DIY lantern

Last Friday, Brendan came home from school with some colour paper and a basic craft guide to make lantern. This was part of their art class project.

This was to instill the creativity in the kids to adopt ideas so they could further explore participating in an up-coming lantern competition in school.

We had a residents coomunity gathering last night and I was able to gather some ideas after being  impressed by the many creative submissions using all sort of recycled stuffs like egg cartons, alumunium tin, mineral water bottle, yogurt packs, woven rattans, paper plates, wooden chopsticks, transparent coloured paper and even DIY battery operated lanterns!

Anyway, Brendan was so into making his paper lantern that I had to forced him to take his dinner first, shower before he continued. He eventually got tired and asked me to help him. We managed to finish the task together the next morning.

I suddenly realised that I've been lacking in doing craft work with my kids after the lantern making session with Brendan. Gosh, I guess I have to start exploring it again after being so complacent al these while.

Brendan and his half-way done paper lantern

Fixing on the 'pin' to the bottom of the cardboard for putting candle.

Tah dah!! Brendan's end-result.

Not too bad for a first-timer huh? He's not willing to put a candle in it for fear of his hard-work all burning away.

Here's a pic of some lovely home-made mooncake goodies made by the kids' ex-nanny. Too cute to eat.. My kids just love the plain mooncake. Gosh, I feel so 'jelak' over it, but they can just go on eating them everyday.

Here's wishing everyone a wonderful mid-autumn festival!

Selamat Hari Raya to all..

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Wishing you and family and happy and blessed Chinese New Year, filled with abundance of good health, wealth and prosperity!

GONG XI FA CAI!

It's year end already

In just a few days' time, it will be another brand new year. While I try not to think too much about it and enjoy my December break, it's now back to reality.

Anyway, Christmas this year was a quiet affair for us as we had to skip a Christmas lunch and headed to Penang to visit my sis there.

Christmas set in when we took the kids to Midvalley, Sunway and Curve to see the decorations. The constant bickering at home is already driving me up the wall this holiday season, and their frequent pestering to go 'kai-kai' to see Christmas decorations is just those little delights for the kids. Just having the opportunity to step out of the house to go 'kai-kai' for them bring so much joy to their little faces.

The kids were moody at Sunway except for the second time when we sent to Sunway Lagoon night park where they were beaming with joy.

Eryn loved her photo with the 'golden angel' taken above.

Midvalley was packed with people but I personally loved the ambience there.

Gardens was more quiet which makes it more soothing.

Holiday mood

Yes, we're all in a holiday mood at home. I haven't been getting much work done, and been at home busy with the kids and doing some reading while the kids turn the house upside down! haha...

It's a wonderful feeling and after visiting Midvalley yesterday, it makes me so dreamy of Christmas and not doing anything. Oh boy, just can't imagine the hectic schedule I'll have to draft for myself come 2010.

I took this photo at Midvalley using my camera phone. My own camera has almost gone kaput and though I do wish for a brand new one, I've decided to just stay put with my ever-handy handphone with a camera function. Never mind the lousy turn-out. Afterall, it's the memories that are for keeps..

Chap Goh Meh

It's chap goh meh (the 15th day of the chinese lunar year) and it happens to be a holiday! Wow, another year has passed and I shudder to think that age is actually catching up slowly, but surely.

I'm no longer that energetic person I used to be, going here and there and visiting here and there. I'd rather stay home and just take it easy. Actually, I attended the Selangor open house for the first time in my life at Sunway two days ago, not even knowing what I went there for. I was taken in by my aunt who told me to take my mum and kids to see some lion dance performance. The lion dance troupe were superb but the crowd was madness.

I remember CNY the way it used to be when I was little. My grandparents house were in the middle of some kampung, surrounded by lots and lots of trees and neighbours were far apart. My grandma and aunts would slaughter dozens of chicken and ducks and prepare a grand feast. We were always so excited on the first and second day of CNY, waking up early, shower and dress in our new and beautiful clothes that my mum would make for us.

Most of my 13 aunts and uncles would turn up at my grandparents' place. We kids will have a hell of a time, running around the kampung like we always do. Firecrackers were aplenty. We also observed the traditional CNY stuffs like not sweeping on the first few days of CNY, not washing our hair on the first day, and eating what we call CNY food which actually bore meanings.

Those were the days....

credits here

2009 - year of the Golden Ox

I hear the sound of firecrackers from afar. But there's not many of it and it seems pretty quiet this year compared to the past year.

This year, we left for KB on Friday night 9pm, stopped for an hour plus at a petrol station near Gua Musang and proceed back to hubby's hometown. We arrived there at around 6am!! I hate the long journey there. Oh boy... CNY in KB is very different - the mood is not really there, maybe the chinese celebrate it in their own way, the Kelantanese style, and food is basically Kelantanese food. Well, not the typical chinese celebration but more of the Kelantanese style. The migration of chinese from China to this part of the world has definitely changed their mindset and lifestyle, even weddings are different! At least for me.....

We headed back to Kluang on the 3rd day of CNY, i.e. on Wednesday. That's always the most wonderful part of CNY where we get to embrace the full chinese new year atmosphere. Food was aplenty, and my dad will cook up a storm of dishes. Prawns, hainanese chicken, mixed vegs, fish, noodles, sea cucumber, spring roll and more are a must every CNY. All home-cooked and yummy..

It was a great time of get -together once again. We had a gathering in an aunt's house. Out of the 13 aunts and uncles and 41 cousins plus around 20 grand-cousins, only a quarter of us were there, but that was enough to bring up the mood and environment.

The kids had fever in KB caused by viral infection, followed by cough and flu. Brendan even vomitted a few times. There's lack of water there and I suspect that the water there is very unhygienic. Overall, they enjoyed their trip - the eating, the playing, the dancing and more..

I'm just hoping that this Ox year will be one that will wade through the rocky waves and comes out bullish in the coming years...

Family gathering - part of my mum's family

Brendan and Eryn with my good friends' kids. Brendan and Keysha are born 2 months apart. Eryn and Chloe are born 2 months apart as well.

Brendan & Eryn playing with some of my cousins' kids

The kids buckled up in their seat belts with their poh-poh behind.

Merry Christmas

Wishing everyone a Blessed Christmas....

Selamat Hari Raya

Here's wishing all our Muslim friends Selamat Hari Raya, especially to my "feel good" ex-colleagues (you know who you are) and my old classmates whom I've not met for the past 15-22 years, until Facebook came along and connected us all!

Also, drive safely to those who are travelling and Happy Holidays to everyone!

Oh, and these are the two little chinese kids in their indian costumes wishing our Malay friends Selamat Hari Raya!

Mid-autumn festival fun

Mooncakes

Mooncake festival is around the corner... Eryn's nanny makes a wonderful cook and baker. She made mooncakes and gave us so many to try. Her mooncakes are biscuits are really yummy, with just the right texture and not too sweet.

We also ordered 3 boxes of mooncakes with some animal-shaped mooncakes.

Brendan's and Eryn's favourite are the animal-shaped mooncakes. I like her yam filling, with a nice and fluffy pastry on the outside.

Nothing beats home-made mooncakes..

Christmas outing

This Christmas season, we spent most of our time at home. We only took the kids out on Christmas eve to see the lights and decoration in Sunway Pyramid. It was just so tiring for us everyday to think about taking them out until we decided that we should at least give the kids a small treat by taking them out for a little while... :P

Christmas day was basically food, food and more food. We went to one of my childhood friend's open house whom I've not seen for almost ten years in Klang and it was a pleasant visit to her. We went for another open house at night to hubby's ex-colleague's house.

This Christmas, I just wanted a nice quiet time at home with the kids and this year, this meant something special to me cos we are spending time together in our brand new home.

CNY in Kluang

Brendan and Eryn are usually in their old clothes. So, it's always nice to see them when they're dressed up quite presentable for the camera.

They seldom wear socks and wearing socks is like being so "cantik". They would proudly parade around the house and stare at the socks on their feet! But it doesn't last long cos the heat would make their feet all sweaty and uncomfortable and they would asked it to be taken out.

Christmas 2006

A lovely picture of Brendan hugging Eryn on Christmas morning.

Christmas party

Brendan and Eryn had a good time dancing away at a Christmas party in a golf club in mummy's kampung. It was their first time watching Christmas Carollers singing away. While all the other children were playing games and watching for Santa Claus and the adults sitting and chatting among each other, Brendan and Eryn were the only listeners and supporters of the carollers.

Tanglungs

Just a memorable week of the kids having fun with lanterns, doesn't matter if they're lighted up, squashed, torn, burnt, etc... For Eryn, she's even happy just holding the stick without the lantern!

Back to work after CNY

There's always a feeling of being lazy to go to work after such a long break. Coming back to work reminds me that THIS is the real world! I'm already looking forward to another long holiday......

This year's happiness during the CNY break is doubled cos I share the added happiness which comes from my two lovely kids. I don't think Eryn knows what all the visiting, noises, eating and fireworks are all about but she sure enjoys herself everywhere we go! Brendan, on the other hand, loves those mandarin oranges and soft drink which we rarely give to him.

The smiles.... the warmth..... the joy....... I'm blessed with so much wealth this year.... Intangible wealth only a mother can understand and experience....

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Here's wishing everyone a very blessed Gong Hee Fatt Choy!

I've been so tied up at work that I've no time for myself anymore, whatmore checking personal emails, catching up with e-friends and doing one of my favourite stuffs - blogging. Seems like a looong time that I've been away from here.

I'm back home in my homey hometown with my two kids at my parents place. Well, we didn't go back to my hubby's hometown this year as I was down with a bad case of flu and the long journey would wear me and the kids down. So, it's a real refresher for me here, away form work, away from the jam, away from the daily routine......

Gosh, I'm really wondering how the jam would be like once I travel back to KL. To come back to my hometown, we had to travel in two cars! No joke! Never know we have so much things to bring here and there. With two kids, you can never expect how full your car can be.

I've been eating and eating and munching and munching. Brendan too has been eating all day long. Oh boy, am feeling a little lazy nowadays after all the feasting and merry-making.

Anyway, back to some work now. Gotta feed my little gal....

Here's wishing everyone a good doggy year ahead...

New Year 2006

It’s a brand new year and I wish for a brand new me. Things at work have been quite uncertain for me and I do wonder where this year will head on. I’m starting work officially at a new environment in 2 days time. Same company, different situation, different environment, different location, different experience. I’ve no resolutions to set this year. I’ve no time to sit and think carefully about any resolutions actually.

There are so many things on my mind, and I’m trying to reorganize myself at this point of time.

Currently, I’m pretty much contented with the time I’m spending with my kids and contented that my mum is still so kind to help us out with the kids while we work, The kids alone are a blessing to me and it over-rules all other worries I always have.

Here’s taking the opportunity share with you one of my favourite sms greetings of all time :

“GOD will be ABOVE you – to BLESS you,
BELOW you – to SUPPORT you,
BEFORE you to GUIDE you,
BEHIND you, to PROTECT you,
BESIDE you – to COMFORT you,
And INSIDE you – to SUSTAIN you.

HAVE A BLESSED YEAR AHEAD EVERYONE!

New Year's Eve

Instead of going out for a night’s fun, the whole family decided to stay in to watch Lord Of The Ring on tv and wait for the clock to strike midnight. The kids had been out too much before Christmas and in one 3-days-in-a-row outing where we’d been back late, Eryn had been sleeping at midnight since that outing until now. So, we are trying to “retune” her sleeping schedule.

Our apartment is situated on a hill and we had the lucky opportunity to view various fireworks going on at the padang near our house, at another nearby hill situated not far from where we are as well as fireworks at Sunway, Bukit Jalil and some unknown location. Brendan and Eryn had already fallen asleep when it was almost midnight.

Suddenly, there were sounds of firecrackers and while watching tv, we saw fireworks at around midnight. Brendan loves looking at fireworks and we tried to wake Brendan up. As he was so sleepy, we had to carry him out of bed. After swinging his head from side to side, up and down for few good minutes, he finally fluttered his eyes to see what the loud voices and fusses were all about. At the sight of the beautiful fireworks, he immediately opened his eye big-big and started pointed here and there up in the sky, going “wah!..... wah!......cantik-cantik…..”

With the loud noises and the “wahs” and “ooooos” and “cantik-cantik”, Eryn too woke up from her sleep. We too carried her to the balcony to join in the family fun of fireworks-watching. After more than half hour, they both dozed off to sleep happily.