Camping at 'The Prom'

Over the Christmas holidays, our family went for a camping trip at the southernmost point of the Australian mainland, Wilsons Promontory (affectionately known to Victorians as 'the Prom').

Day 1: Yanakie Caravan Park

31 family members, a convoy of 7 cars packed with tents, camping equipments, food supply, 7 pitched tents, 4 camp sites and 2 cabins. Well, we sort of went "camping". When we stayed very comfortably in our very well heated cabin, the rest of the family were freezing their butts off in their tents!

The drive from Melbourne to Yanakie was quite pleasant. The kids were well behaved and Lily slept most of the way there. We settled into our cabin, while the rest pitched up their tents. We spent the day just relaxing and lounging around the camp site, exploring the caravan park and its surroundings. The boys watched boats being pulled to the docks and released into the water and dug on the sand in a near by beach.

Day 2: Wilsons Prom and Mt. Oberon



The drive from Yanakie to the Prom was interesting. Blackened trees amidst bursts of fresh green eucalypts, the views were simply breathtaking although what's left behind was a sombre mood, a memory of the "Black Saturday".

Early on the morning of Sunday 8 February 2009, the day after what is now known as Black Saturday, a dry lightning storm passed over Wilsons Promontory and a bushfire ignited. Lightning struck a gully just north of The Cathedral, a mountain at the north end of Sealers Cove on Wilsons Promontory's east coast. This bushfire burnt 25 200ha over five weeks, close to 50% of the national park.

We saw some wallabies and kangaroos along the way.

What we did on day 2 of our trip amazes me, up till today. Some of us still shook our heads in disbelief! We hiked up Mt. Oberon, ALL 5 of us! I had Lily (8 months) in a backpack carrier, Lucas (2.5 years) managed a third of the hike on foot and the rest on alternating shoulders of various strong gentlemen. Lachlan (4.5 years), well HE DID ALMOST 100% of the hike (up) on his own. It was 3.4km each way, with a gradual moderate slope.

Photo credit: Top photo was taken at the peak of Mt. Oberon, panoramic views of the prom. Second photo, on the way up to the top. Both taken by an uncle (Thanks Uncle Yeoh!) :)

We did not bring our camera as our hands are already full as you can imagine!

Squeaky Beach.

Exhausted but not defeated and very VERY hungry, we got takeaway fish and chips and headed to squeaky beach for a picnic. Wrong move. When you put a 2.5 year old and a 4.5 year old in a beach with sparkly quartz sand that squeaks AND fish and chips, you end up eating very VERY sand peppered crunchy chips. What a cute name for a beach don't you think? It was because of the squeaky noises made when you walk on the sand. Squeak, squeak!



Day 3: Whisky Bay

There are so many beautiful beaches at the Prom, and we love them all! Day 3 was spent at Whisky Bay. Here are some snapshots of the kids...



It wasn't her first touch of the sand, but here Lily had her first real taste of the sea! She rolled in the sand with the gentle waves, ate fistful of sand, and then another. She splashed her hands and feet in icy cool water (the water is still very cold although it was a rather hot day) and had sun kissed nose for a couple of days. (But she is still very VERY fair, just like her mummy who tried so terribly hard to get a nice golden tan. Did not happen!)

Day 4: Home sweet home.

End.

Roll Up! Roll Up!

It's the last day of term, and I thought let's just finish off our week with a trip to the circus, why not? It is school holidays afterall.

The Silvers Grand Magic Circus came to town, just a suburb down from ours. It so happened, we drove past a circus one day, a different one, and I pointed out to the boys, "Look, that's a circus!" and went on to explain what it is, the animals, the clowns, bla bla. Then, that very same day, I received an email from TicketMaster with news that the clowns are in town!



So off we went to the circus, my boys and I. We dropped the baby off at my parents' as I didn't think she's into clowns just yet. First impressions: it ain't no Cirque du Soleil, but hey, we pay for what we get. But what we got, was an unforgettable experience! My boys were in awe, completely enthralled in the night's performances. Balls juggling, batons waving, clowns squealing, techno lights, hoola hoops, tightropes and all.

The big top tent was set up at the car park of a hotel-motel. The seats were makeshift plastic chairs that gave you pressure sores, elevated on the ring sides by wooden crates. The box office is literally just that, a little box of a caravan. A buxom lady dispensing thumb size tickets. The smell of popcorn and candy floss fills the air. This is what a circus is all about!



My personal favourite was the hoola hoop girl, I thought she was simply amazing, juggling so many hoops at the one time. And her b-o-d-y, oooohh aahh!



Lachlan and Lucas both had a lollipop each, given at the start of the show as an extra special treat. They held the lollipop, their mouths agape, eyes wide open for the longest time. They didn't even finish their lollipops by the time the show ended, the longest ever time taken to polish off a lollipop! And the show, was 2 hours long, with a 10 minute intermission.

The grand finale was a show stopper. The death globe. 3 crazy bikies riding their thing, in a web of metal in a form of a globe. The speed, the sound, the terror, a death defying act, enough to make me cringe behind the head of my 4 year old. And the look of glee on my boys... priceless!



If you're planning to go to the Silvers Circus, I suggest you get the tickets online on TicketMaster. There is a promotion running for a limited time for Wed-Fri 7.30pm sessions, with $10 off each ticket (MY TICKETMASTER SPECIAL, the codeword is MAGIC).

$13.95 per child (under 3 is free)
$23.95 per adult
($7 booking fee per transaction)

So, for less than $70, we got a night of entertainment. It usually costs me more to go shopping at Coles!

Otherwise, the prices are as follow:

Adults elevated seating: $30
Adults ringside: $35
Children (3-12 years old) elevated seating: $20
Children (3-12 years old) ringside: $25
Pensioners & Full Time Students elevated seating: $25
Pensioners & Full Time Students ringside: $30

Happy Weekend everyone!

Holiday Diary: Penang

A day after my brother's wedding, we took a road trip up north to Penang Island, a 4 hour drive on the north-south peninsula highway from our place in Kota Kemuning.

I've joked with the newlyweds that they need not take us all on their honeymoon with them, but since 30 plus other family members were tagging along, we went along for the ride! Phew! What a convoy we were. We rented out 5 units of 3 bedroom serviced apartments. Don't ask me how many of us there were, because I've lost count on the 3rd attempt.

It was a trip purely for eating. And I must say we've eaten so much for the 3 days we were there, that I don't really know where to begin. Somehow, the thought of Malaysia's finest hawker food has just lost it's appeal to me from this massive overdose. But this is how it looked like when we ate, a long line of makeshift tables and aluminium stools. There would be at least 8 tables, if not more.



Everyone will then begin their ordering of local delicacies from the different stalls. What we ate most (from a dodgy memory) was: Char Koay Teow, Curry Mee, Hokkien Mee, Assam Laksa, Popiah, Koay Teow Th'ng, Tok Tok Mee, the usual favourites and plus much much more.

Mr. Independent (Lucas) was being a little difficult, as usual, wanting to feed himself with his bare hands. Picture this: a roadside stall, lets say a not very clean table, a wonky stool (there weren't any high chairs), slurpy delicious noodles, dirty fingers that could've been on anything (eeps!) and a very hungry tummy. A recipe for disaster! There were noodles flying everywhere! Dear daddy was just about to have a fit... All I could say is that, he must have a tummy made of steel!

And guess who came home with a sore tummy? (Daddy!)

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone!

What a big week it has been for my family and I. So many things to blog about, photos to upload, but I don't even know where to start! So I thought I'd just pop on by to say a big hello, and send out our warmest wishes to all of you. May the new year 2010 usher into you and your family good luck, good health and prosperity.

We're still in Malaysia and will still be for the next couple of weeks. When I've gotten over this HUGE hangover (nope, not alcohol, I've been a good mummy), and when I've gathered my thoughts and photos, I will be posting up big fat posts of cherished memories.

Right now, I think I need to 1. STOP eating 2. Stick my head in a bucket of ice and 3. Put my feet up! Not necessarily in that order.

Hope you had a good one...

Holiday Diary: Day 16 Busy Time

We have been very very busy preparing for the big weekend. My brother is getting married! How exciting!

Just before we came back to Malaysia, my parents did a major renovation to the house. The workmen are still coming in everyday to put in their finishing touches, from electricians to painters, and plumbers. There are fixings to be put up, curtains to be hung.

The kitchen is buzzing. It has transformed into a mini commercial kitchen producing tons and tons of food. The oven is on overdrive. Preparation is in full swing!

Stay tuned...

Holiday Diary: Week 2 Sick

The boys were struck by a horrible gastroenteritis. It's been 4 or 5 days but it felt like an eternity. They had bouts and bouts of watery diarrhoea, really, I have become a professional bum washer by now. Poor boys. Poor me.

It started with Lachy. It must have been something he ate. For 3 days he was really really ill, complaining of a sore tummy that comes in waves, just before an explosive poo action. (Sorry for being so graphic!) He had fevers, and was clammy and very very grumpy. Thank goodness I was still able to push some fluids in, else I don't know where we'll land! Lucas had it a day later, a little less severe but still the worst he's ever had. They lost their shine, their bubbly-ness and their usual self.

Now they're better, not yet 100%. But at least they've got their groove back.

Holiday Diary: Day 9 Missing Home

Lucas wakes up in the wee hours of the morning and cries "Go..."

Home?

We miss you our dear Dadda.

We hope you're looking after yourself.

Only 1 more week till we see you again...

Psst... there are packets of new underwear in the walk in wardrobe, if you haven't done laundry for the past 9 days! :)

Holiday Diary: Day 6 Gift Exchange

Over the weekend, my family joined Ching Mei's family at their house for the traditional pre-matrimonal gift exchange ceremony, also called "sung jit". Sung jit, a hokkien term loosely translates to "giving day" differs quite a bit from family to family, but basically from what I've been told, it's giving of dowry and all things sweet and nice to the bride's family. Nowadays, it's mainly symbolic, and it is meant to give everything a new couple would need in their new life together.

So, off we went to her parents' home bearing sweet oranges, sweet sticky rice cakes, sweet biscuits, sugar coated persimmons and winter melon, red dates, a whole roast suckling pig, bottles of whiskey or brandy and dowry money. Ching Mei's grandfather prayed to the gods and ancestors, and after that we just mingled with the family, drank sweet packet drinks and crispy pork buns. We then adjourned to a Chinese Restaurant for lunch. What an affair, but only a warm-up for what's in store for us in a couple of weeks time!

It was such a colourful event. I'm sure everything given and received is meaningful, a symbol of love, luck and richness in life for the bride and groom.

Holiday Diary: Day 4 Splish Splash

It's been pouring down rain every afternoon here in Kota Kemuning. The playgrounds are always wet in the late afternoon when it's not too hot to go for walks. That is one thing that the boys look forward to. Forget the slides and the swings, jumping in big puddles of water is much more fun!

We have been doing not much at all but just relaxing at home, walks to the parks in the evenings and really, nothing at all. That's what holidays are all about isn't it?

Holiday Diary: Day 3 Gone Bananas!

One of the luxuries of being home in Malaysia is the abundance of locally grown, tropical fruits. The boys have been enjoying these, especially the different varieties of sweet, plump bananas.

Holiday Diary: Day 1 Kota Kemuning Hills

We arrived this morning after an 8 hour flight from Melbourne to KL. It was a sleepless night with the two boys taking turns waking up and waking everyone else around us. Poor kids, they were out of their comfort zone. Lachlan slept poorly on an upright non-reclining seat, while Lucas have outgrown his infant seat and shamelessly hung his feet outside of the bassinet.

Typically, we arrived sweaty and groggy and headed straight to mamak! We had our first pig out. Nasi Lemak sotong, Roti Canai, Mamak Mee Goreng, Teh Tarik etc.

After a late morning nap, the boys headed straight outdoors for water play! They were drenched, hosing each other down and playing with their water guns. We are such water-deprived Melbournians!

It's thundering down with rain now.

Photos soon...

Out of Office

We'll be leaving tonight. The kids and I, we're heading to Kuala Lumpur for a much anticipated 6 week holiday. Gary, the photobook santa is stuck in the office until christmas eve. :(

I will still be blogging, when I find a comfortable spot to upload photos and type. :) So stay tuned! Meanwhile, do check out some of the pre-written post that I have prepared earlier. It will automatically "pop up" on schedule.

Till then, tata! Wishing all of you a happy silly season and a blessed new years.

Photo: Taken in December last year, on our way to Canberra.

Count Down

We are going on a summer holiday! No, not that song. But I did have that song by Cliff Richards humming in my head the whole morning! And I even know the lyrics to the entire song. Just shows how much of a karaoke queen I was in that era. Anyways, I digress.

Yep, we are going away this year. And I don't know why I am glad to do nothing christmassy this year. No christmas tree up. No scurrying in shopping centres, finding last minute gifts. No cooking and baking frenzy.

My head is buzzing. With only 4 more sleeps to go, there are tons to do! It has been a big big week, with swimming catch up lessons, doctor's appointments, gym membership to suspend, the usual household chores plus more, a few bits of loose ends to tie up. Gaahhh....

So yeah, this year we're heading to Malaysia. There is a special event in the family coming up, a BIG event. It's going to be HUGE! And we are super excited. The whole family (almost!) will be reunited, cousins, uncles, aunties from all over the world. (We have a great big family with 7 uncles and 2 aunts from dad's side and 8 aunts and 4 uncles from mom's, not to mention their own family). We are looking forward to it.

Everybody has a summer holiday
Doing things they always wanted to.
So we're going on a summer holiday
To make our dreams come true
For me and you.

Hmmmmmm, hmmmmmmm...
Hmmmmmm, hmmmmmmm...

We'll be flying... in December!

We have finally booked our tickets! And we got it real cheap too.

Now, if you're thinking of a holiday, just don't think. Go BOOK your tickets now. There's a sale happening at Air Asia. We got our tickets for less than AUD$350 per person return, inclusive of all taxes and fees. Lucas pays only $35 each way! Yep, you have to believe this.

We have travelled with Air Asia once before, and really we didn't mind it at all. Just don't expect anything fancy. This is a budget airline, there's inexpensive food and drinks for sale. You have to bring your own entertainment, warm clothing or blanket. Otherwise there's comfort and entertainment kits for sale. Cabin crew were friendly and helpful on our last trip. We had the front row seats to accommodate a bassinet for Lucas, so leg room wasn't a problem.

One thing I'm anxious about though, is the departure time delays. Our last trip back, our flight was delayed from midnight to about half past four in the wee hours of the morning. Just imagine us, hanging around at the airport, zombie-like, chasing after 2 highly charged-god-knows-where-they-get-their-energy-from boys. And just last month, my parents' flight was delayed too, until 6am. They were given a $20 food voucher each, and guess what? The only place opened was McDonald's. So mom and dad ended up with $40 worth of quarter pounders and fries (YUCK).

But hey, they are amazingly cheap. I will fly with them every time they run a promotion like this one.

Go! Go book your holiday!

An old favourite: Assam Laksa!

Just a few days left in Malaysia, dear Mom asked me What else would I want to eat, my last fix before heading home. Even before I answered, she knew! It's got to be Mom's Assam Laksa, what else? Before I even finish uttering the words Assam Laksa, she's on the phone with the fishmonger, ordering Ikan Kembung for this wonderful Malaysian classic.

Here's the story. I wanted to catch up with some old friends before I leave. Friends I went to school with, friends I sang with in school, best friends! So I've organised for them to come over one weekend, just to hang out and chit chat. But mom being mom, NO ONE comes to her house without getting a feed (I guess that's where I got my trait from!), she cooked up a storm that morning.

Cooking Assam Laksa is so labour intensive! First there's cooking whole fish in a huge pot of boiling water with smashed ginger flower, Assam and Vietnamese mint leaves. Then it's the hard part of peeling off the flesh from the fish, making sure every single bone is omitted. My grandma and I sat for hours peeling the fish. We were making Laksa for 40 people, it was a mountain of fish. I commented, "well grandma, if anyone choke on a fish bone, you know who they'll blame! I've got better eyes than you! He He!". Truth is, it's all skills. There's a way to peel the fish, and she definitely does it better! Mom then takes all of the bones, inclusive of the head and tail, blends it to a pulp, strain and puts it back into the soup, together with a freshly ground chilli and spice paste. This makes the fish broth delicious and ultra tasty.

Now, a few more things to do before I indulge. Finely slice 4 cucumbers, 2 pineapples, a whole heap of red onions, ginger flower, small chillies, coral lettuce and mint leaves. My arms felt so sore, but there's no time for complaining! Our guests were coming, my tummy rumbling and I can't wait to eat Mom's delicious Laksa! Well and truly worth it, to every single last drop.

It was such a lovely meet up. I think they enjoyed the Laksa and I definitely enjoyed their company.

And I had 3 bowls in one sitting!

We're Back!

Just a few nights ago, Lachie came quietly to me. He cupped my face and whispered "Mommy, I want to go back to Melbourne".

We had an enjoyable holiday no doubt, but the time has come for us to come home. To our 101 daily activities. To routine. To our own beds. To Cailler. To my vegetable patch.

Now we're home. 2 loads of laundry later, 2 kids to mind, 2 days of cleaning, vacuuming, mopping, meals to cook etc. I wish I was back in Malaysia!

More pictures and stories of our holiday to come. Right now, I just want to enjoy my long weekend.

Happy Easter everyone!

Bath Time

L1 and L2 having a wash in the kitchen sink. It's just the right height for me, without having to double over breaking my back. It's the right size for Lucas, but Lachlan just wanted to hop in for a laugh.

I joked with my sister-in-law that she'll be washing her baby in the sink next time! And changing smellies on the island bench! My mom's worst nightmare come true.

O.o

Poh Piah

Mom made Poh Piah for one of our many great lunches last week.

Traditionally, Poh Piah is a Nyonya dish and in Hokkien, Poh Piah literally translate into "Thin Biscuit". The skin of this wonderfully fresh spring roll is soft and delicate paper-like crepe made from wheat flour. Usually, mom makes the skin for her Poh Piah too. She stands for hours by the stove, slapping a minuscule amount of flour mixture onto the hot griddle and making a stack of paper thin pancakes, the texture of which is light and springy. But this time, as we were pressed for time, the skin was store bought. (Which was also nice, but very fragile and a little floury).

The filling was a mixture of braised julienned yam-bean or jicama (known locally as bangkuang) which is soft, sweet and savoury, shredded egg omelette, sliced french beans stir-fried with some garlic, fresh coral lettuce which is nice and crunchy, deep fried firm tofu, crispy and really nutty and finally some fried shallots. These were expertly rolled, fully packed into the Poh Piah skin and eaten in accompaniment with hoisin sauce and freshly made hot chilli sauce. And if you're greedy like me, your Poh Piah would be bursting in 3 places and you'd be gobbling it down doubly quick and licking off the bits that's fallen out from your plate. Yummmm....



Each person has their own plate. First you pick up the skin from the stack, carefully not to tear it and lay it down on your plate. Then you smear a little hoisin sauce and a dollop of chilli sauce on the skin. I like to lay down the lettuce leaf, and stack the rest of the cooked vegetables on top, and finally top it off with the crunchy bits. The best thing about it is that it's fully customizable, you roll your own Poh Piah. I always put too much in my Poh Piah, ending up with a fat, turgid roll.



The taste was most exquisite, a matrix of flavours and textures. Sweet and spicy, chewy yet delicate, juicy, crunchy plus an interesting contrast between the warm filling and the cool vegetables. It is such a healthy lunch too, if you minus the fact that I ate 3 big fat rolls in one sitting, full of veggies!

Haphazard

Driving in Malaysia takes 10 years off your life!

There is no order, no rules, no etiquette. You don't need your indicators and you drive with your eyes closed, sometimes. What I meant was, sometimes you just need to cross a busy intersection, or go into a roundabout, with LOTS of courage, a little stupidity (and with your eyes closed) and just PRAY that the huge overloaded semi-trailer don't come crashing into you.

3 lanes become 5 as motorists squeeze and jump queues. Cars, vans, trucks and motorcycles weave in and out with only inches between them. Motorcyclists cheat death as they swamp the roads, just as annoying as mosquitoes, awaiting to be crushed or swiped.

There is no road map as the road changes every hour. Construction never ends. They built new roads to divert bottle-necks. Potholes.

I took my in laws for a drive yesterday, from Kota Kemuning Hills down Kesas Highway to Subang Jaya and down Jalan Kewajipan, across the big crazy roundabout to Sunway Pyramid! It was quiet in the car, I could hear a pin drop! It was as if I could even hear them hold their breath! There was applause when we got there, and a pat on my back. Now for the trip back...

Today, I feel like going for a ride again.

My mother's garden

I am so in love with my mother's garden.



It is lush and evergreen, and has a well manicured lawn that is never-ending, my boys love to run and tumble and play on.



It has ponds with tiny fish and tadpoles. Lachy could just sit and watch these tiny creatures for hours, while Lucas love to plunge his little hands in to catch them! There were squirrels, which according to my dad were pests for they munch on the fruits that he grows.



There are lotuses, ferns, tall tropical trees. There are beautiful bright flowers, bushy plants with glossy leaves and edible fruits: Papayas, Longans, Lime and a few others. Ahhh... I wish I had a garden like this!