Year of the Bunny

I'm still in Chennai as I write this but I wanted to go ahead and wish all a wonderful start to the year of the rabbit before I head home to Singapore tomorrow and then the next day to Ipoh for the Lunar New Year. As with previous years, family traditions will ensure that we will be feted to feasts throughout our visit and we cannot wait!

Meanwhile, C's creche held a Chinese New Year party/concert today. Unfortunately I missed it being here in India. Nonetheless, Brian was able to get us some pictures from the performances that C took part in - the toddlers are all SO cute! Click CNY to see the pixs.

Drum roll please...here's my Honey Bunny wishing you,

"A Hop-py New Year!"

Of Dim Sum and Wantons

A mere few days before our long anticipated visit to Hong Kong and while I was concluding my work trip to Indonesia, I received a call from home that Craig has the stomach flu again and has to be hospitalized for dehydration (he wasn't keeping anything down - poor guy!). I hate getting such calls but I also knew he was in good hands as we have a really good pediatrician (we have come to accept his thrift with words and appreciate his wisdom in diagnosis); and PohPoh was in town to lend her maternal instincts.

After three nights C was allowed to go home as he was getting so bored in the hospital and was driving us nuts! A day later, we found ourselves on the A380 enroute to Hong Kong for our first family holiday (though the first part was a work trip for me). Friends there treated us to Dim Sum, beef noodles and all kinds of Cantonese delicacies. It was also very easy to please C as he is so Cantonese in his eating habits - soup and rice are all he'd ask for. And in Hong Kong, both are in abundance.

We spent a day at Ocean Park and the highlights there for C were the cable car ride and the Chinese drums that were on display. When he saw those drums being played at a lion dance in Singapore recently, he was mesmerized. So, to finally get his hands on one, it was an unforgettable experience for him. Click on Hong Kong for pictures from our trip.

With the Lunar New Year just round the corner, I have two more solo trips to make before we head to my parents' for the festivities. I look forward to that as with my parents and other relatives around, C's parents can take it easy, plus it will be the little boy's SECOND birthday!

Jamming

Christmas and New Year's both came and went. And before we knew it, we are smacked right back into the thick of work, studies and, well, life in general. We had an unusual Christmas this year where we played host to relatives who came to visit from Malaysia. We have never had so many stay over at our small apartment before but despite the squeeze, everyone had a jolly time.

This year Craig was more interested in what he calls, "prenens." Days prior to Christmas he was already pestering us to open the "prenens"! When it was finally time, he was thrilled to discover what were behind those nice wrappings. In fact, he had so many presents, he took a few days to finally open them all! His love for musical instruments led to his receiving a set of baby drums and a toy guitar. His passion for trains, especially Thomas, got him several Thomas engines and numerous Thomas and Friends books.

Christmas morning jam session:

Joining the rest of the world which thronged the Singapore Zoo on Christmas day:

New Year's was a great contrast to Christmas where we three spent the day at home contemplating and planning the travels for the year ahead. It was a good day of rest as we prepare our body and soul to launch into another year.

Wordless Wednesday (well, almost)

We could not justify spending $20 on C's modest volume of thin and fine hair at a popular toy store that also offers haircuts for little kids. But he needed a trim badly. So we decided to take matters into our own hands. Not too bad, you think?

We're back

The past few weeks since we got home from our month-long visit to the US had been a blur to us. Between jetlag, a hectic travel for work schedule (for me) and a mysterious bout of fever (for C), we simply lost track of time. It just occurred to me that we've been absent here for a month! And Christmas is already knocking at our door!

I just finished my last speaking assignment for the year and am looking forward to being home-based until mid-January before the traveling picks up again. It is time to start thinking about Christmas presents for the little boy and getting the house guest-ready for family members who will be visiting over the Christmas holidays.

Meanwhile Craig has been keeping us entertained with his expeditious verbal communication skills. He sings, tries to speak in short sentences and even attempts to say big words like escalator, elevator and watermelon. Loads of fun!

Here's the face I get when I say, "Smile for Mommy":

Ticked off

We have been enjoying the vast expanse of Brian's mom's home here in Maryland the last five days. The weather that has been mostly cooperative with lots of sunshine complemented by the crisp chill of Fall has enabled us to run and roam in the yard in close encounter with barn animals like horses, emus and donkeys. It has been a joy to see Craig enjoy the indulgence of space.

However along with blessings of the great outdoors come some not so pleasant disadvantages. In our case, ticks. My last trauma with such pests was when I was 10 when there was a lice outbreak in school. This time it came rather unexpectedly. The nightmare began two days ago when we noticed a tick climbing up C's face after we took an evening walk. Then as we were brushing his teeth before his bath, we found one on the sleeve of his sweater. But we doubt any of them had a chance to feed on the little boy's blood. We made a thorough check to make sure he's clear of the arachnid. So far so good. But guess where who was sucked on? Me! We found one latched on the back of my right shoulder - horrors! B managed to dislodge it carefully and kill it. Now we are keeping our fingers crossed that the sucker brought nothing else to me.

Today we finally could bring ourselves to take a walk in the yard again but we are careful not to tempt the arachnids with any exposed skin or else we'd be really ticked off!

Three to being two

A day ago Craig turned 21-month old. Hard to believe that in just three months' time our little boy will be TWO! It seems like just weeks ago when a little red-haired infant was placed in my arms in the hospital. Today, he is the unstoppable toddler whose curiosity is perhaps only second to Curious George - who incidentally is one of his favorite book characters.

Our visit here in Williamsburg has been very good for all of us. But as all good things must come to an end, we leave in two days' to Baltimore to visit with Brian's maternal side of the family. It will be no less indulgent for C, I believe, as Nana cannot wait to have him in her arms again!

Soaking up the cold

We're having a good time of rest as we visit with family here in Williamsburg. The chilly but mostly sunny weather is a wonderful change for Craig. We have been able to spend much time outdoors - at the playground and at the park. Yesterday we drove down to Yorktown where the York river is to soak in the crisp air and waterfront sight. On the way back we took the historical path through the surrender fields and spotted some deer frolicking around in the shadow of the setting sun. See more pictures here.

Today we look forward to seeing some friends and more of family who will join us at our time-share apartment for some meat on the grill. Good times!

Our little bundle at the playground:

Sun, sea, sand and stress

After a grueling 30 plus hour journey we finally arrived Naples in Florida for my annual conference. As usual, we're accommodated at a top-class resort and this time is no different. But work always leave us with little time to enjoy the facility. On the contrary, the weekend is typically very busy and stressful - packed with meetings and presentations. This time was no different. In fact it was more stressful than usual as all of us are still battling an evil cold that does not seem interested to take leave.

On our last day we did manage to squeeze in some R and R on the beach. Craig got to dip his toes in the Mexican Gulf but was not too keen. He preferred to run his fingers through the white sand in search of odd-shaped shells. See here for more pictures.

Can you spot C in the middle of the picture?

Now that the work part of our trip is over, we are happily in the company of Grandpa and Grandma in Williamsburg. This also means no more traveling for two weeks - yay- a real break! (And hopefully we will recover from this DARN cold!)

Express Mumbai

My visit to India this time ended with a very brief trip to Mumbai. This was my first time to this populous city and I must say that I was indeed charmed. Looking out of the descending plane, the sprawled out city reminded me of New York City - sky scrapers and bodies of water. I later found out that Mumbai is really made up of seven islands - very similar to the geographical make-up of NYC! Modern and historic architecture intertwine in most parts of the city contributing to its unmistakable beauty.

As my sojourn there was less than 24 hours, I only got to experience the vicinity of my hostess's apartment - which is located strategically by the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel across from the famous Gateway to India. Another lady who organized the meeting I spoke at works for the Taj Hotel group and she treated me to a breathtaking lunch on top of the hotel at the Souk restaurant. The panoramic view from there was magnificent - of the Mumbai harbor and of the coast:

Having survived a whirlwind work trip to India, it was good to be home for a few days before traveling again. Unfortunately it was during this time home that I, too, caught the bug that Craig brought home from the creche. So, all three of us are down with a head cold which is accompanied by a barking cough. Brian is recovering and hopefully C is too. We're keeping our fingers crossed that PohPoh's body will not succumb to the nasty bug. Meanwhile, it's time to pack for another short trip - this time to Malaysia and everyone gets to go!

Survival kit

Don't get me wrong - I LOVE Indian food. In fact, when I lived in Turkey, one of the things I missed was Indian Banana Leaf Rice - much more than Chinese food! But when I'm served curried food for breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner, after the second day, my palate starts to develop curry-fatigue. So now, whenever I visit India for work I make sure that I come prepared - to combat the occurrence of curry-fatigue. My survival kit includes my electric travel kettle (as not all hotels here in India provide that in the room), sachets of Milo and instant cup ramen (for days when I work late and am too tired to drag myself down to the hotel coffeeshop for some late-night grub).

As I arrived Chennai two evenings ago, I realized the last time I was here was two years ago when I was still pregnant with Craig. So the past two days I've had the pleasure of giving my Indian colleagues a pictorial update on C. Meanwhile news from home have been encouraging - C is doing great with daddy and PohPoh. Once upon a time I thought that traveling fro work and being away from C will get easier as he grows older and when I "get used" to it. But so far it hasn't gotten any easier for me and I don't think it ever will. I miss C like crazy! Good thing after this trip, we will be traveling together for the next few weeks. Lots of time to play catch-up with my little boy.

Nice!

As I am writing this, I realized how quiet our hotel room here in Penang is. No stern-talking daddy responding to demanding toddler in the background. Why? That is because Craig is with my parents 150 miles away while Brian and I are here in the idyllic island of Penang for work. This is the second time in the last two months that C gets to spend the weekend with his PohPoh and GungGung sans his parents. The last I heard from my mom, other than a fluke vomit episode (hopefully!), he is having a ball. Such news is always welcoming for parents who have to be away from their children for work.

On the way to my parents, due to some unforeseen circumstances, we had to buy a full ticket for C (he gets to fly for almost free for a few more months before he turns 2). Needless to say, he thoroughly enjoyed his flight. As we were waiting to board our flight, I pointed out to him our plane to which he responded, "Plane!... Nice." Now that he is older and more aware of his world, he gets excited over things like new shoes, new books and toys, and the anticipation of being in a plane. He was acting so silly (cute-good silliness) as we got ready to take off but was very good in staying in his seat belted, to which we all thought - Nice!

Notice how he has his legs are crossed:

Uncharted territory

Last week work took me to the uncharted (well, for me, at least) territory of the state of Kelantan in Malaysia. Geographically located on the northeast of Peninsular Malaysia, Kelantan is right by the border of Malaysia-Thailand. As the state is populated predominantly by Malay Muslims, the ruling party there is an Islamic party. All these factors contribute to the uniqueness of this state compared to the other states in Malaysia. The differences were obvious to me as soon as I arrived. See here on more information on Kelantan.

The famous Sultan Ismail Petra Arch - notice the Quran on the pillar:

I was really anticipating my visit to Kota Bahru (Kelantan's capital city) having heard so much about its rich heritage and reputed Malay-Siam cuisine. And I was not disappointed. While my schedule did not grant me the luxury of seeing much of the town, I did manage to squeeze in a quick tour of the famous colorful Siti Khatijah market that graces every almost postcard on Kelantan. What one can buy at this market is amazing - from everyday fresh meat, vegetables and fruits to the exotic cacti and turtle eggs (which are illegal?). For more pictures, go here.

On the home front, Brian did wonderfully with Craig all by himself though on the second night C did cry inconsolably looking for mommy. But overall, B scored an A+!

"I'm lovin' it"

Stomach flu, work, high fever, work-travel, family-wide cold, death of dear friend and more work. All of the above and more occupied most of our last few weeks - hence the absence from this space. It is not unexpected that my return to full-time work will leave me with little time to report to family and friends the little fellow's rapid growth.

And swift it has been! Since he started at the creche (and turning 19 month old), Craig's social and verbal development have embarked on the express train. He is stringing two to three words together to form simple sentences and even picked up a few Mandarin words from his teachers. He is loving his time at the creche - always full of anticipation in the morning. Like most babies and toddlers, he loves the routine at the creche. This is a great relief for me, especially, to know that C's time away from us at the creche is so positive for him.

See him in his uniform:

It is hard to believe that it is the crazy time of the year again when my travels for work will be back to back the next few weeks till we make our annual pilgrimage to see Brian's family back east (of the US). But till then, I will be away at least three days a week from this week on. Meanwhile, I can't wait till November...

Last week C brought home his first handicraft project - a lantern for the Mid-Autumn festival. He is rather proud of his "handiwork" as he's been swinging it around at home rendering it its demise soon:

Self-service

Before Craig started at the creche, my fear of mess (especially those which require soapy clean up) had been a deterring factor in Craig's delay to acquire the skill to self-feed. Other than using the fork on his eggs (for breakfast) and cheese squares (for snacks), he was not intentionally encouraged to learn how to use the spoon to feed himself. Besides, everyone tells me that the tots will soon pick up these independent skills when they see how dexterous their classmates are. In addition, mealtimes are happy and easy affairs for C and for us who feed him as he loves his food (his teachers at school never fail to be impressed by his appetite).

However, last evening C decided that he will no longer tolerate being held captive in his high chair and insisted on using the spoon himself. So, after attempts to assuage the hellion's ardent and feet-stomping determination failed, I decided to let him have his way with the spoon and his dinner. I had expected mess and a turned over bowl but the little boy surprised us all by his deft spooning - leaving very little for me to clean up. So I guess a toast is in order as we celebrate this significant milestone of our fast-growing toddler! Congratulations, little boy! You are growing too fast for us to catch our breath!

Post-dinner happy spoon-dance - obviously pleased with his feat: