Bathroom walls redone

 

Painting the exterior sure made a difference to the house

 

Summer vacation in Avignon

Despite Antoine having had to do tests at the Pharmacy 3 times, we managed to travel around the Occitane region. There were not as many people as I thought there would be, probably because people went up North or avoided touristic areas. As Antoine only got his first dose of Pfizer, he had to prove he's negative for COVID-19 at all establishments: hotel, restaurants, museums, attractions, etc. I just showed by vaccine card since I got mine done in Swiss and do not have the QR code for the french health app.

I really disconnected this time around and wow it was so tough to go back to work today...

 

 

A list of my favourite movies (some mainstream and some underrated!)

 Platform (Spanish)

Battle royal (Japanese)

Searching

The invitation

Peppermint

Fargo

Upgrade

Three billboards

Riders of Justice (Danish)

Crimson peak

Gone girl

Ip man

Room

Blood simple

Snowpiercer

Extremely wicked shockingly evil and vile

The machinist

Equilibrium

A quiet place (I and II)

The wrong missy

Maleficent (played by Angelina Jolie)

Anna

Parasite 

American Pyscho

Titanic (classic)

Get out

Clueless (another classic)

Truman show

Split

Ex machina

The shape of water

The lovely bones

The handmaiden

Starship troopers

Pan's Labyrinth

The Guilty

The nice guys

Wild tales (spanish)

Under the tree (Icelandic)

14 peaks (Documentary)

Nobody

Mainstream ones:

Wonder woman (not the second one - WW84 wasn't that great)

Thor Ragnarok

Oceans 8

Charlie's Angels (with Kristen Stewart) 

Captain Marvel

All the movies with Harley Quinn in it (played by Margot Robbie)

Star Wars movies

Harry Potter movies

300 

Twilight

Venom

Aquaman

James Bond Casino Royale

John Wick

Shang Chi

Netflix:

The Witcher

The Mandalorian

Ted Lasso

Another list for the record

- Adamian to Ayden: 'Don't go to papa. It's a trap' (when Antoine told them to come there is a present).

- Mama: 'So what shall we do tomorrow on my day off?'. Adamian, 5 yo: 'Restaurant!'

- Ayden noticed a small amount of glitter on the carpet! He also noticed new tyres on the white car the day Antoine changed them.

- Adamian: 'I'm a genius!'. Also Adamian: 'I'm a cool cat!'

- Adamian: 'If you won't let me sleep with Ayden, I will not say I love you!'

- Ayden: 'So what happens when you retire? Where do you get your money from then if you don't work anymore?'

- One morning, found vicks on the floor. Adamian rubbed his feet with it, when he woke up in the middle of the night with a stuffed nose.

- Ayden wrote 'Important!' on a note which came from Philip's mum addressed to me.

- Ayden on 10 April 'How many days till 31 December?' Uhhh

- Ayden hugged me and left a sticker on my back!

- Ayden and Adamian in Solothurn: 'Danke!' 

- 'C'est toi que tu va'

- Adamian 'Why didn't you kiss me?' when I tiptoed out the room, thinking the boys were fast asleep. 

- Adamian and Ayden copied me: 'Another day, another dollar'

- Adamian is peculiar when it comes to his bed (need to ask first if you want to nap/sleep on it) ;p

- 'El primo!' 

- Adamian ' are there also camels where there is snow?'

- Ayden 'If the painter damaged the roof, does he have to pay?'

- Adamian 'Does the bus explode if too many people get inside it?'

- Adamian 'Papa, I touched a snake at the zoo. But it's not poisonous!!'

Tried and tested - best movies for kids!

I have two boys - 8 and 5 year old, and it's real tricky sometimes to pick movies they like which are not dull and at the same time PG rated. 

Here are some duds:

- Lion king

- Alvin and the chipmunks

- Flubber

- Lilo and stitch

- The neverending story

- Indiana Jones 

- Hot shots (1)

And here are some winners!:

- Castle in the sky

- Monsters Inc

- Labyrinth

- Turbo

- Wall E

- Pikachu

- Harry Potter & also the non-Harry Potter magical movies like the Fantastic Beasts

- Pinocchio (yes the classic Disney)

- Big hero

- Star wars (yay!)

- Iron Giant

- Spiderman

- Cars

- E.T.

- Lego movie

- Honey I shrunk the kids

- Mr peabody and Sherman

- The grinch

- Shrek

- Thor Ragnarok

- Finding Nemo

- Any of the Minion movies

- Puss in boots

- Transformers

- Mandalorian

- How to train your dragon

- Sonic the hedgehog

- Incredibles

- Cloudy with a chance of meatballs

- Onwards

- Back to the future

- Sandlot

- Asterix

- Home alone

- Avengers

- Johnny English reborn 

- Simpsons the movie

- Toy story

- Inside out

- Angry birds

- Shaun the sheep

- Hugo

- Chicken run

- Sing

- Mr Bean

- Shazam!

- Spirited away

- Rise of the guardians

- Flushed away

- Night at the museum

- Megamind

- Police Academy

- Arthur Xmas

- Shanghai noon

- Wolfwalkers

- Ponyo

- Spiderman: New Generation (cartoon)

 

-> You're welcome :p

Cuteness overload

 Another list for the books:

- Adamian came running like crazy to me while I was weeding in the garden saying,' Mama come it's important!'. When I asked what he wanted, he said he needed his vest because it's cold and he wanted to join me outside.

- 5 Feb 2021 - I hid a new lego set for the kids' entertainment during vacation above the cupboard in Adamian's old room. Ayden noticed it the moment he came back after school. It was not even at his eye level, nor did he even need to go to the room for any reason. He just noticed it. Right away. I remember even telling Antoine about it and saying let's test how quickly Ayden would notice it.

- 22 Mar 2021 - Adamian fell at the dinner table and I gave him a cotton pad to dry his tears. When he saw blood coming out of his nose, he panicked and the reaction was kind of cute? Can't explain it.

- 7 Apr 2021 - Came outside to check on the kids in the garden. I just see Ayden's top half inside a hedge with Hugo holding onto his feet, and Adamian watching. Too funny. He was getting a ball stuck in the hedge.

- When I pretended to 'complain' about one over the other, I just get a response 'Not my business'. Which is the exact thing I say when they come complaining to me LOL. 

- 'Ehhh Laisser mon banane' (Adamian)

- 'Kotey avec le poile' (Ayden)

- Mains en l'air! (Hands in the air) - Adamian

- Adamian was scared to see Ayden's dry lips (blood) so Ayden put on a mask.

- Adamian on the phone from Lyon: Mama? En fait, I love you! *flying kiss*

- Ayden on the phone from Lyon: What, you had noodles? Me: Not your favourites ones. Ayden: Ouf.

- 'Non, non et non!' Adamian's sleeptalking.

- Ayden noticed a new keychain for my housekeys (Australian): they were for my motorbike. He noticed right away.

AGAIN

France is again on another lockdown from the third wave of Covid cases. It started last Saturday 3 April. The curfew 7pm to 6am still stands but this time:

- Kids stay home the week before their vacation starts (so parents again are expected to fill in for the teachers while at the same time working their own day jobs)

- Travel beyond 10 km from your residence is prohibited unless for essential reasons

This will last for one more month.

God, please give me the strength and patience to endure another round of this confinement...

Ayden & Adamian

Last weekend, Ayden and Adamian were playing out in the snow. Antoine and I were both teleworking at the time. Ayden went inside. Ayden panicked thinking that Adamian went missing when Adamian didn't reply to his calls to go inside the house. I went outside quickly and found him - asked him to go inside. Ayden cried right away thinking for a second that Adamian went missing or that something bad had happened to him. 

I gave Ayden a hug and told Adamian to never play outside the house alone.

Side note, I also caught them reading books with their torch lights before bed in the same bunk bed (top one).

Too cute. Too cute.

Had to blog this cuteness

The other day we were talking about random things. Somehow we got into the topic of old age. Adamian suddenly looked at me very seriously. He asked me if there was a machine that could stop people from getting old. I said it doesn't exist. And then, he started crying like crazy. He said he didn't want me to ever die! After comforting him, he asked if he could sleep with me that night.

I didn't.

But I did sleep with him and Ayden exceptionally last Saturday night in our bed. Antoine graciously agreed to sleep on the sofa.

Life predictions

Just wanted to record my readings today for future reference. So for fun, my best friend and I decided to hire someone in Korea for a small fee to do a reading on what our future holds. I note again, it is only for fun..! My bestie did the translation from Korean to English during the one hour, and I wrote some notes down on a piece of paper.

Here is what he said is in store for me:

- Everyone has a different flow in life. The flow could be up and it could be down. It is a cycle of 15 years... so from the age of 1 to 15, 16 to 30, 31 to 45, 46 to 60 and so on. I am currently in my third flow - between 31 and 45. For each cycle, depending on when I was born (date and exact time) - a month is considered lucky compared to others. For 31 to 45, it is usually around August for me, and for 45-60 it will be around September (it moves).

- He discovered that I am a 'seed' in winter time. There needs to be some modifications or adjustments. This is not good because my flow should be in line with the rice harvest. Seed in spring, flower in summer, plant in autumn and rice in winter (this adds the most value because rice is more valuable in winter when it is cold and other foods are scarce).

- I am born with a good energy however, because for a female I should be born as a moon energy (and this is aligned). Males should be born as a sun energy. This makes sense for a heterogenous relationship when the sun and the moon should work well together.

- He said that 2010-2015 was a bad period for me (declining flow) - in this case I agree because career wise it was not the best period. 2004-2009 was good (I agree with this too). 2016-2017 my luck started to develop.

- 2020 and 2021 are the best periods for me in general. 2022 the flow peaks down again and some 'malfunctions' are expected. This could be in the form of abortion, or removal of body part. A hobby or habit may be taken from me. This is expected to last until 2027. There is nothing that can be done because it is out of my control and it is not my fault. My boss might also take revenge on me so he recommended for me not to hate him (as this could backfire). I could be excluded or not seen favourably. Or - even if I worked hard, only a part of the hard work will be visible.

- For 2021: the earliest lucky months for me will be in Feb-Apr 2021 and the latest the luck would come in would be in 2022. 2021 is a great year for me. July is seen to be the luckiest month for this cycle. Even if I do not try, my abilities will be seen and appreciated by many. So if I made an effort, things would go extremely well for me. This is a good time for me to create something, achieve success and even change the direction of my life. If I was to be offered a job, he said why not? I should get it unless it is beyond my abilities. There is a lot of movement in the beginning of the year for me.

- Financially, 2019-2024 would be good. Expenses might be low.

- For when I am between 46-60 years old, the following career options will offer satisfaction: cooking, taxes, accountant, law, exercise, medicine, therapy and travelling. I may even move countries during this period.

- The flow is explained in the concept of the development of a butterfly. From caterpillar to cocoon to butterfly. At the moment, I am a full butterfly. But later in 2022, the butterfly will have to disappear and the cycle will start again. 

- I should be careful with my health in 2020-2025.

Even if it isn't true, I had fun with the process!

More funny things the kids say and do

Ayden and Adamian are quite observant. They would point it out the moment they notice something changed in the room or their environment, like mini CSIs. We even 'tested it' at one point if they noticed something was different and within the hour they arrived home, they would ask about it.

Candy canes on the xmas tree: Ayden noticed it upon returning home from school.

Timberland logo: Adamian would say that his winter jacket and his dad's vest have the same little tree logo on it.

Ayden noticed the moment his dad wiped clean the inside of the windscreen of the white car. This is so subtle, I wouldn't even notice such a small improvement.

And then the boys would mix their english french and malay. Like 'Me makan gateau': I am eating cake. 

Adamian beat me at chess on 21 Oct 2020 - yup wrote it down (he just turned 5 years old). And he can count numbers up to ten in mandarin.

Few months ago I caught a glimpse of Ayden using a broom to get the toilet paper high up on the shelves (why didn't I think of that?). 

When I told Ayden there was no coloured paper to make different parts of the pop-up paper xmas tree, he said we don't need any - we can use the different coloured post-its. He also told Adamian once to be careful when plugging in the keyboard - to always ask mama or papa because it is dangerous.

Adamian would shout 'I miss mama!' and 'Super maria game!' (even if the lego Mario says super mario time LOL). He would also mispronounce 'Among Ous' (among us) and 'dadedoleler' (for french version of playdough).

Sometimes I selfishly want them to grow up fast so they can be more mature and disciplined, rather than fight like a cat and dog, but at the same time, moments like these make me appreciate their cuteness and adorable behaviour. Sigh.

Food from Brunei which I miss most

 I am keeping this list handy so I can remind myself to have some when I'm back:

- Small spicy popia

- Curry cashews

- Tart nanas

- Dodol durian

- Krupuk udang

- Krupuk ubi kentang tomatos

- Tronky

- Apollo choc cake

- Muruku

- Milo

- Cucur udang

- Tapai

- Hello panda

- Hati buyah

- Kuih cincin 

- Mee hoon

- Kacang jagus in curry

Resto: kfc, kolomee, nasi ayam, sweet sour chicken, kuih penyaram, kuih putri mandi

Badass mafia girl

 

Childhood memories...

As we are now 'stuck' in France and not able to visit my family in Melbourne, I can't help but reminiscence on my childhood memories... My parents are also 'stranded' in Brunei as they cannot leave the country until the viral cases subside. 

I really miss my three brothers. 

There were days where we would actually not do anything but just watch cartoons or TV shows all night. They even put up with my childish faves things to do like watch Akazukin ChaCha, play hello kitty video games and watch 'Ever After'. We would like sleep on the matresses which are laid down on the cold tiles in the living room (That always bring me back to the sleepovers at my grandparents' house in Belait with my cool cousins).

Afternoons of climbing trees... cycling around the neighbourhood.. playing sparklers or fireworks during Hari Raya. Fishing days in Darwin and taking turns driving the boats. Road trips in convoy... snacking in the car.. going through KFC drive thrus at like 2am cos we felt like popcorn chicken and cheesy wedges.

I saw them grow up right before my eyes... from annoying little brats or at most times cute little boys to grown up men. The pride I feel when I see them succeed... whether in sports, in their careers or in their love lives. I am glad my parents always encouraged me to be the 'third' parent... I used to hate babysitting them when I was much younger... and now I really miss those days... 

 

I hope Ayden and Adamian will love and care for each other as much I do for my own siblings.. that would be my greatest wish in life.

Confinement update in France

As of yesterday, we no longer have to fill out any forms when leaving the house. Of course we still have to wear masks and distance ourselves from others. Telework where possible. No gatherings allowed except on Christmas day, and max 10 adults for that. There is a curfew between 8pm and 6am now, no one allowed out of the residence except for essential reasons. Restaurants and bars still closed till January 20. At least we can now travel between regions. Before the announcement, no one was allowed to travel beyond 20 kms from the residence and for more than 3 hours. 135 euro fine if anyone breaks the law (first time offence). The next government announcement will be made mid January.

I just started my annual leave last Monday, it will be for 3 weeks. The plan was to go to Melbourne at this time to visit my family. Sadly, this will not happen. My parents are still stranded in Brunei and anyway no international flights are allowed to enter Australian airspace for now. I read somewhere there was a deal with only New Zealand though for tourism purposes. Oh well, just gotta hang in there and enjoy the winter. Hoping 2021 will bring more health, prosperity, joy and happiness. 

Goodbye 2020 and good riddance.

Lockdown Part II

So France, again, is now under confinement (started on 30 October for 4 weeks). The difference this time is that kids at least can go to school. This is good news, not only because it will allow many parents to work from home in peace but also because the kids' education will not be disrupted like it was before.

We just gotta endure it a bit longer.. until the cases are under control.

 

Funny things the kids have said...

Again, for my own record, and for me to remember the funny and cute things the kids have said...

Ayden & Adamian: 'Goo Goo Gaga'

Adamian: 'Mama gentille! Toujours la vie'

Ayden: We need to close the umbrella or lightning will strike it (when it started to rain)

Ayden to Adamian: We can't print too many or we'll run out of paper. (printing colouring pages - zombie plants)

Adamian in the toilet with the door closed. Ayden ran and opened the door: 'Don't lock the door or you'll be stuck in there forever'

Mama to Ayden during the xmas spectacle last year: But you don't have a plain red shirt for the spectacle. Ayden then proceeded to put his red shirt front to back so the halloween design goes to the back and no one will notice. Problem solved.

One time Adamian started to get all upset in the morning, I did not understand. What he meant to say was, I'd like to buy a new house LOL.

Adamian, every night, before bed: 'Bisous Calin'

Ayden & Adamian: 'Vitamin T!'

Ayden: But how does the guy not get wet from the water? When a Russian technician came to the house to change the toilet. Told him we needed to switch off the mains.

Mama to kids at the playground: 'That's why you should both eat well so the vitamins will help you grow big and strong and to actually reach it'- Ayden: Adamian does take vitamins, but only from tomatoes. LOL

Adamian 'Me aussi tahu' (I also know).

Kids would wake up early on the weekends, shower and not wake us up.

Ayden is very observant - one second delay with the new lamp in the bathroom. The dry onions in his noodles.

Ayden noticed Antoine's new shirt (I didn't). And it was on whatsapp video call. He noticed it the moment Antoine went on the phone.

Adamian said he was on a 'mini cheval' when they went pony riding with the grandparents.

Adamian says 'Pashumers ' for transformers and 'akrea' for 'apres'.

Stopped by Tournus otw home

Roadtrip to Dijon