Angie & Bart's Blog

Baby3 Updates: 30 Weeks

2012-01-20T00:12:00.000+08:00

We are now 30 weeks pregnant. Visited the gynae on 19 January 2012. Baby now weighs 1.6kg.

Julian likes to feel baby moving inside Mummy's tummy. He's getting more excited about baby's arrival :-) Ever since we told him baby's due in March, he's been constantly telling us "When March, baby will come out! Then there will be 3 children. Hooray!" :-)

Justin would sometimes pat Mummy's tummy but is more interested in his own play than in the growing bundle :-) Nevertheless, he always remembers to pray for baby when saying his prayers :-)

Justin Goes To School

2012-01-20T00:11:00.000+08:00

Justin started playschool officially on 3 January 2012. A week earlier, from 27-30 December 2011, he went for 'orientation'.

During the Orientation Week he was enthusiastic about going to school, especially on the first day. His first one-and-a-half weeks went fairly well. The only snag was that, except for the third day of orientation, he refused to eat the porridge that was offered at lunch, preferring to go back for 'new moi-moi' at the babysitter's.

On Friday, 6 January 2012, he refused to put on his sports uniform and didn't want to go to school anymore. I guess the novelty of going to school had worn off! From then, he has refused to put on his school uniform every morning and always says 'mai school'. Up to Wednesday, 11 January 2012, he would be crying and saying "I want daddy/mummy..." when we dropped him off at school. We were told that he was alright after a while, and would participate in the activities.

On Thursday, 12 January 2012, he didn't cry anymore when we dropped him off. He seemed resigned to the fact that he has to go to school and sadly said "Bye, mummy" when dropped off. He still refuses to wear his school uniform in the morning and eat lunch at school.

We thought he would settle in well and like school since he seems to be the participative kind of child (unlike Julian at that age)... I guess we were wrong... We hope he will eventually (and hopefully soon!) like school and look forward to going...

Julian at 55 Months

2012-01-20T00:04:00.002+08:00

Julian turned 55 months (4 years 7 months) on 28 December 2011.

Here are his updates:

He sometimes turns the conversation around to favour him. For instance, instead of volunteering to do something, he'll ask us to ask him to do it (e.g. "You say 'Julian press G'"). Then, he'll ask us to say 'thank you' ("Now say 'thank you'"). He's now 'teaching' us what we taught him!
He likes to play the role of 'teacher' to Justin as well, teaching little bro to say words, phrases and sentences. A typical lesson would go something like this:
Julian: Justin, say 'we'...
Justin: we...
Julian: are...
Justin: are...
Julian: going...
Justin: going...
Julian: home!
Justin: home!
Julian: Now say 'We are going home!'
Justin: We are going home!
Julian: Good!
Sometimes he wants to dictate how we respond. For example when he spots an aeroplane in the sky and points it out to us, we would often respond "oh yes, it's an aeroplane." He would then 'correct' us - "Say, 'You're right!'"
When we ask him to choose between two things, he often chooses both! E.g.
Mummy/Daddy: Julian, when you grow up do you want to be a pilot or a teacher?
Julian: Pilot and teacher.

[Julian and his funny thoughts]

[Julian being cheeky]

Justin at 29 Months

2012-01-20T00:01:00.001+08:00

Justin turned 29 months on 25 December 2011.

Here are his updates:

He likes to ask the questions "Who that?" (which can mean "What's that?" or "Who's that?") and "what sound?" (What's that sound?)
His speech has improved by leaps and bounds. He can make simple sentences although he cannot articulate every syllable of every word.
While listening to the Christmas CD in the car, he would 'command': "Daddy/Mummy song, song!" (asking us to sing along with the CD).
He is making demands on what he wants to see on the computer. We see another 'war' coming soon between the brothers...
He holds certain 'comfort toys' to sleep. There's Thomas the train, red angry bird, yellow pig and black car. Earlier he was holding on to a 'baby' green ball.
He can recognise and count up to 20.

[Justin's headgear]

[Justin loves puzzles]

Christmas 2011

2012-01-19T00:23:00.001+08:00

We travelled to Menglembu on 23 December 2011 for the Christmas holidays. The boys went to the Pasar Malam that night - their first on low land (they've been to the one in Cameron Highlands). Grandma & Grandpa bought them aeroplanes which thrilled them.

The next day, Daddy and Julian went for a hair cut in Batu Gajah. Niq, Chui Ying, Gabriel and Rosalie came back. In the evening, we took the children to the playground in Batu Gajah.

[Justin through the tube]

[Julian monkeying around]

[See-saw foursome: The boys with their cousins]

Christmas Day began with Mass at St Joseph's Church in Batu Gajah. Then it was the time the children had been waiting for - opening presents! Lunch followed and then it was water fun with Grandma for the boys :-)

[Grandpa and Grandma with the grandkids at Christmas]

[Rub-a-dub-dub...]

We left for Butterworth in the afternoon. Antonia was back from KL. The boys had more presents to open! Boxing Day saw the boys having more water fun in Ah Kong and Poh Poh's house. We returned to Penang late evening.

[Jambu Julian]

[Jambu Justin]

[More tub fun...]

At the Rattan Shop

2012-01-18T23:29:00.001+08:00

On 17 December 2011, we went to a rattan shop in Penang Road in search of a rattan basket. The shop is situated near the Komtar overhead pedestrian crossing.

[At the rattan shop... what shall we buy?]

[Justin: What about this basket?]

[Julian: What about this rocking horse?]

[Julian: Anything but rattan canes!]

Puncak Mutiara Cafe

2012-01-18T23:00:00.000+08:00

On 11 December 2011, we had dinner at Puncak Mutiara Cafe in Kampung Pelet, Bukit Mertajam. We found our way there armed with a GPS with details from their website.

The atmosphere at the cafe is quite pleasant and you can choose to dine outdoors, either sitting at regular tables with benches or sitting on the floor Malay-style, or indoors in air-conditioned comfort.

There's quite a variety of food available, ranging from soup to nasi briyani, and from eastern to western. They also serve exotic meats such as ostrich, deer, and rabbit.

[The boys distracted by the fish pond]

[Deep fried squid: RM6.50]

[Fried rice with satay: RM8.50]

[Fish and chips: RM13.00]

[Nasi briyani ayam ros: RM15.70]

Reunion at Feringghi Garden Restaurant

2012-01-13T23:19:00.001+08:00

I attended a reunion of some former coursemates on 10 December 2011 at Feringghi Garden Restaurant.

The restaurant itself is a nice place and the food is not bad. Limited parking is available from the entrance facing the Batu Ferringhi beach as you come from the Bayu Senja shops.

[Ferringhi Garden outdoor dining]

[Ferringhi Garden longhouse]

[Cafe Latte: RM9.80]

[Grilled Lamb Chop: RM36.80]

Hiking at the Penang National Park

2011-12-21T23:44:00.000+08:00

We took the boys to the Penang National Park on 27 November 2011. Angie and I are no strangers here but it was ages since we last visited. We arrived at the visitor's complex at about 10.45am. After registering ourselves, off we went on our little hike in the direction of Teluk Aling.

For the boys, getting to the destination didn't mean anything to them. They just enjoyed going on a hike, stopping anywhere or at anything that caught their attention, e.g. the beach, the wooden/rope swings, the bridge, thick overhead vines, etc. Hence, we got nowhere near Teluk Aling, but it was time well spent nonetheless. We showed the boys the interesting coastal screwpine plants (pandanus odoratissimus) which had fruits that looked like pineapples. We also spotted a skink climbing a tree.

[Justin having a break on a branch]

[Julian hot on the trail]

[Justin testing the bridge]

[Destination: Teluk Aling, or so it seemed]

[Beach-side swing]

[Julian and Justin at the signpost]

It was about 12.45pm and scorching hot by the time we got back to the car. We headed straight to a restaurant not far from the visitor's complex for lunch.

The Js Duet

2011-12-19T00:28:00.000+08:00

On the night of 18 December 2011, Julian and Justin sang their first duet.

Julian: Twinkle, twinkle little...
Justin: Star
Julian: How I wonder what you...
Justin: Are
Julian: Up above the world so...
Justin: High
Julian: Like a diamond in the...
Justin: Sky
Julian: Twinkle, twinkle little...
Justin: Star
Julian: How I wonder what you...
Justin: Are

Daddy and Mummy just had to applaud... even though it was bedtime and they should be in bed! :-)

We're Pregnant, Yet Again!

2011-12-10T00:24:00.000+08:00

We're expecting our third baby! Angie is now 25 weeks along and baby is due end of March 2012.

Unlike when we were expecting Julian and Justin, Angie had some cravings for certain food.

This time, we decided that we wanted to know baby's gender. From our two previous visits to the gynaecologist, baby is a girl! :o)

[Baby at 11 weeks]

[Baby's face at 25 weeks]

Goodies from Italy

2011-12-09T23:49:00.001+08:00

Mom and Dad went on an 8D5N trip to Italy (5-12 November 2011). They brought back lots of goodies such as big sausages, wooden Pinocchio toys, pasta, pasta sauces, chocolates, coffee, T-shirt, and rosaries. During their transit at Abu Dhabi, they bought some pistachio nuts. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

[Italian stuff]

Read about their trip: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Double Horsey Again

2011-12-09T23:36:00.000+08:00

Here are some recent photos of the boys taken in November 2011.

[What's cooking?]

[Boys with balloons]

[Double horsey with Daddy]

Julian at 54 Months

2011-12-07T23:42:00.001+08:00

Julian turned 54 months (4 years 6 months) on 28 November 2011.

Here are his updates:

He can read quite well now. I think we did not mention this in his earlier blog entries.
He now eats more varieties of food. He is more open to eating (certain) noodles but would opt for rice anytime. He would happily eat fish, meat, and of course egg and tofu. No veg still, but he will eat certain fruits. He generally refuses porridge and anything mushy like mashed potatoes.
He's not very adventurous with food, often declining new food offered.
After dinner at home, he would always say "I need a surprise". Translation: "I want a treat" (chocolate/box drink/any other goodies).

[Julian sleeping in a box]

[Julian eating in a box, or is he at a fish spa?]

[Modern cooking, the handphone way]

[Julian the pilot-wannabe]

Speaking of airplanes... Julian had a tendency to look at things from the corner of his eyes when pointing at something. We told him to not to do this, and to look straight... otherwise, he couldn't be a pilot when he grows up (because pilots are supposed to have good eyesight). So, one day, this conversation ensued...
Daddy: What is the pilot doing?
Julian: Looking straight!
Daddy: ?!?!

Justin at 28 Months

2011-12-07T23:30:00.001+08:00

Justin turned 28 months on 25 November 2011.

Here are his updates:

He can recognise all the letters of the alphabet, both capitals and small letters.
He can pretend to sleep, complete with snoring!
He likes to ask "what you doing (mummy/daddy)?"
He is friendly with others and would willingly say, "hello aunty/uncle".
He likes jigsaw puzzles.
He can 'fill in the blanks' for a few Christmas songs: Jingle bells (his favourite), Deck the Halls (the Fa la la part) and We wish you a merry Christmas.
He can spoon-feed himself quite well - when he wants to.
He can express his preferences and is talking a lot more now. Picking up fast from big bro!
He is now strong enough to open the fridge door at home! *horrors* He likes to rummage for - what else - chocolates (or any other 'goodies')!

[Justin on Daddy's head]

[Justin on the stairs]

[Justin on the stairs, again]

[Have wheels will travel]

[Justin doing the Angry Bird squint]

Julian's 2011 Kindy Concert

2011-12-07T23:23:00.001+08:00

Julian's kindy held their annual concert on 19 November 2011 at the school premises. Grandpa and Grandma, and Ah Kong and Poh Poh were amongst those in the audience.

He was involved in a dance (to the song Choco Latte), and in a play set according to Disney's version of Beauty and the Beast. He played the baker in the market scene (he called himself the "roti man"), and was later part of the mob.

[One, two, three! Cho-co Lat-te...]

[There goes the "roti man" with his tray like always...]

[Part of the mob, armed with a rolling pin]

The Botanic Boys

2011-11-27T23:41:00.001+08:00

The boys went to the Penang Botanic Gardens on 5 November 2011 with Ah Kong & Poh Poh.

[The Giant Water Lilies]

[Julian: Oops! Wet patch on my T-shirt...]

[Justin: Can I touch these?!]

[The boys on the tram]

The Sarong Party!

2011-11-04T00:23:00.000+08:00

Here are some recent photos of the boys.

[The boys baking... supervised of course!]

[The boys on the wall of Ayer Itam Dam]

[Mummy and the boys at Ayer Itam Dam]

[The Sarong Party Boys]

Julian at 53 Months

2011-11-04T00:16:00.000+08:00

Julian turned 53 months (4 years 5 months) on 28 October 2011.

Here are his updates:

Lately he has not been willing to compromise on things. For instance when he wants something which we can't give him (e.g. a biscuit which has finished) he would not accept alternatives. He would exclaim "mai!" (don't want) to almost every offer.
He is getting 'friendly' with the other residents we meet especially in the lift. He would always ask them, "What number are you?" (going up) or "Where are you going?" (going down).
He loves to answer "Sure!" or "Of course!" instead of "yes" to questions like "Can [person] come in your car?" or "Can I have some of your biscuits?"
When he is not sure of an answer or if he wants to avoid answering a question, especially one in which he has been asked to choose between two options, he would say, "I'm thinking about it/I'll think about it." or "I don't know."
He has moved to the questioning stage. His favourite questions are "What?", "What is that?" and "Where are we going?". With the last question, he can continue asking non-stop. For instance:
Julian: Where are we going?
Us: Dinner.
Julian: After dinner, where are we going?
Us: After dinner, we go home.
Julian: After go home, where are we going?
Us: After we go home, we go to sleep.
Julian: After sleep, where are we going?
Us: After sleep, we get up.
Julian: After get up, where are we going?
And this would go on and on until he is satisfied or we think of a distraction to end his line of questioning!

[Julian inspecting the grass: What's that?!?]

Justin at 27 Months

2011-11-04T00:06:00.000+08:00

Justin turned 27 months on 25 October 2011.

Here are his updates:

His speech continues to improve and he is becoming more conversant. On our way to see aeroplanes, he asked Julian, "Ko-ko, airplane" (Ko-ko you want to see aeroplanes?). He would even ask us to ask him a question so he could answer. He would say to us, "Tin doing!" to which we are expected to say, "Justin, what are you doing?" He would then answer, "teeth" (brushing teeth) or any other response depending on what he is doing at that time.
He has a rather cute way of saying "oh-kay!", and he is able to say "sorry" and "thank you" in the correct contexts.
He can recognise most of the the letters of the alphabet, both capital and small letters, but not in order.
He can count till 19.
If Julian prevents him from getting what he wants, he would hit and/or bite Julian (whichever suits him) *roll eyes* Yes, we reprimand and punish him for it. This behaviour has been going on for some time...don't know when it will end...

[Justin at the Ayer Itam Dam]

[Justin getting messy again with chocolates]

New Room for the Boys

2011-11-02T00:08:00.000+08:00

Julian and Justin moved to their own bedroom on 14 October 2011. We mentally prepared Julian for it several days before by telling him that he would move to a new room on Friday night. Since we couldn't tell how well they would sleep in the new room, we decided that the move would be done over the weekend - just in case we ended up like zombies the next day.

The first night, Justin slept pretty well. Julian got up crying. When we asked him why he was crying, he said he thought we were 'lost'. He managed to sleep the whole night in his room but waking up on and off.

The first week was the most difficult as the boys were adjusting to the new environment, waking and calling for us off and on throughout the night. We, too, had to adjust to the new routine of having to literally get out of bed to attend to the boys. When we were co-sleeping, we just had to turn or stretch out our hand to reach them!

The boys have more or less settled down in their room now. Justin wakes up for his night feed as usual and sometimes wants me to accompany him on his bed towards the morning. Julian can generally sleep through the night now.

Our challenge now is actually getting the two of them to sleep at the same time. Justin thinks it's play time when he gets to the room and sees Julian still awake. He would climb onto Julian's bed to play or play peekaboo at the bedrail. Currently, we have to let Julian sleep first, then let Jusin in. This, of course, means that Justin ends up sleeping quite late - about 11pm. Hopefully things will improve soon...

All this in preparation for a new addition... :-)

Sweets From All Over

2011-10-19T00:12:00.001+08:00

We were recently given some interesting foodstuff to try. We were given some desserts from Iraq: mann al-sama (manna from heaven - tasted like a soft nougat), sohan (a pistachio brittle spiced with saffron), and naher khoz (crumbly texture and tasted of peanuts). Then we tried some bika ambon (something like our local bee-hive cake), and coffee from Medan. Closer to home, we were given some delicious tarts from Kampar, Perak. Finally, we tried a kind of wafer, and cake from China.

[Iraqi sweets, clockwise from right: Mann Al-Sama, Sohan, and Naher Khoz.]

[Bika Ambon]

[Medan coffee]

[Tarts from Kampar]

[Round wafer with filling]

[Beijing Eight Cakes]

Living in a Jet Plane

2011-10-08T00:47:00.001+08:00

We enjoy our conversations with Julian nowadays because his responses can be quite amusing. Here are a few samples:

Julian: Yesterday we eat ice-cream.
Daddy: Yes, we can buy the ice-cream because it is cheap.
Julian: Like Chip & Dale!

Daddy: Julian, where is your aeroplane going?
Julian: (silence)
Daddy: Is your plane going nowhere?
Julian: No! Got where!

Daddy: Julian, what do you want to be when you grow up?
Julian: A pilot!
Daddy: Julian, when you grow up, where do you want to live? Do you want to live in Penang?
Julian: No...
Daddy: Do you want to live in (names a few other places)?
Julian: No...
Daddy: Then where do you want to live?
Julian: In the cockpit!

Julian at 52 Months

2011-10-08T00:44:00.002+08:00

Julian turned 52 months (4 years 4 months) on 28 September 2011.

Here are his updates:

He no longer sits on the baby chair - whether at home or outside. He insists on sitting on the 'big boy' chair which normally means two chairs stacked together. At home he sits on a stool.
Sometimes he would protest when Justin copies him. He would tell Justin "You don't follow me. Only I do!"
He wants to have whatever toy Justin is having and would often simply take the toy away from Justin. This, of course, leads to a feud of sorts. We're teaching him to ask Justin for the toy and sometimes he does (Justin, can share with me?) but very often Justin's response is a flat "mai!". We also taught him to barter trade with Justin. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
He is able to converse more now. Recently while shopping, he pointed out a particular baby bath and told us that the baby sitter was looking it. We found out later that he expressed his interest in the bath (thanks to TV ads) to the baby sitter so she said she would buy it for him (but couldn't find it).

[Julian wearing a sarong]

[Ice-cream... my favourite!]

[Pbthththhh!]

Justin at 26 Months

2011-10-08T00:42:00.000+08:00

Justin turned 26 months on 25 September 2011.

Here are his updates:

He is speaking more now. He can now say "What you doing, Mummy?", "Pease (please), mummy/daddy", "mai swan" (mai - hokkien for don't want - this one), "ku (thank you) mummy/daddy" or "ku... much... (thank you very much)", "me too", "my turn" and "gone" (when he notices something missing).
He can answer simple questions e.g. "What animal says quack quack?"
He often parrots Julian and copies Julian's actions/antics almost all the time.
He is able to put on his 'crocs' shoes on his own.
He is getting better at feeding himself at mealtimes :-)
He is completely off the breast but requires night bottle feed (usually once, occasionally twice). However, we suspect that he still craves the breast and would readily latch on if given half the chance!
He no longer sits on the baby chair at home preferring to sit on a stack of two stools - thanks to Julian's influence!
When it comes to sharing, he's not very consistent. Sometimes he would readily hand over a toy to Julian, while at other times he would adamantly say "mai!" (much to Julian's frustration, of course)
On more than one occasion, when we ask him something (e.g. "Do you want to listen to 'Barney'?" - when we're in the car) he would say "mai'. But almost immediately after that, if Julian asks him the same question, he would say "yes'/"ya"! Hmmm....

[Justin]

[Justin trying on a sarong]

[Justin taking a snooze]

[Justin with a giant star balloon]

Langkawi in the Rain

2011-10-04T00:29:00.003+08:00

We were in Langkawi from 9-11 September 2011. Papa and Mummy came along. All of us boarded the lunch-time AirAsia flight from Penang and landed in glorious sunny weather.

We stayed at the Federal Villa Beach Resort which incidentally is a government-owned resort. Our 2-room suite was well-furnished with a living area, dining area, a spacious master bedroom (with a king-sized bed), and a smaller room (with 2 single beds). It was RM264 for 2 nights excluding breakfast and complementary beverages. Federal Villa is managed by Holiday Villa Beach Resort and Spa just next door and so, we got to use their facilities.

[Free ride]

On the first day, it was "first things first" - the beach. The boys had a good time playing with the sand and sea. Dinner that night was at Rootian Seafood Restaurant in Kuah town.

[Sand, sun, and sea]

[The boys with Ah Kong]

On the second day, we ventured out in cloudy weather. We decided we would explore Langkawi's less popular attractions this time in view that all four of us adults have more or less "been there, done that" in Langkawi, and the two kids would better appreciate the popular attractions when they are bigger. First, we visited the Buffalo Park Langkawi where the boys got to feed the buffaloes. After that we proceeded to visit a cheese factory nearby called Friendly Farms. Unfortunately they weren't making any cheese that day as there were no orders. However, we did sample some mozarella cheese and some yoghurt. We bought some mozarella cheese to take home. After that we went back to the buffalo park to sample ice-cream made from buffalo milk. While there, we were rained in for a while. At the first opportunity, we headed to Kuah town for lunch and some shopping.

[The boys feeding the buffaloes]

[Buffalo milk ice-cream... yummy!]

[Friendly Farms cheese factory]

[Justin with Friendly Farms' friendly goat]

From then onwards, We were pretty much rained in for the rest of our stay. That evening we had dinner at the Cactus Restaurant located just opposite the entrance to Holiday Villa. It's quite popular amongst the tourists because the food is not bad and the price is very reasonable.

On the last day, we managed to take the boys to Holiday Villa's kids playroom in the morning. Later, we had to delay our checking-out as it was raining so heavily to the extent that even the bellboys could not get to us. After we finally checked-out, we headed to town for lunch and some shopping. After lunch, we took an aimless and rather pointless round-the-island drive in the rain to while away the time. Our return flight to Penang on Firefly was only scheduled at 7.55pm (but delayed by about half-an-hour) that night.

We finally arrive home at about 9.45pm.

[The boys on the trishaw]

[If only they could settle their disputes over a game of chess!]

Julian's First Movie

2011-09-26T01:18:00.001+08:00

Julian had his first movie experience on 7 September 2011. We took him for an early afternoon screening of The Smurfs at TGV 1st Avenue.

We booked a couple seat which was wide enough for the three of us. He was generally well-behaved except for some fidgeting because the contours of the seat was not exactly designed for small children. He sometimes wanted to be in a sleeping position across our laps. He also ended up wanting to sit on the stairs just beside the seats towards the end of the show.

We think he quite liked the experience. In the beginning, when the trailers were played, he was rather frightened by the loud sound effects and scary horror clips. When the Smurfs started making their appearance, he seemed to warm up to the movie. He was most amused in the posh restaurant scene when Gargamel repeatedly threw Azreal off the table.

He made 4 visits to the gents before, during, and after the show.

[My Smurfy Day!]

First Chiffon Cake

2011-09-22T23:28:00.001+08:00

Motivated by the boys' preference for 'airy' cakes I baked my first chiffon cake on 6 September 2011. It was an orange chiffon using my mummy's recipe. It was a cake which I loved as a child (and now, too) :-)

For a first attempt, I think the result was acceptable. Of course, there will be improvements made in the future... :-)

[Getting the chiffon cake out of the mould]

[When it comes to cakes, Julian's the eager beaver]

[Slice of my first chiffon cake]

Logos Hope in Penang

2011-09-17T00:14:00.000+08:00

We boarded Logos Hope on 4 September 2011 at Swettenham Pier in Penang. It was a Sunday, hence it was crowded. Nevertheless, the boys had fun playing the make-believe steering wheel, and eating ice-cream and popcorn. However, with the crowd and the boys, it was impossible to browse through the books on sale.

[The view of the stern of Logos Hope]

[Let's head that way!]

Naan and Kebab at Kapitan

2011-09-13T23:37:00.000+08:00

We had lunch at the Kapitan outlet on Chulia Street on 2 September 2011. Angie ordered a plain naan with a piece of curry chicken while I tried their cheese naan and chicken kebab.

[Kapitan's cheese naan and chicken kebab: RM10.50]

Not bad...

The Boys and Angry Birds

2011-09-04T23:57:00.000+08:00

Here are some recent photos of the boys.

[Angry Birds on the computer]

[On the phone, most probably on Angry Birds, again...]

[The boys crossing the road]

[Over the counter]

[Now who's under cover?]

[Doing the double horsey, again?]

Julian at 51 Months

2011-09-03T01:00:00.002+08:00

Julian turned 51 months (4 years 3 months) on 28 August 2011.

Here are his updates:

He is very fond of narrating the video clips he watches of aeroplanes taking off and landing. He can go on and on and on... and he insists on getting a response from us!
When travelling in the car, he likes to listen to nursery rhymes. He has his favourites so we don't actually listen to the whole CD. Off and on, he would insists that we take turns singing the songs. Of course, he decides which songs he would sing and which we should sing...
Lately he has developed the habit of procrastinating when it comes to drinking his milk or doing certain things. He would say "afterwards".
When he doesn't have a definite answer to our question(s), he would give vague answers. E.g. "What are you looking for Julian?" "Something." "Where do you want to go?" "Somewhere." "Do you want to eat rice or noodles?" "I dunno."
For some time now, we use the long hand on the clock to get him to 'move into action'. We would tell him when the long hand reaches a certain number, he has to do a particular thing (e.g. brush teeth, shut down the PC, etc). It still works up to now and lately we've even 'hoodwinked' him by giving him the number where the long hand is already pointing at - and he buys it ;-) Sounds mean, but it does speed things up ;-)

[Julian-a]

[Hey! Up here!]

[Julian repairs the Airbus A380]

[Julian the Angry Bird]

Justin at 25 Months

2011-09-02T00:05:00.001+08:00

Justin turned 25 months on 25 August 2011.

Here are his updates:

He can finally say his own name (well, almost). When asked "What is your name?" he would answer "Aaa Tin".
At the traffic lights, when the light is red he would say "wed, top" (red, stop). When the light is green he would say "ween dow" (green, go).
He can identify most of the common colours and is able to respond to the question "What colour is the (object)?".
He has now started to play Angry Birds *slaps forehead*.
His diet has been quite erratic lately, at home at least. He seems to finish his milk (4oz) only in the mornings and at night. He does not seem to be interested in other milk feeds during the day. He still prefers porridge to rice, and so he does not eat much when we serve him rice during dinner time.

[Justin-a]

[Running away?]

[What's that?]

[Justin makes a mess]

[Justin dunks a biscuit]

Blue Reef Fish and Chips at Straits Quay

2011-08-24T23:55:00.001+08:00

We had lunch at Blue Reef Fish and Chips at Straits Quay on 15 August 2011. It was one of our rare cafe-dining experience minus the kids :o).

For their set lunch, you get to choose any of their ala-carte main dish and add RM1 for the soup of the day, and a drink. For the main dishes, we chose a mahi-mahi fish and chips in beer batter, and a grilled stuffed chicken.

[Mahi-mahi fish and chips in beer batter: RM16]

[Grilled stuffed chicken: RM23]

The food was not bad and the ambiance was pleasant enough. We were there for an early lunch on a weekday, hence we enjoyed the place while it was still quiet.

Oh! My Gash!

2011-08-14T16:42:00.001+08:00

Last Sunday (7 August 2011) started out pretty normal. We had lunch at Ultimaxx Cafe at Queensbay with some close friends and later went into the mall for the kids to have some fun at a small kids' play area with kiddie rides at the North Wing. This was when things started to go horribly wrong.

The play area has a perimeter fence. Julian had this idea of running out of the play area, around part of the fence, and back into the play area again via another entrance. He did this a few times and since he was within sight, we just let him be.

Then, as he was running back in, he slipped and bumped his head against the base of the carousel. We heard a loud thud. As we got to him, he started wailing. To our horror, he had a nasty gash on his forehead above his left eye. It was bleeding profusely. We panicked. We grabbed Justin and Julian and "ran for our lives". It was about 1.45pm. Angie carried Justin while I carried Julian... putting a hand over the wound. His face and shirt were covered with blood. It must have been quite a sight. We managed to get some ice and wet wipes to help ease the bleeding before heading for the hospital. As we drove, we all managed to calm down, including Julian.

We headed for Pantai Mutiara Hospital, being the nearest. By the time we arrived, the bleeding had stopped. At the A&E, they managed to get his face and wound cleaned. The A&E doctor indicated that the wound would need to be stitched by the surgeon. For kids, who are unlikely to cooperate, this would be done under general anaesthesia (GA). Julian would also have to stay the night for observation. The cost would also run into four figures. After some consideration, we decided that we'd take Julian to the Penang General Hospital for treatment. So, after dropping Justin off at the baby sitter's, off we went. It was about 3.10pm.

[Julian's gash, photo hastily taken]

[Another blur photo, not a pretty sight]

It wasn't until about 4.30pm before Julian was seen by the doctor. The doctor assessed the wound to be "2x1", roughly 2cm across and 1cm deep. The doctor then ordered X-rays to be taken to rule out any fractures or the presence of any foreign body. Fortunately, the X-rays came back alright and they could proceed to stitch the wound up.

Julian was first given some syrup paracetamol and an oral sedative. The medical assistant (MA) then tried to inject some local anaesthetic (LA) around the wound. Success was limited as Julian was struggling and wailing even after being restraint by the doctor and Mummy and Daddy. So, after consulting another doctor, it was decided that they had to put Julian under heavy sedation (not sure if this was GA). For this, they inserted a Vasofix catheter into his hand, during which he also struggled and wailed. After the GA was administered (we told Julian that his hand was drinking medicine), he was very drowsy but refused to go to sleep! He still had to be restraint. When more LA was injected, he struggled and wailed even when he could hardly keep his eyes open. As the MA put the five stitches, we tried our best to comfort Julian, promising ice-creams, Slurpees, and trips to see airplanes.

Julian's ordeal ended at 7.00pm. However, he was placed under observation for one hour since he was given heavy sedation. So, we went to the emergency ward and tried getting him to sleep as he was still groggy from the sedation. For the first 15 minutes, he resisted sleep, wanting to walk around although he could hardly stand. He finally dozed-off after we closed the curtains around him.

[Julian resting]

8.00pm saw us leaving the hospital. Julian got up as we drove off. After picking Justin, Julian requested to see airplanes *slaps forehead*! Since we nearly promised him the sun and the moon as his wound was being stitched, we reluctantly obliged. Shortly after parking at the Cargo Complex, a Silk Air aircraft took-off. That really made his day.

[Julian's stitches]

[Julian after the stitches were removed on 12 August 2011]

Julian at 50 months

2011-08-09T00:16:00.001+08:00

Julian turned 50 months (4 years 2 months) on 28 July 2011. He weighed 17.7kg at the clinic where he was scheduled for a regular check-up. He was also due for his deworming. His height is 104cm.

Here are his updates:

He now likes to say "No, thank you" when declining an offer, e.g. of food, water, etc.
He sometimes likes to kneel when praying before going to bed.
He loves outings to the Second Cargo Complex of the Penang International Airport located at Batu Maung. He would tell us what the aircrafts are doing, e.g. that the airplane is flying to another airport, that the airplane is taxiing, etc. He also likes to ask, "What's the name of that airplane?" as well as to count the number of take-offs and landings. He can identify a few popular airlines and freight carriers.

[Julian cutting cake]

Justin is 2 Years Old!

2011-08-01T00:35:00.001+08:00

Justin turned 2 on 25 July 2011. Happy Birthday, Justin! At the clinic, he weighed in at 11.4kg. His height is 85cm. He was given his first deworming medicine.

Here are his updates:

His speech continues to improve. He can repeat the last syllable of words we ask him to repeat. He says 'pee' (please/peace), 'Daddy, wee-you/ee-you' (Daddy, where are you?), 'there ya' (there you are), 'naih' (goodnight), 'og' (out), 'perh' (open)
He can now pronounce 'koh koh' (elder brother), and 'ah kong' (grandfather) with the 'k' sound.
He would sing bits and pieces of the nursery rhymes when he hears them. He knows quite a few!
He is familiar with the sequence of the nursery rhymes from Starfall.com.
He would put his hands together and bow when asked to say 'peace'. We taught him this for exchanging sign of peace at mass.
He does 3/4 of the sign of the cross at prayer time (up to 'holy' - at which he would pat his shoulder) then goes to 'Amen'.
He still imitates everything Julian does.
He's into screaming when things don't go his way. This could be when we don't give him what he wants or even when the toys don't 'work/move' as he wants it to. One instance would be when the front object in a line of objects he is pushing gets out of line!
He's getting more assertive. He has a mind of his own and often leaves us in no doubt about it!
He is able to rinse his mouth at brush-teeth time.

[Justin loafing around]

[Justin the chairman]

We celebrated his birthday a day earlier at Sea Palace Restaurant. He had a cake with baby Mickey & Minnie. Julian would not allow him to have the same Mickey Mouse picture on his cake. Justin loves having the birthday song sung to him and he can blow out the candles all by himself! Cutting the cake is also fun :-)

[Justin's birthday cake]

[Family photo during Justin's birthday lunch]

[Yay! I'm two!]

[Justin celebrating on his actual birthday]

Car Conversations

2011-07-10T23:37:00.000+08:00

Julian has always been telling Justin what he sees while travelling in the car. However, Justin has recently taken the lead. Here are samples of conversations initiated by Justin while travelling in the car:

Conversation 1
Justin: Teh toh! (Koh koh, meaning elder brother... Justin still can't pronounce the "k" sound)
Julian: (didn't quite hear Justin calling)
Daddy: Julian, Justin is calling you.
Julian: Yes, Justin?
Justin: Baa!
Julian: Yes, bus!

Conversation 2
Justin: Teh toh!
Julian: Yes, Justin?
Justin: Har!
Julian: No... car!

Conversation 3
Justin: Teh toh!
Julian: Yes, Justin?
Justin: Veh! (van)
Julian: (yawns)

Poor Justin... but he's getting there :o).

Doing the Double Horsey and More

2011-07-05T23:31:00.000+08:00

Here are some recent photos of the boys.

[Banana Boys]

[If we can only figure out how this works!]

[Doing the Double Horsey]

[The boys celebrating Mummy's birthday]

[The boys at Straits Quay]

Julian at 49 months

2011-07-03T00:34:00.001+08:00

Julian turned 49 months old on 28 June 2011.

Here are his updates:

He likes to help around the house, e.g. helping Mummy do the laundry and put away clothes, help to beat eggs for steaming, etc.
Lately he has problems with his shirt labels, insisting that he wants them removed.
He is fond of identifying the "silent E" in words.
He wants Mummy/Daddy to be "happy". Sometimes when he's naughty, we'd tell him, "Mummy/Daddy is angry" and he'll get upset, insisting we're "happy".
When he does things right, he'll proclaim, "I'm strong!!"
We've been pointing out fruiting trees to Julian such as rambutans, cikus, coconuts, bananas, papayas, and durians, and also that rambutans turn red when ripe, etc. Now, when we're out in the car, we get an earful from him pointing out one tree after another and whether or not the fruit turns red, yellow, orange, or brown!
He's hooked on Angry Birds.

[Julian at Stella Maris]

[Julian stacking soft toys]

[Julian stacking containers]

[Julian makes a funny face]

[Julian under a coconut tree at Straits Quay]

[Julian eating with training chopsticks]

Justin at 23 Months

2011-07-03T00:10:00.002+08:00

Justin turned 23 months on 25 June 2011.

Here are his updates:

He can recognise and say numbers 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, and 10; and letters A to D.
He can "sing" or mimic the sounds at the end of the phrases of the songs Through the Years, and Love's Grown Deep.
He's learning how to jump.
He says "four", "teh" (ten), "hik" (six), "poh poh" (meaning grandmother), "teh toh" (for "koh koh" meaning elder brother - he can't say the K sound yet), "bra" (brown), "no" (snow), "nake" (milk), "pi" (pink), and "ah toh" (for "ah kong" meaning grandfather)
He likes to dunk cream crackers in Milo or coffee.
Two bottom molars have erupted.
He loves action songs and nursery rhymes especially Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, and Row, Row, Row Your Boat.
He sometimes keeps water in his mouth, a habit he learnt from Julian.

[Justin]

[Dancing King]

[Justin loves Julian's bag]

[Fun in the sand at Stella Maris]

[Digger Driver: Ways to abuse a used tea bag]

Cucur and Cendol at Jalan Ismail Nagore

2011-06-12T00:44:00.000+08:00

After noticing a cendol pulut stall near the Sungai Gelugor mosque, I did a Google search and stumbled upon reviews of the cucur (fritters) and cendol stalls at Jalan Ismail Nagore in Gelugor, Penang (the place used to be the Gelugor express bus stop). So, I decided that I'd have lunch there on 9 June 2011.

They were both simple roadside stalls, no names... just signs to indicate what they were selling. Cucur is a thick deep fried fritter made of flour, bean sprouts, and prawn. Cendol by default is a dessert made of coconut milk, brown sugar (gula Melaka), short green noodles, and kidney beans; while cendol pulut has glutinous rice added.

The cucur stall also serves taukua (tofu), egg, frankfurter, fishcake, potato, and a few other items... all deep fried.

[Cucur lunch: With taukua, potato, egg, and fishcake added. RM4.20]

[Cendol pulut: Refreshing. RM2.30]

My verdict? Delicious! I shall return...

Carpenter Street Cafe

2011-06-08T23:49:00.000+08:00

With our holiday in Kuching still fresh in our minds, we dined at Carpenter Street Cafe in Bayan Baru, Penang twice in the past couple of weeks.

We have tried their Sarawak Laksa (RM7.90), Sarawak Kolomee (RM5.90) both the dry and "char siew" oil varieties, Sarawak Tomato Noodle (RM7.90), Fried Kolomee (RM7.90), and Pork Rib with rice (RM7.90). All are not bad.

Another very important point for us is that the boys ate pretty well there.

[Sarawak Laksa]

[Sarawak Kolomee]

[Sarawak Tomato Noodle]

[Pork Rib with rice]

Ayer Itam Dam in the Rain

2011-06-08T23:47:00.000+08:00

Our recent outings to the Ayer Itam area seem to be dampened by rain. The latest outing-cut-short was to the Ayer Itam Dam on 29 May 2011. It was the first visit to the dam by the boys. The weather looked fine at first but after parking the car and before we could even start walking across the dam, it started to drizzle. Argghh!

[Julian and Mummy at the Ayer Itam Dam]

Julian is 4 Years Old!

2011-06-03T23:54:00.003+08:00

Happy Birthday, Julian! Julian turned 4 years old on 28 May 2011.

Here are his updates:

He has shown that he's the caring "big brother". There were times when Justin dilly-dallies when asked to go indoors, and when we threatened to walk-off, Julian would run over to Justin to hurry him on, or pull his hand.
Currently he likes to ask Justin: "Justin, you want? Ya?" for a variety of things. Justin would always answer "Ya!"
For a few months, he has been talking to Klaus Bear before he sleeps. We use Klaus Bear to ask him questions to engage him in conversation. They then tuck each other into bed.
His reading continues to improve. He can now read simple phrases from newspapers and brochures.
He's hooked on singing Kenny Roger's "Through the Years" by heart, and some parts of Kenny Nolan's "Love's Grown Deep". He had been hearing these songs from the family photo montages we made.
Ever since our Kuching holiday, he's now a fan of 7-Eleven. When we ask him what he wants to do there he'd answer, "to buy something" or more precisely "to buy Slurpee!".

[Julian]

[Julian eating banana]

[Julian having a good laugh]

Julian has always been the very active-type. He doesn't sit still except when glued to the TV or computer, or when sitting in a baby chair during meals, or when "held at gunpoint" to do homework :o). However, he's showing some signs of "mellowing down"... perhaps he's maturing a little bit.

For quite some time running up to his birthday, he would often say "My birthday - Mickey Mouse!" (for his cake) and sometimes "My birthday, go restaurant". We eventually bought him a Mickey Mouse cake for him to celebrate with his friends in school the day before his birthday.

[Julian's Mickey Mouse cake to celebrate in school]

On his actual birthday, we celebrated with a lunch at Sea Palace Restaurant.

[Julian's ice-cream cake (from Ah Kong) with Mickey Mouse: For the family celebration at the restaurant]

[Julian cutting his birthday cake]

[Family photo]

Justin at 22 Months

2011-06-02T00:33:00.001+08:00

Justin turned 22 months on 25 May 2011.

Here are his updates:

He's gradually getting back into his bottle milk routine, almost always finishing 4 oz again. However, we noticed that he likes it earlier in the night and he does better when he's drinking in front of the computer *slap head*. Our primary objective now is to get him to drink... deal with the computer bit later...
He can say 'stop' with hand action, 'tuck' (truck), 'ep' (help), 'mao' (mouth), ear, yellow, purple, 'dek yu' (thank you), 'beck' (black), bag, and 'shish' (fish).
He sometimes dilly-dallies just before entering the apartment door. So, we resort to counting from one to three and he complies.
He likes to line up vehicles, push them, and say 'teet-teet' (imitating Thomas the Tank Engine's whistle).
He sometimes gasps when he sees something exciting... real drama king...

[Toys in line]

[Banana time!]

[Mummy giving Justin a lift]

[Justin in the pool]

[Justin the Drama King]

Penang Hill in the Rain

2011-06-02T00:20:00.000+08:00

We took the boys for their maiden ascent up Penang Hill on 14 May 2011. It was our first trip on the new coaches.

The weather was good when we arrived at the foot of the hill at about 11am and there was no queue at the ticket counter. But everything else practically went "down hill" from then on.

We had to wait about 45 minutes (it was a weekend) before we could board the train for the 15-minute ride up. The ride up was smooth and comfortable in the new air-conditioned coaches. Shortly after we arrived at the hilltop, it started to drizzle. As it was about the boys' mealtime, we fed them buns that we brought along as the foodcourt was under construction and there weren't many stalls in the temporary location.

After about 20 minutes we decided that we should leave. So, after getting a couple of coconut leaf grasshoppers as souvenirs (RM1 each), we caught the train down without having to wait for long. On the way down, it started to rain very heavily. We were subsequently rained-in at the station. After nearly an hour, the rain was light enough for me to make a dash for the car and return to fetch Angie and the boys.

[Julian in the coach]

[View from the top station]

[Customary photo]

[Another customary photo]

[Coconut leaf grasshoppers]

Kuching Holiday 2011: Day 5

2011-05-26T00:39:00.000+08:00

7 May 2011 was our last day in Kuching. At about 9.30am, we drove to Universiti Malaysia Sarawak in Kota Samarahan. We drove around the campus, admiring the golf course, the huge lake, and campus facilities.

At about 11.00am, we were back in the city. We boarded a bot tambang, crossing the river to visit the Kek Lapis (layer cake) Dayang Salhah shop. What seemed to be a village house has now turned into a thriving cake business with a countinuous stream of customers. Prices range from RM10-RM20 a slab. Some even had interesting designs and colours.

[Kek lapis samples at the shop]

[Kek lapis being made]

[Colourful kek lapis and chocolate cheese cake]

After the cake shop, we bought some souvenirs at the waterfront bazaar. We then had a simple lunch at the Borneo Cafe before heading back to the hotel to check-out.

We made it to the airport in good time and returned our rented car. However, our departure wasn't without a little "drama". During the security clearance, we realised that Julian was without a boarding pass. At the check-in counter, I had just taken the whole pile of boarding passes without ensuring that all was in order. So, Julian and I made a mad dash to the check-in counter to have his boarding pass re-issued. The rest of our journey was uneventful.

[We're leaving on a jet plane: That's our ride home]

On the whole, we enjoyed our holiday in Kuching. Perhaps we will explore other towns in our future visits to the Land of the Hornbills.

More on our final day of our Kuching holiday on Chris & Connie's Blog.

Kuching Holiday 2011: Day 4

2011-05-21T23:52:00.003+08:00

We made a trip to Bako National Park today. We left the hotel at about 9.30am in a rented automatic Proton Wira sedan (RM240 excluding taxes for a day-and-a-half). Armed with a GPS, we drove to Kampung Bako about 30 minutes away. At the jetty, we hired a boat (RM94 per boat, return) which took us to the mouth of Sungai Tabo out into the South China Sea before arriving at the park headquarters. It was a 20-minute ride.

[The jetty at Kampung Bako]

[Fishermen catching prawns in the South China Sea]

Before setting foot in the park, we asked the boatman about seeing the sea stacks. He obliged, taking us on another 20-minute ride (RM35 per boat). There were many interesting rock formations - an eagle, the Sphinx, a proboscis monkey's nose, and the famous one looking like a cobra.

[Doesn't this resemble the Sphinx of Giza?]

[The cobra-like sea stack]

We arrived at the headquarters at about 11.15am, having to wade through shin-deep sea water. As we were washing our feet near the cafeteria, we were greeted by the "resident" wild pig. While my parents went off on a hike, we and the boys had a simple lunch before setting off on our own kiddy-paced hiking experience. At 12.30pm, we first attempted the Telok Delima trail. After about 30 minutes we decided to turn back as the boys seemed restless (or bored) on the boardwalk trail, and Justin had soiled himself.

[The wild pig: Looking for the toilet, perhaps?]

[Monkey business]

At about 1.30pm, we decided to try out the Telok Paku trail. We had to walk past a mangrove area before arriving at the start of the trail. This was when we met my parents who, being experienced hikers, had already made it to the Telok Paku beach and back. The hilly Telok Paku trail was a hit with the boys. They loved scrambling over the rocks and uneven ground. But when we arrived at the 100m mark after about 30 minutes, we had to turn back although the boys seemed to want to explore further. We had agreed to meet our boatman at 3.00pm.

[A small snake]

[The mangrove area just before the Telok Paku trail]

[Marching along the Telok Paku trail]

[A hiking landmark for the boys]

[The list of trails at the Bako National Park]

We rendezvous-ed at the cafeteria at about 2.30pm and ordered some cold drinks. We left shortly after 3.00pm and arrived back at Kampung Bako at 3.25pm. It was a short visit but considering we had the boys with us, we were happy to have made the most out of the time we had.

There is a bus service between Kuching and Kampung Bako. The fare, as advertised on the bus we saw, was RM3.50 one way. Not sure where to get the bus in Kuching, but it stops right at the Kampung Bako jetty.

For the record, that night, we had dinner at Planet Sambal located not far from our hotel. The food was quite spicy and not bad actually. However, the dining experience was marred by the restless boys *sigh*.

More on our visit to the Bako National Park on Chris & Connie's blog.

Kuching Holiday 2011: Day 3

2011-05-20T01:29:00.004+08:00

It was the day of the Imagine Cup competition. Bart accompanied his students on this day. For Dad, Mum, the boys and I, we hired a van with a driver to take us round (RM300 per day). This was a better alternative to joining any package tour as it gave us more flexibility in our itinerary.

In the morning, we went first to Semenggoh to see orang utans in their natural habitat. Entrance fee was RM3 per adult. It was feeding time when we arrived and so we got to see the orang utans. Visitors have to be very quiet so as not to provoke the dominant male orang utan which was present. We left as soon as the boys started getting restless - which wasn't too long after we arrived.

[Orang utans at play]

Next stop was the Jong Crocodile Farm. Entrance fee was RM16 for adults and RM8 for children. Justin went in for free :-) Julian liked his visit here as there were many animals to see. If you're thinking of visiting, consider using insect repellent. Lots of mosquitos. The 'highlight' at the farm was the crocodile feeding in which the crocodiles would be lured to jump up to catch their meal. Frankly, what started off as an amazing spectacle turned to a pitiful sight after a while. There appears to be only a limited number of 'bait' so the feeders would pull the meat out of reach of the poor hungry crocodiles as they jumped in order to prolong the show. Imagine having your meal snatched away from you over and over again! Once or twice, I can accept, but the poor crocs, especially for the last two chickens, had to jump countless times. No, I can't say that I enjoyed watching that.

[Julian looking at the crocodiles]

[Jumping crocodiles tyring to catch a meal]

[A cassowary at the crocodile farm]

From the crocodiles, we made our way to Bau, about 40mins away. Justin and Julian slept on the way. We had lunch at a coffee shop in Bau. Justin continued sleeping (the boys had already eaten while at the crocodile farm). After lunch we went to see the Wind Cave. We didn't go inside. Just took a few photos at the entrance. Next, we proceeded to the Fairy cave. The entrance is very high up and we didn't fancy climbing, especially with Julian in tow, so our driver took us to another spot nearby for us to take some photos. After that we headed back to the city.

[Julian at a cave]

Enroute to Kuching we stopped to see pottery-making. Nearer the city our driver took us to see how bird's nest is processed. It's a really tedious task.

[Potter at work]

[Hearing a briefing at the bird nest factory]

Finally we visited the Sarawak Museum. It has two storeys of exhibits but we only covered the ground floor because of the boys. The boys were delighted to see the exhibits of old model vehicles (bus & train). There were also taxidermy of animals which we found educational for the boys.

[The boys and Dad at the Sarawak Museum]

We arrived back at the hotel at about 4.30pm. Bart arrived at about the same time. After a shower and a short rest, we went out for dinner. We decided to eat at Top Spot, a popular seafood foodcourt. We ordered midin (young fiddlehead ferns) cooked with belacan (prawn paste), sotong goreng tepung (squid deep-fried in batter), and ray fish with sambal. Our meal cost us about RM30. This was the best meal that we had during our Kuching holiday.

[Top Spot]

[Midin in belacan]

[Ray fish with sambal]

After dinner, Bart went back to Pullman Hotel to hear the announcement of the results of the Imangine Cup Malaysia Finals. Unfortunately, no overseas trip this year, unlike two years ago.

More on our Day 3 in Kuching on Chris & Connie's blog.

Kuching Holiday 2011: Day 2

2011-05-16T01:41:00.003+08:00

In the morning of our second day in Kuching, we went to the Sarawak Cultural Village (SCV) in Santubong. Our package was RM80 per person for transport and entrance fee (the published entrance fee is RM60). We left the hotel at about 9.00am and the journey to SCV took us 40 minutes. For Angie and I, this was our second visit to SCV, but the first for the boys and my parents. Everything seemed pretty much the same as our last visit in 2005.

[Julian and Mom on the walkway to the Bidayuh longhouse]

[The boys and Mom stoking the fire at the Bidayuh longhouse]

[Justin and Daddy observing a lady weaving at the Iban longhouse]

[Dad trying out the blowpipe at the Penan hut]

[Justin and Daddy making their way down the Melanau tallhouse]

[The boys on a swing under the Malay house]

[Julian trying out a chinese ratan hat]

While my parents watched the cultural show which ran from 11.30am-12.15pm, we took the boys for lunch as they were hungry. Not even the cool interior of the theater could entice them to stay in (it was sunny and hot during our tour around the SCV grounds). Having our lunch during this time proved to be a wise move as the restaurant was less busy.

[Sarawak Laksa at SCV]

[Mee Kolo at SCV: Minus the char siew (barbecued pork) :o)]

We left SCV at about 1.30pm and made a quick stop at Damai Beach for a look-see before heading back to the city.

Upon our return to the hotel, we noticed that Justin developed red patches all over this tummy and parts of this face. Our initial suspicion was that it could be an allergic reaction to sweat. So, in the evening, while I joined my students at the Pullman Hotel for the preparations for the Imagine Cup Malaysia Finals, Justin was taken to a clinic in Satok.

After being prescribed some Calamine lotion and anti-histamine, Angie and the boys and my parents had a little adventure returning to the hotel. From Satok, they took a bus supposedly back "to Kuching" but the last stop was not anywhere familiar. So, they walked in the direction of the riverfront as this would then lead them back to the hotel. However, as they were walking, it started to rain. As they had only one umbrella, they decided to head to a nearby eatery for dinner since it was already about dinner time. They made it back safely to the hotel on foot at about 7pm.

JUstin's rashes improved after that. Our later suspicion was that it could be due to dust on the bed as the boys were jumping and playing all over. Justin slept on the other bed the second night onwards, and no more jumping on the beds for the boys!

More on our visit to the Sarawak Cultural Village on Chris & Connie's blog.

Kuching Holiday 2011: Day 1

2011-05-14T01:42:00.002+08:00

We went on a 5D/4N holiday to Kuching from 3-7 May 2011. Mom and Dad came along with us. The trip also coincided with the Microsoft Imagine Cup Malaysia Finals in which my students were participating.

[Our approach to Kuching International Airport]

[Justin's maiden flight]

We arrived in the afternoon and checked-in at the Grand Margherita Hotel. We had a quick chicken rice lunch before heading back to the hotel to rest.

[Hotel bed tested and approved: We chose the Deluxe Double which had 2 queen-sized bed... this suited our needs perfectly]

Later in the afternoon, we introduced the boys to the "bot tambang" which took us across the river (50 sen per person, one-way). We didn't venture very far as it was very hot and humid. Furthermore, all this while, Julian was pestering us to "see kucing (cat)"... he had seen photos of us with statues of small playful cats from our previous trip to Kuching. So we crossed the river again to see Julian's cats.

[The boys' first bot tambang experience]

[Posing with our bot tambang]

[The playful cats of Kuching and the boys]

[Daddy and the boys at the metal hornbill monument beside the James Brooke Bistro and Cafe]

In the evening, we went on the Sarawak River Cruise from 5.30-7.00pm (RM60 per person). It was a nice and relaxing cruise, enabling us to see popular landmarks such as the Astana, Fort Margherita, the new state legislative assembly building, Brooke Dockyard, the state mosque, and the traditional Malay villages. We were served orange cordial and kek lapis (traditional layer cakes) on board. Halfway during the cruise, the boys konked out... they had had a tiring day.

[Mummy and the boys on the cruise]

[The Sarawak River at sunset]

More on our Sarawak River Cruise experience on Chris & Connie's blog.

Our 7th Anniversary

2011-05-11T23:44:00.001+08:00

We celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary on 1 May 2011, successfully keeping the Seventh-Year Itch at bay :o).

It was pretty much a usual Sunday. We attended mass in the morning and joined some friends for an early lunch.

In the evening we decided to take the boys to watch airplanes from the carpark of the second cargo complex in Batu Maung.

We had an early dinner at Victoria Station in Bayan Baru. The boys didn't pay much attention to the food *sigh*. After dinner, the boys had some fun in the locomotive. Later, we bought 2 slices of cake and headed home for a small cake-cutting ceremony courtesy of Julian.

That night, as we were preparing to go off on a holiday on 3 May 2011, we forgot to light our Unity Candle and say our anniversary prayer. However, we managed to do this, though belated, the next day.

[Victoria Station's Mixed Grill]

[Seafood Platter]

[Julian behind the wheel]

[Justin wants to get off]

[Lighting of our Unity Candle 2011]

Julian at 47 Months

2011-05-11T23:00:00.001+08:00

Julian turned 3 years 11 months on 28 April 2011.

Here are his updates:

He seems able to apply his phonics skills to read some unfamiliar words :-)
He loves reading.
He's hooked on the games on daddy's phone.
He often accuses Justin of hurting him, especially when he's moody. "Daddy/Mummy, see... Justin kick/push/bite me!" Sometimes they are false accusations...
When he is in a playful mood, he has no problems having Justin push him, roll over him, etc. They can get quite rough in their play!
He's 'sensitive' about being reprimanded. He would retort "Eh..don't scold me" or "Eh, no shout". He would cry whenever we spank him even if it was very lightly. Then he would ask to be carried.
He likes to make funny faces when being photographed.

[Julian after a recent haircut]

[Julian's Mamee moment]

[Julian loves a good climb]

[Julian sniffs out a suspicious pencil]

[Julian pulling his pants]

[Julian giving a recital]

Justin at 21 Months

2011-05-11T00:24:00.005+08:00

Justin turned 21 months on 25 April 2011. He weighed 10.85kg during his quarterly visit to the clinic.

Here are his updates:

He is already entering the 'terrible two' phase. His tantrums are more frequent and he's not easily pacified. He doesn't really respond to reason, either.
He's getting more active physically.
He likes to sit on the swing at the playground and can even get himself to swing faster!
He can say 'bear', 'da' (duck), 'ji' (cheers), 'chek eh' (cheng ay - hokkien for wear shoes), 'ot' (hot), 'ba' (rainbow), 'noo noo' (our robot vacuum cleaner), 'bu' (blue & balloon)
He would often say 'eeee...' (whee) continuously (and loudly) when we drive down a slope.
He's fond of biting people. He does this out of excitement and also out of anger. Either way, it hurts! Julian appears to be his most consistent victim...
He is often jealous when Julian sits on mummy's lap or when mummy carries Julian.
Although he is generally good with food, he doesn't seem to like rice very much at dinner time. He's more receptive to rice if it is wet with soup or some gravy.
He likes raisins.
He seems to prefer solids to milk.
He is relunctant to drink his milk, especially at home. Since his hospitalisation, he has been demanding to be breastfed very frequently. Before his hospitalisation, he was down to being breastfed only at bedtime and once or twice in the middle of the night. In fact, we were in the process of weaning him. Now it seems we're back to square one.

[Justin the Iron Chef]

[This is what you get when you get me mad...! Justin's bitemark on Julian's back]

[Justin's Mamee moment]

[Snack attack... again]

[Playing with papaya]

[Justin's swing-a-ling time]

Justin's First Haircut

2011-05-11T00:04:00.000+08:00

On 23 April 2011, Justin had his first haircut at the barber's.

It was a Saturday morning activity for the three guys in the family :-) Daddy and Julian had their hair cropped at about the same time. Afer that came Justin's turn. He was extremely cooperative. He sat on the elevated seat all by himself. No problems. Yippee! Perhaps it helped that Julian set a good example for him :-)

[Julian: the role model]

[Justin: the willing customer]

[Justin: after the haircut]

Trip to Pulau Aman

2011-05-01T01:16:00.002+08:00

On 21 April 2011, we decided to take a trip to Pulau Aman - without the boys :-)

We got to the jetty in Batu Kawan at about 9.30am. The boat only leaves at 10am, so we walked around and took some photos. The boat ride to Pulau Aman takes 10-15 minutes, arriving on the northern tip of the island.

[Boat Schedule to Pulau Aman]

[Our boat to Pulau Aman]

Once on the island, we just simply walked around. We first walked southward on the east-side of the island, passing the local clinic and the dilapitated new jetty. Then retracing our steps, we explored the west-side, stopping by the oldest breadfruit tree in Malaysia, and the Telaga Emas (Gold Well).

[Pulau Aman village]

[Oldest breadfruit tree in Malaysia]

[Telaga Emas]

One of the reasons for our visiting Pulau Aman was to try out the mee udang (prawn noodles). This is with the savoury tomato gravy. We decided to try the one at Warung Kak Timah just a short distance away from the jetty. We're not sure if this was the best place to try mee udang on Pulau Aman. Anyway, it was served with 3 large prawns (RM6) - delicious! We also tried the sotong goreng tepung (tempura squid) which was also very good (RM5) - delicately crispy outside, soft inside. Their fried kuey teow was not so good, though.

[Mee Udang Kak Timah]

[Sotong Goreng Tepung]

We had wanted to go over to the neighbouring Pulau Gedung after lunch and then try to sample the mee udang at another stall later that afternoon. Pulau Gedung apparently has a few more historial sites. However, the boatmen were all resting that day. Since there wasn't much else to do, we decided to head home.

The Fish Floats

2011-04-26T23:54:00.000+08:00

On 16 April 2011, the sole survivor from the pair of fish Julian had as his first pet died. It lived approximately 4 months with us.

My Son, the Sun

2011-04-19T14:51:00.001+08:00

Yesterday, while at the dining table, I reached for the day's copy of The Sun newspaper for Julian to read.

Me (pointing to the logo on the masthead): Julian, what's this?
Julian: The Sun!

Now, The Sun newspaper has "On [the day of the week]" stated just below the logo. So, wanting to test Julian...
Me (pointing to the day of the week): What's this?
Julian: On Monday!
Me: Very good! *beaming*

Angie was close by...
Me: See... that's my son!
Julian: No! The Sun!
Me: ??!??!?!

Justin Gets Warded

2011-04-18T00:40:00.000+08:00

Justin was warded at the Penang Hospital Paediatric ward on 6 April 2011 due to high fever :-( He was treated for pneumonia and asthma. Mummy stayed at the hospital with him for two nights. He was discharged on 8 April, after the doctors' afternoon rounds, on the condition that he would be taken to the hospital for nebuliser for the next 2 days. This, of course, was preferable for us even though it meant 4 trips to the hospital on the first day and 3 trips on the second day. He is well now :-)

We are satisfied with the treatment and service received at the hospital. And the plus point is that the bill was probably just 1% of what we would have had to pay at a private hospital!

Julian at 46 Months

2011-04-13T17:51:00.002+08:00

Julian turned 3 years 10 months on 28 March 2011.

Here are his updates:

When someone asks him to sing, he will roar. This has been going on for some time now and he's not over this phase yet.
When he doesn't know the answer to a question, or when he doesn't want to answer our question, his response would be 'alligator' or 'lion'.
He recognises more words now, and continues to enjoy reading. yay! :-)
He remembers the lyrics to quite a few rhymes and songs and would correct us when we sing wrongly.
He likes to help mummy whenever he has the opportunity. He likes to turn on the washing machine and also beat the eggs to make his egg tofu (steamed egg).
He is good at meddling with the computer. He somehow found some cartoons we had downloaded, so now he also watches cartoons on the computer. Since his computer time is limited, we have not stopped this. Justin, of course, is very happy to join big bro :-P
He's getting better at school. The teacher recently told us that he can sit for longer periods now. He likes it when he is given attention and would diligently do his work when the teacher observes him. He is not rough when playing with other kids.
Whenever he sees any bird droppings on the windscreen of the car, he would insist on going to the car wash. *slap head*
He now sleeps with Klaus bear - a gift from our German friend. Klaus bear sleeps on a pillow next to him. On one occasion, Klaus bear was left behind at the babysitter's (no thanks to Justin) and we had to go fetch Klaus at 10.30pm! Luckily, it's just 5 minutes away.
He would sometimes 'intercede' for Justin e.g. when Justin doesn't finish his milk, he would say "Mummy/Daddy take straw for Justin."

[Julian at his workbooks]

[Julian stepping out of his cockpit]

[Julian avoiding the glare]

Justin at 20 Months

2011-04-05T22:53:00.003+08:00

Justin turned 20 months on 25 March 2011. No visit to the clinic this month.

Here are his updates:

His lower right canine has erupted.
He would put his finger to his nose (supposed to be mouth) to indicate 'keep quiet' especially when he sees someone sleeping.
When he doesn't want something, he would shake his head and say 'meh-meh' or 'mai-mai'.
He can say'duh air' (the end), 'mai' with a rising intonation (smile), walk, 'mah meh' (mummy - especially when he wants mummy's attention).
He would exclaim 'eh!' when the traffic light is green.
We have elevated his car seat so he can have a better view. He notices big vehicles and would point them out. Perhaps they are more visible.
He would roar when he sees a picture of a lion or tiger, or when Julian roars.
He would try to imitate Julian's actions to the letter, disregarding the fact that some of his motor skills are not well developed yet!
He joins Julian for daily computer sessions. Now there are two chairs in front of the computer. *roll eyes*
He likes the peg puzzles very much and is very good at them. There are 3: shapes, vehicles and clock. He can match and fit all the pieces accurately except the heart shape :-)
He will pull our hand and lead us where he wants us to go.
He can follow simple instructions like 'put the toy in the box', 'pick up the crayon'.
He can throw a tantrum when he doesn't get his way.
He can fight back when Julian snatches something from him. He would either 'wrestle' with Julian or bite him.
He's still doing only about 4 oz of milk. Even then, he sometimes refuses to finish drinking from the bottle. We then use a straw to entice him to continue drinking (which usually works).

[Justin at his writing table]

[All set to go]

[Working on a peg puzzle]

[Justin the cool kid]

Combat Comrades

2011-04-05T22:43:00.000+08:00

We are pleased to note that in the past 2-3 months, Julian and Justin have been able to play together more and more without much supervision. Their favourite game is peekaboo. They also often play rough and tumble.

We also notice them 'doing things' for each other. For instance, we have seen Julian giving Justin a drink by opening Justin's water bottle and holding it for him to drink *awwww*. Justin would bring Julian's pants for him when the latter comes out of the toilet *how sweet*. :-)

Of course brotherhood can never be complete without a little bit of rivalry and jostling.

It's good to see them getting the hang of being brothers! :-D

[This is the way we wash the car, so early in the morning...]

[Julian feeds Justin]

[Standing in for Santa in summer...]

[The boys in their time machine...]

[The boys at the computer]

[Brotherly hug]

[Oopsie!]

No More TV

2011-03-08T11:30:00.001+08:00

As of the evening of 11 February 2011, Julian and Justin have been completely off the TV at home.

The official story:

The TV is broken. When Justin presses the remote controls (TV or DVD player), they don't work. Julian asked mummy to 'on switch', but the switch is spoiled. Another day we will repair it. No need to 'buy new one' (which was Julian's immediate solution to the situation).

The truth behind the myth:

At one time, Justin used to hold two CDs to sleep. Then the nightmare started - for us. For two nights in a row, Justin woke up in the middle of the night (due to a cough) and when he saw the CDs in his hands, he insisted that he wanted to watch TV. At first we refused, naturally. But then he started wailing. We couldn't risk Julian being woken up so we gave in. This was about 3am the first time and 1.30am the second time! Each TV session lasted about 2 hours. The second time, he woke up again at about 6.45am for more TV!

Enough was enough. We decided there would not be a third night of such nonsense. That evening itself, we dished out the 'cold turkey' treatment. No TV after coming home from the babysitter's. The official story is told at this point :-) All the discs and anything that would remind them of watching TV has since been hidden.

Review of decision:

The TV has remained 'broken' until now :-) Initially Justin cried and fussed. Julian fussed a little too. This would happen as soon as they got home. Thankfully it would only last for a short while. But when they realised that the TV is really 'broken', and mummy and daddy can't do anything about it even if they cried, they just turned their attention to other things. I think we were lucky that they didn't put up much resistence in this 'battle'.

The decision to cut off the TV at home has been good, especially for Justin. He is finally 'touching' his books and enjoys sitting on our lap to look at his books :-)

Julian goes on the computer almost every day for a limited time. He only surfs starfall.com which is educational so that's ok with us. Justin would watch as well, as a passive learner.

The boys still watch TV at the babysitter's or at their grandparents', which is fine with us. At home, they occupy their time with other things like drawing, colouring and playing with their toys. Yay! :-)

Julian at 45 Months

2011-03-05T00:33:00.000+08:00

Julian turned 45 months (3 years 9 months) on 28 February 2011.

Here are his updates:

When he says his prayers (which we say with/for him), he'll add "Lord Jesus, another day I want to go swimming!"
He still has peculiar pre-sleep habits like wanting us to scratch/squeeze his foot or hand, and pat his back. He sometimes even specifies how it should be done!
He's hooked on reading two bedtime stories - "Bedtime" and "Lili's Tooth". These must be told exactly the same way each time or else he'll correct us.
He can recognise some sight words (words that cannot be taught with pictures) such as "to", "in", and "the".
He likes to read story books. He appears to be reading correctly but we think he may have memorised the words. But it's cute to see him flip the pages and reading to himself.
He insists on being right sometimes, e.g. when he sees cars placed on a slanted ramp on a trailer, he'll insist that the cars are "upside down" although we tell him they are not.
When we're on the way home after an outing, he'll sometimes say that the doesn't want to go home. So, we'll say that we're not going home but going to Island Glades (that's where home is) and he doesn't object :o).
When we try to reprimand him, he sometimes retaliates by saying "police to catch you!" or "(Julian) go office!" When we ask him whose office, he'll say "Daddy's office" or "Julian's office".

[Julian plays badminton]

[Julian in or out?]

[Julian telling Mummy a bedtime story]

[Julian colours a chocolate, an apple, and an orange]

Justin at 19 Months

2011-03-04T23:45:00.000+08:00

Justin turned 19 months on 25 February 2011. No visit to the clinic this month.

Here are his updates:

His lower left canine has erupted. He now has a total of 15 teeth.
He has a jealous streak, especially when he sees Julian getting more attention than him.
He is finally sitting in the car seat without much fuss. Yay!
He has now switched from holding CDs to holding a pacifier to bed... just holding only, mind you :o).
He has learned to "fight" with Julian. Once, when Julian attacked his feet, he retaliated by swatting Julian on the head!
He can say "tay" (train).
He can now identify the colour orange.

[Justin plays tennis]

[Tau Foo Fah tragedy: Justin gets messy, again]

[Playing with papaya: His matted hair is the result of him "gelling" his hair... he thinks it'll help him grow more hair]

The Rabbit Hops In... With a Limp!

2011-02-21T00:41:00.001+08:00

Our Chinese New Year ordeal started early on Tuesday morning (2 February 2011). I woke up with a sore throat. My whole body felt uneasy, so was Angie's. As the day progressed, it dawned on us that we had diarrhoea as a result of food poisoning.

On Chinese New Year's eve (Wednesday), we braved the bug and drove back to my parent's place in Menglembu. I still had body ache and diarrhoea. Angie felt slightly better except for the diarrhoea and occasional nausea. Thankfully, the boys were okay... must have been something Angie and I ate for lunch on Monday. So, we refrained from the usual new year bingeing to give our guts a rest. As you can imagine, it was miserable not being able to enjoy the new year delicacies.

On New Year's day, we felt better but were still cautious with food. Later, we found that we now had to nurse a cough! Double whammy! Anyway, that night we managed to visit our paternal 3rd uncle and aunty. On the whole, the kids had the most fun as usual. The boys played with their cousins Gabriel and Rosalie. The star attraction during our stay in Menglembu were 4 huge helium-filled baloons in the shape of a helicopter, a parrot, a fish, and a camel (which burst). These kept the boys occupied.

[Chinese New Year Milk: Julian likes his warm and toasty]

[Justin and Grandpa]

On the third day of the new year (Friday), we drove to Angie's parent's place in Butterworth after breakfast. Angie's cousin came over for a game of blackjack.

The morning of the fourth day saw us at a clinic for some medication for our cough. While at the doctors, the boys went out with their Ah Kong, Poh Poh, and Tua Ee to a nearby field to play a toy helicopter, and to count the cows. We all went to church and for some shopping that night. The highlight of our stay, for Julian that is, was his bath in the water tub.

[Now this is what I call a bath tub!]

We made it back to Penang on Sunday by lunchtime.

Holiday in Bukit Merah Laketown Resort

2011-02-15T23:28:00.000+08:00

We went for a short holiday in Bukit Merah from 27-28 January 2011. We went together with some friends who have a child the same age as Julian.

The night before Julian developed a cough and so we took him to the doctor's before leaving Penang. We arrived in Bukit Merah at about noon. After checking in we headed straight for the waterpark. Bought lunch there (Bubbles Restaurant). We ordered fried rice and nuggets with french fries. Julian was literally eating while playing in the water. Not his best food intake. Justin hardly ate anything, refusing the food offered. (Note: The fried rice is fried with chilli by default, so you have to specify and emphasise NO chilli and that it's for a CHILD to eat.)

[Julian and Justin checking the quality of the bed: Passed!]

Julian was king of the water, as usual :-) He enjoyed himself thoroughly. Justin was more reserved. He liked the water but was not in the same element as Julian. At one point, Justin lost balance and went underwater, practically floating horizontally facing downward. Thankfully he was 'fished' out and unharmed. From that moment on, he was not allowed out of reach of any adult! Justin was unfazed by the incident.

[Julian down the slide]

We spent 3 whole hours at the waterpark then went back to the hotel for a rest. It had started to drizzle. After a nap we went for dinner at Le Lac restaurant. Food was quite good (sorry, no pics - it's impossible to get a photo of the food with the kids around!). We ordered Flinstones Fried Rice (kid's meal), Cantonese style koay teow and beef rendang with rice. After dinner we 'lepak' in the hotel room. Aileen joined us for dinner and 'lepak' :-)

[Bukit Merah Laketown Resort jetty at dusk]

We started the next day's activities feeding ducks at the lake while waiting for the boat to the orang utan island. Aileen was our personal guide for the day :-) The boys were fascinated with the primates at the island :-) The boat ride went well, too. Julian entertained himself with the life-jacket whistle, while Justin refused to wear the life-jacket on the return journey.

[Julian giving a duck a hand, literally]

[On the boat to the orang utan island]

[Orang utans having a snack]

Next stop was the Ecopark. It was the boys' second visit here. Their first visit was a year ago. The boys took in the sight of the animals and enjoyed feeding the animals. We even saw a peacock displaying its tail. This time round we caught the animal show. Justin was a real sport, clapping happily when the crowd clapped. Julian, on the other hand, kept wanting to leave the show area to go see the bears and crocodiles (which we already saw before the show). Nevertheless, he managed to stay for the whole show. After the show we took photos with the macaws. Then we fed more animals enroute to the exit. We were at the Ecopark for a good two hours so by the time we left it was past one (hungry, hungry!).

[Peacock and peahen]

[Justin and Mummy with a macaw]

[Julian and Justin feeding fish]

We had lunch at Le Lac. This time we tried their chicken cutlet (=chicken chop). We had a repeat order of the Cantonese koay teow for the benefit of the children. We ordered the pizza as well but somehow the pizza was not served. We indulged in a watermelon lychee drink, which was quite pleasing. The chicken cutlet was good, too.

Getting back to the hotel room was a bit of a challenge. There's a fountain right outside the restaurant, in the open space as you enter the resort. Julian and Justin couldn't resist playing there. We finally made it back to the room and checked out at about 3.30pm.

[Justin and Julian at the fountain]

We had a really enjoyable holiday. The weather was good - mostly cloudy :-) Plus, we didn't have to jostle with any crowd as it was a weekday :-) :-) Thanks also to Aileen/Gee Ee, who made the trip a truly memorable one *kiss, kiss* We'll be back!! :-) :-)

Now-we-bot Noo-Noo

2011-02-15T00:20:00.002+08:00

We moved into the robotic era on 21 January 2011. We bought ourselves a Samsung Navibot which came with a free Samsung microwave oven. Price: RM2,399. We waited to put up this post so we could really run the bot before giving our review.

Review: Does about 80% of the job. You've got to make sure your floor is free of 'traps'. It may get stuck on bath mats, bag straps or carpet tassles. It may miss a whole area if the 'entrance' is obstructed in such a way that it cannot navigate well. It works best for homes with little clutter. Therefore, our dining area seem to be less thoroughly cleaned due to the dining chair and table legs. Overall, we are happy with our purchase as we now have one less chore to do :-)

Julian calls the Navibot "robot Noo-Noo" (Noo-noo is the vacuum cleaner from the TV show Teletubbies). However, he is not so fond of the robot Noo-Noo, preferring it switched off :-).

The microwave is a real bonus :-) A really fun cooking toy for us to experiment :-) :-).

[Our Robot Noo-Noo: The Samsung Navibot]

Motorbikes, motorbikes

2011-02-08T11:22:00.001+08:00

Julian is currently very fascinated with motorcycles. He would always want to have a closer look at the motorcycle whenever he sees one. He is especially fascinated with the bikes which have a carrier on the pillion seat, the kind with two 'sticks' by the side.

He even associates the rider with the items carried. There's roti-man (the man selling bread on the bike), tin-man, box-man, etc (when he sees a rider carrying tins, boxes, etc.) So, what if the rider isn't carrying anything on the carrier? Well, that's the... nothing-man!

Julian at 44 Months

2011-02-08T10:14:00.000+08:00

Julian turned 44 months (3 years 8 months) on 28 January 2011. He now weighs 15.15kg. He went to the clinic supposedly for deworming but since his weight gain and appetite were good, and he does not scratch his bum, he was not given any worm medicine.

Here are his updates:

He likes to play pretend, especially as the 'roti' man (bread man) that comes on the motorcycle. His horse is his bike. He charges RM5 for bread, bun and most of the things he sells. He would ask Justin to buy 'keropok', which he charges either RM1 or RM5.

He likes to draw 'himself'. He generally requires guidance drawing his face, eyes, and nose but he is able to draw his mouth, ears and hair. (He likes to draw the hair best.)

His pencil grip is ok now.

He would repeat what we say, sometimes selective repetitions. Must be careful what we say... :-)

He's getting more and more conversational in his speech.

Sometimes he would purpose give wrong answers to questions (e.g. What is your name? Answer: Daddy) and then laugh :-)

He now complains/tell tales about Justin. "Daddy, see Justin..."

He often says "afterwards/tomorrow play again" when he does not get to do something immediately, or when he has to stop doing something.

He started nail biting recently. Checking him on this now.

He's still crazy about the computer, but we try to limit his playing to 15 minutes to 'delay' his eyesight deteriorating... The computer is also our weapon to get him to do things/behave (blackmail) but rest assured we only use it when absolutely necessary.

[Julian and his self portrait: Except for the large circle for the face, he did this one all by himself :-)]

[Julian loves to be wrapped in a towel]

[Julian enjoying a book]

Dawn of Homework

2011-02-08T10:12:00.001+08:00

Julian had his first homework on 25 January 2011 :-( He had to write the letter 'a' 49 times. The next day, he had to write the number '1', also 49 times. He is not able to concentrate for long. Daddy does a great job guiding him.

Justin at 18 Months

2011-02-08T10:10:00.001+08:00

Justin turned 18 months on 25 January 2011. He weighed in at 10.2kg (up 600g from 3 months ago) and had his booster jab at the clinic.

Here are his updates:

His upper right canine has erupted.

He's quite ok with his food intake. He generally eats most of what we give him.

He likes to feed himself and is able to do so quite well now, but still messy.

He can intone "ready, set, go".

He can say 'tee' (three) when someone counts one, two...

He can say 'ma', 'po po' (Pocoyo), 'ba ba' (Barney), 'eh...pel' (apple), 'mao' (cat).

He likes colouring especially with colour pencils. Magic colour is ok, too, but he doesn't seem to fancy crayons.

He has keen interest in the computer but we don't let him play with it except when Julian takes a toilet break. He would say 'air' (short 'a' vowel sound) and point/go to the computer. When Julian is on the computer, he would be on the sofa observing.

He's still the mega TV addict. He now includes Thomas, Wonder Pets, Tom & Jerry and Teletubbies in his 'repertoire'.

He's so hooked on DVDs that he constantly holds two in his hands, even taking them to bed!

He can and likes to do the action for the song "Wheels on the Bus".

He can hold his thumb up (he did it once, but has refused to do any repeats).

He can swirl water in his mouth.

He likes to feed Mummy especially when he doesn't want to eat the food anymore. He would insist on putting the food in Mummy's mouth and would show annoyance if refused.

He is observant and can remember where things are kept. E.g. He indicated where the balloon pump was when Mummy was looking for it; He knows where his shoes are put; etc.

He's improving in the car seat, sitting more often and for longer periods :-) His car seat is positioned behind the driver's seat and he's more likely to sit if we put him in from the door on that side. Slowly but surely, we're getting there...

[Justin colouring]

[Justin sporting chocolate lipstick]

A Hair-rowing Experience No More

2011-01-17T11:45:00.001+08:00

Julian went to the barber on 15 January 2011. For the first time he sat on the chair (elevated) by himself and even allowed himself to be wrapped in the cloth! What a pleasant surprise for daddy and mummy :-) Well done, Julian! This deserves a special mention on the blog :-)

Just for the record, on previous visits, Julian would sit on daddy's lap and refuse to be covered. He used to cry, then gradually he stopped crying but would squirm throughout the haircut. Toy distractions and bribes of lollipop did not work... Julian got upset when the hair fell on the toy and he couldn't care less for the lollipop ('future' reward didn't register with him, I think).

Julian Bitten

2011-01-13T23:15:00.000+08:00

Julian was bitten on his forearm by a schoolmate on 12 January 2011. We do not know exactly how it all happened but apparently this schoolmate had a tendency to bite when provoked. So, this time, his target was Julian. Ouch!

[Julian's bite mark]

Julian at 43 Months

2011-01-04T00:06:00.003+08:00

Julian turned 43 months (3 years 7 months) on 28 December 2010.

Some updates:

Since we got our new computer, he's been on the computer every day that we're home. However, we control the amount of time he spends on the computer. We would tell him when the long hand of the clock reaches a certain number, he would have to press 'x' and shut down. When the time comes, he would stop playing without any fuss :-) The maximum we allow him is one hour.
He likes to play a fishing game on the Internet. It's educational for numbers and counting but we also insist that he does his ABCs and reading before fishing.
He is able to sing several nursery rhymes in full now. He's even able to sing in tune for some parts :-)
He can say his prayer on his own (short version). With a little bit of prompting, he can do the 'long version' :-)
Now he's at the stage where he demands full attention and wants to show us everything. Mostly, he will demand daddy's attention: "daddy, dump truck carry sand!", "daddy, how many fingers are there?", "daddy, which one do you like?" (by this it means daddy has to repeat the question, i.e. ask Julian which one he likes), "show mummy...Mummy I catch two foams", etc. He would call loudly and repeatedly if he doesn't get an immediate response.
He is also starting to ask questions to get information, e.g. "Mummy, what's that?" (when he sees something new to him), "Daddy, what are you doing?", "Mummy, where's daddy?"
He's showing some improvement in his maturity in that he can be reasoned with more often now. He can respond in a calm and 'mature' manner.
We use a counting method to get him to do (or stop doing) things. E.g., mummy will count to 3, Julian must get on the car seat. This works generally well. However, at the beginning of the month he would sometimes 'rebel'. When we start counting 'one', he would say "I don't want 2. Only 1." More recently, he sometimes 'bargains' with us - "No, count to [another number]". Sometimes, he gives a number that is sooner than our offer :-)

[Julian]

[The smart way to water paint]

Christmas 2010

2011-01-04T00:05:00.000+08:00

Our celebrations began on 21 Dec with dinner in Butterworth. Aileen and Christina were in town but we missed Antonia this year.

[Christmas in Butterworth: The boys with Ah Kong and Poh Poh]

We travelled to Menglembu on Christmas Eve and attended midnight mass in Batu Gajah. It's been a long time since we went for midnight mass and this year we were reminded why we stopped going... the crowd... the slight rain didn't help either... Justin was asleep from beginning to end, while Julian dozed off midway through mass on daddy's shoulders. We were outside the church as it was packed inside. The speakers outside were not working so we could hardly hear what was going on. In addition, the people outside were talking away.

Christmas Day saw us opening presents and enjoying mum's home-cooked lunch. Julian and Gabriel had a whale of a time in Grandma & Grandpa's new balcony-top swimming pool. Justin, alas, was fast asleep... Dinner was the simple yet delicious claypot chicken rice in Menglembu town.

[Christmas duet: Deja vu from last year's performance]

[Christmas in Menglembu: Presents, presents...]

Boxing Day was a Sunday, so we attended Mass as usual in the morning. The highlight of the day was more splashing time in the pool for Julian. This time Justin joined in, but Gabriel had left for Ipoh. That evening, we travelled back to Penang.

[Splashing time!]

[Christmas at home: More presents!]

Justin at 17 Months

2011-01-01T00:56:00.002+08:00

Some updates:

His 12th tooth, the upper right molar has erupted.
On Christmas Day we noticed his upper left canine just erupting.
He is able to spoon-feed himself, although he sometimes has difficulty scooping the food from the plate.
When offered food, he prefers to take the food from the packaging/'source' rather than have us handing it to him.
He doesn't like to come down the slide anymore. We have no idea why.
He was able to respond accordingly when instructed to 'stop crying' on several occasions when he was simply fretting.

[Justin loves to stack blocks]

[Justin in the pool with Mummy]

[Justin having a go with painting]

[Justin feeds himself]

[Justin trying a pacifier]

Julian's First Pet

2011-01-01T00:50:00.000+08:00

Julian went on a school excursion to the CTY Aquarium on Burmah Road on 15 December 2010. Each child was entitled to bring home either a pair of fish or a tortoise. We opted for the fish as they have a shorter life-span.

After the excursion, while at the baby-sitter's, Julian had already subjected the poor creatures to a great deal of stress (read: fish tank tsunami). On the third day, one died. The better half is still alive today, tolerating Daddy's meagre maintenance, and bearing the brunt of the boys' force-feeding.

But credit is due to the fish... because feeding it is enough incentive for the boys to rush straight home instead of dilly-dallying at the apartment lift lobby.

[Julian's first pet]

[Behold the lop-sided one...]

Straits Quay

2011-01-01T00:42:00.001+08:00

On 7 December 2010 we took the boys to Straits Quay, the newest-but-not-completely-opened mall on the island. We read about the Christmas candyland and the big Christmas tree there. We were not disappointed. However, we were rather early so we didn't get to see the tree lit and we didn't wait for the carollers. We think it's a beautiful place, although Julian was too busy running to take in the sights, and daddy was hot on his heels ;-) Justin was walking at a more leisurely pace so mummy was more relaxed :-)

[Candyland]

[The Giant Christmas Tree]

[Closeup of the Star and decorations]

Dell-icious

2010-12-18T00:52:00.001+08:00

We finally replaced our desktop of more than 10 years on 1 December 2010.

The Intel Pentium III 667MHz machine served us well. It had since had its hardisk, CD drive, keyboard and mouse replaced, and its RAM upgraded from 128MB to 192MB courtesy of a good friend.

Our new machine is a Dell Inspiron 580 with an Intel Core i3 550 (3.2GHz) processor, 4GB RAM, 456GB hardisk, and 20-inch LCD monitor.

[The old Pentium III machine]

[Our new Core i3 machine]

Julian at 42 Months

2010-12-07T00:22:00.001+08:00

Julian turned 42 months (3 1/2 years) on 28 November 2010. He had his pneumococcal vaccination and weighed in at 14kg.

He has developed a habit of screaming - sometimes for no reason.
We notice that he is now 'louder' when addressing people. Previously he used to address people softly under his breath.
He likes to say "Yes, sure!"
He can read the temperature on the digital thermometer correctly.
He can turn on the computer, log on to the Internet and shut down at the end of his computer session.
He is finally cycling his tricycle.
He can wear his pants on his own, though it is problematic when the front and back is specific.
He continues to improve in his food intake. Now he eats some fish and meat (char siew and satay are acceptable to him because he calls them 'burger-Q').
He's now off the potty... all big or small businesses are done in the toilet.

[Julian down the tube slide]

[The softer side of Julian]

[Julian keeping fit]

Julian's Concert Debut

2010-12-07T00:15:00.000+08:00

Julian's kindy held their annual concert on 27 November 2010 at the school premises. It was Julian's concert debut :-)

He was involved in 7 items. Of these, he was most participative in the YMCA dance. He wasn't originally slotted for this item but because he seems to enjoy it so much and could remember all the steps, his teacher put him on stage as well on the day. We thought that was really nice of her. He also participated in the 'Hot Potatoes' and 'Waka Waka' dances. For the other items, he mostly just stood still on the stage :-) In the percussion band, which was the penultimate item, he was crying and saying "I want to go home". But still he stood on the stage and 'resentfully' shook his shaker... I suppose we should give him some credit for that :-) Julian was actually nursing a slight fever that day.

[Justin is Julian's No. 1 fan]

[Doing the Waka Waka dance]

[Y... M... C A!]

Justin at 16 Months

2010-12-07T00:12:00.001+08:00

Justin turned 16 months on 25 November 2010. We took him for the chicken pox vaccination and he weighed in at 9.6kg. No change in weight.

At the moment he regularly puts up a fight at bedtime. He refuses to go to bed mainly because he wants to watch TV! *slap head*
He's a mega TV addict. His favourite is still the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse series(DVD).
He's now adept at putting the discs into the DVD player. However, we have recently elevated the player so it is out of reach of the boys. Let there be peace on earth...!
When he gets a chance, Justin also likes banging on the computer.
He also likes playing with the bread tags. We use them to keep him occupied during dinner time :-)
He can kick the ball now (one of the baby milestones)
His bottom right and left molar erupted - his 10th and 11th tooth respectively.
He likes to eat fruit loops, especially the yellow loops. He doesn't fancy the red ones.
He can say "ma" (Mickey Mouse, moon), "men" (Amen), "deh is" (there it is/here it is) and he makes some sound resembling flower for 'flower'.

[Justin down the tube slide]

[Justin at the toy library]

[Justin on the computer]

[Justin doing the Nativity play shepherd impression]

[JUstin in a sticky situation]

[Justin's wet look]

Bread Pudding

2010-12-07T00:03:00.000+08:00

We had lots of frozen leftover bread and some mixed fruit that we needed to get rid off. So, 7 November 2010 saw us baking bread pudding.

[Tearing the bread into bits]

[Mash!]

[Cream!]

[Freshly baked bread pudding: Quality check!]

[Slice of bread pudding: Simply delicious!]

Youth Park and Airbase

2010-12-06T00:33:00.001+08:00

We were quite busy on the weekend of 5-6 November 2010. On 5 November 2010, we took the boys to the Youth Park. They had good time in the field kicking a ball around, chasing bubbles, launching a helicopter fan, and having a picnic. They later continued having fun at the playground.

[Bubbles!]

[Bubble chase!]

[Everybody look up!]

[Justin is now good at kicking the ball]

[Julian catching his breath, not!]

On 6 November 2010, we were at the Penang Children's Library in the morning. Then, we were off to Butterworth in the afternoon for the Open Day at the Royal Malaysian Air Force airbase. Due to the crowd, we had to park quite a distance away from the entrance. It was scorching hot and we had to carry the boys *sweat*. There were a few fighter jets, a helicopter and a Lockheed C-130 Hercules on display. We took the opportunity to walk through the Hercules.

[One of the fighter jets]

[The Hercules]

Family Day at Golden Sands

2010-11-13T23:57:00.001+08:00

We spent a 3-day 2-night stay (22-24 October 2010) at Shangri-La's Golden Sands Resort at Batu Ferringhi for my department's family day.

On the first day, we checked-in at about 6.30pm and had an opening dinner.

A telematch was scheduled on the morning of the second day but we decided to spend time with the kids on the beach instead. Later in the morning, we adjourned for a dip in the pool. The resort had a nice pool area with many pools of different sizes, depths, and purposes. There's even a jacuzzi :o).

[The boys in the sand pit]

[Fun on the beach]

[Julian: Look at that!]

[Justin and Daddy]

After lunch and a nap, we took the kids to the resort's Adventure Zone where they had a kid's play area with a ball pool and an obstacle course. We ended the evening by the beach.

[The boys and Mummy have powers of levitation?!]

[Julian and the sea at dusk]

On the last day, it was more fun in the pool before we checked-out and had lunch.

Unlike the previous family day, we did not have any work-related activity. So, it was a fun and relaxing stay.

Julian at 41 Months

2010-11-06T00:37:00.000+08:00

Julian turned 41 months on 28 October 2010.

He's now better at conversing and can sometimes answer questions properly without any prompting from us.
He is very clear and firm when rejecting something, e.g. at the doctor's he said, "I don't want that" (the spatula doctors usually use when examining the throat).
He is very fond of saying "I want to go home.", even at home! We're not sure what he REALLY wants. He generally says it when he's not happy about something or when he starts to get bored/tired (when we're out).
He likes to put on his sunglasses in the car (sometimes even at night) and look at himself in the mirror on the visor. In fact, the visor is perpetually flipped down now for him to 'admire' himself (with or without the sunglasses). That's vanity for you! *roll eyes*
He's quite fixated when it comes to routines. If a particular routine is not done in the correct sequence, or a 'step' is missed, there is always a risk of him going cranky. For instance, after brushing his teeth he wants to dry his hands. No such thing as going straight to bathe without wiping his hands.
Being fixated as he is, he also has difficulty with changes. He often resists new things/situations. We have difficulty getting him to wear 'new' clothes sometimes, but we overcome this by telling him they are a present from someone e.g. Grandma, Ah Kong, etc. However, he hardly resists new toys, always insisting on opening the packages as soon as he sees them!
He's improving in his mealtime menu. He is now open to noodles (though not all types) and he especially likes the ABC pasta that we cook. He also likes papaya, watermelon and apples.

[Julian: The Sliding Star]

[Vanity]

Justin at 15 Months

2010-11-06T00:36:00.000+08:00

Justin turned 15 months on 25 October 2010. He was at the clinic on 27 October 2010 for a routine check-up. He weighed 9.6kg (600gm increase in the last 3 months). He is now 78cm tall (up from 76cm 3 months ago).

Here are his updates:

He tried some roti canai and seems keen to try adult food. He's losing interest in cereal.
A ninth tooth has erupted (upper left molar).
He can climb up the dining chair *horrors*.
On the talking front, he now says "bye" (and waves as well), "borr" (ball), "ya/yeh" (yes), "there" (and points, when we ask him where certain objects are), "thah" (car), "berh" (bird), "bah" (plane), and "no more".
He says "airh" to imitate the phonics sound for the letter "A" when Julian plays on Starfall.
When we suspect that he has passed motion (but actualy did not) and we ask him "Did you owk-owk?", he shakes his head.
Hugs when asked to "sayang" (show love).
Can follow instruction to put things somewhere.
Nods head when we say "thank you" to him.
Can hold his own bottle.
He likes to watch Thomas and Friends, and shakes his head when he hears the Thomas and Friends theme song.
Likes to fiddle with the DVD player. He knows how to open the tray and can place a disc onto the tray with some help. However, he keeps on wanting to change discs... this drives Julian crazy, and a scuffle ensues.

[Justin: Sad movies... always make me cry...]

[Justin: I called you on the telephone... but you're never home...]

[No, that's not **** on his face :o)]

[Justin having a go on the slide]

[Justin sampling a slice of dried apple]

[Justin doing the diaper cheer routine]

Highland Holiday 2010

2010-10-06T00:00:00.001+08:00

Going to Cameron Highlands seems to have evolved into an annual 'pilgrimage' :-) This year, we were there from 24-26 Sept 2010. Papa and Mummy came with us. We stayed at O'ly Apartments in Tanah Rata, same as last year. Julian could remember the apartment. He remembered celebrating Grandpa and Suk Suk's birthday there.

Day 1:
We left Penang close to 11am. Stopped in Simpang Pulai for lunch before heading up. We arrived in Tanah Rata at almost 4pm. After settling in and having a rest, we went to the Bharat Tea House (a yearly 'ritual'). Since it wasn't raining that evening, we went to the night market in Brinchang. We decided to buy dinner from the night market and eat at the apartment.

[Julian admiring the view of the Bharat Tea Plantation]

[Tea at the Bharat Plantation Tea Shop]

Day 2:
The morning saw us at the MARDI Station, viewing the plants there. Julian was more fascinated with the decorative fountain and waterfall. The only 'plant' that fascinated him was the giant wintermelons hanging from the vines. He spent most of the time running/walking around.

[Justin satisfied that he was really in Cameron Highlands]

[And now for the wintermelon swinging competition...]

[At the Edible Garden]

After that we went to EQ Strawberry Farm to pluck strawberries - the highlight for Julian. Justin fell asleep in the car on the way to the farm so I stayed in the car with him while the rest went to pluck strawberries.

[Julian likes plucking strawberries more than eating them]

We went back to Tanah Rata for lunch then back to the apartment for a rest. While Papa and Mummy rested, we decided to take the boys for a drive. Our intention was to check the next day's mass time (which we did) and buy something for tea. However, both boys fell asleep in the car so we abandoned the tea idea and drove around a bit before heading back to the apartment. It was raining so we decided to sleep in the car instead of trying to get the boys into the apartment without them waking up or getting wet!

In the evening, we went to Tanah Rata town for a walk and had dinner at a cafe. We also bought some tea to bring home. It rained while we were in town, but luckily stopped when we were ready to leave.

Day 3:
We went for mass in the morning, quite disastrously. The boys were causing quite a havoc and we had to banish ourselves from the chapel upstairs :-( We checked out after mass and went to Brinchang for lunch. After lunch we went to the Big Red Strawberry Farm (another yearly 'ritual'). After a bit of shopping and Julian running around, we left. It was almost 2pm.

[Julian's annual vege-inspection]

[Justin minding the tuck shop]

We stopped in Simpang Pulai for tea, then headed back to Penang. We arrived at about 6pm. Papa and Mummy then drove back to Butterworth.

The boys were generally fretty this trip (Julian kept saying he wanted to go home) as they were actually not feeling very well. Julian developed a cough two days before the trip and Justin caught it from Julian in Camerons. The weather was cool and there was intermittent rain, which made going out a bit more cumbersome. Only in the night did the temperature get cold. Julian flat refused to wear his sweater, while Justin wore his only during the trip to the night market. Justin was mostly dressed in long sleeved tops while Julian was in his regular T-shirts when we went out. The apartment had Astro so the boys watched cartoons on the Disney channels. They also played with their Ah Kong and Poh Poh.

The Fight For Mummy

2010-10-05T23:12:00.004+08:00

What do you do when both children want mummy's attention at the same time?

More than once, Julian has gotten up from sleep crying and wanting Mummy to comfort him. The problem is it takes him a while to calm down and sometimes Justin is awakened by his crying. Oh me, oh my, when that happens because then Justin also wants Mummy to get him back to sleep! Justin's ultimate 'weapon' is he wants 'nen nen' (to feed). Julian will insist (practically screaming by now...) Daddy should carry Justin or he doesn't want Justin. The thing is if Julian doesn't get back to sleep, Justin can't fall asleep either with all the wailing! And as long as Justin is awake he will insist (also screaming) he wants Mummy too! We get into this catch-22 situation and neither boy wants to share. The one-lap-each offer gets no takers.

Daddy tries to help as best he can...

Julian at 40 Months

2010-10-02T23:53:00.001+08:00

Julian turned 40 months on 28 September 2010. Here are his updates:

He still watches a lot of TV. His current favourite is the Magic School Bus. He's able to manipulate the player independently, including 'skipping' the trailers at the beginning. He only needs us to turn on the main switch.
He still likes to play on the computer and has progressed to showing preference for Daddy's laptop because of the Internet connection. His favourite website is www.starfall.com, an educational website. This site can keep his attention for quite a long time.
He has begun to show some interest in books again... thank goodness!
He likes to 'help' when we are washing milk bottles. Read: play with soap water!
He shows some sense of logic. One day we told him that there was no 'grey computer' (laptop) at home. Immediately, he took a toy (which resembles a bag) and headed for the door. When asked where he was going, he replied, "Buy grey computer." Talk about consumerism!
He still throws tantrums.
Sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night crying and is difficult to pacify.
He has this bad habit of holding water in his mouth. When asking him to swallow doesn't work, we would ask him a question so he would have to swallow in order to answer. Sometimes he tries to answer with the water still in his mouth *slap forehead*
He can be quite defiant. When we ask him to hold his pencil/crayon in the correct pencil grip, he would purposely hold it in a 'fist' grip.
He often insists that he is correct. A typical conversation would be:
Julian: There's a crane. Got stick.
Daddy: The crane has an ARM.
Julian: No, not arm. STICK! (recently, however, he said that the crane has an arm :-))
When we correct his pronunciation, he would sometimes insist we "stop", e.g. "Daddy, stop!" while holding out his hand towards Daddy.
When he is scolded, he would switch to his 'don't want' mode: "I don't want Mummy/Daddy" (whoever has scolded him).

[Julian on the computer]

[Julian eating marshmallow]

[Julian spraying water]

[Julian chair-camping]

Justin at 14 Months

2010-10-02T23:47:00.001+08:00

Justin turned 14 months on 25 September 2010. No check-up at the government clinic this month.

He has been developing quite a bit this past month. Here are his updates:

His 8th tooth has erupted at the bottom.
He can feed himself finger food. He is keen to feed himself porrigde/cereal as well, but can't do it independently yet.
He is able to slot a coin into the piggy bank slit.
He likes to press buttons especially those on the DVD player *slap head* and remote controls. Obviously this interferes with the viewing pleasure of others...
He can bring his hands together when it's time to say "Amen".
He likes to throw things down when he's sitting in his baby chair. Mummy doesn't like this!
He wants a share of almost anything Julian has/does/gets. This is especially so with snacks and the computer.
He is able to entertain himself with his toys. The stacking cups are still one of his favourites. They seem to be able to hold his attention for quite a while.
He likes stickers.
He likes to drink from his water bottle, and he especially likes to chew on the straw.
He seems able to communicate to us what he wants/likes or doesn't want/like. He would nod his head when he wants something we point to, or when we ask him if what he's eating is good (and he likes it). He would shake his head when he doesn't want something (e.g. his cereal!). He could even communicate to Mummy that he wanted the Mickey Mouse sticker which was stuck in the book, and not the star sticker, which he was given to play with.
He would resist having something taken away from him, and express displeasure (scream/cry) when it is taken away. He's apparently stomped his feet as well at the babysitter's.
He can say 'deh deh' (daddy, and sometimes for mummy as well!), 'mama', 'oh oh' (when something is 'wrong', e.g. the show on TV ends, something drops), 'wok wok' (walk), and 'nen nen' (any forms of food). Very often he would say 'bok' when he wants us to open something for him, e.g. a bottle cover, or to unbuckle him from his car seat.

[Justin]

[Justin and Grandma]

[Justin and Grandpa]

[Justin and the coinbox]

[Justin trying a marshmallow]

[Justin climbs up a ladder]

Holiday Treat

2010-10-02T23:40:00.000+08:00

16 Sept 2010 was a public holiday so we decided to have a baking activity for Julian. We invited his friend, Ryan (and his parents, of course) to join us.

We prepared the cookie dough the day before to speed things up. We rolled out the dough and the Julian and Ryan used cookie cutters to cut out the cookies for baking. The boys' participated in the project but were quite often distracted by other toys and the TV... Julian was more interested in sprinkling the flour than in cutting the dough!

We also made pizza for lunch. Once again, the pastry was made in advance. The boys helped to put the pizza topping.

We had fun, although the cookies turned out HARD (think I added too much flour)! Still, the boys managed to eat it :-P Julian and even Justin seem to like the taste.

[Rolling out the dough]

[Cookie cutting time!]

[Let's make pizza!]

[Cookies ready to eat]

Arrival of Yi Qing

2010-09-30T00:02:00.000+08:00

We're pleased to be "re-affirmed" as Ah Pak and Ah Nyong with the arrival of our niece Yi Qing on 9 September 2010. Her Christian name is Rosalie.

[Yi Qing]

Yi Qing is the fourth grandchild and first granddaughter of my parents.

Congratulations to Niq & Chui Ying.

Picnic Fever

2010-09-09T17:28:00.001+08:00

We went for a picnic in Balik Pulau on 29 August 2010 in the company of friends from the Catholic Engaged Encounter Penang community.

We were at the picnic site, a stream flowing through a fruit ochard, at about 9.30am. The water was clean but cold!

[The stream]

Justin did not warm up to the water and protested when his feet were dunked into the water. He prefered to stay dry and keep an eye on the food instead... *smart boy*.

[Justin at the picnic]

[Justin in charge of drinks]

Julian on the other hand took charge of the fun and eagerly got himself wet. The water was indeed cold even by adult standards but Julian did not seem to bother... not even after his hands turned white and his lips turned purple... talk about sheer will power to have fun... *slaps forehead*. We think that among all those who were there, it was Julian who had the most fun... *slaps forehead again*.

[Julian in charge of fun]

[Julian braves the cold]

[Julian's new hairdo]

Since it was a potluck picnic, we brought along cocktail sausages and some brownies that Julian baked two days ealier.

[Potluck tuck]

At around 11.30am, it started to rain. The rain soon turned into a thunderstorm which lasted about an hour. We all took shelter at the ochard house. When the storm had abated, we were surprised that the stream had turned into a small raging river and that the water was now the colour of "teh tarik". We left at around 1pm.

[A stream no more]

Well, too much of a good thing can't be good. Julian had fever that very evening, and even had a sore throat and some diarrhoea. He was his usual self after about 4 days. Justin started having a temperature last Wednesday (probably courtesy of Julian) which lasted about 3 days. He also had some thrush. All was well by the weekend *phew!*.

Julian at 39 Months

2010-09-05T00:12:00.001+08:00

Julian turned 39 months old on 28 August 2010.

Some observations this month:

He is a bit more receptive to eating noodles, which he totally rejected previously.
He loves chocolate and would ask for it almost every day. We try to keep this under control as we feel it is bad for him to have too much. The only good thing is he would be satisfied with even just one Smarties pellet.
He eats one or two vegetable/multi-vit gummies a day.
Sometimes he wants exclusive attention from us (e.g. when he's cranky). He would climb on our lap and when Justin comes, he would say "I don't want Justin" and attempt to push his brother away.
When he doesn't want Justin to have something, he would 'make up' excuses like "you cannot eat" or "it's dangerous" or "it's sharp" even when it's not.
We finally got him a kiddy table with not one but two chairs as younger brother Justin is sure to want a stake in it. We're happy he's making good use of it.

[Julian ponders]

[Julian and his tortoise project from playschool]

[Julian is ticklish]

[Julian is strong! (imitating Mickey Mouse in one of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episodes)]

[Julian partying at home]

[Julian hard at work]

Julian Bakes Brownies

2010-08-29T00:47:00.002+08:00

Julian and I baked a tray of brownies on 27 August 2010 (Nuzul Quran holiday)... a great way (amongst other things of course) to keep an active 3-year old occupied. Angie was at work :o( while Justin was at the babysitter's.

For simplicity and efficiency, we used a box of cake mix. Just add eggs, water, and oil! Any kid, 3 years old or 30+ years old, can bake a cake :o)!

[Julian mixing the batter]

[Quality check! Is there a lump of flour I see?!]

[Voila! Tasting time...]

[A chunk of Julian's moist and sweet brownie, up close]

Justin at 13 Months

2010-08-29T00:41:00.000+08:00

Justin turned 13 months on 25 August 2010. His check-ups are now quarterly so there's no visit to the clinic this month.

Here are his updates:

He's up to 4oz of milk per feed now.
His 7th tooth has erupted at the bottom.
He is walking 'fully' and no longer reverts to crawling to get around. Crawling is now for play only :-)
His night bedtime has moved from between 8.50-9.10 previously to about 9.20-9.30 now.
He says "tak" when we scan the entry card to our apartment, imitating daddy who says "tit-tit" for Julian's benefit (so we don't have to wind down the window!)
He insists on joining daddy and Julian for their daily evening walk when we pick them up from the baby sitter's.
He knows he has to move back from the TV when we 'blank' the screen if he gets too close.
He likes watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and would swing his hands and smile during the final song. He would shake his bum, too, if he's standing :-)
When Julian is getting attention from us, he would sometimes 'cry' to vie for our attention.
He can manoeuver the toy horse like a pro.
He has learnt to drink from a straw!
He is able to 'communicate' his wants by stretching his arms out in a particular direction while pointing towards what he wants.
He would try to copy big brother Julian's actions e.g. climb the ladder in Ah Kong's house, poke the cupboard door with a magic colour... *slap head*
He likes to play rough and tumble with Julian and can sometimes initiate the game.
Able to play on a swing and slide.

[Justin]

[Justin doodling]

[Justin walking]

[Justin on a "business trip"]

[Justin is now our little "terror"]

[Justin and his beadmaze]

Dad Did It! Grandpa Graduated!

2010-08-09T10:11:00.003+08:00

Dad graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology during Universiti Sains Malaysia's 42nd Convocation from 4-8 August 2010. His scroll was presented during the 8th session on 7 August 2010, 3pm.

Congratulations, Dad! We're all very proud of you! :o)

[Dad all set for the ceremony]

[Dad graduated! Photo taken by Ker Chek Wei]

[Grandpa graduated! Photo taken by Niq]