(2008/06) June 2008

<font color="aa00aa">Wah, so many mummies start popping out. And somemore with good news.

MLP, congratulations! Do enjoy ur pregnancy.

Crystal,
Thanks for the details on the maid. Now still decision whether next time to get a maid or not coz had an uneasy feeling living with a stranger.
But without my MIL, i cant cope with 2 monsters at home! YuJie is becoming more and more fierce.</font>
 


Bonjovi,
You are not that old lah.
As for my girl's PG teacher oso not fantastic. I was super pissed on the 1st day. But I think the main thing is for her to socialise with kids her age. They dun do much too. So I tot no harm. Let me work hard to source for a good nursery. *Self-comfort. Hoho.

feifei,
You bringing Char? I am worried that Lil ZuEn duno how to appreciate and waste my $$.

Tera,
You should look at the impreesive look on my hb's face when I started singing while watching the VCD. Hohoho.

Ellysia,
Just my opinion. Somehow we just make do with life leh. Got $ or no $, life still goes on. Just like how my parents managed to bring me and my siblings up despite us being poor when we were young. So, dun let $$ stop you from having no. 2. Of course easier said than done lah.
Jia you, jia you!
 
poky,
just $150 a month for working mother,
I think there's 1 month deposit,
insurance less than $10 a year,
stationery $50 a year,
4 sets of uniform, 2 for morningm 2 for afternoon,
1 bedsheet....
I think that's about it...

http://www.lutheran.org.sg/index.php?option=com_content&amp;view=article&amp;id=71&amp;Itemid=94

HTH,
Leng Leng
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<font color="aa00aa">Zuen / Tera,
i m onto Doraemon, cos tat is all gwen is into now &amp; i ve so much VCDs &amp; stuff on Doraemon. hey, i know all the characters in Doraemon now, their names &amp; characters too. LOL!

yes, regardless boy or ger, wat is most impt is tat the bb is healthy &amp; happy.
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Tera,
*loadful of bb dust over to u too*
psss: if u wan princesses, i send over extra loads of girly dust too...kekekekek
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hope to hear good news from u soon.

bonjovi,
did u say #3? nah, 2 is more than enff although hb &amp; me love kids. 1 gwen is enf to turn my life upside down. 2 gwens will make me bonkers. if #3 appear, u may just find me checking into the mental hm. hahahahhahaaa!!!!!!

Felicia,
no worries. for me maid is a no choice option. so ve to learn to live wif a stranger ard the hse. definitely less privacy than previously but looking on the positive side, u get more free time to spend wif the kids rather than bogged down by hsework. if not for #2, i was intending to release tis maid of mine when her contract ends cos gwen going N1 in 2011. but wif #2, bo pian ve to carry on wif the additional expenses of both sch fees &amp; maid cost. perhaps when #2 reach N1, i will finally get to get rid of maid for good.
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Zu En

Ya but sometimes i tink of the hardship i went through, i tink whether it is worth it so struggle with 2 kids when there is not enuff money. If there is not enuff money then struggle to have 2 kids may utimately bring unhappiness to them rather than the company of 2.

And previously we r toking abt 2 kids or more so tat they can share their parents burden. But if sibling is not co-operative/helpful or like my case my brother has depression n unable to work, i myself still have to struggle with parents + brother. Tis is even worst than if there is no sibling.

I love to have 1 more but after doing the sums, really not enuff and will be struggling to let ah boy go nursery ored, let alone no 2. Plus MIL may not be in the condition to take care, so if got no 2 tat means 1 infant care, 1 child care, need to chalk up $1000++. though me and hb earn quite ok, but we still need to pay our renovation loan, car loan, my study loan. Plus car maintenance. My parents i paying their whole house bills + allowance is ored $1K++.

Tats why i feel v sad sometimes, i always mention no 2 no 2.. but down at heart i know its v difficult to have another one. haiz.
 
Toking abt nursery..

me have a problem lor. If want to enrol yu zhe in N1, it will be year 2011, but year 2011 my MIL is moving house. her new house target end 2011 but may be earlier. Then i have to switch school or he may not have school for some time until the new school got vacancy. So i dunno whether it is ok for me to straight enrol him in N2 at the new house in year 2012. Will it be too late for him to start school?
 
ZuEn,
yup, i bringing her there cos below 2 is foc lor..and I haven been to one b4 so go lor..hee..

Tera,
u trying for #2? Jiayou =).
 
Felicia,
I agreed with Crystal. It is about getting used to. Before I have my girl, I was dead against the idea of a maid, no privacy and stuff. So yu can imagine how rejective my mum would even be about getting a maid. But bo bian and we all adjust to it and the extra pair of hands really make a difference.

Ellysia,
All I can say is that we all make do with life, $$ or not. It is all about choices. What to take and what to forgo lor.
With a maid, we are leaving my girl alone with her in the afternoon. If you ask if I really fang xin meh, the answer is "no". But we all make do and take the best option avaiable.
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Feifei,
I scare Lil ZuEn dun want to watch then we have to leave. I bring her to BP and she's not interested in those performances leh. She was looking more at the audiences. haha.
 
Buttercup,
yep. n i will hv to attend the last lesson without u mommies, unless u all sign another pkg... lol.. think we shld prepare out cam the nxt round.... then can a shot of the "bro n sis" together in the action... hahaha

feifei
yep.. think so,,, so this wkend class, will juz update Has that we stick to havin all lesson at tanglin then...

leng leng
can ask wat "HTH" stand for??

went into the site u posted. Juz realise it a church childcare..... is the environment religious-like??

sigh... this mornin juz had an "agrument" with hubby on the issue.... i hope to place my gal in full day. but hubby want only playgroup... cos he want her to have "very gd bond" with his family... i hv no issue with the bonds.. but hv a issue with their upbringin methods... sigh....
 
poky,
u won't be joining us for e last lesson?when? tot u said 23rd u not joining onli wor =)...Char is having slight flu lor, i hope by sat she is ok if not we won't be coming to class le..I tried to call Has just now but was told she will be in at 3pm..wan to ask her abt e flashcard and ask if char is sick, got makeup lesson anot..hee..

Ahyo, dun agrue lor ger..hmm..or u tell him full day cc has m ore subsidy also lor..Playgroup not subsidy wor...At least in cc, she can be more discipline...

Tell u hor, my ger getting to worst, yest brought her to suntec, and then robinson..at the toys section, she say some bags for kids, she sling and carried 5 bags at one go and refuse to put down..End up i hv to bluff her and then took out some by force, end up she was screaming in Robinson and everyone look at us...haiz...Managed to buy a cane yest... this ger of mine still can smile at e cane cos she tot its a toy...

lengleng,
=)..saw u hv a BP on e thermos tirtain bottle..is this gd?
 
zuen,
actually i also scare lor, but then everything has the 1st time thought this "first time" bery ex lor..hv to let them try out de..especially if its totally dark onli stage hv lights cos my ger bery timid u know...can't stand it..she even scar eof trees now..hiaz... =(..
 
Just to share! There will be a Fun in the Sun Bazaar this weekend Jan 16 - 17, 2010 at East Coast Park Big Splash area. There will be over 70 stalls ranging from baby/ kid items to face painting. Come drop by and pick something up! There will be new and preloved items for sale. The bazaar starts at 10 am on both days !
 
crystal,
yes yes, i want girly dust!! *grab grab*
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feifei,
been trying on-off. i'm kind of stuck cos i hope to get a new job soon as my current job needs to be on shift. have already feedbacked to my boss that the shift hours are not working out for me but not sure if something can be worked out. if i do change job, i'll prob try middle of this year onwards. will store the baby dust first, hehe.

nowadays lucas also very naughty. after we scold him, he will try to bite me. *shake head*

LOL, char still thot the cane is a toy. :p
 
My boy will shout back at us when we scold him.

If he is out of control, I will beat his buttock.

Got one time i beat his hand, then he beat his own hand.. (*_*)
 
Tera,
i see...hmm, ya lor, cos if find new job, #2 plan hv to put on hold le..hmm... tink our kids are stepping into e terrible 2 stage liao..scary...

Ya lor, when we scold char she will mumble and cry lor, onli seen her beat my mil once when mil scolded her, then i beat her hands on e spot..hiaz..
 
Feifei,
Haha, you so funny. I also scare Lil ZuEn get bored easily and want to do something else. I think I save my "ist time" to a later time. ;p
 
<font color="aa00aa">crystal/ ZuEn,

Well, i think i'm able to get used to a maid faster than my hubby coz after all maid is a woman. I think my hubby would be the one not so comfortable. Anyhow, just have to do with what is the best lor.

feifei,
YuJie same as Char, tot that cane is toy. But i realised now YuJie can sense and know when i'm angry at her. Last time when i scold her she stil smile at me, but recently she'll keep quiet and move elsewhere.

Btw, anyone have janiviy's website? I mean for the cake? </font>
 
zuen,
hee

Felicia,
I tink now our kids wants to make decision wor..char kept on saying mai maimai..hiaz..

Tera,
Jan's cakes really bery nice hor..
 
<font color="aa00aa">hmmm...now contemplating if i shd get her to quote me one for gwen's 2nd bday wif a doraemon theme...thinking thinking thinking....</font>
 
Crystal,
no harm getting a quote.
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Gwen sure likes doraemon eh? I still rem the video where she 'bought' 2 of them. Hehe.

Zuen,
the June babies' birthday bash cake was baked by her. ;)
 
Congrats to all mummies who are expecting #2 =)

Feifei,
Your girl also like my boy when she just attended kindermusik ah? 4 lessons ah? wow.. I don’t think I have the patience to go thru the lessons with him if he reacts like what he did last Sat. Sigh. So tiring. Hee. I will give him a 2nd chance this sat =P

Ive also booked the Disney on ice yesterday ! Hehe. my boy loves mickey mouse clubhouse DVD… he will dance along the “hotdog dance”. Hee


Zuen,
Wow S$3k..envy also leh…eyes v big now. Hee
Hey think shauna changed a lot since birth hoh.
Now really a siao Mei Nu. =)

Tera,
Wheels on the bus..my boy’s fav too. now I also know the lyrics very well.

Ellysia,
i also envy for those who are going for #2. Now is a good time for a 2nd one.2 to 3 years gap is just nice. But mil not taking care of my boy very soon. Already a headache for me.
Sometimes even hinting to me not to plan for a 2nd one. =(((
Looking around for a CC now. If #2 comes, also “bu fang xin” leave newborn with my maid. But without maid I don’t think I can cope alone at home cos my hubby works late everyday and even weekends. Sigh…

Poky,
Can start w half day CC 1st?
 
<font color="aa00aa">Actually i'm getting the website to recommeded to my collegue. Coz she's looking for cakes for her soon to be 1 yr old boy.

But hor, u all reminded me maybe i shld get quote from her for my #1 oso. hehe...</font>
 
leng leng,
oic.. thx. =)

feifei,
not that i not joinin u mommies for ur last lesson. but if none of u got "defer" one lesson, like me, then my 7th session will b ur last sessin liao lor....

We r allowed to hv make up lesson. but cant remember the condition. Hv to ck up with the school. =p

sigh... originally, when my gal is still infant, i prefer her to b home care while i back at work.. but now, she not that "small" liao. so can let her b taken care at child care. we intendin to let her mix with other children, start learnin to b away from any of us. but hv to pay another $180 per mth on top of the expenses now for the 2hrs playgroup, dun find it worth or necessary... would rather "transfer" the sum we givin inlaw for takin care of xuan to the school fees acc. cos the 2 hrs coincide with her nap time or feedin time. so she b more likely to b lao gei than mixin ard.... if academically, with only 2hrs, how can the school really teach her anythin??
then another issue is that i not comfortable with the "hygiene" condition n "qin cai" attitude at inlaw place... call me paranoid. =p

so now, hv to wait for the nxt round of "discussion" with hubby, b4 our next step... hopefully, i win.. haha else, meet halfway, to sent her to half day. then pray mil find it a hassle to fetch my gal every day from the center.. n prefer us to put her full day there.... =p

or,,, if 2nd one come along... then i got excuse that mil cant take care of both kiddos?? kekeke

eve,
actually, plannin to put xuan in half day first for 3mths, b4 convertin to full day... so that she has 3mths to get use first.... but hubby only want playgroup.... sigh...

Re: cake
speakin of cake.. remind me to faster master my "skills" in bakin a edible cake... i bake one mini one for my gal 1st yr, cos in the end, only 2families celebrate hvin buffet... so the cake only for show.... no one need to stuff it down... but cant expect every yr for show ba....

anyone have bakin skills?? can teach me??? =p
 
eve,
my boy is severely addicted to WOTB (wheels on the bus)! this morning, when we had trouble waking him, hubby switched on the dvd and viola, he immediately woke up laughing!! *faint*

we also switched it on recently (cos hubby converted it into his HP) to let him watch while he had his hair cut and thank goodness for Beep (hehe), my boy was ok with the hair cut, did not cry much - he used to cry throughout the entire hair cut.

your boy is named spencer right?
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does he watch it often? any fav episodes? now my boy when he watched the series and some parts he like, eg jasper performing some tricks, he will laugh very loud, hehe.

haha, i also like the hotdog song, very catchy! and the way the disney characters will dance.

poky,
can understand your reasoning cos i also prefer full day cc with same reasons as yours. guess now just got to wait for 2nd round of discussion with hubby. maybe can sound out your MIL's view. if she's also for full-day, then maybe ur hubby might also relent? just some thots.
 
Eve,
ya lor, the 5th lesson then she got used to it..hehe...Things will get better ya =)...

Wow, when u going?I bot the Cat 2 tickets cos Cat 1 too ex le..hee

poky,
u can ask zuen cos she bake nice cuppies too =0.

Hmm, i agree with u that playgroup can't learnt much lor cos by the time they settled down will be 30mins later so in 1.5hrs their learning is at a minimum..alot of parents sent their kids to palygroup just wan them to mix ard, get used to sch lor... For me, I wan char to be more independent, let me tell u the reason. My mil still washes char's hair like at infant stage where she carries her horizontally..i told her many times now char big liao, can wash with shwoer head lor...There was a certain period where I hv successfully wash char's hair with shower head without much screaming..But char screams when my mil washes her hair, so my mil's reason of reverting the old method was becos char screaming, then cannot wash properly on the top etc...So now i told her, better to start usign the shower head, else go cc, no need to bath liao..Now she tries to do it but char does scream lor..Even wkends when i bath her, she screams came and hug me making me wet, but i wipe her eyes, nose n ears asap, after awhile she's ok le..hiaz...

Next is, when char ask my mil to "take" things, 99% she can get wat she wants, so she expect her daddy and me will do e same..if we dun, she scream and lao gei..We bo chap her and let her cry, then she would quiet down cos we dun bother abt her...hehe...
 
I will put him at nursery, skipping the playgroup. But not sure whether to start with N1 or N2.

I will be more worried if the teaching hrs is long.. cos kids at this age shouldn't have formal lessons for too long.

Eve

can put at infant care lor, but its another cost.
 
feifei

Now my hb will bathe together with my boy using shower head but my boy prefer my hb to carry him while bathing. occasionally he is ok to stand in shower. We told MIL but MIL is unable to use the shower head bec' she can't shower together then also my boy use a lot of strength rebellious. so she still using bathtub i tink. But my boy is ok with shower head at home.

Maybe u want to let yr gal try to play those water playground, for e.g. the one at IMM is quite good.. a lot of water splashing etc. we let our boy tried to overcome his fear of water.
 
poky

I am practicing my cake baking skills too. But i baking vegan cake (no egg and no dairy) so its a more difficult challenge.
 
Poky,
Maybe u can bring them to the cc and let them "experience" the place? to see how independant the kids are etc? umm... for me i would also prefer CC to playgroup.
But i would still wish my boy can b taken care by my mil for the time being. hee

Tera,
Wah, good leh. use WTOB to divert his attn while having his hair cut!
yeah my boy spenser. What about urs?!
Oh I have all 3 DVDs.
my boy likes the balloons tie to the bus then it goes 10,9,8....then high up in the sky! u know which im referring to? hahhahah
THe girl Coco v pretty hoh...

Recently mickey his fav loh. when it comes to meal time, he will ask my maid to on it for him. then he will go "oh toodles" (by putting his hands to cover his mouth).
He will goes "dog" when theres hot dog dance. hehe

Feifei,
Me too. i got the Cat 2. Got 10% disc for early birds mah. yest saw the advertisemt, then kiasu hurry to book it online. =P hope my boy will like it. =)
 
Eve,
u got me confused a while cos the WOTB series i have got no Coco wor, haha. i just googled and found that yours is a different series from mine. and silly me kept thinking there's only 1 WOTB series. hmm, maybe i should check yours out!

my boy is lucas.
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actually, the mickey mouse clubhouse is quite educational i find. i saw some episode where they taught colour and shapes. quite good!

feifei,
good training to shower from shower head esp for going to cc. my maid like your MIL also like to shower him like baby.
 
Tera,
I know liao. yours is the one with red bus.
the one that lucas watch i think is animations am i correct?
theres another series with muppets? got mango (monkey) , papaya(parrot) and the pretty coco jiejie.
Got get it! nice! think lucas will like it. =)

ya mickey clubhouse quite educational. theres fishing = counting, rainbow episode = colors.
My boy also likes Pete (the super big sized dog). haha
 
Morning ladies..

Eve,Tera,
There are 2 types of WOTB wor...The one i have is the Beep one, I tink its the same as tera's =)..hehe..

Tera,
ya lor, so now have to start training her all over again lor...

Ellysia,
I see...cos during bathing have to be really careful cos the floor is wet and might be slippery lor..
 
Morning feifei.
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Poky,
I can only make cupcakes and I dun think they are fantastic. My buttercream keeps melting and I haven found a way to prevent the melting. Are you into baking too? Any tips on the melting buttercream?
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But baking and decorating cakes is in my list of "one of the things that I want to do before I hit 55 yrs old". LOL!

Ellysia,
IMM playgroup is super expensive lor. I got a shock of my life when I saw that their half day CC is $900+ after subsidy.

Re: Shower standing up
Give them a toy while showering to play with water. It might help. And make them look down at their toy while you wash the shampoo off. That is what I do for Lil ZuEn lah. Hehe.
 
tera,
ya hor.... c if can rope mil onto my side for the cc... hahah thx for the idea! =)

feifei,
my mil also stil use bath tub for my gal... cos their bathroom quite "packed" with tubs... so she bath my gal in the livin room/bedrm....
whether she shampoo her the way for infant now... i duno liao....

my gal also hates the water comin down from her head when we bath her using shower at home. when aimed at body, she ok. but comes to head, she scream liao.... after the jap trip, hubby realise she feel more comfy with sittin down while showering her head.. guess being able to sit firmly, instead of standin on slippery flr put her less on guard?? so we continue to use a stool while she shower. at least she only wimp some instead of screamin SOS...

to overcome her water fear,, we being tryin to bring her regularly to water pools to get used to the water down her head... but so far.... she willin to wade across the pool... but when goin under those "water playground", scream again liao...

ellysia
haha.. i find the chore of washin up after the baking experiment is alrdy jiatlat.. but the job of findin people to finish up the end pdt even more hard..... throw, i feel sayang... so usually i bake fri nite... so that i can bring over to my parents place for them to "share".... hahahah

eve,
cos targetin on playgroups n cc r different. if two types need to find,, then i think 1 day "orientation" v hard liao... so if can juz zoom n focus findin one type of center, easier...

if my child is a boy, then i dun mind being taken care by mil till he enter nursury or kindergarten.. but cos xuan is a gal, i still feel hv to take the attitude of being safe then being sorry later. i know they wldnt want anything happen to her. but sometimes, things they take for granted or as a habit of how they live, dosent seem "safe" or "appropriate" for me..... n i believe if i "set" the rules for some changes to them,, they might take it as an offence, or feel tat i think too much, either way, it will strain the relationship. =(

ZuEn,
i into bakin "decor" only... when comes to eat... not a fan at all.... buttercream did once, but cant remember how the texture cos quite somtime back, n i use a little for fillin, the rest, pass to my family for them to eat with bread liao... hahaha

i really hope that i can make a edible presentable cake for my kid"s" birthday..... always c those fondant cake by other, so pretty n special...

u can make cupcakes alrdy v gd. i tried cookies, cupcakes, cakes. so far, none sucessful... hahaha

i also suggested hubby to use toy while showerin xuan, but he dun want. cos he dun her to b in the shower for too long.. usually it juz a few mins business.... =(
 
Poky,
I hate eating the dressed up cupcakes too. The plain ones are ok especially right out of the oven. Hoho. I also passed to friends, family and colleagues to eat them. My girl is a fan of my cakes (or any cakes). Lol!

Just got chewed by my boss. Bad mood now. Pui!
 
<font color="aa00aa">Morning ladies!

ZuEn,
Cheer up! I believe your days will be smooth sailing from this moments on!

Re: Bathing
YuJie is a bath lover. Everytime we say 'bath lor', she'll be the 1st go to bathroom or rush to the room to take her towel. Then she'll try to 'lift up' her shirt but always fail.
Normally we'll let her stand while we shower her. Washing hair oso stand by shower from head. So far she's ok. Then during the weekend, occassionally i'll 'reward' her by giving her a bubble bath, let her soak and play in the tub fill with bubbles. She loves it.</font>
 
<font color="aa00aa">feifei,

I think i have no problem in washing her hair coz she had very very little hair. So very easy to wash lor. haha...
Her forehead still quite bald lor. Sometimes still got ppl ask me if she's a boy. *peng*</font>
 
poky

Same feeling. Washing the mixing bowl etc is quite a chore, esp with the cream etc. My hb always say the kitchen is like a warzone after baking. Then finding people to eat also same. I took some to let colleague try out. so i bake on sunday.

Fondant is not easy to make? I see instructions and videos but still not v sure how. So i sticking to buttercream frosting though mine is using veg margarine cos i need to make it dairy free. Previously i made a chocolate banana cake with chocolate frosting. now tinking to change the frosting to white frosting.

How do u make the decoration icing on top? i mean those coloured ones. or u using those pre-made ones from outside?

I considering to get figurines as usual then plus a little bit of icing design. can't do too complicate design yet, not v good at it.
 
My boy is still watching babytv at starhub channel 37. His fav is Louie world, and they teach many educational words etc. Recently my boy learn how to speak 'butterfly' but he say in 'bu-ter-fee' but i consider ored v good.
 
felicia,
Thanks babe.
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Bubble bath sounds so delicious.
Do you buy special shower foam to make bubble bath or just any kind and try to make alot of bubbles?
Lil ZuEn loves her tub too. We only let her sit in the tub when we need to kill time. Lol!
 
ellysia
i only experimented with marshmallow fondant... bought a box of ready-make fondant for back up in case my mashmarllow recipe failed... but that box stil unopened.. most likely only goin to use it for xuan 2nd yr bir cake liao....

for decor, i use the cutter mostly, then juz add "ready" figurine..... lolxx
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not try buttercream b4 for cake decor.. cos skills not there.. scare squeeze v ugly... also.. my impression is that buttercream v soft.. by the time transfered to another location, the decor might also "swayed" to one side...

is buttercream decor, easier to make? how abt handling while transfer to another place??

i recently saw another thread mentioning chocolate pic transferin.. look "simple"... may want to try also...
http://www.ehow.com/how_2330852_transfer-picture-using-chocolate.html
 
Poky,
I also never succeed with my buttercup before. Always melt until very messy. Haiz..
You baked the cakes?
I haven tried any cake baking before.
 


<font color="aa00aa">ZuEn,

I used the california bubble bath for her as she cant use oth brand of shower gel due to her ezcema. Sometimes she refused to come out from the tub.
Just few drop will do the wonder. My #1 loves it too. Always request me for bubble bath. I told her is expensive bath, can only do once in a while. haha....</font>
 

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