So last time I told you about my borrowed pc. Wel, I just had the biggest, most frustrating fun you can have with a pc. Turns out my adopted brat bought his pc, (ok, it is a notebook actually) in some Arabic country. It seems to have a secret button on the key board, that when pushed, you start typing in Arabic. Only problem, that normally happens when you are not looking at what you are pushing. So you don't know how to avoid it in future!
Well, with the use of the emo kids faces on Skype, I got my message through to my technical support team and the big brat could guide me back into smooth sailing waters. For now, I can type in normal English.
It was rather fun trying to do "Charades" via a computer screen. Ever had to explain yourself without the power of typing words that makes sense? I had to explain what was happening this side, and I think all my husband could see was a lot of angry faces being pulled at him. We couldn't talk using VOIP for he was in his office working. I couldn't type without it being gibberish. Well, he did great in reading my emotions.
Ever tried to fix a pc that is not yours? I seem to start developing a niche for it in our house... Just don't bring me yours. I don't feel like quitting my day job as yet. Let's just say that it has been an education.
Luckily, my sense of humor was tickled when I notice my words coming out in Arabic gibberish. It helps when your kids think it is the funniest thing on earth when their mother exclaims: "WHAT IS GOING ON?! I'M TYPING IN ARABIC!!!" My sons were all rolling on the floor with myrth. Todays kids.... No respect...
Anyway, why someone did think it will be cool to make a dual language keyboard, is beyond me. I can understand that they must love their language in written format. It does look rather pretty, but I had no idea what I said. Hope I didn't offend anyone. On the other hand. Maybe next time, my husband can just ask his Islamic collegue to read it to him. Sure they might figure it out eventually. : )
At least this learning curve is blessed with some giggles and not just a lot of frustration and temptation to use words that shows my not so ladylike attributes. This time round the lemons are nice and sweet. Just right for making lots of lemonade.
Well, with all that excitement behind us now. I bit you all a good night. May the lemons life throw at you this week all turn into lovely lemonade.
From Little old me.
Monday 29 August 2011
Sunday 28 August 2011
Some more Ramblings.
Just when you think you can get back to normal, life will proof that 'normal' is a relative term. We arrived safely back home and all seemed fine, only to have my pc die on me. Thankfully, I was blessed by a friend of mine, who have a spare pc available for me to use.
(He is a real wonder in our lives. Sometimes we wonder what we would do without him, and other times we wonder what to do with him. But we love him just the same. As a matter of fact, to my kids, he is their uncle, to my husband, a brother and to me, another child. He is such a big part in our lives, that we had him move in with us. So, if you hear me talk of my adopted brat (age 60 does not qualify him for bratling status)you know who it is.)
Well, after almost 3 days of struggling without my regular IT support on hand, I am now back online and ready to go. God has blessed me with skills I know I dont have to get to this point. I think my husband was doing some serious praying on the rig, to get me to this far.
The only problem I have now, is that I have so much to say to you all, about so many different subjects, that I don't know where to start...
Well, for one thing, who left the freezer door open? Man! It has been cold in Cape Town since we came back. Note to self: Next time you go on a tropical holiday, don't come back before winter isn't over!
I must confess I have been rather shocked by the temparature difference. Coming from 31 degrees to 13 degrees was not pleasant. The water in Malaysia was warmer than our weather! And I couldn't even see the snow to make up for suffering the cold.
Now that the ice is broken, what else can I talk about that has been brewing in my mind? How heavy a topic do I want to go for? The life-universe-and-everything kind of topic, of which I have plenty, or the more life-is-funny type of topic? Got plenty of those too...
Well, I think the one thing I learned this week is to respect my husband for what he does. Fixing broken pc's and computers in general must be a pain in the butt. Working on different keyboards, every time, a thousand times a day, must be a skill almost as impressive as playing a piano. Not to mention all the different screen settings. I forgot how nice I had my own pc set up. Going to hate having to find all the buttons to do it all over again. Took me almost 3 years to get my pc the way I liked it... Oh well, at least is the big brat blessed with the skill to do all this, for it brings home the bacon and I'm blessed to only have to suffer through it once in a blue moon.
Another thing that has me puzzled is why the month of August is so littered with birthdays?! I mean really, what is it that caused this? It is too early for good Christmas holiday results... In my direct family I have 5 birthdays, not to mention uncles, aunt and cousins. Two of which are my own bratlings! I lost count of all my friends who have August birthdays... If it weren't for Facebook, I would have a hard time keeping track. Although, galavanting as I did this month, I had to post a blanket birthday wish, as I missed most of their birthdays in anyway. That sort of happens when you are on a tropical island with limited internet access. Not that I complain about all of you! You are each a blessing in my life.
You know what else bugs me? How much clothes lands up in the washing basket over a weekend. Don't the family realise that Monday is linen day. Don't use up all the clothes in your cupboards please! But for some reason, on Saturday and Sunday, the kids get more messy? Am I the only one suffering from this?
Well, at least we are blessed with lots of clothes to wear, I maybe I should not complain too loudly.
Well, tomorrow we attempt to get life back to normal in our house. Or as normal as possible. Lets hope the fires will die down for a bit, so that I can have a smooth start.
Have a blessed week everyone. Hopefully, I will soon be back to my normal, regular ramblings.
From Little old me.
(He is a real wonder in our lives. Sometimes we wonder what we would do without him, and other times we wonder what to do with him. But we love him just the same. As a matter of fact, to my kids, he is their uncle, to my husband, a brother and to me, another child. He is such a big part in our lives, that we had him move in with us. So, if you hear me talk of my adopted brat (age 60 does not qualify him for bratling status)you know who it is.)
Well, after almost 3 days of struggling without my regular IT support on hand, I am now back online and ready to go. God has blessed me with skills I know I dont have to get to this point. I think my husband was doing some serious praying on the rig, to get me to this far.
The only problem I have now, is that I have so much to say to you all, about so many different subjects, that I don't know where to start...
Well, for one thing, who left the freezer door open? Man! It has been cold in Cape Town since we came back. Note to self: Next time you go on a tropical holiday, don't come back before winter isn't over!
I must confess I have been rather shocked by the temparature difference. Coming from 31 degrees to 13 degrees was not pleasant. The water in Malaysia was warmer than our weather! And I couldn't even see the snow to make up for suffering the cold.
Now that the ice is broken, what else can I talk about that has been brewing in my mind? How heavy a topic do I want to go for? The life-universe-and-everything kind of topic, of which I have plenty, or the more life-is-funny type of topic? Got plenty of those too...
Well, I think the one thing I learned this week is to respect my husband for what he does. Fixing broken pc's and computers in general must be a pain in the butt. Working on different keyboards, every time, a thousand times a day, must be a skill almost as impressive as playing a piano. Not to mention all the different screen settings. I forgot how nice I had my own pc set up. Going to hate having to find all the buttons to do it all over again. Took me almost 3 years to get my pc the way I liked it... Oh well, at least is the big brat blessed with the skill to do all this, for it brings home the bacon and I'm blessed to only have to suffer through it once in a blue moon.
Another thing that has me puzzled is why the month of August is so littered with birthdays?! I mean really, what is it that caused this? It is too early for good Christmas holiday results... In my direct family I have 5 birthdays, not to mention uncles, aunt and cousins. Two of which are my own bratlings! I lost count of all my friends who have August birthdays... If it weren't for Facebook, I would have a hard time keeping track. Although, galavanting as I did this month, I had to post a blanket birthday wish, as I missed most of their birthdays in anyway. That sort of happens when you are on a tropical island with limited internet access. Not that I complain about all of you! You are each a blessing in my life.
You know what else bugs me? How much clothes lands up in the washing basket over a weekend. Don't the family realise that Monday is linen day. Don't use up all the clothes in your cupboards please! But for some reason, on Saturday and Sunday, the kids get more messy? Am I the only one suffering from this?
Well, at least we are blessed with lots of clothes to wear, I maybe I should not complain too loudly.
Well, tomorrow we attempt to get life back to normal in our house. Or as normal as possible. Lets hope the fires will die down for a bit, so that I can have a smooth start.
Have a blessed week everyone. Hopefully, I will soon be back to my normal, regular ramblings.
From Little old me.
Wednesday 24 August 2011
Home Sweet Home
Well, there is nothing as nice as spending a month doing as little as possible on a tropical island, except coming home and sleeping in your own bed!!! No other bed ever sleeps the same as your own bed. It was bliss going to bed last night. Curling up under the duvet and smelling home all around me. Had the first real sleep in weeks, but who cares about sleep if you are lazing about in anyway.
The zoo looks like it survived. The only deaths was my old cockatial, who was probably older than we knew, and a goldfish that I expected to expire before we left already. I have two nests in the avery with eggs, so how many babies are on the way there?! And my ducks and dogs are doing the nature thing. The ducks lay eggs where ever they think is safe and the dogs go hunting their nests down and eat up the eggs as fast as the ducks can lay it... Thanks for that bit of nature, don't know what I will do with millions of ducklings around. Especially, since I'm not allowed to raise the ducks for the pot... Pity really, they taste delicious. I have a couple of good recipies to use.
The house is sparkling clean as my righthand had all her time to spend spring cleaning early. All the cupboards are need and the toys sorted. She must have really enjoyed the luxury of no interference. No kids getting in her way and messing up as she cleans.
A further blessing is that my husband has traveled safely back to Brazil and only needs to return to his rig on Friday, giving him a couple of days to get over his jet lag. Apparently he had great seats on both flights there. So glad he is getting some rest in. 11 hours time difference can kill you mentally.
The kids seems do be doing well. Still going to bed earlier than normal, but not too bad. Myself wish I can sleep for 24 hours...
But after the holiday we had, there is no reason for any complaints. This was the best holiday ever. A great time of relaxing and family time. Doing a lot of things that is a once in a life time experience. Seeing animals that even the local don't get to see often, made it an awesome experience for us all. We can only say a big THANK YOU GOD!!! He blessed us beyond our expectations and dreams.
The most amazing things was, as we asked for something, it happened. I jokingly asked for a turtle to turn up on a dive and I ended up spending 5 minutes swimming with one! My husband hopefully wished a flying squirrel to stay in one spot for photos and we got some amazing shots of this very shy animal. My son wished to see a flying gecko and we not only found one, but had the camera on hand to take photos as evidence.
The experiences we booked for in advance to enjoy in Singapore all went smoothly and left us buzzing for days afterwards. If the middle bratling didn't have ears he would have been a hamburger all holiday long. I don't think he will ever forget the month of his 8th birthday! Swimming with dolphins, snorkeling in snorkeling paradise, seeing wild animals roam freely and to end it of, having breakfast with orangutans on you birthday, somehow leaves a lasting impression. I think he was probably spoiled the most by God this time round. And best of all was to see how genuinely thankful he is for every little thing he got to experience.
The oldest bratling got to experience simulated skydiving in a wind tunnel with the big brat and then got to experience scuba diving in paradise. He felt all grown up afterwards. Left mom with a big knot in the throat to see him getting so big. I struggle to let go of him being my little, baby boy. And this is just the beginning. He has quite an adventurous spirit.
As for Madam bratling: Well, she got spoiled rotten by the locals and learned quite well to manipulate everyone around her with a full blown tantrum. Being home has brought back reality and she is busy realizing that here we all ignore 2 year old tantrums, no matter how hard you throw yourself on the floor kicking and screaming. Her vocabulary has grown amazingly and she now speaks sentences, only problem is that a couple of Malay words has sneaked into her speech. So if she tells you "mak-ka-si", she is not swearing at you, she is just saying thank you in Malay.
Now the big job of going through all the photos lays ahead. I have to process this soon, or else it will become a mess. Lets hope I get the time to do it all.
I'm glad to be back home and back on my social network. Missed you all in a small way.
From a cold Cape Town, I say goodnight everyone.
From Little Old Me...
The zoo looks like it survived. The only deaths was my old cockatial, who was probably older than we knew, and a goldfish that I expected to expire before we left already. I have two nests in the avery with eggs, so how many babies are on the way there?! And my ducks and dogs are doing the nature thing. The ducks lay eggs where ever they think is safe and the dogs go hunting their nests down and eat up the eggs as fast as the ducks can lay it... Thanks for that bit of nature, don't know what I will do with millions of ducklings around. Especially, since I'm not allowed to raise the ducks for the pot... Pity really, they taste delicious. I have a couple of good recipies to use.
The house is sparkling clean as my righthand had all her time to spend spring cleaning early. All the cupboards are need and the toys sorted. She must have really enjoyed the luxury of no interference. No kids getting in her way and messing up as she cleans.
A further blessing is that my husband has traveled safely back to Brazil and only needs to return to his rig on Friday, giving him a couple of days to get over his jet lag. Apparently he had great seats on both flights there. So glad he is getting some rest in. 11 hours time difference can kill you mentally.
The kids seems do be doing well. Still going to bed earlier than normal, but not too bad. Myself wish I can sleep for 24 hours...
But after the holiday we had, there is no reason for any complaints. This was the best holiday ever. A great time of relaxing and family time. Doing a lot of things that is a once in a life time experience. Seeing animals that even the local don't get to see often, made it an awesome experience for us all. We can only say a big THANK YOU GOD!!! He blessed us beyond our expectations and dreams.
The most amazing things was, as we asked for something, it happened. I jokingly asked for a turtle to turn up on a dive and I ended up spending 5 minutes swimming with one! My husband hopefully wished a flying squirrel to stay in one spot for photos and we got some amazing shots of this very shy animal. My son wished to see a flying gecko and we not only found one, but had the camera on hand to take photos as evidence.
The experiences we booked for in advance to enjoy in Singapore all went smoothly and left us buzzing for days afterwards. If the middle bratling didn't have ears he would have been a hamburger all holiday long. I don't think he will ever forget the month of his 8th birthday! Swimming with dolphins, snorkeling in snorkeling paradise, seeing wild animals roam freely and to end it of, having breakfast with orangutans on you birthday, somehow leaves a lasting impression. I think he was probably spoiled the most by God this time round. And best of all was to see how genuinely thankful he is for every little thing he got to experience.
The oldest bratling got to experience simulated skydiving in a wind tunnel with the big brat and then got to experience scuba diving in paradise. He felt all grown up afterwards. Left mom with a big knot in the throat to see him getting so big. I struggle to let go of him being my little, baby boy. And this is just the beginning. He has quite an adventurous spirit.
As for Madam bratling: Well, she got spoiled rotten by the locals and learned quite well to manipulate everyone around her with a full blown tantrum. Being home has brought back reality and she is busy realizing that here we all ignore 2 year old tantrums, no matter how hard you throw yourself on the floor kicking and screaming. Her vocabulary has grown amazingly and she now speaks sentences, only problem is that a couple of Malay words has sneaked into her speech. So if she tells you "mak-ka-si", she is not swearing at you, she is just saying thank you in Malay.
Now the big job of going through all the photos lays ahead. I have to process this soon, or else it will become a mess. Lets hope I get the time to do it all.
I'm glad to be back home and back on my social network. Missed you all in a small way.
From a cold Cape Town, I say goodnight everyone.
From Little Old Me...
Saturday 6 August 2011
From under my coconut tree
Hi All
Well, here I am. Relaxing under my very own coconut tree. The morning breeze is blowing softly in my hair, the husband has the 3 bratlings and I can just relax and contemplate how good life is. God has truly blessed us with this break.
We had a wonderful, problem free travel to get here. The smallest two bratlings slept for most of the big stretches and managed to behave during the small stretches. The big brats got little sleep, but we coped, because we had had time to catch up on everything. The bags traveled safely, under God's protection from all the prayers it received. And everything went smooth at all the check points.
Singapore was amazing and the boys were thoroughly spoiled as bratlings should be. There was a 30 minute swim with dolphins, riding them, and kissing them. Then there was the skydive experience in a wind tunnel, that had them buzzing for hours afterwards. China Town and all its marvels had them open mouthed running from stand to stand. Bugis street, the food centres, the backpackers, the speedy trains, too many other experiences to name, all overwhelmed our senses. Then came the bus ride to Malaysia and the ferry ride on to the island of Tioman.
Everything went smoothly, and we arrived with more than enough time to find a cabin or two for the family, pack off and go for our first snorkel in crystal clear waters. I could here my marine dragon shouting from across the bay how "awesome" it is. (As a matter of fact, everyone on the beach heard him!)
Yesterday, was the first day the big brats managed to escape the bratlings and went for our first scuba dives. Two beautiful dives with many amazing sights to see. Can't believe how many breathtaking creatures God hides under the water. It is an awesome experience. Seeing all these things, just makes me realise how much we don't know about God.
All I can say is that this life is truly blessed and we thank God or every moment we have. Thank you Lord for the rest we are receiving and the wonderful family time we are having. Thank you, that you have deemed us worthy of this.
And so I say goodbye for now, my friends, as I return to the sun and the sea and the coconut trees.
From under my coconut tree, signing out is Little old me.
Well, here I am. Relaxing under my very own coconut tree. The morning breeze is blowing softly in my hair, the husband has the 3 bratlings and I can just relax and contemplate how good life is. God has truly blessed us with this break.
We had a wonderful, problem free travel to get here. The smallest two bratlings slept for most of the big stretches and managed to behave during the small stretches. The big brats got little sleep, but we coped, because we had had time to catch up on everything. The bags traveled safely, under God's protection from all the prayers it received. And everything went smooth at all the check points.
Singapore was amazing and the boys were thoroughly spoiled as bratlings should be. There was a 30 minute swim with dolphins, riding them, and kissing them. Then there was the skydive experience in a wind tunnel, that had them buzzing for hours afterwards. China Town and all its marvels had them open mouthed running from stand to stand. Bugis street, the food centres, the backpackers, the speedy trains, too many other experiences to name, all overwhelmed our senses. Then came the bus ride to Malaysia and the ferry ride on to the island of Tioman.
Everything went smoothly, and we arrived with more than enough time to find a cabin or two for the family, pack off and go for our first snorkel in crystal clear waters. I could here my marine dragon shouting from across the bay how "awesome" it is. (As a matter of fact, everyone on the beach heard him!)
Yesterday, was the first day the big brats managed to escape the bratlings and went for our first scuba dives. Two beautiful dives with many amazing sights to see. Can't believe how many breathtaking creatures God hides under the water. It is an awesome experience. Seeing all these things, just makes me realise how much we don't know about God.
All I can say is that this life is truly blessed and we thank God or every moment we have. Thank you Lord for the rest we are receiving and the wonderful family time we are having. Thank you, that you have deemed us worthy of this.
And so I say goodbye for now, my friends, as I return to the sun and the sea and the coconut trees.
From under my coconut tree, signing out is Little old me.
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