Happy Halloween

Another entry without pictures…

It’s our second Halloween in Vancouver. We know what to expect this time around. After running out of candy so early in the day last year, we ended up buying cases (and I mean cases) of candy, mainly chocolates.

We recycled the ape outfit – Arman went as the Ape. Melur dressed up as a princess. Like last year, Daddy took the kids out ‘Trick or Treat’ing, while Mommy held down the fort with Candy Duty. We started out kind of early, at around 5pm, and made our way around the blocks.

As expected, Acadia Park was packed with people, mostly kids in all sorts of costumes and outfits. Melur and Arman were very eager to get their share of candy. Daddy made sure the kids stayed together, and that Melur watched over Arman (as a big sister should). Arman was almost always lagging behind, but not that far behind.

Halfway through, we ran into Melur’s classmate Arshia and her mom. Arshia was dressed as witch. We took some pictures together, but our copies are lost.

UPDATED: I got some pictures from Arshia's mom (Thanks Pooja)!!! Here are pictures of Melur with Arshia. Check it out:

The kids got tired soon after. It was still light outside, but I guess they got enough candy, and so we headed home. We had extra candy this time around. Better extra than not enough. All in all, quite a memorable evening.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Birthday, Mommy!!!

Tomorrow is Mommy’s Birthday. But seeing as Mommy would most certainly expect something tomorrow (or rather, tonight at midnight), Daddy thought he’d surprise her today instead. And so Daddy prepared a special day this Friday evening for Mommy.

**Daddy took some really cool videos of Mommy (and the kids, of course) today, but again, the videos and pictures are all gone **Sob Sob**. But I will always remember her reaction when I think about this day. I’ll try to describe some of it here…

I started by hiding Mommy’s birthday cake outside. It was an ice-cream cake. It’s winter, and the ice-cream cake will stay cool while I prepare the rest of the evening. When Mommy went upstairs to pray, it was my perfect opportunity. I took my laptop and hid it under the sofa. And in its place, I put Mommy’s new laptop, which I got from Future Shop.

When Mommy was done praying, I snuck out to the back, lit the candles, and sang Happy Birthday for Mommy with the kids. She was SOOOOO surprised; after all, her birthday is tomorrow. We spent a few minutes enjoying the cake with the kids. I think the kids were very happy to see Mommy happy.

Then came the surprise. I led Mommy to the living room where my computer used to sit and said, “Here’s your present”. It didn’t register at first. When she looked at her new laptop, she thought she was looking at my old laptop. And then, she started screaming frantically. She was hysterical… I guess she liked her new computer. I spent many weeks searching for the perfect laptop which wasn’t too expensive. I’m happy to see my efforts pay off.

And that was how we spent Mommy’s Birthday Eve (technically). That’s what you get for almost always expecting something at midnight on your birthday. Gotta go one day earlier. I hope Mommy enjoyed her special Birthday Eve!

Happy Birthday, Mommy!

Open House at Consulate General

The new Consulate General of Malaysia had an open house today in celebration of Eid. As you already know, the end of Muslim fasting month ended only a week ago. And we Malaysians like to celebrate with foods galore.

**Again, we took some pictures, but it’s all gone. But we have some stories to share…

We made our way by bus with the other Malaysian students from UBC. There were a LOT of people there, mostly Malaysians of course. And the food was exquisite. There were lots of kids there for Melur and Arman to play with. The kids mostly played in the basement. Don’t get me wrong… It’s not the damp and dark basement you see if some movies. It was done up pretty nicely, with an entertainment center and everything. Daddy spent some time there watching the kids.

But for the most part, Mommy and Daddy were mingling with the other guests upstairs. We left after Asar, and of course, it was raining! How fun was that? But we enjoyed the food and the company. The CG can sure throw a party. Hopefully, there’ll be more to come.

Appointment at Acadia Pre-School

Daddy took the day off today to take Arman to see the instructors at Acadia Preschool with Mommy. We had an appointment to discuss some issues with Arman. We weren’t sure how serious it was, and felt a little bit nervous. But we made our way there anyway.

The teacher was rather concerned about Arman’s speech. We thought it was normal, since Melur talked the same way even after we arrived in Vancouver. The teacher was also concerned about the way Arman sat. And she recommended we see someone just in case. Apparently, a lot of health services are free for kids. Why not give it a shot, right? So we got a number, and that was the whole point of our trip.

We let Arman play at the park for a little bit. It was a nice day out, but it started to drizzle, so we headed back. Later that day, Arman followed me to do some errands. And that was the end of this Monday.

Hair Cut with Mommy

Today, Mommy took the kids out for a haircut. I actually don’t remember what I did today, but Mommy took some pictures from their trip. Check out the pictures:

By the looks of things, it doesn’t look like Arman liked his hair cut.

I rendezvoused them at the Village, and we walked home together. You see the kids here with some goodies they got from the Dollar Store. It’s always fun to get stuff, no matter how cheap they are, right?

Look out for more posts.

Eid Mubarak

Today is Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Daddy went to pray with the boys at the mosque, and when Daddy got back, we celebrated Raya “Old School” at our home. Mommy prepared some delicious Malay cuisine, namely, Rendang and Nasi Impit. Mmmm…. Yummy…

Before I continue, let me just say, we took some awesome pictures and videos on this day, but we lost them when I suddenly had to reformat my hard drive due to an OS failure… Hopefully, it won’t happen again. Maybe I need a new computer?

UPDATED: I forgot that this video was already uploaded on you tube. Hurray!!! Check it out:

Before eating, we did our customary round of forgiving, cause that’s what we usually do the morning of Eid. We also gave the kids some Duit Raya. After that, it was on to the food. The food Mommy prepared was great. And just like last year, Daddy bought some Danish butter cookies to mimic Malaysian “Kuih Raya”.

UPDATED: We found more videos. After our feast, we started our customary tradition of forgiveness:

And that’s how we spent out modest Eid in Vancouver. Later in the day, I also took a video of the kids singing ABC. They love to sing. But unfortunately again, that video is lost forever.

To everyone who read this: Selamat Hari Raya Maaf Zahir & Batin

Turkey Iftar

It’s Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada, and we decided to host a little Turkey Iftar at our home at Acadia Park. As usual, Mommy (and Daddy, kind of) picked a recipe from the Internet, and Voila! We have turkey.

The turkey we got for today was a little smaller than last year. It was the last one they had (again…), and we didn’t really have much choice. And, we have more guests this time around this year. Hopefully, it’ll be enough. Everybody was anxious to start the feast. And Mommy made a bunch of other things as well, which hopefully complemented the spread.

The party was festive. I thought it was a good idea for the guests to write their name on their little plastic cups. You know how you always lose your cup at a party and have to get a new one? Well, as it turns out, people got pretty creative with their cups. Some people wrote catch phrases, while others drew cartoons. Too bad I didn’t take any specific pictures of any cups.

This year’s crowd was a lot more ‘turkey-savvy’. Many of us actually camped out near the turkey, while the rest ate in the living room in front of the TV. It was a good time. Daddy hung out with the ‘turkey-savvy’s.

Mommy hung out in the living room. Looks like she’s doing well socializing with the other ladies. Too bad people didn’t stay very long. Despite it being Thanksgiving weekend, there are apparently a lot of exams this week, and so everybody left quite early, certainly a lot earlier than last year. But that’s okay. It was fun.

In any case, we made a pretty good dent in the turkey. No much left over, which is a job well done. I wonder when we’ll have our next turkey session. Christmas perhaps?

Cleaned Out!

Dancing Arman (And Melur)

Sometimes on the weekends, the kids would hang out in Daddy’s room before taking their bath. On this particular day, Arman ventured to the bedside and turned on the clock radio. I was so surprised so see him dancing to the music on his own. He looked so cute that I just had to get it on camera. Take a look:

And of course, Melur being the attention seeker she is, had to get herself on camera too. She was very persistent too. And so, to be fair, I got her on video too.

And this was how we spent this Sunday morning, as Mommy prepares for the great feast this afternoon. Today is TURKEY DAY!!!

Iftar at the Boys'

Today, some of the students were hosting their own Buka Puasa at the Boys’ Place at Fairview. We’re planning on hosting our own Iftar tomorrow, so I guess they’re in the same spirit. We weren’t originally planning on going to the Boys’ Place because Daddy actually has a gig at the CSSA Mid Autumn Festival. But Daddy met Zul and Ina at Safeway while doing the groceries. Zul and Ina were busy preparing for the event, and urged us to come over. And so we decided to drop by, even for just a little while.

The mood was very festive. Raya music was playing on the stereo. Ina and the gang prepared a huge assortment of food. Quite impressive… Thanks, Ina! Since we didn’t stay very long, we didn’t get to take that many pictures. But our brief stay was extremely enjoyable.

Sorry we couldn’t stay longer. Daddy had to leave in about half an hour, and so Mommy headed home with the kids at the same time. The event went pretty well. You can view Daddy’s rendition of “Tong Hua” on You Tube. Tomorrow we prepare for our own Iftar with a big ole turkey.