CNY 2018

Happy CNY!

This year we didn’t go back to JB coz my mom was in Segamat.  One of my cousins had her wedding banquet during CNY in Segamat.  My mom was happy to attend whilst Andrew and I decided not to go because we didn’t really like to go for this kind of social event.  Both of us are introvert and anti-social, I guess.  And after all, I don’t think I am invited.  hahaha….

Nevertheless, we did feel a bit sentimental. We missed those good old days where my MIL would cook a presumptuous traditional Penang meals for reunion.  The feeling was soon dismissed when some church members heard that we were around during CNY, they invited us over to their house for reunion instead.  

One of them was an elderly lady who is from Penang.  Sometime ago we visited her when she was hospitalized and found out that she carried the same rare surname as my MIL.  She warmly welcome us to join her family for a big feast in this festive season.  Since her son has a duty call in the evening, the reunion dinner was set at 4pm.  We thoroughly enjoyed the fellowship and the kids have fun playing with each other.  The old structure of the house brought back some fond childhood memories to me as well.

Then we went to another house at 7pm for a second round of reunion dinner.  He is one of the leaders in church.  Usually they have open house on CNY but not this year.  Instead, the couple has decided to invite a few of us who have no where else to go during CNY for a small scale dinner.  It was really thoughtful of him.

Yee Sang, specially custom-made by the lady of the house.  Take a closer look, you may spot the face of a puppy. 

On the first day of CNY, we did quite a bit of spring cleaning and moving of furniture.  Yours sincerely has this weird habit of re-positioning the furnitures once in awhile to give a fresh look to the house.  At the same time, it helps to keep things neat and tidy.  Both kids are sharing room for now as they still could not let go of their many many boxes of toys.  Nevertheless, they love their new room setting though I find it a bit crowded.

Then we visited 3 families in the afternoon - Pastor Danny, one of Andrew's DG's members and my ex-secondary school friend.  Andrew wanted the children to have a taste of how it is like to pay a visit to friends and relatives from house to house as in the Chinese custom.  Unfortunately, he only managed to engaged two appointments.  My friend's house was a bonus as we only made the arrangement on that morning itself.

The next morning,we left Melaka and found ourselves in Shah Alam Botanical Garden for an adventurous outdoor activity - Skytrex Adventure.  Never knew the Botanical Garden is so well known.  We reached there around 10.30am and it was packed with people.  The car park was full and the queue to enter the park was at least 200 meters long.  There was a Skytrex counter right in the middle of the park entrance, we registered with the person in charge and he took us passed through the crowds of people.  Phew!!! We are absolutely thankful for that.

The Skytrex site is located 5 minutes away from the entrance via the open air shuttle bus.  After signing the indemnity form, we were secured with a half-body harness.  We proceeded to the "Initiation" platform whereby an instructor briefed us on the safety gears and how to operate them.  After a trial run, the real adventure began.

We took the easiest course 'The Little Adventure' which is suitable for the young ones.  There are 23 challenges in this circuit.  All challenges are only 5m above ground.  Both kids love the flying fox as it is the least effort with maximum thrill.  I didn't manage to capture many photos as I was a little concern about dropping my phone.  Surprisingly, there wasn't a single mosquito bite throughout our 2.5hours stay. We found out later that there is another two additional parks operated by Skytrex as well; one in Melaka, another one in Langkawi.  Looks like we have found ourselves another exciting place to go in Melaka during our next holiday.  Anybody wants to join us?

After all the work out in Skytrex, we retreated to our 'home' for the next 3 days.  Andrew had booked a 4-star hotel room with only RM130 per night.  We thought this is a really good deal, with complimentary breakfast for two.  Kids really loved it.  The room is spacious and clean, though it may be a bit unfashionable.  After freshening up, we visited a family friend in the evening.  It has been awhile since we visited her, yet she always took the trouble to welcome us with a warm fellowship. 

The next day we went to Chiling waterfall.  The last time we visited we only managed to reach River Crossing 2.  This time we advanced to River Crossing 3.  The water current was slightly strong as it rained the night before.  There are altogether 6 river crossing.  The fun of this place is the huge quantify of fish swimming around you.  Kids love to feed them.  Elyse was somewhat disappointed that we didn't manage to reach the waterfall; Erwyn doesn't seem to be bothered by it as long as he can feed the fish; I am just happy with where we were; spending time together outdoor, enjoying nature.

Day 3 - We visited two new shopping malls in Klang Valley, Sunway Velocity and My Town. Love the decorations in both malls.  The management of Sunway Velocity even assigned staffs to assist in photo-taking.  But we preferred My Town over Velocity as kids have some fun playing indoor bumper car and riding on electric animal ride.

So, that's the end of our CNY holiday.  Simple, fun, tiring... but beautiful memories.

Summary of year 2017 - First half of the year

Another year has passed. Now follow me to walk down the memory lane...

January 2017

Bidding farewell to Elyse's and Erwyn's favourite Jie Jie and Gor Gor in church 

as both of them furthered their studies overseas.

In recent years, both children have acquainted themselves with these two youth in church.

It's difficult to stay 'goodbye' but children need to learn that it is part and parcel of the journey of life.

After all, we still see them once or twice a year.

Celebrated Andrew's birthday with church office staff.

It was indeed so kind and thoughtful for the office staff to make this day a special time

where delicious food and happy moments were shared together.

Elyse participated in a calligraphy competition at Tmn Merlimau

and won the consolation prize.
For more details, please click here

February 2017

   First time visited the A Famosa Freeport after its grand opening in January 2016.

It was just hubby and me.  Part of our 'pak tuo' time together.

After all, it's difficult to shop with kids.

But later in the year we did bring the kids to this place.

March 2017

After the snake intrusion incident, the leadership of the church decided to secure the parsonage with the construction of a wall around the house.

Ps Danny brought us to the famous cendol stall - Aunty Koh cendol.

The cendol is yummy, but Andrew and I still prefer the SS15 cendol.

First kayaking experience for all 3 except yours sincerely at Redtma Adventure Park Tasik Ayer Keroh.

We also tried the electric boat, wall climbing and flying fox subsequently.

Fun place, but extremely hot.  Consolation: No mosquitoes bite. Affordable pricing.

 

Joyous occasion for Nicholas and Karen's wedding.
They are the first couple to get married in the Young Adults' DG led by hubby.

 Erwyn received another love letter from a kindy friend.  LOL

Little did we know, this was only the beginning of many many more to come.

Then, he began to exchange presents with his classmates.

I'm so glad that he enjoyed his kindergarten time.

Treasure the moment for this would be his last year.

 Family getaway at Bukit Gambang Resort, Kuantan.

For more details of this trip, please click here for part 1 and here for part 2

April 2017

Another 'pat tuo' time for hubby and I.  Since hubby traveled to Segamat weekly and passed by this place, he decided to bring me for a short hiking trip to Gunung Ledang Waterfall on his off day.

Click here to find out more about this trip.

After staying in Melaka for 5 years, this is the first time we visited St. Paul's Hill as a family.
Erwyn came here with his kindy before; Elyse explored here as a SS small group outing;
and parents dropped by "pat tuo".
A short hike became an excursion when we found out there are 5 museums here.

Car accident - I was sandwiched between a Toyota Hilux and Myvi.

 Interested to read more about it? Click here

May 2017

Received free tickets to a circus performance.
Children had a lovely evening enjoying the show.

Celebrated Erwyn's birthday at kindy and church.

Church Camp

Wanna read more?  Click here

Tambourine dancers performed on Mother's Day.
A lyrical dance to the song "A Mother's Love' by Gena Hill

Joyous occasion for Eu Ann & Liszen's wedding - 
second wedding in the year from Young Adults' DG.

June 2017

Commencement of Andrew's 3-months Sabbatical Leave
Click here to read more about it.

 Perth Adventure:

Visited Crystal Cave at Yanchep National Park (click here), Cavershem Park (click here),
Hillarys Boat Harbour (click here), Fremantle & Elizabeth Quay (click here) and Ikea (click here).

Adelaide Adventure:

Visited Hahndorf (click here); joined a whale watching tour at Victor Harbour (click here);
climbing/jumping fun at Latitude (click here); watched Disney On Ice: Frozen (click here).

Melbourne Adventure:

Visited Great Ocean Road, Makenzie Fall and Lake Mountain.

Sunday School small group outing - the children requested to watch the movie, Transformer: The Last Knight.  And thereafter we had McD for dinner.

To be continued...

舞向彩虹

自小我对舞蹈情有独钟。当我看到电视机里的舞者翩翩起舞时，我禁不住幻想着自己是他们的一份子。印象中，我把彩带绑在一根树枝上；而客厅转变成我的舞蹈室。即使没有音乐的陪衬下，我毅然摇摆着手中的树枝，从客厅的一端蹦蹦跳跳的到另一端去。当然，害羞的我，只有在家中无人时才卸下戒备，自取其乐。

当小女有意参加芭蕾舞训练班时，我心中雀跃万分。希望自己无法达成的愿望，小女能够代为完成。参加训练班的几个月后，我偶然发现导师在一年前刚刚举办了一场盛大的芭蕾舞表演。失望之际，即期待着下一次的表演。也许，届时小女也可参与其中。

好景不常在。女儿似乎没有遗传到我热爱舞蹈的基因。当然，我也没有强迫她。于是一年后，小女与芭蕾舞画上了休止符。而我，也悄悄地把这一切埋葬在心里。

三年过去了，我偶然得知教会里其中一位跳铃鼓的女孩参与一项芭蕾舞表演。四处打听下，毅然发现这就是我期待已久的表演。欣喜交加下，心里即暗暗地盼着那一天的到来。

导师在两年的严厉督促下，“舞向彩虹”(Romancing the Rainbow) 终于准备就绪，开始兜售门票。这时，我却感到一丝丝的茫然。我是否独自一人前去观看表演，或是邀请伙伴随之同行？夫君当然是最佳人选。但是，知夫者乃妻也。外子对舞蹈没有任何兴趣；何况票价稍微偏高。何必赔了夫人又折兵？

万念俱灰之时，一位会友询问我小女是否有兴趣观摩此表演。当时我顽皮地回复他：身为人母的我，比女儿更为之心动。会友二话不说，立马买了四张入们票送了给我们。收到门票时，心中除了开心；还是开心。

一月七日，“舞向彩虹” 终于掀开序幕。我贪婪地捕捉每个舞者那婀娜多姿，轻盈优美，舞姿妙曼地舞步。此表演详细地介绍了十九世纪，二十世纪，以及二十一世纪各种芭蕾舞的精锐。

This dance spectacle showcases 19th Century European character dance, Classical Ballet from the turn of the 20th Century, _Les Sylphides_ from the Post-Romantic Age, Modern Ballet from the 21st Century and much more.

The diversity of this show, as pointed out by Principal Tan Siow Siew, allows both the students and the audience to be exposed to different Classical Ballet genres.

（Taken from ‘Romancing the Rainbow’ Facebook page）

无可否认，导师和学生们的表演无懈可击。但个人认为，如果能够把这一切元素都连贯成一个故事，那将会使该次表演更加锦上添花。在此，我向每一位参与表演的舞者致敬。谢谢你们的付出，使 “舞向彩虹”完满落幕。

Christmas at Aeon 2017

THE DAY WE ROCKED AEON BANDARAYA AND LIFTED THE NAME OF JESUS!!
(A 100+ strong choir consisting of young and old with 13 dancers)

One big family - Wesley Methodist Church

The idea of bringing the Christmas cheer out of the four walls of the church into the shopping mall was conceived at the Youth Planning Retreat right at the beginning of the year.  It didn't turn out exactly how it was planned, but it was not too bad for a first timer 'performing' in the mall.

After the planning retreat, everything was swept under the carpet until the 4th quarter of the year.  The church office (i.e. Bro Simon) begin to seek approval with Aeon's management and liaise with them on the details.

Once permission was granted, there came the most crucial part of the caroling: the list of songs to be sung.  After several discussion with pastor, Bro Simon shortlisted 7 Christmas carols. 

Since there was no Cantata this year, pastor encouraged everyone to participate in the Christmas caroling.  The response was overwhelming.  Excitement was in the air and practices were held every Sunday after service since November.

At the same time, there was another church who heard about it and was interested to join us.  Of course, we welcomed them with open arms.  The more the merrier!  Denominations should never come in our way to spread the Good News around.  One of the church members even agreed to choreographed the dance for a couple of caroling songs.  However due to time constraint, they pulled out in the end as they were occupied with their church Christmas event.  Nevertheless, the choreographer volunteered to render his talent to us.

Amazingly with only a few practices, the dancers managed to master the dance and even refined the movements.  Having said that, the perfectionist in me seek to boost the dance element with the spectacular angel-wings.  Although it was a last minute inspiration, from making the purchase to choreographing the movement; everything went smoothly.

Two bus load of carolers arrived Aeon as early as 7pm on the 23rd and 24th Dec.  Prior to that, we assembled at the church at 5:30pm for a full round of rehearsal.  Wearing white and red (ladies) & red and black (men), curious eyes followed us as 100 of us stomped the mall and found ourselves at the center court.

At 8pm sharp, shoppers at Aeon Bandaraya were entertained to a 30-minutes Christmas caroling.  The result was breathtaking.  All our hard work and sweat have certainly paid off.  A big Thank-You to all who participated and making this event a success.

Our one and only musician, all the way from Papua New Guinea

Tambourine dance to the songs 'Hark the Herald' and 'Joy to the World'

The mesmerizing wings dancing to the song 'A Ray of Hope'

Final pose for the song 'Christmas isn't Christmas'

Our beautiful conductor

Happily posing for the song 'When Love Came Down' as this was our last caroling song

If you wish to view the video, please click on to the following links:-

A Ray of Hope, please click here
Christmas Isn't Christmas, please click here
Love Came Down, please click here
Hark the Herald Angels Sing, please click here
Joy to the World, please click here
O Come All ye Faithful & The First Noel, please click here

This was yet another unforgettable Christmas indeed!

OA Mission Trip

Since I brought my girl to visit the Orang Asli kampung with my DG members in March 2015, I have been wanting to bring my boy to such a trip.  (If you wish to read the blog on that mission trip, please click here)  After putting my patience to the test for more than a year, I finally decided to wait no longer.  When I found out the last mission trip in 2017 coincided with my birthday, immediately I told hubby "We are going".  How else to celebrate one's birthday than to bring cheers to the less fortunate?

We left Melaka around 7am with only 2 vehicles this time, the Four Wheeler driven by the mission chairman and an Exora by hubby.  Altogether there were 12 of us.  Stopped by at Gemencheh for breakfast before we headed to our meeting point with the OA pastor.

In this trip, we were going to visit the corn plantation and later the village.  The plantation is the latest project we launched and I have not been there before.  What used to be a scrub land have been cleared and now turned into organized plots with its potential future awaits.  The main aim of this project is to see that the OA involved would eventually become self supporting as they continue to channel their labor in the field.  

The supervisor brought the mission team for a tour around the plantation and its crops.  We were impressed with the solar panels and the electrical fencing.

After singing a song and a short prayer, we enjoyed the small feast prepared by the OA.  Next, Dr Charles and Josephine distributed the pill (de-worm) to the kids whilst my kids and Amanda rewarded them with candies after they have swallowed the pills.  We bid them farewell shortly after that, and headed to our next destination.

When I came here in March 2015, the worship place was only a shed.  But now the OA are worshiping in a concrete building with ceiling fans.  Although it is very bare, it is the best building you could find here.  All of us took out our shoes and sat on the floor as the OA Pastor shared the Word with us. As for the kids, they went to the kindergarten which is next to the church to have their routine Sunday School program.

Our 'kutu' (lice) treatment started after the service ended.  However, it was disrupted with a heavy downpour.  The incentive for the hard work was another presumptuous meal with special delicacies such as snake and 'musang' meat.  Nothing new to hubby but I braved myself to try the 'musang' dish.  My take?  It wasn't yucky except there are too many tiny bones.

My boy helped out in the kutu treatment

Would you like to try the musang dish?

Finally we headed home in the late afternoon when our mission is completed.  Our hearts were consumed with hope and excitement for our next trip here to witness the bountiful harvest.