Christmas Art

We did a bout of Christmas art on a lazy weekend over the year-end holidays. The Bees did some research on what icons they thought that most represented Christmas, and painted those out. We spent a couple of quiet hours drawing and painting these 2 festive icons, and it was really therapeutic.

Here were what the girls had done!

Big Bee's Christmas Tree

Little Bee's Santa's Torso!

Time Slows Down In Middle Earth (Part 2): Christmas Eve With Sheep

Christmas Eve was spent in a bucolic, tranquil way in New Zealand. We trekked around One Tree Hill, which incidentally was the third volcanic peak that we climbed in Auckland. We woke up to a brilliant day of sparkling sunshine and cobalt blue skies dotted with pure-white beguiling clouds, the types of which we can only find in New Zealand skies.

One Tree Hill, Auckland, New Zealand

As we ascended One Tree Hill, we saw hundreds of sheep and cattle scattered all over the slopes of the sprawling hill. They are wild and unfettered, with probably the city council overseeing them.

Can you spot the sheep?

It is wondrous to find spots of wilderness and pastoral living just minutes out of the city. An excellent juxtaposition of idyllic rustic living alongside frenetic urban lifestyles. It made it so much easier for frazzled city dwellers to escape into an arcadian, verdant paradise.

We trekked and ambled in the bush and rambling slopes of the hill, chatting with sheep that chewed on grass just an arm's width from us. Little Bee even sang incessantly to them, much to their annoyance.

The Bees creeping up to the top of one knoll to observe the sheep

These newly shorn sheep stared at us suspiciously and with much caution, but learned to ignore us once we kept quiet and did not disturb them. The line between humans and animals living in the wild is so thin. Most animals react to how humans treated them in the past, so we try to keep our profiles low whenever we want to observe these animals at close range.

It was so therapeutic and rejuvenating to be strolling in seemingly boundless and undulating meadows, with not a sight of other humans. 

With every step we took, we were able to appreciate nature's beauty rather than artificial man-made perks. Beauty in the resplendent red blooms of the pohutukawa trees (also known as New Zealand's Christmas trees because they only bloom around Christmas!).

Beauty in the placid and cautious behaviour of the sheep - we can literally spot idiosyncracies of each sheep once we observed them closely.

Beauty in the hundreds of sheep and cattle dotting the pastures, almost like polka-dotted snowflakes on an art piece.

Beauty in the rich emerald green slopes that shield potentially tempestuous volcanic activities just miles underneath the halcyonic surface.

We found a spot to settle down for a little tea break, on a bench high up the slopes, overlooking the entire city of Auckland with a massive border of rolling meadows. There, over apples and Tim-Tams, we laughed, we played, we sang, we giggled. Just the perfect way to spend a beautiful Christmas Eve afternoon.

The view from our picnic spot

On the evening of Christmas Eve, we sat down on our apartment's dining table and started decorating and writing Christmas cards for one another. Each of us would decorate and write thankful wishes on 3 different cards. Afterwards, we all sat around the bed and read our cards, what we thought of one another, our wishes, our flashbacks. Lots of laughter ensued, and it was a perfect way to count down towards Christmas.

Wherever we are, whatever we do, being together with our loved ones at all times is what matters. 

The Edge Of The World: An Australian Adventure!

Highly unpredictable weather, sometimes with 4 seasons in a day! Undulating hills and mountains. Endless meadows dotted with hundreds of puffy sheep, elegant horses and grazing cows. Boundless cerulean skies that take our breaths away. This is Tasmania and Victoria, where we spent 2 weeks in December. A gorgeous, untouched land that is teeming with magnificent and rugged wilderness.  

Churchill Island
There were multitudinous new experiences for the family in this trip. We practically lived side by side with wildlife that is so tame because they know naught about the harsh and evil nature of men. We observed thousands of wild penguins at very close range, walking beside them and gazing at how they lovingly feed their chicks after hunting for food all day long. Parental love at its peak. 

We trekked for hours in ancient forests and vast bush lands that are rife with very venomous snakes, wild wombats and wallabies. 

A cute and very tame wombat that is way more ferocious than it looks!

We saw this adorable wallaby that seemed to be communicating with us with its beautiful eyes and tame gestures - right outside the front door of our cabin!

We were farmers for one morning where we picked out succulent cherries, uncommon berries, apricots and strawberries in a fruit farm. We flew in a helicopter high above the stunning coastline of the Great Ocean Road, captivated by the beauty of the 12 Apostles. 

Can you spot where the Bees are? The low, bushy button grass land around them is rife with venomous tiger snakes *gulp*

And we took a roller-coaster adventure boat ride in the tempestuous and freezing Southern Ocean, alongside albatrosses and gleeful dolphins! What an adventure!

But most of all, we enjoyed the company of ourselves as a family, together with another family of close friends, over Christmas - high up in a secluded mountain lodge, without any mobile signals, TV sets or internet connection. A cosy, intimate and heartwarming Christmas! 

I will be updating with more entries (and I know it is crazy, because I had not even completed the blogging of our Europe holidays in June! Terrible me.)

White Christmas in South Korea Part 1

*Photos will be added later - too busy to process all those photos!* 

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We spent Christmas in freezing Seoul and its surrounding outskirts this year - all thanks to Hubby who was there for work and who persuaded me to join him in frosty winter with the Bees. I was hesitant at first, as I wasn't very keen to spend a cold chilly holiday in yet another Asian capital city. Furthermore, Big Bee and I were there with Hubby just 3 years ago. However, after reading up a little on small towns and ski resorts, I decided to book super last-minute tickets so we could all indulge in a little wintery holiday! 

Here are some of the highlights of our dreamy escapism from 22 to 29 December 2011. 

1. Firsts

This trip encompassed many firsts for us:

a) First time I travelled with the 2 Bees alone, dragging a gigantic luggage, 2 smaller bags and a stroller. Thank goodness Big Bee is really Mummy's little helper by now, assisting me to hold Little Bee's hand and keeping an eye on Little Bee. It was heartwarming when I saw them ahead of me, pacing the large busy airport, holding hands and chatting mirthfully together. 

Little Bee is also a big sensible girl now, so it was rather easy to navigate around the customs alone with them. Things may get done a little slower, eg when the girls needed help to take off their cumbersome winter boots at the customs checks; when they took turns dashing to the toilet upon arrival in Seoul, which also meant that we were one of the last passengers on the flight to slowly collect our gigantic luggage from the belt; when they needed help to layer up their winter sweaters, jackets, gloves and hats when we reached the Seoul airport, and finally, when I had to slowly shepherd 2 excited girls (in sub-zero temperature!) into the Seoul airport shuttle bus when they would rather prance around in the glacial cold! 

But it was exhilarating to spend quality time with them on the plane, both of them on each side of me - yakking and giggling away, in strong anticipation of a wintery holiday. And it was all worth it when we saw Hubby waiting eagerly for us at the hotel's bus bay even though we arrived on one of his busier working days. 

b) First time that the Bees experienced a snowfall! 

Little Bee was the one with the sharp eye who saw snow falling outside as we adjourned back to the hotel after dinner on 23 December. She exclaimed loudly, "IT'S SNOWING!", and we all thought it was a figment of her imagination - until we saw the flurries rapidly pelting down outside! 

The Bees dashed outside to enjoy the soft falling snow, opening their mouths wide and extending their warm tongues to taste the cold snowflakes in delight. The snowfall was so heavy that the pavements and cars were all turning white rapidly and our hair, faces and clothes were literally covered with a misty white covering of flurries - which made the whole experience so wonderfully magical! 

They were squealing in pure excitement, and hopping up and down like little bunnies. I had never seen them so ecstatic in a while. 

The Bees went back to the hotel room to don on waterproof gloves so that they could play with the swiftly accumulating snow on the pavement. We threw snowballs at each other, much to the Bees' immense delight. We also tried using our bare fingers to touch the snow - freshly fallen snow is so beautifully dry, powdery and soft! 

Surprisingly, the cold is usually a lot more bearable when it is snowing, because it actually gets warmer when it snows (the warmth causes snowfall, amazing!) - so we could play a little longer outside at 10.30pm in temperatures of -5 to -9 degrees Celsius. 

It was a truly enchanting moment. 

We also had a few captivating moments watching the snow falling from our room in the dark, seeing how the brilliant white snowflakes illuminate the entire night sky.

The morning after, it was even more alluring to see the whole city bathed in a thin cloak of magnificently white fairy dust. 

c) First time that the family visited a ski resort, and the first time that Hubby and Big Bee tried skiing. On our final day in Seoul, we made a day trip to the nearest ski resort (as all the rooms were fully booked due to the festive period), which was around an hour's drive from Seoul. I selected a ski resort that was more child-friendly with sledding slopes, a few beginners' ski slopes and fun facilities like playrooms and bowling alleys in case the weather turns overly glacial on us! 

It was teeming with school children on field trips which explained why no rooms were available. But it was bewitching to be surrounded by dazzling white ski slopes and resplendent rolling hills all covered with a light sprinkling of white snow, thanks to the recent snowfall. It was certainly therapeutic to escape the dense crowds of downtown Seoul to this serene slice of tranquillity. 

We warmed up with an enlivening sledding session - with Big Bee sledding around 10 times down the slope! Little Bee loved sledding as well, although she was nicely ensconced with Hubby in a small sled. In fact, she loved it so much that she lay down on the sled on the 4th round with Hubby behind her. The momentum of 2 persons on a sled when they stopped was so strong that supine Little Bee was covered with snow from head to toe when she emerged from the sled, resulting in a wet and very cold little girl!  

Which was when I quickly bundled her up and herded her to a nearby restaurant to dry and warm up, while Big Bee and Hubby continued with their sledding fun. 

Lunch was in a restaurant with architecture that was redolent of European alpine resorts. Menu choices were limited but anything steamy hot was welcomed in a cold environment! We sat by the large windows and immersed ourselves in the stunning vistas of forested woods on gently rolling hills, lightly frosted with snow.  

Hubby and Big Bee took ski lessons with a ski instructor for about an hour, and was able to take a ski lift up a gentle beginners' slope for an exalting run down the slope! It was invigorating just to see their happily lit-up faces as they ski-ed past Little Bee and us. Big Bee told me she loved the experience of skiing and it was apparent that a short afternoon of skiing wasn't enough for her. 

Meanwhile, Little Bee was busy trying to make snowmen, little snowcastles and frosty hills as well as snowballs. Her affinity to snow is almost like her affinity to sand - she could squat and play with the powdery magic for ages. I asked her whether she prefer sandy beach resorts or snowy ski resorts, and she told me she likes the latter because she could make snowmen. I think I better start her on building sandmen when we are back in Singapore! 

Being cold also meant we craved for warm snacks regularly - the Bees were ravishing warm hot dog sticks, piping hot corn sticks and rice balls! However, I must say we deliberately chose a warmer day to be at the ski resort, so that it would be a lot more comfortable for us to indulge in a full day outdoors. 

....to be continued...Part 2... 

White Christmas in South Korea Part 2

...continued from Part 1...

2. A magical white Christmas


Christmas Eve

All the main hotels in Seoul were fully booked on Christmas Eve for the festivities. So, I was searching online for a hotel a little further from Seoul to spend a nice Christmas Eve. I chanced upon this small, 2-star hotel of only 37 rooms and minimal facilities. But the photos of the rooms looked good and homely online, so I booked it. 

The hotel is Q Hotel in Yongin, a city about 45 minutes' drive from the heart of Seoul, and home to Everland, the biggest, dreamiest theme park in South Korea. It is located in Cheoin-Gu, which is the rural district of Yongin - and I would like to spend a quiet Christmas away from the madding crowds, so this looked promising. 

Besides, Q Hotel is just about 1.3 km from Everland, which was highly convenient as we planned to visit Everland yet again, this time with Little Bee. 

We had a nice long breakfast in Seoul, admiring the moderate layer of snow on barren tree branches and sidewalk pavements from the previous night's snowfall. We then took a taxi to Q Hotel with sparing luggage for one night, and it was truly therapeutic to observe the gradua, subtle transformation of the landscape from that of an overcrowded, typical urban jungle to one of peace, serenity and isolation, filled with expansive hilly vistas, little villages and white, voluminous meadows. 

I loved how the sides of the roads were piled up with uneven dunes of snow, with no one in the rural district shovelling this fairy dust away, unlike the efficient overnight workers in the capital city. I revelled in the boundless expanse of pure white fields and lucid azure skies, unblighted and immaculate. And as the taxi drove higher up the mountains, the exquisite frosted valleys nestled in the cradle of infinite hills was a resplendent visual feast for our deprived urban eyes. 

I am not sure if the Bees derived as much pleasure of being in the countryside as me, but I was busy pointing out interesting landmarks and sights to them. After all, this was a snowy landscape that was unfamiliar to them, and I hope their city-bred eyes would open up to another dimension. 

Hubby and I were filled with excitement as the taxi drove past smaller and smaller towns, whilst the kids were zealously looking at Everland as we drove past it. 

Soon, the taxi stopped at a small, dingy-looking hotel with no signboard and no grand entrance, just a nondescript glass door that was dark and opaque, so we could not even peer into the lobby. 

As we emerged from the taxi, the first feeling that hit us was the cold. It was much much colder than in Seoul, probably because we were higher up in altitude plus we were in a rural area. Christmas Eve was forecasted as one of the coldest days in the week in Seoul - with highest temperatures at -2 degrees and lowest temperatures at -12 degrees, so Cheoin-Gu would be even colder. 

The arctic cold hit us like a slap in the chest and took our breaths away. I just had enough time to quickly bunch up the kids' hoods on their heads before huddling them straight into the hotel (or motel, haha). 

What greeted us was a very small space that was used for a reception or lobby. There was a female innkeeper who didn't know English at all. Fortunately, her son, who just arrived to help her in this family-run inn, was able to communicate with us in slightly American-accented English. 

We were given a good old-fashioned key instead of those awful, insipid card keys in swanky 5-star hotels. And we rolled our small luggage into a tiny lift - without a concierge. 

The interior decor of the room was quaint - it resembled a log cabin with a traditional heated ondol floor which was truly blissful in this wintry weather! I booked a junior suite, so the room was rather spacious, with a cosy sitting area and a snuggly bed.

The Bees were ecstatically peeling off their many layers of clothes and exploring the nicely heated room. Before long, Hubby was excitedly telling us to layer up (again!) so we could head towards South Korea's biggest theme park, Everland.

Hours later, after a terribly freezing day in an open theme park, we returned to the hotel, loving the much welcomed warmth of the ondol floor. We snuggled together on the small queen-sized bed, in the chilly darkness, and listened to neighbouring rooms celebrate the onset of Christmas as we slowly drifted off to Neverland...

Christmas Day


We woke up to a dazzling landscape of white beauty and a blanket of clear cerulean sky. Merry Christmas! It was truly challenging to get out of bed on a cold winter's morning, so we were only at the breakfast cafe around 9.30am, and we were the last ones to eat breakfast - all the guests were out!

Breakfast was in a small, quaint underground den, with beautiful fusion decor from the African safari theme to a famous sonnet "How Do I Love Thee?" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. The girls (mainly Big Bee) was fascinated by the poem, and I was wondering when would be the best time to introduce these much-loved poems to the Bees. It was truly ironical that we would be learning about a 19th century English poem deep in the suburbs of South Korea!

One of the younger inn owners cooked breakfast for us on the spot. Hubby and I had the yummiest mashed pumpkin toast with scrambled eggs, while the girls had muffins and milk. We had such a cosy time being the only family in the cafe, enjoying our breakfast and yakking loads.

After breakfast, we took a little walk around a quiet, halcyon small suburban neighbourhood. The Bees played with piles of snow in the backyards of peaceful, unassuming low blocks of apartments.

The colours of winter are resplendent. Everything - a maple leaf, an orange peel, the gravel road - looked vivid against the background of pure, white, powdery snow.

The entire neighbourhood was hushed though. Not a sound from neighbours. Not a vehicle moving. And the only people ambling past were old, elderly folks. I couldn't help but think that this is one of the neighbourhoods experiencing brain drain - or youth drain - in South Korea, where the young and able ventured out to nearby Seoul in search of more glamorous riches and glory.

We would have loved to stay out longer, but the temperature was utterly freezing (it felt like -10 degrees Celsius!), so we all scooted into the welcoming warmth of the hotel. All of us were breathless from the cold. I finally understood how frostbite could occur because my ears were absolutely painful from being in the cold for too long - despite warm ear mufflers. My ears truly felt that they were about to drop off anytime!

We packed up and headed back to Seoul in time for a late lunch, with me silently bidding farewell to the agrarian beauty of the countryside for yet another dip in the crowded urban sprawl of Seoul...

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

We are back from a magical, white Christmas in South Korea. It was snowing and freezing, but our little family of four spent a quiet, warm-hearted Christmas in a desolate but quaint little town. Love it! Merry belated Christmas and a joyful countdown to the new year!

As The Year Winds Down

Today is the last day of 2011. So much had happened this year, but yet so little had changed. The year seemed to throttle past us in such a swift manner that I seemed to be stumbling along, making poor attempts to catch up with time. 

It felt like it was only yesterday that we were busy with festivities celebrating the arrival of 2011. And now we are making preparations to bade farewell to that very same year. Where had all the time gone to? 

And sadly, when I look at my children now, I am sometimes jolted with surprise. I mean, they both look so big now, even when their images in my mind are those of them as little babies. And they will forever be my little babies to me, no matter how old they are.

Sometimes, I have this uninhibited urge to rub my eyes furiously and relook at them again. Just to make sure those years of growing up in such a rapid pace were not figments of my imagination. 

I will not take stock of 2011 yet. For there is still one more glorious final day of the year left for me and my family to enjoy. 

The only way to battle rapidly trundling time is only to enjoy every second of the present, to indulge in the now and the current - and not to let our minds be distracted in any way. Easy thoughts to utter, a whole load of effort to implement, of course. 

But just for now, I would like to let my mind be transported pleasantly back to a week and a half ago, when I was on leave from work and being truly able to enjoy the sheer joys of spending extended and luxurious days with Hubby, the Bees, my parents and my closest friends in many different ways. Days spent like this were longer and more beautiful. 

This year, we decided not to put up our Christmas tree, so Hubby had this brilliant idea of chasing these triangular emblems of peace and joy all around town and encapsulating these Christmas trees in myriad shapes and sizes in photos with the Bees. 

Truly on a blazing trail of twinkling enchanting trees. 

The Bees were able to appreciate the different embellishments of the diverse trees and we did a little craft on Christmas trees. But most of all, they learned about the true spirit of Christmas, which was not what all these rampant commercialism of gift exchanges and crazy shopping was about. 

Which was why, for the first time in years, the Bees did not receive any Christmas presents from us this year (only one from Santa for being good little girls - haha - and another from a gift exchange at a gathering with good friends). 

We are also spending a quieter New Year's Eve this year, just to wind down from a wintry holiday - so I am still thinking of what to do with our little family of four to ring in the new year! Pure simplicity, simple pure pleasures. 

Happy New Year, everyone :) 

Sylvanian Delights

We were ambling a lot around town last week, as Hubby and I were both on leave, and happened to chance upon the huge Sylvanian Families toy display section, complete with a huge house, in Raffles City. 

Just as we were ooohing and aaaahing over all the cute little animals and accessories, Little Bee almost choked on her next words and kept pointing behind us, being able to only utter "LOOK BEHIND YOU!" 

And what do you know...we had one colossal Sylvanian rabbit walking towards us, waving her hands, much to the thrill for all of us. 

The Warmth Of Christmas

Christmas came a little early for us last weekend with a couple of celebrations and gatherings. On Friday, we attended our estate's annual Christmas party, and the Bees were excitedly wondering if Santa Claus would think they are good little girls and give them presents. Of course, Big Bee is a cynical girl by now, and kept insisting we parents gave the "fake" Santa Claus our presents, but we kept telling her we did not interfere with Santa's choice, preferring to keep the fairy tale alive :) 

It was a fun party from 6.30pm to 9plus pm, complete with a nice dinner and lots of games and shows. I kind of like such camaraderie between neighbours and this was a good way to infuse the elusive holiday mood into everyone. 

And most importantly, the Bees had proven that they were good girls this year, and got their presents from Santa! 

On Sunday, our group of secondary school good friends gathered for yet another annual Christmas lunch, this time at LP's house. We feasted on mouth-watering pizzas and ambrosial nasi lemak. More importantly, we had plenty of chances to catch up and yak with each other! Given everyone's busy schedules during the rest of the year, the year end holiday season is a beautiful period for all of us to slow our paces, take a look around us and appreciate the myriad bonding with family and friends.  

The kids were playing with each other, and we had a simple gift exchange for them, much to their happiness. It was amazing to see how fast kids transform year after year...soon they will all tower over us! 

We are definitely looking forward to more festivities in these last 2 weeks of a very eventful 2011! 

Blue Christmas

I wanted to do some easy Christmas crafts to get the Bees into the mood of feliz navidad, and chanced upon this intriguing art piece after some googling. According to conscientious Big Bee, this was the hardest piece of art and craft she had done, which I wonder why! Little Bee just went with the flow in her usual free-spirited way. 

Hubby loves it, and declared that we should frame these up. I thought we might improve further with subsequent attempts, but I was heartened that this was so easy and fun!

Step 1: Draw and cut out 3 Christmas trees from construction paper. Ideally thick construction paper. I used normal paper and the effect was not good in the end - as you can see why below. Arrange the trees around a piece of art paper to resemble a fir tree forest. 

Big Bee's cut-outs

Little Bee's cut-outs

Step 2: Use white chalk and trace the trees as well as the forest floor, which could be hilly or flat. Good to use thick crayons for a more striking effect. Draw in dots for snowflakes and a nice round or crescent moon hanging in the sky. It can be challenging to use white crayon to draw on white paper, but this is part of the fun! 

Step 3: This is the fun part! Take out the construction paper of the 2 trees at the sides, leaving the construction paper for the little tree in the centre. The Bees then painted a layer of light blue watercolour painting over the whole paper, except for the ground and the moon. They were awe-struck by the fact that their paint glided smoothly over their crayon outlines of their earlier sketches. It was brilliant seeing them swish their watercolour brushes over the snowflakes and giggling that their sketches came to life with a light blue background! It is essential to use watercolour for its translucent and layering effect. 

Big Bee's crayon outlines!

Little Bee's crayon outlines! 

Step 4: Put back the construction paper of the 2 trees by the sides if you wish. Otherwise, use darker blue paint and paint the sky, avoiding painting into the trees. The Bees put the thin pieces of paper back and made the mistakes of painting over the thin paper, so the paint seeped through the paper, hence losing a significant portion of the final effect. 

Step 5: Take out the paper for the little Christmas tree (and all the rest of the construction paper) and tadah - we have a nice, chilly-looking winter scene, set in the thick of twilight! 

Big Bee's blue fir tree forest :) 

Little Bee's blue fir tree forest :) 

Once again, this was done in under an hour - and the Bees really loved this, especially how the white crayon outline "shone through" the blue paint! 

Merry Christmas, everyone!  

Season's Revelry

One of the best part of the December holidays is that most of us were on leave and the kids were free from school and other enrichment classes. Which left us with much time to catch up with good friends and indulged in some jolly bonding sessions. 

Which was what we did in the last 2 weeks of December. Lots of gatherings with close friends. Plenty of gossip, catching up and laughter. Abundant action and giggling from the kids, some of whom made new friends. 

22 December 2010

We went to Viv's house for a long-awaited gathering - because Fon and Angela happened to be back in Singapore at the same time! So, Viv, Fon, Angela, Annie and I had a fabulous dinner at Viv's beautiful house - with the most scrumptious hawker food to satiate the tastebuds of our friends from far far away. Thanks to KL for putting so much mouthwatering food in front of us!

The 8 kids made new friends. As it had been years since we all gathered together, some of our kids played with each other when they were little toddlers and had clean forgotten each other (like Big Bee), some had never even met each other (like Little Bee!). Big Bee was very charmed by Andrea, and wanted to meet her again - they both got along mighty well. Children are so adaptable when making new friends. In no time, the 8 kids were zooming around Viv's house, jesting about, playing hide-and-seek, exchanging iPhone gaming tips and creating a merry din. 

Which left the 5 ladies (and KL) much chance to sit and gorge ourselves silly at the dining table, gossiping the evening away! I don't think we ever left the table except to go to the kitchen for drinks! 

Thanks Viv, for hosting us. We should do this more often! And it was truly great fun catching up with the ladies - I miss the gossips! 

30 December 2010

PF invited our family to her estate's early New Year's celebration, and we had another marvelous time feasting again! The kids went wild with balloon sculpting and games, and sped all around the function room. The 4 adults had a fulfilling time chatting and eating, while observing the crazy antics of our children with much amusement. I guess one of the joys of having big kids is that we now have a lot more time to spend with our spouses and friends - no more running after our children continuously! 

After the party, we adjourned to PF's house where the kids indulged in a game of Castle Panic (yes, Eugene bought that game after experiencing how fun it was when he played with Big Bee and Claire at our house on Boxing Day!). We left them pretty much to their own devices, and we adults continued our chatting and gossiping, before calling it a night at almost 10.30pm, which was way past the girls' bedtime! 

What an enjoyable week, filled with convivial bonding sessions with friends and merrymaking! 

Boxing Day Shindig

We hosted the yearly Christmas get-together with our closest friends of over 20 years at our house on Boxing Day. It was a cheery lunch with fantastic company, plenty of food and super boisterous kids. YM, LP, BK and PF arrived bright and early around 11am, and I ordered a nasi lemak buffet with home-cooked fried bee hoon for a simple lunch. YM made delicious strawberry jelly cheesecake for dessert, complete with juicy cherries, and BK brought ice-cream. There were also waffles for the little kids from LP. Hubby ordered a roast chicken, chicken hot dogs and ham, but the food was just too much that we did not heat those up. 

Hubby surprised me with a list of party games and prizes he had prepared a few nights ago, and volunteered to be the party games host to 9 rambunctious children. He also decorated the house with balloons and a Santa Claus poster. Short of dressing up as Santa himself (which I suggested to him, haha!), he was all ready to face 9 active kids alone on Boxing Day.

While the ladies sat around the dining table, munching and yakking away, Hubby - with the assistance of the rest of the husbands - directed the kids in different games stations with skilful finesse, much to my amazement! The night before, he printed out an ambitiously long list of games stations for the kids, and they managed to complete 6 stations:

1) Snakes and ladders as the opening game, using our gigantic DIY gameboard. 

2) Word game Zingo

3) Remote-controlled F1 racing cars at the corridor outside our home

4) Fishing in 60 seconds, which was a hot favourite, comprising of each kid attempting to "fish" as many magnetic fishes from a tub of water within 60 seconds

5) Wii Sports of tennis and bowling, which got all the kids hot and sweaty

6) And finally, after most of the families left, Eugene, Claire and Big Bee indulged in a game of Castle Panic, which they won against the monsters! 

Thanks to Hubby, I could chat with my friends in peace, although the kids did create a deafening din with sheer exhilaration and excitement! Medals and small prizes were given out to winners and non-winners alike, so every child went home with something. 

As each year passes, all of us cherish such gatherings more, especially with each other's busy lives. From gawky teenagers to young adults to mothers, I am grateful that I have such close friends to share life's journey's fulfillments. It is also very satisfying to see all our children bonding so well with each other, and hopefully, they would be good friends in future as well! 

An Intimate Day Of Celebrations

Christmas Day was spent with our closest families this year. We had a sumptuous lunch at the Bees' paternal great-grandmother's home, with relatives from Hubby's paternal family. It was uplifting to see everyone coming together, bonding, laughing and merrily exchanging presents.

The Bees had a convivial time with their aunts, and Big Bee were busy dabbling in photography with young Auntie Brianna and Auntie Merrilyn. Such fun indeed!

The new paparazzi

Indulgence for those with sweet tooth! 

We went for a little break at Coffee Club, luxuriating in a caffeine boost, before heading for dinner at my brother's home. Once again, he was the chef, and we were all treated to 2 excellent choices of oven-baked rice (I forgot the actual name of the dishes!), filled with aromatic and rich melted cheese, and a choice between chicken, mushroom and asparagus, as well as mussels, prawns and scallops. Epicurean indeed! My parents were thrilled to be able to sit back and be served, and the Bees were enjoying every morsel.

More log cakes!

Val popped by with her parents for a little while, and the Bees had great fun jesting about with their little cousin again! 

Peekaboo!

Despite the cold, rainy weather, we were all revelling indoors, with heartwarming food and snug, warm-hearted family bonding. 

Good food with wonderful family time - life is brilliant indeed :)