Saving Virtue

I started to instill the saving concept on QY's little mind since few months back. I would think it's parent responsibility to teach our child how to handle money and saving seems to be a habit worth developing when young.

Every night after going back to our own house, I will give her some coins for her to save. Now, she will automatically run to save it into the piggy bank whenever I give her the money. I even explain to her that after the money is full, she can use this saving money to buy books, toys, chocolate and even can go to Genting Highland. (To her, Genting Highland is a place of heaven where she can enjoy all sort of car ride and have fun). Let her make choices on purchase she can make.

Hopefully she will learn and realised the importance of having a saving habit and appreciate money when she is getting older. I guess once she is a saver since young, she will always be a saver for a lifetime.

As the saying goes ~It's not how much you earn, it's how much you can save.

Our weekend at KL & Genting Highland

Our holiday ended so fast. But 3 of us really love and enjoy being together for 3 days and 2 nights.

Saturday
We were slightly behind our own itinerary, supposing to start our journey at 6am as we planned to have the yummy dim sum at Fu San, the popular dim sum shop in Ipoh. But we didn’t make it. Sigh .... Reached KL around noon, we took a short rest and shower at my best friend’s house before we proceed to The Curve to have lunch at O'Brien sandwish shop. Both Celest and QY warm up very fast and started to play together even though it was almost 4 months they didn't see each other.























In the evening, we drove down to Starhill to have our long-waited Japanese buffet at Jogoya as planned. There is a vast variery of food, ranging from Sashimi, seafood, sushi, fish, desset and etc. We ate till surrender but 3 of us really enjoyed the food so much. AlThough no time limit is imposed for the meal time, there is limitation on our human stomach.

























QY pose herself in front of some food counter. After few shoot, she asked me to give her the camera and instruct me to stand here and there and she start to take photo for me. She even squat down, sit on the floor while holding the camera, try to capture her mummy most beautiful pose makes a lot of people who dine there amused and laughed.

Sunday
We proceed to Bangsar complex for dim sum. This is one of the best dim sum I have ever had in my life. No regret for not able to eat at the Fu San on Sat morning as my friend said the dim sum here is more tasty than the Ipoh dim sum. All of us including the 3 kids enjoying the egg tatt, porriage, and etc. I also shopped for some clothing for QY at Mothercare, managed to get 2 tops and 2 skirts.

We then heading toward Genting Highland around 3.30pm and reach there around 4 sth. This has been QY 3rd trip to Genting Highland since last Oct’06. Nonetheless, she was as excited as if it was her 1st trip. Upon reaching the hotel lobby, she keeps on saying :"I want to go to Genting Highland". Only realised later that in her little mind, Genting highland is here ~ the little vehicle in the Paris-Genting Tower.

Daddy bought her the whole day ticket, and she spend hours on this particular vehicle drive, as well as the bumper car. Unlike last trip (she almost cry after the bumper car ride), she is brave enough to drive the bumper car alone and she even managed to make friend with one of the boy who is of her age. The boy help to untighten the belt after the ride and want to hold her hand on their way out


























Monday
Daddy bought her again another full day pass to let her enjoy her last ride. We left Genting Highland around 2.30pm after we had our Bak kut teh lunch.

Genting Highland, see u again end of these year!!!

Meaning of Qian Yi's name

I was tagged by Ping Li on naming our child. I actually wanted to write one about the meaning of my daughter when I read on other people’s blog on naming their baby even though no one tag me. But just keep on delay and delay till today…

Let my memory flew back to year 2004. When we first found out we were having a girl in May’04, the honor of naming our beloved child (Chinese name) fallen on me as hubby doesn’t know Chinese. When I was young, I always question my mum why given me such a common name, so I’ve determined not to give my child a common name in which there will be 2 or 3 person having the same name in one class. Just not hoping the history were to repeat on her.

I know how important and meaningful of a 'name' to a person as the name will follow her for life time and thus, I took this 'task' up seriously. Done all the searching from school magazine, newspaper and dictionary to try to look for a nice and suitable name but still, don't have any particular favourite name in my mind.

Two weeks after delivered her in mid-Sep'04, my mum help to go and consult the Fate Analysis master by letting them know the exact time, day and year of her birth. The name master suggested few name like 陳 乙 萱 ( don’t quite like 萱, my mum's middle is xuan too), 陳 妍 彤 (don’t know why, don’t like this name), 陳 姵 伊 (don’t like 姵, a bit old-fashioned), 陳 芊 如 (sound ok, but….). At last I decided to rearrange those name and come out with a new combination ~ 芊伊. I loved this name very much and this is the first gift that I selected for our daughter. Overall, this name suit her in every aspect. It represents smart, hard work bring success, good luck, successful and good future.

Next is to think for a Christian name. At first, I suggested Gloria as I like this name since I was young. But it will be Gloria Chin if to combine with her surname, sound like Gloria Jeans, the name of the coffee café. Sound funny and also, quite hard for the older to twist their tounge to call out Gloria. Other name that have been suggested are Isabel, Tiffany, Shermaine and so on so forth. Several discussion were going on and finally, we decided not to add any Christian name in her birth cert. Let her choose the name she likes when she is old enough to select for herself.

The entire baby naming process closed when we submited her name ~Chin Qian Yi to IC (Identity card) department end of Sep’04.

This weekend

Daddy help to babysit QY in the Saturday morning while I was away for something else…. He claimed it’s an easy task to babysit her as all he did is to turn on the TV and DVD and both the father and daughter sit down and enjoy the show for hours… Both of them share few common interest, top on the list is watching TV show.

At night, we attended hubby’s Indian colleague engagement dinner in a school mall at Bukit Mertajam. It was an eye opener for us as we never witness or attend Indian friend’s engagement or wedding ceremony. They have a grand decoration on the stage, host and witness by a ‘Sami’ (monk), some blessing tradition from both side of parent and close relatives and photographing session. All the guests were served with the Indian banana leaf rice buffet.

























It was rained heavily on our way back to Penang. Back home, I played with QY for a while before we call it a day for Saturday. Games that we usually play are rather childish ~ I tickle her and she tickle me back and both of us laugh heartedly; Doctor and patient game (she act as doctor and I’ll be the patient and vice versa) ; we do cat walk from living hall to bedroom; Story telling time; Coloring time and a lot more. Just love to hear her laughter, see her cheeky face and also ‘tua mah’ act. These are all the precious and sweet moment we spend together while at home. Daddy is never a good play mate to her, he plays another serious role ~ bad guy in nurturing our child.
























Just before we proceed to the bedroom, out of the blue she said : ‘Mommy, wait… I take photo for the light first…” Below is the photo shoot by her on the light hang on our living hall ceiling… She start to show her early talent in photographing?



















On Sunday, I was away for whole day training so Daddy and in-laws help to take care of her. As today is Father’s day, my brother proposed to have a steamboat dinner at home for Father’s day celebration. My dad is a rather conservative man, if to used an object to describe my feeling towards him, I will certainly draw a big tree. Yes, deep inside my heart since young, he is our大 樹 (big tree). We always feel secure, safe and protected under his arm.

























Look forward for next weekend as we have planned a 3D/2N trip to KL and Genting Highland… Hooray…

Fun-Filled Weekend

QY is having a rather routine life from Monday to Friday. Every morning, I will drop her at my mum’s place around 8 sth before I left for work, then mum will help to ‘transfer’ her to my parent-in-law place before noon… It’s like the flight schedule start from Penang airport terminal (my own place), then transit at KLIA (my mum’s place), then finally reached in Singapore airport (parent-in-law place). During her final stop at Singapore terminal, all she do is to have lunch around 12 noon, play for a while and start her afternoon nap from 1pm till 5pm.....

So, this mummy seldom post anything during weekday for the day in and day out routine. All the posting or I should say QY’s life only starts on weekend.....

For last week, her weekend started a bit earlier than usual when mummy decided to shop with her at Queensbay mall on Friday night. I hold her little hand and we shopped from Jaya Jusco kids zone, the piano shop (she get excited after piano after she watched the Singapore series ~ Shinning Star.), shops after shops and finally we ended at Haagen Daaz for our favourite, ice cream. While waiting for our Pleasure Platter, bumped into a friend and she said :”It’s so sweet to have dating with daughter on Friday night”…Yes, I absolutely agree with her.

Saturday

On Saturday morning, after attending the weekly phonics class, we headed to the new Tesco at Sungai Dua. Ee Ee set up a temporary sand art counter there, so we let QY tried on it while mummy was helping out. She has fun for putting the colour sand over the paper but I don’t think she appreciate this, as Daddy kept on saying he never seen such a lousy and ugly sand art colour combination (which was done by QY).

Done by QY



















Compare to the one done by mommy

























At night, we had a simple dinner at a coffee shop nearby. QY misbehaved terribly during the dinner when her cousin brother JH, Kong Kong and Ah Mah (she thought she is a King or Queen whenever Ah mah is there) were all around.

As such below is the consequences she got from Daddy as soon as we reached home ~ Stand On the Chair for being naught and her miserable act. This time, Daddy gave her a special task ~ stand and read on the chair compare to the old style ~ Stand on the Chair and Face the wall. Daddy is always the bad guy when comes to discipline her.

























Sunday

On the lazy Sunday afternoon, I brought QY along to join my best friends gathering at Chilis restaurant. Sometimes I felt funny that she can recognize their name very well like阿丁, Hui Hui, 美 Feng, Seow雯….. For others, it may sound rude to call elder name without aunt or ee ee, but it’s cute when she called my friend’s name, as if she is calling her own friend’s name.

While we were buzy chit chating, she came down from the chair and approached a friend of her age… However, the girl was too shy and reluctant to play with her… Despite of this, she has enough fun by playing the balloon the waitress gave to her. By next January, she will have a little companion during this kind of chi mooi gathering…Hopefully the 2nd generation friendship will grow larger in time to come so that all the mommies will enjoying their chit chat session while the kids play together.

















































Back to our apartment around 6pm, I was very tired but QY insisted to go for a swim. She even wants to help me to change and wear the swimming costume on me while I was lying on the bed…

























So happy to see she enjoys herself in the water with the goose.






















At night, we celebrate my mum’s Chinese calendar birthday at Hai Boey Seafood. It’s not our family tradition to celebrate birthday, but we are trying to have fine dinning or good food celebration with all family member starting this year only.

























Highlight of the night was ……. not the food, not the blowing candle session nor cutting cake session, it was the little girl who fall down and injured her little knee when we are about to leave after the dinner..... Of course, she cried out loud and in the car, she told us : “I want to see doctor, cannot walk already…. U see blood come out already” Haa....

Long Weekend

Over the long holiday, we exposed QY to some new experiences. For the very 1st time in her life, she watched her 1st movie in the cinema – Spider Man 3. She was very excited to see the huge TV screen and of course, the spider man who fly here and there in the movie. I guess QY has inherited her daddy’s ‘movie womb’, she can sit still for hours and watch any movie shown in the TV at home. Her favourite show variety is from cartoon, comedy, English show, Hokkien show and etc…

Next morning, we watched Shrek 3. Daddy has introduced the Shrek 2 DVD to Qian Yi few months ago, so we think this is the best time to watch the part 3 in the cinema. Daddy get QY the Ogres baby over the Mcdonald counter after the show and she love the baby very much.




























Visit to Butterfly Farm
I always feel bad for not bringing QY for outdoor activities. And we give ourself excuses like there is nothing special to visit out there, weather is damn hot, but the real reason is we are too lazy to go out under the scorching sun.

I propose to bring QY to Butterfly Farm since last year, and finally we made it on Monday, the replacement holiday. This is my 2nd visit to Butterfly Farm and my 1st visit was 20 years ago....
























QY try to let the butterfly to stand on her palm.

Red Bicycle

Yes, this is not a new bicylce but QY just love to ride on this red vehicle everytime she steps in Ah Mah's house. So I think I have to jot it down here so that one day when she is old enough to read through this blog, she will remember her red bicycle Ah Mah bought for her a year ago.