Siem Reap: The Kingdom Of Ancient Kings and Heavenly Dancers (Part 2)

Formidable fortresses,

Decrepit ruins,

Sacred ancient sites, 

Simple bucolic lifestyles,

Beautiful children rising against all odds, 

And a recent cataclysmic history.

This is the Siem Reap that I had experienced and loved. A city of contrasts. Of recent horrors. Of simplicity and beauty. Of majestic temples and awe-inspiring ancient history. 

Here are some highlights of our brief Siem Reap adventure!

Ancient ruins and temples

I loved exploring the temples, wandering along the small passageways of ancient ruins, balancing atop scattered stones which dated back to a thousand years or more, strolling along labyrinths and entrance ways of powerful archaic kings. 

My favourite temples are in this sequence: 

1st: Bayon (built in the late 12^th or early 13^th century)

This entire complex of temples and towers was sprawling and magnificent. Each of its 54 towers was topped with 4 massive carvings of smiling and serene stone faces. The entire temple complex was built into two levels, and walking amidst the mammoth smiling faces on the upper level was surreal. We lost ourselves exploring the narrow, meandering passageways of the ruins, with tall imposing towers and colossal peaceful faces smiling down on us. Definitely felt like Indiana Jones! 

2^nd: Ta Prohm (built in the late 12^th or early 13^th century)

Nestled deep in the forest, this mysterious jungle temple was overgrown with huge, towering trees with immense roots penetrating into every corner of the complex. This was a temple complex that time and nature had embraced into its folds. The entire ambience was enigmatic, mystical and dreamlike.

Ruins still abounded, and there were construction work ongoing everywhere. It was amazing to see how archeologists had dug and labelled copious timeworn stones to slowly re-create the original temple structure. The reconstruction architectural efforts of all these ancient temples are brilliant. 

The Bees perching on lots of centuries-old archaic stone slabs

3^rd: Angkor Wat (built in the early 12^th century)

The opportunity to finally witness the legendary Angkor Wat was magical. As the largest religious monument in the world, the entire complex was gargantuan and formidable. We were very lucky to engage the services of an excellent local guide who regaled the stories of the ancient Khmer empire with so much relish and passion. It is essential to hire good local guides because the stories of the Khmer kingdom will make the colossal intricate carvings of Hindu mythology come alive. Our guide also knew the best entrances to ensure that we avoided the crowds, and our first encounter with the great Angkor Wat at the deserted East entrance was tranquil and solitary.

The Bees at the desolate East entrance of Angkor Wat

We climbed all the way to the top of the central enclosure, and it was really very high, with a couple of steep staircases. Children below 12 are not allowed into the top of the central enclosure, and thankfully, the steps proved to be a little challenging for my father-in-law, so Little Bee and him went off somewhere nice to sit and wait for us.

Big Bee heading towards the steep upper levels of Angkor Wat

Seeing the skills of ancient artisans as displayed in all the fascinating carvings and architecture around us was amazing. Even the architectural skills of layering rocks on top of foundational rocks without the use of cement or any support was incredible. We were captivated by the beauty, scale and brilliance of the entire sprawling complex, and were lost in centuries of history.

Children in Cambodia learn to be independent from very young

Crowds came in around 9am in the morning (we arrived at around 7am), and I must say I did get a little frazzled because of the sea of humans from all over the world visiting Angkor Wat. In all, we spent about 3 to 4 hours traipsing different parts of this “City Of Temples”.

The Bees with our friendly, passionate and highly knowledgeable guide

4^th: Banteay Srei (built in the 10^th century!)

This was a smallish temple that was slightly out of the way. However, it was the oldest temple that we had visited (1,100 years old!) and the carvings were so intricately done that the images seemed three-dimensional and leaped out at us. This temple is also known as “Lady’s Temple” because of its distinctive pinkish and yellowish hues from the yellow sandstone that was used to build this temple complex.

Can you imagine that this temple is 1,100 years old, with these intricate and beautiful carvings?

We met a couple of young Cambodian children who were playing in this temple, using lotus petals and leaves…and reminded the Bees that play could be derived anywhere. We interacted a little with the kids using sign language and these children were just beautiful. Let’s hope their futures would be bright and strong with Cambodia’s increasing development. 

Making friends through sign language and a universal curiosity for humanity amongst children

5^th: Banteay Kdei (built in the mid 12^th to early 13^th century)

We visited this temple after half a day at the Angkor Wat, and my father-in-law was relatively tired, so this was a relatively brief visit. Temple-visiting can get tiring for some elderly folks. Coupled with the hot and humid weather, it might be wiser to use half a day to visit temples and the afternoons to rest and relax in a spa or in the hotel, if one is not used to taking day-long walks.

This temple was small and compact. Compared to Angkor Wat, which was all nicely restored, this temple had more ruins and broken down temple buildings, which I was actually more fascinated with. It was also overgrown with moss and there was a shady, cool, somewhat neglected ambience to it.

6^th: Angkor Thom

This was a whole complex where the royal palace used to be. We meandered through a labyrinth that led to the top of a viewing gallery where kings of yore would travel on their elephants to watch sporting competitions. It was breathtakingly magnificent, standing atop the platform where many kings had stood before, letting our minds wander to the days when good and evil were so defined, where there were not as many shades of grey, unlike the modern era.

We also enjoyed other experiences like: 

Taking tuk-tuks around the city

Taking a tuk-tuk in Siem Reap was exhilarating and akin to a journey back in time. There were very few vehicles on the roads of Siem Reap, so the tuk tuk was able to chug along at a good pace, which brought much-welcomed breezes to our faces. We were also able to take a glimpse into the different street life of common folks in Siem Reap – groups of residents bathing and washing bedsheets in the river, ubiquitous fruit stalls on the roadside, motorbikes with whole families of 4 or 5 sitting on it...

It was truly refreshing to see ways of living that were so different from urban Singapore, and the Bees were amazed.

Night markets!

The night markets in Siem Reap were teeming with eager hawkers touting their wares. They were mostly conversant in English, and I really enjoyed haggling and bargaining with them (80% slash down as first negotiation is a must!).

There were all kinds of exotic foods on sale – we saw deep fried crickets (which Little Bee ate with relish), deep fried tarantulas (yikes!), crocodile meat, menacing-looking shellfish, etc.

Ali-baba styled pants in light cotton material were very popular and after buying and wearing a pair to a full day of temple visits, I started appreciating why. The pants were great for keeping the ubiquitous mosquitoes away, and yet they were so cooling and soft, which made trekking around the old, uneven temple grounds really easy.

Some final tips
In all, we had a surprisingly enriching time in Siem Reap. Frankly, I was not expecting a lot after seeing pictures of Angkor Wat and other temples online. However, pictures really did no justice for any temples in Siem Reap. Once there, the scale, the poignant history, the culture and the ruins made the whole temple-exploring experience truly amazing.

I thought I would add in some tips and advice for families travelling with children. As dengue was rampant when we visited, we made sure the Bees had lots of mosquito patches and we constantly sprayed repellant on them. Do watch out for huge, strange insects and try to avoid venturing into the jungles or tiny, abandoned crevices of the temples. We squeezed into a tiny, dilapidated nook once, and were bitten by a gigantic wasp! 

Lots of insects abounded in the temple ruins, and make for great study in nature! Here, Little Bee was holding on to a huge millipede!

We chanced upon a large group of wild buffaloes during lunch one day

We ate a lot at local restaurants and bought food from the night market, and as with most developing countries, food hygiene may sometimes be an issue for younger children. So, we just avoided drinking water from the tap, always ordering bottled mineral water or Coke, and make sure you order food cooked in high temperature (stir-fried or fried stuff are the easiest, insects included!)

This was a most enriching trip and the experience of being in a very different country remains indelible in our minds. We would love to return and immerse more in this country another time. 

The simplicity of life in Cambodia, where people are still using firewood as a source of fuel

人强马壮，龙马精神

As I grow older, I begin to appreciate and cherish the intricate rituals of Chinese New Year. How festivities and routines are completely similar year after year. How our elderly relatives ask the same old questions year after year. These grew more endearing to me these days, reaffirming just how precious family ties are. 

We are lucky to have very close bonds with all our relatives and family members. Which is why we had 8 family gatherings and visits over the first week of Chinese New Year - and enjoyed every single moment of these. The girls got to know 4 sides of their different families from Hubby's and my family trees, and they delighted in getting to know their great-grandmothers, grandparents, uncles, aunties and cousins more. Little Bee is the one who really looks forward to such gatherings, and would often feel sad whenever these occasions come to an end. She would not fail to entertain everyone with her outspoken antics and her comical expressions! 

Big Bee, on the other hand, is now a little adult. She had stopped playing with the little kids totally (much to Little Bee's distress) and had become more self-conscious. Most of the time, her nose is buried in her current favourite book (which is the Divergent series by Veronica Roth for now). Other times, she would join the adults for some casual chatting. She is in an in-between stage, and is finding her way around, yet enjoying the process, which I am relieved about.

This year, we also visited Chinatown in early January, where we were privy to the celebrations of the Chinatown light-up. We did not even plan for it, so we were pleasantly surprised to hear the deafening firecrackers and be dazzled by fireworks exploding in the skies just above us. Most of all, we enjoyed eating super yummy food in the Chinatown hawker centre and strolling around in the nostalgic People's Park. 

On the eve of Chinese New Year, we had a sumptuous and festive reunion dinner with the girls' great-grandmothers. How rare it is to have a four-generational reunion dinner! That is so special in every way. 

As we wind down from these convivial celebrations, I constantly have to remind myself not to limit our interactions with the extended families just to an annual New Year gathering. Let's hope we get to see more of our family members this Horse year! 

Marina Celebration

There is a place in Singapore that does not resemble frantic, urban Singapore. Where the pace is relaxed and halcyon. Where it reminds us of the origins of Singapore as a small island country with water all around us. And that is the place that we brought our parents there for their birthday celebrations a couple of weeks ago.

Raffles Marina is a charming place for dinner, especially on a day with a resplendent sunset - just like what we witnessed on the evening we brought our parents there for dinner. The sun was a bright tangerine orb hovering low in the horizon, and the sky was clear and cloudless. The dazzling sunset was nothing short of spectacular. Even the service staff commented that such sunsets will only appear a few times per year. How blessed we are!

Dinner was at a Chinese restaurant within Raffles Marina, but we almost had the whole restaurant to ourselves. So, it was a very warm yet private affair, where we could spend time bonding and joking with each other with all the privacy we wanted, yet chatted amiably with the very friendly service staff. Overall, it was a very homely experience with superb food at very reasonable prices.

The highlight of the gathering was the walk around the Marina after dinner. The breeze was balmy, the tide was placid and the night sky was so clear that we could decipher what could be Jupiter beside the Moon!

I was a little worried that Father could not walk for the entire perimeter of the Marina, but he was perfectly fine with our evening stroll, and we could admire the dark expanse of sea, looking across at the Tuas Checkpoint as well as pitch-dark land of Malaysia just across the straits. We also gazed with interest at the various yachts and boats around us, and spent a long time relaxing beside the alluring lighthouse of Raffles Marina, spotting fishes like barracuda and garoupa. The girls were thrilled with this fish-spotting activity, and my parents were delighted because of the extended time spent with their grandchildren. What an excellent way to wind down and leave behind the typical urban worries of a frenetic Singaporean lifestyle!

It was with reluctance that we left our dinner venue, but I can foresee us coming back soon!

Up On A Hill's Peak

Last month, over the Easter long weekend, my cousins and I coached up to Genting Highlands, staying at Resort Hotel, for a short but much anticipated break. The adult cousins looked forward to lots of catching up and chatting, and the little cousins looked forward to lots of playing together! We were also lucky because my mum happened to come on the same trip with her friends (although she was so busy we hardly met!) and Irene's parents also came along on the trip (same, the grandparents were all so busy that they could not meet us!).

Some memorable moments from the trip:

1) An early coach ride

Waking the family up, bleary-eyed, at 5am - in the dark dawn - to get ready for an early morning coach ride starting at 6.15am.

2) Napping!

Relaxing and napping loads on the bus while the big girls giggled and chatted among themselves. What a contrast to our previous trip where I had to share a seat with toddler Little Bee!

3) Theme parks galore

Spending lots of time with the cousins and my 2 nieces, Chloe and Val, in the indoor and outdoor theme parks.

The girls outside the open-air theme park

The little cousins had great fun bonding with each other, trying out all sorts of rides from carousel rides, a ferris wheel, bumper cars, an indoor roller coaster (erm, only Big Bee and me tried out this ride!), baby choo choo trains, rodeo rides, flying dumbo/airplane rides...you name it, we tried it!

Both my girls loved the bumper cars! Here, Little Bee was seen trying to deftly avoid another car, otherwise she would usually go around bumping others! 

The girls also had a swell time at the carnival stands, trying our hands at so many games stalls, trying to win little gifts!

It was so relaxing just strolling around and deciding on the rides to take. Furthermore, the theme parks in Genting Highlands have none of those long queues that we find in Disneyland or Universal Studios, and that made it a lot more enjoyable!

4) Taking a stroll along memory lane

The adult cousins reliving their nostalgic memories of coming to Genting Highlands together as children - as we paddled boats around the large tranquil lake that had been in existence since we were little kids!

It was so idyllic to sit back and just paddle the boat with our legs languidly (although I had to paddle a little harder because my "partner" on the duo boat was Little Bee, whose legs could not reach the paddles!). The lake was serene and placid, and it was so nice to paddle near our cousins, with the little cousins waving excitedly and shouting each other's names whenever we paddled closer to each other!

After the boat ride, we then ambled around the edge of the lake, retracing the steps of yore when we were young. We then took the antique car ride, amidst much nostalgia, and I could just sit back and enjoy the scenery because my "driver" was Big Bee!

5) Food, glorious food!

Malaysia has one of the best foods (for me) on earth. We took every opportunity to gorge on palatable delights, and the climax was reached on Saturday afternoon when all of us were feeling rather lackadaisical after a whole morning of theme park rides - so we decided to go for a cheap hotel buffet! The result was plates and plates of scrumptious local and international goodies, from char kway teow to fried bee hoon, from ice-kachang to delectable cakes! The adults stuffed our faces until we were speechless with bloated stomachs!

The girls munching away at high tea!

The kids used the opportunity to munch on sinful sweet cakes, and fooled around together a lot. A classic scene involved all 4 of them sitting on an adjacent empty table, as if conducting a meeting, with them giggling and chatting incessantly. Another classic scene involved Chloe and Val posing as models with Little Bee acting as a photographer, directing them around!

6) Easter egg hunt

Hubby and I bought 12 colourful Easter eggs (with little sweets inside), and hid the eggs all around our hotel room. Thereafter, we invited all 4 girls to search for the eggs, and boy, what energy and enthusiasm permeated the room, with the girls frantically and excitedly searching for the bright little eggs! After they found the eggs and the activity in the room settled a little, what ensued was crazy play between the girls and Hubby, while all of us watched in amusement. That was certainly a welcomed reprieve from the constant activity in the theme parks!

7) Foot Reflexology Delight


The best thing about having older daughters is that they are now able to fully appreciate the marvellous concept of spas with hubby and I! On Saturday night, four of us went to a foot reflexology spa. Hubby, Big Bee and I had the best foot massages ever, in a dim ambient setting. Little Bee was so patiently sitting in another comfy chair while quietly talking to me at times that I felt really bad that she couldn't enjoy the massages yet (the therapists told us that she is a little young for foot massages). Still, this is a good indication of future holidays!


8) Breathtaking vistas

Early in the second morning at around 6.45am, Hubby whispered and gestured me to walk outside with him to "look at something very beautiful", in his words. I was intrigued. Leaving the 2 girls sleeping in the dark room, we tiptoed out to the lift lobby which was a few steps away, where there was a huge window which served as an excellent viewing gallery for nature's greatest show - sunrise! Captivated, with our arms around each other, we observed the stupendous unfolding and resplendent transformative colours of one of nature's most astounding miracles. We were bewitched by the dense tangerine gathering of clouds, by the enchanting sea of misty lavender clouds with murky peaks of other lower hills peeping through, by the gradual but alluring changes of sunlight across the gorgeous vista.

On that morning, while having breakfast by ourselves, we were lucky to discover an exquisite glass house beside Coffee Bean and Tea Leaves where four of us were inveigled by brilliantly azure skies, virginal white clouds and lush verdant alpine trees.

We strolled around, loving the chilly nip in the air and the sharp, tangy pure air of the hill top. Wondrous indeed!


This was such a fun and relaxing trip that the cousins are already planning our next getaway together! 

Preparing For The Dragon's Roar

I had been working 12 consecutive days without any rest - throughout the entire weekend last week too. Which is why I started off this Saturday a little edgy, tense and a wee bit tired, unable to shake off that clingy irritant called Work.

However, I gradually got into the mood of the imminent Dragon year this morning when I had the opportunity to shop around for new clothes, pyjamas and other Chinese New Year trinkets for our home.

Traditions and rituals have a funny way to slither unknowingly into our memories - enticing us to travel back in time to those wonderful days when we were young, when life was carefree, when our parents planned elaborate lunar new year celebrations. By replicating some of these age-old rituals, we are perpetuating not just traditions to pass on to future generations, but also social constructs of self and society for our children.

For me - these familiar rituals, these proverbial practices act as a powerful life buoy for me, imbuing a sense of calm, the significance of stability and a stalwart anchor that reassures and sustains me. The world around us might change, but such familiarity ensures me deep down in my soul that so long our essence, our awareness of what truly matters and our love for our closest family and friends remain the same - everything else is irrelevant.

I also hope to create this bubble of familiarity, tradition and reassurance for the Bees so that they can look back at their childhood fondly in future.

Which was why Hubby and I were invigoratingly packing the Bees' room this whole afternoon, although it can get tiring at times! And since Chinese New Year this year has a weekend before 初一, I was delighted to be able to indulge in a reunion dinner with my family. This year, we had dinner at Guilin Restaurant with my entire maternal family as well as Uncle Pat and Auntie Rose - and it was so heartwarming catching up with everyone despite all our hectic schedules.

I am certainly looking forward to more family bondings in the next few days! Happy Dragon Year, everyone! 

The Sunshine Moments of 2011

We spent a very quiet New Year's Eve, busying ourselves with re-doing the girls' bedroom to a brand new theme and spending the evening looking at photos of our recent holiday. Warm, snuggly and intimate. 

As 2012 looms ahead of me, I read through some old blog posts (and were amazed at how fast time slithered past as always) and reflected about some momentous instances in the past year. 

Here are my top favourites:

1) We went a little overdose on holidays this year, probably in a bid to escape from hectic working life in Singapore! But these holidays sealed our close family bonds and allowed us to spend unfettered, unobstructed time with the Bees. 

We had a languorous time with ourselves in Penang, doing nothing but chilling out, eating and soldering our nuclear family ties. 

We decided to bring the entire extended family on a longer trip to Taiwan (which I had yet to publish my post!). It was so gratifying to see the 4 grandparents' eyes lighting up every morning to see their beloved Bees. And we managed to spend 7 days of precious time with all our parents in a stunning and beautiful country with breathtaking natural scenery.

And we loved our latest holiday to South Korea where we spent a very quiet but memorable Christmas, away from everyone we know, only to hole up in a rural small town.  

I am never really very good at travel blogging, but will try to publish posts on the last 2 holidays soon!

2) I am thankful that Big Bee got into a special performance class for next year, whilst maintaining my usual level-headedness that this is but her first step in a long odyssey. And more importantly, as her parent, I need to inculcate the values of working hard and expecting the best, yet, if the best is unreachable due to whatever reasons, it is perfectly fine so long as your family loves you and you are healthy and happy. Strange, juxtaposed lessons to impart...but challenges are synonymous with parenting! 

3) Little Bee had just turned 5, and had grown and grown in K1- much to both Hubby's and my chagrin. Nothing wrong with her becoming more self-reliant, more worldly-wise, of course. But...we will miss her little baby self, her chubby cheeks and her pure immaculate innocence as she stepped onwards to K2 next year. She is a lot more independent now and somewhat cynical at times (just like her big sister), albeit with frequent dazzling sessions of absolute charm and baby naivete. She is popular in her K1 class and has many best friends. Her teachers adore her and had also discovered her love for performing, so we shall see how they nurture her in school. She had also commenced her ballet classes last year...and is enjoying every bit of her classes. 

4) Meanwhile, Big Bee has matured beyond description, and is now deep in tweenhood as she turned 9 this year. She is now like my friend, and sometimes even my mentor. I look to her for advice on some issues and she never failed to dish out sensible advice. When I go crazy with Little Bee, dancing and singing around the house, sensible and no-nonsense her would shake her head as if barely tolerating these 2 mad childish females! She stopped bringing my home-prepared lunch boxes to school, which was a little sore point for me, preferring instead to buy food with her friends in the canteen during recess. Yet, at times, her enthusiasm, excitement and love for adventure shines through - and I never fail to cherish these 2 sides of her personality. 

5) Hubby and I managed to meet another time in Beijing for one night in April during both our work trips for a little couple time. And we also managed to escape to Bintan during our anniversary for a night. There were also a few occasions when we requested my Mum to stay the night in our house, just so we could indulge in a little supper and movie, and even a happening concert, to regain our connection and solidify our emotions without distractions. I definitely love these moments. 

6) Work-wise, I am grateful for an exciting and new portfolio at work, which is something that I had always wanted. Yet, I am even more thankful that I am travelling much lesser for work now. As my frequent flyer status dwindled down the tiers year on year, I rejoice in the fact that this is a powerful indication that I am with my darling Bees most nights of the year, instead of some cold, impersonal hotel bed. 

7) On the homelearning front, we had covered the themes of Space, Solar System, Planet Earth and Lifecycles this year. I hope to continue to work regularly with the Bees on fun homelearning, whilst balancing the dry, more academic aspects of homework and assessment books (urgh). We are also doing more painting at home, with me as art teacher and the Bees attending art workshops for the first time this holiday (they love it!). Being all-rounded individuals is so important for character development and ultimate experience of everything in life. The Bees also became flower girls for the first time, and would be flower girls the second time on the first day of 2012 :) 

8) Gatherings with close friends are getting lesser with everyone's busy schedules as our kids enter primary school. But yet, I am thankful for holiday breaks to catch up with friends and for all the random occasions throughout the year when my cousins and the Bees' cousins would meet and have fun! 

9) Hubby had acquired a new hobby - marine fishes! So, this past year had seen a slew of new pets from octopuses to starfishes to seahorses to all sorts of colourful marine fishes! He had become quite an expert, and had imparted quite a lot of knowledge to the Bees as well! Thanks to him, we now have an teeming and lively aquarium with marine life to admire every day.

10) I still love all those simple outings in Singapore when we would traipsed to the myriad parks around our sunny little island, indulged in alfresco picnics, immersed ourselves in performances and museums, or simply relaxing at home with breakfasts and homecooked meals. 

2011 had been a lovely year...but I am still reeling from the feeling that it had soared past us way too rapidly! 

Posing with lionesses in one of our many zoo trips

What were your most significant moments in 2011? 

Merriment In The East

On Nov 19, the cousins got together for some family bonding, together with the grandparents - all thanks to Irene who invited us to her chalet at Downtown East! 

She booked a cosy and spacious corner room, and from the moment the little cousins met, it was non-stop, intensive playtime!

Travelling all the way to Downtown East imbued us with that sense of adventure, as we rarely venture into this part of Singapore. The resort feel of Costa Sands lulled us into the mood for holidaying and vacationing, and it is wonderful that we could indulge in such retreats without needing to travel overseas! 

We had a simple yet scrumptious lunch, comprising of delectable local delights like Penang char kway teow, curry fish head, nasi lemak and many more that we could not resist! 

It was serious soiree for the little cousins after lunch, with 5 recharged and boisterous girls indulging in some gleeful fun. Val brought along her little friend, Isabella, who was alone with us the whole day! 

I bought a packet of "blowing balloons" that journeyed straight out of our childhood days. Remember those tubes of gels where we use little straws to blow into really malleable yet fragile balloons?? Well, the kids went crazy over this when Irene, Fio and I blew these balloons for them. Big Bee was really good at blowing tremendously large balloons - even better than the adults! 

But the other little cousins who are much younger tend to deflate the balloons inadvertently rather quickly. We finished the entire packet of almost 15 tubes in a jiffy - with very tired mouths from blowing too many balloons! 

It was swimming time after we had usurped all the tubes of balloon gel, and we were truly thankful that the weather was wonderfully balmy yet not too sunny for a great swim! The girls were squealing and chuckling in delight, and had a truly fun time splashing around in the pool.

 

Dark ominous clouds loomed over us, and eventually large angry drops of rain pelted down on us in the typical late afternoon shower that was so ubiquitous this month. 

Back in the chalet, we squeezed all 4 little girls into the shower cubicle while Big Bee watched us bathe them in delight. It was like a factory production line - Irene would spray water on them, followed by me shampooing all their hair, then Irene would soap their bodies and we took turns to shower them clean. Then Fiona was in charge of towelling all of them dry. What hilarious fun! It was truly a sight seeing 4 little girls of similar height, stark naked and giggling, in a little shower cubicle. 

It was tea time once we got the girls nice and squeaky clean. Thanks to Irene's mum, all of us could indulge in some nice warm homemade green bean soup and fragrant pandan cake, as well as homemade agar agar from my mum! Slurp! The rain was pouring intensely outside but it was truly heartwarming and cosy within the chalet. 

All fun things must come to an end, and as the rain trickled to a halt, we bade farewell to each other but I am certain we would be seeing a lot more of each other during the December holidays!  

The King Of Fruits

Hubby and I love durians. I have a wonderful love affair with my favourite fruit since young, when my 大姨 (my mum's eldest sister) would bring bunches of these pungently fragrant fruit to my house - for free! - from her farm in Sembawang. The country farm that we used to frequent and play around as kids had sadly been taken over by the government, but my love for durians persisted. 

I love digging into the fruit, feeling the velvety smooth exterior of each fatly endowed seed, and then biting right into that rich creamy texture while inhaling the pervasively beautiful smell of durians that many could not endure. I love licking my fingers after a yummy feast and sniffing the remnants of that amazing fragrance on the tips of my fingers long after our feast had ended. 

My parents played a huge role in my persisting love affair with durians, always creating a hullabaloo whenever my father bought durians home. We would then stop everything we were doing, lay newspapers on the floor, and sit around these thorny delights, sinking our teeth into the succulent seeds, and discussing which ones were the tastiest. My parents would always save the best seeds for me - especially those with really tiny seeds and a lot of the fruit. We would then drink tap water from the husks of durians, believing that this would dispel the "heatiness" from consuming the fiery king of fruits. Strangely, my brother was (and is) not a fan of durians, despite all these domestic reinforcements! 

Hubby and I wanted the Bees to share our common love for this delicious fruit, so we buy durians occasionally for them. So many young people I met these days have a natural and sad aversion to this fruit, so I am delighted that the Bees love the smell and taste of durians as much as we do! Yippee!

We particularly enjoy sessions when we could eat durians at the durian stalls, when we could just snatch the fruits from the husks, ravished the seeds and just threw them into an adjacent box on the floor. The Bees love this ritual, and I foresee we would all be looking forward to the next durian season! 

The Bees indulging in a "maosanwang" (or was it XO?) durian some months back

Mid-Autumn Enraptures Us

After a rather long business trip that spanned almost 2 weekends, I came back to an enchanting Mid-Autumn Festival with the family. The Friday before I was back, Hubby and my mum brought the Bees for an enjoyable lantern walk with the rest of my neighbours around the estate. It had been a tradition that I had to sadly miss this year. However, I am glad that the Bees managed to enjoy themselves thoroughly with Hubby and my mum! 

Out with grandma and lanterns! 

Lanterns around my estate

The actual day of Mid-Autumn Festival fell on a hazy, smoke-infused Monday with fumes from the forest fires in Indonesia permeating the whole of Singapore. Therefore, the usually large and luminous moon was shrouded in nebulous clouds. 

Hubby and I had a lovely, quiet couple dinner that night, which was something so rare that we appreciated every minute of it, albeit it being a very brief meal. 

When we came home, I brought the Bees out to light some refulgent candles, ignite some effusive sparklers and ambled around the dark grounds with our lanterns. 

It was therapeutic, it was comforting. It was a wonderful homecoming for me to spend some peaceful time with my little ones after 9 days of being away.