Happy Birthday to QiQi!

11 January 2007 – I am now 1 year old! ( Can’t walk yet, can only stand by holding on to something, and still toothless ).
Last night, my pama took me out to the first and only McDonald Drive-Thru restaurant in GR Ipoh, and I had my first taste of chicken ( from the chicken nugget ). All this while, I have been eating fish or scallop or anchovy or vege porridge only. I had so much fun with the slides in the children play-room too ( I was first introduced to slides during the trip to Penang last month! ).

I didn’t have a big bash birthday party because I was down with flu and fever recently.





















The sickly me.




Instead, we had a small dinner gathering during the 1st January 2007 New Year holiday. Ahyi bought me a birthday cake, while the rest of the feast were from PizzaHut, KFC, Kampar YauKee curry chicken bun and kaya puff, WengSeng fried noodle and rice, ZhuYeQing sotong kangkung and barbecued chicken wing plus home made red coloured hard boiled egg and tangyuen.



















Back row : grandma mahmah, pakleong Ying, pakpak Cheong, cousin bro William, ‘koko’ KokWei, ahyi, grandpa yehyeh. Front row : kuma Ming, cousin sis Whitney, mama, LeeZhaoQi, cousin sis Wendy. *kucheong Lester – the cameraman.


















Back row : ahgu, grandpa kongkong, ahyi. Front row : grandma popo, mama, LeeZhaoQi, cousin sis Wendy.



















The pandan-layered birthday cake with the inedible Tigger, Pooh, balloons and coconut trees, sponsored by ahyi.



















Unwrapping my birthday present…

















Checking my birthday present…

















Hmm, it’s a blouse…

















And another blouse…


















And more blouses…

















And so many more blouses!

















Mama’s present – Tigger with Santa’s hat.


















































Sharing (and shreding?) birthday presents with my cousin sisters.





















The birthday girl!

Christmas 2006

Some photos that were taken during the 2006 Christmas festive season…















Potluck Christmas dinner at Kuma Ming’s house.

















Snowman, Christmas trees and Snowflakes made from balloons - Kinta City.

















Beauty and the bears – Kinta City. I just love picking at label-tags.

















A little toy for the little ‘Santarina’ – Ipoh Parade.

Specky Santa dishing out lollypop - Ipoh Parade. HOHOHO .

My Second Out Station Adventure : Penang

Dateline : 16 – 18 December 2006

I had my second out station (+ overnight) adventure recently – it was a many events rolled into one occasion :
- biaoyi WeiWei’s wedding (and meet all the relatives opportunity).
- family year end vacation.
- my planned first contact with beautiful things that you can find in Penang : the ferry, the sun, the sea, the beach (man-made in the hotel), the temples, the gardens, the shopping malls and of course the bridge.

The faithful Avanza (A-Van-Car) lumbered all seven of us - Ma, Pa, Grandma popo, Grandpa kongkong, AhYi, AhGu and me, at 70km/h up Menora Tunnel and then all the way 150km heading north to Penang from Ipoh along the North-South Highway.
Everybody is restricted to one small luggage each, except for me because I had with me my slow-cooker to make my porridge (plus all the ingredients ie dried scallop, ikan-bilis powder, carrot, pumpkin and rice), electric sterilizer, potty, mattress, bolsters and many more luxuries – pampered and spoilt.

We waited almost 1 hour just to board the ferry to Penang. It was crowded with year end holiday makers and I guess many were taking the ferry for the first time, just like me. I seemed to enjoy the light sea breeze and the sea-seeing.















Qi and Mama on the ferry to Penang. No bluff – see Komtar Tower at the background.

















My merry-ferry ride with Mama and AhYi.

Mimicking the elephant trunk (Just like the one on my T-Shirt - a gift from KuMa Ping) : happy me on the ferry, happier AhGu with me on the ferry.

We reached Gurney Hotel, which is a short 1km distance from the wedding dinner venue (MapleGold Restaurant), at around 2 PM. Papa got us a 2 rooms suite with jacuzzi bath which I had a fun-frolicking time. I got the master room (sharing with whoever going to feed me midnight milk), while the rest scrambled for the other room and the last scuffed to the sofa. We then had a rest before the wedding dinner at 7 PM (Papa didn’t nap. I think he hit the pool. I think he is thinking of Ironman Langkawi 2008).

















At hotel lobby - all ready for wedding dinner. Qi crossing hands – quite Miss Malaysia like.

















At hotel lobby - all ready for wedding dinner. Qi chewing hands – not quite Miss Malaysia like.

The wedding dinner was closely-knitted with family members and friends. Many took the opportunity to pat (and pinch!) my rosy cheeks. Biaoyi WeiWei and hubby Lee Loong Wah narrated their love story from day one till eternity on stage (with wonderfuls photos which include Biaodi Ian Ian in America).
















Yum-Cha ceremony.

















Qi, the bride and the groom.


















Food was good especially the prawns.
















Food was so good, Mama had 20 prawns till p-t-k. And Papa, smiling doesn’t help digestion either.

















Big family photo. Sitting L to R : Taikupo, Greatgrandma, Biaoyi MingHui, Biaojiu YaoHui. Standing L to R : Mama, AhGu, Biaoyi WeiWei the bride, Biaoyicheong the groom, (partly hidden dunno who), Grandma Popo, Taikukong, AhYi, Papa carrying Qi with pacifier.

That night, I had difficulty getting to sleep initially as the room seemed ‘strange’ to me and I spent half an hour crying myself to sleep while tugging on to my Grandma Popo's pyjamas. Following that, I was OK as I tucked in under the comfort of my Mama’s armpits.

The next morning after breakfast in Pulau Tikus (yet they don’t sell the famous Kampar low shi fun), we visited Biaoyi WeiWei and Taikupo in Farlim. While Grandpa Kongkong continued his family-tales-brag, we adjourned to Air Itam Kek Lo Si temple nearby. We had laksa (but not the famous tissue-laksa by the drain as the ‘aroma’ was just over-powering). Stalls and shops lined the stairs leading up to the temple. We hiked up the temple (but not to the point of the Kuan Yin statue as it was too hot). Along the way AhYi bought me a swing-drum (remember to bargain 50%…).
















Air Itam Kek Lo Si temple 17 Dec 2006.

















Air Itam Kek Lo Si temple. One thirsty baby. Four tired adults .

In the afternoon, we were all back at the hotel, and had my first experience with the man-made beach cum pool. These photos visualize my feelings… (the last 2 photos show my annoyance of being toweled up!)

Later at night we had bak kut teh dinner by the breezy Gurney Drive seaside which Mama loves the ambience so much. After dinner we visited Gurney Plaza, in particularly Toy'R'Us where I had another FOC fun filled time with















...the slide

















...the playhouse

...the swing-chair

















...and even the LED spinning top Grandpa Kongkong bought from street peddler (photo taken in hotel room)

We feasted Gurney Drive hawker food such as otak, apom, rojak, taufufah and cheecheongfun for supper (ala take away), and everybody slept so soundly that night.
















Qi still asleep as the sun rises over the horizon.

On the third day morning, we had a simple breakfast before heading to the Botanical Garden hoping to see some monkeys. There was none at sight, maybe we were late at 10 AM and the weather was hot. We left Penang using the bridge by noon, of course after burning a hundred ringgits on Him Heang delicacies.
Penang - indeed the pearl of the orient, especially if you have loving family members around.