Aurora as companion

I have not seen such beautiful and colorful sky on a normal day.  I have learnt to appreciate clear blue sky. This scene mesmerised us.

We were having seafood dinner at Kuala Selangor.  We didn't really plan to dine here. This impromptu decision took us to the riverside for a simple dinner.

It was a blessing in disguise actually. The first restaurant we stepped into was full. Adjoining to this is another restaurant where we found a corner table just beside the river. It was unfortunate that nature is not spared by culprits who do not appreciate clear and clean river. The river was sadly polluted.  It looked dull and lifeless with barely any active marine life.

I was about to take my first spoon of rice when a pinkish background behind Daddy caught my attention. My hand phone was what I reached for to capture that rare sight (at least to me) before it faded.

"It's aurora," Wyng told me assuringly. "It's a mixture of red, pink, blue and turquoise," he added.

I feel blessed enough to be having this meal with my family, with the vast colourful sky and river (though murky) as companion.

What a good shot!

Looks can be deceiving! Don't believe with some of the looks you see here.

I love this photo so much. Of course, we were in for a pleasant surprise when we saw this photo displayed at the exit of the theme park.  Without hesitating at all, Daddy decided to purchase it.

Legoland is a good place for the family.  Well, we have yet to explore the entire park.  Legoland, you'll see us again.

Now you see it, now you don't

Be patient when you watch this video to get the best out of it.

What a way to survive? Observe how the fish 'spat' to drop the anchovy to the water and ate it.  We were at Kukup, Johore.  This is an eye-opener for all of us.

How amazing can creatures be when it comes to survival?

Gardens by the Bay in Singapore

A place worth going..

The boys with cousin,See dining under one of the supertrees

It was such a different and unique experience.  We were so lucky to be able to find a perfect spot to have our dinner.  After a satisfying Texas chicken for dinner which we bought just a stone's throw away, we were able to enjoy the supertrees light and sound show.

More light and water show from Singapore

As promised, here are two more videos we captured when we were there witnessing this breathtaking light and sound show.

Mesmerised with the fountain 'movie' clip, we couldn't take our eyes off the fountain.  We oohed and aahed throughout the entire show.  Wyng's head couldn't help turning to the back to look at the source of the light and image.  Apparently, the image is projected from a tower right behind us.

I hope you have enjoyed the show here.  Without doubt, it's never the same compared with watching it live, especially with your children. My kids had endless things to say about the wonder of technology to project movie on water from a fountain after the show.

I have watched different version of the show on Youtube, perhaps the show goes by various theme in order to provide refreshing attractions to tourists.

Light and water show at Marina Bay Sands

I applaud Singapore for coming up with this magnificent light and sound show to mesmerize visitors at Marina Bay Sands. If you have seen the light and sound show at Sentosa Island, you should also see this which is different.

This kind of attraction should captivate any tourist.  Moreover, we don't even have to part with a single cent to enjoy this innovative light performance.

Sit tight and enjoy while I upload more videos.

The best in Cameron Highlands

Have you ever seen a peacock open its feathers? When I was very young, I remember I saw a peacock which had its feathers already opened and it was just for a split second.  My memory told me those were not very vibrantly coloured feathers.

This one rare encounter we had at Rose Valley at Cameron Highlands captivated us.  We didn't expect to see a pair of peacocks in a cage whilst going round the rose farm apart from the numerous rare flowers.

We were about to walk away from the cage when Wyng screamed, 'The peacock open its feathers!' Scrambling closer to the cage, we quickly got out our digicam and handphones to snap the magical moments.
We were the luckiest that day! Witnessing this angelic bird as a family.

What can you do at Cameron Highlands?

The Water Cress Valley was our choice of visit this time. We'd never stepped into this farm previously. To make our visit interesting, we wanted to try this out.  We didn't walk around the fly-infested farm.  Lazing and enjoying the fresh and cool air at the restaurant on top of the farm, tried the water cress and its drink.  The vegetables was fresh and crisp. Mind you, we already had our lunch prior to visiting the farm but we just could not resist trying this highland's produce.

Fresh water cress as 'dessert'

Water cress drink

Wyng, trying his hands at the photo-shooting

This time around, I was also more open to allow my kids to snap my pictures.  When I was not holding my Canon,  I encouraged them to snap tonnes of pictures of the countless vibrant flowers in this highland.  Looks like I am learning to appreciate these flora now.  Not only that, there were many unique flowers which captivated us.  

And after this trip, I notice my photography skill improved. One stone killed a few birds. Scenic view, fresh air, fresh vegetables, feast to the eyes, learn more about nature and many more...

We are familiar with the swimming stingray but not these which grow on trees.  These are stingray flowers. Wyng couldn't help but be mesmerised by this rare species. 

Wyng admiring the stingray flower (the dark red with white dots)

Posing closely with the stingray flower

White hibiscus

I've never seen a white hibiscus until this trip. Not only that, the hibiscus here are much larger than those we normally see in hotter weather.

Lavender 

Despite so many trips to Cameron, this was the first time I saw live lavender. They are so pretty, aren't they?

Lantern flower

Solanum mommosum 

This yellow fruits look familiar? I remember them as one used by my mother for prayers.

Long gourds (left-growing, right-as decorative)

High-heeled shoes flower

Chilli red tomatoes

Flora, flora, I wish I can take you home and put you in my garden

We will not visit Cameron Highlands

Not until after five years, at least.

In love with the cool and fresh air, Mom and Dad decided to take the kids to the tea highland again. Our second trip there in two years.

This was the fourth trip for Hoe and the third for Wyng since the last six years, if my memory doesn't fail me. So seasoned are we about the highland that the kids can almost tell what the next activity was as we hopped from one spot to another.

Our usual first stop, Cameron Valley Tea House, where we savoured some cakes and drank the famous tea.

The sign speaks for itself

Lemongrass tea for Dad and the conventional teh tarik for Mom

The strawberry cheesecake and marble cake were yummy that each of us had our own piece.

To break the routine a little, this time we didn't go up to Gunung Brinchang, which we normally do.  Instead of snapping pictures amidst those tea trees, we opted to do so at  the second Cameron Valley Tea House at Bharat tea plantation on the way to Brinchang.

While waiting for the kids to explore the plantation, Mom relaxed at the tea house

Too sunny..

Who's that behind me?

Obliging for the camera

What can you do at Cameron Highlands?

Another trip to Langkawi again

My other half, still hasn't had enough of Langkawi yet, suggested going to this mystical island this coming holiday.

Again! In the same year?? 

I'm sure there are other more attractive places to visit in our country.  Although there are a few spots we have yet to explore, I am not in favour of going through hours of land and sea travel to get to the same place within the same year.

The kids don't really mind but I think the money should be well-spent on a totally new place.  Even if we have to go to the same destination, it should be on another year.  

Where to go during the holidays?

It's a pleasure to be able to go on vacation but it can be a headache to decide where to go especially when you have a budget constraint as well as the factor of time.

I was toying with the idea of getting closer to nature at Titi Eco Farm. But, it will also be opening myself to the threat of these blood-sucking creatures.  In fact, I had this idea since about two years ago, but I still haven't got the guts to face brave this nightmare yet.  But, it's a really good opportunity for the kids to appreciate mother nature.  Ideal for relaxation too, for the older ones especially.

The hyped Legoland should be every child's dream.  Already Hoe was telling me how thrilling the rollercoaster is, according to his friend.

Singapore's Universal Studio was suggested a few months ago.  The kids would die to go.  Maybe next year.  Though this is not comparable to our Legoland, I prefer visiting the latter first.  The currency pinch is also something we have to consider.

Genting Highlands?? No! We will be greeted with throngs of enthusiasts, gamblers and holiday makers wanting to have a ball at their upgraded theme parks. There isn't even space to move around comfortably in the indoor parks.  The kids must be loathing me for rejecting this again.

Dinosaurs Live in Malaysia

A close encounter with 'real' dinosaurs.

They are as good as real. With wagging tail, some are roaring, flying or moving. They are live-sized!

Stegosaurus

Deinonychus

Ankylosaurus

Triceratops

Tyrannasaurus-rex

Pachycephalosaurus

Utahraptor

Sarcosuchus

The names of these dinosaurs are provided by courtesy of Wyng. For those rarer ones, we googled and even referred to his 'Know The World of Dinosaurs' book.

Oriental cravings

Pork Ribs in XO sauce

Salted fish and pork

Lotus Roots,minced meat and vegetables

Oriental Cravings at One Utama

Another satisfying weekend meal for us, this time at 1Utama.  As usual, Hoe loves the pork ribs and pork.  Wyng, almost just had white rice.  He was 'forced' to have some pork, that was also stuffed into his throat (almost literally) by Mom.

These dishes are really rich and tasty.  The serving is a little too small, though. Not that cheap, the bill came to about RM100 including rice and chinese tea.

Mom chose Thai food at Flying Chillies

To celebrate Mom's birthday, this time Thai food was the choice.  Mindful that we had to order some food which suit the kids especially Wyng, we ended with quite a tableful.  Two dishes to satisfy Wyng, pandan chicken and the fish cake, but he only took the Pandan chicken and scrambled egg (not pictured).

After this sour and spicy Thai meal, Daddy and Mom sort of decided we won't be having tomyam soup for our meals anymore. It's too sour for our stomach to take. Moreover, with the serving here, we practically got drowned with the soup.  Hoe, for one, couldn't take too much, just about half a bowl.

The restaurant was at Mid-Valley's Flying Chillies.  Our rating for the food is probably 6 out of 10. Service is so-so only.  No major complaints about them, not that efficient, as usual, what do you expect of Malaysian customer service?

A must-have Thai dish as appetizer, mango kerabu

Spicy and sour, tom yam seafood soup

Pandan chicken, always the smallest portion, was walloped in no time.

The family's favourite, pandan chicken

Fish cake, kind of  a 'let-down'

Sweet and sour fish

If only we could have a bigger and meatier fish.

Japanese food, again

I know it's so untimely to post something about Father's Day. I missed posting this last time, so this is to make up for it and also to share the photos with visitors.  This time, we had our Japanese savouring at a sort of high-end Japanese restaurant, Kiku-Zakura.  It's was my suggestion. Ouch... so painful on my pocket.  I regretted the decision, not because of the food but the price tag.

Daddy's the king for the day, so naturally, he picked his favourite and pricey one from the menu.

The most expensive menu on the table, Bento, Daddy's favourite

Hoe can't resist rice and he picked this curry chicken rice

Hoe's curry chicken choice

 As allllllways, Mom chose Teriyaki Chicken rice.

Mom's choice of Teriyaki Chicken rice

 Since Mom was footing the bill, she had another side order to satisfy her 'tuna' pangs, Tuna Californian roll.

Not something that could satisfy Wyng's appetite, he shared Mom's Teriyaki chicken rice as well.

Wyng's 'nugget' dish