Exploring Our Children’s Potentials

So. Have you been to Thailand?

Or to be exact, have you been to Chiang Mai? =)

I recently went to this northern part of Thailand for a 4-day-3-night trip.

And?

It was awesome!

It’s right above Singapore and Indonesia.

Together with a few other friends from the media, we flew directly to Chiang Mai from Singapore, by Silk Air!

(I’ll share photos of our Silk Air in-flight experience soon!)

 
INFO:
– It is a 3 hour direct flight to Chiang Mai from Singapore

– Click HERE to check Silk Air’s daily schedule and promotions!

– I was told that the best time to visit Chiang Mai is between December and February (winter time!)

Okay. First thing first.

Where should we stay when we are in Chiang Mai?

I learned that if you wish to check out its famous Night Bazaar (open every night, till 12 midnight!), it’ll be convenient if you stay near the Night Bazaar area.

Which btw was where we stayed throughout our trip!

We stayed at Royal Princess Chiang Mai, and the night bazaar is just right there, in front of us when we stepped out of the hotel!

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Before I continue on, I just want to say that I have QUITE A BIT to share about our Chiang Mai trip! =)

I’ll organise them under ‘Visit Chiang Mai Series’ yeah!

And all of them will go under my ‘TRAVEL TIPS & INFO‘ page later.

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Okay, I’ll start by sharing photos of these two famous markets in Chiang Mai : The Night Bazaar and Warorot Market.

These two are closely located, btw. Less than 5 minutes walking distance from each other!

One is open at daytime. The other, at night.

Perfect =)

The famous night bazaar in Chiang Mai basically refers to countless stalls along Chang Khlan Road that open from dusk to midnight. It’s very ‘touristy’.

It’s where you can find all sorts of stuff, from clothes, accessories, food, snacks, gadgets, souvenirs, local Thai products, etc.

Part of the Night Bazaar is this area called ‘Anusarn Market’.

That’s where I bought some packets of Thai tea to bring back home! =)

If you have a friend who can speak Thai, let them be the one who bargain with the sellerAbove photo:
This was where I got my Thai Tea at Anusarn Market! =)

If you’re coming from the main entrance (with the big ‘Anusarn Market’ signage right above you), just walk straight ahead, and you should see this shop.

I checked a few other shops, and for the same kind of Thai Tea brand, the price here was lower than other shops.

TIPS:

– You MUST bargain there! =) Just be nice and friendly to them, and ask for discounts (eg. Start by around 30% lower than the price given)

– Use your Thai Baht for all purchases. If you need to look for money changer places and ATMs, there are some along the Night Bazaar (There’s a Money Changer near Royal Princess Chiang Mai Hotel)

– If you have a friend who can speak Thai, let them be the one who bargain with the seller.

Reason? You’ll most likely get better price if you can speak the language =)

Spotted this cute ice cream stall, selling cute ‘personalised’ ice cream shapes for 80 baht each! =)
(That’s around SG$3.30)

Want more tips when it comes to bargaining with the Thai locals? =)

Well, I was told that when it comes to ‘lowest and highest price’ offered to buyers, it works like this amongst the locals:

– Best price is offered if you’re a local (like, if you’re a Thai living in Chiang Mai, shopping in Chiang Mai)

– Second best is if you’re a Thai, coming from other provinces (eg. Thai local who lives in Bangkok and shops in Chiang Mai)

– Third best price goes to Chinese who can speak Thai

– Fourth is when you’re an Ang Moh (westerner) who can speak Thai =)

– And the littlest discount is given to … Chinese tourists, haha.

Reason?

I was told it’s because the Thai locals know the Chinese bargains real hard, haha!

Anyway.

Go ahead and test the above yourself yeah when you bargain away with the Thai locals =)

Oh btw, before I go on and tell you about the other market, I thought I should let you know how I reeeeallly want to try riding on a Tuk-Tuk! Haha.

Someone told me that Tuk-Tuk is like a Bajaj in Jakarta! And since I’ve been on a Bajaj before, so why do I want to try the Tuk-Tuk?

Well, because Indonesia is Indonesia, and Thailand is Thailand mah? =)

Sooo … a few eager friends and I walked all the way till the end of Anusarn Market, and took a Tuk-Tuk back to the hotel!

Short distance, but we all just wanted to experience it =)

There were 4 of us, and the Tuk-tuk driver quoted 80 Baht for all of us.

(Three on the back seat, one sitting next to the driver =)

So there you go!

Ride on a Tuk-Tuk in Thailand?

Checked!! =)

Now, here’s the other market I wanted to share with you : WAROROT MARKET!

This is one of the places where Thai locals do their shopping!

It is known to sell cheaper and usually better quality products compared to other markets.

At Warorot Market, you most likely find stuff that you can’t find at the Night Bazaar.

INFO and TIPS:

– This market is huge. There shops indoors and outdoors by the streets.

– You can still ask for discounts. They did offer a little price cut to me. The more you buy from a shop, the better the discount, naturally.

– The same bargaining concept I shared above applies =) Speak Thai to get better discounts =)

Be a little bolder, and try some ‘unusual’ food too while you’re there!In short, I’d say … you can almost buy anything at Warorot Market!

Let’s see : fresh / dried fruits, flowers, vegetables, meat, bread, herbs, spices, clothes, shoes, jewellery, souvenirs, cosmetics, gadgets, and lots and lots more!

AND.

I’d recommend that you be a little bolder, and try some ‘unusual’ food too while you’re there! =)

Like, … something like this ?

I took photos of the fried bamboo larvae above, and whatsapped it to my hubby.

He said ‘Whoa …. OK! Yes!’

And I took a shot of the fat bamboo worms below, and guess what he said?

‘Bungkus!’

(which basically is Malay / Indonesian for ‘Packet’, which can also mean ‘Take away’=)

Haha.

We didn’t get to walk all around the market, and I couldn’t find any other ‘unusual’ food, so I just bought those worms back home, and shared them with the kids, hubby, and friends! =)

 
TIPS:

– The fried bamboo larvae can last for 3 months, while the fat bamboo worms below can last for just around 3 days. Gotta eat them fast! =)

So there you go!

Two markets I’d recommend that you go and check out when you’re in Chiang Mai!

I’ll share more places to visit in Chiang Mai, real soon!!

Stay tuned!

[Special thanks to Silk Air and Tourism Authority of Thailand for the Chiang Mai experience!]

I heard about IKEA coming to Jakarta since around two years ago, I think.

And we were excited about it!

IKEA Indonesia finally did open in October last year, and we went to check it out on our way back home after our trip to Anyer beach last December!

And. You know what?

It felt like HOME! Hah! =)

I know it sounds ridiculous, but the moment I got off our parked car, I super liked what I saw! =)

I saw signages and clear directions!

I saw proper lines on the carpark floor!

And I saw space, big space, with clear signages, colourful symbols, familiar names, products and designs!

And of course, I LOVE how CHILDREN-FRIENDLY the place is!

At nearly every corner, there are toys for kids, so the adults can browse around while the kids play nearby.

Awesome!

(Not to forget Småland, the place where kids can play freely in an enclosed area, for an hour! Too bad Anya and Vai are ‘too tall’ to enter by now, 100 – 130cm, and we didn’t have much time that day for Brie to play in there *boo*)

Oh we did check out their restaurant!

As compared to Singapore, I felt their Swedish meatballs were so-so.

Their ‘Salmon with broccoli’ (what I usually ordered back in Singapore) was out of stock too.

The mushroom soup tasted quite nice though.

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Ah, if I lived near IKEA, I think I’d visit this place often, just to relax and let the kids play and enjoy the big space!

(Funny how you think you don’t need anything and still go home with a little something from there! =)

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IKEA Alam Sutera

Jl. Jalur Sutera Boulevard No. 45
Alam Sutera
Serpong, Tangerang
15320 Indonesia

Opening hours:
Mon – Sun, 10.00 – 22.00

Click HERE to see their ‘how to get there’ map.

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PS: We went on a Monday afternoon, and the crowd was okay. Do avoid coming in the weekends if you prefer quieter browsing and shopping experience. Oh, and after  you check out, don’t forget to try their ice cream! Yummy and super cheap! =)

When there is more than one child in the family, as parents we naturally wish our children all get along well with each other.

The reality is however, it most likely does NOT happen naturally.

Well of course there are children who really care for their siblings lovingly and out of their own initiative, but most other kids do have this tendency to care for their own self-interest.

I will help out … but if I have something else that I want to do, I wish someone else helps out instead.

I will accompany my little sister … only when I feel like it.

I will share my favourite toys … when I don’t feel like playing with them anymore.

…
Do they always do it willingly? Hmm…nope!Anyway.

One of the things that we try to nurture amongst our 3 kids is : the habit of taking care of each other.

Specifically towards their littlest sister, I do for example give responsibilities to the two older ones, tasks where they have to look after the littlest.

eg. I ask the two older ones to help her out whenever she can’t do something (instead of me coming to her rescue)

Like, pouring some milk to a glass for Brie to drink, or preparing some toast for her to eat.

Or, I sometimes (okay, quite often) ask the older ones to get Brie to nap in the afternoon.

Now.

Do they always do it willingly?

Do they instantly become responsible members of the family?

Hmm…nope!

=)

Like everything else in life, a habit to care for each other in the family takes time and lots and lots of practice (not to mention, patience and consistency from the parents).

And you know what? Now that Brie is 3.5yo, I do hear less and less ‘complaints’ (resistance) from the two older ones whenever I ask them to do something for her.

*Phew…Thank God!*

It is nice to see them caring for their little sister.

And, whenever they help each other in completing different tasks, it means there’s more time for me to do other things too.

PS: As much as it is such a rewarding feeling for me when I see positive progress in the kids’ behaviour towards each other, I’m sure when the older ones manage to accomplish something (eg. Brie eventually falls asleep in Anya’s arms), it does feel rewarding for them too! =)

Any other tips that work in your family?

“Don’t you ever feel exhausted caring for three kids everyday?“

I’ve been asked such a question before.

And the answer is, well … of course there are very tiring days when it comes to being a parent.

After all, we are REAL people, caring for REAL children, who are potentially capable of giving us REAL headaches =)

There are times when things are just so challenging and draining.

Moments when I wonder WHY I’ve become such a grumpy Mom, scolding the kids way too many times a day, when in my heart, I really just want to stay cool and chill.

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I’d choose to have the headaches from having those three than NOT having them at all in our livesHaving said that though, I must say there are too many amazing moments too, spent with them.

And, I’d choose to have the headaches from having those three than NOT having them at all in our lives.

Strange and crazy, I know =)

But then I guess, that’s the weird part of being a parent?

You tell me =)

We have one 8yo boy in the family.

The middle child.

And as much as I’ve been a parent since 2004, being a parent to all my 3 kids has always been … mind boggling at times.

I mean, many a time, I simply feel … clueless.

It’s like, I’ve tried my best, raising each child to my best capability, responding to misbehaviours consistently, praying for them and with them, and treating each child as a unique individual.

Still, I find things … far from easy.

Including, raising this son of ours.

…

Anyway.

Recently we went to the mountains with family and friends for a few days.

It was such a GOOOD break for everyone!

And.

I personally learned this lesson, about raising boys:

Give boys space to roam, run, jump, tumble, be loud, and explore.

Being in the open air, outdoors, MORE often, is a great start.

Actually, being in the outdoors is much needed for them!
(Especially if we live in Asian cities like Jakarta, where indoor play is somehow more available and preferred by more parents than the outdoors)

Being in the open air, outdoors, MORE often, is a great startBecause.

When they (and us) are couped up in small spaces  most of the time (the home), no wonder we too get annoyed easily by their acts.

‘Don’t do that!’

‘Stop screaming and running around!’

‘Tidy up!’

Ah. It is no wonder if they are exhausted by our angst, as much as we are by their constant overflow of energy and ‘lack of interest’ in what we ask them to do.

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Boys will be boys.

I know I need to tell this to myself again and again.

Am *still* continually learning to better parent our boy.

May God help me, everyday.

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Share please:

Any other thoughts on raising boys? Tips?

Our littlest in the family is now 3 years and 7 months old.

Growing up too fast.

And so I did something to keep the memory of her little hands =)

I cut out a piece of a used shoe box.

I outlined her two hands with a pencil, and then again, with a marker.

Brie then coloured everything on her own, with crayons

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Something really simple to make, but it will definitely go into Brie’s personal box full of keepsakes =)

PS: Brie wrote the ‘B’, ‘I’ and the ‘E’ on her own.

Something happened when I was at the hair saloon today.

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A woman in her 30s entered a hair saloon, and some 30 seconds later, a hairdresser in her 50s casually commented:

‘Whoaaa…you are so fat now! Really fat! You want to compete with your mother ya …?’

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I was there, and I thought, ‘HUH? What did I just hear?’

Ppfft.

Seriously, I find it interesting how some people can make such comments and NOT feel it can hurt another’s feeling.

I mean, as far as I know, no one wants to be big and fat.

And, such comments can never (and should never) be uttered by anyone, to anyone.

Gee.

I had such comments given to me like, 20 years ago.

I was chubby, flabby and I had relatives making jokes again and again about my body.

It wasn’t funny. It wasn’t nice.

But I smiled to them anyway as I thought that’s the polite thing to do.

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That woman btw, bitterly smiled, looked down and sat next to me.