CNY for Expats!

Over the years we've had many opportunities to celebrate Chinese New Year (CNY). Sometimes it's been on a trip somewhere. Other times it's been at home. As time has gone one we've realized that CNY is actually a great time to stick around KL. Many shops might be closed but, perhaps because of that, the roads are empty and getting from one place to another is much more of a breeze than on other occassions. 

This time around we had three days off. It was the perfect respite at a time when we needed a short break to re-charge the batteries. So, of course, when the invitation came in to head to Maryam and John's house for a CNY for expats style celebration we couldn't say no. And it was the perfect evening in so many ways. Adults shared stories and laughed as children played chase, running through the living room. Dinner included the traditional tossed Chinese "salad", made of authentic materials, we were told. 

By the end of the evening kids and adults alike were enjoying the music which, somehow, had gotten louder towards the end. Our girls - and especially Amalia - decided they wanted to be the stars of the show and dancing ensued. It began with dance in a circle, orchestrated by Ms. Brooke, and then became a bit of a freestyle affair. Amalia was particularly carried away with that one... she loved it!

Skills & Interests.

Now that the kids are just a tad older (though they will forever be our "babies") they are starting to become naturally inclined to do things. The idea of mommy and daddy offering things has slowly morphed into the girls determining for themselves what their interests are. Sometimes they are spontaneous interests ("I want to be a barista" Amalia declared as soon as we explained what that person making the coffee was called). Sometimes they are long-standing interests (like Irini's training to be an animal care giver at the SPCA down the street). No matter what the interests are, or the options, it's delightful to see our girls growing, slowly and steadily, or fast and furiously, into wonderful young ladies. We love you!!

Front Seat Driver

Now that the girls are getting older and bigger they are starting to ask to be given more "grown up" things to do. One such thing was the opportunity to sit in the front seat of the car. On occassion Irini has been allowed to do that, especially in controlled settings like parking lots and short trips when there is extra need for people in the back (where we only have two seat belts). But when we were leaving FRIM Irini was given a ride in Tara's car so Amalia got to "move up" and take a seat in the front of the car!  She was delighted with the view and, perhaps more importantly, with the idea of being able to control the music situation. DJs of the world, move over. Our latest front seat navigator, music chooser and (not quite yet) driver has arrived!  :-)

Into the Wild!

We live in the middle (perhaps a more loose term than accurate) of a rainforest jungle so, of course, life would not be well-balanced without the every-once-in-a-while trip to some natural surrounding. This time around it was the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (better known around these parts as FRIM), a close relative to a protected natural area (since it's being studied). From the perspective of a five to eight year old it's doesn't quite matter what it's called, or what the specific function is, as long as there are some trees around and a water spot, both of which are available here. 

We headed over with our friends Karl and Payal and their daughter Tara, Irini's best friend. Normally the girls would be hanging out, sharing homes and living rooms and going to gymnastics together. This time they shared nature instread. It took Tara a bit longer than our girls to decide to get her feet wet but once she got the hang of it all the girls had a blast and a halft. Amalia, the more adventurous of the three, made her way climbing over boulders and under bridges, snooping around and all over the place. In the process, of course, she discovered all sorts of things, from small fish inside a crevice, to water sliders to spiders' webs and, finally, to the find of the day: Three frogs (or were they toads?). She sat just a foot or so away from them and they seemed to recognize that she was just hanging out and so they sat there too. Then, walking down the pathway Irini and Tara ran back with delightful news:  They had seen a monkey!  It turned out it was a pretty big male and it moved away when it realized that there was a crowd taking interest. What a wonderful adventure!

We then spent a bit of time at a different part of FRIM, working on some monkey bars and gymnastics bars set up under some trees for children like ours. No one was there so why not spend some time working on flips and this and that. B

By the time we left the girls were tired, the water was finished, our bodies were caked in sweat and we were aching for a cool environment and some food. The cool environment took a while to develop, as the car moved along. The food was provided in the form of a small Indian open-front restaurant that we like to visit.... chapati, dahl, aloo gobi... it must have taken about two minutes to scarf it all down before heading home.  All in all, a great morning!