked her in. I should've known better. I saw her pretending to be cutting her toys' "hair" earlier but didn't bother taking a closer look since these toys were soft toys with no hair.

If she'd been playing with her "Barbies" (some are wannabe Barbies), I would have checked on her. After all, some of her dolls had gone almsot bald, no thanks to her propensity for being creative with their hair. "Because I don't like it," she would tell me when caught in the act.

Well, what's done is done. Maybe Joanne aspires to be a hairstylist. I don't mind. Hairstylists make big bucks here after all. I just have to make sure she doesn't get too carried away with trimming her own hair!

The Stool

I'm not referring to the thing you sit on. It's the other thing - the one you see in toilets.

Okay, if you have a weak stomach, stop reading. I just have to put this down in words so that my son can read this some day!

You see, taking a urine sample is one thing. Taking a stool sample is quite another. Joshua has been having some tummy problem for a few weeks. And last week, after a visit to the doctor, I was told to get his stool sample so that the lab could run some tests to see what exactly was wrong with him.

Today was the day. How does one collect a stool sample? A bit tricky, that's for sure. Here's the step-by-step thing to do as I recalled.

Step 1: Put a disposable plastic container inside the toilet bowl.
Step 2: Get the kid to do his business the usual way on the toilet seat.
Step 3: Wait for kid to complete task. Clean up kid.
Step 4: Look into the toilet (This is where the scary part starts!).
Step 5: Look more closely into the toilet (at which point the stool seems to be staring silently back at you. I swear it!) to find the best way to collect the stool sample.
Step 6: Use something (in my case a pair of disposable chopsticks) to scoop up some stool. Tip - Hold your breath while doing this.
Step 7: Gently pick up the stool and put in in the jar the clinic provided. Aim for the opening so that you don't make a big, smelly mess! Tip - Keep holding your breath.
Step 8: Seal the jar. Make sure there are no remnants of stool anywhere around it.

Yucky? You bet. I hope I don't EVER have to do this again. The images of the stool as it sat quietly in the plastic container, as I scooped some of it up, as I transferred it into the jar and as I sealed it have been etched on my memory for good.

Alex will never be able to do this. Neither would his mother, who claimed to love her first grandchild unconditionally!

Comic Relief

It blows my mind away to see grown men being so addicted to comics. I mean, IT is a global phenomenon. IT is big business. Just look at the movies based on comic books that have sprouted out of Hollywood. Many have become blockbusters and gave birth to new movie stars.

I can easily name 10 movies on top of my head right now - Superman, Spider-Man, Batman, X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Dare Devil, The Phantom, Ghost Rider, Judge Dread and The Incredible Hulk. Half of these come with sequels. Granted, not all are hits. There are quite a few misses too.

But the fact is, comics are BIG. My husband is one of those who get withdrawal syndromes if he misses his weekly dose of comic books. Well, he's not into the products of Marvel and DC but he's fixated with Chinese comics. You know, those with swashbuckling heroes who can fly around ala Crouching Tiger, Sleeping Dragon style? Yeah, he's so into it. So is his best friend.

And they swap comics to save money without fail every week - and these are grown men in their 40s, one of whom is very successful in his career (not my husband, his friend, sigh ...)

Alex can miss a lot of things on weekends. He can miss his movies, TV, meals, taking the kids out but he NEVER misses his comics (which he gets on Sundays). If this is not obsession, I don't know what to call it!

Then again, I'm sure millions of other grown men around the world out there can understand this obsession.

Go Green

Australians are generally greener than Malaysians. People really do take the initiative not to waste anything that can be re-used and recycled.

Here are some examples. Supermarkets don't usually give you a plastic bag for the goods you buy unless you have more than 5 items. And you see "green" shopping bags everywhere. Well, they don't necessarily come in green all the time but almost every shop worth being called a shop sells these "green bags" for you to put the stuff you've bought so that you don't keep using plastic bags. And of course, you're constantly reminded to bring your "green bags" whenever you go shopping.

And if you've seen the various types of garbage bins along the streets, you'll know recycling is serious business here. Trash is picked up once a week and you have to separate your rubbish into 3 varieties - recyclables(paper, plastic, glass, tin cans, etc), garden wastes and general rubbish.

Also, water is premium stuff here. So everyone is encouraged to save water in any way they can. Of course, water restrictions of varying stages are often in place to ensure water isn't wasted. You can even exchange your current shower head for a water-saving one from the water authorities for free! And last week, I saw this lady making it her personal mission to tell everyone she ran into at the supermarket about the freebie.

You don't see these things in Malaysia. Malaysians sure can learn a thing or two from the Aussies about going green.

Time Flies

Is it just me or time is really slipping through us more quickly than, say 10 years ago?

We've been in Melbourne for more than 7 months but it seems like just yesterday. Where has the time gone? I haven't done much. My daily routine is a pretty much the same - wake up, feed kids breakfast, send Joshua to school with Joanne tagging along (even when we had to catch the public bus), come back home to do house chores and prepare meals, eat lunch, get Joanne to take a quick nap, then go out to pick up Joshua from school, come home, bathe the kids, prepare dinner and do more house chores, have dinner and sleep.

Boring. But when you do the same thing everyday, time passes even faster. And the fact that there are 4 seasons here makes it seem even faster. You see, every 3 months, you have to re-organise your wardrobe. Three months are a short time. Before you know it, you have to put your current clothes aside to make way for more weather appropriate clothes.

Back in Malaysia, we didn't feel that because we wore the same kind of clothers throughout the entire year!

It's scary to think that time waits for no one. I can remember my mother very vividly when she was my age or even younger. It won't be long when Joanne says the same thing!

Half my life is gone - very likely more than half! Hopefully, God is kind enough to give me some time to do more than just routine housework before my time on Earth runs out! A trip around the world will be nice ...

We're Game!

The kids have been restless - we are in the midst of the winter school holidays now and they are both home all the time. Which means I need to find ways to keep them amused.

They've been glued to the idiot box too often and are going to damage the Flushed Away DVD that I borrowed from my friend soon if I don't stop them from playing it repeatedly.

I needed something else to keep them amused. Colouring books have worn out their novelty. So those were out. What else could "babysit" them while I slog away trying to keep the house clean and whip out meals?

The computer, of course, or more accurately, online games. But first, I had to find the easy and free ones for kids Joshua and Joanne's age. After a few click over Google, I found something useful - www.uptoten.com.

Here, you can find hundreds of games. We've just explored a few and the kids loved them! Well, I still had to explain a few things to them but once they got the hang of it, I could actually leave them alone for a short while. And it's a good thing we have 2 laptops. So no fighting took place.

I just hope I hadn't got them too hooked on online games!

Hospital Blues

Okay, this is l-o-n-g overdue but I feel the need to put in an entry here. Our last new year's eve was really memorable, all for the wrong reason.

A few days before the last day of 2006, Joanne developed some blisters and itchiness on her feet. Thinking that it was just a case of "normal" rash, I applied some cream on the affected areas. But things got worse. And it got really, really bad on the evening of December 31, 2006. Joanne couldn't stop crying. She's one tough cookie. She wouldn't cry unless she was in real pain and discomfort.

I panicked though Alex didn't seem at all concerned, which infuriated me more. We had just arrived in this new country and had really no idea how to go about such a medical emergency on the eve of a public holiday.

Luckily, my cousin gave me some idea. She told me to go straight to the Emergency Department of the Box Hill Hospital. It would be quite a wait, she warned, but it certainly was better than having Joanne howling through the night.

I was sceptical but had no other better options. The hospital is just five minutes away from our house in Doncaster. We got there and the nurse in charged promptly attended to this little girl with "swollen and itchy feet". I was surprised. The people working there were so helpful and cheerful on a night when they should've been out partying with friends and family.

Yes, it was a long wait and Joanne was seen by several doctors. In the end, she had to be admitted for observation. The medication given didn't seem to work on her and she cried all night long. But at least I knew we could get help quickly if we needed to. It was a long night. By the next day, the swelling had reduced slightly. The paediatrician who saw Joanne decided to keep her there for another day.

And since it was holiday season, most kids were away. There was only another baby in the next room. And we got first class treatment from the staff there. There was a nice playrooom (see pix) and Joanne felt so happy there she forgot her discomfort.

Joshua and Alex came to visit. And Joshua too got excited about the toys and videos he got to "share" with Joanne (and no one else since there were no other patients).

In the end, we stayed there 2 nights. The problem - contact dematitis. Joanne's sensitive skin might have come into contact with something that irritated her skin dramatically.

The doctors and nurses were great. That was the first good impression we had of Melbourne. Fantastic public service. No such thing when I came from!

Joanne is fine now, though she's a big user of moisturiser to keep her dry and sensitive skin moisturised. Well, that's better than being a regular at the hospital!

Field Day For Kids

It didn't seem like a promising start. You see, Joshua has been having this tummy problem as well as a runny nose and cough for a couple of weeks. So I figured it's best I took him to the doctor.

After a quick breakfast, I got the kids into the car and drove to the clinic. The sky was gloomy - kind of matched our mood. Thankfully, the wait at the clinic was a short one. Nothing seriously wrong with Joshua. Probably some mild viral infection that came with the cold. It should clear within a week. Hopefully.

Then we went to Box Hill Centro. Ah, that's where the first glimpse of brightness emerged. First the kids got nice big fat balloons and lollies from some girls promoting a contest. Next, we stumbled on the Snakebusters - some event featuring really cool reptiles. Joanne even patted a couple of them. Too bad we didn't have our camera with us. And my mobile phone is a museum piece without a camera.

But it was okay. Things were already brightening. Then I took the kids to get some stickers (I promised them they would get stickers if they went to the clinic without any violent protests). There were some cool ones but then we hit a mini jackpot - a box filled with an assortment of stickers for only $2! Of course we took that.

The kids were happy now. What a great morning it turned out to be after all. After a Happy Meal at McDonalds, at which the kids got a free toy each, we headed home.

More great surprises await us. Joshua found lots of mail in our mailbox, two of which were addressed to him - one from his ex-classmate Wong Yi Qing and another from his Sam Yee and Uncle Rizal (my sister and brother-in-law). Joshua loves receiving letters. Imagine his utter joy to receive not one but 2 letters. Yi Qing had made a nice picture while my sister and her husband had sent him a birthday card with Transformers bookmarks and a very nice sticker!

Overjoyed and over the mooon. That's how I'd describe Joshua. Joanne was happy too. She got a Bumblebee bookmark.

Well, since everything went so well for the kids, I made them promise me not to misbehave today. So far so good. Of course I still have a couple of hours till they hit the sack. And until then, anything can happen!

Disconnected Again!

Just my luck. I lost my Internet connection again yesterday. For the entire day, I felt as if one of my limbs had gone on holiday. It just didn't feel right not being able to click on something on the computer that could link me to the outside world.

Also, my kids had been bugging me to go online to search for Transformers-related stuff! They just wanted to see some cool images of the Autobots and Decepticons in actions.

Anyway, I tried every other hour. Nothing worked. I called Alex at the office and asked if he forgot to pay the broadband bill. He said he'd paid and that he'd take a look at the computer and the connection when he came back. Well, it was going to be a long wait since he had a dinner meeting last night.

So we couldn't surf the net. Joshua was disappointed. Luckily there were still lots of DVDs, including the much-loved Flushed Away, to keep the kids occupied.

After the kids went to bed at eight, I decided to kill time by watching something on the TV. There was a concert for the Princess Diana. Not bad. I actually saw a few veterans strut their stuff on stage - Sir Tom Jones was still groovy, Rod Steward wasn't that impressive and Jason Donovan looked so old!

Alex came back at 11pm. And guess what he did to rectify my problem? Just unplugged the main switch for a couple of seconds and plugged it back on. Voila! We were connected again. So simple.

He should've told me to do that. That would've saved me a lot of restlessness!

My Little Monsters

Some of my friends have asked for pictures of my kids. Well, here is a shot of them. Kids being kids, they are cute when they behave well and are obedient. But half the time, the monsters in them will take over. That's when they drive me up the wall.

I feel bad sometimes because I've resorted to threats and blackmails when they do not behave. I'll probably be arrested for having some of the evil thoughts that emerge in my head.

Okay, I'll try not to be so mean. It's a good thing they still love and adore me, though I can be a real monster myself sometimes!

I guess there are not two, but three, monsters sometimes.

Is It Starting Soon?

"Is the show going to start soon?", Joshua asked the 13th time, keeping his tone down in the packed cinema.

"Soon. It will start soon," I whispered back to him, though I was beginning to wonder myself if the much anticipated Transformers was ever going to swing into action anytime in the near future.

I lost count of the trailers and advertisements that we in the audience had to endure. Granted, some of the trailers were really cool. The new Harry Potter movie and another fantasy kind of offering called Stardust were particularly impressive. But the advertisements were a bit too much. After all, we'd seen most of them on the television.

The kids started to get a little restless. They'd waited all week for this. Too bad. Being forced to watch trailers and advertisements is part of cinema-going after all. There was nothing I could do about it.

Then, more than half an hour after we'd stepped into the cinema hall, Transformers finally hit the big screen.

Well, what can I say? It was worth the wait. The mean machines looked so real when they transformed. It's amazing what special effects and CGIs can do these days. It was nothing like the cartoon version that I saw before!

Joshua was thrilled. He forgot about the long wait earlier. Joanne, on the other hand, fell asleep halfway but managed to wake up just in time to catch the last half hour, which was loaded with real heavy duty, Matrix-style whacking and kicking and slicing between the Autobots and the Decepticons.

Well, I just hope I don't have to wait another half an hour in my next visit to a cinema. Such a waste of time. I could've done so much in half an hour.