An Exora It Is

We were torn between the Naza Rondo and Proton Exora. We loved the Rondo for its 2-litre engine, space, and groovy cockpit. However, we decided that we could handle an under-powered car (if you've driven a Wira 1.3, you'd know what we mean) than deal with accessibility problems for the passengers.

So, after mulling over MPVs over the past few weeks, we are now owners of a brand new silver Proton Exora 1.6 H-Line :o). The booking was made on 9 January 2010. On the 12th, we were informed that the loan was approved and that we could pay the downpayment. The 13th saw us signing the loan papers. On the 15th morning, we were informed of the registration number. That evening, we collected our Exora :o). Yoohoo!

Having driven it for a week, we are still adjusting to driving a broader and longer car with a higher seating position (feels great!). We are also learning the behaviour of its automatic transmission and hence, haven't been pushing the car too much (these drive-by-wire machines need some getting use to). As expected, pickup or quick climbs are not the Exora's forte (we have observed that the engine revs up to 3,000-3,500rpm if we are impatient on slopes), but the drive is pretty fun and smooth none the less.

The odometer today reads 297km and the low fuel warning light is already flashing. The trip computer indicates that the fuel consumption is 14.4l/100km, which is rather dreadful. However, the engine is still new. Hopefully, the consumption will improve once it has run in.

The acoustics in the cabin is pretty good. Passengers at the back can be clearly heard from the front and vice versa without raising their voices, and yet the sound of Justin crying doesn't sound as loud as it would be in our other car, the Wira.


[Angie in the cockpit of the Exora]


[Our Exora from the front]


[Rear view of our Exora]

15 January 2010 also saw us letting go of the Satria, our faithful workhorse of 11 years. So, dear Satria, we shall miss you... *sniff, sniff*


[Farewell to our Satria]

Mulling over MPVs

With two child seats, it appears that neither of our cars is able to accommodate anymore passengers. So, we've been feasting our eyes on 7-seater MPVs and have test drove a number of them. Here's a quick personal review.

Toyota Avanza 1.3/1.5: Popular and has good kerbweight/torque ratio. However, the 2nd row is split 50-50 and does not slide (but folds forward... easy access to 3rd row). 2nd and 3rd rows do not fold down flat. Drive is OK. Affordable.

Nissan Grand Livina 1.6/1.8: Popular and has good kerbweight/torque ratio. However, roof is slightly low which may affect perception of space. 2nd row splits 60-40 and slides (access to 3rd row may be tricky for the less agile). 2nd and 3rd rows fold down flat. Very nice to drive. Pricey.. we're misers remember? :o).

Naza Citra 2.0: Popular and has good kerbweight/torque ratio. However, 3rd row seats are quite low and the floor of the 3rd row seems uneven. Very affordable. Probably good as a very affordable 2-litre sedan :o). Did not test drive this one.

Perodua Alza 1.5: Newly lauched and has good kerbweight/torque ratio. However, space seems limited... and the roof is quite low. Nice to drive, better than the Avanza. Very affordable.

Naza Rondo 2.0: Not so popular and has reasonably good kerbweight/torque ratio (it's the heaviest MPV in our list: about 1,600kg). In the new CKD version, the 2nd row slides but only the back splits 60-40, i.e. the entire 2nd row slides (which is rather silly). In the slightly older CBU version, they can slide separately. However, the split seems rather odd because the smaller part is behind the driver. 2nd and 3rd rows fold down flat. Nice to drive. Slightly pricey.

Proton Exora 1.6: Launched earlier than the Alza (still not that very many on the road yet) and does not have an inspiring kerbweight/torque ratio (kerbweight is about 1,400kg). 2nd row is split 60-40 and folds forward. 2nd and 3rd rows fold down flat. Nice to drive inspite of its so-called "underpowered-ness". We test drove it on the steep slopes of Bukit Jambul with 5 adults and 2 kids... no problems. There are aircon vents at all 3 rows. Affordable.

Which one will we choose?


[Mulling over MPVs...]

Christmas 2009

Christmas 2009 came and went. Being preoccupied with the boys made us wonder whether Christmas ever came at all! In the apartment, there were no decorations, no Christmas tree... only a few Christmas cards lay on the dining table.

We were all back in Menglembu in time for Christmas Eve dinner. It was nice to come home to see the whole family together. There was a Christmas tree in the living area next to the piano. For dinner, the main dish was a special deep-fried-and-stewed duck with pickled ginger... a recipe handed down from my paternal grandmother. So, of course it was delicious :o)!


[Julian and the Christmas tree in Menglembu]


[Ducky Dish]


[Presents!]


[Julian performing a recorder duet with Sook Sook]


[And then it was improvisation for four hands with cousin Gabriel]


[New car for Christmas]


[A family photo]

We were back in Butterworth on Boxing Day for more festivities.

Experiencing Eastin

I had a work-related workshop from 5-6 December 2009 at the new Eastin Hotel at Queensbay, Penang. So, we put up the night there. It was cozy and clean, and the food was not bad.


[Angie and the boys settling in]


[Julian and Justin]


[Things getting out of hand...]

Julian at 31 Months

Julian turned 31 months old on 28 December 2009.

He's still working on his speech and improving month-by-month. With some prompting, he's able to say "Good morning/night Mummy/Daddy" or "Thank you Mummy/Daddy". This last month, he's been saying "guard house" or "Uncle Guard" when we approach our apartment guardhouse. Although he has yet to talk in full sentences, we're able to understand practically everything he's saying.

Although he's generally well-behaved at home, he sometimes resorts to crying to get his way (especially with the TV, or when refusing to go to bed). We can tell because the crying appears "fake". Sometimes, his crying (or tantrum) causes him to throw-up. We're trying new ways to "ease" him away from his preoccupation and to comply with our instructions.

This past month, he has allowed us to (properly) brush his teeth! Previously, he'd agree to brush his teeth only to reject the brush before any proper brushing can be done (probably it's ticklish?). We can now brush his molars and the front teeth. He also enjoys rinsing his mouth and spits out the water when we ask him to "ptui!".

Since 10 December 2009, Julian has been without his pacifier while with us, although he still gets it when he's at the babysitter's. His pacifier at home was damaged and he rejected it. Since then, he seemed to be able to cope without it, even during bedtime.

[Another good boy smile]


[Julian having some ink-roller fun on the balcony]


[Julian in the pool]

Justin at 5 Months

Justin turned 5 months old on Christmas Day 2009. We took him to the clinic on 22 December 2009 for his immunisation, and he weighed 7.8kg (an increase of about 700g from the previous month).

Some observations:

• He's still on about 4 feeds of roughly 3oz of expressed breast milk while at the babysitter's.
  
• He's able to grab onto things and has started to suck on a teether.
  
• He has since "found" his feet, and has even sucked his toes.
  
• He loves being undressed and will kick and wriggle in delight. While being dressed up, he'll whine and complain. A nudist in the making?? *slaps forehead*
  

[Yes? What can I do for you?]


[Hello? Hello? Testing! Testing! 1, 2, 3...]


[Justin laughing]


[Exercise time]


[The girl-look: Many people mistook Justin for a girl]

Baby Bag Bagnapped

"Stolen" should have been the word to use, but "bagnapped" was more appropriate to achieve a hatrick of Bs :o).

22 December 2009 saw us make a late evening trip to Butterworth immediately after picking Julian and Justin from the babysitter's. The purpose was to meet up with Angie's parents and her two sisters as it was rare to have all of them around during the holiday season.

After a quick dinner, all of us headed to a neighbour's house for some Christmas reflection and carolling. It was already dark by then. We wanted to walk but decided to drive over instead because we didn't want Justin to be "exposed to the elements" since he had his immunisation that morning and was feverish.

Upon parking the car, we decided to leave the baby bag in the front seat to avoid the hassle of lugging the bag in and out. Afterall, if we needed anything, we could just go to the car and get it.

During the session, Julian was restless (failing to find anyone in his age group, except for Justin) and wanted to go back to Ah Kong's house. But we tried to stay on longer since we were already there and the session had only just started. But as Julian grew more restless, we decided to leave.

Once out at the porch and after putting on Julian's shoes, we heard a sickening loud thud and smashing of glass. We saw someone at the car. We shouted but it was all too late. We saw the person jump onto a waiting motorcycle ridden by an accomplice. They both rode off into the darkness.

Upon inspecting the car, we guessed as much that the baby bag had been bagnapped. We were normally very careful about not leaving things in the car but somehow that night, we threw caution to the wind. We learnt a costly lesson that winter solstice night.

Among other things, we lost some cash, some spare clothes, a nice fishing hat Julian was fond of, Justin's cute ladybug wrist rattle (his first toy), a small toy jeep, a small toy duck, my spare SLR battery, the boys' clinic appointment cards, Julian's water bottle and snacks, and the usual diapers, baby wipes, and changing mat (which served us well since Julian's birth).

Justin the Catholic

Justin was baptised last Saturday (19 December 2009). Niq and Chui Ying (Ah Sook & Sook Meh) are his godparents (they are also Julian's godparents). Fr. Fabian Dicom conducted the baptism. In contrast to Julian's baptism 2 years ago, Justin was pretty well-behaved and hardly fretted as he had had his feed just before the rite began :o). [Justin, I baptise you...] [... in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit] [A group photo]

A Morning at the Arboretum

Last Friday morning saw me indulging in some photography at the arboretum behind the School of Pharmacy in Universiti Sains Malaysia.


[Pied Fantail]


[Pied Fantail: Showing off its "fan" and its vent]


[White-breasted Waterhen (or Burung Ruak Ruak in Malay)]


[Black-naped Oriole]


[Black-naped Oriole in flight]


[A stuck moth: This moth was flapping its wings in the water]


[Dragonflies mating]


[Dragonflies mating: From another angle]

Getting Along on the Gym

Julian and Justin seem to be getting along, save for the occasional attention seeking antics by Julian.


[Love is Sharing]

Julian at 30 Months

Julian turned 30 months (2.5 years) old on 28 November 2009.

On the talking front, he's progressing... sometimes surprising us with short sentences, e.g. "I want [something]" instead of "ai [something]", or "Where is it?" We also noticed that he has started to pronounce certain words in full instead of just one or some of the syllables, e.g. "motorbike" instead of just "bike", or "chimney" instead of just "chim".

He can be quite imaginative while playing - he was given a small Chinese drum by Ah Kong and it has since served as a drum, a stool and a cauldron.

At home, he's a generally well-behaved boy, save for the occasional need for discipline. In the absence of his peers, he's also pretty manageable while out shopping or for meals. However, he shows his "wild" side in the company of his "idols", i.e. those slightly older than he is. This is when he runs, prances, chases, squeals, and sweats *slaps forehead*.


[Oral Addiction: Still asks for the pacifier especially before bedtime and while travelling in the car]


[Julian and Ah Kong]


[Run! Run!]


[Game, set, and match!]


[The "good boy" smile]

Justin at 4 Months

Justin turned 4 months old on 25 November 2009. We took him to the clinic on 24 November 2009 and he weighed 7.1kg (an increase of only 100g from the previous month). His length is 65cm.

Some observations:

• Since 23 November 2009, he is able to flip over onto his tummy with ease.
  
• He is also able to lift his head up while on his tummy and has started some "skydiving".
  
• Over the last 1-2 weeks, his intake of expressed breast milk (while at the babysitter's) has increased a little bit to about 3oz per feed.
  
• He has started to baby-blabber, sometimes up to a minute or two at a stretch. Don't know what he's trying to say though... quite amusing :o). He seems to have a lower voice tone compared to Julian. In a choir, we think he'll be singing bass.
  

[Paradigm shift: A different point of view]


[Justin with Poh Poh]


[Justin smiling]


[Justin smiling, again]

Buggy Deposit

We spotted a patch of insect eggs on one of the doors of our car. Anyone knows what insect deposited these eggs? We suspect it could have been a moth.


[Buggy deposit: The patch of eggs measured about an inch across]


[Close-up of the eggs]

Cameron Highlands 2009

We were all in Cameron Highlands from 31 October-1 November 2009 with Mom and Dad, and Niq, Chui Ying and Gabriel. We left Ipoh in 2 cars at about 10.30am and arrived at Brinchang via the Simpang Pulai route at about 1.00pm for lunch. After lunch, we headed down to Tanah Rata and checked-in at Oly Apartments (RM210 per night, low season).

We then went to pluck strawberries at Mountain Strawberry Farm in the Sungei Palas area. It's an all-in-one farm with a mini zoo, cactus garden and flower nursery. A plus point about this farm is that, since it's quite secluded, we practically had the whole farm to ourselves :o). As soon as we were done plucking, it started to rain heavily.


[Julian having a go at strawberry plucking]


[Justin amazed at the size of the strawberry Julian plucked]

That night, we had dinner at Jasmine Restaurant in Tanah Rata. It's a cozy Dutch-themed restaurant serving oriental and western fare. Then, after some shopping, we headed back to the apartment to celebrate Dad and Niq's birthday.


[Happy Birthday! Julian and Gabriel couldn't resist joining in the fun]

In the morning of the 2nd day, we attended the 9.30am mass at the Chapel of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the Convent. After mass we bought some mango chutney, and orange and grapefruit marmalade before heading to town for Bah Kut Teh brunch at Mayflower Restaurant.

After checking out of the apartment, we visited the Agro Tourism Park in Brinchang and a bee farm at the Kea Farm area. We also opted not to fight with the weekend crowd at the Kea Farm and settled to buy some corn and tamarillos (buah cinta) at a smaller market just at the junction of the road leading to the Sungei Palas Boh tea plantation.


[Julian the Strawberry]


[Julian the Vege-inspector]

We left the highlands at about 3.00pm.