I am glad he can make it home

Not 16 yet, he's going out with his friends to watch a concert at klcc.

Forgetting to give him a curfew time, I took no chance to text him to remind him to be back early. I have to insist that he come back before 12am or he would have to face the music, which I warned him could be disastrous.

He didn't reply me immediately. When he finally did, it was 11+ and he was already in the train. I heaved a sigh of relief.  At least, he could make it back on time.  I don't mind the 'work' to get him to comply, at least this time, it's not so strenous,  mentally for me.  He got back almost on the dot.

I can finally keep his iPod

He finally surrendered his iPod to me.  Breaking his first promise late last year of letting me keep his iPod during the weekdays, this time he had no more excuses.  He was made to agree that his iPod will not be his close companion during the weekdays if he fails to achieve reasonably good result in his first term tests.

As expected, he wasn't able to perform (again, academically) up to expectation.  After a few stern reminders, he had to surrender his gadget to me for safekeeping.  He even bargained that he would be giving it to me on Monday morning when I asked for it on Sunday night.  What difference does it make? Huge difference for him, I suppose.

I hope he will keep his promise and would not 'steal' the gadget from me.  It's now in a secret hiding place, a safe one, I hope.

Kodu Workshop

It was a very productive holiday for Wyng.  He was able to attend Robotic's Kodu Workshop, one which will be able to help him program his own game, as a beginner.  The workshop was for a good 3 and a half hours.  Whilst he was at the workshop, Mom took the opportunity to spend some time with Hoe.  

We bought tickets to watch a movie, Oz And The Great Powerful.  As the movie started only from 12.30pm  (two plus hours long) and the workshop ended at 1.30pm, I had to exit the cinema to take Wyng to continue with the movie.  Of course, Wyng was pleasantly surprised as he was whisked from one of his favourite activities to another of his favourite activities.

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?

Water woes change our life

I've been poorer than now but I have never, ever needed to wash my dishes outside my house, at the car porch. Can you believe this? Squatting down at the car porch to wash dishes.

This was just one of the inconveniences we experience during this water crisis which affects Ampang and Cheras residents, to the hundreds of thousands.  I consider myself lucky as we still have water supply at the main pipe but not in the house as the water pressure is too low to be pumped into the water taps.

My sympathy goes to those people who are plagued with dry taps and have to endure days of 'filth', discomfort and inconveniences.

We were told that the water shortage will last til Chinese New Year.  So, when is the authorities and government doing something to ease the 'rakyat's' sufferings?

Celebrating New Year with Grandma

Mom with the guys

This year, we counted down at a restaurant a stone's throw away from our home. All of a sudden, that place was abuzz with tables of people waiting to count down to a new year.

We were no different, we just wanted to join in the crowd. My mom, as enthusiastic as the kids, joined in too.  When it was 10 seconds before the clock struck 12, she even walked closer to the spot to catch a closer look at the fireworks.

As for me, as usual, always preferring to be at my familiar and comfortable spot, waited at the table for Daddy, the kids and Mom to come back to the table after the fireworks.

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.

Holiday at Lion City

Duck Tour

After 3 years of absence from this roaring city, we were back here for a short holiday.  This time, we took a ride on the Duck Tour.  Although this tour was started since many years ago, I have not tried it.  This time my niece who is a Singaporean PR recommended this ride.  It was supposed to be a one-hour ride on land and along Kallang River but everything took only about 50 minutes.

A snap with my cousin and sister prior to boarding

Pre-boarding briefing 

Recording in multiple languages during the tour

At SGD33 per person, this ride is not cheap at all.  What we got to enjoy were sight-seeing of the landmarks of unique architecture along Kallang River. Among them are Marina Bay Sands, The Float, The ArtScience Museum, The Promenade and The Singapore Flyer.

The Esplanade

The Float

Hoe managed to take a glimpse of SM Town World Tour Live in Singapore' performing at The Float on 23 November from The Promenade. And he enjoyed it without buying a ticket! Lucky him!

Merlion at The Promenade

The ArtScience Museum

Due to time constraint, we didn't get to visit the museum for one of CNN's 12 must-see exhibitions 'The Art of The Brick'.  And because of this, I got to hear hours of whining from Wyng.  Lego and all this science thing is supposed to be so important to him. 

The Singapore Flyer and Marina Bay Sands on the left

The Domes of Garden By The Bay 

On land, we passed by ..

The Fountain of Wealth, Suntec City

Civilian War Memorial

The pillars of the memorial also known as 'Chopsticks' resembles four chopsticks symbolising unity among the four major races in the city.

That's about it, for the fare that we paid. If you have not visited Singapore, perhaps this tour is worth it. 

Our new pets

They don't need to be bathed and poop everywhere, so it's fine.  Mom has no better reason to reject these pets except that the aquarium has to be cleaned frequently by someone.  The new occupants moved in last week, occupying the little corner at the car porch.  So welcomed were they that the three men of the house cooperated to set up their new home.

Filling up with more water

More fish moving in

Finally! Enjoy yourselves!

The Oscars are aggressive fish, I was told. And the other silvery, bigger and smaller ones are put into the tank as prey to the Oscars. Let's see how long they survive.

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.

A lousy sitter

The above two were taken when Wyng was in his pre-school year. He was never able to seat his entire buttock on a chair.

In his moody times..

Even when he was sleepy and dozed off...

Or playing enthusiastically on the electronic gadget..

At times, when he gets engrossed in his books, this is how he sits himself.

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?

How to help your kid to earn some pocket money?

Since it's school holidays and they don't go to school, hence no pocket money for them. We can easily give them pocket money to spend but wait a minute.  Why not make them contribute some of their young and abundant energy to some good cause, at least at home?

Make them do your housework for you. During schooldays, with homework and extra-curricular activities, they may not have time to even wash their own dishes, not to mention to help out Mom in other housework. So, assign them housework which they don't normally have the time to do.  Pay them their pocket money right after they complete their task.  This way, they can feel the instant gratification.

I made Hoe cook lunch that day, with my close guidance and supervision. The menu was my steam chicken and potato. Today, he was pretty left on his own to cook fried rice, except for some pointers and reminders.

He was also made to wash my car.  It was done so quickly, so don't expect a clean car such as that washed by the 'professional' car washer.  Another task he helped me was to tidy up and tie the stacks of old books to be given away to the underpriviliged for recycling.

Hoe will never say 'No' as he needs the money to top up his Hotlinks.

Is it easy to say No to your kids?

It's easy to give the kids what they ask for, saying 'NO' to them is difficult.

When you give them the green light, it opens up their eyes almost instantly, a wide smile too. You may see them vanish in split second, right to their computer (kids' all-time favourite in this IT era), without any sign of gratitude for saying 'Yes' to them.

If you object to their demands, groans and moans will follow.  Hostile stares and frowning faces are expected.  After all the facial protests, next come the verbal ones, of course.  The 'whys' will be showered to me.  Not that they want to know the real reasons for depriving them of their pleasures, all they are after is indulgence in their favourite pastime.

More headache will come when they start to bombard Mom with questions or remarks which sometimes can pierce you through the heart.

"You are a bad mother,"
"You always don't let me..."

Wyng can't hold his tears if he is forbidden to do something he yearns to, for instance, iPad-ing or playing on Dad's tablet or smart phone.

Yet, someone hard-headed like me will not give in.  Or to put it crudely, it takes a black heart mom to say No when the kids demand relentlessly.

So, it's really not easy.

Crazy about Ninja Warrior

Concave warped wall

Similar to the Wipeout obstacle show, this current programme on channel 617 is the kids' current craze.  Wyng is so hooked on this show that it replaces his favourite anime show.

Now, this programme is always their first choice whenever the TV is turned on.  Without sitting down in front of the TV to watch, this show used to be quite annoying to Mom as the narrator rattles throughout the show in lightning speed, in a language alien to me. But, when you care to seat yourself watching the super-lean contestants battle against each other in the obstacle course, you will find yourself attracted to their resilience.
I was in for a surprise when I watched Paul Hamm, an American Olympic gold gymnast, fought against time to complete the obstacle course.

Steely determination and robust stamina and strength rule the game!

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.