A Date with the Moon

Last weekend, I went dating...with the moon! Our church small group gathered at Uncle Gary's house before going around with our real fire-lighted up lanterns! Finally get to play with fire! Hee!

I also brought along a safe one (operated by battery with flashing LWD lights) that was given by Kim Nin when I was back in Sitiawan earlier. Apparently this is part of the chinese culture mid-autumn festival where people play with lanterns and stuff themselves with mooncakes. I would think it's also a wonderful time to celebrate moon-collecting business. I am at 19.5 at present. Anyway...

Here are some pics of my first lantern walkabout. Sure was fun!!

Lighting the lanterns!

Koko Abel and Jiejie Tammy getting ready...

At the park with Jiejies Nicole and Caryn...the exercise bench must be more interesting. Hmmm

A real swinging time out together!

I see the light!!

Arrgh!! The lantern is bigger than my head!!

Can't I just roll this lantern ball on the grass?

Going home...

Eh...wait for me!!!

Marche Madness

Last weekend, Papa and Mama made an appointment to meet up with Kor-kor Joyce, whose family made a trip down to KL. I was pretty excited, not only getting the chance to meet up with my cousins Ethan and Hannah again, but because the venue chosen was Marche at the Curve.

Almost a year ago, Papa and Mama also brought me to this place during this fasting month where they have this special Ramadhan buffet. I only remember Papa and Mama stuffing themselves with loads of glorious food and I only got to take a photo with a cow statue in front.

Anyways, I knew things would be different now. Armed with the knowledge that the dinner would start at 6.00pm, we arrived earlier to do some shopping, and then made our way toMarche by 5.40pm. Surprisingly, we were the first to queue up at their front door and I think I got a nice big red balloon for our efforts. ;-D The crowd started to build behind us moments later and it wasn’t long before the train-like line reached around 30.

It was a real mad rush when we were let in. I now understand what the many cow statues signify… Papa mentioned that it would be good for us to eat earlier to avoid the jam when the people who were fasting would eat later. I also found the children’s playroom where they had two slides. Really had fun there. If the adults enjoyed their buffet eating, this sure was the children’s buffet as I had endless rounds of climbing up the steps and sliding now. So did Ethan Koko!

Overall, I had a great evening catching up with cousins Ethan and Hannah. As usual, I didn’t get to enjoy the food like Papa and Mama did, but from their expressions, I think it was really good. I only had the chance to try their mushroom soup, broccoli soup, yoghurt and ice-cream.

I’m beginning to wonder if this visit to Marche is going to become something like an annual affair? If it is, I certainly can’t wait till I’m old enough to sink my teeth into some grill!

An Image of Independence

What lies beyond the horizon?

Beyond independence. Beyond boundaries. Beyond races.

Sometimes it's so hard to see...

We stretch. we tiptoe. we climb.

And after all our garguantan efforts

Beyond our strength. Beyond our abilities. beyond our time.

We see an image in sight...

In the horizon. Embedded. Infused.

That makes us more confused.

We see the image of ourselves

A reflection of who we are; what we've done; what we've become

Is it an independent reflection?

Is it a related refraction?

...

Happy Independence Day, Malaysia!

12 Moons = 1 Yeah!

TODAY, I have finally reached the milestone of collecting 12 moons, which is equivalent to one year! Wee!

Although I achieved this historic moment on 19 Feb 2009, Papa and Mama organised a simple celebration with my Ah Kong, Ah Ma, Ah Kung, Ah Por and other close relatives in Sitiawan on 28 Jan, when everyone was around during CNY.

Here is my birthday blog with some images to tell the story...

My birthday cake. The wordings tell me that Papa and Mama do have a sense of humor. But I ain't lauhging. Hmmmmph.

The bulk of food that the ADULTS will enjoy at the expense of MY birthday. Sighhhh...

The lovely clown-faced jelly that my dear Ah Mai (Mama's younger sister) made for me. Love it!


It was at this celebration that the adults made me play a silly game to determine what kind of person I would be or to see my priorities in the future. Like a lab rat, I was 'released' a few meters from a long table stocked with stuff like a money note, mobile phone, chicken drumstick, red eggs, pen, remote control, magazine, etc.

There were euphoric cries of joy (presumably) as I went straight and picked up the PEN first, indicating I would be quite scholarly when I grow up. Dunno how they came up with that conclusion. Did any of them wonder how easy it was for me to grip the pen compared to the rest of the items? Hmmm.

Striking a pose with my beloved grandmas!

Family photo!

Mama giving me some wind assist...

Gong Xi Fa Cai !!

Scrap Credits

Quick Page Fall of Colors from Scrap'Anges

Sweet Serenity Alphas from Shabby Princess Designs

Cherry Cheesecake Alphas (Numbers) from A work in progress

Sofa So Good

Another milestone achieved just before Christmas of 2008 was a newly discovered ability to climb up my house sofa! I had been stuck for months at just gliding and cruising along that sofa; and Papa and Mama would conveniently place me desirable objects like the remote controls on the sofa, knowing well it was beyond me reach... well, not any more!

Using my ever growing leg and arm muscles, I am able to push myself up onto the sofa already! Wee! Hmmm...now that I have that sofa conquered, I think I can target those steps which lead upstairs already....:-P

New Year, New Hair...

Goodbye 2008....



...and hello 2009!! Had my first haircut on the final day of 2008. Quite a scary experience. Mama held me tightly as the barber kept handling and gripping my head left and right and mowed it all off with some nifty gadget! So here's to a new look me for a new look year 2009!

Hmmm....head feels kind of airy and breezy all of a sudden. :-P

1901 Celebrates with Me!

Collected my 9th moon today and also found out something exciting that also happens every month when i collect my moons!

1901, the franchise that sells great hotdogs has this super deal every 19th day of every month. Isn't that cool to have a franchise celebrate every moon collection event of mine? Anyone wanna gimme a treat this month, or any other month? Hee!

Extracted details (from www.1901.com) below for all dog lovers:

New York Chicken & Chicago Beef for RM 1.99 each. Over the usual price RM 4.90 each. It's once a month; happening every 19th.

Spend time, chit chat, and have fun with them over our New York Chicken and Chicago Beef. After all, we are Food for Friendship.

Participating outlets:• Suria KLCC LG• Great Eastern Mall• Petronas Tmn Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI)• The Curve• 1 Utama (New Wing)• Ampang Point• Giant Hypermarket Shah Alam Stadium• Centrepoint Bandar Utama• Pantai Medical Centre• Sogo• Pavillion

Two Docs and a Wedding!

Phew! What a tiring Saturday I had last weekend. I was practically out the whole day! It all started in the morning when Papa and Mama took me back to Hospital Pantai to see my ENT doc for a follow-up check after my op. I had a good time biting his gloved finger when he was checking my stitches. Hee! Anyway, all’s good and well.

Immediately after that, I went to see my PD who gave me a quick examination and then proceeded to give me my second jab for that pneumar thingy. After what I went thru during my tongue op, suddenly this jab felt like only an ant bite. :-p


By the time we rushed home to get ready to go for jiejie Chayenne’s wedding, it was already getting pretty late. Nevertheless, we still tried to go for the church reception – only in time for the pastry and cake refreshment (which looked really yummy to me…sigh). We did hang around for a while, met up with Ah Mah and Ah Kong, before going to this beautiful place called Saloma Bistro for the wedding dinner.

I was very attracted by the set-up of this restaurant. Even the ceiling fans moved at such a slow speed it seemed to hypnotise people. Or maybe it’s just me. They also had this gigantic cake on stage which I’d bet could feed the entire hall of people, and then some. There was also some wonderful singing performances and some video on screen with weird people dressed up funnily apart from the very nice pictures of the bride and groom.


Overall, I really enjoyed myself, or at least until after the fish dish where it was getting past my bed time already so Mama had to take me outside to the cozy lounge to sleep. It had been a really long day for me after all. The consolation of it is that we managed to stay on till the end, albeit spending much of the dinner time on the lounge, it was probably my first wedding dinner that Mama and Papa managed to eat the dessert. :-D They must be so proud of me...hee!

check out the very cool wedding gift - my very own BMW!!! Wee! wonder if it stands for Big Macho Wheels?...hmmm

Happy Birthday Mama!

You're the best Mama in the world! Hee!

Love, Collin

PKR Roadtrip

Whew! What an adventure I had over the past weekend. Papa and Mama took some days off and took me on my longest roadtrip ever. It sure felt like a PKR roadtrip. P being Perak and Penang; K being Kedah ( I remember crossing the border at some point); and R being Rest Areas. What else would you think PKR meant? *wink* Some were proper rest areas while most of the time, it was *ahem* as deemed necessary by me, if you know what I mean. :-p

The main objective of the trip was to attend one of my relative's 80th birthday. Not really sure how to address grand Uncle Pak Leng (perhaps?), so I'll just stick to relatives. Aren't they all? Hee!

Being tired and all from the trip (actually, Papa and Mama looks more tired..hmmmm. Could it be me? Nah...), I will let pictures do the talking for my blog today:

My nemesis at some Gantang Rest Area. It was also his first trip outside of Selangor. It was really a strange rest area with so many shops with the same designs, same bricks, same fridges and selling the same fruits!!

I have arrived in Penang!! We stayed in Gurney Hotel, and this is the nice view from the room. Sadly, this was the closest I got to see the beach. :-( *hint hint*

Posing on teh hotel bed. Hee! Nice and comfy!

Terrible looking cot they provided. Papa and Mama were worried for my safety and didn't put me in that 'thing' at all. We did however found it useful to hang our towels though...

Striking a pose with Ah Kong and Ah Ma. Don't I look adorable here? Hee!

They call these birthday buns. My mental thoughts: If 80 years of celebration brings these out, I wonder how many more moons do i need to collect before I even get half of it? Sighh...


Met up with Ethan Koko again! But I guess he was too preoccupied threatening his Papa with a fork...hee!

From his strong vocals, I am predicting that Ethan Koko will grow up to be a football team captain or opera singer....but then again, this photo shows a civil engineer may not be too far off too. :-D

My dinner table...really nice food; Too bad I couldn't try any and as per my earlier dinner, I managed to persuade Papa and Mama to leave early too

Somehow everyone became very excited when this dish came out. Surprisingly never finish also....I wonder why...

My family and I! Here I am, showing off my shiny head instead of my face...

We rounded the trip with a visit to Sitiawan, the place where I spent my first 2 months in confinement. Here I am, posing with Ah Por. She was so delighted to see me again after so long! :-)


Overall, it was a wonderful and exciting trip. I got to cross many bridges - one that crossed a gigantic bathtub comes to mind as we approached Penang. I also had my first taste of jacuzzi when Papa took me into the hotel bathtub with this facility. Can't wait for my next trip to Penang - hopefully when I have full set of teeth to try all those stuff I see around there. :-D

A Wedding Dinner to Remember

It was really exciting two weekends ago when I attended my very first wedding dinner!

Mrs D (my babysitter)’s son got married and so I was invited to join in this wonderful celebration which took place at some golf resort in Bukit Jalil. There was a small episode when Papa and Mama brought me to some registration counter outside the wedding dinner hall that night. The lovely girls behind the counter could not seem to find Papa nor Mama’s name there. No names means noentry. No entry means no table. No table means no first wedding dinner for me!! Noooooo…well, before I let out a huge wail of panic, our names were located – under “Parent’s of Collin” (ahem!).

The whole dinner arrangement looked grand and everyone that came looked quite well-dressed for the occasion. Mama also came with her new killer boots! Hee! I also managed to meet ‘Dato and Datin’ Leong, parents to Angie, who is also sat by Mrs D. Noise level was quite loud though. So I kept crying for some quietness..:-p

There was another strange episode midway through the dinner when I was carried outside to calm me down. Two little girls walking past suddenly saw me and recognized me Collin! I felt awkward because I couldn’t recognize them. They looked like some of Mrs D’s neighbours but I’m not sure. Everyone sure looked different after dressing up.:-p

My persistent crying led Papa and Mama to take me home after the 6th course, which looked like some roasted chicken dish. I heard Papa mentioning it seemed like the first time he’s ever left a wedding dinner this early. Well, I am glad I was able to help Papa and Mama achieve a first too. Hee!

Fourth Moon Lunatic

And so it would seem that at every moon collection ceremony, I will be at my utmost lunatic behaviour, and make everyone moony and loony as well. It has happened for three moons now and the streak is still alive! Hee!

During my fourth moon collection yesterday, I joyfully celebrated by refusing to go to bed past my regular bed-time. In the process, I made Mama miss some of her goodness producing sessions and made Papa stay up to watch a football match he didn’t intend to watch.

My feeding times also went lunatic with almost hourly feeds, driving Papa and Mama nuts trying to clean up and sterilize for the next feeding round.

Hey, at least it only happens at every moon collection, right? :-p

Happy Papa Day! (15 June 08)

Dearest Papa,

I found out that today is a day that is dedicated to all Papas of the world, so I would like to say in my simple love note here “Happy Papa Day!! I love you!!”

Thank you for showing me so much love, patience, care, joy, and humour of course, since the day I was born. Thank you also for your support and encouragement to Mama too. I am truly thankful for a Papa like you.

So, for today…I promise to try to be at me most bestest and obedienest behaviour so that you can be proud of me!

Your #1 Fan and Son,
Collin

My First Wedding!

It was a really happening Saturday for me over last weekend. I had the privilege of attending my first ever wedding ceremony! This was the wedding between Melody and Lake held in FGA. I heard that Melody was one of Papa and Mama’s university friends, who also played the piano during one of the segments of Papa and Mama’s wedding. Dunno much about her hubby Lake but his youthful looks does remind me of the American Idol runner-up. :-)

Anyway, the crowd was really huge that morning but with some experiences of attending partees, church functions and other events with plenty of people, I managed to be at my best behaviour (ahem) for the entire course of the wedding. The entire ceremony was really beautiful – the décor, the music, the multimedia show, etc. It certainly didn’t need my extra wailing to liven up the atmosphere.

Papa and Mama met up with some old university friends there as well. There were also a couple of strange aunties from Penang who kept making funny faces at me too. They appeared more normal after the food has been served though. Whew.

Towards the end of it all, Papa and Mama went to take a photo with the newlyweds. Usually, I am not the camera-shy type of baby, but unfortunately, I had became too tired by then. Jiejie Melody, I promise to show other side in future photo shoots yah.:-)



That same night, Papa and Mama also took me to another gathering, ie. the Cheras Parish meeting. I again displayed my best behaviour here too. Only had a pooping incident that had my efficient Papa and Mama rush to clean me up, but I was strong and quiet throughout the entire episode.

Gee, now that more and more people are looking at me as a kid with good behaviour, I guess it’s gonna be some serious challenge to maintain this image.

Third Moon For Me…

...and Third Cup for Papa’s Man United! Picked up my third moon over last weekend but I think Papa would say that the real celebrations only started yesterday. Hee!

I had the privilege to sit through about half and hour of the first half of the Champions League football soccer final thingy between Papa’s Man United (the red team) and Chelsea (the blue team). I’m proud of my Papa that despite having “the most important match of the year” (quoted from Papa verbatim) in front of him, Papa still didn’t neglect his fatherly duties to feed me! Hee!

At the end of the first half, Papa brought me upstairs to sleep so I didn’t keep him company for the rest of the match. Papa sure didn’t look happy at the end of the first half. Anyhow, I was glad that I had my first taste of this strange sport played at a time when all is asleep. When Papa brought me down to feed again, Man United had already beaten Chelsea and won the Cup (gasp! These teams battle like madmen through sleeping hours only to win one CUP?!! Makes me wonder what sport adults play to win plates or tables!)

Papa has also written a full report in his website to capture the moment of this historic night. You may read it here.

Besides being overjoyed with the result, I think Papa will really be pleased that I came into his life during a super season for his Man United team that has won the League and now this Cup. I can foresee the future will see Papa proudly telling people which year I was born. Hee!

An Evening with Por Toh

Looking back to 11 May 2008 because it was truly a memorable day for me. Not only was it my first Mama’s Day with my beloved Mama, I also managed to meet my Por Toh (great grandmother) from Mama’s side of the family tree, who made a trip up to KL from Batu Pahat.

Oh boy, it must have been a great moment for her as well as she was evidently overjoyed to see me too! I certainly tried to be at my best behaviour (ahem!) and I think she bought it…hee! Shhhhhhhh….

Here’s me as the center of attraction. Hee!

Psssst…papa says it was a memorable day for him too. ;-D

Happy Mama Day! (11 May 08)

Credits: Wildnatureimages.com

You have been with me since the very beginning
And even through all my crying and wailing
And enduring my naughtiness night and day
I am still your precious little baby

Your internal and external goodness I always treasure
Caring for my well being is like your second nature
I can never get enough of you when I’m by your side
Because you can easily soothe me when I have cried

Your countless sacrifices I can never measure
Nor your energy and time for that matter
I am so eternally thankful to have a Mama like you
So please hear my heart saying “I love you too!”

Happy Mama Day #1!!

A Celebration in Church

Yesterday would be another historic marker in my life. It was my first time I set foot in Papa and Mama’s church in KL. Most likely it’s gonna be the church I will grow up with too.

And boy did they really know how to make me feel welcome. Papa and Mama threw a lunch celebration for me and many people turned up to see me live in person. Heh heh. Made me feel like a celebrity for a while then the noise and crowd started to get to me. Crowd was a definitely a new experience for me. So Mama had to whisk me off to the nearby chapel to calm me down.

Overall, I really had a good time in my first adventure in church. With all the happy, smiley faces and good food, I think I’m a liking it here already. ;-)

So, for everyone who made to my celebration yesterday, thank you for all your presence as well as presents. To show my appreciation, here’s me with a genuine happy ‘thank-you’ smile!

Two Moons and Counting

Wow…time really does fly. Over the weekend, I have collected my second moon already! Strangely enough, there was no big celebration like when I collected my first moon. Hmmm…still need some time to figure out this irregular adult celebration of moon collection business.

Anyway, I had my own mini and solo celebration by blowing my own bubble balloons. Ho Hum…;-P