Manfred Boy

Long overdue blog updates

2009-06-22T14:22:00.002+08:00

Its been more than a month since Mummy updated my blog.

Mummy hasn't been well.....she was in hospital for drip and on hospitalisation leave at home.

She has been vomitting badly for couple of weeks and that really made her weak. She has no interests in anything and playing time with Mummy has reduced tremendously.

I hardly get to talk to her except when at night she feels better she will hug me..otherwise I would be at Ah Ma's room cuz she has no energy to look after me at night.

There are so many updates to upload....such as my birthday celebrations in school and our house.

My bad fall that let me limping for couple of weeks and a bruise that doesn't go away.

Soon...just give Mummy some more time and she will update my blog as soon as she can.

P.S I will be having a baby brother or baby sister soon. Thank you Mummy and Daddy.
Praying that my little sibling stay healthy throughout.

Videos taken during the trip

2009-05-06T16:24:00.011+08:00

DisneyLand Parade

Loots that we got from Hong Kong

2009-05-05T16:24:00.002+08:00

There were stuffs for Jie Jie Stefanie, Jie Jie Shannon, Yi Tian Mei Mei, Xin Yan Mei Mei and not forgetting Claris Mei Mei whose birthday falls in May too!

Got Auntie Debie some t-shirts and also for Uncle Augustine, Da Yi, Uncle Kiat and Er Yi.

Trip to Hong Kong

2009-04-29T16:09:00.006+08:00

Daddy has sponsored Mummy and me for a trip to Hong Kong.

It has been a long awaited trip that all of us have been waiting for, since all the ups and downs that we encountered for the past few years.

Its also a birthday present for Mummy and me since Mummy's birthday is in April and mine in May.

Along with us on the trip is Uncle Mike, Auntie Wendy, Mirabel, Uncle Andy, Auntie Rebecca, Amber and Ah Ma!

Here are the photos taken during our trip.

A day with Nenek and my cousins

2009-04-19T10:35:00.003+08:00

We popped over to Nenek's house in the morning and spent some quality time with her there, Busu was there.

Busu just got back from Philippines and he's going to tie the knot with his gal friend next year!! How nice!!

Sent Busu back to Jurong West and then we went over to Da Yi's house. Da Yi was not home so its only Uncle Augustine, my 2 Jie Jies and Auntie Marta. Its Auntie Debie's off day today too so she was not around with us.

Late in the evening we even popped over to West Coast Park for cycling after meeting up with Auntie Debie. We had great fun there and Er Yi came over with Uncle Kiat too and not forgetting 2 of my Mei Meis too.

Oh did I mention, I even bought a toy for my baby Mei Mei Xin Yan. Love her to bits!! I love playing with her too!! She's such a fat cutie..hahahahaha!!!!

A tiring but fun day today!!!

Night Safari..here we come..

2009-04-18T10:26:00.000+08:00

After our window shopping at Jurong Point, we decided to head home...but while on the expressway, Mummy wanted to thank Daddy for arranging the birthday party for her and also to me for doing up the lovely cake for her.

She asked Daddy to turn in to Night Safari. Daddy had wanted to go there since a long long time, but haven been able to, due to his busy schedule. And since its his off day today, why not???!!! When we reached Night Safari, there was even a peacock there to welcome us..right behind the car!!! hahahhaha.....

We had our dinner at Bongo Restaurant which is so expensive..no more next time. Night Safari too......not really worth the $$ but Daddy need not pay as its free for vocational license holders.

As we are not allowed to take pictures while on the tram, here are some random pictures Mummy took with her filmsy phone. She has got a digital camera but still have not get her hands on starting it.

Meanwhile, bear with these blur pictures....

Outing day!

2009-04-18T10:05:00.001+08:00

As I did not managed to celebrate with Mummy yesterday, Daddy decided to take leave today and let us all have a mini celebration for Mummy. We popped over to Jurong Point to collect our Courts Voucher and then for lunch there too. There was a small cake shop which allows us to decorate our own cakes. Daddy got one for me and I dedicate the cake to Mummy. Here's my creation.

Lovely Daddy and Mummy's friends arrangement

2009-04-17T10:00:00.000+08:00

for a lovely birthday surprise for Mummy!

Some unpleasant things happened on Mummy's birthday and that kinda upset her quite a bit. To her surprise, Daddy and Mummy's friends had prepared a birthday party for her.

Here are some of the pictures taken!

To Mummy dearest

2009-04-17T09:54:00.000+08:00

glitter-graphics.com

From Daddy and me.

I am having my jab today!!

2009-04-16T09:45:00.000+08:00

It does sounds scary to me, given that I have not had a jab since I was 3 years old.

The fear is there and Mummy was there with me with my DS Lite to calm me down.

I was first in queue and when the number blinked "1" I got excited and went to knock at Dr. Lam's door. I told Dr. Lam "I am here for an injection!"

Dr. Lam sat me down on the chair and asked if I was scared, I told him I was not.

He had me sit on Mummy's lap and told me to see the pictures on his walls and in less than a second, the needle was in me. I was shocked but told Dr Lam this that made Mummy laughed! "Eh...you tickled me!!". Hahahahahhaa....

Well, now that I have taken my jab, I should be safe from chicken pox and go for my birthday trip next week. Hurray!! I can't wait for it to arrive soon!!

More and more are down with sickness

2009-04-15T09:29:00.000+08:00

I came back from school today with another leaflet stating another of my friends is down with ...not HFMD but its Chicken Pox!

I haven got my jab yet and that really freak out my parents. Mummy called up Peace Clinic and arranged for me to get the jab tomorrow. Better to be safe then sorry, so no school for me tomorrow until I get my jab.

What is Chickenpox?

Chickenpox is a common illness among kids, particularly those under age 12. An itchy rash of spots that look like blisters can appear all over the body and may be accompanied by flu-like symptoms. Symptoms usually go away without treatment, but because the infection is very contagious, an infected child should stay home and rest until the symptoms are gone.

Chickenpox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV). Kids can be protected from VZV by getting the chickenpox (varicella) vaccine, usually between the ages of 12 to 15 months. In 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended a booster shot at 4 to 6 years old for further protection. The CDC also recommends that people 13 years of age and older who have never had chickenpox or received chickenpox vaccine get two doses of the vaccine at least 28 days apart.

A person usually has only one episode of chickenpox, but VZV can lie dormant within the body and cause a different type of skin eruption later in life called shingles (or herpes zoster). Getting the chickenpox vaccine significantly lowers your child's chances of getting chickenpox, but he or she may still develop shingles later.

Symptoms
Chickenpox causes a red, itchy rash on the skin that usually appears first on the abdomen or back and face, and then spreads to almost everywhere else on the body, including the scalp, mouth, nose, ears, and genitals.

The rash begins as multiple small, red bumps that look like pimples or insect bites. They develop into thin-walled blisters filled with clear fluid, which becomes cloudy. The blister wall breaks, leaving open sores, which finally crust over to become dry, brown scabs.

Chickenpox blisters are usually less than a quarter of an inch wide, have a reddish base, and appear in bouts over 2 to 4 days. The rash may be more extensive or severe in kids who have skin disorders such as eczema.

Some kids have a fever, abdominal pain, sore throat, headache, or a vague sick feeling a day or 2 before the rash appears. These symptoms may last for a few days, and fever stays in the range of 100°–102° Fahrenheit (37.7°–38.8° Celsius), though in rare cases may be higher. Younger kids often have milder symptoms and fewer blisters than older children or adults.

Typically, chickenpox is a mild illness, but can affect some infants, teens, adults, and people with weak immune systems more severely. Some people can develop serious bacterial infections involving the skin, lungs, bones, joints, and the brain (encephalitis). Even kids with normal immune systems can occasionally develop complications, most commonly a skin infection near the blisters.

Anyone who has had chickenpox (or the chickenpox vaccine) as a child is at risk for developing shingles later in life, and up to 20% do. After an infection, VZV can remain inactive in nerve cells near the spinal cord and reactivate later as shingles, which can cause tingling, itching, or pain followed by a rash with red bumps and blisters. Shingles is sometimes treated with antiviral drugs, steroids, and pain medications, and in May 2006 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a vaccine to prevent shingles in people 60 and older.

Contagiousness

Chickenpox is contagious from about 2 days before the rash appears and lasts until all the blisters are crusted over. A child with chickenpox should be kept out of school until all blisters have dried, usually about 1 week. If you're unsure about whether your child is ready to return to school, ask your doctor.

Chickenpox is very contagious — most kids with a sibling who's been infected will get it as well, showing symptoms about 2 weeks after the first child does. To help keep the virus from spreading, make sure your kids wash their hands frequently, particularly before eating and after using the bathroom. And keep a child with chickenpox away from unvaccinated siblings as much as possible.

People who haven't had chickenpox also can catch it from someone with shingles, but they cannot catch shingles itself. That's because shingles can only develop from a reactivation of VZV in someone who has previously had chickenpox.

Chickenpox and Pregnancy
Pregnant women and anyone with immune system problems should not be near a person with chickenpox. If a pregnant woman who hasn't had chickenpox in the past contracts it (especially in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy), the fetus is at risk for birth defects and she is at risk for more health complications than if she'd been infected when she wasn't pregnant. If she develops chickenpox just before or after the child is born, the newborn is at risk for serious health complications. There is no risk to the developing baby if the woman develops shingles during the pregnancy.

If a pregnant woman has had chickenpox before the pregnancy, the baby will be protected from infection for the first few months of life, since the mother's immunity gets passed on to the baby through the placenta and breast milk.

Those at risk for severe disease or serious complications — such as newborns whose mothers had chickenpox at the time of delivery, patients with leukemia or immune deficiencies, and kids receiving drugs that suppress the immune system — may be given varicella zoster immune globulin after exposure to chickenpox to reduce its severity.

Prevention

Doctors recommend that kids receive the chickenpox vaccine when they are 12 to 15 months old and a booster shot at 4 to 6 years old. The vaccine is about 70% to 85% effective at preventing mild infection, and more than 95% effective in preventing moderate to severe forms of the infection. Although the vaccine works pretty well, some kids who are immunized still will get chickenpox. Those who do, though, will have much milder symptoms than those who haven't had the vaccine and become infected.

Healthy children who have had chickenpox do not need the vaccine — they usually have lifelong protection against the illness.

Treatment
A virus causes chickenpox, so the doctor won't prescribe antibiotics. However, antibiotics may be required if the sores become infected by bacteria. This is pretty common among kids because they often scratch and pick at the blisters.

The antiviral medicine acyclovir may be prescribed for people with chickenpox who are at risk for complications. The drug, which can make the infection less severe, must be given within the first 24 hours after the rash appears. Acyclovir can have significant side effects, so it is only given when necessary. Your doctor can tell you if the medication is right for your child.

Dealing With Discomfort
You can help relieve the itchiness, fever, and discomfort of chickenpox by:

Using cool wet compresses or giving baths in cool or lukewarm water every 3 to 4 hours for the first few days. Oatmeal baths, available at the supermarket or pharmacy, can help to relieve itching. (Baths do not spread chickenpox.)
Patting (not rubbing) the body dry.
Putting calamine lotion on itchy areas (but don't use it on the face, especially near the eyes).
Giving your child foods that are cold, soft, and bland because chickenpox in the mouth may make drinking or eating difficult. Avoid feeding your child anything highly acidic or especially salty, like orange juice or pretzels.
Asking your doctor or pharmacist about pain-relieving creams to apply to sores in the genital area.
Giving your child acetaminophen regularly to help relieve pain if your child has mouth blisters.

Asking the doctor about using over-the-counter medication for itching.
Never use aspirin to reduce pain or fever in children with chickenpox because aspirin has been associated with the serious disease Reye syndrome, which can lead to liver failure and even death.

As much as possible, discourage kids from scratching. This can be difficult for them, so consider putting mittens or socks on your child's hands to prevent scratching during sleep. In addition, trim fingernails and keep them clean to help lessen the effects of scratching, including broken blisters and infection.

Most chickenpox infections require no special medical treatment. But sometimes, there are problems. Call the doctor if your child:

has fever that lasts for more than 4 days or rises above 102° Fahrenheit (38.8° Celsius)
has a severe cough or trouble breathing
has an area of rash that leaks pus (thick, discolored fluid) or becomes red, warm, swollen, or sore
has a severe headache
is unusually drowsy or has trouble waking up
has trouble looking at bright lights
has difficulty walking
seems confused
seems very ill or is vomiting
has a stiff neck

Call your doctor if you think your child has chickenpox, if you have a question, or if you're concerned about a possible complication. The doctor can guide you in watching for complications and in choosing medication to relieve itching. When taking your child to the doctor, let the office know in advance that your child might have chickenpox. It's important to ensure that other kids in the office are not exposed — for some of them, a chickenpox infection could cause severe complications.

More information can be found at this website

Swimming videos

2009-04-10T10:35:00.001+08:00

I really missed swimming..here are some videos taken of me enjoying myself in the water!

Mummy took this!!

2009-04-10T10:32:00.001+08:00

She took my sexy butt picture and me in the birthday suit!!!

Me and my favourite Cousin Shannon

2009-04-10T10:31:00.000+08:00

Cousin's gathering

2009-04-10T10:21:00.002+08:00

Daddy has to work today, so does Ah Ma.

So Mummy called Da Yi and she said that she is going to Er Yi's house to play with Xin Yan. Then Mummy called Jane Ah Yi, and she was free too and she decided to have a Cousins gathering.

Mummy then called up Annie Ah Yi to see if we could go her house and then have a swimming session too. Arrangements were done and yeah!! We are going to have a Cousins' gathering!!

Take a look at the pictures we have taken! One is of Yi Tian Mei Mei drinking milk from a cup (first day of weaning from milk bottle) Excellent job done!

Its Good Friday

2009-04-10T10:16:00.001+08:00

and also a Public Holiday.

For those that wanna know what actually Good Friday means, here's some information for you to read about.

Good Friday
Anniversary of Jesus' death on the cross. According to the Gospels, Jesus was put to death on the Friday before Easter Day. Since the early church Good Friday has been observed by fasting and penance. In the Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Anglican traditions, the celebration of the Eucharist is suspended; liturgical service involves veneration of the cross, the Passion narrative from the Gospel of St. John, and communion using bread and wine consecrated the previous day, Maundy Thursday. Other forms of observance include prayer and meditation at the Stations of the Cross, a succession of 14 images, usually on wooden crosses, depicting Christ's crucifixion and the events leading up to it.

Question: "What is Good Friday?"

Answer: Good Friday is the Friday immediately preceding Easter Sunday. It is celebrated traditionally as the day on which Jesus was crucified. If you are interested in a study of the issue, please see our article that discusses the various views on which day Jesus was crucified. Assuming that Jesus was crucified and died on a Friday, should Christians remember Jesus' death by celebrating Good Friday?

The Bible does not instruct Christians to remember Christ’s death by honoring a certain day. The Bible does give us freedom in these matters, however. Romans 14:5 tells us, “One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” Rather than remembering Christ's death on a certain day, once a year, the Bible instructs us to remember Christ’s death by observing the Lord’s Supper. First Corinthians 11:24-26 declares, “...do this in remembrance of me...for whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.”

Why is Good Friday referred to as “good”? What the Jewish authorities and Romans did to Jesus was definitely not good (see Matthew chapters 26-27). However, the results of Christ’s death are very good! Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” First Peter 3:18 tells us, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.”

Many Christian churches celebrate Good Friday with a subdued service, usually in the evening, in which Christ’s death is remembered with solemn hymns, prayers of thanksgiving, a message centered on Christ suffering for our sakes, and observance of the Lord's Supper. Whether or not Christians choose to “celebrate” Good Friday, the events of that day should be ever on our minds because the death of Christ on the cross is the paramount event of the Christian faith.

New toy from Daddy

2009-04-07T10:34:00.000+08:00

Guess what? Got a Power Rangers toy from Daddy!! Yeah!!!

ECP (Rain and Thunderstorm)

2009-04-05T09:49:00.001+08:00

We were supposed to have a forum gathering with some of the kids and family from ido. Apparently, Mr. Sun decided to hide from us and Mr. Rain and Thunderstorm came instead.

Meeting time was 12 noon but because of the whole island rain, we were delayed and did not reach till 1pm. Uncle Mike and Auntie Wendy and Mirabel were there early and did not spot us, proceeded to Waraku for lunchie....

Whereas Auntie Rebecca, Uncle Andy and Amber and us were stuck somewhere on the expressway.

We ain't able to get the organiser for this gathering and calls were made to everyone so that we could inform that we are still going.

We are supposed to prepare hotdogs and drinks but Mummy added french fries too.

Upon reaching, Mummy was informed by Auntie Wendy Phoa (let's call her BM "Brandon Mummy") that the organiser have left. We were quite disappointed but since we were all hungry, we finished half of our food in Daddy's taxi.

Went to Waraku to look for Auntie Wendy and family, but they left. We waited for Auntie Rebecca and family to come and we had some snack at Waraku instead while waiting for the rain to stop, which it really stopped!

Here are some pictures we have taken. We have an addition today, and its Brandon didi, Auntie BM and Uncle Vincent.

Explaination of HFMD

2009-04-01T17:36:00.002+08:00

Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease
Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease (HFMD) is caused by the Coxsackie virus and Enterovirus 71. The throat and tonsils develop small ulcers while the hands, feet, and diaper area are affected by a rash with characteristic vesicles (very small blisters). This is usually a mild illness with the rash healing in 5 to 7 days.

HFMD is spread from person to person by direct contact with the nasal discharge, saliva, faeces and fluid from the rash of an infected person. Both adults and children can be affected, but young children below five years are particularly susceptible.

Symptoms

fever
sore throat
ulcers in the throat, mouth and tongue
headache
a rash with vesicles (small blisters-- 3-7 mm) on hands, feet and diaper area. The vesicles are typically on the palm side of the hands the sole side of the feet and very characteristic in appearance
loss of appetite

Treatment

There is no specific treatment for the infection other than symptomatic relief of symptoms.

Treatment with antibiotics is not effective and is not indicated. Acetaminophen can be used to treat fever. Aspirin should not be used in viral illnesses in children under age 12 years.

Salt water mouth rinses (1/2 teaspoon of salt to 1 glass of warm water) may be soothing if the child is able to rinse without swallowing. Ensure an adequate fluid intake because swallowing may be painful. Extra fluid is needed when a fever is present.

HFMD in Singapore

HFMD is present all year round in Singapore and there will be yearly seasonal outbreaks. Outbreaks do occur in childcare centres, kindergartens and schools. HFMD became legally notifiable on 1 October 2000. Although usually a mild disease, it has been associated with fatalities usually due to complications involving the heart and nervous system (e.g encephalitis).

Advice for parents

Parents are advised to consult a doctor early if their child has fever, mouth ulcers and rashes on the palms, soles or buttocks. They should also be alert to any change in their child's normal behaviour, e.g. irritation and sleepiness. Should they refuse to eat or drink, have persistent vomiting or drowsiness, parents should bring their child immediately to hospital.

Parents should ensure that their children adopt the following good practices:

Wash hands with soap before eating and after going to the toilet
Cover mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing
Do not share eating utensils
Ensure that toys or appliances that are contaminated by nasal or oral secretions should be cleaned before they are used again.

If your child has HFMD:

Keep him home from school, kindergarten or childcare centre
Keep him away from all public places including restaurants, playgrounds and shopping centres
Look out for signs and symptoms in other family members, both children and the adults
Keep his toys, books, eating utensils, towels and clothes separate from others
Inform the school, kindergarten or childcare centre as soon as possible. They can monitor other children closely and take additional precautions to prevent the spread of HFMD
Children with HFMD should remain at home until all the blisters have dried up. Consult your doctor before sending him back to the school, kindergarten or childcare centre

Its been a week since my last update..

2009-03-31T17:31:00.000+08:00

Well, nothing major happened except that on 27 March 2009, after my school, a leaflet was given out to parents.

Guess what? My school has 2 cases of HFMD and that really freak all of us out!

Daddy and Mummy have decided to make me stay at home instead of going to school, in case I get the virus. HFMD is spreading rapidly everywhere. They are not going to take the risk with me getting it, especially when I will be going for a trip soon.

Oh ya...hahaha, I didn't mention. For my birthday present and Mummy's birthday present, Daddy got us tickets for a trip. Not an expensive trip, but one that will make us feel relaxed, enjoyable and fun.

We are leaving on 29 April. Well, I ain't gonna reveal where the place is, but I betcha I am gonna to love it lots!

2009-03-24T18:04:00.006+08:00

Perth
Cruise the Swan River past parks and skyscrapers to 40 vineyards in the Swan Valley or the Perth Zoo. Visit Rottnest Island, where you can explore history, bike ride to secret beaches and kayak to secluded bays. Feast on seafood and soak up the carnival atmosphere in historic Fremantle. Discover the lookouts, landscaped gardens and Aboriginal heritage of huge Kings Park. Swim, surf, fish, windsurf and sail on clean and uncrowded beaches such as Cottlesloe or Scarborough. Then skip between the sunny boardwalks, beaches and marinas of the Sunset Coast.

Five must-have Perth experiences
Swan River, WA

1. Cruise the Swan River
Cruise the Swan River past parks and skyscrapers to the beaches and bays of Rottnest Island. Or glide past opulent homes to the lively, historic port of Fremantle. Take a high-speed ferry to the Perth Zoo or head upstream to the vineyards of the picturesque Swan Valley. Experience Perth’s glittering skyline on a dinner cruise. Or float down the river to Matilda Bay and the Mediterranean style buildings of the University of Western Australia. Hire a sleek sailboat and billow across the water. Canoe, kayak, kiteboard and jet ski or just watch the colourful flotilla of boats from the shore. Throw down a picnic rug or bike ride alongside the water on the Perth Waters or Canning River tracks.
Kings Park, Perth

2. Get back to nature in Kings Park
Walk under towering eucalypt canopies and past mirrored lakes, sculpted gardens and picnic areas on the Bushland Nature Trail. Take in spectacular views of the city, Swan River and Darling Ranges from a lookout on the Lotterywest Federation Walkway or from the top of the 15 metre high DNA Tower. Learn about bush survival skills, taste bush tucker and listen to stories of the Rainbow Serpent on a walk with a local Aboriginal guide. Explore the rich diversity of Western Australian wildflowers in the Botanic Garden. These 400 hectares of lush landscaped gardens are just a short stroll from Perth’s city centre. You can explore them going bike riding, bushwalking or rollerblading. Or just enjoy the fresh air, bird song and outdoor summer events.
Festival in Fremantle, WA

3. Join the festival in Fremantle
Wander heritage-listed streets buzzing with busking musicians and magicians. Or stroll winding alleys lined with art. Browse the bustling weekend markets or head to High Street for designer fashion and Aboriginal crafts. Enjoy a coffee on the lively ‘Cappuccino Strip’ or taste fresh Indian Ocean seafood at a restaurant on Fishing Boat Harbour. Visit the local micro-breweries or imbibe a pint in a historic pub. Listen to stories of prisoners and murderous mutineers on a torchlight tour of Fremantle Prison, the state’s first jail. Or see the infamous 17th century Dutch Batavia shipwreck in the old Shipwreck Museum in Cliff Street. Cruise on the Leeuwin tall ship or sail to Carnac Island and spot seals, whales, dolphins. Enjoy a free Sunday concert at Fremantle Arts Centre or relax with a sunset picnic on South Beach.
Rottnest Island, WA

4. Relax on Rottnest Island
You can bike ride or kayak to secluded bays and swim from 63 beaches on tranquil, car-free Rottnest Island. Then snorkel or dive the vibrant coral reefs and historic shipwrecks. Ride the surf at Strickland Bay, Salmon Bay and Stark Bay. Or grab a rod and make the most of the island’s great fishing. Spot quokkas, the cute marsupials that inspired the island’s name. Learn about the island’s history on a guided tour of the Aboriginal prison or in the Rottnest Museum. Visit the old lighthouse and see the underground tunnels, huge guns and sweeping views of Oliver Hill. Take in the sunset from a scenic flight. With its Mediterranean climate, native flora and fauna and relaxed pace, it’s no wonder the locals want to keep Rottnest Island their summer holiday secret.
Cottesloe Beach, WA

5. Explore the Sunset Coast
Swim and snorkel on Cottesloe Beach, before exploring the trendy open-air cafes and pubs along the promenade. Relax on the white sands of City Beach. Or join the surfers and bronzed backpackers of Scarborough, then wander salty-skinned and happy through the weekend markets. Meet sea lions, bottlenosed dolphins and humpback whales at Marmion Marine Park on Trigg Beach. Or snorkel the shallow lagoons, reef walls, tiny islands and underwater caves. Relax in the boardwalk bars and restaurants of Sorrento Quay at bustling Hilary’s Boat Harbour. Then immerse yourself in an underwater world at the aquarium or join a whale watching cruise or deep sea fishing charter. Fish from the beach and wander the marina at Mindarie Quays. Scuba dive shipwrecks from the seaside towns of Yanchep or Two Rocks and picnic and swim at picturesque Yanchep Lagoon.

Dreaming of a vacation...

2009-03-23T13:47:00.003+08:00

Vacation...vacation....would you be coming soon????

Can we go for one..............

We all need a holiday!!!!!

My Sunday with the family

2009-03-22T13:20:00.002+08:00

I woke up early in the morning, hoping to see Daddy....but...I did not see him at the usual spot where he lies and snores. He was already out working..although he did told me Sundays are left just for me.

Mummy told me that Daddy has a booking this morning so he was out early but he promised that he will bring me out later in the afternoon.

I am obsessed with a toy recently when I popped over to Great Grandma's house yesterday to play with Uncle QiChen. I called is "Bear Ge Gon" whatever its called, but I have been bugging Daddy and Mummy about it.

Since Xin Yan has to go home today, Daddy decided to bring Xin Yan back home and then we can go over to Jurong Point for a walk.

As we need to get a new sofa and also groceries and not forgeting my "Bear Ge Gon", Jurong Point would be the best place because its near to Er Yi's house and also we can have all things under one shopping outlet.

First place we went to when we reached Jurong Point...hahhahha...is to Kiddy Palace!!

To find my "Bear Ge Gon", which Daddy and Mummy realised its called BaKugan and I still insisted that OKtO taught me its "Bear Ge Gon"!!!

Next we popped over to Courts to take a look at Sofa. Our sofa is quite old already and has lost its springiness.....doing doing doing.

Something caught Daddy's sight and he asked Mummy if she liked it. Well, its not bad actually but we hope its not too costly. While Daddy and Mummy were shopping, Ah Ma and Auntie Debie bought me to the loo.

After I came back, I could not find Daddy and Mummy. I was telling everyone in the shop "I am Lost". Ah Ma and Auntie were laughing behind. Oh my...what am I doing?

A nice Courts Promoter came over to me and asked "What's my name, Daddy's name and Mummy's name" which I answered correctly to Mummy's surprise and replied that "I am lost" and she will help me find my parents. How nice! She really brought me to find Daddy and Mummy! Ha! Ha!

After finalising the sofa, we headed to NTUC HyperMarket for groceries. Shop shop shop and my eyes went close close close....tired after half hour at Kiddy Palace and 2 hours at Courts.....

Home Sweet Home we went after everything and if you asked me, its a hilarous day for all, a rewarding day for me and a tired day for Auntie as she has to unload all the groceries.....

Did you, my friend enjoyed your weekend too?

Australia trip that Daddy and Mummy desperately needs...

2009-03-20T20:02:00.003+08:00

Its been 2 whole weeks since Mummy did an update on my blog.

She has been busy with her work, with couple of colleagues and including her, falling sick due to the bad weather.

Mummy had so much wanted a break and not to mention Daddy too needs one badly.

How nice it would be if both of them gets to win the trip to Australia sponsored by Nuffnang "Read post below dated 9 March 2009".

This way, both Daddy and Mummy would finally get to go for a long post dated Honeymoon trip and the both lovely people will surely bring me along as I am their precious.

Being able to go to Gold Coast and take a look at how that place looks like would be wonderful! Daddy, Mummy and of course me, will get to try out rides and attrations at WB (Warner Bros). We saw it couple of times on TV and internet but sad to say, have never got a chance to experience it.

Not forgetting Perth, where lots of Mummy's friends have went to and enjoyed the farmstay there. Its a totally different experience from our busy life here in Singapore. You get to experience farmstay, feeding the animals, milking them and stroking them, which you never get to do it here in Singapore, except for some small farms that you find in Sungei Kadut area at Choa Chu Kang.

I haven been able to see Daddy except for Sundays. He has been busy working as a taxi driver driving passengers everywhere needed. Daddy and Mummy are both working hard in order to give me a better life in near future and yet tire themselves out because of this.

A nice holiday break will do just great for them, where they an have their honeymoon, their rest, my enjoyment and maybe a little sibling for me soon, given that its been a year since I lost my baby brother.........

So Australia dream...here we come!!!

Western Australia's Many Distinct Regions
The capital of Perth is Australia's western gateway and a great place to start your holiday.
Life is simple and genuine, offering a taste of rural Australian living along with relaxing country retreats and secluded chalets.
Leave the hustle and bustle of city life behind and revel in a peaceful pastoral existence at a farmstay.
It's where the sound of silence and good old-fashioned hospitality reign supreme.

Farmstays offer you the chance to muck in and contribute to daily outback life. Forget emails and mobiles - get back-to-basics living on the land.

They also provide the perfect family adventure holiday - big kids and little kids will delight in feeding friendly farm animals and taking unhurried bushwalks in the misty mornings.

But don't forget your gumboots as there are plenty of farm duties that need doing if you're keen to get your hands dirty.

Learn how to milk a cow or collect eggs in the fresh air of a family-friendly farm.

Hand feed pet kangaroos, goats, donkeys, sheep, cattle, chickens and turkeys.

Host families will welcome you into their hearts and homes, offering warm, friendly banter, a hot shower and hearty, homemade fare as part of their famous country hospitality.

Offers from Nuffnang!!!

2009-03-09T09:34:00.003+08:00

Mummy will try to blog this and see if we could win a trip for 2 to Australia!!

Win a pair of air tickets to Australia & a come walkabout packing of your choice when you come up with the most creative and convincing blog entry!

Ever dreamt of going to Sydney to visit the Opera House, to see the Koala bears in Australia or even experiencing snow adventure at Mt Buller? Or are you spoilt for choice?

Fret not!

Now you have a chance to experience Australia like never before!

Nuffnang is giving away:

1) 2 Economy Class tickets on Qantas.

2) Come Walkabout Package & Experience of your choice (One package in one state for 2 only)

Contest Details

1) All you have to do is to choose a state in Australia and write about the type of experience that you would like to have there. Also, share this great deal with 10 of your friends!

2) Submit your details, permalink and refer 10 friends by providing their emails at www.nuffnang.com.sg/tourism-australia.

It is just so simple!

The closing date for the contest starts on 6th March 2009 and ends on 30th March 2009!

Contest entries should be creative and at the same time, convincing.

All entries submitted will be vetted and the winning entry will be notified on 2nd April 2009.

So allow your creative juices to flow and convince us with your contest entry to win this great deal!

Terms & Conditions

Do note that incomplete submission will not be considered.

Should there be any contest entry being deleted or removed from their blog, the participation will be declared void.

For more information on Australia and the Come Walkabout packages, visit www.australia.com.

Cheers,
Nuffnang Team

Sunday with Nenek

2009-03-08T09:35:00.000+08:00

Its Daddy's off day today. Daddy did not come home till wee hours in the morning and I disturbed him at 10am to make him wake up.

We sent Ah Ma to Grand Auntie's house at Ang Mo Kio and headed to Nenek's house.

Uncle Issac and Ah Tuk was not at home so I spent some quality time with Nenek.

We went to Singapore Expo as Daddy had wanted to take a look at the Furniture Fair but it turned out its only for TRADE only. Headed next to Tampines COURTS and had tea break there and then to GIANT for some shopping. Gosh, its so crowded there. We did chose some things to get, but looking at the long snake queue, we left without buying anything instead.

Sent Nenek home and then we went home to prepare Steamboat for dinner. We had planned to have Steamboat yesterday though, but because Ah Ma and Mummy had to rush to the hospital, it was cancelled.

Ah Ma will be going to Genting tonight with Grand Auntie and won't be back till Wednesday...I am gonna miss her....

I will be at home alone with Auntie Debie....

Lazy Saturday

2009-03-07T09:25:00.000+08:00

Well, Mummy is off today, she just wanted to laze at home. Thus we spent our day at home and watched TV. We received 2 shocking news today.

One was...Mummy's colleague has been ordered bed rest. She won't be in office for 2 weeks. Mummy texted her and told her to rest well and hope everything goes well for her.

Second was, while Mummy dropped by to Giant at Sembawang Shopping Centre for some groceries shopping, she got a call from Ah Ma. Ah Ma sounded so anxious on the phone! Why? Cuz Great Grandma was admitted to the Accident and Emergency Department at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

Great Grandma is still undergoing chemotherapy at present and yet is suffering from the side effects of the chemotherapy. Poor her! I wasn't allowed to go as it was not good for me, due to the radiation and also germs and bacteria in the hospital.

Wishing that Mummy's colleague and Great Grandma get well soon!

To hair cut ...to hair cut I go

2009-03-01T15:29:00.000+08:00

Off to the barber I am being sent to!

Hair too long...can be mistaken as a gal??!! What's wrong with those Buses Auntie (三八)'s eyes. I have a penis for god's sakes!!

(Barney song) I am learning to spell my name (write to be exact)

2009-03-01T15:26:00.000+08:00

I am learning to write my name now and numbers too. Still lazy at times though but Mummy has informed Auntie Debie to make me do my homework everyday for at least an hour.

Look at my acheivements!

Here I am...as MAKCIK

2009-02-28T15:18:00.000+08:00

Mummy disguised me as MAKCIK!! OH MY GOD!!!

At home with Yi Tian and Xin Yan

2009-02-28T15:08:00.001+08:00

My 2 dearest cousins came to our house today. Mummy had to work today so my time was spent with Yi Tian and Xin Yan at home and it was raining cats and dogs too! Weather had been bad recently....so all my friends out there!! Gotta take care ya!!

Oh did I mention...my precious gal friend, Amber was warded in hospital for bronchitis. BAD right? Mummy went after work to visit her and she did not bring me along as its not advisable because there are germs and bacterias in the hospital that are not visible but contagious.

Poor Amber sound asleep after coughing badly

Balloons from her aunt and Auntie Wendy

Stickers from Mummy to keep Amber occupied

Poor and tired Auntie Rebecca (hardly can keep her eyes open)

No Zoo.....

2009-02-27T15:03:00.000+08:00

Plans were made with Jane Ah Yi, 2nd Ah Yi and Yi Tian to go zoo today. Unfortunately, Yi Tian was down with fever and all plans cancelled. That made me so sad and disappointed because I badly wanted to go the the Zoo.

Mummy cheered me up and told me that she will bring me there soon during the weekend when Daddy is available. Daddy was more keen to go Night Safari with me though. Guess it should be soon! I can't wait for the day!!

I am going to the ZOO!!

2009-02-26T13:47:00.003+08:00

My God Ma cum Ah Yi called Mummy and told her that she wanted to bring me to the ZOO!!

Hurray!!! She is bringing me tomorrow!!! I can't wait for tomorrow to come!!

So Mr. Ah Meng and Mr. Tiger here I come!!!

How's your week doing?

2009-02-24T17:27:00.001+08:00

glitter-graphics.com

Hope its fine, just like mine!!!

To JB we go!!

2009-02-22T17:01:00.000+08:00

We wanted laze at home today as Daddy just came back from work and needed his nap.

Mummy brought me to the Doctor and spent $31 for 3 bottles of Medicine for me. One for flu, cough and phelgm.

Headed to the wet market to get flower crabs for Daddy as he misses his Lemak Chili padi dish so Mummy had agreed to whip up this dish for him to enjoy.

While "marketing", Mummy received a phone call from Grand Aunt and she asked if we were interested to go JB today...just me and Mummy and 2 Grand Aunt and Grand Uncle.

Well, its been so long that Mummy could go in JB for shopping ever since Daddy got his van and then now a taxi which can't go JB at all.

She agreed and we had to rush back home quickly to do the cooking and changing.

Met up with the "Grand" relatives at almost 2pm and drove into JB.

Passed by the new checkpoint~~~~ amazingly smooth traffic to our delight!

I am already drowsy from my medicine but I insisted on watching the cars go by and the sceneries at JB.

In to JB we go!! We nearly got lost but figured out the route in a short while cuz when you exit the new exit from JB, its a different route.

Went over to Jusco as our first stop. Went over to Secret Receipe for some tea break and Mummy bought me toys from Jusco and one for Jie Jie Shannon who is celebrating her birthday this Sunday! She is turning 5 years old!

Poor Mummy has to carry me around as she did not bring any pram with her (only a sarong). As I am drowsy I was cranky...until I saw PLAYLAND. Get to play some games there too (especially stuck to THOMAS game).

After Jusco, we hopped over to TESCO which is newly opened and just opposite of Jusco. Though a huge shopping mall but they did not have much things, probably still new I guess. Had Kenny Rogers for dinner (courtesy of Grand Aunt).

Had a wonderful Sunday at JB and also a tiring one. Still awake despite 2 doses of medicine (one at noon and one in the evening) AMAZING!!

Happy Weekends!!

2009-02-21T16:57:00.001+08:00

Today we are going over to Auntie Jane's place to have a look at their new place.

Popped over at noon, played with Lecarde and at Pizza Hut for lunchie.

Nice place I would say, with lots of room to run and play despite it being a 2 room flat.

Thank you Auntie Jane for cooking nuggets for us and also not minding that both Mummy and me are still coughing :)

Stayed till 4pm at Auntie Jane's place and we headed to Great Grandma's place and met up with Grand Ah Yees and Grand Uncle and had dinner there. Was hooked onto Great Grandma's handheld computer game and also Uncle QiChen's "transformer" or whatever you called that.

Daddy won't be coming home tonight as he has morning bookings to do and will do the whole day shift and I mean whole day as in he started from morning 9am to tomorrow morning 7pm. So I won't get to see him till tomorrow morning then....Miss YA DADDY!!

Its Shane's birthday today

2009-02-20T16:49:00.000+08:00

Ok..well we are still both not well, but with Auntie's Elaine's permission, we can go!! Why? Because both Shane and Shyenne are sick too with cough also. So spreading the germs together HA! HA! would be fun!

(photos to be uploaded soon once Auntie Elaine gets it sorted out)

Mummy and me is sick

2009-02-19T16:36:00.000+08:00

*Kuf**Kuf*

Mummy and me are down with URTI...also known as Upper Respiratory Tract Infection.

Both of us are coughing badly, full of phelgm. Mummy still have some left over medicine from her last visit to the doctor's and me too.

Hopefully we can get well to attend Shane's birthday party!

We are invited to..

2009-02-17T15:52:00.002+08:00

Shane's 2nd birthday celebration!

For those who are going...SEE YA THERE!!!

Remember?

2009-02-15T15:39:00.003+08:00

One good news and one sad news.. Remember the new toy that I was mentioning about? Mummy found it!! At Carrefour Suntec when Daddy brought us to Singapore Flyer. That's the good news! As for the bad news.... We did not manage to get on the Singapore Flyer as the tickets were all fully redeemed. Well, perhaps next weekend then because the promotion is on for the next weekend too!

Not forgetting.....

2009-02-14T15:38:00.000+08:00

Yi Tian over our place

2009-02-14T14:56:00.000+08:00

Cousin Yi Tian came over our place to stay over for the weekend. We had lots of fun!!

Tomorrow would be Daddy's off day, we would be going to Singapore Flyer as there is a promotion on. All you have to do is to do the following:-

SEND A TEXT "2009" to 78777 and you will get a reply from STB. Free tickets for 4 to either Sentosa, Singapore Heritage Museum, Singapore Flyer or Singapore Bum Boat River Cruise.

Drinking milk together and having the same pose...playing bolster together too.

A new toy.. Hurray!!!

2009-02-09T11:15:00.002+08:00

Mummy's gonna get me a new toy today!!

Don't know what it is called but will post the picture up if she manages to get it today!!!

Its actually something like a escalator thingy which brings the toy up and then the toy will slide down from the top....any idea what it is called?

Steamboat at Uncle Mike and Auntie Wendy's place

2009-02-08T10:56:00.001+08:00

Its the 14th day of the Lunar month.

The Chua's family have invited us, Auntie Rebecca's family, Auntie Elaine's family, Auntie Audrey and Auntie Jane for steamboat at their place.

Supposed to have more attendance, but the rest did not turn up nor inform, much to the disappointment of Auntie Wendy who had took great effort to get the food prepared.

Well, the adults have their gambling sessions about the steamboat and we kids have our chaos sessions in the room. Mirabel, Lecarde and me had a short nap while the adults were gambling except for Amber who was having chit chatting session with Uncle Mike.

All of us had a sumptous lunch and dinner at the Chua's place and simply too full to move an inch..even going home was a drag with all tummy full of delicious food!!

Thank you Uncle Mike, Auntie Wendy and Mirabel for welcoming all of us to your lovely home for steamboat!! Next one will be at ours ya!!!

Busy day today...

2009-02-07T10:50:00.000+08:00

Have 2 events to attend today and 4 events for Mummy to attend.

1. Kiera's birthday - popped over to Auntie Amelia's place in the afternoon to celebrate Jie Jie Kiera's 4th birthday. It was a strawberry shortcake's theme...(something which...only gals are interested in but not me) but..I enjoyed myself with the balloons and the sweets and the short moment of magical show.

2. Baby Ethan's full month celebration - Auntie Amanda has invited us to Baby Ethan's one month celebration. I saw Amber there and we had great fun!!

For Mummy

2 of the above events and also, Mummy's manager Auntie Angie has invited us to her house for steamboat and Mummy's good pal is also having a wedding on the same night.

After much hesitation and decision, Mummy decided to go for the wedding dinner as its a once in a lifetime event for her friend.

So this was our Saturday...running here and there..rushing up and down....

Slept all the way home in Daddy's taxi...(Did I mention? Daddy has finally switched job and had decided to be a taxi driver where his timing would be more flexible and I get to see him more often.)

I am really computer addicted

2009-02-05T10:46:00.000+08:00

Either I am computer addicted or I am games addicted.

Mummy recently bought me an educational CD-rom (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) which teaches us on many stuff. I am glued to the computer for an hour a day (the maximum time Mummy allows me to be on the computer).

Its nice and I get to have experience playing the computer, operating it, switching it on myself and doing the assessments.

Mummy can I have more of these CD-roms please!!!!!

Gathering at Auntie Diana's new home.

2009-02-01T10:37:00.000+08:00

Auntie Diana and family have invited us (Uncle Mike, Auntie Wendy, Mirabel, Auntie Rebecca, Uncle Andy, Amber, Auntie Jane, Lecarde, Auntie Jessie, Denise and Zenson) for a small gathering at their new place. Wow it was so beautiful. Kor Kor Ryan had a room full of Thomas decorations (one which I have always wanted - under my wish list) and Mei Mei Demi had her room full of Hello Kitty decorations.

Their house was filled with full of warmth and joy.

Uncle Randy whipped up couple of dishes...yummy dishes to be exact!!

Thank you Uncle Randy and Auntie Diana for the invitation!!

Lots of visits everywhere..

2009-01-30T10:30:00.000+08:00

Since its CNY, we had lots of places to go house visiting at.

Going from one place to the other, eating from here to there, playing from North, South, East and West!

Not forgetting lotsa Ang Pows too!!

Where did we go??

2009-01-26T10:23:00.000+08:00

Well, first day of CNY is normally to Great Grandma's place, for lunch and also some catching up with Mummy's cousins whom we only meet once a year during CNY.

After which it will be to Nenek's house for visiting. We reached Nenek's house in the afternoon about 3pm and I get to play with my cousins, Daniel, Xaveriah and my uncle Issac.

Its quite a short stay there though cuz we have one more house to go and that would be God Pa's house!!! I saw lots of people there and not forgetting, Harry kor kor and Jojo jie jie. We had lots of fun playing catching, toys and hide and seek.

A tired but enjoyable day for me.

(Photos are inside Daddy's mobile) - shall upload soon once we get hold of it.

Its Chinese New Year!!!

2009-01-26T10:07:00.000+08:00

祝大家在新的一年里。。。。生体健康，万事如意! 恭喜发财!!

Photos of our Reunion Dinner food

2009-01-23T08:48:00.001+08:00

Yu Sheng (My chopstick is there!)

Chap Chye (Nonya dish we have each year)
Shark Fin's soupSteamboat
VegetablesFish/Sotong/Tofu/Liver/Mushroom/Tang Hoon/Yam/ClamsPrawns
Abalone, jellyfish, mushroom, leeks
Meat balls by MummyYu sheng
And not forgetting the best of all, PEK TOR fish aka rabbit fish famous with us Teochews eating during Chinese New Year!!

Reunion Dinner

2009-01-23T08:40:00.000+08:00

We had Reunion Dinner today as Ah Gong would be overseas during Chinese New Year.

We had steamboat with fish, sotong, yam, vegetables, liver, abalone...many more and not forgetting yu sheng too!!

I had a part in tossing the yu sheng also since I have gotten my Thomas Edison training chopsticks! It was fun seeing the adults tossing those vegetables up and saying many meaningful words.

Since Mummy was off

2009-01-23T08:02:00.000+08:00

(Me before school playing computer games first!!)

She brought me to school today! We had a mini celebration in school where there were lion dance, mini tossing of yu sheng and many more. All of us are dressed in traditional clothings. Mummy did not managed to get a picture of me in my clothing as her phone battery went flat :(

But its ok, I enjoyed myself in school alot!

Certificate just for me!!!

2009-01-22T14:29:00.002+08:00

I finally am off...

2009-01-20T14:15:00.000+08:00

Diapers completely!!!

Daddy and Mummy was so happy!!

Say good-bye to diapers now~~ (still have a big back of Drypers) going to give it away I guess.....

Mummy chanced upon this video..

2009-01-17T10:23:00.001+08:00

and would like to share with all of you. Look at how she sang the song!! She is so cute!!

What Lunar New Year means...

2009-01-16T15:25:00.003+08:00

Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is sometimes called the Lunar New Year, especially by people outside China. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first lunar month (Chinese: 正月; pinyin: zhēng yuè) in the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th; this day is called Lantern Festival. Chinese New Year's Eve is known as Chúxī (除夕, abbr. for 年除夕 Niánchúxī, Chúxì in Taiwan). It literally means "Year-pass Eve".

Celebrated in areas with large populations of ethnic Chinese, Chinese New Year is considered a major holiday for the Chinese and has had influence on the new year celebrations of its geographic neighbours, as well as cultures with whom the Chinese have had extensive interaction.[citation needed] These include Aboriginal Taiwanese people, Koreans, Mongolians, Nepalese, Bhutanese, Vietnamese, and formerly the Japanese before 1873. In Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and other countries or regions with significant Han Chinese populations, Chinese New Year is also celebrated, and has, to varying degrees, become part of the traditional culture of these countries. In Canada, although Chinese New Year is not an official holiday, many ethnic Chinese hold large celebrations and Canada Post issues New Year's themed stamps in domestic and international rates.

Although the Chinese calendar traditionally did not use continuously numbered years, its years are now often numbered from the reign of Huangdi outside China. But at least three different years numbered 1 are now used by various writers, causing the year beginning in 2008 to be 4706, 4705, or 4645.[2]

Animal Branch Dates
鼠 Rat 子 Zi February 19, 1996 February 7, 2008
牛 Ox 丑 Chou February 7, 1997 January 26, 2009
虎 Tiger 寅 Yin January 28, 1998 February 14, 2010
兔 Rabbit 卯 Mao February 16, 1999 February 3, 2011
龍 Dragon 辰 Chen February 5, 2000 January 23, 2012
蛇 Snake 巳 Si January 24, 2001 February 10, 2013
馬 Horse 午 Wu February 12, 2002 January 31, 2014
羊 Sheep 未 Wei February 1, 2003 February 19, 2015
猴 Monkey 申 Shen January 22, 2004 February 8, 2016
雞 Rooster 酉 You February 9, 2005 January 28, 2017
狗 Dog 戌 Xu January 29, 2006 February 16, 2018
豬 Pig 亥 Hai February 18, 2007 February 5, 2019

The lunisolar Chinese calendar determines Chinese New Year dates. The calendar is also used in countries that have adopted or have been influenced by Han culture (notably the Koreans, Japanese and Vietnamese) and may have a common ancestry with the similar New Years festivals outside East Asia (such as Iran, and historically, the Bulgars lands).

In the Gregorian calendar, Chinese New Year falls on different dates each year, a date between January 21 and February 20. This means that the holiday usually falls on the second (very rarely third) new moon after the winter solstice. In traditional Chinese Culture, lichun is a solar term marking the start of spring, which occurs about February 4.

The dates for Chinese New Year from 1996 to 2019 (in the Gregorian calendar) are at the left, along with the year's presiding animal zodiac and its earthly branch. The names of the earthly branches have no English counterparts and are not the Chinese translations of the animals. Alongside the 12-year cycle of the animal zodiac there is a 10-year cycle of heavenly stems. Each of the ten heavenly stems is associated with one of the five elements of Chinese astrology, namely: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. The elements are rotated every two years while a yin and yang association alternates every year. The elements are thus distinguished: Yang Wood, Yin Wood, Yang Fire, Yin Fire, etc. These produce a combined cycle that repeats every 60 years. For example, the year of the Yang Fire Rat occurred in 1936 and in 1996, 60 years apart.

Many confuse their Chinese birth-year with their Gregorian birth-year. As the Chinese New Year starts in late January to mid-February, the Chinese year dates from January 1 until that day in the new Gregorian year remain unchanged from the previous Gregorian year. For example, the 1989 year of the snake began on February 6, 1989. The year 1990 is considered by some people to be the year of the horse. However, the 1989 year of the snake officially ended on January 26, 1990. This means that anyone born from January 1 to January 25, 1990 was actually born in the year of the snake rather than the year of the horse.

Many online Chinese Sign calculators do not account for the non-alignment of the two calendars, incorrectly using Gregorian-calendar years rather than official Chinese New Year dates.

History
It is unclear when the beginning of the year was celebrated before the Qin Dynasty. Traditionally, the year was said to have begun with month 1 during the Xia Dynasty, month 12 during the Shang Dynasty, and month 11 during the Zhou Dynasty. However, records show that the Zhou Dynasty began its year with month 1. Intercalary months, used to keep the lunar calendar synchronized with the sun, were added after month 12 during both the Shang Dynasty (according to surviving oracle bones) and the Zhou Dynasty (according to Sima Qian). The first Emperor of China Qin Shi Huang changed the beginning of the year to month 10 in 221 BC, also changing the location of the intercalary month to after month 9. Whether the New Year was celebrated at the beginning of month 10, or month 1, or both is unknown. In 104 BC, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty established month 1 as the beginning of the year, where it remains.

Mythology
According to tales and legends, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called the Nian or "Year" in Chinese. Nian would come on the first day of New Year to devour livestock, crops, and even villagers, especially children. To protect themselves, the villagers would put food in front of their doors at the beginning of every year. It was believed that after the Nian ate the food they prepared, it wouldn’t attack any more people. One time, people saw that the Nian was scared away by a little child wearing red. The villagers then understood that the Nian was afraid of the color red. Hence, every time when the New Year was about to come, the villagers would hang red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors. People also used firecrackers to frighten away the Nian. From then on, the Nian never came to the village again. The Nian was eventually captured by Hongjunlaozu, an ancient Taoist monk. The Nian became Hongjunlaozu's mount.

The Chinese New Year celebrations are marked by visits to kin, relatives and friends, a practice known as "new-year visits" (Chinese: 拜年; pinyin: bàinián). New clothings are usually worn to signify a new year. The colour red is liberally used in all decorations. Red packets are given to juniors and children by the married and elders. See Symbolism below for more explanation.

All these festivities may vary from region to region and from family to family.

Days before the new year
On the days before the New Year celebration Chinese families give their home a thorough cleaning. There is a Cantonese saying "Wash away the dirt on ninyabaat" (年廿八，洗邋遢), but the practice is not usually restricted on nin'ya'baat (年廿八, the 28th day of month 12). It is believed the cleaning sweeps away the bad luck of the preceding year and makes their homes ready for good luck. Brooms and dust pans are put away on the first day so that luck cannot be swept away. Some people give their homes, doors and window-frames a new coat of red paint. Homes are often decorated with paper cutouts of Chinese auspicious phrases and couplets. Purchasing new clothing, shoes and receiving a hair-cut also symbolize a fresh start .

In many households where Buddhism or Taoism is prevalent, home altars and statues are cleaned thoroughly, and altars that were adorned with decorations from the previous year are also taken down and burned a week before the new year starts, and replaced with new decorations. Taoists (and Buddhists to a lesser extent) will also "send gods" (送神), an example would be burning a paper effigy of the Kitchen God, the recorder of family functions. This is done so that the kitchen god can report to the Jade Emperor of the family household's transgressions and good deeds.

The biggest event of any Chinese New Year's Eve is the dinner every family will have. A dish consisting of fish will appear on the tables of Chinese families. It is for display for the New Year's Eve dinner. This meal is comparable to Christmas dinner in the West. In northern China, it is customary to make dumplings (jiaozi 饺子) after dinner and have it around midnight. Dumplings symbolize wealth because their shape is like a Chinese tael. By contrast, in the South, it is customary to make a new year cake (Niangao, 年糕) after dinner and send pieces of it as gifts to relatives and friends in the coming days of the new year. Niangao literally means increasingly prosperous year in year out. After the dinner, some families go to local temples, hours before the new year begins to pray for a prosperous new year; however in modern practice, many households hold parties and even hold a countdown to the new lunar year. Beginning in the 1980s, the CCTV New Year's Gala was broadcast minutes before the start of the New Year.

First day of the new year
The first day is for the welcoming of the deities of the heavens and earth, officially beginning at midnight. Many people, especially Buddhists, abstain from meat consumption on the first day because it is believed that this will ensure longevity for them. Some consider lighting fires and using knives to be bad luck on New Year's Day, so all food to be consumed is cooked the day before.

Most importantly, the first day of Chinese New Year is a time when families visit the oldest and most senior members of their extended family, usually their parents, grandparents or great-grandparents.

Some families may invite a lion dance troupe as a symbolic ritual to usher in the Lunar New Year as well as to evict bad spirits from the premises. Members of the family who are married also give red packets containing cash to junior members of the family, mostly children and teenagers.

While fireworks and firecrackers are traditionally very popular, some regions have banned them due to concerns over fire hazards, which have resulted in increased number of fires around New Years and challenged municipal fire departments' work capacity. For this reason, various city governments (e.g., Hong Kong, and Beijing, for a number of years) issued bans over fireworks and firecrackers in certain premises of the city. As a substitute, large-scale fireworks have been launched by governments in cities like Hong Kong to offer citizens the experience

Second day of the new year
The second day of the Chinese New Year is for married daughters to visit their birth parents. Traditionally, daughters who have been married may not have the opportunity to visit their birth families frequently.

On the second day, the Chinese pray to their ancestors as well as to all the gods. They are extra kind to dogs and feed them well as it is believed that the second day is the birthday of all dogs.

Business people of the Cantonese dialect group will hold a 'Hoi Nin' prayer to start their business on the 2nd day of Chinese New Year. The prayer is done to pray that they will be blessed with good luck and prosperity in their business for the year.

Third and fourth days of the new year
The third and fourth day of the Chinese New Year are generally accepted as inappropriate days to visit relatives and friends due to the following schools of thought. People may subscribe to one or both thoughts.

1) It is known as "chì kǒu" (赤口), meaning that it is easy to get into arguments. It is suggested that the cause could be the fried food and visiting during the first two days of the New Year celebration.[citation needed]

2) Families who had an immediate kin deceased in the past 3 years will not go house-visiting as a form of respect to the dead, but people may visit them on this day. Some people then conclude that it is inauspicious to do any house visiting at all. The third day of the New Year is allocated to grave-visiting instead.

Fifth day of the new year
In northern China, people eat Jiǎozi (simplified Chinese: 饺子; traditional Chinese: 餃子) (dumplings) on the morning of Po Wu (破五). This is also the birthday of the Chinese god of wealth. In Taiwan, businesses traditionally re-open on this day, accompanied by firecrackers

Seventh day of the new year
The seventh day, traditionally known as renri 人日, the common man's birthday, the day when everyone grows one year older.

It is the day when tossed raw fish salad, yusheng, is eaten. This is a custom primarily among the overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia, such as Malaysia and Singapore. People get together to toss the colourful salad and make wishes for continued wealth and prosperity.

For many Chinese Buddhists, this is another day to avoid meat

Ninth day of the new year
The ninth day of the New Year is a day for Chinese to offer prayers to the Jade Emperor of Heaven (天公) in the Taoist Pantheon. The ninth day is traditionally the birthday of the Jade Emperor.

This day is especially important to Hokkiens and Teochews (Min Nan speakers). Come midnight of the eighth day of the new year, Hokkiens will offer thanks giving prayers to the Emperor of Heaven. Offerings will include sugarcane as it was the sugarcane that had protected the Hokkiens from certain extermination generations ago. Tea is served as a customary protocol for paying respect to an honored person

Fifteenth day of the new year
The fifteenth day of the new year is celebrated as Yuánxiāo jié (元宵节), otherwise known as Chap Goh Mei in Fujian dialect. Rice dumplingsTangyuan (simplified Chinese: 汤圆; traditional Chinese: 湯圓; pinyin: tāngyuán), a sweet glutinous rice ball brewed in a soup, is eaten this day. Candles are lit outside houses as a way to guide wayward spirits home. This day is celebrated as the Lantern Festival, and families walk the street carrying lighted lanterns.

This day often marks the end of the Chinese New Year festivities

Reunion dinner
A reunion dinner is held on New Year's Eve where members of the family, near and far away, get together for the celebration. The venue will usually be in or near the home of the most senior member of the family. The New Year's Eve dinner is very sumptuous and traditionally includes chicken and fish. In some areas, fish (simplified Chinese: 鱼; traditional Chinese: 魚; pinyin: yú) is included, but not eaten completely (and the remainder is stored overnight), as the Chinese phrase "may there be surpluses every year" (traditional Chinese: 年年有餘; simplified Chinese: 年年有余; pinyin: nián nián yǒu yú) sounds the same as "may there be fish every year."

In mainland China, many families will banter whilst watching the CCTV New Year's Gala in the hours before midnight.

Red packets for the immediate family are sometimes distributed during the reunion dinner. These packets often contain money in certain numbers that reflect good luck and honorability. Several foods are consumed to usher in wealth, happiness, and good fortune. Several of the Chinese food names are homophones for words that also mean good things.

Red packets

Red packets for sale in a Taipei, Taiwan market before the Year of the RatTraditionally, Red envelopes or red packets (Cantonese: lai shi or lai see) (利是, 利市 or 利事); (Mandarin: 'hóng bāo' (紅包); Hokkien: 'ang pow' (POJ: âng-pau); Hakka: 'fung bao'; are passed out during the Chinese New Year's celebrations, from married couples or the elderly to unmarried juniors. It is also common for adults or young couples to give red packets to children. Red packets are also known as 壓歲錢/压岁钱 (Ya Sui Qian, which was evolved from 壓祟錢/压祟钱, literally, the money used to suppress or put down the evil spirit ) during this period.[4]

Red packets almost always contain money, usually varying from a couple of dollars to several hundred. Per custom, the amount of money in the red packets should be of even numbers, as odd numbers are associated with cash given during funerals (帛金 : Bai Jin). One exception is the number four as it is considered bad luck, because the word for four is a homophone for death, money in red envelopes never adds up to $4. However, the number 8 is considered lucky (for its homophone for "wealth"), and $8 is commonly found in the red envelopes. Sometimes chocolate coins are found in the red packets.

Odd and even numbers are determined by the first digit, rather than the last. Thirty and fifty, for example, are odd numbers, and are thus appropriate as funeral cash gifts. However, it is common and quite acceptable to have cash gifts in a red packet using a single bank note – with ten or fifty yuan bills used frequently.

The act of requesting for red packets is normally called (Mandarin): 討紅包, 要利是. (Cantonese):逗利是. A married person would not turn down such request as it would mean that he or she would be "out of luck" in the new year. While this practice is common in South China, in the North people give cash without any cover to their sons and daughters, nephews and nieces, and children of their relatives and friends. Unlike the South, it is common for people give ¥50, ¥100 or even more, odd or even numbers are not taken into consideration anymore.

Clothing
Clothing mainly featuring the colour red is commonly worn throughout the Chinese New Year because it is believed that red will scare away evil spirits and bad fortune. In addition, people typically wear new clothes from head to toe to symbolize a new beginning in the new year.

Shou Sui
守岁(守歲) (Shou Sui) occurs when members of the family gather around throughout the night after the reunion dinner and reminisce about the year that has passed while welcoming the year that has arrived. Some believe that children who Shou Sui will increase the longevity of the parents.

一夜连双岁，五更分二年 means that the night of New Year's eve (which is also the morning of the first day of the New Year) is a night that links two years. 五更 (Wu Geng – the double hour from 0300 to 0500) is the time that separates the two years.

Symbolism
During these 15 days of the Chinese New Year one will see superstitious or traditional cultural beliefs with meanings which can be puzzling in the eyes of those who do not celebrate this occasion. There is a customary reason that explains why everything, not just limited to decorations, are centered on the colour red. At times, gold is the accompanying colour for reasons that are already obvious. One best and common example is the red diamond-shaped posters with the character 福 (pinyin: fú), or "auspiciousness" which are displayed around the house and on doors. This sign is usually seen hanging upside down, since the Chinese word 倒 (pinyin: dǎo), or "upside down", sounds similar as 到 (pinyin: dào), or "arrive". Therefore, it symbolizes the arrival of luck, happiness, and prosperity

Superstitions during the New Year period
The following is a list of beliefs that vary according to dialect groups / individuals.

Good luck
Opening windows and/or doors is considered to bring in the good luck of the new year.
Switching on the lights for the night is considered good luck to 'scare away' ghosts and spirits of misfortune that may compromise the luck and fortune of the new year.
Sweets are eaten to ensure the consumer a "sweet" year.
It is important to have the house completely clean from top to bottom before New Year's Day for good luck in the coming year. (however, as explained below, cleaning the house after New Year's Day is frowned upon)
Some believe that what happens on the first day of the new year reflects the rest of the year to come. Asians will often gamble at the beginning of the year, hoping to get luck and prosperity.
Wearing a new pair of slippers that is bought before the new year, because it means to step on the people who gossip about you.
The night before the new year, bathe yourself in pomelo leaves and some say that you will be healthy for the rest of the new year.

Bad luck
Buying a pair of shoes is considered bad luck amongst some Chinese. The word "shoes" is a homophone for the word for "rough" in Cantonese, or "evil" in Mandarin.
Getting a hair-cut in the first lunar month puts a curse on maternal uncles. Therefore, people get a hair-cut before the New Year's Eve.
Washing your hair is also considered to be washing away one's own luck (although modern hygienic concerns take precedence over this tradition)
Sweeping the floor is usually forbidden on the first day, as it will sweep away the good fortune and luck for the new year.
Saying words like "finished" and "gone" is inauspicious on the New Year, so sometimes people would avoid these words by saying "I have eaten my meal so that it disappeared" rather than say "I have finished my meal."
Talking about death is inappropriate for the first few days of Chinese New Year, as it is considered inauspicious.
Buying books is bad luck because the word for "book" is a homonym to the word "lose".
Avoid clothes in black and white, as black is a symbol of bad luck, and white is a traditional Chinese funeral colour.
Foul language is inappropriate during the Chinese New Year.
Offering anything in fours, as the number four (四), pronounced sì, can sound like "death" in Chinese.

Greetings
The Chinese New Year is often accompanied by loud, enthusiastic greetings, often referred to as 吉祥話 (Jíxiánghùa) , or loosely translated as auspicious words or phrases. Some of the most common examples may include:

Happy New Year
simplified Chinese: 新年快乐; traditional Chinese: 新年快樂; pinyin: Xīnnián kuàilè; Hokkien POJ: Sin-nî khòai-lo̍k; Cantonese: Sun nin faai lowk. A more contemporary greeting reflective of western influences, it literally translates from the greeting "Happy new year" more common in the west. But in northern parts of China, traditionally people say simplified Chinese: 过年好; traditional Chinese: 過年好; pinyin: guònian hǎo instead of simplified Chinese: 新年快乐, to differentiate it from the international new year. And 過年好 can be used from the first day to the fifth day of Chinese new year.

Congratulations and be prosperous
simplified Chinese: 恭喜发财; traditional Chinese: 恭喜發財; pinyin: Gōngxǐ fācái; Hokkien: Keong hee huat chye (POJ: Kiong-hí hoat-châi); Cantonese: Kung Hei Fat Choi; Hakka: Gong hei fat choi, which loosely translates to "Congratulations and be prosperous". Often mistakenly assumed to be synonymous with "Happy new year", its usage dates back several centuries. While the first two words of this phrase had a much longer historical significance (legend has it that the congratulatory messages were traded for surviving the ravaging beast of Nian, although in practical terms it may also involve surviving the harsh winter conditions), the last two words were added later as ideas of capitalism and consumerism became more significant in Chinese societies around the world. The saying is now commonly heard in English speaking communities for greetings during Chinese New Year in parts of the world where there is a sizable Chinese-speaking community, including overseas Chinese communities that have been resident for several generations, relatively recent immigrants from Greater China, and those who are transit migrants (particularly students).

Other greetings
Numerous other greetings exist, some of which may be exclaimed out loud to no one in particular in specific situations. For example, as breaking objects during the new year is considered inauspicious, one may then say 歲歲平安 (Suìsuì píng'ān) immediately, which means everlasting peace year after year. 歲 (Suì, meaning "age") is homophonous with 碎 (meaning "shatter"), in demonstration of the Chinese love for wordplay in auspicious phrases. Similarly, 年年有餘 (Niánnián yǒuyú), a wish for surpluses and bountiful harvests every year, plays on the word yú to also refer to 魚 (meaning fish), making it a catch phrase for fish-based Chinese new year dishes and for paintings or graphics of fish that are hung on walls or presented as gifts.

These greetings or phrases may also be used just before children receive their red packets, when gifts are exchanged, when visiting temples, or even when tossing the shredded ingredients of yusheng particularly popular in Malaysia and Singapore.

Irreverent children and teenagers sometimes jokingly use the phrase (Traditional Chinese:恭喜發財,紅包拿來, Simplified Chinese: 恭喜发财，红包拿来) (Mandarin PinYin: Gōngxǐ fācái, hóngbāo nálái) (Cantonese: 恭喜發財,利是逗來), roughly translated as "Congratulations and be prosperous, now give me a red envelope!"

Back in the 1970s, children in Hong Kong used the saying: 恭喜發財,利是逗來,伍毫嫌少,壹蚊唔愛 (Cantonese), roughly translated as, "Congratulations and be prosperous, now give me a red envelope, fifty cents is too little, don't want a dollar either." It basically meant that they disliked small change – coins which were called "hard substance" (Cantonese: 硬嘢). Instead, they wanted "soft substance" (Cantonese: 軟嘢), which was either a ten dollar or a twenty dollar bill.

Ponyo

2009-01-16T09:23:00.002+08:00

Mummy might wanna bring me go see this show!! The song is nice right?

Gake no ue no Ponyo Theme Song – Romaji Lyrics
Ponyo Ponyo Ponyo sakana no ko
Aoi umi kara yatte kita
Ponyo Ponyo Ponyo fukurannda
Manmaru onaka no onna no ko
Peta-peta pyon-pyon
Asitte iina kakechao
Migi-migi-bun-bun
Otetewa iina tunaijao
Anoko to haneru to kokoro mo odoruyo
Paku-paku chu-gyu, paku-paku chu-gyu
Anoko ga daisuki
Makkakka no Ponyo Ponyo Ponyo sakana no ko
Aoi umi kara yatte kita
Ponyo Ponyo Ponyo fukurannda
Manmaru onaka no onna no ko

Gake no ue no Ponyo Theme Song – English Lyrics (first draft)
Ponyo Ponyo Ponyo, it’s a fish kid
It came from the blue ocean
Ponyo Ponyo Ponyo,
She is a round bellied girl
Peta-peta pyon-pyon
How nice to have feet! I’ll try to run!
Migi-migi-bun-bun
How nice to have hands! I’ll try to hold hands with!
When I jump with her, my heart dances along
Paku-paku chu-gyu, paku-paku chu-gyu
I love her so much!
Ponyo Ponyo Ponyo, it’s a fish kid in red
It came from the blue ocean
Ponyo Ponyo Ponyo,
She is a round bellied girl

Help me win a trip to Amsterdam!! Please fill up the plane for me!!

2009-01-15T17:23:00.004+08:00

Happy Birthday Daddy!!! We love you!!!

2009-01-15T14:39:00.003+08:00

Waraku restaurant at Heeren

2009-01-14T14:27:00.000+08:00

Mummy has a meet up with her friends at Waraku restaurant at Heeren today.

I called Mummy at her office when I woke up in the afternoon and told her that I wanted to see her.

Mummy was touched and asked if Daddy could fetch me to her office and she will bring me along to the restaurant. Daddy said okay and yeah!!! I can go!!!

Mummy asked Daddy along since its Daddy's birthday tomorrow and Mummy could give Daddy a treat!

Arrangements were made secretly between Auntie Audrey, Auntie Charmaine and Uncle Sam, Auntie Catherine and Uncle Wei Yi and Auntie Amanda and Uncle Melvin to keep mum about Mummy buying a birthday cake.

Thank you Auntie Audrey for getting it for us (I mean the cake) as Daddy was with us and it was inconvenient for Mummy to go get it and it won't be a surprise anymore if Daddy would to see it.

Here the photos that Auntie Charmaine took!

Its really from school

2009-01-12T14:18:00.000+08:00

Mummy went with me to school today to check with my teachers what food was given to me in school on Thursday and Friday.

Teacher Serene was not around, so Mummy asked whoever she has seen.

She was told I was given Green Bean Soup on Thursday and Macaroni on Friday.

What could it be then?

I haven taken Macaroni at home before so I guess that's out....could it be Green Bean soup?? Mummy has never given me that before. We just have to come to a conclusion to that.

She told the principal about this matter and was told that I have to get a doctor's letter to certify that....

Got a letter from the doctor and handed it to the principal.

Mummy also took the chance to speak to the Principal as she wanted me to switch to morning class (8am -11am). Most of my friends are there and timing was much better since I was used to going to school early instead of going during noon time when that was around nap time.

I always come home from school hungry and asking for food as its' way past my lunch time, thus Mummy insisted that I gotta change to morning class and is still pending Principal's approval and will only get an answer before CNY.

Oops...

2009-01-12T14:12:00.000+08:00

I think I got an allergy from school!

Mummy noticed spots on me and got worried. Showed it to Ah Ma and she too saw lots of it popping out!! Could it be chicken poxs?!!?? It better not be, CNY is coming close I don't want to be confined at home with poxs!!!

Was brought to the doctor and diagnosed as allergies.

Everyone is wondering what I was allergic to??!!???

Food that I took at home was all that I have been eating and I haven been eating other stuff, so what could it be? From school??? Mummy's gonna investigate.....

Did Mummy's baking succeed?

2009-01-11T14:10:00.001+08:00

Well, somehow it did but she is too *shy* to show it out!

My mummy *shy* hahahahhahahahahhah.....

It taste yummy and I love it and kept asking for small bites, though its meant for Chinese New Year!

Saturday was spent making love letters the whole day and today pineapple tarts. Dadddy helped out too! Seeing Mummy so tired, he helped Mummy stir the mixture, do the pastry and even putting the pineapple jam on to the pastry.

*pictures will be loaded up soon*

Then Grand Aunt and Grand Uncle came to visit us because they wanted to pop over to Woodlands Loop to do some CNY goodies shopping. They bought lots of things from scallops to tarts to dumplings and even otah paste all at cheap prices (wholesale price)!

After having lunch at our place, Grand Aunt suggest going to Marine Parade as she wanted to take a look at CNY decorations and Chinatown was out because its gonna be real crowded there.

So with our baked pineapple tarts done, we drove to Marine Parade (aka Parkway Parade) to walk about. CNY atmosphere was everywhere, sounds of "fake" firecrackers, sounds of CNY songs and decorations filled the air.

Baking tomorrow?

2009-01-09T16:21:00.000+08:00

Mummy is going to try bake love letters (egg rolls) and pineapple tarts during the weekends.

3 hours class started today

2009-01-07T16:07:00.001+08:00

Mummy took leave and brought me to school today. She wanted to make sure that I am really alright.

She was surprised at the many anxious parents outside my school. Not to mention angry too!

First, all the kids do not queue up to get into school. Jumping and running about.
Second, the parents shove and push just to bring their child to the door!!
Third, the parents just stand at the door and other kids can't move in!

Well, you know Mummy's temper, she got so fed up and said, "Wonder its the parents go school or the kids!!!" One parent agreed too and was upset about it.

Simply can't queue up and keep pushing. This is a school!!!

Mummy was so tempted to write a letter to the school so that the teachers or the principal can do something about it. Shoving and pushing in school should not be allowed!! What if the kids were to fall!!!

My first day at school

2009-01-02T15:46:00.000+08:00

School re-opens today! But I won't be seeing Teacher Jenny or Teacher Jo. I have new teachers for Nursery. My teacher's name is Serene and we all call her Teacher Serene. She is a very nice and patient lady (hmm..not sure for how long though) Hahahah!!

Mummy and Daddy was not with me first day at school but Ah Ma and Auntie Debie was. I was not frightened neither was I upset. I simply missed school and even told Auntie Debie to go home and come back later!!

School would be for one (1) hour for 3 days for Friday, Monday and Tuesday for all of us to get used to it. Thereafter it would be back to 3 hours every other day.

New Year's party at home

2009-01-01T18:38:00.000+08:00

We had some home cooked food at home and celebrated the NEW YEAR 2009!

Auntie Debie made Baked Macroni with Cheese, Fruit Cocktail with milk and cheese, Curry Chicken and also pig intestines with pineapples.......Da Yi brought along yummy spicy otahs too!!

Not forgetting a big pot of soup for all of us!!!

Yeah!!

Its 2009!!

2009-01-01T18:34:00.002+08:00

A video clip of me performing on stage

2008-12-31T18:28:00.000+08:00

Race Prince No. 3

2008-12-31T17:46:00.000+08:00

After a tought fight amongst all the contestant (7 of the boys) to be exact, I came in 3rd!!!!

Yeah you didn't see wrongly...I was selected as the 3rd winner for the boys segment!!!

I was shocked when I heard the MC called my name!!! Even Mummy was surprised because I put up only a simple talent performance!!!

The finals!!

2008-12-31T17:42:00.000+08:00

Well...guess it right?

I got into the finals!!! Could you imagine that!!!

Doing the cat walk on the stage with a pose

Being interviewed and to put up a talent show....(Singing)

Mummy was surprised that I was not shy and I behaved well. I was the youngest participant amongst those chosen for the finals (boys segment).

Well...semi finals today....

2008-12-28T17:39:00.000+08:00

I got in!! I got into the semi - finals..

Take a look at the poses that I did...to win the judges' hearts.

Remember the contest I was talking about?

2008-12-27T17:31:00.000+08:00

The Race Prince and Race Princess contest?

Well I am all ready to go compete.

Today is the first round....

Its XMAS!!!

2008-12-25T17:08:00.000+08:00

Da Yi, Er Yi and family all came over our house for Xmas!!

The day which I have been waiting for has finally arrived!!

I can open my XMAS gifts!!!!

A great big mess was created but lots of joy shared when we open our gifts!!

I got slightly better today...

2008-12-23T16:30:00.001+08:00

After being so sick for 2 days...I got slightly better today. In order to make me happy..Mummy allowed me to open 1(one) Xmas gift under the Xmas tree.

And I of course chose the one Daddy bought for me....cuz I am waiting to play with my Fire Engine. I have been watching too much "Findley the Fire Engine" on MobTV and I am so addicted to it right now.

I feel sick.....food poisoning...

2008-12-23T14:21:00.001+08:00

Had vomitting and high fever for 2 days that made my day down...

Wasn't keen in anything except to sleep, vomit and not into eating either.

Mirabel's birthday celebration

2008-12-21T14:07:00.002+08:00

Yes its Mirabel's birthday and we went to her house for celebration!!!

Happy Birthday Mirabel!!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/clhw2810/MirabelS3YearsOldBRthdayCelebration?authkey=lX8FFluomCY#

Check out the pictures in this webbie...as Mummy don't know how to upload it up!!!

Ha!! ha!!

Yes its Dong Zhi today

2008-12-20T13:54:00.001+08:00

Ah Ma cooked "tang yuan" today as its Dong Zhi and we even popped over to Nenek's house to continue another round of "tang yuan" I am not into it. Its too jelly for me....eww....

Had some quality time with Daddy and Mummy and I was fooling around with Daddy and even took pictures of our room.

Its 冬至 soon!!

2008-12-19T11:36:00.000+08:00

These are traditional types "Tang Yuan"

Nowadays, people buy instant "Tang Yuan" from supermarket but I still prefer my homemade "Tang Yuan"

The Dōngzhì Festival or Winter Solstice Festival (Chinese: 冬至; Pinyin: dōng zhì; "The Extreme of Winter") is one of the most important festivals celebrated by the Chinese and other East Asians during the Dongzhi solar term on or around December 22 when sunshine is weakest and daylight shortest; i.e., on the first day of the Dongzhi solar term
The origins of this festival can be traced back to the Yin and Yang philosophy of balance and harmony in the cosmos. After this celebration, there will be days with longer daylight hours and therefore an increase in positive energy flowing in. The philosophical significance of this is symbolized by the I Ching hexagram fù (復, "Returning").
Traditionally, the Dongzhi Festival is also a time for the family to get together. One activity that occurs during these get togethers (especially in the southern parts of China and in Chinese communities overseas) is the making and eating of Tangyuan (湯圓, Cantonese jyutping: tong1 jyun2; Mandarin Pinyin: Tāng Yuán) or balls of glutinuous rice, which symbolize reunion. Tangyuan are made of glutinuous rice flour and sometimes brightly coloured. Each family member receives at least one large Tang Yuan in addition to several small ones. The flour balls may be plain or stuffed. They are cooked in a sweet soup or savoury broth with both the ball and the soup/broth served in one bowl.
In northern China, people typically eat dumplings on Dongzhi. It is said to have originated from Zhang Zhongjing in the Han Dynasty. On one cold winter day, he saw the poor suffering from chilblains on their ears. Feeling sympathetic, he ordered his apprentices to make dumplings with lamb and other ingredients, and distribute them among the poor to keep them warm, to keep their ears from getting chilblains. Since the dumplings were shaped like ears, Zhang named the dish "qu hán jiāo ěr tāng" or dumpling soup that expels the cold. From that time on, it has been a tradition to eat dumplings on the day of Dongzhi.

Baby Xin Yan at my place...

2008-12-14T10:54:00.002+08:00

My baby cousin is going to be at my place for the weekend..not forgetting Yi Tian Meimei too.

Here's some updated pictures of Baby Xin Yan.

Mummy was commenting that she does look a bit like me when I was a baby. Do we?

This is me...pouting my mouth when Mummy disturbed me from my sleep!!

Mummy's office

2008-12-13T10:41:00.001+08:00

Yeah!! Mummy brought me to her office today. Why? Because Fayth's Mummy, Auntie Sharon will be bringing Fayth there and I can go and play with her.

We messed up the office a real bit!! Crackers on the carpet, balloons everywhere, running in the showroom and we even get to see fishes in Uncle Irwan's office.

Uncle Irwan bought a new fish tank for his parrot fish and we were there to see him fix it up.

Even popped over to the security guardhouse to take a look at a big big Arwana fish!! Its huge!! and with a certificate too.

Here's some pictures that Mummy took.

Playing with blocks
A poodle balloon that Mummy did for me

Uncle Irwan

Uncle Amin

Its been finalised....I am going...

2008-12-12T10:29:00.000+08:00

Daddy and Mummy had decided to let me participate in the Race Prince and Princess Contest.

These are the requirements....

Dress Code For The Competiton
The dress code for each segment of the competition will be listed as below.

1st Segment

(Quarter Finals, Semi Finals, Finals)
Race Prince – You can dress your boy up in racer's outfit or jeans with Polo Tee. Please let
boy wear formal shoes or sport shoes. No slippers is allowed.

Race Princess – You can dress your girl in a dress or a Polo Tee with mini skirt. Boots is
compulsory for girls.

2nd Segment

(Quarter Finals & Semi Finals)
Race Prince & Race Princess – They can wear the same outfit as in the first segment, but if your child is wearing a casual outfit in Segment 1, then maybe you can dress him/her in a outfit that is more sporty for the photograghy session. Eg: Racer's outfit or jeans / mini skirts with Polo Tee.

(Finals)
Race Prince – Your child must be in jeans and Polo Tee will be provided by our company.
Please wear shoes for your child, no slippers.

Race Princess – Race Princess outfit will be provided.
For Race Princess, they must wear BOOTS only to go with the outfit.

Segment 3

(Quarter Finals, Semi Finals, Finals)

As it is a talent performance, you can dress your child up suitable to the performance. If you have any props or music CD for singing or dancing, please let us know in advance so that we can get it ready before the performance.

Well, whether I make it or not, its just gonna be a fun time for me.

I have been choosen to participate in...

2008-12-10T11:37:00.003+08:00

RACE PRINCE & RACE PRINCESS SEARCH 2008

I would need to model on stage, pose for the photographers as well as to put up a performance for the audience...OOPs...I wonder if I can do it????!!!!

I would need to dress up in racing outfits if possible otherwise a Polo Tee with jeans will do fine too.

Mummy in fact is still deciding whether to let me try this out though.....

Maybe I will wear something like that? Where can I find racing outfits for kiddoes??!!

Selamat Hari Raya Haji!!

2008-12-08T10:14:00.000+08:00

Eid al-Adha (Arabic: عيد الأضحى ‘Īd ul-’Aḍḥā) or the Festival of Sacrifice is a religious festival celebrated by Muslims (including Druze) worldwide in commemoration of the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to God. The devil tempted Ibrahim by saying he should disobey God and spare his son. As Ibrahim was about to sacrifice his son, God intervened and instead provided a lamb as the sacrifice. This is why today all over the world Muslims who have the means to, sacrifice an animal (usually a goat or a sheep), as a reminder of Ibrahim's obedience to God. The meat is then shared out with family, friends (Muslims or non-Muslims), as well as the poor members of the community.

Eid al-Adha is the latter of two Eid festivals celebrated by Muslims, whose basis comes from the Quran.[1] (Muslims in Iran celebrate a third, non-denominational Eid.) Like Eid el-Fitr, Eid al-Adha begins with a short prayer followed by a sermon (khuṭba).

Eid al-Adha annually falls on the 10th day of the month of Dhul Hijja (ذو الحجة) of the lunar Islamic calendar. The festivities last for three days or more depending on the country. Eid al-Adha occurs the day after the pilgrims conducting Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia by Muslims worldwide, descend from Mount Arafat. It happens to be approximately 70 days after the end of the month of Ramadan.

Eid-al-Adha has other popular names across the Muslim world. The name is often simply translated into the local language, such as English Festival of Sacrifice, German Opferfest, and Dutch Offerfeest.

The Arabic term for "Festival of Sacrifice", ‘Īd ul-’Aḍḥā (عيد الأضحى), was borrowed as a unit into Indic languages such as Hindi, Urdu, and Bengali (ঈদ-উল-আজহা Id-ul-Azha), and Austronesian languages such as Malay (Aidil Adha) and Indonesian (Idul Adha). In both Farsi and Dari Persian, "Festival of Sacrifice" is translated as Eyde Ghorbân (عید قربان), a name which was later borrowed into Kazakh (Qurban Ait), Uyghur (Qurban Heyit), and Bengali (কোরবানী ঈদ Korbani Id). The Persian word for "sacrifice" (قربان ghorbân or qurbân) was later borrowed into several languages, including Kurdish (Jejhni Qurban), Pashto (Kurbaneyy Akhtar), Chinese (古尔邦节 Gúěrbāng Jié), Malay and Indonesian (Hari Raya Korban, Qurbani), and Turkish (Kurban Bayramı). The Turkish term was then later borrowed into languages such as Azeri (Qurban Bayramı), Tatar (Qorban Bäyräme), Albanian, and several Slavic languages (Kurban Bajram/Курбан бајрам/Курбан байрам).

Another Arabic name, ‘Īd ul-Kabīr, meaning "Greater Eid/Festival", is used in Morocco, Algeria, Syria, Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen and Libya. Translations of "Big Eid" or "Greater Eid" is used in Pashto لوی اختر Loy Akhtar, Kashmiri Baed Eid, Hindi and Urdu Baṛā Īd, Malayalam Waliya Perunnal, and Tamil Peru Nāl.

Another name refers to the fact that the holiday occurs after the culmination of the Hajj (حج), or pilgrimage to Makkah. Such names are used in Malay and Indonesian (Hari Raya Haji "Hajj celebration day", Lebaran Haji), and in Tamil Hajji Peru Nāl.

In Hindi- and Urdu-speaking areas, the festival is also called بقرعید Baqra Īd or Baqrī Īd, meaning "Goat Eid", as goats are the traditional sacrifice in those regions. That term was also borrowed into other languages, such as Tamil Bakr Eid Peru Nāl.

Other local names include 宰牲节 Zǎishēng Jié ("Slaughter-livestock Day") in Chinese, Tfaska Tamoqqart in the Berber language of Jerba, Tabaski or Tobaski in West African languages , Babbar Sallah in Nigerian languages, and Ciidwayneey in Somali.

History
Four thousand years ago the valley of Mecca was a dry and uninhabited place. Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) was instructed to bring his wife's servant, Hagar (Hajira) and their child Ismael to Arabia from Palestine by Allah's command, as his first wife Sarah started to get jealous after Hagar got her baby.

With some supplies of food and water he left them without wanting, his wife Hagar asked him: "Who ordered you to leave us here", Ibrahim replied :"Allah", she said: "than Allah will not forget us, you can go". However the supplies quickly ran out and within a few days Hagar and Ismael were suffering from hunger and dehydration.

In her desperation Hagar ran up and down two hills called Safa and Marwa trying to see if she could spot any help in the distance. Finally she collapsed beside her baby Ismael and prayed to Allah for deliverance.

Ismael struck his foot on the ground and this caused a spring of water to gush forth from the earth. Hagar and Ismael were saved. Now they had a secure water supply they were able to trade water with passing nomads for food and supplies.

After a while the Prophet Ibrahim returned from Palestine to check on his family and he was amazed to see them running a profitable well.

The Prophet Ibrahim was told by Allah to build a shrine dedicated to him. Ibrahim and Ismael constructed a small stone structure – the Kaaba - which was to be the gathering place for all who wished to strengthen their faith in Allah.

As the years passed Ismael was blessed with Prophethood and he gave the nomads of the desert the message of surrender to Allah.

After many centuries, Mecca became a thriving city thanks to its reliable water source, the well of Zam Zam.

In the year 628 the Prophet Muhammad set out on a journey with 1400 of his followers. This was the first pilgrimage in Islam, and would re-establish the religious traditions of the Prophet Ibrahim.

Tradition and Practices

Men, women, and children are expected to dress in their finest clothing to perform Eid prayer (Salatu'l-`id) in any mosque. Muslims who can afford to do so sacrifice their best domestic animals (usually sheep, but also camels, cows, and goats) as a symbol of Ibrahim's (Abraham's) sacrifice. The sacrificed animals, called "udhiya" Arabic: أضحية" also known as "qurbani", have to meet certain age and quality standards or else the animal is considered an unacceptable sacrifice. Generally, these must be at least a year old. At the time of sacrifice, Allah's name is recited along with the offering statement and a supplication as Muhammad said. According to the Quran[citation needed], the meat is divided into three shares, one share for the poor, one share for the relatives and neighbors, and the last to keep to oneself. A large portion of the meat must be given towards the poor and hungry people so they can all join in the feast which is held on Eid-al-Adha. The remainder is cooked for the family celebration meal in which relatives and friends are invited to share. The regular charitable practices of the Muslim community are demonstrated during Eid al-Adha by the concerted effort to see that no impoverished person is left without sacrificial food during these days. Eid al-Adha is a concrete affirmation of what the Muslim community ethic means in practice. People in these days are expected to visit their relatives, starting with their parents, then their families and friends. (Arabic audio with English meaning).

In the name of God بسم الله
And God is the greatest والله أكبر
O God, indeed this is from you and for you اللهم إن هذا منك ولك
O God accept from me اللهم تقبل مني

Distributing meat among people is considered an essential part of the festival during this period, as well as chanting Takbir out loud before the Eid prayer on the first day and after prayers through out the four days of Eid. (See Takbir in "Traditions and practices" of Eid el-Fitr.) In some countries families that do not own livestock can make a contribution to a charity that will provide meat to those who are in need.

Swimming at Auntie Annie's place

2008-12-06T09:02:00.000+08:00

Mummy was woken up by me early in the morning at 7am. Whereas Daddy has gotta go to work. As Mummy was lazing in bed, she was thinking where should we spend the day?

Its been quite some time since I went swimming so she gave Auntie Annie a buzz on her mobile to ask if she is at home and if we could go over her place for a swim...(its much quieter there).

She buzzed back Mummy and said that Da Yi also did called her a few days back to ask if she would be at home today and will be bringing my 2 jie jies to swimming too!!!

What a coincidence!! Great!! My weekend swimming and play with my 2 jie jies!!!!

Arrangments were made quickly on the phone and off we go over to Auntie Annie's place. Daddy couldn't make it as he has to be at the office but to our surprise he did pop by later though!!

As we were near to Lot 1, Mummy suggested going there to Lot 1 as Barney's going to be there!!! There will be a short performance at 1pm and we wanted to be on time to catch the performance. Reached there half past twelve and its already so crowded. We managed to grab a seat near Level 2 escalator and had a bird's eye view of the stage whereas the adults went to food court for lunchie....

Er yi's house to play

2008-12-01T08:49:00.000+08:00

Well its still the holidays and Er Yi is still having her maternity leave thus Ah Ma brought me over to Er Yi's house to play with Yi Tian.

It happened to be Yi Tian's grandmother's birthday. Er Yi bought her a cake and we celebrated her birthday for her. She was so happy as its the first time after so long she celebrated her birthday. Played peek a boo with Yi Tian too after the cake cutting.

Let the pictures do the talking....

Happy Birthday song!

2008-11-30T10:34:00.000+08:00

Happy Advance Birthday to Auntie Debie

2008-11-30T10:31:00.000+08:00

Auntie Debie's birthday is this Thursday. Mummy had earlier wanted to celebrate for her at East Coast Park but due to the weather these few days we decided to make it a simple event at Da Yi's place.

Happy 1st Month Xin Yan

2008-11-29T10:29:00.000+08:00

Its my baby cousin, Xin Yan 1st month celebration today.

We went over to Er Yi's house to play with her.

(Pictures are still with Er Yi and Da Yi - will upload once Mummy gets it!)

My Trains..

2008-11-28T22:26:00.000+08:00

Here are my Thomas train all in a row....count how many do I have?

And I have been requesting for more!!!

Mummy's gonna have a big headache on what to get for me for Christmas!!!

Cute videos

2008-11-28T16:01:00.000+08:00

Yi Tian Mei Mei staying over till Saturday!

2008-11-28T15:43:00.004+08:00

Went over to Er Yi's place today and Er Yi sneaked out of confinement and popped over to IMM with us for shopping!!

Yi Tian mei mei was so happy to see me and Ah Ma decided to bring her over to our house for her to stay over and play with me till Saturday!! Yeah!! I got a play mate!!!

We certainly had great fun together and we slept in the same room too, watching our favourite DVDs in Ah Ma's room.

Ah Ma has came back from China

2008-11-25T15:39:00.001+08:00

Went to the airport on bus 858 from Chong Pang City with Mummy and Auntie Debie. Ah Ma is coming back today! Wonder what goodies she had got for us!!

Daddy met us at the airport to fetch Ah Ma home and oh boy...she had 3 luggages!! *Faint*

She bought back many things. Such as their glutinous corn (yummy), some hot chili padi (really hot), peanuts, crackers from the distant relatives, pajamas for Jiejies and me, a toy car with beautiful lights on the wheels, bracelet and watch for Auntie Debie, a pair of slippers for me, slippers for Auntie Debie and Kakak Martha and many many more. Countless!!

Going over to Er yi's house tomorrow to pass her a nice dress for Baby Xin Yan to wear on her full month celebration this coming Saturday!

Stayed tuned for pictures!!

Well, how's your weekend?

2008-11-24T09:10:00.002+08:00

Mine was okay, was lazing at home on Saturday and had wanted to swimming but the weather wasn't that good. Ended up meeting "you guess who"???

We went to Leng Kee car belt to have a look at cars. COE apparently had a great dip!
Many people have been rushing to Car showrooms to look at cars.

And we went to Old Airport Road Hawker Centre for dinner thereafter. Had fishball noodles, wanton noodles, chicken wings and many many more!

Hopped over to Kallang KFC so that we could get to chat and play together at the playground. We didn't leave until almost 10.30pm and we were all so tired after that. Had a great sleep though with lots of fun dreams!!

Sunday was of course lazing at home too so that Mummy could whip up some dishes. She cooked Lemak Chili Padi for Daddy, chicken wings for me and Auntie cooked up a soup. All was well and fun with me spending quality time with Daddy and Mummy.

I am patiently waiting for Ah MA to come home......tomorrow!!!! I heard I have gifts waiting for me!!!!

My new school Orientation

2008-11-20T16:13:00.003+08:00

Gotta go over to my new school for orientation today and also to buy uniforms.

The principal spoke to all of us and introduced 12 teachers and 2 helpers.

It seems cosy but it was so noisy with everyone chatting and we could hardly hear what the principal Ms. Ray was talking.

Hope that I will enjoy my school here next year!

My school badge

My name tag

My uniform and PE set

My school

What a coincidence!

2008-11-16T09:15:00.001+08:00

We were lazing at home on a Sunday morning and Daddy suggested we go have our lunch at Grand Uncle's shop in Toa Payoh. Grand Uncle sells chicken Rice at Lorong 8 Toa Payoh.

Upon reaching, Mummy buzzed Auntie Wendy on her mobile and told her that we are spot checking on her (What a joke) and Uncle Mike quickly called Daddy on his mobile and asked about it.

Told them it was a joke as we are going to Grand Uncle's shop and asked if they would like to join since they are staying just a street away! When we reached Grand Uncle's shop, we saw a familiar car behind us! Guess who?? Its Uncle Mike, Auntie Wendy, Auntie Josie and Mirabel!

They were going to Mirabel's grandparents' home and popping over to Suntec after that for a short walk. Daddy then mentioned that we can go over there to meet them too! So after our lunch we head to Suntec City.

Buzzed Auntie Rebecca on the phone to see if she had woken up, as Mummy had suggested swimming initially in the morning but except for Auntie Jessie, the rest could not make it. Auntie Rebecca did not reply (cuz she is still in bed)!! Auntie Jennifer was going to United Square with Ah Zheng, thus we asked if Auntie Rebecca would like to join all of us and that was a YES from her! I get to see my AMBER!!!!!
How I miss Amber!

We were walking about waiting for Amber to come and I kept asking when will they arrive?? We sat at Coffee Bean to wait for them and when they arrived, I was too cranky and I fell asleep. When I woke up, Amber fell asleep instead AWWWW!!!

Walked about in Carrefour after that and Auntie Wendy brought groceries, Mummy bought breakfast for the week. As evening was approaching, we decided to have dinner together before heading home.

Had steamboat at Chong Qing Steamboat located at Shaw House. It was splendid, we were given a private room all to ourselves! Enjoy the pictures!

As promised by Daddy

2008-11-15T09:02:00.000+08:00

Daddy brought all of us to East Coast Park as he had earlier promised me that he would bring me there to ride the motor scooter/car.

It was a sunny day, we had our lunch at KFC just beside the beach and went over to play my motorcar after that. Had a 15 minutes ride and we decided to head home to rest and cook dinner.

No pictures taken as Mummy was too lazy to take out her camera!! ha! Ha!

A short Saturday getaway from home but I had enjoyed myself.

Thank you Daddy!

I graduated from Tots House!

2008-11-13T08:54:00.003+08:00

Mummy took leave today as we had a year end party at school. Teacher Jenny called Mummy on her mobile a few weeks before to allow her more time to arrange for leave so that she can attend this event. Each student's parents were to bring an item to school be it food or whatsoever. Teacher Jenny said many parents are already bringing food so Mummy got me and my friends gifts instead. Not forgeting Teacher Jenny and Teacher Jo too!

Here are some videos Mummy took, but I wasn't interested in the performance though. Mummy was quite disappointed with me, but its ok, I guess I am just not into dancing or singing!!

Ah Ma is off to China (Hainan Island)

2008-11-13T08:07:00.000+08:00

Early in the morning at 4am, Daddy fetched Ah Ma and proceeded to Toa Payoh to fetch Great Grand Ma, Grand Auntie and my little Uncle and Auntie to the airport.

They are going to China (Hainan Island). Initially Mummy had planned to bring me along but because Auntie Debie is with us already, Mummy forgoed the trip and made me stay at home instead.

Mummy have also taken half day leave from today all the way till 25th November until Ah Ma be back then. Cool! I get to see Mummy often again!