Our eldest daughter turns FIVE today

Yupe. Our eldest daughter, Zoewe, our very lovable toy poodle turns five today.

It has been a wonderful five years having her as our constant companion. She is such a mild manner pet and she is constantly ready to cheer us up anytime and anywhere. She does not have a temper, does not throw tantrums, does not yell at the top of her lungs for food, sits quietly by our side while we watch TV, snuggles up to us and insists on dumping his butt on my head and sleep on my pillow when there is a thunderstorm in the middle of the night.

Over the last five years, she HAS NEVER ONCE growl, bark or even loose her temper with either Ryan and Chenya despite being bullied by these two super active siblings. All she does at most is to run and hide under the massage chair.

She is ever so cuddly and eating is her favorite past time. Anytime, anywhere and any day is a good time for a snack, hence earning herself the nick name of `piglet' from her vet.

Her favorite toy is pebbles and balls and she will constantly bring you either a pebble or a ball, asking and begging you to play fetch. It is such a joy just watching her bouncing and jumping after the pebble and ball all over the car porch. All your stress will just automatically goes out the window. She is just simply amazing.

We are looking forward to spending many many many more birthdays with her and she is definitely a part and a very very important part and member of our family.

Happy Birthday Zoewe....we love you dearly .....

You might want to catch up on some previous post I have written on her ....
http://babynme2008.blogspot.com/2008/11/our-daughter.html (Our daughter)
http://babynme2008.blogspot.com/2009/06/best-of-friends.html (Best of Friends)
http://babynme2008.blogspot.com/2009/07/zoewes-2nd-birthday.html (2nd birthday)
http://babynme2008.blogspot.com/2009/09/sore-loser.html (A sore loser)

Home is where the heart is ...

We were all playing and having fun on the floor in the living hall last night after dinner. Ryan was his usual super active self, jumping and kicking. Chenya was equally delighted and was eager to join in the kicking and jumping. All she could manage now is super fast crawl between me and mommy and laughed cheekily as Ryan chased our poor Zoewe (toy poodle) around the house with his toy machine gun.

Ryan pointed his machine gun at me and pulled the trigger, shooting off a trail of imaginary bullets. I fell back onto the floor, wriggled a little and played `dead'. Chenya crawled super fast over and start attacking my nipple (oucccchhhhh!)..... 

Zoewe hopped over immediately and grab the opportunity to start licking my nose and face.....

I looked up at my wife and said ...."Dear, does it matter whether we are in Beijing or KL? We could doing this in Beijing as well."

As long as we are together, living in KL or Beijing does not really matters. Suddenly, relocating to Beijing is not so fearful after all (oh yes, besides being all excited about living in a foreign country and facing a whole new set of adventures, there is also apprehension and worries, being away from my homeland where I have lived comfortably all these years, venturing into the unknown).....

Home is truly where the heart is ....and my heart is with my lovely wife, my two lively super active children and one very very adorable toy poodle ....

Beijing, ready or not, here we come .....!!!!

Her final and BEST gift to us

Grandma has passed on and in her passing, she gave us her final and the best gift that a mother could give...she gathered the family of 4 generations for once after almost 2 decades !

This family just like many families have our issues that dated back decades. My mother and her brothers have been not really been able to see eye to eye on many issues. Being young and hot temper, I vividly remembered the arguments and full blown quarrels whenever the family got together. I even remembered quarrels during Chinese New Year reunion. Talk about a dysfunctional family.

Over the years, they have resorted to not talking to each other or even got together for any gatherings or reunion. Needless to say, my generation has lost all contacts with my cousins and my children's generation would probably end up as total strangers.

Days leading to her departure when grandma was growing weaker, there were lots of doubts as to who will be coming back for the funeral. As she grew weaker, we could almost sensed that she was waiting for her sons and grandchildren to go back to see her one last time..and she got her wish (almost but it was good enough for her ...more of that in my next post).

When she went, I was pleasantly surprised and glad that all my uncles (with the exception of one) and almost all grandchildren made it a point to get home to sent her off her final journey.

Believe it or not, I got to see many of my cousins whom I have not met or talk to over the last decade and a couple of whom have grown up with me together when we were all being taken care of by my grandparents. It was amazing sitting down and remembered those days where we were together and how grandma used to punish some of us when we were naughty or sharing how we best remember her.

It was good to see us coming together after all these years and even more so, seeing my Ryan playing and getting close to some of my cousins' children.

I made it a point to make sure that we got our handphone numbers and Facebook accounts and ensuring that I have add them as family members.

The family picture taken above, is THE FIRST family portrait of the Yeong family after more than 2 decades. It was touching to see my cousins liking the pictures of the funeral when the pictures were loaded and commenting on how fondly they remembered their grandmother as well.

She has given us the Final and the BEST GIFT of all ....togetherness as a family that I intend to work towards keeping as much as I could ....

Thank you so much Por Por. We all miss you very much and we will treasure and cherish and protect this gift that you have given to us.

Bali - Tanah Lot Temple and Mengwi Temple

September 2011 (Backdated post)

We were contemplating whether we would want to go out from Club Med since Club Med has so many activities to occupy us and Ryan really wanted to spend all his time in the pool. However, it would be quite a pity if we don't venture out at all and have a look at what Bali has to offer. Moreover, I was checking the web before leaving for Bali and there were some very nice places to take pictures.

So, we approached the activities center and got them to recommend us a half day tour to someplace nice. Since it was only for half a day, they recommended us to visit the Tanah Lot Temple and the Mengwi Temple. I have seen some very very nice pictures of the Tanah Lot Temple in the internet and I was pretty excited to see it for myself....

We left at 8:30a.m after a hearty breakfast. There were another 3 couples in the same coach so the tour was rather private, just like we prefer. We really dislike travelling with huge tour groups because there is very little attention and you always ended up having to wait for someone at every stop ....

Travelling from Club Med Bali to Tanah Lot Temple takes approximately 1.5 hours going through the morning hour rush. Traffic in Bali can be horrendous...and there seemed to be only one traffic rule there....which is ...THERE IS NO RULE!

Tanah Lot Temple (temple in the sea) is one of the place to take good evening sunset pictures. We were advised against it because there would be a larger crowd and there is also the likelihood of rain.

I must say that the place does not disappoint for good photography. I just wished I had more time and probably a chance to catch a really cool sunset ...maybe my next trip ....


Ryan showing off his kung fu within the temple grounds of Mengwi Temple.....

Club Med Bali - Daddy and Me!

September 2011 (Backdated post)

One of the most unforgettable experience in Club Med Bali is the things I got to do with Ryan for the very first time. It's that special bonding that I will cherish forever and I definitely want to put it on record here lest I forget or for Ryan to read when he grows up (in case I don't get to tell him).

I will let the pictures do the talking here.....

Here we were...father and son, catching crabs by the beach .....
The first sunrise that we watched together as a family ....awesome experience ...

Being a golfer, it has always been my dream that I would be able to have a round with Ryan and here we were in Bali, having two rounds of golf together and the memory ...priceless...!

Ryan wanted to be like Avatar ....

Having fun in the pool ....

The Kung Fu master and his young apprentice in front of the Mengwi Temple ...

A very exhausted daddy and his very happy son after a visit to the famous Tanah Lot Temple ...

Club Med Bali - A Cool Deal!

September 2011 (Backdated post) - Continuation

(Club Med Bali Poolside bar during sunset)

With the MATA fair promotion earlier this year, we managed to secure a pretty cool deal from Club Med. Buy One and FREE ONE! Pretty cool huh? And children got to stay, eat and play for free. Suits Ryan just fine.

I have never been to Bali before and the last trip my wife made to Bali was decades ago. This is also my first trip to a Club Med and I have heard raving reviews of how fun staying at Club Med can be.

I must said that I was not every impressed upon touching down at the airport and got a pretty nasty experience taking a taxi from the airport to Club Med. I made doubly sure that I purchased the taxi coupons from proper counters set up within the airport. Friends were telling us that it was pretty easy to get a taxi there and is much cheaper than ordering one from the hotel. (Honestly, I prefer to have one from the hotel waiting to pick me up when I arrived especially if I'm travelling to countries in Asia than trying to arrange one when I arrived). Anyway, after agreeing on the price and since currencies in Indonesia runs into hundreds of thousands and millions (which take some adjustment to..hey..I'm not used to be a millionaire ok), I paid him in big notes (mistake that I made when I change my Ringgit at KLIA for not asking for smaller notes). The taxi counter conveniently `forgot' to give me back my change. Although after conversion, it is still a relatively small amount , RM2 or thereabout, the impression is that the locals are out to swindle tourist like us in whichever way they can....

OK. I can live with Rm2 poorer. One guy from the taxi counter guided us to the taxi which was parked at the airport parking lot. Upon loading all the bags, he expressly now asked for a tip. My wife and I were like..."Huh? Tip again? for what?" Realizing that we were reluctant, his face somewhat changed from the `smiling..hello tourist' look to 'hei..I don't work for free' look....

We looked into our wallets and realised the smallest Indonesian currency we had were 100,000 rupiahs! I have a couple of USD in my wallet and ended up giving him USD5. Expensive tip!!!

Trip to the hotel was uneventful and honestly, I am still smarting from having to pay such an expensive tip.

Club Med is definitely a welcoming sight.

The rooms ....

The poolside and the poolside bar ....heavenly ...

View of the poolside bar from the beachfront ...
The mini golf course....6 par 3 holes ...

The beach ....


Sunrise at Club Med Bali beachfront

Did I like Club Med? Of course. I enjoyed the good selection for food available for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I enjoyed that I got to order any drinks that I want. I had countless glasses of Bali draught beer, wine both and red. I enjoyed the games, the activities and the nightly entertainment put up by the resort staff themselves. (They are indeed a talented lot). I enjoyed the sight of many beautiful bodies and pretty faces..ahem....

But above all, I enjoyed the company of my wife and Ryan as we got to do things that we have not done before...(more of that in my next post)..

The only sore point that I had with this resort is that the GO (Guest Officers) were paying too much attention to guests of their own countries. There were many Koreans, Chinese nationals from China, Japanese and Aussies...but unfortunately, throughout our entire stay, I guessed we were the only Malaysian and we have only met one Malaysian GO lady from Penang. So, we were kinda of left out and were pretty left unattended to ..though we managed to meet and got to know three rather cute and hot GOs from Korea, Japan and Bali herself...(all thanks to Ryan who has the tendency to attract pretty gals without much of a problem with his cheeky smile and bold moves in approaching them...I guess Daddy would have to learn a trick or two from him soon...)

Club Med Bali - Ryan's first oversea's holiday

September 2011 (Backdated post)

We have always wanted to bring Ryan to sit in an aeroplane. We have tried a shorter distance trip last year when we took Air Asia to Langkawi. This year, when Club Med came out with a promotion of `Buy One Free One' offer, we grabbed it. We were contemplating between Bali or Phuket. In the end, I opted for Bali since I have never been there myself.

The offer, I must say, is well worth the money, considering that it is an `all inclusive package' and we paid minimal for Ryan since he is still below 4. We also got our travel agency to get us some pretty good deals from MAS. No more Air Asia when we travel as a family. The last time, we took Air Asia, not only was the flight delayed but the plane was parked right at the end of the terminal and we had to walked 25 minutes between reaching the terminal...and it was raining at 11pm!!!

As usual he was all excited about the trip and honestly, so were we! Actually, to be honest, I must confess that we wanted the holiday more and Ryan was just an excuse for us to `dump' baby Chenya with my mother in-law in order for us to travel...hehehehe (cruel leh!)

We went to airport early and after checking in, proceeded to the Premium Lounge. It is supposed to be a lounge with premium service and exclusive (catering for those frequent flyers or platinum credit card holders of certain banks). This is our first time trying it out and our expectation were high .....which turned out to be rather disappointing to say the least.

If it is that exclusive, I would expect the front desk people to be friendly or at least smile and make the guests feel welcomed. Nope! The food was nothing really fantastic to shout about. One toilet was closed for maintenance while the remaining one was so wet and dirty, definitely not befitting to be called THE PREMIUM LOUNGE.


We grab a quick bite, relax a little before we board for our flight to Bali. Ryan was all excited to be on the plane again. He was even served his kiddie on board meal. All the excitement finally wore him down. He was sound asleep till we reached our destination.
Waiting for boarding....

Fooling around with mommy on the plane...
Having his in flight kiddie meal....

Totally exhausted after all the excitement ...sleeping soundly throughout ....

Cameron Highlands Strawberry Picking

September 2011 (Continuation) - Backdated post

And finally, no Cameron Highlands holiday is complete without picking fresh strawberries. So, on the last morning before we checked out, we promised Ryan that we will bring him to pick some strawberries ...and the nearest strawberry farm that we can find is just outside Equatorial Hotel.

We paid Rm20 to pick 0.5kg of strawberries and we would have to pay for the extras if we picked more.

It was rather ordinary for me but super exciting for Ryan and that is what the trip is all about. Would I pay another Rm20 again to pick strawberries? For me...NO but if Ryan wants, YES of course....I guess that is what every parent would do anyway ..right??

Teaching Ryan how to pick strawberries properly....
Ryan enjoying his ice cream with fresh strawberries

Next ....our trip to Bali Club Med....

Cameron Highlands Ye Old Smoke House (Hot nights in a cold place)

September 2011 (Continuation) - Backdated post

OK. Back to backdated post on our recent travels. Continuing on our short holiday to Cameron Highlands, the next venue to yak about would be Ye Old Smokehouse located just after Tanah Rata on the way to Brinchang.


This quaint little English cottage style boutique hotel was once listed as the place for the rich and famous. With limited rooms, our first stay there was something like 10 years ago. Over the last decade, we had stayed there three times and we enjoyed the atmosphere very much. The service was top notch back then and the staff literally know you by your name. (Have to right? Only less than 20 rooms in total)

I must say that this is the ideal place for young couples looking for a romantic getaway or honey mooning couples looking for a romantic nest for some `hot' nights in the cold cool weather of Cameron Highlands.....(try to imagine warm bodies under the blanket on huge brass bed in rooms decorated in the old English cottage settings...need I say more....hmmmm)

Come to think of it, it would also be a cool place for `old married couples' to `abandon' their children for a hot spicy weekend (read about rekindling our sex lives in one of the post by bro Eugene from Bold Talk).

Anyway, we found it rather expensive to bring so many to stay there this round and hence we opted for a more economical Equatorial. However, we still wanted to enjoy the atmosphere and hence we went there for a good old English breakfast ...Turned out to be the most expensive meal throughout our trip (but then I knew that it would not come cheap in the first place considering that the junior suite rack rate is already close to RM500 per night).

The garden terrace where breakfast and tea are served.
Ryan in his happy mode and fooling around
Having fun with mommy...

Pretending to be zombies like in the `Walking Dead' series...
`Hello? Hello?' errr....excuse me? Shouldn't you guys be in the phone booth?

Cameron Highlands Bharat Cameron Tea Plantation

September 2011 (Continuation) - Backdated post

There are basically two major tea plantation companies in Cameron Highlands. There is BOH Tea of course. The other is the Bharat Cameron Tea. The tea plantation for Bharat Cameron Tea is much more accessible. There are two that we encountered during our visit there recently. One is located after Brinchang before we reached the Equatorial Hotel. The tea house is modest and the plantation is much smaller. The other is before Tanah Rata and can be seen on the main road leading down to Tapah. This is definitely much more impressive and the tea plantation, much larger.

We made a stop at both tea plantations. The first was before we reached our hotel on the first day. The other was on my second day after we visited the Boh tea plantation.

Zipping a cup of hot tea while enjoying a delicious scone in the cool weather that we don't normally get in KL is definitely a welcoming change. There is such a care-free atmosphere that all the work stress and worries seemed so far away (at least for that few precious moments). Looking at the vast piece of green landscape that goes as far as the eyes can see brings such tranquility to the soul. I must said that I can not help but to be amazed at God's marvellous creation.

(This is the Bharat tea plantation located before Brinchang if you are taking the Simpang Pulai route to Cameron Highlands)

(This is the Bharat Tea Plantation located after Tanah Rata on the way down to Tapah. Located by the roadside, you just can't miss it) (2 workers working on the tea plantation. They are dwarfed by the sheer vastness of the entire landscape)
(Ryan getting bored and started fooling around with his water bottle)