Welcome to my new home..........

Please kindly visit my new home http://www.karenyiau.com/

See y'all there...... :)

P/S: Don't forget to chek out My Store as well leh....hehe :)

Planning to move

As you can see on my side bar, I have 2 other blogs plus a photo gallery & online shop sites, which have been driving me a little crazy when comes to managing & maintaining them, thus, the thought to have my own domain has recently crossed my mind.

Yes, finally I am thinking to "move house" after I started blogging since April 2007. I have been checking around with my blogger friends in the past few days but I'm yet to make my decision.

Another important thing that I have been thinking of is, what would be my domain name? Hmmm.... it's not an easy task loh...

I still don't know how I could park all my blogs under one domain, I'm sure there will be lots of tidying work to be done, well it's never a relax job to "move house" anyway. :)

Multi-lingual

My hubby and I speak Mandarin & English with Dillon since young, while my maids speaks Mandarin to him; as for in-laws, they speak in Hakka dialect.

Initially I was quite worried for Dillon that he might get confused with so many different languages and I'm really unsure which language is he going to be mastering when he speaks.

But then I realised that my worries is not necessary at all. At his age of 31-32 months now, he is picking up new words at a fast pace and he can understand words & sentences in different languages. :)

He also likes to imitate the way we talk to him, and he would say the same back at his sister Kaith: "no no don't touch this...", "go away, hot hot....mummy scold", "come down, mummy beat beat".

It's cute & funny to see when he acts & talks like a big brother. LOL

"My Beautiful Myanmar" - Charity Book Project

Hi Everyone!

This is a life changing book project by the Kachin (Northern Myanmar state) Refugee kids living in Malaysia. My boss' wife, Ms. Belle Lee volunteered herself at the refugee school and came up with this class project to raise funds for the Myanmar people in the aftermath of the cyclone as well as for the 2 Kachin schools which are currently only funded by individual donors. 100% of the profits will go towards the Cyclone Relief Fund & the refugee schools.

My Beautiful Myanmar contains drawings and stories from the refugee kids about why they left Myanmar, what their lives are like in Malaysia and what their hopes are for their future.

Please support this project by buying a copy (or more!) of the book as well as spreading the word about it. Also we would be very grateful to those who are willing to help us distribute the books at your businesses, among friends, your churches, clubs, etc. on consignment basis.

This high-quality 40-page color book is ONLY RM15 each. Shipping can be done via pos laju or registered mail, and cost to be borne by buyer, as I'm not taking any profit from this, all is for charity.

If you’re keen please contact me via email (yiaukaren@gmail.com) or leave your comment here. Your help is immensely appreciated!

P/S: Trust me, besides donating to help these less fortunate children, this is a good book with touching & valuable true stories that we should let our children read, and appreciate what they are having now. RM15 for a valuable lesson is definitely worth the money.



"Kids should be running to the park and not running for their lives."

Your vote please....

I'm kind of surprise to know that Dillon is one of the 15 finalist in "Stars of Mamypoko Calendar 2009" contest when I was told by my blogger friends on Friday morning.

After seeing all other finalist photo, I know it's not easy for Dillon to win. But again, it all depends on public voting so who knows Dillon might still win at least a consolation prize? hehe

So if you are reading this, would you please spare a vote for Dillon? (muaks muaks)

To submit your vote, just click here and Dillon is in Category 3, Photo no. 13.

The actual photo submitted:


Thanks everyone for voting. :)

Kaith on magazines

In last month, I have sent in Kaith's photos to MomBaby & Mommy Baby ( 妈妈宝宝 & 妈咪宝贝 ) magazine for "July Babies" section and to my surprise, her photos were featured in both magazines. This is the first time I'm sending her photos to any magazine and I'm happy that they were both selected, this is a great gift for Kaith and I will keep the magazines to show her when she grows up. :)

Finally walking..... :)

Last Saturday, Kaith finally took her first step and has been practising a lot since then. Every time she walks, you can see happiness all over her face and she enjoys walking very much, well I guess not long from now, she'll be running around like Dillon.....

Not forgetting to suck her favourite fingers while touching her belly button as she walks... lol

The brother & sister

When both are about 2-3 days old

Some people said Dillon & Kaith look very alike, some said not really except for the shape of the face.

Both had thier 1st hair cut at 3 months old

As their mummy, I notice apart from the resemblance in face features, actually they look very similar in their act & expression, seeing Kaith sometimes just reminds me of how Dillon was around the same age.

Same expression, and same pyjamas. :)

Wearing the same top, & doing the same act, lol

And on their first birthday, mummy even bought the very similar cake from the same cake house. :)

P/S: I did not take any of these photos on purpose, it all happens when I was filing up Kaith's photos and some of her photos just reminds me of Dillon, and hence this post. :)

Kaith & the rocking horse

See how Kaith got herself riding on the rocking horse, I think she is real daring....




She also enjoys riding the rocking horse with her brother Dillon, well that's my purpose buying this 2-seater rocking horse made of Rattan, big & sturdy enough for 2 kids to ride on at one time. :)

Kaith is One

Kaith is turning one this Thursday (3rd July) and we had dinner on last Saturday in a Chinese Restaurant to celebrate in advance. It's only a simple dinner with our family members and close relatives, about 20 of us.

Kaith fell asleep during the dinner and I have to wake her up for cake cutting, and she didn't see too happy when taking photos and lastly, Dillon has "volunteered" himself to blow the candle and cut the cake... lol

It's just like yesterday that I gave birth to Kaith, she was only 2.88kg, so tiny and so fragile...... and now she is entering toddler hood already.

Happy Birthday Kaith, my sweetheart, I wish you grow up healthily and happily, I love you. :)

More photos in my gallery

Jakarta Trip

Just got back from my Jakarta trip on Monday and it was tiring because my flight was at 7.30am local time and I'm yet to fully unpack my luggage up till today. :P

Anyway, my trip was good as I get to fulfill what the company requires me to do there, and at the same time I get to watch my favourite badminton tournament live. I was holding the pass and hence I could sit at the commentary booth without having to sit at the crowded viewers area.

Nice view huh? :)

I also get a chance to see the Dinos Alive event which was held next to the stadium. This event was sold by my company and it was launched on last Saturday, what a right time I'm there to witness the event, it was real cool and I hope this event will be sold to Malaysia too!


The accommodation was very good too, The Sultan Hotel where I'm staying at has very good security and the service is always prompt & friendly, the room of course is very spacious and comfortable as well.


The food is not bad too, I had to order room service on the 1st night as the matches finished only around 8pm and I was too tired to dine out, and I ordered the Oxtail Soup (called "Sop Buntut" in Bahasa Indon, I was so reluctant to pronounce it when I made the order so I just say it in English, hehe :P)

Yummy Oxtail Soup with Rice

Of course I won't miss the chance to try out the famous JCO Donuts, which I have not tried in KL before due to the constant long queue. I've picked the Almond, Oreo & Tiramisu. It's so nice.... don't think my Jakarta trip is complete without eating the JCO Donuts..... :)

And how could I not try the local cup noodles (always the best food for traveller's! hehe :P)? It's simply yummy. hehe....

One for supper and the other for breakfast :P

Last but not least, aside from work I did manage to do some (ahem...ahem...) shopping in Jakarta, Plaza Senayan & Senayan City is more like Pavilion & KLCC type of shopping malls, whereas ITC Kuningan & Ambassador Mall are middle class shopping mall that I find more suitable to me. Kids clothing here are massive and affordable, what a heaven for the shopper mums! :)

Trip again

Yes I'll be travelling again but this time is for business. I have not been travelling for years since I gave birth to Dillon, and all of sudden the trips come one after another.... (well at least I can make good use of my passport that cost me RM300 for renewal! :P)

I'll be going to Jakarta this Friday and coming back on next Monday. This is the 1st time I travel to Jakarta so I do plan to spend some time on leisure while I'm there, although the work schedule looks quite tied up.

Also heard that shopping there is pretty ok, not sure how true it is but I'll definitely find some time to check it out and see if it can beat Bangkok, hahaha LOL.

Will share more stories & photos when I'm back, stay tuned.

Days in pain

The past week was not very good for me as my gums were so sore & swollen and I was suffering from so much pain. It was so bad that I can't even eat anything solid except porridge and mashed potatoes, I've been eating like what Kaith eats for a few days. At night I couldn't sleep well as the pain was causing me bad headache too.

I've always heard about how suffering toothache was and this is the 1st time I'm having it and I totally agreed that it's really torturing & unbearable.

I finally went to see the dentist on Friday morning and took some antibiotic, pain killer, and some medicine to reduce the swelling. I still need to go back to check if my gums still sore after the medicine finished, as the dentist suspects the root of problem might be my wisdom tooth.

I feel better now as I write, but my gums are still a bit swollen and if it doesn't get any better, I'll have to see the dentist again on Monday.

Happy birthday to me :)

It was my birthday yesterday, now I'm officially just one step away from the gate of 30's so I can still tell people that I'm in late 20's and I still falls into age group 25-29 when I fill up some forms...... :P

As usual, there is no big celebration, no surprise from hubby, we just went for a dinner for 2 at a Japanese restaurant and it was great and enjoyable; we also had a good weekend with the kids.

As for presents, I have already had the best. :)

Penang Trip

Just got back from Penang on Sunday and overall the trip was good, but hubby & I were extremely tired.

Although I have prepared the checklist prior to my trip, but yet I can forget about the stroller :P, so throughout our trip, we have to carry Kaith but luckily my sister has helped me taking care of Kaith as well.

Dillon obviously enjoyed very much, he was super active as usual (not something new right? :P) and was running around exploring places, so hubby & I have to keep our eyes on him all the time.

Now that I know, traveling with 2 young kids is definitely a challenge......

See the pictures here

Packing the kids luggage

We'll be traveling to Penang by road on this coming weekend to attend a wedding function, and also visiting the island.

This would also be my 1st time traveling with both kids and I'm a bit excited. I have already prepared a checklist so that I won't miss out anything when packing the kids luggage. For Dillon it is much easier as he no longer takes milk and is diaper-free during day time. Anyway, these are the thing I've listed down:

- Sufficient outfits & diapers for 3 days 2 nights
- Shoes, socks & hats
- Baby wipes & diaper changing mat
- Baby bath & lotion
- Inflatable travel bathtub (for Kaith)
- Potty seat (for Dillon)
- Towels, handkerchiefs & bibs
- Milk powder, milk bottles, thermos flask, water bottle, cereals, feeding bowl & spoon (for Kaith)
- Water tumbler (for Dillon)
- Snacks, some small toys & books
- Sunscreen lotion
- Swim wear, swim ring, beach ball & beach toy play sets
- Antiseptic cream for mosquito bites & nappy cream (in case)
- The light weight umbrella stroller

Did I miss out anything essential?

Why Dillon cannot be a footballer?

Dillon is taking the penalty kick...........

OMG he missed it!!! There goes the championship title...... what a shame.

Rocking Horse

I've been thinking to buy a rocking horse for Dillon since long time ago. But those that I've seen are either too small, too "plastic" or too expensive. And then recently I found this one made of Rattan ("rotan"), which I think is more practical and worth the money, although it doesn't look as fancy as those I've seen in Toys'r'us and Ikea. It is big and 2 kids can ride on it at one time, it is so durable that even I can ride on it.

Dillon is turning 2.5 y/o soon

It's been a while since I blog about my kids (mummy only busy blogging about her KK trip la, Bangkok trip la so selfish :P), so after the previous post about Kaith, now I should write something about Dillon too. :)

He is going to be 2.5 years old in 2 weeks time, getting more and more active & mischievous too. He enjoy going to the outdoor playground to play the swing, slides and basically running wild and his another favourite would be going to the pool.

He is not very good in talking yet but is learning at a steady pace. He speaks Mandarin most of the time (coz my maid speaks that) but he understands when I speak English to him too. He is also speaking a bit of Hakka dialect since my in laws speak the language to him.

Is he getting along well with meimei? It's pretty well I'd say, he always show his care & love to Kaith where he will hug & kiss her forehead, pick up toys for her and play with her, wipe her face when she sweats, and when we bring him out, he will "ask" meimei to come along too....... so I think he is doing a good job as gorgor. :)

Kaith at 10.5 months

I almost don't believe it, Kaith is already 10.5 months now and in less than 2 months time, she will be entering toddler hood.

Kaith weighs a healthy 8.7kg, and she has grow taller and look less chubby now, however her thighs still look "fleshy" though, hahaha LOL. Her hair has also grown a lot more and hence look more girlish (agree?). And she still likes sucking her 2 favourite fingers...... :P

She can't walk yet, but can stand alone very firm and is often cruising around the house. Her favourite game is Peekaboo and Dillon gor gor will always play with her; it's one of my greatest joy when seeing them both playing & laughing happily.

She is fully on formula milk Enfapro A+ now since I quit breastfeeding few weeks back. She will have milk in the morning, mashed food/cereal for lunch, milk again in late afternoon, porridge for dinner and last milk before bedtime. She has totally weaned off mid night feed 2 days after I quit breastfeeding, without much fuss, I guess maybe she "know" that she is no longer getting me to breastfeed her so she also "decided" to quit mid night feed? haha, anyway it's good to me also that she sleeps through the night now. :)

Mother's Day dinner

It's a big family gathering tonight with my sister & husband and their 3 kids (Kah Hoe, Kah Lok & Wai Ying), my brother & wife and their kid (Zheng Yang), myself & hubby plus Dillon & Kaith and of course the "main character" of the day, our dear mummy. Well to be exact, there are 4 mummies at the dinner table. :)

Me, my mum, elder sister & brother, we don't resemble each other eh? My sister look alike my dad, while my brother look alike my mum, as for me, I don't know who I resemble....??

I'm very grateful that I can still celebrate this meaningful day with my mum, who gave birth to me at age 42 and is now 71 years old. I nearly lost her 2 years ago when she was attacked by stroke. I pray for good health & happiness to my mum for many many more years to come.....

"Dear Mum, Happy Mother's Day to you and I love you". I also hope that Dillon & Kaith will love me as much as I love my mum now.

Happy Mother's Day to my MIL, sister - Angie, sister-in-law - Veronica & Airine, and all the blogger mums out there.

It's surely a happy dinner to my mum with all her children & grandchildren (Kaith isn't in this picture as she was sleeping)

My Mother's Day Fantasies

Thanks Ruth for passing me this tag, it's been ages since my last tag, haha. But since Mother's day is around the corner, this tag is quite fun! :)

On Mother's Day, hubby will treat me like princess, just like when we first started dating, he will also treat me to spa, manicure & pedicure, then accompany me shopping without being impatient (of course he will pay on what I spent, by default, haha :P); at night hubby will prepare dinner for me..... :)

I would love to know what are the fantasies of these beautiful mummies:
Penny, HK, Jess, Jenn, Soohooi, Esther, Donna, Judy, Jane, Chinnee

Don’t hold back. Let it rip! Share your Mother’s Day Fantasies on your blog. Then pass it on to other Mothers to share. Let's be silly and let our hair down. Then add your name and blog post url to the list and let it go around. Anyone can participate in this. Just write your blog post and add your name to the list. It's that simple.

1. Mumsgather shares - What I REALLY want to do on Mother’s Day.
2. Kiddos Realm shares
3. Ruth shares
4. Jazzmint shares
5. Chanel shares
6. Karen shares - My Mother's Day Fantasies

Bangkok Trip - Day 4

Our flight is at 3.15pm and we have planned to leave for airport when we check out by 12noon.

So after breakfast at 9am, we walked down the road to Pratunam wholesale market for a quick last round of shopping. The place was already crowded by shoppers and I bought some kids clothing and some for myself. Ended up spending another 900baht and that's it, my wallet is finally emptied, :(

We packed all our stuff, and of course I packed mine into hubby's luggage bag as well since he only bought 2 jerseys & 2 T-shirts, there's still ample space to put my things in, hehehe :P

We reached Suvarnabhumi airport around 1pm and we checked in early. Both of our luggage bags weigh only 14kg in total, well at least I know that next time I could actually buy more & not worrying that the baggage will exceeds the weight limit, hahaha :D

2 luggage bags full, with my backpack and a hand carry plastic bag.

We hang around in this new airport & had our lunch. The food here are very expensive. We thought of going McD to eat the Pork burger but there wasn't one in the airport, so we headed to Burger King, which we then found that it's closed for renovation... :( We ended up having Pizza for lunch, not bad at all.

Our flight took off on time and we reached LCCT around 6.15pm, and I just can't wait to rush home to see Dillon & Kaith....

I have really enjoyed this trip, but it'd be better if I have had the right companion who would enjoy shopping as much as I do, hahaha, too bad hubby only enjoyed the food while the other couple friends, I'm not sure if they enjoyed the trip though. To be frank, I haven't had enough shopping this time (will it ever be enough?) so I'm definitely going back to Bangkok again, with my mummy friends. :)

Bangkok Trip - Day 3

The highlight of the day is no other than Chatuchak Market, which only opens on weekends. Some said a trip to Bangkok isn't complete without visiting the Chatuchak market, which I have to agree. :)

We woke up early as it'll be very hot & stuffy to visit the market in the afternoon. We took the BTS Skytrain from Ratchatewi to Mo Chit station, which cost only 30baht per person and we reached the Chatuchak market around 9am, just nice to start doing our shopping.


The market is so huge and it's divided into 26 sections that sell basically everything that you can name eg. clothing, handicraft, antiques, plants, ceramic, and even live animals/pets. There are maps available there for reference. Since we were there early, it's not that hot and crowded yet so my shopping was quite enjoyable. I bought some clothes & shoes for myself, and some decorative items & souvenirs too, of course I never forget to bargain and I'm quite satisfied with it. I have spent about 2300baht in just less than 4 hours, and we have to leave as it's started getting hot and crowded and hubby also feel very bored already (man will never enjoy shopping huh?)


We went back to hotel and we decided to take a short nap to recharge our energy. In the late afternoon, we went out again to the MBK Mall for shopping and dinner. We had steamboat dinner at MK Restaurant, it was fine but nothing special anyway, I still think our homemade steamboat is the best, haha LOL.

The seafood + vegetables set serves 4 pax and cost 860baht.

Surprisingly the mall started closing around 9pm, kind of early to me as I planned to shop till 10pm at least. Anyway, we still hang out at the concourse where they have this sports wear fair, and I managed to buy one Adidas jersey at 490baht, whereas hubby also bought 2 pieces of Adidas jersey that cost only 260baht each, it's really a steal!

We headed back to hotel and I started to pack the luggage. Our flight on tomorrow is at 3.15pm so I could still go for the last round of shopping if there is still space in my luggage bags, hahaha LOL. :D