lee zhao qi

2008-05-15T17:00:00.005+08:00

This blog is currently under renovation.
Please come back next year, or next next year bcos we just got no time (there is a new member to the family!)

A picture of me and my younger sister Lee Zhao Wei (李兆蔚), also adoringly known as Mei-Mei, literally because she is the youngest in the family and born in the month of May 2008. Picture taken in July 2008.

Super shots of the year

2008-04-17T13:30:00.009+08:00

Some magical moments captured on plastic (electronic?) ...

Qi at the city council public swimming (or rather wading) pool...

Darby look alike, from the cartoon series 'My friends, Tigger and Pooh' . (oops who took my right shoe?)

Hin Aun Association annual national meeting at Chin Woo Hall Ipoh March 2008.

Qi and the X-Ray spectacle (home modified with rubber bands, "oouch my ears hurt")

Gardenia girl

MTV of the year

2008-03-19T23:32:00.003+08:00

"Ladies and gentlemen, presenting to you, QiQi Lee Zhao Qi ...!" ( I can actualy say out this sentence).

P/S : 19 March...happy birthday to mama!

Qi and the Band

2008-02-21T22:39:00.006+08:00

Today is the 15th day of the new lunar calendar. Today is the last day of the Chinese New Year celebration.

I had so much fun during the festive season, seeing so many familiar faces coming home to celebrate. I even had the opportunity to take some photos with the local girls band group xia ri wa wa ( 夏日娃娃 ), who was shooting mtv on location at Kek Lok Tong Gunung Rapat Ipoh. Some even commented I look prettier than them, even without make-up :)

I am 2!

2008-01-12T12:55:00.010+08:00

Celebrated my birthday at McDonald’s Jalan Tasek yesterday (near PLUS Ipoh exit, the second drive-thru outlet in Ipoh). Cake by http://www.chefsiew.com/
OK, OK, fast food taste and nutrition we all know la... but pama love the ‘after party mess-free’ idea. In addition there is a play room (with my favourite slide of course) next to the function room. Guests include :

L to R : Dr Mok Chung, Melanie, Melissa, Papa, Mama, William, Wendy, Whitney, Kuma Ming, Kucheong Lester, Popo.

Yehyeh, Pakleong Sau Ying, Pakpak Cheong, Mahmah.

Kongkong.

And you can actually jump 7 inches off the ground when you are really having a HAPPY birthday! (Olympic record for a 2 year old).

Chinese Poem

2007-12-15T12:36:00.001+08:00

This is my first Chinese poem recital. It is a piece from poet 孟浩然 during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD)

春晓
chun xiao

春眠不觉晓
chun mian bu jue xiao

处处闻啼鸟
chu chu wen ti niao

夜来风雨声
ye lai feng yue sheng

花落知多少
hua luo zhi duo shao

P/S : I actually have a recording of the recital. Just hang on while my parents sort out the transfer to the PC before uploading for your listening pleasure.

Hip Hip Holiday

2007-11-15T20:37:00.000+08:00

Hi! I just got back from a holiday trip yesterday.
Pama took me (and themselves) for a ‘relaxed vacation’ to KL – relaxed because it had almost no pre-arranged programs (except for Aquaria KLCC). We just wanted to continue breathing…and to listen to our breathing.

After the usual-weekly Wednesday breakfast with grandma popo and her siblings (my grand aunties+uncles), me and pama pushed off from Ipoh at about 9 AM. The usual 2 hours drive to KL now took half an hour longer because of construction work in widening the North-South Highway from 2 to 3 lanes.
I was excited and just slept for an hour during the journey. We made a snack-stop at Sungai Buloh rest area. Pama had A&W’s sesame chicken nuggets and curly fries while I had my porridge in the thermo flask plus bites of the yummy nuggets (now at just short of 2 years old , I am experiencing and loving so many new tastes from the adult gourmet world, especially food with MSG).
The subsequent journey was smooth and we managed to check in at Holiday Villa Subang by noon (papa made the reservation through http://www.marimari.com/ – good rate and service).

Pama wanted to take me for the Putra-LRT train ride. So we drove to the nearest station at Asia Jaya and hopped on the train all the way to Aquaria in KLCC (adult fare RM2.30 one way, me free). I got so excited with opposite direction on-coming trains yelling “Train stop train stop”, and with passengers disembarking and embarking at all the eleven stations during the trip.
Between pama, they have to tackle :
1. My 4 months old little sister (or brother?) in mama’s womb.
2. My 5 kg backpack of milk, bottles and nappies.
3. My 6 kg stroller.
4. Myself – 12 kg hyperactive kiddo.

We missed Aquaria fish feeding time at 3 PM but still caught many interesting denizens of the underwater world such as sharks, stingrays, eels, giant groupers and arapaimas, turtles and even the scary geckos, slimy snakes, smiley ‘baby-monkey’ and all the other squeaking insects. Other interesting features include the majestic flooded forest tube tank, the 90 meter underwater tunnel with moving walkway (for me to lie on it and observe the fish swimming above it), the aqua theatre (for me to run about and for my pama to rest their tired legs), and of course the gift shop (Aquaria entrance fee RM28 adult with MyKad, FOC children below 3). http://www.klaquaria.com/

We spent almost 2 hours in Aquaria and I was so exhausted, that I fell asleep in KLCC (so no shopping) and continued to sleep on the LRT train all the way back.
AhGu and AhYi then joined us for dinner at pama’s favourite spot – Restaurant LaLaChong near Subang Terminal 3 (must try dish : steamed lala / salt-baked tilapia).
Holiday Villa Subang is well laid out. The rooms are also spacious (although a bit seasoned). That night I slept soundly till dawn.

We had buffet breakfast at the hotel (variety and taste so-so only). Then we just roamed aimlessly into the surrounding garden and kiddy playroom. Soon the sun was up. Mama dressed me up in my swimsuit and we headed straight to the pools (1 Olympic pool, 1 Jacuzzi pool, 1 kiddy pool, 2 wading pools)! Supposed to dip for 20-30 minutes, ended with 45 minutes and a struggling and wailing me bundled up to the room. Definitely love at first sight – my first experience at the pool (sigh).
Warm milk and a short nap calmed me down from the pool-kidnap.

After check out, we headed for Jinjang to visit my great grandma (grandpa kongkong’s mummy) who is already 80+ years old. It began to rain, and I waved goodbye one last time to the KL skyline filled with skyscrapers...

At Aquaria KLCC Underwater Tunnel – with lovely mama and looming shark behind.

A whopper grouper at Aquaria KLCC Aqua Theatre. No joke, the fish is even bigger than me!

(18SX) Qi getting ready for the pool.

Note : Sorry for the poor phone-quality pictures (a real 'relaxed vacation' that even the camera was not brought along! Holiday unplugged!)

Mr. Potato Head

2007-10-06T13:31:00.000+08:00

Me and my Mr. Potato Head toy – a gift from my kuma Ping in Singapore. This classic face-changing toy has many parts (eg. cap, spectacle, eyes, ears, nose, moustache, teeth, tongue, arms and shoes) which could be stuck on to the main body which resembles a potato head. The parts could be removed and stored in a special compartment built into the main body when not in play.

Somebody else’s Mr. Potato Head (as reported by AFP) – ecstasy pills weighing 293 gram hidden in the toy were seized by Customs officers at the Sydney International Mail Centre. The toy parcel was from Ireland.

The Japanese Garden

2007-09-18T17:54:00.001+08:00

Qi at the Japanese Garden located near the Perak Turf Club in Ipoh. This public park recreates the aesthetics of a Japanese garden with a small Japanese house (which is locked and we can’t go in), a floral clock on a slope (which I think is out of order) and a fish pond with wooden bridges across it. The grounds are lush with a variety of tropical flowers, plants and trees. Open from 4.00pm to 8.00pm on weekdays and 9.00am to 8.00pm on weekends.

My papa at the same spot…33 years ago! (circa 1975 when he was about five year old)

Qi in Cameron Highlands

2007-08-19T18:10:00.000+08:00

My latest adventure was an overnight trip to Cameron Highlands 15-16 July 2007. In Cameron, it is best to tuck in for a night because only then we can feel the coldness of the night and the freshness of the next morning.
We decided to opt for an apartment with a living hall so it will feel like a family outing, with a kitchen so popo can do my cooking (as usual my mini slow cooker goes wherever I go), and within Brinchang area.
We stayed at Star Regency Hotel Brinchang in a two bedroom apartment (papa called up the hotel a week earlier and it was fully-booked, but managed to get a booking through internet – guess this is the backlash of bad Malaysian mentality of tel-booking hotel and then not showing up, thus forcing many hoteliers to accept only internet confirmed payment booking especially during peak period).
We left Ipoh in 2 groups. Group 1 departed at 7 AM, papa cycling up, alone, 80 km to Brinchang. Group 2 departed at 10 AM – me, mama, popo and ahyi in the Avanza plus kongkong and ahgu in the Iswara. Group 1 fuel RM 9.10 : 2 eggs, 2 buns, 1 hot drink, 5 bananas, 500 ml water, 1000 ml energy drink. Group 2 fuel RM 13.30 of petrol, each car.
It started drizzling at 8 AM, and soon the rain and the sun took turns to soak and dry up papa all the way till reaching Brinchang at 12 PM. The mountain wind laughed and whistled (see, this is what papa goes through when he is cycling and hypoglycemic). Papa was more bothered by the slippery downhill than the steep uphill – the bike rolled down wildly even at 30 km/h.
Just 20 km short of reaching Brinchang, we stopped at the ‘Garden Rest Area’ – for me to take my porridge in the thermo-mug and for popo to take a breather (she had motion sickness).

'Garden Rest Area' - In the loving arms (and stony faces - from motion sickness?) of my kongkong and popo.

My first encounter with strawberry. The sweetest of them all – strawberry, me or mama?

We reached Brinchang a little over noon after papa checked in (he still managed to convince the receptionist for the keys with his helmet on, drenched self, muddied Giant Carbon Composite bike, and a photocopy of the check-in voucher and identity card).
There are 7 yummy places to eat in Cameron :
1. Restaurant Tringkap opposite the blue roofed Tringkap Community Hall. Need to walk a short 10 feet downward to the ‘underground restaurant’. Signature dish is the deep fried tilapia fish.
2. A Malay warung at the entrance of Kea Farm. The nasi lemak goes best with kopi-o (and some dancing flies on the table).
3. Restaurant You Woo in Brinchang town. Even the locals visit this place. Ask for the deep fried mushroom.
4. Restaurant OK Tuck in Brinchang town. Special steamboat.
5. Bala’s Chalet scones and tea, somewhere between Brinchang and Tanah Rata.
6. A stall operated by a dumb and deaf couple, opposite Tanah Rata Maybank. Must try the banana pan cake, with or without ice-cream.
7. Charcoal-powered steamboat shop in Brinchang – ceased operation now…

We had lunch at Restaurant You Woo in Brinchang and then visited the strawberry farm just behind the hotel. This farm has potted flowers, plants, fruits, vegetables and landscaped fish pond with koi (all the farms in Cameron have this variety!). It continued to drizzle and I enjoyed the raindrops falling on the umbrella, humming along “Tik-Tak, Tik-Tak” (luckily this farm is vastly canopied from rain).

Beauties and the beast. Who is the beast? Who is the beast?

A bee among the flowers. I am the bee…

A giant among the ferns. I am the giant…

We had steamed sweet potatoes for tea and dinner was at Restaurant OK Tuck savouring the steamboat ( I love the fish balls). Then, we headed for the night market in Tanah Rata, got nothing but just a pair of gloves to keep my tiny hands warm.
It was a cold night in Cameron. With the window just ajar at 1 centimeter you can actually feel the wind wheezing in. We slept well.
The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel (popo and kongkong actually went out early to eat Hokkien Mee and buy newspaper). Later we were at the cactus farm (similar stuff like the strawberry farm) and Kea Farm to buy things like cactus, strawberry, corn, potato, tomato, jam, etc.
Finally we visited the bee farm. I didn’t see many bees as they were busy making honey in the box-beehive, but I did take some photos with the ‘gigantic bees’.
We returned to the hotel just in time for checkout. Papa decided to ride down to Ipoh, and everyone cheered him on, while I dozed off, all the way home.

At the bee farm. Thanks for reading, bye!

Mama’s photo taken at Cameron in March 2005 (I was not even in her womb then…).

P/S : Sorry la...can't find ahgu's photo to post, but surely he was there with us!

qi@eighteenmonths (read like an email)

2007-07-24T23:48:00.000+08:00

FULL OF ENERGY.
Snap shots of a little girl who has turned one and a half year old…

Karaoke singing under the watchful eyes (and ears) of my mentor mama.

Malaysian Idol Junior.

Pitching OK. (Terror! Even the camera shakes)

Lucky number 18.

Line (one line?) dancing at the monthly wui-soh birthday party.

The slide

…and the screamer.

My Images (...from the mobile phone)

2007-06-29T06:30:00.000+08:00

Do you remember the first mobile phone?
If papa remembers correctly the first mobile phone that he has seen was the ATUR 450, the size of a sandwich box, during the 1980s. Then, came the ‘water-bottle’ mobile phone ( because it is really as a big as a 500ml water bottle ) which operated under ART 900 analogue network with the prefix 010, and which later competed with Mobifon, the other analogue network operator with the prefix 018. Soon, other brands such as NEC which was noted by its lightness and supposedly could be flown by a pigeon, as well as the Motorola flip-phone, started making waves. Digital network providers were soon introduced.

Today, mobile phone functions more than a mere…mobile phone.
Technological phrases like GPRS, Bluetooth, 3G and EDGE are building blocks for the mobile phone future.
Today, a mobile phone is also an organizer, a radio tuner, a MP3 player, a game console, a camera, a recorder, a map reader ( it beats a Swiss Army pen knife functionalities ).

Mama upgraded her Sony Ericsson mobile phone recently, and papa quickly saved and posted these images from the old phone…

Stoney face. Just woke up. Aug 2006 - 7 months old.

Happy face. After noon nap. Nov 2006 - 10 months old.

Hungry face. Waiting for dinner. Nov 2006 - 10 months old.

Too much TV face. Nov 2006 - 10 months old.

My favourite 'Elephant Ride' after breakfast. 8 months old.

Evidence caught on camera. My first taste of chicken (chicken nugget) on the eve of my one year old birthday at GR Drive-Thru McDonald's. I love playing the slides here (in fact I love playing slides anywhere...)

My one year old birthday.

My favourite bedtime story book - 'Wheels on the Bus'.

The last suckle. I have stopped suckling the pacifier after 15 months.

After haircut - Boyish Look. April 2007 - 15 months old.

At hui-soh (my grandparents 'old-folks' association) party - Girlish Look. May 2007 - 16 months old.

No~no~no, not Lee Zhao Qi in the year 2027, just my mama having fun at work.

Bali...

2007-05-23T21:36:00.000+08:00

Move over Lonely Planet travel guide. This is my pama version of ‘Bali : Lovely Planet travel guide’.

Pama went for a 4D3N holiday trip to Bali last April 2007 ( financed by prize money forfeited from my blog Contest! Contest! which was suspended by the Domestic Trade & Consumer Affairs Ministry ).

For those geographically-challenged, Bali is a small island ( twice the size of Singapore? ) just off the eastern tip of Java island in Indonesia. Latitude 8.30S Longitude 115.05E. It is about 2000 km and 3 hours flight time from Kuala Lumpur.

The story below is from excerpts of my mama travel diary ( mama always keep a record of all her adventures, I will try to peep and write more about her other adventures in Mount Kinabalu, Mount Bujang Melaka, Taman Negara, Beijing, Taman Pertanian Malaysia, and Bukit Tinggi ).

Mama has always wanted to visit Bali since graduation 7 years ago, but there was a bit of safety concern in view of the two terrorist bombings in 2002 and 2004 ( even the Balinese refused to speak much about these incidences which I guess have really hurt Bali financially through declined tourism and emotionally through lost of love ones ).

Finally mama decided to have a short holiday in Bali through AirAsia DIY goholiday package. Reasons :
1. It has been 2 years since she had her last vacation ( ‘real vacation’ ) in Tropicale Colmar Bukit Tinggi, just before I was conceived.
2. I am ‘quite grown up’ now, can be taken care by grandma popo and grandpa kongkong.
3. P&C – I heard mama is planning for a lil’ brother ( or sister ) soon. If not now, her next vacation would have to wait for another 2 years!

AirAsia DIY goholiday package to Bali 4D3N in a 3 Star Hotel for 2 pax costs about RM1,300 ( firm advance booking 1 month ahead ). Package includes flight, hotel and breakfast but excludes return flight airport tax ( so don’t spend all your rupiah and ringgit ). You could ask for complimentary airport-hotel-airport transfers in some hotels.

Pama took a cab from Ipoh to Sepang LCCT at 6.00AM to catch the flight scheduled at 10.55AM. Ipoh to LCCT is almost 3 hours by road and costs RM190 one way cab. LCCT ( Low Cost Carrier Terminal ) is for budget no frills airlines such as AirAsia, and mama felt ‘second-classed’ as compared to KLIA ( KL International Airport ) which is for serviced airlines such as MAS, because the LCCT building is very basic and not well maintained. Still, vacation beckons for mama!

Flight departed sharp at 11.00AM. It was a boring 3 hour flight and mama started to miss me. To kill time, mama indulged in buy-your-own in-flight snack of sandwich, roasted peanuts ( must try, oil-free stuff ) and orange juice, all for RM13. Of course, mama did some in-flight shopping too, mama bought me an AirAsia aeroplane soft toy which costs RM19, which looks a bit more like a squashed bird ( haha, papa was getting jealous that the first souvenir is for me and not for him or mama herself! ).

Pama touched down at Ngurah Rai airport at 1.45PM.

Ngurah Rai is a beautiful airport with the landing strip just by the sea. You could watch airplanes landing or taking off, while enjoying sunset dinner at Jimbaran ( quite scary thinking about these landings and take-offs ). Read more about wonderful Jimbaran later.

Weather was gloomy, and sure enough the moment pama stepped out of the airport, it started to pour ( and the travel pamphlet was saying dry season April to September! ). Lucky, papa has arranged for the hotel representative to pick them up. Out of the two dozen hotels offered by the package, pama picked Febris Hotel & Spa located in southern Kuta, also know as Tuban ( very near 5km or 5 minutes cab from airport ) – the idea was to have a minimalist hotel as you know my pama are such active fellas roaming Bali and only come back to shower and sleep. Still, Febris sprung many pleasant surprises ( check http://www.greenbali.com/ ).

Mama stayed at 2nd floor Febris Hotel & Spa. Below is the swimming pool lined by shady Frangipani trees ( Kemboja ). Febris uses Frangipani flowers as natural freshener. Frangipani flowers are so widely used in Bali for so many things. The pool is a co-joint between a 20 meter swim-able pool and a toddler pool with elephants sprouting water.

Since pama were greeted by the monsoon rain, the initial plan to visit Tanah Lot temple for the sunset view was cancelled. Instead they went for a stroll along Kuta ( top tourist spot in Bali ). In Discovery shopping mall ( a high end mall ), mama bought the second and third souvenirs – a blouse and skirt for me, again. Haha. Papa also bought some yummy buns from Breadtalk ( the secret/special ingredient is the flour, which came from Japan ).

There is a lot of ‘scratch card scam’ on the streets of Kuta. Many of these touts claim to be from the government tourism agency. Just ignore them.
There is also a lot of horsecarts offering ride in Kuta ( Yes, in harmony with the blue taxis plying the narrow street! ). The horsecart clinking shoes sound is quite spooky at night…

Dusk is early in Bali, around 6.30PM. At this time, the streets seemed deserted and pama wondered where have all the people gone to ( for dinner and rest before the night life of Kuta starts at 10.00PM? ).

Pama walked all the way to HardRock Café in Kuta which is about 2 km from the hotel. Good things here :
1. Delicious and giant portion food.
2. Polite and friendly service.
3. Happening crowd.
4. Dine and you enter HardRock Disco without cover charge.

Mama’s seafood fritter dinner at Rp80,000 or RM32. Papa had some stuffed potatoes. ( Rp2,500 equals RM1. From now on you do all the conversion ).

After dinner, pama took a relaxing stroll back to Febris, stopping at Matahari shopping centre ( reasonably priced stuff ) for some aromatherapy souvenirs costing Rp10,000 each. Pama carried more than Rp3 millions with them – sounds so rich. They bumped into a taximan and bargained for a one day drive-around tomorrow for Rp250,000 ( meals and entrance charges on your own ). Reached Febris at 10.00PM, and mama was all worked out and had a small blister on her little toe. To bed, but not without a Frangipani scented shower gel bath.

On day 2, mama woke up early at 6.15AM to the chirping of birds, warm sunlight and lovely papa beside her. Breakfast at 7.30AM and being a Sunday the street was still very quiet at this time. The restaurant had Balinese music accompaniment radiating a peaceful atmosphere. Papa favourite choices were local delicacy bubur sumsum which is a kind of coconut milk broth taken with gula Melaka and Marmite on toast.

The Balinese is very religious ( they are mostly Hindus ). They pray and give sajian three times a day to the god(s) at shrines ( pura ). *Sajian is an offering of flowers ( yes, Frangipani too ), young coconut shoots and incense in a square box made from folded leaves. The taximan, a 33 years old man named Panji had a dried sajian in his car. He bought 4 at the price of Rp1,000.

Pama’s first destination was the Barong dance at Batubulan. Barong is a mythological animal representing the good spirit. The dance is actually a play, but pama couldn’t really enjoy the play as they didn’t understand the language despite being given synopsis handout. Papa got bored just barely 15 minutes into the show. He thought it was a Rp50,000 per ticket ripped off, and the Barong according to him is like a grossly sedated Chinese Lion dance.

Mama and the Barong after the show ended.

The show lasted 1 hour, and pama were off immediately to visit the batik factory. Nothing impressive here too.
Next stop was Celuk, to look at gold and silver smiths. Mama bought a pendant and a ring at Rp90,000. The silver was not shiny but the workmanship was excellent and very detailed.Then it was to the painter’s paradise at Mas. Pama went to a gallery with 70 resident painters. The gallery was huge with many halls and full of paintings. All the paintings were so beautiful and expensive too. A small one ( post card size ) costs around Rp80,000 while a 2x3 feet framed artwork would cost Rp1,000,000. The paintings mainly depict Balinese landscapes and lifestyles, birds and flowers ( yes, Frangipani again ).

At the entrance to the gallery ( the entrance looks like a mirror right? ). No photography allowed inside the gallery, but you still can see sample paintings on the right and the left of the entrance.

From Mas, pama proceeded to Kintamani, a hill village. On the way, they passed by scenic stretches of rice terrace. The view was superb, reminding mama of the train ride from Beaufort to Sg. Padas in Sabah for water rafting.

Rice terrace landscape.

At 1.30PM, pama arrived at Kintamani. They had lunch in a restaurant facing the magnificent view of Mount Batur ( 1717 meter ) and Lake ( danau ) Batur. Mount Batur is a volcano. Papa loves the mountain and its surrounding volcano-scaped area so much. The buffet lunch at the Batur Seri Restaurant was delicious and it costs Rp85,000 per pax. Mama especially liked the danau smoked fish – the flesh is tender and salty. Papa liked the fish-satay.
They were many street peddlers in Kintamani. Remember to bargain for at least 50% off, and mama got 3 bangles and 2 packet of pencils for Rp25,000 and 6 T-Shirts for Rp50,000.

The majestic Mount Batur. Note the black fertile lava soil.

Mount Batur and Lake Batur ( top right corner ). Note the white dots of houses.

Batur Seri Restaurant outdoor seating. Hot seats among tourists – hot for the scenic view, hot from the scorching sun.

Mama, lunch and Mount-Lake Batur.

After lunch, pama headed downhill from Kintamani to Tanah Lot temple which is famous for its sunset view, and is almost iconic with Bali ( Tanah Lot temple appears in so many Bali postcards ). The journey took 3 hours and it was nearly 6.00PM when they reached Tanah Lot ( remember dusk in Bali is 6.30PM, just nice for sunset ). Entrance is Rp10,000 per person. Alas, the sky was cloudy though it didn’t rain this afternoon, so they didn’t get to watch the sunset. Still, mama liked the thundering splashing of wave hitting on the cliff wall…so musical and relaxing.

It is low tide now. During high tide the sea water will actually cover two-third of the rock boulder and thus giving the illusive image of a temple on a rock in the sea.

Tanah Lot was pama last destination for the day. They returned to Febris at 8.00PM. Spent and satisfied, they took a dip in the empty pool with the crescent moon and twinkling stars above. Papa started to reminisce about Poring Hotspings after Mount Kinabalu hike.
Pama had dinner at WarongWarong, a small eatery 50 meter to the right of Febris. Mama had chicken wings and papa had his nasi campur eaten with hand. Rp53,000 for a simple and delicious dinner.

Day 3 plan : Free and easy morning. Book taximan for sunset viewing ( plus Kecak dance ) in Uluwatu temple and then followed by seafood dinner in Jimbaran in the evening.
So after breakfast ( buffet menu changes everyday ), pama went for a stroll along the beach. The beach is just 100 meter from Febris and you can cut straight into it from Santika Hotel across the street. The sun was blazing hot and yet they enjoyed walking under it. The wave was roaring and no wonder it is a surfer’s paradise ( got Australia’s Gold Coast feel ). They strolled along the beach, passing hotels and resorts, all the way to Kuta Square which is about 2 km away. There were many beach boys offering surf boarding and street peddlers pushing ‘almost everything’. Pama had themselves temporary tattoos! 4 credits cards sized tattoos for Rp50,000. Hair plaiting is also a craze but mama didn’t want any as it would be difficult to wash her hair later and I am going to pick and eat the beads once she returned home. Manicure and pedicure were extremely cheap in Bali too, you can get it done for Rp20,000 with nail painting thrown in. Mama bought more souvenirs ( including some wooden kitten figurines and a lime-green Bintang Beer T-Shirt for me ). Lunch was A&W, and mama has missed A&W rootbeer and fries for the past few years ( In our tiny city of Ipoh, the one and only A&W outlet closed shop some time back )

Mama in Kuta beach.

These tattoos will only last for 2 weeks. Mama has three – a butterfly on her back, a flower-chain on her wrist and a flower-cluster on her ankle.

The taximan picked pama sharp at 4.00PM ( half day charges Rp100,000 – special discounted ). He drove pama to Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park ( nearby Bali University ) which has natural blocks of rock eroded like the Grand Canyon. Mama was amazed by the natural beauty. There were also a huge Garuda head sculpture made of brass and a Lord Vishnu half body stone carving. The place seems to be still under construction and with an entrance fee of Rp15,000, some visitors might grumble.

The Uluwatu temple is simply a breath-taking place! The scenery was stunning with vertical-drop cliff. Pama would love to spend one whole afternoon here but too bad, they arrived late at 5.30PM.

Uluwatu 500 meter(?) vertical-drop cliff. There is pavement leading to the edge of the cliff for the brave hearted.

Uluwatu : The little hut and its surrounding amphitheatre is actually the venue for the Kecak dance. Note that mama is wearing a purple sarung – shorts are not allowed in the temple and thus one has to drap a sarung on loan.

There were a lot of monkeys and real fierce, naughty ones. These monkeys even snatched tourists’ spectacles, hairpin and even camera ( camera cover ) and then ran up the trees. Avoid direct eye contact to avoid confrontational challenge, but keep an eye for attack from the back. Just can’t imagine if it is the tour leader/driver spectacles…who is going to drive the bus back?

Two spectacular views : mama on the left and cliff on the right. For papa, the choice is clear. If he needs to choose, it will be mama, for life. Note the two white men and the rascal monkeys…they are going to regret soon!

Pama watched the highly recommended Kecak dance ( fire dance ) at an open amphitheatre facing the sea and sunset. The dance is also a play ( Ramayana? ). When the sun set the dance began. This dance was more interesting compared to Barong dance and papa seemed to enjoy this more. There is no musical instrument. The ‘music’ is actually from human singing and chanting ( 70 people ) just like acapella. The play lasted 1 hour and ticket is priced at Rp 50,000.
Note : Pama were unable to witness Bali sunset for the second time. It was cloudy too in Uluwatu just like yesterday in Tanah Lot.

After Uluwatu, pama moved to Jimbaran for seafood dinner. There were a dozen or so restaurants facing the open sea in Jimbaran, and they went to one called BOS – Blue Ocean Seafood. The seafood was fresh and some stuff was real expensive too ( 1 kg of lobster Rp270,000, 1 lobster almost 2 kg )! However the real attraction was dining on the beach, under the starry sky, facing the open sea listening to the roaring waves, while watching airplanes taking off or landing, with life music serenading table to table. The dim candle light made the food even more delicious. Tips : go for cheaper fares such as barracuda, squids and mussels – they are cooked the same styles as the expensive stuff, yet you enjoy the same dining experience but at a smaller bill. Pama’s dinner was just over Rp200,000.

Hmm…after the delicious seafood dinner, pama went back to Febris and straight into the pool. It was cool. It was cold!

Day 4 : No plan. Return flight at 2.25PM. Need to be at airport by 12.30PM to check in. Pama thought that some massage after 3 days of walk about would be great and so decided to go for the Febris in-house Balinese spa in the morning. Papa loved the 90 minutes Balinese massage. He said Balinese massage uses long strokes which is different from Siamese massage that focuses on rubbing and thumping. Mama did the 120 minutes Balinese massage too, plus body scrub and mask. The massage was great and calming with Balinese background music and aromatherapy. But having scrub and mask in an air-conditioned room was no joke, freezing cold. They share a common room but partitioned from other guests ( only 1 “ar-ar-ar” guest in pain anyway ). The massages cost a little over Rp308,000 for the two of them.
Note : Febris in-house spa also offers foot reflexology. The foot reflexology room is semi-partitioned and has a soothing aquarium view.

With a massaged, relaxed and refreshed body, pama went to pack up for home with a heavy heart. Although the trip has been very enjoyable and wonderful, mama can’t wait to be home…for her little cute daughter QiQi ( me ) is waiting for her.

Walk Talk

2007-04-26T17:51:00.001+08:00

Two weeks ago, when I was 15 months old, I finally started walking without holding to things.
Phew! It was such an experience. Scared yet excited. Tired yet always energized. Fun yet painful if you bumped and fell.
Days before that, grandma popo has been doing the mumbo-jumbo by massaging my legs and keep chanting like a woman in trance “Popo give your little limbs power to walk..” - repeat like 3 or 4 times ( qigong transmission? ).
So, it all started with a mad dash across my grandma popo’s room, from the window to the door which is about 5 meters ( this historical moment was recorded on mama’s videocam – try getting a view loan from her ).
To psyche myself up, I would do a ritual before every walk – I would close my eyes, scream out ( like adults on roller coaster or during bungee jump ), and then just lunge forward with my eyes still closed. Most times ever-ready hands are around to catch me, other times I hit the wall or sofa ( and that is the reason of still being toothless at the moment, no tooth will chip ).
For balance, I would stretch out my arms forward ( which also served as ABS – Arms Brake System ).
With some practise, I was soon able to walk in a 2 speed mode – slow and fast. I was pacing. ( papa thinks I take slow tiny steps initially and then fast huge steps later because I was trying to keep my balance and keep going ).
With more practise, I was soon able to walk and make left or right turn. I was navigating.
Now, I almost walk with ease, making even 360 degrees turn or doing squat-stand-walk-run-stop and all over again.
It is time for hide and seek.

One small step for baby, one giant leap for baby Qi!

Teething Matters

2007-03-30T05:36:00.000+08:00

Greetings (teething?) from the little angel who is now almost entering into her 15 months of life – I now have half a tooth (and this one tooth on my upper right jaw seems been stuck in the gums for the past 2 weeks!).
My delayed teething and also walking have got my family some what excited some what worried. Excited because they have so much time observing and gossiping about my development, my slow development, – imagine anticipating my first tooth out since 9 months old means they have been waiting for the past half year! Worried because those text books keep saying,
“The first tooth appears after about six months but occasionally it takes a year before any teeth come through”.
And check this out too,
“Sometimes, a baby may be born with a tooth already visible”.
Likewise for my walking,
“At 11 months the baby walks forward if the hands are held, at 12 months walks sideways holding onto furniture, at 13 months learns to walk a step between gaps in the furniture and at 15 months walks fairly steadily for short distances”.
Me? I grumble and point to get people to carry me around.
So, it is either you burn those text books or read the fine prints at the bottom of the page which say,
“Different babies develop at very different rates and early development seems to bear little relation to ability later in life”…cos I am going to be Miss Beautiful Teeth and run the Marathon when I grow up.

Me : Toothless now.
Grandpa yehyeh ( 80 years oldman ) : Toothless soon. Heiheihei.
Note : Photo taken in Dec 2006 when I was 11 months. Photo choosen just to put things into perspective. Think think.

Gong Xi Fa Cai 2007

2007-02-27T17:18:00.000+08:00

Chinese New Year 2007 ( CNY ) falls on the 18th and 19th February , ushering the arrival of the fire boar zodiac. CNY just like many Chinese celebrations are basically feast-ival – eat all you can in merriment with family and friends. It usually starts weeks before the actual date and stretches till ( some says ) the 15th day of the lunar new year.
This is my second CNY experience ( the first was when I was just one month old while mama was still in confinement! ). I love CNY lanterns and ornaments and enjoy visiting shopping malls to feel the atmosphere.

CNY shopping at Kinta City with grandma popo and grandpa kongkong.

CNY shopping at Kinta City with mama.

CNY shopping at Jusco Kinta City. Yeah – I still cant walk by now!

CNY shopping lunch break at Pizza Hut Kinta City. Yeah – I am still toothless and nimbling at my own teething bisquit only!

I had many firsts during CNY :
Y I had the chance to show off that I can recognize 19 out of the 26 aplhabets.
Y I had the chance to show off that I can clasp and shake both hands wishing GongXi GongXi when given angpow ( and yet stubbornly still refusing to hold my milk bottle during feed ).
Y I messed around with the customary yee-sung dish during low-sung sessions.
Y I experienced buffet steamboat dinner in MP Restaurant – I mean doing things like sneak-tasting the ice cream and squeezing the koi in the garden pond.
Y I freaked out with fireworks/crackers.
! I GOT BITTEN BY ONE REAL NASTY MOSQUITO!

Before mossy attack – in the pink of health.

Before mossy attack – in blue looking boyish.

After mossy attack! 5 kisses by 1 single mossy which died a horrible death – smacked, microwaved and fed to the guppy fish.

The mossy bites somehow serve as a completing décor to my SuperBaby shirt bought by ahyi ( just like my hairpin ).

Superbaby recuperating from mossy bites while watching Lau Kuan Yee MTV ( look at my cutey-fatty thigh ).

One week after mossy attack – playing with a Pooh candy dispenser and almost recovered.

Grandpa kongkong also celebrated his birthday ( 60th? ) on the seventh day of the lunar new year.

Grandpa kongkong birthday celebration in the neighbourhood-association ( hui-soh ).

…which had some karaoke sing-along too, my favorite CNY song being hua kai fu gui ( 花开富贵 ) .

Grandpa kongkong birthday dinner at HillCity ( where else but the family ever-popular restaurant – nearby, delicious food, reasonable pricing...and quite empty ).

Well, after all the good time and good food during CNY…it is time to hit the potty.
Can’t wait for the next lunar new year…welcome Mickey!

Happy Birthday to QiQi!

2007-01-11T08:10:00.000+08:00

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

2007-01-08T07:47:00.000+08:00

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

2007-01-06T17:36:00.000+08:00

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.

…paracetamol, domperidone, dicyclomine+simethicone, tripolidine+pseudoephedrine

2006-11-29T20:27:00.000+08:00

Those were the drugs that I took last week.
Yes, I was ill. I had a tummy infection (gastroenteritis) which gave me fever, bloated tummy and diarrhoea for 5 days. I also vomited once and had a running nose too.
For the first time in my 10 months of life I tasted medicine. I have never taken medicine before because I never had fever, and thus the need for paracetamol, even after my vaccination jabs. The only drug that I was exposed to is probably hydrocortisone to treat my facial rash due to milk allergy. Thanks mama for breastfeeding me exclusively for 6 months, making me strong and healthy…until now.
The week before that, many in the family were taken ill. Mama was the first to have the gastroenteritis symptoms. Soon it was grandma popo’s turn and the restaurant nearby GR house got blamed for serving contaminated tilapia fish which she had for dinner. Grandma popo was so ill that she was hospitalised for 3 days. Next ahyi and ahgu who came back for weekend holidays (or was it to do relief work covering for grandma popo who was in the hospital?) got knocked out too. Then grandpa kongkong joined the ‘club’.
Things started to get paranoiac at home : The sofa set got an early CNY cleaning. Vinegar in glass jars were everywhere in the house to disinfect the air. Diamond water filter got checked for dead rats. Even neighbour Uncle Leong’s Rotweiller bitch which just delivered got suspected for spreading ‘canine-flu’.

I was urinating regularly, sign of sufficient hydration, and luckily need not to be hospitalised. So, I stayed at home to recuperate. Fruits and processed cereals were off my diet. I took scallop+carrot porridge and my milk was diluted half to make digestion easy. I also learnt a new skill – throw tantrum plus manja habis – a new skill that will get me anything, almost always.
I somewhat enjoyed taking those ‘sweet-syrup’ drugs, except for paracetamol syrup which is so bitter (Calpol brand is supposedly the most palatable but it has been discontinued so we settled for Panadol brand in orange-flavour suspension. Papa actually bought 4 different brands to test out the ‘bitterness’).
I guess pama also enjoyed feeding me medicine (for the first time wow!) in syringes. The 2ml medicine has to be plunged into my mouth in 1 second flat otherwise I would spit it out and at the same time careful not to hit the back of my throat otherwise I would vomit. Pama also learnt a new skill, they aimed at the inner sides.

I am now back into the pink (all those medicine actually made me looked pale).
I am eating very well now and I know how to mumble “Ma’am Ma’am” for food : guzzling 6 ounces of milk every 2-3 hours, 2 servings of porridge per day, a slice of bread or a piece of teething bisquit per meal, and sneaking-sipping MILO (don’t tell grandma popo!).
Programs are all lined up in December – business opening function, karaoke competition,wedding reception, and even a trip to Penang. Well, I am back in action!

One day before I was ill : Playing with 'LiLi & Stitch' - that's right, mama's childhood nickname is LiLi.

One day after I was ill : Playing manja habis with mama.

Contest! Contest! - closing date reminder

2006-10-17T06:53:00.000+08:00

Hi all!
Just a gentle reminder that the Contest! Contest! closing date is fast approaching - 24 October 2006 (a week from now).
For those who have not submitted their 3 favourite photo choices, tap on the keyboard now.
For those who have submitted, thanks a lot for reading and supporting the blog, and good luck.
Additional bonus prize (an exclusive photography session with me and the cake during my first birthday party in January 2007) for the first person who can guess correctly why the closing date was set as 24 October 2006.

* Newsflash : Yesterday I gibbered "pa-pa" (or was it "pae-pae" or "bear-bear") for the first time. Pama were on cloud nine.

* Newsflash : After 9 months, I am learning to crawl although I am still toothless.

* Newsflash : I am 8.1 kg now (just slightly heavier than my papa roadbike).

My First Out Station Adventure : Ipoh to KL

2006-09-01T00:16:00.000+08:00

29 July 2006 : I woke up unusually early today, at 6 AM, as if I really know there is great adventure ahead. After loading my ‘entourage’ into the A-Van-Car, which includes my buai-buai (in case I don’t like the hotel bed!), smelly-trusty bolster, and 3 litres of boiled Diamond water stored in colourful Made in China plastic tumblers (to make my milk), we left Ipoh at 7.30 AM. *We = me, mama, papa, grandma popo, grandpa kongkong.
A normal Ipoh-KL 200+ km trip along the North-South Highway takes 2 hours. With me around, we estimated a 3 hours journey with two 30 minute stops for me to stretch or feed. We stopped after Tapah (at Ladang Bikam?), and I was neither tired or hungry, I was just too excited with the fast moving vehicles and the Highway scenery and greenery. You can actually see the joy in my eyes (and my grandparents’).

1st (and only) stop at Ladang Bikam. Papa keeps saying there is a ‘Japanese Spring Morning’ feel in this photo. Do you see any Sakura meh?

Yes, we only needed one stop on the way to KL (I had a short 30 minutes nap in the car). We reached KL around 10 AM, and proceeded to IMU, to clear some documents as AhGu has started working here while going for his PhD (I think he is researching some cancerous cell things la, but I think he is more interested with how human can hike up Everest without oxygen tanks or with rocket science CLICK HERE )
It was semester break in IMU Bukit Jalil, so we ‘ran-sacked’ the place and it was here (in the tutors room) that I had my first taste of unassisted sitting (ok ok, I used the giant water bottle for balance). *Now, we = me, mama, papa, grandma popo, grandpa kongkong, ahyi, ahgu.

At IMU Bukit Jalil lobby. What’s UP guys?

Slowly, steady and sit. Can you read the Chinese words behind me? (click picture to enlarge). AhGu is really somebody.

Documents all signed and sealed, we (+ bro KokWei) had lunch near AhGu+AhYi’s house in Serdang Raya, very nice Claypot Low-Shi-Fun. After lunch I had another short nap.

‘Recharging’ at a cosy corner in AhGu+AhYi’s hall.

AhGu and grandpama went to UPM for the Convo session, which is like Tweety In The Cage (locked up in the Convo hall for one whole afternoon, so grandpama brought along newspaper and suan–boi pickled tidbits to kill time).
Meanwhile, me, pama and AhYi checked in at the Residence Hotel in Uniten (it is a full service hotel in a university). We reserved for a deluxe room, but were given a suite at deluxe rate (it is a separated sleeping and lounging unit, in two adjoining rooms) – AhYi did some magic (骂gic) here.

At Residence Hotel lobby. You can continue to see the joy in my eyes. Papa’s joy is probably because many Malakoff Putrajaya Duathlon participants are staying in this hotel for the race tomorrow – he can check out the bikes. Mama’s joy is probably having the two loves of her life around.

So, we had some rest (I had a splashing time in the long bath tub) and then left for UPM around 6 PM to have Convo photo session with AhGu. It was drizzling but it was definitely merry, and memorable.

Congrats AhGu, for the M.Sc.

Congrats again. Now give me your gown, handphone and tissue.

We had delicious dinner of Inchikabin, and everyone was so tired and so retired early. Grandpama and I got the slumber bed while pama and AhYi got the sleeping bag with towel as blanket. I slept well throughout the night, no nightmares, no hounds chasing hares.
We had a fun-filled buffet breakfast at the hotel verandah the following morning (although half the spread was gobbled up by the Duathlon guys). Next, we went for some studio shots, and then returned to laze in the hotel while watching a lost monitor lizard swimming in the nearby lake. After checking out, we popped by great grandma thaipo in Jinjang before finally returning to and arriving at Ipoh 7 PM sharp. I slept most of the way home and did not require any stop at all.
Everyone is so proud of me, and I think now they have the confidence to bring me around more often. I graduated with flying colours too!

Standing Left to Right : AhYi, AhGu, Papa, Mama.
Sitting Left to Right : Grandma Popo, Grandpa Kongkong.
Jumping Up and Down : Lee Zhao Qi.

Miraculous Morning

2006-08-25T04:10:00.000+08:00

Something miraculous happened this early morning. Just barely an hour ago, as mama has gone out of the room to prepare for my mid sleep milk, I almost fell off from the bed. Papa said, there was a sudden force that pulled him by the collar, waking him up from his sleep, and in the nick of time just managed to grab me from my fall, ala Superman. (he was sleeping on the floor just beside the bed and was tired after browsing the net for mama next bike, the Specialized Ruby Pro and after posting a comment on aunty Wendy’s blog at +0100 hour). Really. My fall would have been 2 feet and would have given me some bumps and lumps and likely some fractures too.
Papa was thankful, and he felt the urge to blog this up immediately, for other parents to read and learn.
Papa also believes much in the ‘transcendental’. For there are guardian angels. For this is the first day of the leap Chinese 7th Month. For there is Universal Intelligence.
Papa is further convinced now that breast milk is the best, never and no need to leave your baby alone. Haha, but this baby is 7 months old and 8 kg now, so the bottles seem the logical and practical way.
Lucky. Lucky for me. Lucky for pama because grandma popo does not read much English otherwise pama will be skinned.
Papa is not sleeping much tonight and he will be leaving for Hadyai in a few hours time to ‘earn some money’.
At least I know, my pama have been painstakingly bringing me up during my tender days.
At least I know, everything happens for a reason.

Muack pama!

Busy Bees

2006-08-23T00:26:00.000+08:00

Phew, for the past month, lives (of loving people around me) have been busy.
First there was this AhGu’s Convo (which I promised will write it up soon). Then, papa’s company got some structural changes and mama has started working full time, so both were humming and huffing with meeting, training and adapting to the new work environment, which means grandma popo and grandpa kongkong need to spend more time minding (and wrestling with) me. Next, AhYi will begin writing her thesis soon. Meanwhile, aunty kuma Ming is occupied with IT upgrade, working late and on weekends, while uncle kucheong Lester is occupied with new workshop setup. Even cousins Wendy and William are busy with the one week school holidays now! Last week, AhGu had a complicated sub-acute appendicitis needing prolonged medical treatment (maybe he got a line in his blog, check my link).

Me? I am learning to sit (maybe to crawl soon!). Well, to keep everyone in touch during these hectic hours, I will just post some marvellous pics.

THE LADY IN RED! Chairman Mao look-alike?! Some call me Chairwoman san mao ( 三毛 ) because I got little hair.

Sequence shots of me trying to sit-crawl.

*All these pics were taken when I was 7 months old.

A Babe's Life

2006-07-27T23:39:00.000+08:00

I am now, six and a half month old. From a tiny three kilogram tot at birth I am now, eight kilogram. I took two weeks to settle down into a sleeping pattern, and I sleep well now. Mama has breastfed me for six months, and I am switching over to infant formula now. Bedtime for me starts at about 9 or 10 PM, after a chang xiu yi (long sleeve shirt+pants) change, a five ounces milk and lullaby from mama and/or grandma popo – sleeping alongside either of them, on the queen size bed. Mid sleep milk is around 2 AM, on sweet dream nights it stretches to 4 AM. Mid sleep milk, comes with a MamyPoko change too, I have been extremely particular about soiled nappies since birth. To indicate the need for milk feed and nappy change, I simply scratch my head, eyes and ears. After each feed a mouth dab is needed to prevent milk allergy. Good morning starts at 7 or 8 AM, and another milk feed and sometimes potty will follow if I let out gas consecutively two to three times. Grandma popo and grandpa kongkong would have gone for morning taichi exercise, and waiting for them to come home and fetch me for morning breakfast at the nearby coffee shops with all their equally sweaty friends, mama would have cleaned me up, changed me into short sleeve shirt+pants, and lovingly trotted me downstairs - Miss Kopitiam is ready to be paraded! Next is my favourite bathing session at 10 AM, followed by another milk feed and snooze. By noon it is cereals plus apple juice lunch, then playtime with the walker, the teething toys and of course babbling to all in sight. The afternoons, of late have been very hot, so by 3 PM it is the two hour noon nap in the aircon room. More playtime and sometimes evening walks with my pama before another milk feed for dinner. On lucky evenings, I get to go kai kai to Billion GunungRapat or the weekend HillCity dinner with AhGu and AhYi too, and not forgetting mostly on Friday evenings a trip to visit my grandma mahmah, grandpa yehyeh and all at home in IpohGarden. Of course during weekends, papa loves taking me out to shopping malls and recreational parks. Well, this weekend I will be going for my first ever out station trip – to KL for AhGu’s Convo…till then more reports from me soon.

Candid Camera

2006-06-27T22:14:00.000+08:00

Some of my best actions caught on camera...

Baby alphabet W at 3 weeks old : everything is oversized - pants, pacifier and mittens.

Baldy babe.

Boxing.

Thai Boxing.

Sideway slumber - my favourite sleeping position. Note : The bolster is a 29 years hand-me-down item from AhGu!

Exercising (assisted).

Plucking the invisible guitar.

...

Enjoying potty.

Rarely seen, rolling over.

Swimming with sharks.

Contest! Contest!

2006-05-31T17:43:00.000+08:00

Welcome to the ‘Mummy & Baby’ contest!
Rules and regulations : This contest is open to friends and relatives of my parents (ah, just say you know them la). Pick your 3 favourite photos from the 12 photos below. One entry per person only. Winning entries are those that match the favourites as picked by my parents, which are the judges, and the judges’ decision is final (as usual). Results will be posted on the blog (we can’t afford the media).
How to enter : Just click on Comments at the bottom and key in your 3 favourite photo numbers, your name (or nickname) and email address (or tel) in the Leave Your Comment column, and submit. No slogan required (keep them for those hypermarket contests).
Prizes : Grand prize(s) a 3D/2N all inclusive holidays trip for four persons to Cameron Highlands, somewhere in 2007 with me and my family. Consolation prizes a Limited Edition Lee Zhao Qi 2007 calendar each for all participants.
Closing date : 24 October 2006.

1. The newborn – 3rd day of life.

2. The somewhat newborn – at full moon.

3. A shoulder to sleep on.

4. Potty training at 10 weeks. Twice daily?

5. All dressed up for kai-kai.

6. “Yeah, what?”

7. The mummy, the baby and the car capsule.

8. Funny faces I.

9. Funny faces II.

10. Dimsum breakfast joy.

11. Dimsum (again?) supper joy.

12. Little white riding hood.

Toy Story

2006-05-06T16:27:00.000+08:00

The 6-inch singing Elmo with blinking belly and Smiley Sunshine rattle are probably my first few toys. Both are from aunty kuma Ming : Elmo as a hand me down from my cousins William+Wendy+Whitney that keeps me entertained during clothes change after morning bath, while Smiley as my 2005 Christmas gift when I was 8 months old in my mama’s womb, which has now became my teething chewmate.

Aunty kuma Ping got me many toys too. The hanging bear and elephant are squeaky toys that adorn my buai-buai ( local cradle ), hypnotising me to sleep. The puppet monkey in the middle has a curly tail that can be hooked up to many a thing – cot, crib and cradle. The pacifier on the left, I guess is toy to all babies…

My cot is clustered with so many toys. Cow, elephant, platypus and monster orbit the musical mobile that needs manual winding. Poohs, Nemo and Doggie are stacked in one corner. Bagfuls of palm sized toys are in another corner. Climbing Garfield, Koala and Jusco bears are all over the place. Nope, the one in pink lying in the cot is not a doll, it is me!

Phew, so many toys, too many toys. This is the view from my cot!
Share you a secret : I have never slept in my cot since birth! I enjoy the comfort and company of sleeping on the Queen sized giant bed with my mama or grandma popo at night. My papa?... he gets booted to the floor, to the room next door or simply to the PC to blog this spot. ( The cot is used to change my clothes only ).

Mama ( with balance from grandma popo stroller money ) got me a Gym. You are supposed to hit at the dangling sun, moon and star to trigger the classical and children musical choruses, my favourite being ‘Canon in D’. Laying me down to work out with the Gym, allows mama to rest her tired arms from carrying me all day long. Well, everybody needs some exercise.

Grandpa kongkong ( with balance from mahpiu money? ), is not to be left out too. Got me a Doraemee baby bop bag ( known as Bu Dao Whong in Chinese ). Doraemee is the Made in China Doraemon clone.

Occasionally, over lucky weekends, I get to play with ‘life toys’ too. “Yee-hah! Let’s go AhGu. Don’t let go AhYi.” Life toy is my best joy.

Two weeks ago, mama got herself a toy – a Sony Mini DVD Handycam. Hmm, this toy was said to be meant for me, to capture my moments of triumph eg rolling over ( Haha, I have not been rolling over much since early April! ). So, the cam was instead used to record myself bathing, singing, crying…more importantly I think is the audio-visual documentation of my early journey in life. Before the cam, mama used to record ‘16 seconds silent movie’ with the still camera, very much like the Chaplin’s days. Well, grandma popo even suggested that papa gets a cam into the labour room, but papa said no as he already has his hands full with me, mama, Dr Anjalai, the three nurses and of course with all the amniotic fluid and bottom bleed - 7am to 7pm on that meaningful day.

Last week, mama got herself another toy – a Toyota Avanza 7 seater MPV ( pronounced as A Van Car? ). Hmm, again this toy was said to be meant for me, to ferry me and my ‘entourage of bouncer-bed, gym, floor mat, stroller, steriliser, clothings, ++’. Papa and mama take me home to visit grandpa yehyeh and grandma mahmah every Friday and stay overnight ( currently I am staying and growing up with grandpa kongkong and grandma popo ). I also go out for walkabout in the gigantic-scenic limestone cave garden of Kek Lok Tong, for dimsum breakfast ( I mean see people eat dimsum ), for shopping at Jusco and BeBe Shop…so all in all the MPV comes handy. Okay, try your luck, the number is 5970.

My 'sisters'

2006-04-16T06:00:00.000+08:00

This is a picture of my sister.
She joined the family on 22nd Feb, magical numbers 2-2-2 ( my birthday on 11th Jan is equally magical, 1-1-1 ).
No...no...no, the girl at the back is my cousin sister Wendy. I am talking about that ‘soulful’ piece of metal in front.

My sister – a 18 lbs 2003 S-sized Giant TCR compact geometry roadbike, has a beautiful orange-purple chameleon coating on its SLAluxx aluminium frame and carbon fork, that comes complete with Shimano 105 triple chainring 52-42-30 x 9 speed group set.

The Giant

I have another sister - a Schwinn MOAB aluminium hardtail mountainbike matched with RockShox Judy SL fork, Shimano XT drivetrain and Avid 7 Digit brakes, which mama rode much during her formative cycling years in 2001 and 2002.

Mama with the Schwinn (fitted with 1.25 road slick tires) during Kuala Kubu Baru to Fraser Hill Gap ride 2004. In the background is the scenic Hulu Selangor dam

My sisters have taken my mama far, and fast.
Mama (with papa), cycle mostly with the PMJ Ipoh group, PCC KL group, and sometimes even wheel-sucking the Perak boys or whipping the 50+ year old uncles along their favourite weekday 35 km Sea Games Lap circuit.

PMJ rides are normally weekend rides, ranging from 2 to 4 hour for a 50 to 100 km journey. To the north, are the tranquil towns of Chemor and Kanthan, rustic rendezvous with Orang Asli at Sungai Siput, Lasah and Lintang, right up to the royal town of Kuala Kangsar, which could be extended to the challenging camelbacks of Sayong and Parit. To the south, cruise into the ex-mining towns of Gopeng and Kampar with plenty of KL bound lorries for company, and of course my pama’s favourite Tour de France look alike (but feel different la) Kuala Dipang - Chenderiang rolling loop. Sungai Itek mossy off road ride all the way up to the water dam is also memorable and not forgetting too, ‘Tour of Perak’ criss-crossing the trunk road, highway and Gua Tempurung. Towards the coast are many simple and serene settlements like Lahat, Tronoh, Bota and its scenic new link to Parit, or even Sitiawan and Lumut. Mama has even ridden the hilly round island Pangkor on a rented bike. Majestic mountains beckon Simpang Pulai to Kampung Raja 60 km climb with +12˚ gradient at the ‘divider & last km’ stretch. Return trip will hurl the bikes at more than 60km/hour! Those seeking century climb, can crank up Simpang Pulai-Tapah-Kampung Raja- Simpang Pulai loop, 180 km in total. As a newbie, mama participated in PMJ 2001 annual fun ride from Ipoh to Bukit Tambun, 138 km away, just for seafood LUNCH! 48 riders started at 5.45 AM, with 4 scheduled stops and finally completed at 11.30 AM. Return trip – bikes on lorry, people on bus. *Ask mama for the VCD recording.

With PCC (PCC = Pedalphiles Cycling Club or Perfect Cycling Companion), mama rode some off road trails - the supposedly rideable Jim Thompson in Cameron Highlands and Ipoh Fellowship Ride in Tanjung Rambutan. Mama loves the interesting InterState excursion organised annually (since 2000?) The PCC InterState is a long-distance 3 days road tour held in conjunction with the 31 August Merdeka Day celebration (over 300 cyclists and 400 km in distance)! Mama has been to 2 InterStates :

b 2002 KL to Banding InterState

2002 InterState Day 1 KL to Teluk Intan : Mama and AhGu posing in front of Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan upon arrival.

I told you so...300 cyclists, 300 bikes! Mama in the high security room safe-keeping the bikes.

French participant Jean Marie having dinner with papa and mama. Jean eventually becomes mama good friend and even offered to host mama's trip to France to watch Tour de France. He has since gone back to France after completing his engineering consultancy work in Lumut for Alstom.

2002 InterState Day 3 Kuala Kangsar to Banding : Mama grining and grinding Gerik-Banding climb. Jean and papa in tow.

Welcome to Pulau Banding : 2002 InterState completed!

A picturesque place! Pulau Banding is actually an island in Temenggor lake. Note the bridge at the background that connects the mainland to the island.

b 2003 KL to Batu Pahat InterState

2003 InterState Day 1 KL to Melaka : Mama (2nd rider) smiling and spinning into Melaka. AhGu and friends right behind.

2003 InterState Day 1 : Mama resting and sight-seeing after arriving in Melaka. Another 'sister'?!

2003 InterState Day 2 Melaka to Batu Pahat : Mama in a breakaway.

Mama's legs - toned and tanned!

Mama and papa, just the two of them, have had wonderful moments too on the road. Both enjoy the traditional way up Cameron Highlands from Tapah, for pancakes and hot barley-lemon at the dumb-loving-couple stall in Tanah Rata (check out the place beside Maybank Tanah Rata). Fresh air. Free sunshine. Other interesting rides include :

b Blue Ride – the Tour de Langkawi leisure ride around KL+PJ for publicity.

2003 Blueride : Papa at foreground, yellow fork bicycle. Mama just behind papa, with black hand warmer. 500 riders, that’s what the paper says!

b Penang Jamboree treasure hunt. – the food and heritage hunt of GeorgeTown.

b Races! Mama has gone as far as Shah Alam & Kuala Kubu Baru to race – for the thrills and not the trophy?

2004 Kuala Kubu Baru to Fraser Hill Gap race : Take note, no registration = no racing numbers = illegal racer!

Mama surely has enjoyed much with sisters but mama has stopped riding for the past year since conceiving and delivering me (she put mothballs in her cycling shoes box). The last I heard, mama is now thinking of getting a new carbon roadbike, of course, unless the tree starts bearing fruit again...

Joy to the world

2006-04-11T06:42:00.000+08:00

May these smiles, chuckles and laughters bring joy to your life...

Sweet slumber @ 6 days

Eskimo @ 9 days

Little White Riding Hood @ 21 days

Thanks God, literally @ 29 days

Manja mummy @ 38 days

After shave prisoner-look @ 42 days

Chuckling chick @ 64 days

Laughing is contagious...

Laughing is very contagious...

Laughing is very very contagious... (@ 83 days)

Hah..Ha..Ha..Ha..Ha...!

i Newsflash : Yesterday I did my first back to front roll over.

i Newsflash : Yesterday my mama strained her neck while feeding me. Yeah, while feeding me, a 7 kg rock!

Faces (and grimaces) of ...

2006-04-06T04:42:00.000+08:00

the full timers that pamper, lull, nurse and bring me up during my tender days.

Like grandma popo, like grandchild : the Empress? :-> @ 25 days

Like grandpa kongkong, like grandchild : quite sleepy. @ 25 days

Like mother, like daughter : very zzzleepy. @ 24 days

...the blog-runner. @ 9 weeks

and the part timers during holiday weekends.

With AhYi. @ 22 days

With AhGu. @ 22 days

and of course to many more who are just not available pictorially, well this little angel loves you too!

Qi. @ 19 days

Before the beginning - The Tree

2006-04-03T22:15:00.000+08:00

Before I was born, my grandma popo presented my parents with this funny looking 2 footer tree, also known as the 'Money Tree'.
According to my grandpa yehyeh, this particular tree seems to have originated from a hot and harsh weather region, maybe Middle Eastern or Sahara African, simply by the look of its rough and thick bark that helps to retain water.
The tree has beautiful bushy jade green coin-shaped leaves, and reportedly rarely (never?) bears fruit - fruit bearing is akin to rafflesia blooming.
Somewhere early 2005, the tree started to bear a single pinkish fruit! The sign, the omen - that my mama has conceived and I was born soon. A pink fruit represents a baby girl, a blue fruit would represent a baby boy, and any other colour would be disastrous, so claimed my mama. *Note : The tree has never bore any more fruit till now.

My name Lee Zhao Qi ( chinese characters 李兆琦 ) means : surname Lee (Lee) / omen (Zhao) / a rare kind of jade (Qi). Collectively it also means 'all beautiful things/signs of nature', befitting much of my parents love for outdoor and nature.

Do you believe in signs?

In the beginning...

2006-03-30T03:55:00.000+08:00

This blog was first created when I was about 10 weeks old, when my papa finally realised he couldn't sleep much. He couldn't sleep much at night (I guess he winks at work) after being conditioned by my American Time Zone first fortnight of life, so he started finding things to do in the middle of the night while my mama expresses her milk for my next day meals ( I sleep much and eat little at night because my grandma popo keeps insisting Moony Grandma is out, Sunny Grandpa is not out and the Birdies are still sleeping).

The first few pix uploads are below, intended for my AhGu and AhYi viewing for missing me so much, and probably too for my papa's friends which he has not been keeping in touch with nocturnally say for the past 6 months because all the beer money has gone to pay for my insurance premiums.

Top to bottom - 40th day of life : I enjoy shaving / Hair gets in my eyes / wo de nian nian bu jian liao / kfc / Potty @ 2nd month 11 March 2006.
P/S : Thanks AhYi & AhGu comments of me being cute, does it mean papa ugly mama adoreable?