Chua Chu Kang Swimming Complex | Nanyang Dao | Hillion Mall | Lovebird is in the air

Brayden 9Y2M18D

Bevlynn 4Y11M14D

It was Mother's Day weekend. 

On Saturday after swimming, we decided to go Westmall for lunch. I wanted to have Nanyang Dao but the children and Hub wanted sushi. I was thinking how much I wanted to choose Nanyang Dao for Mother's Day meal; it's ok I'll just have what they wanted for now. 

The next day, we went to Chua Chu Kang swimming complex. This is our first time here. There is a wave pool with floats, children play pool, adult slide pool, spa jacuzzi pool and standard swimming pools. We really love the wave pool, Bray and Bev love floating in the yellow giant float. The waves were very strong too. 

Bray and Hub slide down the big slides. It looked fun.

Then we all got a good splash from the children play pool. 

We decided to leave by 6.30pm for dinner at Hillion Mall. We were running towards the bus stop to catch a bus. I had texted Jane one week earlier, wanted to plan Mother's Day together. But I got too busy with work and Bray's exam days, we did not managed to plan anything. 

I texted her on how's her Mother's Day. She asked if we'd like to have dinner together. I'd say yes, if she can come over to Hillion Mall to meet me. I did not want to pressure her as it was really very last minute for her to come out. 

I asked her what she'd like to have? She forwarded me the location of Nanyang Dao. I was taken aback, how coincidental? I thought what are the odds. The attraction is happening again. Hub looked at me, defeated. This was not something he'd like to have with the good selection of eateries in Hillion Mall. Afterall, it's Mother's Day so both mothers got to choose. Yay! We had our good fill of KL Hokkien Mee, Curry Mee and Char Koay Teow. The mothers were happy, so were the children. 

Also, one funny thing happened this weekend. 

I was home that day. Then a lovebird parrot flew in into our home. As I was approaching it, it flew and rested on my head. It didn't want to leave. The children loved it and wanted to keep it as pet. 

It was so gentle, flying onto everyone's head. It must have thought, ah such a nice looking "nests".

It's such a cute bird and not afraid of people. It stayed for one night, then flew off the next day. 

They'd say such an encounter means more luck and fortune are coming. Ong ah~~! 

Catch Up Before School | Story of the Lazy Boy | Oxygen Music Festival Competition | Speak to Win

Brayden 9Y2M8D

Bevlynn 4Y11M1D

After all the fun in USS theme park for 2 consecutive Sundays, Bray was complaining on Monday morning about being overly tired and he did not want to have breakfast before school. Me and Hub did not buy it. There was only 15 minutes left till school starts, I said "Ok, you can take all the time you'll need, we'll still follow the usual time to head out, you can catch up with us later. If you don't arrive by 7:30am, we'll leave your bag at the school's entrance. Do not forget to pick it up before entering school."

Me and Hub walked out and not long after, we saw from a distance, Bray walking in a fast pace trying to catch up with us. I told Hub let's hide at the store, we'll still keep watch. Very quickly, we saw him zooming past us and almost running now to catch up.... (He must be thinking how his parents can walk so quickly that he cannot see us at this point)

By now, we were the one trying to catch up with him. As he was almost reaching school, he turned around and started running the other direction, looking for us again. He did not noticed us, we had to call out to him. We can see the panic in his face suddenly turned into relief. We simply laughed "What happened to the tired boy? Why are you exercising?" His eyes looked shyly away. 

We arrived at school earlier than our usual time. 

Yesterday, during my storytelling, it was a story of a boy and a girl. The boy being very lazy, he had grown but his brains were so underdeveloped that he turned into a big baby. The girl was hardworking and managed to be a scientist. She developed the medicine to try to "cure" the boy. The boy then turned into a duck. Again she tried again with new medicine, he turned into a piglet. There seems to be no good ending for this little boy. Bray was feeling anxious and nervous with the storyline, he started softly biting my arm. It was very funny how he acted. We had a good laugh before our sleep...

Bray joined the Oxygen Music Festival Competition. This time, we registered 2 weeks before the competition. He had very little time to practice playing Silent Night. Every night, he was rolling on the floor and crying that his fingers were in pain after several minutes of practice. In the end, he persevered. Competition day came, it was on Labour's Day. Mommy and Daddy were proud and happy that he had given his best. 

There were complimentary workshops when joining the competition. It was good exposure.

Finished reading "Speak to Win" by Brian Tracy. The formulas and methods were useful. One chapter I really liked was how to End with a Bang. I've always quickly end a presentation in front of a crowd. I now realized ending a presentation well can be as important as a good introduction. I'll rethink how I can end with a story, laugh, rhyme or inspiration to make a lasting impression. 

Universal Studios Singapore | Stuck in Jurassic Park Adventure | Brayden's Adventure

Brayden 9Y2M3D

Bevlynn 4Y10M27D

On Sunday, we met Bro Gene at Vivo City for lunch - first time trying out the kopitiam Food Hall at B2. There was so much variety, we didn't know what to choose. After a good portion of Putien noodles, Wanton noodles, and dumplings, we set out for USS theme park. This is the second consecutive Sunday, we went to USS.

We entered the theme park at almost 4:30pm. Our mission today is to complete as many rides as possible within the 3.5 hours. 

We manage to complete: 

As a family: 

1. Despicable Me Minion Mayhem x1

2. Jurrasic Park Rapids Adventure x2 (almost dark), x1 (after dark)

3. Canopy Flyer x1 

4. Transformers The Ride x2

5. Watch evening parade

Me + Bev (since Bev could not enjoy the Mummy roller coaster, we split to go for more Bev friendly rides)

1. Enchanted Airways (weeee~~ Bev loved it! Me screaming my lungs out again) x1

2. Donkey Live x1

3. Puss In Boots' Giant Journey x1

Hub + Bray:
1. Revenge of the Mummy x3

2. Jurrasic Park Rapids Adventure x2

We found that the evening Sundays are the best times to go for USS, when there are less crowd and we were able to go for more rides without much queue. 

On this day, we also got stuck in the Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure ride - when the boat was lifted to the T-rex area, the lift stopped. The air was stiff inside; it was dark and there was dizzying blinking light at the T-rex. Bev and Bray were very calm. Nobody panicked. There was one other family stuck inside with us, at least we did not feel alone. We just shouted for help in a joking manner.  

It was several minutes, before there was an alarm and an announcement for the ride to stop. After a while, the ride resumed. The staff member checked if we were okay. We were quick on our toes and continued with our mission - next up the parade, our timing was just perfect. We did not miss anything!

When it was dark and everything was closing, we looked back at all the memories made. It was all worthwhile. 

One night, when we were storytelling, I spoke of our memories in USS. I brought up the good times we had in the Jurassic Park and Transformers, then surprisingly Brayden recited all the dialogs from both the rides (exactly how it was). Wow!

We always thought he looked very blur during the rides and was just enjoying it. Little did we realized that he was totally immersed in the whole experience. He was part of the story - he was running away from the dinosaurs as a scientist; he was a recruit saving Optimus from Decepticons. He was living in a world full of wonders. Thank you USS for these adventures. 

March Holiday Trip | Day 7 , 8 | Frank Laurent Coffee | Frandy Beach Bar | Entopia Butterfly Farm | Teluk Bahang Waterfall & Dam | Sunset

Brayden 9Y24D

Bevlynn 4Y9M18D

It was a day packed with activities. 

A weekend with Mi, Pa & 2 children. It was the first day of Hari Raya Puasa. 

We went for breakfast at Frank Laurent Coffee Udini Square. The coffee and setting were cosy. While we were enjoying coffee and make plans for the day, suddenly a loud crash sound came behind where Bray was seated. *Kranggg* The plant decoration fell to the floor. I quickly apologized, the waitress was very kind to quickly clean-up the soil and placed the pot further away.

We drove to Frandy Beach Bar to meet SC gor gor and HY jie jie for lunch. 

It was 12.30pm, the noon sun was hot and bright. We missed the entrance to the bar. It was almost at the end of Batu Ferringhi Beach. 

Once arrived, the children quickly rested on the bean bags with the best sea view. We sat at the table right beside them. The food came very quickly. I role played as a servant and fed food to the little "prince" and "princess". We laughed. We walked briefly at the beach. The hot sand was burning the soles of our feet. We walked underneath tree shadows. The sunset view of this bar must have been so romantic, but we did not stay because we had other plans for the day. 

Next, we went to Entopia Butterfly farm; which was 14 minutes' drive away. 

When we entered, the staffs greeted us in their Raya baju and we were told there was special Raya activities. They took us through a secret short cut directly to the activity area. There it was the last 10 minutes before the activities were closed. There were five stones (with tiny bean bags), congkak and "chapteh" (kicking of feathered shuttlecock in the air). We tried our luck with the chapteh; one that could keep it in the air with several kicks gets a free feathered shuttlecock. We failed miserably. The chapteh seemed to hate our feet, flying all over the place. I couldn't strike a two continuous kick. Hold on~~ I have to admit; I missed the first kicks too. 

After the activities ended, we went back to the entrance and there they were releasing new butterflies. They were so colourful. And one landed on Pa's clothes (this one never left Pa). They said the butterflies love the saltiness from our sweat. Maybe Pa's sweat was saltier from ours...

We enjoyed the butterflies and greeneries very much. Once awhile, we were chasing butterflies and hoping they would land on our fingers. We rub and rub and rub our finger on our sweat to make it more enticing for the butterflies. It worked. 

One spot I really loved was the butterfly enclosed glass house; if you looked carefully, there were many white dots on the surfaces. These were the butterfly eggs; could have been hundreds of them. At times, we spotted the butterflies in the process of laying the eggs. When we walked around, we had to be extra careful not to step on some very tired, or injured butterflies on the ground.

There is a cave with spiders, frogs, snakes, monitor lizard displays.

Lastly, we explored the insects displays. The children loved the small hidden path (tall enough for them to go crawl in), there they can see the display of roaches. We also get to go into a room with hidden praying mantis; we have to search for them on the tree. It was quite impossible to tell the sticks and praying mantis apart. 

The Entopia experience was so much fun. The children and adults (like me) learned about many different insects. I guess it also takes away some fear of insects when we are up close to discover more about them. 

We continued to our next destination. The Teluk Bahang Waterfall - just next to the butterfly farm. The children went in for a dip in the waterfall. The water was murky and the surrounding was quite dirty from the food litter. But the children did not care much. They enjoyed walking in the waterfall and tried to catch the little silver fishes. It was hard chasing them around. Then Bray found a big blue sieve, with that, I caught more than 10 little fishes. It was fun but it was getting dark. Some monkeys were searching for something to eat from the food litter. 

I showered the children in a public toilet nearby. Inside was a big-tiled water tub with very cold water. The children were shivering and shrieking when the cold-water splashed on them.  

We took the Balik Pulau way back. On the way, we saw the Teluk Bahang Dam and catch the sunset from the hills. The big orange sunset was beautiful and peaceful as it transitioned to a deep dark blue violet night. It signaled us to slowdown and call it a long~~ memorable~~ day. The children had dozed off by now.

When I called Bro Max, he was going back on the same road just 20 mins away. We then meet for dinner at Spice Pisa.    

March Holiday Trip | Day 6 | Penang Hill | Funicular Train | Bellevue Hotel | Hindu Temple | Buggy Ride | Post Box on the Hill | David Browns Restaurant | Night view

Brayden 9Y22D

Bevlynn 4Y9M16D

We booked the train tickets up Penang Hill. 

The train was going up very fast. Along the way up, on both sides, there were hillside zinc rooftop kampung houses. It must be very difficult for these residents to commute up the hill daily.

When we arrived at the top station, we were greeted with hot sunny weather. Our shadows were almost hiding right below us. The air was fresh and it was not too humid. We found some telescopes "RM1 for 2 minutes", we looked for buildings. Bev was pointing the telescope to the sky. "Are you able to see anything?" I asked. She said admittedly, "Uh-huh". Hmm, what were you aiming to see, Bev? Birds? Superman? Castle in the sky? 

As we walked along the path, there were small huts selling souvenirs. One of the souvenirs was interesting, a ceramic bird whistle. The bird whistle could mimic the sound so well, especially when water was added to it. Bev and Bray took turn to whistle. 

We slowly walked to the hawker center to buy some fruit drinks. 

Afterwards, we explored the Bellevue Hotel. There don't seem to be anyone around the garden. It was Raya week so the kitchen was closed since the chef had returned to his kampung. We sat there enjoying the view and drank some English tea. Bev blew her whistle and many sparrows & some birds were constantly flying about. Did the sparrows find the high pitch sound of the "fake bird whistle" annoying or they loved it that they dance a formation in the sky? I do not know. But this I know, to share the view of Penang from on top the hill with the nature & birds with family is worth more than money can buy. Mom wanted to take photos. She was here many years ago with her friends. 

 

As we walked out the corridor of the hotel, we saw some drawings of the history during the British colonial times. I explained to the children why Penang Hill was an important landmark. 

We climb a short few staircases to the children playground and a Hindu temple. 

There was a beautiful Lord Ganesha's statue in front of the temple. I was curious about the history of this temple, it must be of significance to those staying there in the past. 

And I read up, it was one of the oldest Hindu temples in Penang. It was set up in the 1800s by the Indian sepoys and sedan chair carriers. They were important early transportation mode to bring rich family up the hill before the funicular railway was built. How lucky we are in this era, we have a faster train yet we sometimes forget to appreciate it. We complaint when we had to climb a few short steps. Imagine those past transporters who had to climb from the base of the hill to 833 metres above sea level; carrying a sedan & people. Suddenly, our trouble felt so menial. 

We decided to take a nice ride on the buggy. There were a few stops for photo taking. Sometimes, several monkeys would stand in the middle of the road to show who was boss. The buggy driver who was very familiar with this "monkey business"; would talk to the monkey like they were next door neighbours; as though they've known each other for a long time. "Eh, dah makan kah? Lu pegi sana" 

Stood there, midway along the buggy track was a bright red Penang Hill Post Box. one of the oldest post box in Penang (made during the reign of Queen Victoria 1819-1901). It is kinda out of place at this spot. Usually, a post box would be located at a more obvious location. I can imagine Mr Postman in the 1900s, who would open up the post box and found just a letter to send out to a loved one in Britian. If I had lived in any of the bungalows back in those era, I'd find writing letters as my joy and connection to the outside world. This would keep my sanity at least. Nighttime must had been so dull and the talks with the monkeys would be a bore.

The next trip I am here in Penang Hill, I will bring along a postcard and post it in this Post Box. 

Once we completed the buggy ride, we went to David Browns Restaurant. We sat in front of the nicely decorated pond and ordered some signature cakes. While we were talking, Bro Max dozed off. It was a long day for him. 

While we walked down the stairs, Bray suddenly shouted and had a freaked expression on his face. There, hanging from a tree, a giant spider on its webs. It was motionless, waiting for its prey. We observed it from all different angles. It didn't occur to us that the spider would hop onto us, we just wanted to feed our curiosity. 

We were back to the train station deck. It was almost sunset. We waited for the day to turn night. By darkness, we could see the beauty of Penang night life; a vibrant place, the lights outlined the streets. Some were on their way back home after a long day's work, some were on their way to their night shifts, some were keeping restaurants open late into the night, some were ready to switch off their lights,..... everyone was playing their parts to keep this place, a place we can call Home. Good night Penangite!