Hiatus

Dear all,

I am taking a short break from blogging. Not sure how long I define short as, but it would be for at least 3 months because my submission date is exactly 3 months from today.

Three months without my stories isn't too long, I don't think. ;)

In the mean time, I will be updating my Instagram, so do drop by when I randomly wander through your thoughts.

Keep safe, y'all!

Matsuda Japanese Restaurant

For Evon's birthday, I took her to enjoy her favourite Japanese cuisine at a place we normally do not visit - Kota Kemuning. Initially, I was thinking of taking her to Nihon Kai but ended up choosing Matsuda instead. Well, have to try new places, right?

I think you could tell what we ordered just by looking at the photos. We left the place feeling very satisfied with the service, the portion, the freshness of the seafood including the sashimi, and the flavours. 

Texture of the unagi was to my liking, the used quality ingredients in their miso and did not skimp on the size of sashimi cuttings.

I wouldn't mind visiting again, just to try more things on their menu. I also liked how they priced their food. And the best part would be, plenty of parking.

Matsuda Japanese Restaurant
35-1, 8 Jalan Anggerik Vanilla BE31/BE, Kota Kemuning, 40460 Selangor, Malaysia
Tel: +60 3 5131 6028

Weekdays Noon to 3:00pm, 6:00pm to 10:30pm Weekends Noon to 10:30pm

Happy Chinese New Year!

This year's Chinese New Year is harder for me because I managed to celebrate it with family last year. In addition, it is also Dad's birthday today. However, I am grateful for the friends I have here in Sydney who I refer to as my Sydney family, who are here to celebrate with me. Although a little watered down compared to celebrations back home, the Year of the Horse is going to be yet another amazing year Down Under.

Here is to wishing family and friends around the world a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous Chinese New Year of the Horse!

Taska & Tadika Kembangsari: Concert & Graduation 2013

I think by now everyone knows that I make a trip back in November every year. The reason I make this annual trip, or try to, is to be part of our centre's Concert & Graduation, which is the biggest event on our calendar. This year, this event is extra meaningful because it is to celebrate our 20th anniversary.

Mum postponed it to the final week of November, instead of the usual 3rd Saturday of November to accommodate my schedule. I missed not being part of the setting up, especially to be there at the school hall to watch the stage come to live. There is much involved in making a large empty stage fit for a childcare centre/kindergarten concert. Our main props: colourful balloons and long pieces of cloth.

Oh, and lots of wire, fishing line and stainless steel rods.

Not to mention lots of (loud) coordination between the people on the stage, below the stage and right at the top.

We had two staff members and an ex-student who decided to overcome their fear of heights to help with the tying of the cloth.

Slowly but surely, we filled up the airspace and had quite some fun positioning the different pieces of cloth.

Of course, the stage would not be complete if it did not had the theme displayed:

As the children and educators had already prepared the backdrop, we made use of it after we added some glitter to it.

The result was fantastic:

I really liked how the shadow dances as the stage lights switch. From down stage, that depth effect was mesmerizing.

The hall was full for the entire evening, something we are very proud of every year - supportive families who stay till the very end of the event.

After a successful evening, we took down everything the next morning and brought the balloons back to the centre. Like we do every year, we gave the balloons out to the children during the year end party.

Here is to thank everyone who has supported us throughout the years. Honey Bee would not be what it is today without all of you. Thank you!

Happy birthday, Mummy and Li'l Bro!

Sigh, yet another year of birthday celebrations without me being home. But at least, I have next year to look forward to!

Here is to wishing my 

Wonder Woman Mummy 

and my cat-loving Didi

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Thank you for everything that you have done for me!

Happy birthday, Michael!

Baking and I do not go well together, and therefore, it is a rare scene to see me wielding a whisk in the kitchen.

Seriously, I could not believe myself when I patiently spooned out the batter into each "cup" in the baking tray. And since there were extra ingredients in the cupboard, we decided to be a little creative with what was supposed to be just plain vanilla cupcakes.

As I was not sure of how much butter I had put in (I only estimated), I sighed a breath of relief to see that the end product did look like cupcakes.

We decided not to use pre-made frosting. D looked up for a recipe for cheese cream frosting and made it from scratch. She whisked some caster sugar, butter and cheese cream together with some vanilla essence and lemon zest and looked every bit like an old-timer but insisted that she does not bake. "I don't bake one, really one."

I made good use of the raspberry flavoured M&M's chocolate that we had. Knowing Michael, he must have some sweet after salty/savoury and so the combination of the chocolate, 100s and 1000s on the cupcakes would do the trick. I made the letter M out of the M&M's in his favourite Manchester United colour of red (and pink because I wanted to leave some red ones for us to munch on). Hm, still turned out a little "girly" due to the colours but oh well, I don't do this every day and definitely not for every friend.

XW did more than I. She prepared a full meal: steamed egg with prawns and mushroom (something like chawamushi), stir-fried snowpeas with leek and carrots, as well as Vegemite chicken (which was awesome!). Oh, and radish soup.

After dinner, XW helped to distract Michael by showing him D's room while I quickly lit a candle and hid in the kitchen. He did not know that we were doing this, so when he saw me holding the cupcakes with a candle, he said, "No wonder la, I was thinking since when Tai Jie bake cupcakes one. Stress until have to bake? Cannot be..." 

To my sai lou here in Sydney,

Here is to wishing you a very happy birthday! Make the best of your final year in your 20s and you know that you have my support in everything that you decide to do!

Glad that you were happily surprised and thank you for that heartwarming "speech" during dinner. I was genuinely touched. If you made that speech any longer, I would have teared up.

Much love,
Tai Jie :))

Happy birthday, my dear...

Birthdays hold different meanings for different people. While some people think of it as a milestone worth celebrating, some think of it as another passing day. For me, it is a bit of both but when it is someone else's, it means a lot.

Today, someone very dear to me turns 30. I have known him since January 2001. In a blink of an eye, our friendship has lasted for 12 years and counting. Of course, like any ship that sails the unpredictable seas, we have had our fair share of rough and calm waters, unexpected weather and the occasional surprise visit by a whale or dolphin.

To that special someone;

I am thankful that I made the decision to give 6th Form a try because otherwise, I would not have sat behind you.

I am thankful that I knew the teacher-in-charge of the class through tuition because otherwise, she would not have given me the opportunity to take up a class committee position.

I am thankful that I accepted the class committee position because otherwise, I would not have had the opportunity to work with you.

I am thankful that you were (and still are) a really friendly and helpful person because otherwise, I would not have had the courage to befriend you.

I am thankful that you were heaps better at Maths than I was because otherwise, I would not have had so much attention from you in class.

I am thankful that you believed in me (and continue to) because otherwise, I would not have managed to overcome the thoughts I had.

I am thankful that we went through what we did because otherwise, we would not have matured in the way we view each other and in the way that we are accepting of each other.

I am thankful that I did not reject the possibility of us becoming friends again after our fallout because otherwise, I would have lost a person who understands me really well.

I am thankful that despite everything, we are still friends and that our friendship has grown stronger throughout the years.

For all the phone calls, messages, cards, presents, meals, movies, impending tropical getaway, hugs and support. For your presence in my life.

I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Happy birthday...

Nearly 2 years...

How time flies. It was not too long ago when these children were only 3 or 4-years-old when they first attended our centre. I remember how some of them came in with their parents to visit for the first time, how some questioned our curriculum, how they cried pitifully during their first two weeks with us.

We not only grew with the children, we also grew with the family. As some of these children spend more awake time with us than with their parents, we formed close, genuine bonds with families. It has been a humbling journey  working with these families.

Some of these children stayed for a year. Some for 2 years. Some for 3 and some for 4 years. Some of their parents also enrolled younger siblings, which meant that our face-to-face interaction with them go on for more than 4 years.

How time flies. It was not too long ago when all they could say were, "I want mummy" or "sheeshee". Although we have many children attending every year, it still amazes me at how much they learn. In only a few weeks, "I want mummy" would become "Mummy, bye-bye!" and "sheeshee" would become "May I go to toilet please?"

For this particular batch of students, it has been 2 years since they graduated to primary school. While some of them have lost contact with us, many of them still keep in touch with us through Facebook or saying hi during drop-off and pick-up time.

We are very pleased and proud that many of them have adapted very well to primary school life, some even making a name for themselves for excelling in story-telling, wushu, gymnastics, track and field, basketball, poetry, calligraphy and singing. Hopefully, the experiences they had with us will continue to come in handy in their lives.