"Painball" or "Paintball"?

We spent 2 nights at Swiss Garden Damai Laut recently. My son was so excited when he heard that paintball is available in that resort. He played it once in KL and loves that game very much.

Initially I was not keen to play because none of us brought our long sleeve shirts and long pants. Furthermore, I was scared of being hit by the ball (I could imagine the pain). However, I later gained enough courage to have a game with my hubby and 2 elder kids.

Do not underestimate the power of this tiny ball.

Loading the gun. Each of us paid RM65 for 100 bullets.

Team 1: Mom & Dad

Team 2" Son & Daughter

Started off with target shooting

The battle field ... Kids vs Parents!!!

Parents fighting a losing battle...my hubby was "mercilessly" shot by our son in a few places.

We called it "The Son's Revenge"

I was quite painful when the ball hit me. My delicate skin bruised for a few days.

I must admit it was fun and exciting. However, on the following day, my hubby and I refused to play with our son again (it is expensive and why pay to get hit??). So we let him join 3 boys that he just met for the game.

Putting down the signature...playing at your own risk.

That 3 brothers were all first timers. My son shared some techniques with them.

Hmm...is it possible to be 1 against 3?

Initially my son was confident to play against all the 3 of them.

It is not easy to be a lone ranger no matter how good you are.

That 3 boys learned fast. The next round, my son requested one of them to join his team.

Besides having good fun & making new friends, the boys had learned the importance of teamwork.

Specially dedicated to my Valentine

My hubby and I watched "You're the apple of my eye" (那些年，我們一起追的女孩）and both of us enjoyed the movie very much. It brings back sweet memories and we just couldn't stop talking about it.

9999 Forever My Valentine

On this very special day, I would like to dedicate this piano piece (the movie theme song) to my beloved hubby. I want to thank him for being such a supportive partner, wonderful friend and loving husband. Being married to him is the best thing that ever happened to me.

親愛的老公，你在戲院散場前所說的那句 “追到妳，所以我沒有遺憾” 讓我聽了好感動。在此特為你獻上“那些年”鋼琴曲，希望你會喜歡。對了，我也想告訴你：“嫁對人，所以我也沒有遺憾”。

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. - Lao Tzu

I would also like to take this opportunity to wish all my loved ones and friends a Happy Valentine's Day!

More than just a backyard...

During December last year, my hubby and I decided to renovate our backyard in order to create a small room.

My backyard before renovation...

The bamboo trees had grown out of shape. We chopped off a big portion of it before the renovation started.

Added wooden strip on the transparent roof to block sunlight. Also, we opted for glass door instead of a brick wall to retain the outdoor feel.

The frameless glass door that brings the outdoor in.

The water feature and Buddha statue were already there for a few years.

The leaves grow fast and nowadays my maid trims the plant frequently.

Ceramic holders from Ikea. I finally have a mini art studio!

Drop leaf tables from Ikea.

2 more tables on the other wall. It's a space saving idea!

Translucent roller blind with anti-UV coating

The wooden hippo I bought from an African market in Paris many years ago.

2 tinted glass doors that separate the dining room from the new room.

Added 3 new spot light

Everyone is enjoying this new space at home!

My "Ang Mo" friend who loves Mandarin!

Last December, My hubby and I met up with a German friend who used to be our client when she worked in Malaysia a few years ago. She is a very adventurous person who loves photography (including marine photography), traveling (she has been to many exotic places including Ethiopia) and scuba diving (even not long after her knee cap surgery). I always respect her as she has unusual strength in facing life challenges and lives life to the fullest.

This round, we found out she has a new hobby...which is quite unusual too.

She is learning Chinese Language!!!

She brings her handy yellow word cards anywhere she goes.

She showed us a very interesting program to learn Mandarin.

Unbelievable!!! She is a very good and serious student!

So kids, PLEASE DO NOT COMPLAIN ANYMORE THAT CHINESE LANGUAGE IS HARD TO LEARN!!! By learning the language, we'll have a better understanding of our values and culture!

國際名語言學家鄭良偉教授曾講過：「語言是，溝通的工具、思維的結構，認知的基礎、認同的符號，身份的表態、文化的展現、能力的鑑定、競爭的武器。」

Colour Blind

One of the best things that happened to me during this Chinese New Year was to receive sms greetings from a few of my Malay friends and an Indian neighbor. In fact, this year I received the most sms from friends of other races as compared to the past...and some I even forgot to send them greetings during their new year!

I always encourage my kids to make friends with other races and to respect others cultures. For example, during Puasa month, I told them not to eat in front of their Muslim friends.

I feel that it is every parent's responsibility to teach our kids about racial harmony and to respect others customs even though kids can be "color blind".

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The late Yasmin Ahmad' did a few non-commercial advertisement that talked about children being "color blind".

In the "Tan Hong Ming in love" ad:

The interviewer asked a Chinese boy: “Who do you like the most?”

Tan replied: “Umi, Umi Qazrina.”

“Why do you like her?”

“She wears earrings, she ties a ponytail, she is pretty.”

“Does she know you like her?”

“No, I keep it a secret.”

“Why?”

“She doesn’t like me,” he said after some hesitation.

Then, the interviewer asked Umi Qazrina, a lovely Malay girl: “Who is your best friend?”

“Tan Hong Ming.”

“Do you like him?”

Umi did not answer...

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

She nodded shyly.

“Who is your boyfriend?”

“Tan Hong Ming.”

Upon hearing that, Tan Hong Ming's mouth was wide open. He then held Umi’s hand with an innocent smile on his face and both of them walked away from the camera.

The footage ended with a statement: Our children are colour blind. Shouldn’t we keep them that way?”

In another ad:

An interviewer asked a young Malay boy:” Who is your best friend?”

He pointed at a Chinese boy next to him.

“What is his race?”

“What is race? Race, that means race car?”

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I love the above commercials and do agree that Children are color blind and we should keep them that way.

However, when I read about an insensitive & ignorant politician who held a Chinese New Year celebration for the senior citizens but can't differentiate between a RED festive angpao (joyous occasion) and a taboo WHITE envelope (funeral), I am not sure whether is he suffering from another type of color blindness??

What I'm sure is that we should chase him away! (including those who knew the custom but failed to advise him!)

HAPPY NEW YEAR 新年快樂！

Time flies...

This year, our family intentionally took some photos that mirrored the family photo last year.

Looking at the photos, I realized the kids have grown taller... and of course the adults are one year older too.

CNY2011

CNY2012

Time makes us older... and closer to each other.

Time moves in one direction, memory in another.
William Gibson

“Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.”

Henry Van Dyke

Wishing all my friends and loved ones a HAPPY DRAGON YEAR!

Getting ready...

Can't wait to welcome the lunar new year...