Letter To My Late Granny 1

Hello 爷爷， 嬷嬷，

I came to Singapore for few days for a business meeting. Here I am extending two days here to pay visits to my friends - Joanne who had just given birth to a lovely boy named Leo; and of course to catch up with an old friend - Chelsea whom I have known for more than 10 years now.

This is little Leo in his sweet dream.

What amazed me is that I stayed
In a small boutique hotel called Grand Santa Hotel Lai Chun Yuen in Chinatown, and it brought me to find a Pun Yu Association around the corner. Look!


I went on a tour inside of the association and there were so many photos of the patrons of this association and their past activities. Although I did not relate to any of the photos nor activities but it feels close to my heart. It is because of both of you 爷爷嬷嬷 that we were told so much bout Pun Yu. Pun Yu is where both of you belonged and in Pun Yu Association I feel close "to both of you"!

I miss both of you so so so much!

Coffee of Hawaii at Damansara Perdana- a Deaf-In Business (DIB) Project





Two weekends ago, we came across this new cafe near Mum's Place in Damansara Perdana. We initially wanted to grab a bite at Mum's Place but the restaurant was not opened yet. We picked Coffee of Hawaii over the other nearby cafe as we were attracted by the vivid wall painting on the restaurant wall. (See above)


Coffee of Hawaii is the first Deaf-In Business. The restaurant offers the deaf community a place to try living and working like anyone of us. They are not only working at servers but some of those with baking and cooking skills are even working in the kitchen (The operator even told me that one of the bakers used to work in RT Pastry!). Trust me! They are working like any normal workers. In order for us to communicate with them, the considered business operator even had sign language chart painted on the wall (at the main entrance) and also at the reverse side of the menu. With these guides, you can definitely be able to communicate with them without any problems. Come! Let's learn a few sign language from the designated "tutor of Coffee of Hawaii - Mila"!





DIB offers lunch sets (see below) from Aloha Chicken, Spaghetti Chicken Ball and Chicken Wings. My husband ordered the spaghetti while I had the Aloha Chicken. The food is in decent portion and it tasted good too! The owner is also very nice to still offer us the sets although we walked in beyond 2.30pm. Oh yeah! The food ingredients used at Coffee of Hawaii are from Halal sources. 





Spaghetti Chicken Ball which my husband had - RM12.50



This is my Aloha Chicken - RM14.50



There are also wide selection of desserts being sold at the restaurant such as Passionfruit Mousse (RM3 each cup),  Pineapple Cheese Cake (RM6 per slice), Passion Fruit Cheesecake (RM6 per slice) and many more. The operator even gave us some home-made passion fruits ice cream for us (and all the other diners) to sample. I must say it is very smooth and unique. (I realized that Hawaiian loves Passion Fruit! It is a great fruit packed with Vitamins and Antioxidant for sure!)

Lastly, it has to be their unique selection of coffee bean - air flown from Hawaii. For coffee connoisseurs, this is a must try item! If you like the coffee which you order, you can even buy a packet of the coffee bean back home. 

DiB COFFEES OF HAWAII 
11-A-1, Jalan PJU 8/5A, 
Bandar Damansara Perdana,
47820 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor, Malaysia.
Tel No : +603-7710 4752/3152
GPS Coordinates : N 03 09′ 53.9″ E 101 36′ 22.0″
Business Hours : Mon-Thurs (9.30am – 10.30pm), Fri-Sun (9.30am – 11.00pm)

Children of The Stars


I was touched with the article entitled "My child is not a weirdo, he is living in his own world, that's all" in Sin Chew Plus last Saturday (25 Feb 2012).


In the article, it shared about a touching movie starred by Jet Li "Ocean Heaven". Sam Wong (played by Jet Li) works in an aquarium and he struggles to look after his 21 year old autistic son Dafu (played by Wen Zhang). Sam has single handedly brought up his son since his wife passed away 14 years ago and looks after him day and night attempting to help him learn basic skills such as cooking, mopping, shopping, taking public transport in order to get Dafu ready for himself if he were to pass away one day. Sam Wong went through tough time and feeling helpless many a times.

I must say that I am fortunate that my children are healthy. But there was a moment where we suspected that our older child may have mild autism as she does not communicate as well as the other kids of her age. It was rather helpless when we couldn't find much information on how to deal with this question marks in our head. I am sure that we are not alone. I thought it would be nice for me to condense what I have read for the reference of those who are in need of assistance.


Based on KKM's data in 2010, there bound to be 1 autistic kid in every 600 Malaysian kids. If you have one, let me tell you that....autistic kids are children to the stars. They speak to the stars and only stars understand their language. To help these "children of the stars", we shouldn't attempt to bring them into our life, but we should try getting to know "their world" and getting to know them with passion and love by entering into "their world".

Understanding Autism
Autism often comes with mentally disability, hyperactive issue and emotionally unstable. The chances of autism to appear in the first boy is higher compared to the first girl by 3 to 4 times. Till date, there is not medication to cure autism. However, over the years, there have been numerous combination of language and emotional coaches have helped to stabilize the problem. The unstableness in the child can sometimes be soothed through physical, music activities.


The Causes of Autism
Over the years of research, it is proven that Autism does not cause by the background of the parents nor the way how the child was brought up. It is an inborn problem which occurred due to the development of nerve system or brain damage before he or she was born. If one of the twins is autistic, the chances of the other twin gets mild autism is between 10 to 20%.


If the mother got infected by measles during pregnancy, it increases the chances of autism in the unborn child. Other pregnancy complications such as incomplete brain growth (in the unborn child), early birth, etc will also increase the chances of an autistic case.


Ultimately, it takes lots of patience and love to learn how to love an autistic child. I am no expert in this area but I think the experts in Malaysia can help you to understand your child better. My advise is every child is unique in their own way. Never believe one professional even though he or she is good. Who else know your child better than you do? Their advices are merely reference and you should follow your heart.


Good luck and endure the process... it is all worth it.


Associations / Schools References


NASOM
www.nasom.com.my


Malaysian Care
www.malaysiancare.org


Persatuan Kanner Melaka (formally known as Persatuan Autisma Melaka Tengah)
Tel: 606. 286 2926


Kits4Kids Special School
www.kits4kids.org


Pusat Harian Kanak-kanak Istimewa Negeri Sembilan, PHKINS
Tel: 603. 8736 6385 or 606 761 6538


Hua Ming Autism Society
autism.org.my


IMPIAN Institute (Institut Masalah Pembelajaran & Autism Malaysia)
www.impianautism.com


Special Children Society of Ampang
www.scsoa.org.my


Parent's Resources for Autism
www.pr4a.org.my


MAJoseph Special Needs
www.myautisticmalaysia.com


Dignity and Services
dignityandservices.blogspot.com


United Voice
www.unitedvoice.com.my


EIP Autism
epiautism.com


Lion's REACH, Resource and Education for Autistic Children Centre
lionsreach.net


SPS Special Children Association
Tel: 604 593 1137


Glory Learning Centre
6012 773 5357, 6012 382 5591, 6012 704 4266


Kuching Autistic Association, KAA
www.saa.org.my


Sibu Autistic Association
sibuautisticassociation@gmail.com

My First Trip to Johor Premium Outlet (JPO)


After hearing so many good comments about JPO, I finally got a chance to make a trip down south to Johor Premium Outlet. We drove down there in our company car - a Nissan MPV with four of us in the car. I enjoyed myself as I got to drive (which I enjoyed more than being a passenger).


It was a good trip as the the traffic was not too bad and the weather was great. Hence, it only took us 3.5 hours (included a 10mins toilet break). Of course to do so, I kept the car speed consistently between 140 to 150km/h.


If you have not been there, just take the north-south highway and take the exit after Kulaijaya (I think it says Desaru somewhere on the exit signboard). JPO is only about 5 mins away.


For direction to JPO, click here. 


My first impression on JPO is .... It is not too far away (3.5 hours from Kuala Lumpur) and it looked pleasant. (Well, Genting Holding wouldn't put their money to waste). The brand mix is quite diversified. I saw a main brands under FJ Benjamin (GUESS, RAOUL, GAP, La Senza), Club21 (DKNY, CK), and majority of the stores under the umbrella of Valiram (Michael Kors, Coach, Tumi, Swiss Watch Gallery, Canali, Shanghai Tang, etc), Ralph Lauren, Burberry, and many more. Click here for JPO centre map. 

Top: A photo of COACH Factory 

I eagerly wanted to check out Burberry coz my colleague (who had been here in January) told me that the goods are cheap. (Gossip! Amber Chia apparently bought a few goodies during her last trip) Unfortunately, it was quite disappointing as nothing in the store caught my interest. The current collection available in store has too many spikes on the leather goods. (I don't like the rock star feel) My boss, on the other hand, was interested in a really nice shawl but we dropped chin when the store staff told us that the shawl originally cost $3,800 and the price after discount was $1,300. Isn't it super expensive?


The area is smaller than I imagined but it is brand new retail experience. Worth a visit if u are happen to be down south.

Top: A photo overlooking the banglo-like store that houses Zegna Outlet Store with Maybank at the side 

(for you to withdraw $ before your shopping spree =)

Bottom: GUESS Signage on the side of the mall

Girard-Perregaux Supports The Andrea Bocelli Foundation

About a month ago, watch manufacture Girard-Perregaux announced its support behind the Andrea Bocelli Foundation, which was launched before the end of the year with a Benefit Gala in Los Angeles on December 9^th. The event featured performances by Andrea Bocelli, David Foster, Heather Headley and Anna Maria Martinez.

Bocelli, who is the best selling classical solo artist in the world, suffers from blindness. He lost his sight when he was 12 years old. That’s why he’s particularly sensitive to people with disabilities. His foundation will raise funds and awareness to fight poverty and work with people who have illness or disabilities to assist them in overcoming barriers.

Produced by Studiomusica and Jo Champa and presented by the Grammy Museum Foundation, a fundraising event will be held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.

What’s the connection between Girard-Perregaux, a watchmaking brand, and Bocelli’s charity? It comes from a personal relationship and heeding the call. As Michele Sofisti, CEO of Sowind Group (owners of GP and Jean Richard) says, “We are very proud and excited to join forces with Andrea Bocelli in the launch of his new foundation. His accomplishments as an artist and philanthropist are an inspiration to all of us and we are happy to support him in this new pursuit”.

Bell & Ross x GIGN

Bell & Ross x GIGN : BR 03-92

Paying tribute to the men and women of the National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN), a special operations unit of the French Armed Forces, the BR 03-92 features the GIGN logo on its dial.

Formed in 1973, the GIGN consisted of highly trained individuals who are equipped with the skills, knowledge and tools to defuse any kind of situation, violent or not. It was formed after the Munich massacre during the Olympic Games in 1972 and a prison mutiny the following year.

With similar attitudes to quality and precision, Bell & Ross designed the BR 03-92 GIGN watch that bears an easy to read dial, 100m water resistance and heavy duty rubber or canvas strap.

The limited edition watch comes only in 200 pieces, and is exclusively available to members of the GIGN. Here's a watch they can depend on.



Bell & Ross BR03-92 - Limited Edition for GIGN (above) and its back case (bottom)

The honourable batch of GIGN

Potty Training for KY

Over the last long weekend, my big girl - KY made a big leap in her toddler growth development. She was trained to go nappy-less and use potty when she is home.

Like any other mom, I went through tones of tips on how to potty train the little ones but most tips work if only your toddler talks. Now... That is the big challenge for me when my KY hasn't spoken a single word although she is 2yo+ now. (I considered myself lucky too as my MIL have been trying to train her when I was at work)

It was easier than I thought, really! All I did was to keep reminding her that she needs to "tell" me if she wants to pee or poo. At the same time, I will put her on potty (irregardless of any sign from KY) and let her try to "let it go".

It was a great development that she only wet herself once throughout the weekend trial and even that one time, she did it at the porch (outside our house).

Well done, baby KY! We love u. We are so proud of you!


For your benefits, these are some of the innovative tips for your reference. (courtesy of babycenter.co.uk).

Sing her praises
We made up a little song that we sang every time our daughter sat on the potty. She loved it. When she finished, we would sing a different song saying what she had done. It wasn't too long before she used the potty every time! -- Christie, Melton Mowbray

Read together
Lucy and I went to the bookshop and she chose three picture books she really liked. We called these the potty books, and she could read them only when she sat on the potty. -- Amy Watson, Manchester

Use a magical potty
My second child caught on in two weeks. Her potty had a square in the bowl, which turned into a star every time fluid hit it. That was her big challenge, to make a star, and it became a game for her. -- Angela Cooper, Cardiff

... or a musical potty
We found a wonderful potty that played music when my son sat on it. We had a lot of difficulty for several months, but this potty worked like a dream. -- Marion Snow

Try a timer
When my son Ben stopped using nappies, we used a timer to help us both remember to use the potty. We started with every 45 minutes and, as I could see he was needing to go less, gradually increased the time. Eventually, he would tell me he needed to go before the timer went off, or say he didn't need to when it did. Then we'd set the timer for another half an hour and try again. -- Beth, Penrith

Set up target practice
We put a flushable item, such as confetti, in the toilet. (You can also use shaving cream or coloured ice cubes.) The game for our son was to aim and shoot. Rewards were based on accuracy. It was fun and challenging, and did wonders for his precision! With poos, we told him the game was to send in the backup troops (no pun intended) to finish the job with torpedoes. I doubt this would work with girls, but Alex took less than a week to be fully potty-trained. -- Roxanne Adey, Bedfordshire

The coloured water trick
We dyed the toilet water with red or blue food colouring; it changes to orange or green and they love knowing that they did this. -- Anna Rice, Lancaster

Make her feel proud
With my daughter, I tried to give her lots and lots of praise: 'What a big-girl thing to do!', 'You must be very proud of yourself', 'Do you want to call Granny to tell her?', 'Give me a high five!' and so on. -- Kirsten Gunderson, north London

Impress the dog
With our son, the best reward was calling in the dog to look at what he'd done in the potty! -- Sharon, Moreton-in-Marsh

Surprise, surprise!
Our daughter wasn't very consistent with potty training until we introduced the surprise bag. We got a load of inexpensive toys and stickers and put them in a colourful gift bag. Every time she used the potty, we would clap and let her pick one surprise out of the bag. We kept it up for about a week and a half, and when the surprises ran out she just kept on using the potty. We kept up the clapping and praise, and she quickly forgot the surprise bag. I can honestly say that potty training was painless and quick, and I plan to use this method again with my next child. -- Lottie, Glasgow

A traditional treat
We kept a container of our daughter Morgan's favourite treat (white chocolate buttons) on her chest of drawers. If she successfully used the potty, she would get five buttons. Within a month she was using the potty regularly, with only a few accidents, and by age two and a half she was trained. -- Lisa Winter

and an untraditional one
My 28-month-old really loved my nail polish. I found some in a toy shop that would come off when she washed her hands, so I let Meriel paint her fingernails every time she weed in her potty. I told her that when she did a poo she could have some of Mummy's polish, which wouldn't wash off. Ten days later, she was completely potty-trained! -- Dawn Lister,

Reading Celebrate with stickers
To encourage our son Alexander to use the potty, we put a drawing of a racetrack on the wall (an approach suggested by his nursery teacher). Every time he used the potty he got to put a sticker on the racetrack. When the racetrack was filled with stickers, he got to pick a small toy as a reward. -- Cheryl Brockton

Put your child in charge
When my 18-month-old started going into the bathroom and closing the door, I knew she was ready to potty train. I would let her go in and use her potty, dump it into the big toilet, and put it up in the sink for me to rinse out. -- Katherine Nuttall, London

Flushing fun
I began potty training my first child at about 20 months and am now in the process of training our second. One excellent incentive is letting them flush away the contents of the potty if they go. You need to establish a rule that this is the only time they get to flush the toilet. This is a simple and easy reward, and develops a good habit. -- Deanne Collins

Sitting solution
We put our son Nick on the toilet backwards. The potty-chair was too hard for him to use and my mother came up with the idea of putting him straight onto the toilet, but backwards (she did it with my brother when he was little). That way he automatically aimed in the right place, and he had the back of the toilet to hold on to. He could also do a poo that way, too. He thought it was such fun he wanted to do it all the time. It took about a month to get the hang of it, and now he's happily standing up to do his wees. -- Melissa, Brighton

Throw out the disposables
As a nursery nurse and mum, one of the best toilet-training tips I can offer is to resist the temptation of using disposable training pants all the time. The children don't get uncomfortable when they are wet, and I've noticed that it prolongs potty training. Of course, every child is different, but this is definitely a trend I've noticed while working with a gaggle of 20 two-and-a-half-year-olds! -- Jenny Spalding, Kettering

The underpants ploy
I let my son choose some pants with his favourite character, Thomas the Tank Engine, on them. Then I told him not to get Thomas wet. It worked really well! -- Maria Galli, Bristol

Boxers, please!
My son was fully potty-trained at three, except he wouldn't do a poo in the toilet. I tried everything, and asked everyone. Finally one day we were shopping and he asked for boxers. I told him that if we got these he would have to use the toilet or it would get all over the place. That seemed to be the magic thing, because ever since then he has had no more accidents. -- Sasha, Hastings

Cover up cloth with plastic pants
I let my daughter wear undies every day until naptime, and I put plastic pants over them to prevent messes. In the beginning she wet several times a day and didn't like the feeling. I also gave her 10p for her piggy bank every time she sat on the potty. She was trained by 20 months. -- Rose Colgan, Chelmsford, Essex

No more nappies
My daughter tortured me for months, using the potty successfully one day, then demanding nappies the next. Finally I told her that the pack of nappies we had just bought was the last, and I wasn't buying any more. I then bought some reusable training pants from the Internet. When we got down to the last few nappies, I again emphasised that they were the last and, when they were gone, there wouldn't be any more. We then went to the training pants (with disposable ones at night). She had a few accidents the first week and has been trained ever since! -- Emily, Berkshire

The right clothes
A little trick with girls: I put my daughter in dresses for about three weeks while we were potty training. It was easier for her to get ready for the potty and allowed for quick decisions when she was in the middle of playing. -- Lisa Beamish, Barnsley

Protect with plastic
Every morning when we were together at home, I put painter's plastic down on the carpets, then took off my 20-month-old's nappy. There were a few accidents, but the clean-ups were quick and easy because of the plastic. She soon caught on and was happy not to be in uncomfortable nappies! -- Tammi, Melbourne, Australia

Give up to get results
Our daughter Rachel was two and a half when we finally got her trained. We tried everything in the book. She wanted to wear knickers, but not go to the potty. Finally we said, "Go ahead and do what you want". Two days later, she started using the potty on her own, with no encouragement from us! -- Nat Benson, Bath