A Penny For Your Thoughts

Wherever they go…

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I’m not in my best of mood. Just last night I was forced to give some coffee money…or rather Starbucks money to the legal terrorist who are obviously working part time on the side of a shady street.  This time around was Rm20. Tsk tsk tsk. If I were to donate money, I would very much prefer to give it to the homeless or beggars on the street rather than these nincompoops who misuse their power.

I was absolutely furious, not because I lost money, but because I felt violated…but of course…there is nothing much I can do cuz they are apparently the favourite fungal pets of the current ruling government. Tsk…I do wish that they get STD and live to suffer pus in their scrotum for a very long time. *nods* Either that or they live to see their family members to die in the most horrible way possible. 😀 Such thoughts really makes me happy.

Just like these bags makes me happy… they are from my friends whom have been very thoughtful and bought them for me whenever they go for a vacation and whatnot.

Apparently I am much more transparent than any ruling government on the face of the Earth. People seems to be able to guess that I really do fancy bags.

This cute black and white bag with black elephant prints is from a mummy with two darling little girls. I think she bought it during one of her vacation. Cute, isn’t it? This one is one of my personal favourite apart from the handmade bag that Smallkucing’s Mamarazzi gave me for my birthday last year. 😀 It’s very chic, really. I even bought it to a formal dinner and a wedding dinner. Beats having those glittery but not so functional bag people usually carry. 😛

This bag is also from one of my blogger friend. I dubbed this unique bag a ‘condom dress bag’, because they really do looks like they’re made from colourful condoms. LOL. This one is not only unique, but it’s also very functional. I can put quite a lot of things in it and I usually use it to put books when I’m on the go. Geez, I don’t know why my friend thinks of me when she bought this bag. Seems like I am not so innocent in her eyes after all. Tsk tsk tsk!

The most recent addition to my bag collection is these. Another friend gave them to me as a belated birthday and Christmas present. She’s a mummy with twins.

A small bag with flower and almost transparent turtle prints on it. I don’t know what this bag is for, but I’ve already used it to put some of my make ups and sunblocks in it. 😀

And this cute handphone bag

Ohhh, I absolutely love this one. It can fit my phone just right and it’s made from really nice fabrics. I wonder if it’s hand made? I’ve never seen anything like this being sold commercially.

Looking at these bags makes me feel very happy. It’s really a consolation that I don’t just attract troubles from street dogs who asks money from me to go for a Fruppocino or two in Starbucks as my friends do keep me in their thoughts no matter where there go.

Cleffairy: Hopefully…I can get them something nice in return too whenever I manage to go for a vacation or someplace interesting. 😀

 

 

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Food/Travel

Over and over again!

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I feel blessed that I have wonderful friends like Smallkucing who is not only thoughtful, but very tolerant of my faults as well. Not long ago, Smallkucing and his family went for a short foodie trip to Malacca, and as usual, they bought me something and told me that they will drop the goodies to me when they’re back in Kuala Lumpur.

My family and I wasn’t really feeling well during that time, and so, the night before we meet up with Smallkucing and his family, I forced my entire family to drink poison… ahem… I mean, take medication in hopes that we’ll be be in tip top condition when we meet Smallkucing’s family the next day. You see, I did not want any of us sneezing and spreading germs to Smallkucing’s family when we meet up.

We did feel better the next day, but my entire family slept like a log and nearly couldn’t wake up from our sleep when Smallkucing and his family arrived the  despite the fact that I’ve set an alarm for the appointment.

*BLUSH* I was completely horrified to see that there’s 10 missed calls and loads of sms-ses from Mamakucing! She did not only sms and called me, but called my husband’s handphone as well but none of us could wake up to the ringtones.Gosh! That never happened to me before. My family slept like the dead after taking the flu medicine.

I would like to sincerely apologize to Smallkucing and his family for the unfortunate incident. I really didn’t mean to KO that way on the day that I’m supposed to meet them. >.< I seriously did not know that the medicine that we bought from pharmacy was so strong that it could knock out out terribly.

I’ve learned my lesson now. No more poison…I mean, medicines that will knock us out whenever we have a lunch or dinner date. :(It was a really horrifying experience for me. I never knew that one could really sleep like the dead to the point they cannot hear anything at all.

Ironically, it was the neighbour’s renovation noises that woke us up from our slumber, alerting us of those missed calls and those smses that Mamakucing sent to me and my husband. Boy, I never thought I’d say this, but I’m glad that my neighbour decided to bang down his house again.

Anyway, after the ‘sleep like the dead bodies’ fiasco, my family and I did managed to meet up with Smallkucing and his family for lunch. (Thank God for that, or I’ll never forgive myself for breaking a promise)

We meet up at Wadi al-Nile for lunch again. I know I’ve featured Wadi al-Nile restaurant here for God knows how many times already, but we can’t help it. The temptation is too huge to ignore. the food is not only divine, but the price is reasonable too. They also served things in huge portion, and we never have to complain about their service cuz they give 5 stars service to their customers. The owner of the restaurant is also very friendly and would often greet us whenever we dine there.

I always feel happy and satisfied whenever I dined in Wadi al-Nile. They have plenty of exotic things to offer. And so, during that lunch date, we ordered various type of things to be shared with each other.

As usual, Arabic mint tea is a must. It’s Mamakucing’s favourite. She never failed to order this whenever we patronize Wadi al-Nile. I’m a tea lover, but whenever I patronize this restaurant, I prefer to order Barbican or Fayrouz instead. I simply love their flavoured malt drink.

Smallkucing’s papa had Kabsah rice with lamb. Don’t be fooled by the picture. There’s plenty of lamb meat buried underneath the rice and everyone was amazed on how perfect and tender the lamb was. There’s also no unpleasant smell whatsoever.

Uncle Patrick opt for Hanith chicken with Mandy rice, and he was praising to the sky as he enjoyed his rice. He said the chicken was perfectly steamed in herbs and was very flavourful.

Florence on the other hand chose to try Hanith lamb with Mandy rice. Like Uncle Patrick, it was her first time trying out food in this restaurant. Florence was absolutely happy by the fact that her lamb was perfectly steamed with herbs and spices and has no funny smell whatsoever. She told me that she couldn’t get enough of the juicy lamb. LOL. I stole a piece of lamb to taste from her as well. It was indeed divine, but I know my limit. Lamb makes me feel hot all over, and I did not dare to take too much of it.

Mamakucing on the other hand, was always crazy for the tender and flavourful Kabsah chicken, and so, she ordered Kabsah chicken with Mandy rice to share and enjoy with Smallkucing.

Knowing that the food portion here is way too big for me to finish on my own, I ordered Mandy chicken rice to be shared with my husband. The portion was always enough to keep both of our tummies full, and it was divine, as usual,  God, I wonder what the chef put inside of all of his cooking? I can’t help but go back and have them over and over again and can’t seems to get bored of any of it. >.< You see, a few days before I meet up with Smallkucing and his family for lunch, I already went to the restaurant of my own to satisfy my cravings. And a few days later, I went back to eat the same thing again. Gosh… it’s so additive, and I can’t seems to stop going back to eat their rice. Okay, I’m positively addicted to Wadi al-Nile’s food. Compliments to the chef, from the bottom of my heart.

My boy wasn’t up to anything but French fries that day. I suppose his appetite was still missing in action due to the fact that he just recovered from flu and fever.

All rice dishes came with yummylicious potato stew. It’s not only creamy and sourish, but it’s also very appetizing.

And not forgetting the tantalizing chilli dips. Somehow, I think Florence is in love with the chilli dips. She can’t help but praise the chilli dips as she dig into her rice. 😛

Smallkucing’s papa also ordered some Arabic bread to share.

And it goes very well with the exotic Hummus.

Everyone was happy at the end of the meal, and I can testify that everyone had their plates squeaky clean. To see what Smallkucing thought of the food, click here. He also blogged about it.

I’ve been to Wadi-al Nile countless times, but I have yet to get my hands on their desserts. It’s not that they lacked desserts on their menu, but each time I patronized this restaurant, I’d be too full to try anything else. >.<

One of these days, I’m gonna make it my personal mission to just go and order their desserts to enjoy. (But I know it’s impossible, cuz I’m addicted to their rice.)

The food is THAT good and if you haven’t try Wadi al-Nile yet, be sure to give them a shot. But be forewarned, you might end up like me… addicted to the Arabic dishes. 😛

Here’s the address for the restaurant, in case you’re tempted to try the food:

Wadi AL-Nile Restaurant, No 72-0, Block J, Platinum Walk, No. 2, Jalan Langkawi, 53300 Setapak, Kuala Lumpur. Tel : 03-41312356.

Cleffairy:  This is not a paid food review or an invited food review, but I highly recommend this restaurant to those who loves exotic Arabic food.

Ps: Thank you Smallkucing and family for the lunch treat.

 

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A Penny For Your Thoughts, Down The Memory Lane

Christmas came early for me

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I feel so blessed and happy. Why? Well, Christmas came early for me this year. It’s not even November and yet I’ve already received the most wonderful Christmas present from my godbro, SaintSeng who is living in New Zealand  a couple of days ago. He’s someone I got to know through an online game during my younger years and now is working as a sailor.

So… what did I receive from this generous young man? Did I get something cool all the way from New Zealand? Well…I didn’t receive anything that I can touch or hold from him… it’s nothing that I can unwrap as he had made a very generous donation to a charity body that I supported in my name.

I was so touched that my eyes gets misty when I received the notification in my email notifying me that my godbro has made a donation in my name. This is by far, the most wonderful Christmas present that I ever received in all of my 27 years of life.

People may have given me gifts that I can unwrap for my birthdays or Christmas, but nobody ever donated to a charity in my name before, and this is much more meaningful to me than those gifts that I can unwrap because it benefits much more people and not just myself.

Thank you Seng for being so generous and thoughtful. Jie love ya heaps, and  God bless you always, no matter where you are, at land or at sea.

Cleffairy: You’re always in jie’s prayer.

 

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A Penny For Your Thoughts

Respect it when people say NO!

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I was lazily browsing around and blog hopping a moment ago, and I came across Eugene’s blog, and I really had to admire him for trusting his kids to do the right thing and not nag them to no end and drive them away from him. I suppose his method of parenting is pull and not push. I respect him for having enough faith that he taught his children well enough that they will have the conscience to do the right thing without having him nag them or force them to do so.

I think if you’re a regular reader over here in Over A Cuppa Tea, you would realize that I have met Eugene once during my trip to Penang somewhere in July, and as I was reading his blog, I recalled the time when we were having dinner together with his family.

We were happily chatting with each other over dinner in a food court somewhere in Gurney, and the subject about our mutual blogger friends came up. If my memories serves me right, we mentioned STP, Claire, Bananaz and also Smallkucing.

Eugene asked me if Smallkucing goes for foodie trip in Penang often, and so, I told him yes, but usually with his non-blogger friends and his grandparents, that is why his Mamarazzi(the real author behind Smallkucing.com) don’t call up any blogger friend from Penang to visit them on her trips. You know how awkward it can get if we bring people who have nothing in common to meet the friends that we know online. The conservative elders wouldn’t approve that either. They will tell you that such people are considered strangers, and it’s no good to meet up with people you haven’t been introduced before.

Out of the sudden, Eugene got cheeky and asked me if he could have Smallkucing’s Mamarazzi’s phone number so that he could call her up and introduce himself. I told him no, he can’t have her number because Mamarazzi will strangle me, and if he wants to have her number, he’ll have to ask her himself. Well, Mamarazzi won’t strangle me. That’s just exaggerating, but I respect Mamarazzi’s privacy and I don’t wish to upset her by giving her phone number to people who does not have it. I always think that it’s better for her to make acquaintance with Eugene herself and vice versa.

Eugene did not push the issue when I said no to him. I was really surprised because not everyone whom I have encountered will take no for an answer, especially when it comes to giving our mutual friends’ phone number to the party who does not have it. They think it’s all right to do so, but I for one, don’t think it’s all right. Like what Eugene said to me back then, you got to respect it when people say no, and you got to respect people’s privacy.

I may not know Eugene very well as I just got to know him through the cyberworld, but I do know that he’s a charismatic man and he’s gentleman enough to take no as an answer from his friends and his family. Now, that’s something each and everyone of us should learn.

Cleffairy: Do you simply give your friends’ contact numbers and whatnot when people ask it from you, or you give them a firm no? Do respect people’s privacy if you want people to respect yours. There’s a limit to everything.

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Down The Memory Lane

Pre-Birthday,Raya and Merdeka Celebration

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Live blogging from Double Tree by Hilton, Kuala Lumpur.

Someone really special treated me to a birthday dinner at Double Tree by Hilton today. Can you guess who it was? Here’s some hint:

*This person is a blogger-somewhat a blogger.
*Very cute and lively.
*Is a bookworm

Neway, it was a buffet, and we get to try various food that the hotel was offering.

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I tried some local delicacies from the Chinese Kitchen. Loved the taufu and the roasted duck to bits. The skin was really crispy and the meat was well marinated and tender.

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Assorted kuih raya from the Malay kitchen.

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Double boiled Szechuan seafood soup with various dimsums. The soup was to die for, and I would have go for several helpings if it’s not because I was already stuffed.

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Ginko and jelly dessert from the Chinese Kitchen.

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Some ABC from the Ice Cream booth.

There’s a whole lot more food, but I got to wait for my official photographer to email me the pics cuz I… *ahem* was too occupied eating that I forgot to snap the pics. Naturally, the tummy comes first. 😛

 

Cleffairy: Thank you for that special someone for the sumptuous birthday treat. And thank you to Claire too for the surprise birthday angpow.

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A Penny For Your Thoughts

Better than going for a food review

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I’m a blogger, and yet I’m never invited for a food review. Why? Well, first and foremost, it’s because I’m not a food blogger, and I’m pretty bad in photography. Nobody would want to invite me for food reviews. I’ll probably make food look like something that came out of the toilet bowl, no matter how nice is their presentation.

Second of all, I think people avoid inviting me for food review is because I’m pretty much inclined to give an extremely honest opinion, and boy, am I a fussy eater. Nah… I’m an extremely bad choice if you want a food reviewer. I can do books, no problem. You can always find me if you want your books or other products reviewed, but not food.

I won’t make the food look good and people would probably be repelled from the food in question. Not that I want to anyway…I’m a ferocious eater and I prefer to pay for my own food so that I can give a real honest opinion on it… and I always feel awkward around ‘high profile’ and glamorous people.

I may not be into food reviewing industry, but I’m have absolutely nothing against food hunting and good companion.

Last night, a very special friend of mine came for a visit in Kuala Lumpur. And I knew I have to meet her. It was already late at night, almost 11pm, but I don’t care. She came over from afar, and I must treat her like a VIP.

She have a very busy itinerary. We almost did not get to meet, but I’m glad that she’s not too busy for these…

Durians…. OMG… so stinky… I’m never a fan of durian. It stinks so bad and it makes me feel feverish each time I eat them and the previous durian buffet I went to made me feel so ill. ( I yet to blog about it… too lazy) *SOBS* ( I know someone is gonna tell me serves me right for being sick after eating durians, I know, I know, please don’t rub it in. Sobs… I’m pitiful enough!)

My friend have a very interesting way to eat durian…she eat durians with chopsticks. *FAINT*

I have yet to sort out the pictures, but I promise I’ll show you folks who she is. 😛 She’s a very kind and loving lady, and she’s my heroine in many ways.

Stay tune for more about my late night food hunt with my blogger friends. 😛

 

Cleffairy: I hope I did not scare off people with my ferocious appetite again. *SOBS*

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A Penny For Your Thoughts, Food/Travel

Penang Godfather

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I am not a famous or popular person. In fact, nobody in the blog advertising industry actually know who is Cleffairy. More often than not, each time I attend any events or blog advertising campaign, organizers from Nuffnang especially, will ask me… “Cleffairy? Who?” and then they will look at me from head to toe and ask me this ” You’re not a blogger, are you?” and then this one will follow “Are you sure you’re invited? Cuz this is for media or bloggers only!”.

Oh, good grief… I’m a freelance journalist for God’s sake! Even if I’m not a blogger, I am still a member of the media. A media practitioner, in fact! *SNARL* Why all bloggers must represent Nuffnang is beyond my comprehension! Dudes, babes, whatever, that is stereotyping! DUH!

But then again, they are right in some ways I suppose. You can say that I am not exactly a blogger. I am a freelance writer… or rather, a novelist. So they are right in some ways. I am not quite a blogger… or rather, not exactly your typical blogger. People do not exactly recognize me through the pictures in my blog because I don’t put them up for public viewing. People usually recognize me through my writings.

Despite of my lack of popularity and public recognition in the world of blogging, I am glad that I knew a lot of friends through blogging. I met so many wonderful people through blogging. Truthfully, I did not realize that I come to know so many good friends through blogging until Eugene pointed it out to me. 😀

Yes… I met Eugene when I was in Penang last week during my…. ahemm… vacation. 😀 I did not meet him alone. He brought his wonderful family along and treated my family and I to dinner. Jovial and Marvel was such darlings. They were so quiet and very shy. >.< Made me wonder if they are scared of me?

Anyway, I really appreciate it that Eugene made an effort to meet me when I told him that I decided to extend my stay in Penang for one more day (geez… I didn’t get enough of Penang… not enough food, not enough adventure, not enough romance… bwhahaha, and I was actually hoping to meet Eugene and his family. Not that I admitted it to him when we meet up, anyway. *BLUSH* I feel shy….)

My timing was all wrong. Eugene was actually hooked up for alot of appointments during my stay in Penang. He’s really a nice guy and goes all out for you, and I feel lucky to have known him.

My first impression on him is that he’s a very cool and casual guy. But still water runs deep. He’s much more than just a casual guy wearing a faded, comfortable Hawaiian shirt. After a few minutes chatting with him over my chicken wings, I come to realize that he’s a rather passionate person. He’s passionate with whatever he do and he’s also a very attentive person. Eugene have a very strong memory and could recall many things about you, and definitely have a strong view on certain current issues that’s going on in the country. Eugene is also a very good conversationalist, and if you’re to meet him in person, I have no doubt that you’d feel comfortable around him. Having a conversation with him is effortless and he reminds me of my own father.

Thank you, Eugene, for spending time with me and my family. I want you to know that I really do appreciate the fact that you rescheduled your appointments just to accommodate me for dinner. I’ll never forget that. And I hope I did not scare you off with my appetite for food. >.< LOL. You have yet to see my DBKL ability. LOL!

Cleffairy: If you say I am popular or famous, then you are wrong. Nobody out there actually know me. I am just blessed with wonderful friends who keep me in their thoughts.

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A Penny For Your Thoughts

A surprise from Ipoh

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It’s a lazy Saturday, and I was about to nod off when someone sms-ed me and asked me if I’m at home. =.= It was my good friend Mommyling, . She just came back from picking up her ‘sick’ car from the ‘car hospital’ and dropped by my house to give me these:

Edible bombs from Ipoh, Malaysia. Well, not exactly bombs, but egg tarts. She told me it’s from Claire. 😀 The egg tarts was really nice and it was gone the instant I put it on the table. LOL. The sweet pastry was crusty and fluffy on the outside and yummy on the inside.

Kaya puff from Mommyling herself. :D(Kaya is some sort of local coconut jam. It’s made from a base of coconut and sugar.)

There’s also pomelo from Smallkucing and his Mamarazzi. The Hershey kisses is also from Ling, and I have no doubt that it will be gone soon. LOL!

Thank you very much for all the lovely surprise everyone, and thanks for taking the trouble to drop all these to me, Ling. 😀


Cleffairy: Next month will be my turn to ‘bomb’ people.

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Food/Travel

Arabian Knight

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Well, not exactly Ariabian knight, but an Arabian cuisine night. Not long ago, I went to have these at Wadi Al Nile with Smallkucing’s family as well as our new blogger friend, Angel Bear.

Arabian mint tea.

The tea was nice and refreshing.

For starters, Paparazzi ordered hummus. Hummus is a is a Levantine Arabian dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas, blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. It is a popular food throughout the Middle East.

Gigantic Mulawah bread for just Rm4 to go with the Hummus. The bread is similar with our own roti canai or roti prata, except that it’s way bigger, flatter, crispier and is usually sprinkled with black sesame seeds. And instead of having it with spicy curry, the Arabians usually eat Mulawah bread with hummus, or potato stew.

Two scoops of ice cream with cherry on top each for the kids.

As usual, I go for my favourite Kabsa chicken rice.

My rice comes with tomatoey potato stew as well as special made chilli sauce. My boy loved the potato stew very much that he couldn’t help but asked for extra from his Auntie Mamarazzi. >.<

I had sparkling fruit drink known as Fayrouz. It was really nice. I liked the taste very much.

Angel Bear on the other hand, had Kabsa rice with lamb. Huge portion too. And just look at the generous chunks of lamb. She said it was nice and had no lamb smell whatsoever.

Mamarazzi ordered Mandi/Mandy Rice with grilled lemon flavoured chicken. To her surprise…the portion was really huge. And it’s enough for 4 full grown adults to eat!

Check out the size~! It’s so huge, and just for Rm15! I nearly faint when i saw it.

There was also Lamb Akhdah, an Arabic dish where lamb are cooked in tomatoey sauce and spices as well as sliced potatoes. It was really yummy. It’s one of my favourite that night, and would definitely order this again next time.

We had Banana Masoob for dessert. Masoob is a traditional Hijazi Dish and is basically bananas, (sometimes dates) and ground bread all mashed up together, served with honey. It’s a very nice dessert, and the portion was very, very huge too.

Drooling and wanna try some Arabic cuisine for a change? Well maybe you can give this restaurant a try.

Wadi AL-Nile Restaurant,No 72-0, Block J, Platinum Walk, No. 2, Jalan Langkawi, 53300 Setapak, Kuala Lumpur. Tel : 03-41312356.

Cleffairy: Opps, there’s no belly dancing or dances of seven veils here. Only seductive food. Thank you to Paparazzi and Mamarazzi for the generous dinner treat. And it’s nice to finally meet you, Angel Bear. Pictures are not mine. They’re all courtesy of Mamarazzi and Angel Bear.

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A Penny For Your Thoughts

Am I that young and naive?

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I am easily upset. It takes very little to upset me. But fortunately, it takes simple things to make me happy. Yes…I took pleasure in simple things in life and therefore… I get easily distressed by the fact that things gets complicated even when I’m laying low and minding my own business.

Anyway, yesterday, I went out with a friend for dinner, and her 5 years old little girl mistook my husband for my father and my son for being my little brother.

That is not the first time she referred them as my father and my little brother. She’s been referring them that for quite some time now. I was really amused and very pleased… to think that I look young enough to be my husband’s daughter and my son’s elder sister. LOL. Tsk… if only my husband and I have a daughter. Too bad. I’ve always wanted a little girl of my own. But then again, that’s just wishful thinking.

Dreams does not fit into reality very well. I have very little desire to start being a mother all over again. To be honest, I’m kinda enjoying being a mum to an older kid instead of babies and toddler. I do not wish to change anything, and I hope that everyone, including my husband would respect my wishes.

Anyway, I corrected the little girl and told her that they’re not my father and not my little brother. I told her that they’re my husband and son respectively. The little girl may not know this, but she made my day. She made me so happy cuz in her eyes, I look young.

That sweet little girl made me wonder: Do I really look that young? For what it’s worth, Mamarazzi and Paparazzi called me an underage girl before when I donned sporty clothes and a cap. Kids in the kindergarten sometimes mistook me for being an elder sister to my son too. And some of my colleagues and friends often mistook the boy for being my younger brother as well.

Hmmm…curious thought. I suppose I ought to enjoy the case of mistaken identity while it last. 😀

Cleffairy: It is a misfortune that sometimes reality does not accommodate dreams very well. And it is a misfortune too, that many hides their true colours. In the world of the adult, simple thinking, sincerity, honesty and true love is indeed a rare commodity.

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