Monday, May 12, 2008

No To Dark Toilets

I learn of another superstition a few days ago.

If you are building a new toilet which is outside the house or will not be used regularly, you must ensure that it appears bright. The finishing that you picked such as the wall and floor tiles or wall and ceiling paint must not be dark. You must try to get as much natural lights coming in so when the door is closed, it will not be totally pitch black inside.

The reason for all these is because a toilet is symbolically a dirty place and will attract unwanted guests of the supernatural kind.

Much more so if it is always dark and rarely aired. If you think about it, it's quite logical too as even if you scoffed at the idea of spirits, dark and musty toilets will invite lots of creepy crawlies and you don't want them either!

So if your rarely used toilet has dark tiles and you can't afford to re-tile them, then you must invest in proper lightings. Check out wide selections of lightings at the Farreys for their fine arts lamps or designer range such as the George Kovacs lamps or the House of Troy lighting. Or if you just can't get enough natural lights inside your toilet, then opt for energy savings lights and keep your toilet lighted all the time.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Posted by JeWeLLe at 16:16:19 | Permanent Link | Comments (1) |

Sunday, May 11, 2008

The Shoe Sacrifice

I'm sure you know - or have heard - that the size of our feet will expand during pregnancy?

My feet "gained" an extra half-a-size to one whole size after I had Eu and I was especially sad to lose one particular red heels which I bought more than 4 years ago. The worst thing is, this pair was still so lovely that it tore me to have to give it away for recycling.

It's not so much the loss of money spent but, for me, it's more about the feeling of having to throw something which is still perfect. It's "painful"!

Image from ShopwikiOf course the positive side of this is that, you have a valid reason to get some new pairs.

If you're considering to get shoes online, try out this one-stop shoe shop which works by searching all the available online shoe stores. Instead of having to search through individual online sites, all you had to do is pick your style, be it dressy shoes, casual shoes or even athletic shoes. Then choose brands such as Nine West to Gucci. Browse the collections, pick a design and decide which store you would like to buy it from!

And since it's Mother's Day today, here's another small reason on why you not only must appreciate your mom for bringing you up with love and care.

She also lost good shoes because of you.

Posted by JeWeLLe at 15:02:54 | Permanent Link | Comments (1) |

Friday, May 09, 2008

The Friday Kids

I heard my in law commenting the other day.

"One is nice and quiet."

And the one lucky baby will bask in the extra attention from the adults at home, reveling in getting endearments such as "Ke-ai baby" (Translation : Cute baby) with plenty of hugs.

"All three at home...PENGSAN!" (Translation : Faint)

And the two unlucky grandparents will find themselves sneaking mid-day naps or scrambling for excuses to go out to town. Anything to escape from having to deal with 3 boisterous kids (who's mothers admitedly find it easy to demand that they "Go downstairs to Ah Mah!" to get them out of their own hair).

Which is the usual case every Friday when the two school going kids stay home and "Ke-ai" will turn to exasperated "Hwai Tan!" (Translation : Naughty)

Just imagine 3 boisterous kids who hog the TV (one way to stop noisy adventures). And when TV has outlived its usefulness (about 30 mins max), the calm grandparent will practise being deaf in the midst of high-pitched "Kor Kor!", "Ah Mah! Mei Mei grabbed it from me!" while the excitable grandparent will try to maintain order with a constant "PU YAU lah!" (Translation : "NO!")

In short, Friday is a rest day for moms like me from having to rush household chores before we need to drive to and fro school. But it's definitely not a rest day for households with grandparents such as mine.

By The Way : Perhaps you think that I am exaggerating about the kids - because they can look so cute and innocent. Next time I'll show you a video complete with closed captioning!

Posted by JeWeLLe at 16:45:26 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Beautiful Cultures of Sabah

I have been spending the last few days hounding the blogs of my sister's and her fellow photographer buddies for pictures and MORE pictures of last weekend's Sabah Fest Cultural Show.

Can you blame me when there are pictures such as this?

For the record, this is going on my wall as soon as my sister and I can agree on the fee!

FYI, this is a Murut tribe dance performance called the "Magunatip" where men and women play catch-my-legs with the fast moving poles. See the rest of the pictures from my sister's Sabah Fest Cultural Show Part 4.

I have always thought that the Muruts have the most beautiful costume and it's not only because I am part Murut (a useless one at that since I don't speak the language).

Those intricate beading works and the fascinating patterns are really worth the price of such costume - which can be VERY expensive.

Of course I meant the ladies costume. After all, being remembered for wearing a traditional Murut man attire of loin cloth and tree bark vests is not the kind of memory you want others to have of you, right?

Posted by JeWeLLe at 23:47:42 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Month Of Festivities

May is not only the month of festivities for us in Sabah (and fellow Sarawakians) with Sabah Fest and Harvest Festival.

But it also a major birthday month for my side of the family as there are 3 birthdays to be celebrated. Don't forget, there is also Mother's Day.

Talk about a major spending month!

Because I am never good at gift shopping, gifts giving is not a big thing for us and usually we'd celebrate this month by having special dinner somewhere.

But since online income-wise has been a bit more favorable for me lately, I'd probably indulge in some nice gift baskets for one person.

I am also thinking of a trip as presents for two very adventurous birthday folks. Now I only need to give them ample notice as these folks led very busy lives - but I can't wait and I am getting excited about this plan too.

Dear two birthday folks, if you are reading this - think boat, think nature, think jungle.

Posted by JeWeLLe at 22:03:26 | Permanent Link | Comments (2) |

Monday, May 05, 2008

If Only Europe Is Within Reach

The last few days have been a scorcher.

Yesterday, because I wore my dark blue jeans on an outing, my whole legs felt like they were being burned. Doing laundry was a breeze as even a couple hours of the afternoon sun was enough to dry my whole batch. As to those folks who had to work under this kind of sun, I can only say that I hope they take a lot of water.

Posted by JeWeLLe at 15:25:52 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Saturday, May 03, 2008

Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy for Jewelle.blog.com

Posted by JeWeLLe at 14:23:02 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Friday, May 02, 2008

Sabah In May

One of the most happening month in Sabah is here again.

If you're planning to visit Sabah, this is the best month to do it as there are plenty of events going on around the state from various cultural performances and exhibitions.

This is the time to see all the beautiful traditional costumes and dances of the 30+ indigenous groups from the graceful Sumazau dance of the Kadazandusun to the try-it-if-you-dare Magunatip dance of the Murut to the colourful Daling-Daling dance of the Bajau.

Photographers will definitely have a busy month and I am looking forward to see what kind of pictures my sister and the rest of her photobloggers friends will come up with this year.

And I hope one of them will be attending the concert tomorrow!

Small Talk : With all the exhibitions going on this month, I'm sure there will be some animal shows too. Animal lovers (especially my sister) do go and show us pictures of the event and don't forget to check out the dogs and cat supplies on offer too!

Posted by JeWeLLe at 16:31:17 | Permanent Link | Comments (2) |

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

What Is Your Title In The Family?

As you know, it's common for some to call themselves by their names when talking to someone which I find weird and unnecessary.

Then I realized that there are situations when I do it too.

Such as talking to children in order to teach and make them remember the title that they should use when they address me.

And when it comes to the Chinese titles, it's not only tongue twisting - it is also CONFUSING!

When the 5 cousins in our household gathered to play, I had to get used to switching back and forth between addressing myself as "Mama" to my kids, "Pek Mu" (Hokkien for father's older brother's wife) to one nephew and "Q Mei" (Hakka for mother's brother's wife) to another nephew and niece!

There is no one word for "Aunt" which can be used by members from all sides of the family. Of course I could take the easy way out and excuse myself since I'm not a Chinese - but I don't mind.

I think its a good tradition because it's easy to know the relationship between family members. There is a proper title for every member based on which side of the family they are from in all the different Chinese dialects!

I must check with my parents if Kadazandusun have more specific titles besides the common "Mamai" for uncle and "Babu" for aunt.

By the way : If you have problems with zits, you can check out this type of acne treatment.

Posted by JeWeLLe at 17:05:48 | Permanent Link | Comments (3) |

Cats And Dogs As Pets According To The Chinese

My mother in law who as with most other older generation Chinese, knows a lot of cultural beliefs which she frequently shares with me - since I am not a Chinese and mostly because I have a huge fascination with this subject.

So this morning, I learn of 3 Chinese supersitions in regards to cats and dogs.

First, a strand of cat's hair contains 3 types of germs.

This means cats should not be kept in the house. Maybe because being cuter, we usually held a cat closer to our face and of course some hair will be inhaled. I'm sure inhaling too much of dog's hair can't be healthy either.

Second, chase a strange cat away and welcome a strange dog in your household.

This is because, a cat symbolises that you are poor (as it eats little) and so it has to be driven away lest this superstition comes true. A dog on the other hand supposedly will only come to a rich household (as it eats a lot) so letting it stay will in a way ensure that the household will always have food leftover to feed the dog.

Third, when you are given a cat, you must give something sweet in return.

Traditionally, you have to give 2 catty of sugar (1 catty = 1 1/3 lb) in return. These days, its more common for those who follow this tradition, to offer some sweets instead.

Do you know of any other supersitions on cats and dogs?

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Posted by JeWeLLe at 15:24:14 | Permanent Link | Comments (4) |