I like Harry Connick Jr. He's a good singer and musician/pianist, and he acts too. Some of the moives he's acted in are Memphis Belle, Independence Day, Copycat and New In Town.
Check him out here singing and playing:
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Friday, September 9, 2011
Mini Great Wall of China, Pangkor Island
These are a few sections of the Mini Great Wall of China as you walk along the paved and stepped walkway.
Before our recent visit, I had come to Pangkor Island only once before. That was more than 10 years ago. I had heard about this place on the island but had never been there before this. The Mini Great Wall of China as it's called, is simply a very scaled-down replica (doubt this word is even suitable in fact). But it still manages to attract lots of tourists by the vanloads.
The reason I say 'vanloads' and not 'busloads' is that during our three to four hours in Pangkor, all I saw were pink vans going about the narrow roads of the island bringing tourists to all the various attractions. And speaking about narrow roads, the road leading to the Fu Lin Kong Chinese Temple where the Mini Great Wall is located is very narrow, just enough for 1.5 cars to pass either way, meandering through a haphazard housing area (a village is more like it).
As you approach the temple, the first thing that greets you is a bright, colourful Chinese arch. Walk past the parking area where you also find a few stalls selling drinks, snacks and souvenirs and you reach the temple with rock-arch entrances on both sides.
Archway entrance to the temple
The parking area in front of the Fu Lin Kong temple, with many pink taxi vans.
I did not step into the temple but I could see that it's well-maintained, clean and has a fresh coat of paint. The roof of the temple is typical of most Chinese temples with its various intricate designs and sculptures. This one has figurines of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals as well.
The temple with its various sculptured structures
The horse atop one of the roof corners
The Mini Great Wall is towards the back of the temple. On one side of the temple, there are some cages with monkeys and squirrels inside. They were not well-maintained and the animals didn't look too happy to be there. I wonder why the management of the temple (or whoever owns the animals) wants to have those animals and cage them up.... :(
We walked around for a bit, went up the gradual steps along the 'great wall', saw some tortoises at one corner of the temple, and left after browsing at the souvenir stalls.
We walked around for a bit, went up the gradual steps along the 'great wall', saw some tortoises at one corner of the temple, and left after browsing at the souvenir stalls.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Chronological account of our trip to Ipoh-Lumut-Pangkor
Every year, the school third term holiday falls in mid August. This year, however, the one-week holiday was a bit later and coincided with Hari Raya and National Day (first day of Raya was also Merdeka day). On the first day of the school holiday on Saturday 27th August, we drove to Ipoh to attend E's cousin's wedding dinner.
As it was the school holiday cum 'balik kampung' rush for almost all Malaysians, one would expect the highways to be congested. Our initial plan was to leave home at 6am to beat the jam and arrive in Ipoh for breakfast (tasty Ipoh dim sum!) but alas, it was not meant to be. E got home late the night before and hadn't packed his bag yet. I had packed mine and C's. I don't pack E's bags for him for travels as he's one picky guy. Unlike some husbands who happily leave it to their wives to pack for them, be it for business or leisure trips, E being the vainpot that he is (ha ha ha, hubby bashing here) seldom agrees with my choice of clothes for him. If I pack for him, he'll re-pack so what's the point? So it was only that morning before we left that we waited after breakfast for him to pack and then we left home at around 10.30am.
Traffic was smooth at first until we came to a point where the highway narrowed to two lanes with undulating terrain. That's when we started crawling. Thankfully, it eased up when we were nearing our destination and the usual two-hour travel took us three hours -- not too bad.
After lunch, we checked into the hotel that we were to spend that one night in and rested for a bit before getting ready to attend the dinner.
The following day (Sunday), after a sumptuos lunch feted by the bridal couple again, we left Ipoh for a short two-night holiday at Swiss Garden Damai Laut near Lumut. It rained all the way there and what was left of the evening after checking in was too gloomy and wet to go frolicking around the pool or beach. We decided to drive out to Lumut town where the waterfront and jetty to Pangkor Island is to forage for dinner. We ended up in a small Chinese non-airconditioned restaurant and had a simple dinner of fried rice and oyster omelet. C the city girl hates non-aircon places and wasn't too happy with our choice.
We then took a short stroll along the shops selling dried seafood products (Pangkor Island and Lumut are famous for these) and bought a set of beach toys for sandplay for our grumpy kid who had insisted that a beach holiday must include such paraphernalia to make sandcastles.
The next morning, we took a day trip to Pangkor Island. It was C's first ride on a ferry. She enjoyed it very much, standing out on the open deck all the way there. At Pangkor, we rented a car for three hours and visited a Chinese temple popular for its mini Great Wall of China. Then, we visited the Dutch Fort. After that, it was time for lunch.
We ended up in another non-aircon shop which sold chicken rice. Many of the coffee shops and eating places in Pangkor that day were packed with tourists. You can hardly find any air-conditioned place in Pangkor Island as it is still considered a small fishing village with narrow roads and old shops apart from its popularity as a beach/tourist destination. Being holiday season, the island was swarmed with visitors and the chicken rice seller was laughing his way to the bank. We found a table but his supply had run out so we had to wait awhile for a fresh batch of steamed chicken to arrive. Soon after we got our cold drinks, a motorcyclist arrived with a plastic bucket in hand. Out came two or three steamed chickens which promptly landed on the chopping board to be served quickly to a number of tables of ravenous people, including ACE. We were served only chicken and rice, no soup, no cucumbers as sides. We couldn't complain as we were hot, sweaty, hungry and what could they do if we did? They had run out of soup and cucumber and weren't going to replenish.
After lunch we returned the rental car and hopped onto the next ferry back to Lumut. Back at the hotel, Miss Grumpy became Miss Happy as she quickly got into her swimsuit to head for the beach and pool with daddy while I headed to the spa for a painful foot reflexology session. I sometimes wonder why I subject myself to pain instead of pleasure at a spa. That night's dinner was at one of the restaurants at the hotel. It was a buffet and the spread was nothing to shout about, not too bad but not great either. Being the first day of Raya, the spread included Raya delicacies like lemang, ketupat and rendang too.
The next morning after breakfast, we checked out and headed back to Ipoh to E's aunt's house to collect a boxful of frozen, boneless roast ducks to be brought back to KL for E's sister who had ordered them through the aunt who has contact with the supplier. Direct purchase from the outlet in bulk (a minimum of 20) gets you a 10 per cent discount. So we carted 18 frozen ducks in a box home (the aunt had taken two). I took four and E's sis took the rest for herself and for distribution to other people.
Upon arrival in KL, we detoured to where Rusty was boarded for the past four nights to take him home. We got home, unloaded our bags and Rusty, showered quickly (all that in under half an hour), and started driving again, this time to Klang for dinner with E's parents who had just returned from a trip to UK/Europe and were not able to attend the wedding dinner. It was the only night available for them to meet the bridal couple who were leaving the next day for a trip to another Asian country. Again, the bridal couple bought us dinner at a nice (this time air-conditioned) restaurant in Klang. It was a very long and tiring day for us that day. Poor E drove almost all day since noon (I drove only the KL-Klang leg) and by the time we got home from Klang, it was past 11pm.
I will write separately about some of the food we had, the places we visited and what we did in another post. It's bedtime now and I'm still recovering from a mild flu I caught after returning from this 'whirlwind' trip. Sometimes I think going on holiday causes more stress!
As it was the school holiday cum 'balik kampung' rush for almost all Malaysians, one would expect the highways to be congested. Our initial plan was to leave home at 6am to beat the jam and arrive in Ipoh for breakfast (tasty Ipoh dim sum!) but alas, it was not meant to be. E got home late the night before and hadn't packed his bag yet. I had packed mine and C's. I don't pack E's bags for him for travels as he's one picky guy. Unlike some husbands who happily leave it to their wives to pack for them, be it for business or leisure trips, E being the vainpot that he is (ha ha ha, hubby bashing here) seldom agrees with my choice of clothes for him. If I pack for him, he'll re-pack so what's the point? So it was only that morning before we left that we waited after breakfast for him to pack and then we left home at around 10.30am.
Traffic was smooth at first until we came to a point where the highway narrowed to two lanes with undulating terrain. That's when we started crawling. Thankfully, it eased up when we were nearing our destination and the usual two-hour travel took us three hours -- not too bad.
After lunch, we checked into the hotel that we were to spend that one night in and rested for a bit before getting ready to attend the dinner.
The following day (Sunday), after a sumptuos lunch feted by the bridal couple again, we left Ipoh for a short two-night holiday at Swiss Garden Damai Laut near Lumut. It rained all the way there and what was left of the evening after checking in was too gloomy and wet to go frolicking around the pool or beach. We decided to drive out to Lumut town where the waterfront and jetty to Pangkor Island is to forage for dinner. We ended up in a small Chinese non-airconditioned restaurant and had a simple dinner of fried rice and oyster omelet. C the city girl hates non-aircon places and wasn't too happy with our choice.
We then took a short stroll along the shops selling dried seafood products (Pangkor Island and Lumut are famous for these) and bought a set of beach toys for sandplay for our grumpy kid who had insisted that a beach holiday must include such paraphernalia to make sandcastles.
The next morning, we took a day trip to Pangkor Island. It was C's first ride on a ferry. She enjoyed it very much, standing out on the open deck all the way there. At Pangkor, we rented a car for three hours and visited a Chinese temple popular for its mini Great Wall of China. Then, we visited the Dutch Fort. After that, it was time for lunch.
We ended up in another non-aircon shop which sold chicken rice. Many of the coffee shops and eating places in Pangkor that day were packed with tourists. You can hardly find any air-conditioned place in Pangkor Island as it is still considered a small fishing village with narrow roads and old shops apart from its popularity as a beach/tourist destination. Being holiday season, the island was swarmed with visitors and the chicken rice seller was laughing his way to the bank. We found a table but his supply had run out so we had to wait awhile for a fresh batch of steamed chicken to arrive. Soon after we got our cold drinks, a motorcyclist arrived with a plastic bucket in hand. Out came two or three steamed chickens which promptly landed on the chopping board to be served quickly to a number of tables of ravenous people, including ACE. We were served only chicken and rice, no soup, no cucumbers as sides. We couldn't complain as we were hot, sweaty, hungry and what could they do if we did? They had run out of soup and cucumber and weren't going to replenish.
After lunch we returned the rental car and hopped onto the next ferry back to Lumut. Back at the hotel, Miss Grumpy became Miss Happy as she quickly got into her swimsuit to head for the beach and pool with daddy while I headed to the spa for a painful foot reflexology session. I sometimes wonder why I subject myself to pain instead of pleasure at a spa. That night's dinner was at one of the restaurants at the hotel. It was a buffet and the spread was nothing to shout about, not too bad but not great either. Being the first day of Raya, the spread included Raya delicacies like lemang, ketupat and rendang too.
The next morning after breakfast, we checked out and headed back to Ipoh to E's aunt's house to collect a boxful of frozen, boneless roast ducks to be brought back to KL for E's sister who had ordered them through the aunt who has contact with the supplier. Direct purchase from the outlet in bulk (a minimum of 20) gets you a 10 per cent discount. So we carted 18 frozen ducks in a box home (the aunt had taken two). I took four and E's sis took the rest for herself and for distribution to other people.
Upon arrival in KL, we detoured to where Rusty was boarded for the past four nights to take him home. We got home, unloaded our bags and Rusty, showered quickly (all that in under half an hour), and started driving again, this time to Klang for dinner with E's parents who had just returned from a trip to UK/Europe and were not able to attend the wedding dinner. It was the only night available for them to meet the bridal couple who were leaving the next day for a trip to another Asian country. Again, the bridal couple bought us dinner at a nice (this time air-conditioned) restaurant in Klang. It was a very long and tiring day for us that day. Poor E drove almost all day since noon (I drove only the KL-Klang leg) and by the time we got home from Klang, it was past 11pm.
I will write separately about some of the food we had, the places we visited and what we did in another post. It's bedtime now and I'm still recovering from a mild flu I caught after returning from this 'whirlwind' trip. Sometimes I think going on holiday causes more stress!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Caitlin's Yogurt Banana Pops
Caitlin has been subscribing to this children's magazine for almost two years now. They have another 'junior' version for younger children aged 4-7 years too. Every month, she looks forward to receiving it in the mail and would finish reading it in one sitting (it's not too thick). It contains nice and interesting stories and facts, with good (Christian) values, and many ideas for activities like craft and cookery for the kids.
Yesterday, she decided she wanted to try out a recipe she found in the latest issue. It's called Raspberry Banana Pops. As we didn't have raspberry yogurt which the recipe called for, we substituted it with a Mixed Berries yogurt which I happened to have bought a few days ago.
Here's Caitlin's 'handiwork' before it was put into the freezer:
The recipe:
3 bananas
6 wooden popsicle sticks
6 ounces raspberry yogurt
sprinkles (optional)
1. Cut bananas in half crosswise.
2. Slide one popsicle stick into each banana.
3. Pour yogurt onto a plate and roll the bananas until covered.
4. Pour sprinkles on a second plate and roll the bananas.
5. Place the bananas on a baking sheet with wax paper.
6. Place in freezer for 2 hours or until frozen.
Yesterday, she decided she wanted to try out a recipe she found in the latest issue. It's called Raspberry Banana Pops. As we didn't have raspberry yogurt which the recipe called for, we substituted it with a Mixed Berries yogurt which I happened to have bought a few days ago.
Here's Caitlin's 'handiwork' before it was put into the freezer:
The recipe:
3 bananas
6 wooden popsicle sticks
6 ounces raspberry yogurt
sprinkles (optional)
1. Cut bananas in half crosswise.
2. Slide one popsicle stick into each banana.
3. Pour yogurt onto a plate and roll the bananas until covered.
4. Pour sprinkles on a second plate and roll the bananas.
5. Place the bananas on a baking sheet with wax paper.
6. Place in freezer for 2 hours or until frozen.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
News article
I came across this in thestaronline's ParenThots section today. The link to the article is here. Or I've copied it below.
Excuse me, are you a Tiger Mum?
17 August 2011
TEENS & TWEENS
By CHARIS PATRICK
Amy Chua’s controversial memoir Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother details her strict parenting style which includes no sleepovers, play dates or TV. In addition, the American author and Yale Law School professor talks about the virtues of drilled academic learning and intensive daily practice on the piano and violin. With a stroke of her razorsharp pen, the mother of two teenage girls has set most well-intentioned parents wondering: Is this the right parenting style? Does it really work?
Even though it feels like we respond to our teens on a case-by-case basis, our decisions have a lot to do with our parenting styles, which are shaped by the way in which we combine our warmth and affection for our teens with structure and discipline.
Years of research have categorised four different parenting styles, each of which contributes to various characteristics in teens. If you are not a self-confessed Tiger Mum, see if you can identify with any of the following styles:
Authoritarian parenting
In this style of parenting, children are expected to follow the strict rules established by the parents. Failure to comply usually results in punishment. Authoritarian parents fail to explain the reasoning behind these rules. If asked to explain, the parent might simply reply: “Because I said so.” These parents have high demands, but are not responsive to their children.
According to US clinical and developmental psychologist Diana Baumrind, these parents “are obedience- and status-oriented, and expect their orders to be obeyed without explanation”.
Authoritarian parenting generally breeds obedient and proficient children. They, however, rank lower in happiness, social competence and selfesteem.
Authoritative parenting
Like their authoritarian counterparts, the authoritative parents establish rules and guidelines that they expect their children to follow. However, this style is much more democratic. These parents are responsive to their children and willing to listen to questions.
When children fail to meet their expectations, they are more nurturing and forgiving, rather than punishing. Baumrind suggests that these parents “monitor and impart clear standards for their children’s conduct. They are assertive, but not intrusive and restrictive.
Their disciplinary methods are supportive, rather than punitive. They want their children to be assertive as well as socially responsible, self-regulated and co-operative”. An authoritative parenting style tends to result in children who are happy, capable and successful, according to US psychologist Eleanor Maccoby.
Permissive parenting
Sometimes referred to as indulgent parents, they have very few demands to make of their children. These parents rarely discipline their progeny because they have relatively low expectations of maturity and self-control.
According to Baumrind, permissive parents “are more responsive than they are demanding. They are non-traditional and lenient, do not require mature behaviour, allow considerable self-regulation, and avoid confrontation”.
Permissive parents are generally nurturing and communicative with their children, often taking on the status of a friend more than that of a parent. The children will probably rank low in happiness and self-regulation. And they are more likely to experience problems with authority and perform poorly in school.
Uninvolved parenting
This is characterised by few demands, low responsiveness and little communication. While these parents fulfil the child’s basic needs, they are generally detached from their child’s life. In extreme cases, these parents may even reject or neglect their children’s needs.
Uninvolved parenting ranks lowest across all life domains. Their children may lack self-control and have low self-esteem, and are less competent than their peers.
How do you know your parenting style? It can be helpful to consider these questions:
- How clear are you about boundaries and the rules of the house?
- What do you do when the rules are broken?
- How comfortable are you in hearing your teen’s opinions and suggestions, and alternatives?
- How often do you find yourself explaining your reasoning?
- Do you know who your kids’ friends are? Their parents?
- How comfortable are you with compromise?
- Do you have to nag your teen to get things done?
- How often do you feel like your teen is taking advantage of your good nature?
If you are interested in finding out your parenting style, there are a number of websites that offer free quizzes. The best way to use this kind of information is not to criticise yourself, but identify your strengths and weaknesses. Having more knowledge on how you parent can help you to grow in the areas that you deem important.
Below are a few recommended sites for parenting quizzes:
www.parenting.com/Mom/signalPatterns.jsp
www.activeparenting.com/Parents-Parenting_Style_Quiz
www.parentstoolshop.com/HTML/quiz.htm
parenting.quiz.kaboose.com/11-what-syour-parenting-style
While you discover which style you use, we will discuss the most suitable style and the role change necessary for parenting teens and tweens in a fortnight. Till then, happy parenting.
Charis Patrick is a trainer and family life educator who is married with four children.
Excuse me, are you a Tiger Mum?
17 August 2011
TEENS & TWEENS
By CHARIS PATRICK
Amy Chua’s controversial memoir Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother details her strict parenting style which includes no sleepovers, play dates or TV. In addition, the American author and Yale Law School professor talks about the virtues of drilled academic learning and intensive daily practice on the piano and violin. With a stroke of her razorsharp pen, the mother of two teenage girls has set most well-intentioned parents wondering: Is this the right parenting style? Does it really work?
Even though it feels like we respond to our teens on a case-by-case basis, our decisions have a lot to do with our parenting styles, which are shaped by the way in which we combine our warmth and affection for our teens with structure and discipline.
Years of research have categorised four different parenting styles, each of which contributes to various characteristics in teens. If you are not a self-confessed Tiger Mum, see if you can identify with any of the following styles:
Authoritarian parenting
In this style of parenting, children are expected to follow the strict rules established by the parents. Failure to comply usually results in punishment. Authoritarian parents fail to explain the reasoning behind these rules. If asked to explain, the parent might simply reply: “Because I said so.” These parents have high demands, but are not responsive to their children.
According to US clinical and developmental psychologist Diana Baumrind, these parents “are obedience- and status-oriented, and expect their orders to be obeyed without explanation”.
Authoritarian parenting generally breeds obedient and proficient children. They, however, rank lower in happiness, social competence and selfesteem.
Authoritative parenting
Like their authoritarian counterparts, the authoritative parents establish rules and guidelines that they expect their children to follow. However, this style is much more democratic. These parents are responsive to their children and willing to listen to questions.
When children fail to meet their expectations, they are more nurturing and forgiving, rather than punishing. Baumrind suggests that these parents “monitor and impart clear standards for their children’s conduct. They are assertive, but not intrusive and restrictive.
Their disciplinary methods are supportive, rather than punitive. They want their children to be assertive as well as socially responsible, self-regulated and co-operative”. An authoritative parenting style tends to result in children who are happy, capable and successful, according to US psychologist Eleanor Maccoby.
Permissive parenting
Sometimes referred to as indulgent parents, they have very few demands to make of their children. These parents rarely discipline their progeny because they have relatively low expectations of maturity and self-control.
According to Baumrind, permissive parents “are more responsive than they are demanding. They are non-traditional and lenient, do not require mature behaviour, allow considerable self-regulation, and avoid confrontation”.
Permissive parents are generally nurturing and communicative with their children, often taking on the status of a friend more than that of a parent. The children will probably rank low in happiness and self-regulation. And they are more likely to experience problems with authority and perform poorly in school.
Uninvolved parenting
This is characterised by few demands, low responsiveness and little communication. While these parents fulfil the child’s basic needs, they are generally detached from their child’s life. In extreme cases, these parents may even reject or neglect their children’s needs.
Uninvolved parenting ranks lowest across all life domains. Their children may lack self-control and have low self-esteem, and are less competent than their peers.
How do you know your parenting style? It can be helpful to consider these questions:
- How clear are you about boundaries and the rules of the house?
- What do you do when the rules are broken?
- How comfortable are you in hearing your teen’s opinions and suggestions, and alternatives?
- How often do you find yourself explaining your reasoning?
- Do you know who your kids’ friends are? Their parents?
- How comfortable are you with compromise?
- Do you have to nag your teen to get things done?
- How often do you feel like your teen is taking advantage of your good nature?
If you are interested in finding out your parenting style, there are a number of websites that offer free quizzes. The best way to use this kind of information is not to criticise yourself, but identify your strengths and weaknesses. Having more knowledge on how you parent can help you to grow in the areas that you deem important.
Below are a few recommended sites for parenting quizzes:
www.parenting.com/Mom/signalPatterns.jsp
www.activeparenting.com/Parents-Parenting_Style_Quiz
www.parentstoolshop.com/HTML/quiz.htm
parenting.quiz.kaboose.com/11-what-syour-parenting-style
While you discover which style you use, we will discuss the most suitable style and the role change necessary for parenting teens and tweens in a fortnight. Till then, happy parenting.
Charis Patrick is a trainer and family life educator who is married with four children.
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