The First Day of Our Holiday

Daddy had started his holiday earlier as he still had leave which he needed to clear (of course, he still had to work a little during his "holiday"). And since we did not bring you our anywhere since your school holiday started I also cleared my work and decided to take Friday off.
The night before we booked movie tickets to Alvin and The Chipmunks which is your favourite (you have watched the second movie so many times!!). In fact the day before you called me at work and said "Mummy you have to buy me Happy Meal.. because they are giving Alvin and The Chipmunks toys".
So on Friday morning, we settled some errands, then headed to Gurney Plaza for lunch. Daddy wanted to try Michealangelo's but you insisted on Dragon-I. Aiyo.. ok fine.
Shopped a little then headed to catch the movie. It was funny and I think you enjoyed it. Of course there was also the popcorn part which you liked. We bought some groceries before heading home. But before that, one quick stop at Irrawady Fine Foods to pick up a couple of packets of Serrano Ham for the Christmas dinner in Uncle Sin Tien's house this Sunday.
Before we got home, you'd dozed off. Must have been a long day for you, as you already don't take naps. Anyhow, we let you nap for about an hour before waking you up to get dinner. Ah Ma did not cook as Kakak had gone to clean the condo. We were having guests staying at the condo. Dinner was McDonald's and obviously you got your Alvin toy. So the whole of Friday was "Evan's" day.

Visa Rejected

Poor daddy. He is on leave today and thought that he could go for a game of golf while you go for art class, but his "visa" was rejected by the Deputy Home Minister (you..!!)
In the end he could only squeeze in a quick game of 9 holes with Ah Kong and he had to wait for you to leave before they could leave the house. And when he got back he quickly took a shower before you got back from art class.

Mega Sports Camp Day 4

Oops.. just realised I had one more post to go on the final day of the camp. As usual we dropped you off after registering and you went up to join the other children before the games began. One of the games was playing with balloon filled with water.

And when I got back on Friday, I was surprised to find that you brought back something else:

A medal for "Best Child". It was given to one child per team. We're so proud of you.

On the next day you told me in a very sad voice "Mummy why was Mega Sports Camp only for 4 days?". Yup, that confirms that you had a great time. And I heard that this is the last round of Mega Sport Camp and they would be organizing other types of camp next year. Either way, I'm glad that you made it to the camp this year and if it's a different type of camp, I'm sure you'll have just as much fun.

Little Fella

Picture source

Got back from work one day to find you watching Phineas and Ferb, one of your favourite cartoons. And for a moment I could not remember this cute little girl's name. So I asked you and you told me her name was "Little Fella". I double confirmed if she had another name and you insisted that she didn't and that Phineas only calls her "Little Fella".

After thinking for a while I saw the credits and saw her name.. "Isabella". You must either need to get your ears cleaned or you need to turn up the volume of the tv.

Change Name

You just came up and said this to me:
Evan: mummy, so shall we change our names tonight??
Mummy: Huh?? What do you mean?r
Evan: Change my name-lo...
Mummy: So what would you like to change your name to?
Evan: Super Racer Runner
Mummy: why would you want this name?
Evan: because I can run really fast. (This was followed by a demonstration on how fast you could run)
Mummy: But your name has already been picked when you were born and it's now in your birth certificate. I don't think you can change your name.
Evan: Ok then. But you can still call me Super Racer Runner
Mummy: Super for short?
Evan: No, Racer Runner for short.

Interesting... I wonder when you'll decide to change your name again... And what was to be my name? "Super Cockroach Catcher". Just because I caught one while we were deciding on a name for me :(

Mega Sports Camp Day3

On day three.. you told me there was a game where you were to throw rings into a specific place. You tried a few times before you finally got it in.

And of course, the important thing was "Vico". You had started to develop a slight cough and runny nose, so I told you that you could have no more than 2 cups of Vico. But when I asked how many cups you had at the end of the day, you told me that you had only 1 cup because you had runny nose. I'm proud of you. You knew your limits!

Mega Sports Camp Day2

So what did you do on the second day? Well one information your volunteered happily was the abundance of Vico which you got to drink...

Ah.. another thing which you were very excited to tell me was that your team P5 beat P6 in the tug of war. You also got a little football gift along with another card about a famous sportsman. Interesting way of introducing sports to children and I'm glad I registered you for the Mega Sports Camp.

Other than that, you were confused about what you did on day 1 or day 2. Aiyo.. Nevermind.. as long as you had a good time.

Mega Sports Camp

Today is the second day of your school holidays but you headed back to school.. for the much anticipated Mega Sports Camp. I remember many months back when Mr Tan had given you the form, that very night you had asked me to fill up and sign the form. And at long last, the day has come.

Had a bit of difficulty getting you out of bed as you would not sleep earlier yesterday night. The you slowly ate breakfast while watching TV *ggrrr*. At last we managed to get you out of the house and off we went to school.. or almost. The registration was held in the lobby and after getting you a sticker, getting instructions for the pickup, we left you on the second floor with the volunteers of the camp. There were so many children: 300+ of them from aged 5 -12.

As daddy was rather worried about how the procedure was to pick up the children and since the "pick up card" was with us, we decided to have lunch in town and to pick you up. Surprise, surprise.. it was a very well organized pick up. No worries there. We got our sweaty (and stinky) little boy quickly and we were off.

So what did you do in camp today? You told me you played basket ball where you get to pass the ball and you also had a chance to throw the ball into the basket. There was also story telling, songs to sing and of course the children were given snacks: lots of Vico and "plain bread with nothing".

An interesting day, and I'm glad you had a good time. 3 more days to go.

Swimming

You had a wonderful time swimming over the weekend. So since the school holidays is approaching and there is no homework for you to do in the afternoon, Ah Kong brought you swimming at the Penang Sports Club yesterday. There you met the swim coach and when Ah Kong asked you, you were keen on having lessons. So Ah Kong spoke to the coach and the same night, the coach called and arranged for the first lesson to be held today.

When asked how it went, you said you enjoyed it. You said that you have "completed the first step". I had question marks in my head, wondering what the first step was. After asking a few more questions, I found out what it was : breathing in the water and putting your whole head in the water. Also you told me that the coach held you in the water as the water was "1.1 meter".

Wow! This is an improvement from when you had swimming lessons in your other kindy. After a few classes you simply refused to allow me to pack your swimming stuff to bring to school!! Great job, my little guy.

Drive Me Nuts..

Here's some instances when talking to you makes me want to faint!
During our "drawing session" today:
Mummy: I have no idea what to draw.
Evan: Use your brain-o..
Evan 1- Mummy 0

You being difficult, day dreaming instead of doing your Chinese tuition homework:
Mummy: EVAN BAN!! Why aren't you doing your homework? You stand in the naughty corner and think of why you weren't doing your homework!!
.. less than 2 minutes later..
Evan: Mummy I have thought of why I didn't do my homework.
Mummy: Ok tell me. (Thinking.. this little boy.. has no fear!!)
Evan: Because I don't like Chinese. So much homework!
Evan 2 - Mummy 0

Someone wet the bed this morning. Daddy's not around, but I'd already told him about it before he called you. During dinner time:
Mummy: Did you tell daddy who is the "Wee Wee Monster"?
Evan: Daddy already know. How come he knew?
Mummy: Daddy left one eye at home. So he saw you wee wee... Muahaha...
Evan 2 - Mummy 1 (Phew.. I'm catching up.. I think *grin*)

11.11.11

So what did we do on this special date? We woke up early that day and packed the car and headed to KL. First stop was The Gardens for dim sum with Kor Poh, Jack Chek chek, Jackie Ah Chim and little Eason. Then we headed to Cyberjaya to check into Cyberview Lodge again.

It was still early in the day so we quickly changed and headed to the swimming pool. It was lots of fun.

Went back to the room (we requested for the lake view room and surprise surprise, it was the exact room we got as the last trip. And almost everyone else stayed in the lake view rooms.) then it was time to shower and get ready for dinner.

It started with the cocktail party and lots of pictures was taken:

You said that it was rather warm but the lure of the muruku was stronger than the rain *grin*. Here you are parked next to the container of muruku eating lots of it.

Then you discovered the nice air cond inside and was permanently inside Bistro Cascata where the dinner was to be held, away from the mosquitoes. Here's some of the pictures taken by Uncle Jamie:

Being cheeky with Eu Jin Ah Pek:

Grudgingly posing with Ah Ma:

The hosts of the day, Yvonne Kor kor:

.. and Uncle Peter:

Here's daddy with Eason. Way past his bedtime, but he seems to be enjoying the dinner too!!

Dinner that night was delicious. The restaurant served fusion Italian food. By the time everything was over it was almost 11pm, but the party continued later in Ashley Kor-kor and Uncle Dennis' room. There was another cake there as we celebrated Uncle Jamie's birthday.

And so this was how we spent this special day with a special date: 11.11.11

The Wedding Dinner

After a rest from the afternoon events (actually daddy tried to nap and you just lie beside him.. refusing to nap!!) we got ready to go to the restaurant then off we went. It was just 5 minutes away from the house. Daddy did not take many pictures during the dinner as Yvonne Kor-kor had engaged a photographer for that night.

So here are some shots he took:

Here you are in your vest (specially bought for this occasion) and red bow tie which you picked and me in my Ao Dai which daddy bought for me.

And you with Yvonne Kor-kor. As usual.. after a few shots you got bored and refused to smile for the camera:

Here's one of you and daddy:
One with Ah Ma:

And of course of you doing another task set for you, to be the page boy, leading the way for Hailey and Jamie the flower girls:

And another shot:

And finally the bride and groom making their entrance:

Then the camera was kept and we paid attention to the delicious food served. Yummy.

Congratulations to Yvonne Kor-kor and to Uncle Peter (now officially called Kor-Teo)

The Wedding Ceremony

It was to be a busy day, but since the ceremony was not going to start to soon, we woke up, had a a leisurely breakfast, showered and changed then waited for the groom to arrive. Here's your Yvonne Kor-kor also waiting for her groom to arrive:

Then at last the bridal car, driven by Uncle Jamie with Sue Kor-kor inside arrived with Uncle Peter:

Here's the smiling groom:

And who else but my little man who got the honors of opening the car door for Uncle Peter:

Of course, you got an ang pow for doing a good job:All smiles:

After waiting and after Chim Poh and Chek Kong had prayed, it was time for Uncle Peter to get his bride. First he had to "bribe" the door keeper, Natalie Kor-kor:

At last.. the bride and groom:

Then it was time for the tea ceremony. We started off with 3 seats for your 3 Ah Tai (great-grandparents) to "have tea". Next it was tea for Uncle Peter's parents who came all the way from Germany:

Then it's Chek Kong and Chim Poh's turn to be served tea:

Here's a family picture:

And of course the standard family picture of the Ban clan:

Then it was time for the bride and groom to go off for "3 days" before returning home:

After that it was time to enjoy the buffet lunch, before resting and getting ready for the night session.

Busy Busy in Ipoh

Yup.. it was for a party. We headed back on Sunday morning after picking up everything that we were planning to bring back. But what was the party about? There's even a buffet line:
Ah.. it's the eve of Yvonne Kor-kor's wedding day. So Check Kong and Chim Poh hosted a party at home. Everyone who planned to be in Ipoh for the dinner were back earlier that day. The highlight of the day (according to daddy, anyway..) was the roast pig.

Yup.. it was delivered whole and the man just chopped it up and served it fresh. Yummy...

Of course there was also the liquor: brandy and whisky and of course beer and other drinks for us non-alcoholics *grin*

Here's daddy trying to carefully open one of Chek Kong's "antique" brandy/whisky without breaking the cork.
"Doctor" Chek Kong and Chim Poh also came for the dinner before heading home and taking a bus to go to KL. They were going to UK to visit your two Chek Cheks.

It was a wonderful party. Lots of these:

with great company and it stretched until around 1am. And what time did you sleep? I think it was around 12.30 am that you finally fell asleep. Too much excitement and too many things to do before your body finally got too tired to stay awake. More to come on the next day!

Alan Ku-Ku

Found this picture in my phone. You took of Alan Ku-ku when we had the frozen yogurt in Straits Quay before sending him off to the airport.

And before he left he kept telling you that he'd be back in November. Only thing he forgot to mention is he'd be back in "Malaysia" but not in "Penang". Aihh.. this Ku- ar!! He said we should do Facetime. So now I have to bug daddy to set it up. I've finally gotten Ku-ku's gmail address for Facetime.

Interesting Way to Play

.. and have a conversation with your friend, Jayden. He grandma and grandpa lives next door, so sometimes when he visits, he will call to you and you'll have a chat with him. At times, you'll bring out your toys to show him. Some days you even play ball by throwing it over the fence to each other.
He even came over last weekend after dinner and homework to play a little while with you. It's nice that you have a friend to play and chat with.

Show Off!!

You left me this message on my bedside table today:
Just because you can read and write Mandarin now... you can show off!! And you even told me "You must read this everyday".
But this also makes me very proud that you can learn Mandarin so well.

No Limit to Creativity

This is not the first time we're doing this. But when I looked at the pictures from our previous round, I could not recall what your creations were. So today right after your bath/play session, I quickly downloaded the pictures and behold.. your creations... from simple things found in our bathroom. Can you guess what they are supposed to be?

Airport
Bullet Train

Super Bullet Train

Isn't this obvious? Komtar.. But I was wrong. It was something more "high class" - Eiffel Tower

And this is a giveaway.. Although I could not get the answer correct the first.. and second time. Why it's the letter "T", of course!!

Super Jet Plane (Your body is the jet, the bottles are the engines)

And of course, I'm not going to be tricked again.. the letter "X"

Another Little Message

Got another cutie little drawing from you on Thursday night. You drew this while I was making your supper. Then you gave it to me, saying that I was to bring it to work to show my friends.  

 Thank you for your little smiley fish swimming in the sea with the seaweeds. Muakkss..

How About The Other Guests?

Of course there were pictures of the other guests too. And here's one of the bride and the groom:

And mummy and daddy with the bride and groom:

Found this picture in my camera (why am I not surprised.. although it is a nice picture). You were so busy being assistant photographer:

Of course it's not a tea ceremony without the "tea drinking" session. Wait.. we didn't get to have any tea. We had sparkling grape juice.. does that count? Or should I get a "refund" for my ang pow to the newlyweds?

Oh well.. we all enjoyed the "tea".. sluurpppp...