Genting trip 2018

I had a total of 1.75 days of annual leave at my new job and had always planned to take them.  In fact, had planned to take additional unpaid leave too if possible. When the kids have school, I have to wake everyone up, get everyone ready and drive to where people are supposed to be - SE to kindy and JE to my parents' place. After that I see absolutely no point in taking leave... what could I be doing anyway - drive myself back home again to sleep?  Hehe. Oh, I did consider delaying starting the new job to Jan 2019 instead. But since I'd already decided to change job at that point in time, might as well just do it.

So planned the trip and applied for my leave. It happened to be a low period in the project schedule so timing was perfect.  And all in the nick of time too.  On Day 1, my boss called asking if I could cancel my leave and help at another project instead.  If our trip hadn't been already booked (not cheap at RM600 a night too!), I'd never have managed to arrange another for this holidays!

First we stopped by the Genting Premium Outlet. Not bad at all, the style was like outlet malls overseas.

We are happy to be here!

Prices weren't that good although hubby did find something to buy (he's the shopaholic between the two of us).  The kids were in high spirits although stingy mummy wouldn't let them buy toys.

Will you marry me...

Joy to the world

It was a nice place to visit indeed for one time, especially with Xmas deco up. SE was posing following the penguins.

Penguin, SE, JE

Penguin, JE, SE, another penguin

So what do we do when in Genting... lounge around in the room, eat.  We enjoyed food at our usual haunts.

Say hello to Piggy

How are you, Mr Piggy?

The theme for Xmas was Pokemon.

With the Pokemon Xmas tree!

Pikachus in the house!

Things aren't cheap in Genting.  The girls got to play at the arcade area with real money for the first time.  Before this the poor kids had to just stab at buttons and pull stuff that didn't work hehe (stingy mummy again).  Money doesn't go far at all there... a try to catch a toy is RM4 for e.g. and chances of success is minimal.  There is an indoor ride area now, but rides are RM15 a pop.  At RM30 for two kids.... actually the arcades start to sound more attractive!  Many didn't seem to mind though - there were queues both to buy tickets and for rides.  I quickly herded the kids away ASAP hehe.

I like the weather, the food, the room.  But the entertainment.... arggh.

Cooking

The kids are on their year-end school holidays. Normally when school is off, that's when I will take leave.  I can't do that much this round since I started my new job (still getting used to it! New people, new environment, new bosses) in the last month of the year and thus have very little annual leave.  The kids mostly still go over to my parents - the cousins are there as well so they have playmates.  Last week hubby had the kids at home while I went to work.  At lunch with my new workmates, a few messages came in from my maid Jane.  My first instinct was to panic... did something happen to the kids?  While hubby was out for some reason?

Instead the messages contained these photos... Jane let the kids 'help' with cooking.  They were excited and insisted on Jane taking photos of them.

Fry fry for the pasta sauce

Pour this thing into the pasta

Hahaha.  And *pheww* that all was well.

Ipoh trip 2018 - Part 2

Shift focus to food now, heh. Besides our old favourites, the best discovery was BBQ Lamb Ipoh.  Loved this place!  The environment, the food... there was even a big playground for the kids (my photos didn't turn out well in the dim light).

Hello from all of us!

Lamb cuts and grilled chicken. Didn't bother with photos after that

Had dimsum at Li Yuan near the apartment. It wasn't quite to our tastes, must try another place next time.

What shall I take next...

The girls bug us for slurpies/slushies now that they have had a taste of those during our previous holiday.

Slurrrrpppp!

They agreed to share a big one (much cheaper than getting 2 small ones hehe)

My turn now with the slurpee

Breakfast for the last day at Moon de Moon as our nearby target happened to be closed.  Some of the places on my list this time was closed for some reason even though I'd checked beforehand.  This place made up for missing the kai si hor fun at Kong Heng (that and the pork satay must be closed on Wednesdays).  JE enjoyed her Western breakfast.  She almost finished it even without sharing with SE, who was not feeling well that day.

Yumss

We must go back to Ipoh soon. :)

Ipoh trip 2018 - Part 1

Between my last day at work and start of the new job, managed to squeeze in a holiday in Ipoh for the kids. Time flies, it had already been 2 years since our last trip.  Objectives were simple: food and play!

I planned in order to maximise meals there haha.  Reached and had lunch at Dai Shu Geok (I like the yongtaufoo, hubs likes the roast pork), then picked up swiss rolls and headed to our airbnb apartment.

At JJ Swiss Rolls

The girls were thrilled to be reunited with the play area.  They will outgrow these in a few years, so must bring them more often.  They happily spent the time there until dinner time.

Slideeee!

Dinner time already?  Nooo! 

Next day, we went around a few places.  First up, Sam Poh Tong for the girls to feed turtles.  They tried to get the tomatoes to the smaller turtles, and SE ended up in tears as hers all got gobbled up by the big turtles. What to do... her aim wasn't good enough to target the 'baby turtles'.  JE managed to gets hers mostly at her targets.

The calm before the storm hehe

As usual, it was the fish next.   It's nice also to come back to this place regularly.

I'm the fish feeder!

Next was wandering around Concubine's Lane.  Bought various snacks and stuff.

Take a picture of us!

Let me feed you, lambie

We wish you peace

Part of Ipoh's charm for me is the nostalgia.  Like visiting Seenivasagam park, where my family went many, many times in our childhood.  Maintenance of it is not bad at all. 

I launch, you catch my UFO ok?

The weather was just perfect that day.

Su Ern all smiles

This was the play part, the food part comes in the next post.  :)

Close of a chapter

One of the reasons I’ve been unsettled recently is... I resigned from my job.  Oh the stress of looking for a new job, attending interviews, wondering at the outcome etc.  All this for only ONE application, mind you!  I can’t help it if things like this are a big deal to me hehe.  I have been with my current company for 7 years (5 years a previous round) after all and I like it there a lot.  Business hasn’t been good though.  The resulting problems and stress finally did it for me.

I was promoted all the way up a couple of years back, so I had the perks. And I am still thrilled now thinking back to my stint as the right-hand man of the MD and the head of the consulting team.  I will miss so many things.  In my next job I will be a nobody. I start next week.  What to do... bring it on!

Bye to my room

Busy

It has been a busy couple of months, I could barely breathe!  Besides gymrama regular/extra classes and preparations for the competition, we had to fit in a few other things into the weekends. 

SE's classmate had a birthday party.  JE got to go as well, she was thrilled. And mummy got to go find a birthday present, drive the girls to the venue and hang around waiting for it to end haha.

Happy birthday to Allysha (and not JE or SE)

It did look like a lot of fun. Someone took photos and sent them.

Let's see who can hang longer

Balance now, do not fall

Playing games

I got a mermaid tail in my cupcake, heh heh

Bet the birthday celebration didn't come cheap!

Another event was the wedding of my Malay colleague's son.  It would have been easier if I'd gone alone while the girls were at gymrama class.  But no, they insisted on going.  Luckily also as they  appreciated the ice-cream, cupcakes and cotton candy served as dessert.

Finished my cupcake

Next we will go and get another 

Also had to attend to things like going for a medical checkup, planning a school holiday trip, servicing the car, getting contractors to fix defects in our apartment, company events, taking a blood test, going to the dentist etc.  I am definitely one who prefers the quiet life!  Anyway have gotten over the worst of the busy period.  Phewww.

Gymrama grading

Gymrama grading time again!

Compared to the previous round, reporting in time was much later at noon and 1.30pm respectively for JE and SE.   Kakak did their hair and make-up again.

Take picture at home first

In full costume! Can recognise us?

The girls look very different from their normal selves when in full regalia!  We rented the costumes as usual.  Luckily found nice ones to fit.

The small girl

The big girl

( Ah please notice that hoop.  I didn't know before that you actually have to TAPE it to make it look nice.  So I was looking around for suitable tape, eventually getting round to the process of taping, then a layer of cellophane tape on top, then another.  Each process taking a very long time with multiple rework.  Quite pleased with the final result, heh. )

The girl cousins

JE had two events, hoop and ball.  Unfortunately she didn't do well this time.  5th place in hoop, last in ball.  :(  Previously she managed to get 2nd overall, this time definitely no placing at all.

Last in ball...

SE only had one event, the rope.  While she's in a group which really challenges the teachers... never mind that for now.  The results were called.  I was hoping, hoping she wouldn't get last place.  She wasn't last... nor second last... nor third...  And it turned out she was placed third and managed to stand on the podium. She was thrilled!

THIRD place, woo hoo!

Phew... heaving a sigh of relief that this is over.  There were extra classes for a whole month, so that was Saturday AND Sunday mornings of me having to sit through gymrama class.  And having the girls (especially JE) continually complaining they hate gymrama and wanting to quit.

Gymrama stretch

SE was such a bad student initially at gymrama.  She was always up to something else instead of following instructions. Partly I think it was to cover for things she couldn't do yet, like catch a ball, skip a rope, arch over backwards.

Lately though I see her doing various stretches outside class.  Managed to snap this picture of her doing some colouring on the floor:

I'm busy colouring

She still isn't good at gymrama but it looks like there is hope yet!

Stingy

JE got this marshmallow at school.  She opened it after dinner.

Jojo can I have some?

SE was keen to try it, JE wasn't keen to let her.  After I pressured her, she pinched a DOT off the marshmallow for the little sis.

Can I have some more?

After 5 times of me asking JE to give her MORE, SE ended up with this 'big' loot:

Mummy! Jo Ern naughty!

I was also tired of asking already. So SE had only those bits of marshmallow to eat.

SE's graduation

Compared to JE's graduation, SE's was a grand, grand affair.  Grand ballroom, formal wear, Chinese course meal, no kids allowed other than those graduating.  Apparently the whole affair was to "honour the children" - oh come on, these are little kiddos.  I was planning to skip it as I didn't agree with the whole concept, we would have to leave JE at home, I didn't need to be having dinner with a whole bunch of parents I didn't know.  Plus hubby said stuff the dress code, he'd be wearing a T-shirt to it.  The kids would have a performance which I thought would just be the concert one where I couldn't even get a decent picture.

Haha so much for all that.  The parents queued for the tickets the day it was sold. The next day, I went to ask SE's teachers whether it'd be all right to skip.  Luckily they convinced me that it was important and I went to buy tickets.

Turned out the kids had a different performance and costume.

A photo before leaving JE behind

The little poser!

It was grand all right.

Table setting

Inside the scroll, a message from my girl which made me tear up

(Although the teacher must have made everyone write the same thing!)

There were multiple performances by the 91 kids graduating - SE went up to the stage 4 times, including going up to the stage and collecting the scroll.  

My fav photo of SE for the night

SE was a trooper, smiled and smiled non-stop the whole night.

'

Cheese! And peace.

Waiting to go into the ballroom

The kids were kept somewhere else and were marched in and out at various portions of the night.  They didn't even have the course meal, only fried rice.  At times it felt like the kids were merely there to entertain the guests and justify the occasion.

Grand, huh?

Mummy and Su Ern

While I still don't agree with having it on such a big scale, it was well-organised and I had a good time. Hubby managed to find a jacket so did not stick out like a sore thumb.

We didn't wait for the family photo session and left about 10pm plus.  Imagine how long it would have taken for each family to fuss around and take a photo.  Asked a teacher to extract SE from the other room and went home.  To poor JE who cried when we got home.  (This one is pretty sensitive!)

Glad my family is back!