Growth Chart for My Little Ones

Sunday, September 30, 2018

30 Sep 2018 - A fun afternoon at River Safari

The last time we visited River Safari was 4 years ago.  We like this place more than the zoo because most of the exhibits are sheltered.
It's always nice to see these magnificent animals housed in themed exhibits that mirror iconic rivers of the world from the Mississippi to the Amazon.
Jerlene and Javier spent quite a while at the touch pool which we had missed the last time we were here.
We did not get to see Kai Kai and Jia Jia (Great Panda) as both of them were resting in their chambers.
The next section of the park was what Jerlene and Javier had been waiting for, the Amazon River Quest.  We went for this ride twice.
It was another fun outing for all of us.

26 Sep 2018 - Sunflower bud

Our first attempt to grow sunflowers seems to be pretty successful as I could now see the bud.  If all go well, we should be able to see the sunflowers in a few weeks' time.
Today was a cool and windy night.  Time to sit down, relax and enjoy the night sky.  :-)


14 Sep 2018 - Is that really lemon grass?

From our pot of lemon grass, there is a particularly long stalk growing up to 3 metres tall.  Is that really lemon grass?  Can lemon grass grow so tall?  Think I gotta do some quick research......  :-P


6 Sep 2018 - Robotics Soccer Programming Camp

Javier participated in a 1-day Robotics Soccer Programming Camp organized by Rosyth School Parent Support Group today.  As he already had the basic knowledge of programming (with Scratch), he had no problem picking up a new skill to program a robot. 
Every kid who participated in this camp was given a lovely goody bag full of healthy food and beverages.
At the end, the participants were presented with a certificate of completion.  Javier had enjoyed the camp very much and hope to have more.


Friday, September 21, 2018

4 Sep 2018 - Penang -> Home

It's time to bid farewell to Penang.  After we checked in our luggage, we had some snacks at McDonalds.
Soon after we reached the boarding gate, we heard an announcement saying our flights will be delayed by an hour.  In fact, the plane had not touched down at Penang airport yet.  We waited patiently and at about 4:30pm, we witnessed our flight landed at the airport.
We had some light meal during the flight.
Overall this was a nice short trip for my family and now that we are more familiar with Penang, we will probably return in the near future.




4 Sep 2018 - Penang Day 5: Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul

After we left Kek Lok Si Temple, we realized that we probably still had time for another round of the famous Penang Teochew Chendul.  So off we went!
Javier loves it so much and he will definitely miss it when we are back home.  Farewell, Chendul boy!



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4 Sep 2018 - Penang Day 5: Kek Lok Si Temple

As we all woke up early this morning, we decided to visit Kek Lok Si Temple, which we had missed yesterday, before checking out of the hotel.
Standing on a hilltop at Air Itam, near Penang Hill, Kek Lok Si is the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia.
The mid section of the temple houses temples, gardens, the pagoda and the four heavenly kings pavilion
From the mid section, we took the tram to the upper section of the temple.
The hilltop plays host to an enormous (36.5 metre-high) bronze statue of the Goddess of Mercy, Kuan Yin as well as more gardens and temples.
We spent about half an hour at the hilltop before going back to the mid section.  There are shops selling local products and we bought some to bring back home.
At the lower section, there is a turtle pond, known as The Liberation Pond.  It was built because according to Chinese tradition, turtles symbolize longevity, strength and endurance and the act of capturing and freeing a turtle is a symbol of spiritual liberation.
Jerlene and Javier had lots of fun feeding the hundreds of turtles.



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3 Sep 2018 - Penang Day 4: Penang Hill (Night View)

The night view from Penang Hill was quite unforgettable.
As dusk sets in, we were able to watch George Town lights up, providing a magical ambience against the evening sky.
We left Penang Hill at around 9+pm.  The last train down is at 11pm.



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3 Sep 2018 - Penang Day 4: Penang Hill (Day View)

From the cat's cafe, our original plan was to visit Kek Lok Si Temple before going up Penang Hill.  However when we got on a Grab car, the driver advised us that it may be too late to visit Kek lok Si Temple as it will close at about 6pm.  Instead he suggested that we should go straight to Penang Hill, which was a good timing because we would be able to catch the day and night view from the hill.
We took the tram from the lower station and it took only 5 mins to reach the upper station.  I remembered about 20 years ago when we were here, the travelling time was around 20-30 mins.
The view from the hill top lookout point was quite spectacular!  We had a clear view of entire George Town.
The surrounding on Penang Hill has changed quite a lot since we last came here.
There is an entrance fee to visit the Little Village but certain parts of the Dwarf Village are free admission.
Below is the 2nd generation train coach that was used from 1923 to 1977.
At one point, it started raining so we went into a food court to take shelter.  And since it's about dinner time, we decided to have our dinner there.
When the rain stopped, we began exploring other parts of Penang Hill.  There is a majestic cannon that was capable of firing a 32-pound cannon ball at a velocity of 1600ft per second.
Then we came to a mosque, Masjid Bukit Bendera, with its minarets and domes that brings a touch of Islamic architecture to the otherwise mostly colonial buildings of Penang Hill.
Not far from the mosque, we arrived at Bel Retiro Gate House, the most prestigious property on Penang Hill built in 1789 for the governor of Penang.
We then walked back to the lookout point waiting for the sky to turn dark and enjoy the superb night view.



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