Hi! Glad you could stop by in our little wee corner in cyber space. Daddy decided that our little homepage needed a bit of an overhaul and so this version was born. Mummy didn’t quite like how troublesome it was to update the last homepage so daddy had little choice but to make this homepage have a blog look and feel to it.  Please have a look around as you will find heaps of photos of me and my little brother, Jayden through the various stages of my growth and development. No doubt they will all be embarrasing photos that may potentially haunt me and my brother when we grow up but i guess i will have to allow my parents to get away with it until i grow bigger than them. Please browse around and leave us a note that you were here. If you have cute daughters, please also leave their numbers and / or email address. Thanks!

We have actually started to notice that his little rice grains teeth have shifted positions before our visit to the dentist and noted that a few little ones were shaky. Dentist affirmed that it is the normal procedures of permanent teeth coming through and instructed that if these shaky little rice grains are still persistent and stubborn till the end of the following month we are to make another trip to the dentist for some human intervention J

This morning my little man got out of bed his usual time, into his routine of getting ready and changing into his uniform for school; Together with his little side kick brother they were both standing on their respective stools in the bathroom sink brushing their teeth together. First gulp of water to rinse his mouth a little ‘tick’ was heard as he spat out….

Jared: Oh? What was that?
Jayden: Oh…what was that? (mimicking his older bro as always)
Mummy: Oh O…is that your shaky tooth?

Jared: Nah….its just water….right?
Mummy: Are you sure? Water doesn’t make that little thud sound. Open your mouth and let me see?

Jared: *Opening wide and there we see a little hole with tiny pool of blood oozing out

I have to say I had a sudden sense of relief to see that he is experience the magical moments of getting his permanent teeth naturally. How cute.

The whole chaotic and utter rush from everyone was simply a joy to be part of. It is a time to be families are reunited together (noise), firecrackers and fireworks going off throughout the nights (loud), the sound of my neighbour’s mah-jong sessions into the wee hours of the morning and all the delicacies and chaos that family and friends can ever create when come together all at once.  As a little girl, the feelings of excitement of putting on new clothes, receiving red packets filled with cash, seeing cousins, aunts and uncles that we rarely seen and not to mention all the CNY goodies we can to feast on. For my family, mum and dad will prepare a big spread of food (we will usually have delicious muslim food) for Malay friends who come visiting us at home. I am getting all nostalgic just thinking back all these memories.

I am hoping to have these memories instilled into my 2 boys as well. To let them experience the chaos of CNY with joy. We brought the kids and MiL to the ASB Showground to soak up on the ‘Tong tong tong chiang’ CNY atmosphere as there was an event where Chinese food stall, New Year decorations and merchandises were elaborately laid out. Some of the stalls had some authentic Chinese delicacies and goodies. Both boys get to see the live Lion Dance performing on stage and some adorable little Chinese girls in costumes performing beautiful dances.

The boys had a great afternoon with all the fun under the sun, bouncy castles, slides and games were there to entertain the kids and young adults. There was also a guy disguised in Fortune God walking about giving red packets to little children. To see so many people come together to celebrate this auspicious day was quite an eye opener for me in Auckland. It is nothing compared to the big celebration back home in Asia but I can really see that more are celebrating this event as I saw big red lanterns being placed to decorate the main city streets of Auckland. Come the 15^th day we will yet again have the elaborate annual Lantern Festival at Albert Park. As for my house, I made a small effort to have a bottle of orange soft drink (a typical item for CNY), some goodies that I found in a local asian grocery store to indulge myself in the spirit of CNY in NZ. Also bought Jared one of his favourite dried pork (Bak Kua) which is completely loves. We had lovely reunion dinners and CNY meals with my in laws and the kids had a great weekend.

What about V-day? We did see ad-hoc some stalls selling heart shaped balloons and florists and supermarkets laying out a wide range of roses all over the stores. I have to say for me personally possibly being Chinese this V day has been overshadowed by the big event of tong trong tong tong chiang. And being lucky in love…every day can be a V day for me

And so Mummy and Daddy packed up their two boys (5yr and 2yr) with the travel itinerary of 4 weeks of Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan. Knowing that everyone else would also be having their own schedule of work, house moving and travel plans, we planned our stay with little vacations in between to fill the gap and make full use of the holiday to the max. It was a trip filled with one too many short flights and 2 massive 10hours flight to and fro (Auckland –Singapore). Singapore to Taipei was half the time which took only 4.5hours and we had quite a few little legs of domestic flight within Malaysia when we went from Johor to Kuala Lumpur and further to Kuantan when we head towards Club Med at Cherating Beach.  A separate posting on our experience in Club Med with be put up soon. Mummy was very proud of her two boys who were excellent traveller and given her and Daddy no headaches at all during the flights.

First set of long flights from Auckland to Singapore lasted 10hours, Mummy was a little nervous after experiencing some horrible toddlers screaming and refusing to stay seated but her worries were in vain. She was proud of her 2 little man who were very good travellers the whole time. Another little surprise was upon arrival into Changi Airport, we had Grandpa coming to pick us up with Tai-Q’s people mover. After the custom clearance and baggage belt, we started looking out for Gong-gong and the moment Jayden saw him, he ran towards him flung open his arms for a big hug and followed on with a kiss and asking to be carried. Now putting things into perspective, my little boy hasn’t seen his Grandpa for about 1 year and he was not at all sociable to anyone except for Mummy then.  Both Mummy and Daddy were very surprised and glad that he showed such a warm and adorable gesture the very moment we touched down.

Going overseas with 2 young children is not a task every parent would attempt but with the luxury of family support these trips always make it achievable for us.   Spending time with the extended family is definitely Mummy’s highlight.She was also very keen to see baby Kieran the new arrival of the family. Being back in Asia around the festive season was also nice to see the commercialisation of the Christmas spirits in Shopping malls, airports and even along the streets.

We were fortunate to be invited to stay in the vacant condo owned by Q-Meh’s parents when we were in Malaysia. That allowed us to spend lots of quality time with Popo, Gong-gong, Ah Q, Q Meh and of course little cutie Kieran. Mummy and Daddy did most of their shopping in Malaysia too. Jayden got another Smurf T-shirt and that was such a relief to Mummy as she was forever frantically trying to wash the one and only Smurf shirt that Jayden insisted on wearing daily! Thank you Gong-Gong and Popo! We also get to see Siow Ku Po who made a trip out to JB to spend a day with us.

 The next item on the itinerary was rather exciting for all as it was to Club Med Cherating for us four and Gong-gong + Popo. Mummy made the bookings for all and we flew numerous little domestic flights from Johor Bahru to Kuala Lumpur and further on to Kuantan. It was our very first Club Med and waking up at 4am to catch the early flight made it all worthwhile! More on Cherating Beach in another post.

On days back in Singapore, we get to stay with Ah Pek and we saw how Lizzy has really grown tall and pretty. It was lovely having to play with her and not to mention the swimming sessions that both boys thoroughly enjoyed at the Singapore Swimming Club on every trip back to Singapore. We were also lucky to experience a ‘cooler’ Singapore weather. It was a much tolerable weather for Mummy and she hardly complained to Daddy this time. We did to visit the Science Centre once but the thundery rain denied us of the water play. We visited Ji Kor Po at her house and also saw Tua Kor Po who was there too. Both grand aunties were pleasantly surprised with how sociable Jayden has become and how tall Jared has grown.

Then came about the real reason for the holiday for us, yes, the trip to Taiwan for Uncle Bon’s wedding! Daddy was one of the best men as they were best buddies from high school back in Auckland. Taiwan was also new to us all so Mummy and Daddy were excited about it. We stayed in this Service Apartment called Agora Gardens and it was located almost right next to Taipei 101! We could see it from our balcony! With the apartment, Mummy could prepare Jayden’s meals and the 2 TVs were a great plus! She definitely gets her dose of Chinese Channels on the evenings when the boys were in bed early after an exciting outing during the day. Buffet breakfasts were really great too. Agora also had a nice heated indoor pool and very nice waterfall outdoor in the big yard behind. When daddy went to get busy with the wedding party, Mummy brought us into the kiddies pool and we were made to put on this cute little swimming cap that brought a huge smile on Mummy’s face every time we wore them.   We love Agora Gardens!

Daddy was alittle nervous about the need to converse in Mandarin in the entire trip, he was much relief when he was told he didn’t have to deliver his best man speech in Chinese! Phew! We stayed mainly around Taipei and we loved the city and the people of Taiwan. Mummy said the people are very pleasant and helpful. We visited the night markets, both Shih Lin and Raohe and loving both of them. It had all sort of trinkets sold there. The notorious odour we experienced were supposedly this delicacy name Smelly Tofu which we were gladly given a miss. Jared didn’t like the strong almond aroma that came about from specific stalls. We bought some souvenirs and tasted quite a few different snacks there plus we brought some back as gifts.

Taipei 101 being a mere 5 minutes walking distance was one never to miss. It was surrounded by a huge shopping mall and lots of creative Christmas decorations.  We visited the observatory during the day and Daddy was busy clicking the camera away. View from the high rise was compromised by the low clouds but the experience up so high was breathtaking. Mummy also get her photo taken outside the big LOVE sign which she saw from magazines once and really like it.

The wedding was spectacular with yummilicious banquets. Uncle Bon was dashing and Aunty Amy was like a princess come to life from a fairy tale book. What a great couple. Oh and did we mention that the wedding was held in Taipei 101?! Perfect 10!

One fact we learnt was that Taiwanese people and lifestyle were heavily influenced by the Japanese trends and fad. Japanese is a common language that the younger generation of Taiwanese can speak. We stumbled on a massive outdoor Nippon fair and were surprised that the stage performance and MC were in 100% Japanese and with a big crowd of locals!  Taxis were plentiful and very affordable too. We wanted to try the busses and MRT but were advised that cabs are the best way to go with us travelling in pax of 4 and a baby stroller. Seat belts at the rear were not compulsory in Taiwan so the boys had a few adventurous rides there. Not to mention the ’wrong side’ drive. Taipei Zoo was a great experience too, we got to see Panda for the first time!

We brought Jared and Jayden to their first bar the night before the wedding and it was surprisingly pleasant. The trip to the venue was rather hilarious as the cabby had some difficulty deciphering the non-chinese address and name we had on the bar. Mummy had a great laugh. We found the place without much trouble and not long upon arrival we got a kind reminder from the bar manager on how the bar will get rather child-unfriendly after midnight. We got the hint but we never intended to stay beyond 11pm.  Uncle Bon booked a nice portion of the bar which is smoke free and rather civilised. The kids enjoyed themselves and so did the adults.

We get to catch up with Uncle Eric and also Aunty Marji and hubby (Uncle Billy) while we were in Taipei. Uncle Eric took us around Mount Yangmin and also National Palace Museum while Aunt Marjorie and Uncle Billy bought us all a yummy Taiwanese dinner! It was really nice catching up with them all. We love Taiwan!

Being back from Taiwan, we made another trip into Malaysia for a few more days of quality time with Popo and Gong-gong. The boys love spending time with Ah Q, Q Meh and Baby Kieran. We got to eat lots of yummy food, bak kuah, and also get early Chrissy presents from everyone!  It was a wonderful and fruitful summer holiday for us all in 2009!

As luck would have it, i walked pass one of the stores i frequent relatively often when im back, which sells all things to do with swimming. Singaporeans it seems, appears to be one of the few populations left in this world that dont shy away from wearing Speedos hence there are plenty of shops selling this stuff. Kiwis on the other hand, find them repulsive. Probably cause most cant fit into them…..or so i thought…

I walked into the store and there stood a sales rep which greeted me like all sales reps do as you walk into a shop. Being the guy shopper that i was, i went straight to the isle with what i wanted, picked the colours that i wanted and proceeded to request for the size that was the exact same size of the current pairs of jeans that i own, which was a size 34. She took one look at me, didnt so much as smile and replied with that direct ‘please-dont-f***-with-me’ look and replied “Oh you look like you need a 36!” Dumb founded by her response i replied and said “Ermm no a 34 as that’s what im currently wearing”. Her facial expression then changed, looking perhaps a bit surprised and then attempted an intellectual response saying ” Oh….that’s because swimming trunks are built to be worn at the hips.”

My thoughts: ” And Jeans are not?????!!! Last i checked, i knew very people with butts higher than their hips that could support jeans in other ways apart from the hips. ”

Demoralised but still determine to make a purchase at this point, i took a size 34 and a 36 to the fitting room in hope to prove her wrong. Alas, that was not to be. The 34 showed me where that ‘muffin’ had been hiding all this time whereas the 36 concealed it nicely like a dark coloured Glad Wrap.

I then humbly took the size 36 to the cashiers, made my purchase, thanked the sales tyrant and cried on Jo’s shoulder for the rest of the day.

He can surely keep up with his big brother during playtime and absolutely loves playing with him but the bit on sharing toys needed a bit more work still I think. He would follow his big brother around the house and would constantly ask for him “Where is Kor kor Jared? Where..?” Cute.

The two boys played well most of the time but it is a real delight to see the brotherly bond building up when they have their play, fights or even pushing sessions. More often than not they ended up either giggling or laughing real loud or one would start whinging in protest of the other.

His motor skills is really well coordinated where he can pick up tiny little objects and lay them in straight lines ever since he was really young. He would pick up strand of hair he sees on the carpet and bringing it to my face saying… “Dirty!” with a frown too. He also loves books and would sit by himself going through them.

His development in speech has also excelled over the past few months in a scary way. I know I should never compare any 2 kids on their development stages, but being a mum of 2 boys I simply can’t help myself. His big brother could speak in sentences at a much younger age and was very good at his speech progression at a much younger age. Jayden started slower with his speech but today his vocabulary has improved vastly.

He started off loving numeric numbers. He now knows how to count from 1-30 and he knows how to count backwards from 10-1?! He recognizes these numbers at random and would call them out aloud whenever he sees them. So you can imagine a car ride of him shouting out the car number plates, speed limit signs, motorway numbers, building numbers and parking signs! He also knows his colours and the noise of most animals make when asked or when he sees them on books or TV.

Then he progresses to alphabets! At 2yr and 2mo, he knows all the alphabets in both upper and lower case. He masters the alphabets much faster and at times knows it better than his big brother who has recently started school!

His teachers at the crèche are all very proud of him and constantly teasing old mummy to consider starting him school now instead.  They were constantly singing praises of how he is so tender, sweet and smart. He would try to pacify a younger child who is crying and would go to the level of another toddler to play what suited their development stages. Always giving in and happy to share. This is Jayden they are talking about?! I always find it hard to believe what I hear but secretly glad and proud he is such a good little boy. Also wishing he could be like that more often when he is at home! (Haha)

Not to mentioned him being the little performer. He gets up on his feet when he hears his favourite nursery rhymes or songs come on the Playhouse Disney channel (which is my instant nanny).  Teachers at crèche would show me photos and write up on his profile of how much of a showmanship my little boy can be during mat time. He is always full of actions and sing-along. He has really blossomed into a sociable, smart, confident and caring little boy.

His cuteness makes me laugh and laugh. His face light up whenever he smiles. He laughs wholeheartedly with joy and delight. His round marble eyes decorated with the luscious eye lashes compliment with his little button nose and soft rosy lips makes him the most adorable toddler (bias). His big personality, strong mindedness combined with a great big heart makes him a delightful and charming little man.

I simply heart my little boy.

After about nearly 3months of waiting, we finally see these beautiful broccolis sprouting out of its humungous leaves! I got a tad impatient and was wondering big time if these luscious looking leaves can be consumed? I left them alone in the end.

On the other end, the rest of the crops are looking just fine. Lots of credit will have to go the darling hubby who has religious brave those cold evening winds and relentlessly watering these little seedlings after a day of hard work in the office. Seeing him so dedicated is a real treat! He will earn himself alot of lovin too

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Those green and yellow school uniforms were bought, washed and stacked nicely in his cupboard replacing the area where his daily clothing for crèche used to be placed. New shoes were bought and five pairs of brand new black shoes to go with it too. And not forgetting his new school bag. All these were a little too much for poor old mummy but yet the sense of achievement and uplifting feeling are very rewarding. I was swollen with pride that my baby is now beginning his journey of school!  Yes! I was completely overwhelmed. Strange but true…it was a indescribable mixture of motherhood pride, glorification and shock.

Jared is starting Year 0 because his birthday falls after a specific date in May which the Ministry of Education here in NZ dictates that he will officially start Year 1 next year. It doesn’t really worry me much but in fact relieves me quite bit knowing that this year will be like an induction year for him stepping into the new chapter of school. He will be attending school 5 days a week. School starts from 8:55am to 3pm. This is considered short for him since he attends full day crèche from 9-5pm since he was 6months old! To see him putting on his brand new uniform each morning and being dwarfed by his brand new school bag was a real delight.

He has to abide the new bell systems that he wasn’t used to at crèche. He now can’t eat whenever he chooses to; he goes to the boy’s toilet and not the unisex bathroom.  He gets to play without under supervision in the school ground. He was super proud that he gets his drink of water from the water cooler and that the water is always cold!

I just can’t believe it…..Jared is starting SCHOOL.

Here is a couple of photos with him taken in front of his two new pet fish (Bindy and Nemo – his birthday present from mummy who finally succumbs to his constant nagging of wanting a pet!)

Jared with his friends at daycare

Since Jared was turning 5 years old, it was finally time for him to move on and start in the big wide world of school. For his last day at the Symond Street daycare, the teachers decided to organize a simple farewell / birthday hunt for Jared.

Here are just some photos i took on his final day at daycare.

Even though Jared knew full well that it would be his last day attending daycare, it was quite surprising to see that he wasn’t the least bit emotional about it. In fact, he was excited about starting school. He must have gotten that character from his mommy because daddy absolutely hated school. For the record, calculus and all that hard stuff they taught me at school still hasn’t benefitted me one bit so what was the fuss all about???

Anyhow, most of Jared’s close friends like Finn, Sunny and Rowan had already started school so that may had been a factor as to why he was not going to miss the ones still at daycare. He still had a ball of a time however and if anything, his parents were probably a bit more emotional than he was. The mere thought that he is now growing up and will no longer be under the watchful eye of the daycare center’s teachers was probably the one thing that worry parents the most.

Without further ado…here’s sharing out some of the photos i took on the day.

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Jared's Birthday Party

5 years ago i panicked when Jo had her first contractions when Jared was ready to face the world…..5 years on…im still panicking as my little baby is growing, turning 5 and soon to be attending school! Soon he will bringing girls home…..actually that wouldn’t be so bad but still its too fast!

For weeks, Jo had been planning to throw Jared a bit of a birthday party as it was going to be a special one. It is the year where all his friends from daycare will go their seperate ways and start attending schools that they are zoned to. As we were based in the East of Auckland, Jared would be zoned to a school where none of his friends would be attending and therefore a brand new circle of friends.

Anyhow we figured for his 5th birthday party, we would do it somewhere which no one else had picked before, Butterfly Creek. Jo basically planned it all nicely, down to the food and entrance fee. What we didn’t foresee was that some of the kids would be absolutely traumatised by those butterflies! The butterfly enclosure is nicely closed off so you get the odd one landing on your shoulder or head. It turned out completely opposite to what we had expected….it was meant to be a place where it was like a garden of Eden with butterflies of all colours everywhere but instead it turned out to be nightmare up butterfly creek.

It turned out to be a great day however, despite the fact that Auckland’s only salt water crocodile exhibit was somewhat uneventful as the crocs refused both their meals and the constant taunting by the keepers. The kids weren’t too bothered by this however as they seemed to entertain themselves through other means, which involved constant running and screaming (the cheerful kind).

It was certainly a memorable day and i made sure i took alot of photos to ensure it wouldn’t be forgotten.

Happy Birthday My Darling Jared!

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