CNY 2010...

Happy Chinese New Year & Happy Valentine's Day to all!

Hehehe.... can't deny that my wishes came a lil late but better late than never, kan?

It's the 5th day of CNY... Sarah's having her afternoon nap (finally!)... and I have now some time to update me blog! :)

Sooooooooooooooooooooo many things to share yet don't know where to begin. Anyway, perhaps, I'll start off now by putting up some pix of what took place during this CNY....

On the eve of CNY....

Ee-por from Selayang made these dresses for the little girls - Sarah & Reanne. They both wore the same dress on the eve of CNY when we had the reunion dinner at another ee-por's place.

Big bro Ivan wouldn't miss the fun in taking photos as well. ;o)

The 3 cousins had fun together... with their ah ku's pet dog, Jo-Jo. So "ho-miah" this dog... got new year baju some more! kekeke...

This year, CNY eve was also ee-por's birthday. A double celebration for birthday as we celebrated cousin Reanne's 2nd birthday as well! :)

On the day of CNY... & Valentine's day....

Here's Sarah wearing a Korean dress - given by gwamma. She looked so so adorable, does't she? But well, it was pretty tough to take a good shot of her on that dress as she couldnt stand or sit still for even a second!

We had lunch at Pizza Hut... just the 3 of us. CNY lunch cum Valentine's Day... We ordered the Golden Fortune Cheesy Crown Pizza... felt totally cheated as it really didn't taste as good as I/we thought. It didnt look a bit like the picture below.... sigh!

On the night of 1st day of CNY, we went to Uncle Philip's house for makan-makan. While the adults watch TV and fei-lo-ship, the kids played fireworks and "pop-pop" at the porch.

I had the opportunity to take pix and video of Sarah's 1st experience playing with fireworks.

She enjoyed it a lot!

And then the kids - Sarah & the Seah sisters spent some time posing in front of my camera... just for fun. Sarah... as you can see from the pix above, had fun really! :)

CNY in Melaka....

We spent CNY in Melaka on 2nd to the 4th day. Sarah had splendid time with kor-kor Paul. They somehow clicked together perfectly. On the other hand, Sarah feels pretty jealous over mei-mei Priscilla. Sarah's quite a bully towards this little one, especially when mummy here carries or plays with her.

Well, we really had a feast on all 3 days!
1st day - steamboat dinner in Uncle Robert's house

2nd day - lunch in Sushi King and dinner in McQuek's satay celup

3rd day - lunch at home with mummy's yummy home-cooked-food. We had pongteh, mixed vege, sambal udang, fried sotong balls and bak-kut-teh soup. Yummy-licious!

Good friends....

One born on 15th Feb, another born on 15th March. They grow up so well together that now they become best of friends... we all believed so!

They would influence each other into liking the same things and speaking the same words. Of course, being egocentric at this age, there'll be snatching of toys from each other and jealousy towards each other's own little world. The good part about it is they are learning things quickly this way and are both developing very very well in many aspects.

Well, not forgetting, big brother Ivan too, will not miss out on doing things together and playing together. Being the big brother, his "responsibility" is pretty BIG - to take care of the little sisters and be a good role model for the other two to follow. Hehehe... Of course we cant expect a perfect role model from this little boy, but he's growing well too.

We pray that all of them will influence each other to do good things - like the very famous quote says: See No Evil; Hear No Evil; Speak No Evil! We, parents, have BIGGER responsibility to ensure that our little ones grow in a positive environment in all aspects of their growth.

[+video] Father's Day Celebration 2009

This year, the family were all quarantined at home due to the recent HFMD outbreak. We didn't want to bring the virus (in case it is still active) to church or to anywhere else. Thus, we celebrated this special day at home. It was like any other day except that we had KFC & Pizza tapao-ed for dinner! Hehehe... No matter where the celebration is, no matter what food we eat... we celebrate the day together as a family - and that was all that matters!

Thank You Lord for being with us as a family. Thank You for bringing us closer together.

This weekend, we also did something a lil different together. We thought and talked about setting aside time for worship together as a family before. Little did we know, other agendas of the day kept us busy week after week, and months after months. Praise the Lord, this time we did it! CK being the guitarist and song leader said that his guitar playing is "karat" (rusty) already. Well, CK - you did it well, even after so long! More to come, eh?! :)

Here's a short video of our sing-a-long (pardon our singing :p) + Sarah's moh-si-thin-ness... :p

1st Putrajaya Dragon Boat Race 2009

It was a super hot and sunny day when the dragon boat race took place at Putrajaya last Saturday. Sarah wore her hat almost at all times... she knew she needed to protect herself from the hot sun. :)

The racers from both local & international were getting ready for their turns...

... and the race begun... and continued... until evening that day. It must have been a very very tiring week for all participants.

As always, events like this draw crowds especially photographers!
Check out super-mom Soo Pei! One hand carry Reanne, another hand carry camera! Hehe... :)
A family of 3 with DSLRs caught hubby's attention.
Check out the 2nd pix - father, mother & son photographers! All 3 were with DSLRs. According to hubby all high-end cameras and with big big lenses! (wah!!!)

They offered free horse riding at the same venue too! And of course we seized that free ride! Sarah was a little afraid of it when I carried her up. She cried so we let Daddy carry her while Mummy enjoy the short ride. Sarah, next time okie? :)
On the other hand, dear Reanne was very brave. Check out the cool look on her face during the whole ride. Way to go, Reanne!

Parking lots @ home...

This photo is used with permission... :p

I think this picture is really cute. It speaks a thousand words indeed!
Read more about the kids' cars in my bro-in-law's blog

An evening at the playground

Thanks to CK for the photos taken... and of course to both CK & SP for taking care of Sarah in the playground while both hubby & I are still on the way back from office, probably stuck in the traffic jam.

Due to work and mainly due to such a distant to travel back home everyday, we don't actually see daylight the moment we reach home. It's always been my desire to be able to bring Sarah out to see the nature. Even on weekends, when we actually do go out, it would mean out from the house, and into the car we go.... and then shop shop shop! :p

Well, that would change soon. We've been indoors most times. Surely, Sarah would enjoy the beauty of nature. Need to make time to explore what's there outside! :)

I'm glad to see the smile she had on her face when she was out playing at the nearby playground. She's really happy to be out... to be free!!! :p

Check out her cheeky smile while on the see-saw... :)

Mother's Day Celebration 2009

As always, something that goes hand in hand with any celebration - FOOD FOOD FOOD!

This year, we decided to go back to Melaka to celebrate mum's day. Past years and for many years, we celebrated it a week or two before.

We went to Seoul Garden for a buffet dinner on Saturday. Sarah as usual couldn't sit still. Thank God it was very spacious outside Seoul Garden in Mahkota Parade. So after having 80% of our stomachs filled, the adults kinda took turns to take care of her while she was busy running about.

Coming back from Melaka on Sunday evening, we celebrated the day with dinner at Restaurant Sim Set You Fook in Taman Mutiara, Cheras with my in-laws.

What else took place during my short visit in Melaka? Well, we visited my grandma on Saturday morning. It wasn't a planned thing but I did wish to visit her when I'm back. When I spoke to Mum days before, she mentioned that grandma had a fall. When old people fall, that's really no joke. Months ago, grandma fell too and knocked her head! She was then rushed to the hospital to be treated as I heard there was bleeding in her head. :( She's not feeling well and needed people around her to take care of her. I know it's not easy being in her shoe, and being in the shoe of those around her is not easy too. Such sacrifice... such unspeakable love...

Mum & sis were planning to go there on Saturday morning. I joined them together with Sarah. Grandma is now sick in bed. Due to old age, she finds it difficult to move about and do many things. She seems weak and she lost her balance quite easily too. Mum & her siblings take turns to take care of her - change her, clean her, feed her, etc. Sis drives Mum to grandma's house every weekend. It was a sacrifice of time, energy, money.

On this Mother's Day, i would like to especially dedicate this post to my grandma. May the Lord bless her with better health, and most importantly, joy, peace, love & hope. I pray for an extraordinary strength to come upon her. Take away every discouragements and hurts. May Your guardian angels surround her and Your joy to be made clear in her spirit... in her heart. Bless her O Lord, in Jesus' name i pray - Amen!

For Mum, thank you for all the love you've shown to go the extra mile in taking care of grandma and everyone of us. You made the house a home. Thank you for your sacrifices, beyond words could express. I pray for God's shower of blessings to be poured down and overflow your humble cup. I pray for health to increase and wealth in abundance. I pray for joy & peace & everything else that you deserve. God loves you, Mum & we love you too.

For Sis, thank you for your sacrifices - in giving your time, energy, money - even the little that you have left for yourself, you gave it away. You saw the need and you met the need. For this, God will surely bless you much much more in return. Thank you for everything you've done. God appreciate that and He loves, and so do we!

Happy Mother's Day!

[+video] One Way Jesus with the Cousins... :)

Last night, CK played a Hillsongs Kids DVD for the kids at home. It was so funny to watch them dance (in their own special ways) while the video is being played.

Enjoy! :)

Blessed 1 year old, JJ Reanne! :)

Love,
suk-suk, sen-sen & mei-mei Sarah... :)

Christmas 2008 in a nutshell...

Well, well, well.... This is like writing about the yesterdays of my life... ie how I celebrated Christmas last year. Seemed like time flew by just so quickly.... and yes, like every other times when I didn't had time to update my blog... it is almost always due to busy-ness at work (or too many photos to manage! :p)... and after all the busy-ness, it's time for "jill to come out to play"! kekeke... :)

So.... Christmas 2008 in a nutshell....

This time, i spent the Christmas holidays with my family-in-laws up north, visiting some relatives. Spending Christmas in a small village is not like spending the season in cities like KL, PJ or Singapore... I mean you can see lotsa decos here and there, especially in shopping complexes, but not in a small village called Malim Nawar, Perak - my MIL's hometown. It was a short visit up north, where we stretched ourselves and our time to touch and go Penang as well... hehehe. More stories here in my BIL's bloggy :)

In Perak...

As usual, hubby takes many many pix of the nature and not us, human... :p

More non-human pix... hahaha!

Had this for breakfast on the first day in Perak.

It's a hakka delicacy called "lei cha" [wikipedia definition]

Well, that's just the green soup, and it's to be mixed with rice + all kinds of vege, making it super yummylicious! MIL cooks better than any places that serves and sells lei cha. :)

Sleepy heads... These are the looks of the little sleepy heads on early mornings...

Oh... and not forgetting, the importance of coffee & papers in the morning too! :)

Sarah's first bathing experience in a pail! LOL!

She looked so cute in there... at first, it's like a culture shock for her to get all wet in the little pail, but after some distraction she was alright.

The one & only (if i'm not mistaken) bicycle shop in Malim Nawar, which is my MIL's brother's shop. Many teenagers & kids drop by everyday to pump air into their bicycle tyres.

A day trip to Penang...

Sarah's first visit to Penang beach - touching "THE sand" is something to be recorded in Sarah's journal! :)

Makan-makan at hawker stalls... (how can we miss the food in Penang, right?!)

Some more makan-makan session at the Gurney Drive hawker centre.

(No, we didnt eat those hard-shells stuff... it doesnt look that appetizing to me! :p)

I wanted to try "pasembur", which is actually another name for "rojak" in Penang... hahaha! This particular stall that we went to has a very interesting way of getting their customers attention. The seller of pasembur will actually chant "rojak-rojak" while preparing the food and towards the end of his presentation, he will sing and dance in front of you while pouring the gravy into the plate! Hubby said he's like "casting a spell" to his customers! :p

OK... so coming up next... "CNY 2009 in a nutshell..." LOL!

[+video] the Cousins: Sarah & Reanne

Two gals... two personalities... even from this short clip, you can tell the personalities of these 2 little princesses... :)



OK... after watching it... we can now say that Sarah is the kind who won't-let-go-of-whatever-she-gets-in-her-hands... determine? Hmm... also looks like the kind that doesn't bother what takes place around her so long as she gets what she wants. Is that good? Well, we pray that she will use her gifts wisely! :)

On the other hand, Reanne seemed like a person who is focus... and "safe". She doesn't mind "letting go" if it would mean playing safe. She's very gentle and I believe she will grow to be a feminine fine lady! Oh... and one thing's for sure... she'll go ALL OUT (literally) for the camera! She'll probably be an actress or a performer one day... just like her ah ee! :)

A weekend in Sg Congkak

"Cool, crystal-clear water, roaring rapids and a cascading river are the highlights of the Sungai Congkak Recreational Forest. There is also a rich diversity of flora and fauna."

Sg Congkak is located in the district of Hulu Langat. On 1st November, ie 2 Saturdays ago, the family went for a short retreat to this forest. We were there late afternoon, but it wasn't sunny... like every other day because shaded by trees everywhere. The only difference would be... whether or not we'll find a good spot to rest our butts. Well, praise God we did! Hehehe... The family outing was also to celebrate MIL's birthday and my belated one (i tumpang saje! :p)

Little Sarah's first experience in the river waters...
Her first impression of it... *blur*
Secondly, she kinda got used to it... so she started kicking the waters, until MIL asked to take off her diapers so she can go "deeper". She cried immediately when her feet touched the waters. I guess it was too cold for her too, and her body's reacting towards it, screaming at us, adults, "Enough is enough! I don't wanna get a cold after this!" Geez... i'm learning. Hehehe...

... and here's Ivan enjoying his time in the waters! It was fun to see... :)

Yeh-yeh & Nai-nai taking care of the 3 grandchildren while the other 2 couples "syiok sendiri" take photos here and there. :p

Here are some of the "syiok sendiri" photos...
The "konon-lah outdoor-wedding-shots" poses... hehehe... with the help of the tripod + remote control!

Wanna know what does the phrase "mati katak" look like? kekeke...

Fattening week!

The fattening week had just gone by... been eating out and eating lots... even harder to resist when the food taste o so good! (There goes my dieting plan... :p)

Sunday after church, went to Cheras for lunch, together with four other families - the PNgs, the Seahs and the Chongss... Read from BB Daniel's blog about the yummy "tauhu kang" served in this restaurant: Restaurant Sim Sek You Fook in Tmn Mutiara (opposite Leisure Mall) - Sorry, no pictures taken :p *BURP!*

Dinner on Sunday was only a few hours after that heavy lunch! And it was at Restaurant Makanan Laut Telok Gong, Klang - one of the many sea food restaurants in that area, but heard that that's the best of the lot! So many restaurants there, and they were all pack with sea-food eaters - the human!! We reached there a little after 6 and there were already people eating, and the place was half filled, and more people were coming in!

The price was reasonable and the food was superlicious!

This pic was taken outside our apartment, while waiting for the "drebar" :p

Well, it has nothing to do with Telok Gong :p... but just wanna share this cute lil fella!
She's sooo cute in this picture that I keep laughing every time i see it! :D

OK OK... at Telok Gong...

While waiting for our food... we just sat around the table.
Reanne sebiji look like her mummy! :)

And yes, the food has arrived!!!
We didnt need to wait long, they were fast! Yummy!!!

And it's finger lickin' good for some of us... except me! Heh heh... didn't wanna "dirty" my hands. Yep, i ate crab with chopsticks! :)

Thumb lickin' good for lil Sarah too!
Yeh yeh carrying her while the others wah-lup the food on the table... *BURP!!!*

Oh, guess what?! I just found out that this same restaurant was previously shown in 8tv Ho chak!

Restoran Makanan Laut Telok Gong
No. 705, Jalan Udang Galah, Telok Gong
42000 Port Klang, Selangor Darul Ehsan
Tel: 03-3134 1918

Many Happy Returns, Dad (in law)! :)

Yes! Many happy returns to my father-in-law. He's such a great guy - a role model for husbands and daddies! Hehehe... why do i say that?

In many families, by culture, the women does the house chores and doing most of the "stuff" at home... while the men, who is the breadwinner of the family, do "less" at home because (perhaps) they are tired at work and just need some time off to rest and relax. Women are generally very understanding in this. (hahaha!) While that could be a culture practised by many (started many many many years ago), my father-in-law totally broke that culture and proved me wrong that MEN ACTUALLY DO HOUSECHORES when I first saw him doing them so naturally (back when I was still dating his son!). It's a WOW thing when I first witness this humble act. I was amazed by the values he held and the values he instilled in the lives of his 2 sons... :) Why so? I wasnt brought up in this kind of culture and seeing what I saw totally change my perspective about man & wife in marriage, fathers & children in family! Things are different now. The men in this new generation are housechores doers (hehe), but men in those days? Hmmm... hardly see one, right? Well... what can I say? THAT's my father-in-law! He made it easier for me too (Hehehe... now you know what kind of husband I'm married to! kekeke... :) God bless me!)

We had a simple cake-cutting session at home last Thursday. More stories in my bro-in-law's blog! :)

A day out in Ikea...

Last Saturday, the family went for a day out in Ikea. There wasn't any agenda (well, for me)... but just "jalan-jalan" and let baby Sarah "see" a little bit more of the world outside... But again, she was fully awake on the way to Ikea in the car (while her other cousins were all fast asleep). She only slept during the walk... perhaps she loves the cool air-cond in the mall. Ivan as usual was at his active self - exploring his surrounding... Reanne slept every now and then too, but even when she's awake, she was behaving well. hehe...

I met my ex-college friend and his gf there and we chatted for awhile. His name is Cheow Ann aka Cow aka "moomoo", and his gf is Suzanne aka "susu"... LOL! Just some nicknames we gave and i thought it suit them well... moomoo & susu... :p

Here are some pix to describe the day...

Baby Sarah fast asleep during the walk...
susu & moomoo, sarah & mummy...

Ivan... getting all energized!

Babies & Daddies...

Ivan...

Mum & Dad-in-law...

Dinner with the Chong's & the Yeo's

Date/Day: 2nd August/Saturday

Time: Dinner time!

Venue: Restaurant Lek Lek (Serdang)

Occasion: Fei-lo-ship amongst the Chong's & the Yeo's...

The story: My family from Melaka (except my sis) came up. Bro had some meetings and seminars to attend. Mum, Peggy & Paul were around for the weekend. Mum missed baby Sarah soooooooooooooo much. She said baby Sarah big girl already.... getting quite mischievous too! :p
Saturday night, the 2 families met up for dinner. The food was yummy... really really yummy (salivating liao...), and charged at a very reasonable price. The place looks new too. It was
operated from home, but before long, their business expanded and seemed to me, they are doing pretty well right now!

The Restaurant... Ivan, we saw what you did!!!!
Innocent until proven guilty?
Kekeke.... The evidence is here... :p

Waiting for the foooooooood!

Chit-chatting.... and "some" other expressions... :p

Baby Sarah with Yeh Yeh... getting a bit cranky before the food arrived.
Go for "walk-walk" after that... happy dia!

The foooooooood!
7 dishes.... supposedly 6! 1 came by accident and we just accepted it because CK (who did the ordering) wasn't at the table then... :p
Yummy Yum Yum! Fish curry & fried squids very the yummy! *drooling*

The bro & sis & in-laws...
Chun Kiat aka CK (top left), Soo Pei (top right)
Rachel & Silas (bottom left), Matt & Peggy (bottom right)

The cousins....
Ivan Chong (top left), Paul Yeo (top right)
Reanne Chong (bottom left), Sarah Chong (bottom right)

Grandma chit-chat..... & baby chit-chat too! :D

During the dinner, Paul found 5 cents! He was sooooo happy! :)

The empty plates..... and a bit of leftovers. :p

We headed for Jusco (Equine Park) after the dinner.... need to do some walking & shopping! :)
J, if you're reading this... miss your company la... Next time, dont miss the fei-lo-ship ok?!