KinderClub Tea Party

It’s the last day of the month, and the Melur’s last day at KinderClub. And to commemorate this day, KinderClub is hosting a small tea party for the kids and parents. It’s been a great year at KinderClub for Melur. Arman still has pre-school for another month, but he’ll be following Melur’s footsteps into KinderClub this fall. How exciting! In the mean time, Melur will need to bid farewell to her classmates. Some of her friends will be joining her next year in Grade 1 at University Hill Elementary; while others may be leaving for other places (if their parents graduated from UBC). Thank for KinderClub for caring for our daughter Melur. We’ll see you next year (with Arman).

Akasia’s Tea Party

And here we thought it was a birthday party.

Friends: Melur, Akasia and Arshia

We spent part of the afternoon getting Akasia a present. We were invited to her party. We assumed it was her birthday, since we attended Arshia’s birthday party just a few weekends ago. When we arrived, we were in our festive mood, congratulating Akasia on her special day. Lo and behold, it was just a tea party. Check out the revelation:

The Revelation: It's NOT a Birthday Party

Anyway… just like most kids’ parties, there were lots of games for the kids. One of these games involves the kids walking around a set of chairs while the music play. And the idea is, when the music stops, everyone rushes for a seat, and the last one without a seat gets kicked out of the game. You see, in the spirit of sportsmanship, there are no losers in the game. So even if you get kicked out, you get a small consolation prize on your way out. But… the kids caught on to this scheme, and started volunteering to get kicked out, just to get the consolation prize. Nobody wanted to sit down at the end of the music. Check out the turning point below, when the kids first started staying off their chairs to get the consolation prize.

Games Gone Awry

Oh well… kids are so smart, if you give them the opportunity. Thank you Akasia for inviting us to your party. We certainly had lots of fun!

Stuck in the Swing

Mommy picked up Arman from preschool this morning with Melur. On the way back, Arman climbed into a swing, and couldn’t get out. How cute is that?

Stuck in the Swing

Daddy Runs the Half Marathon

Okay, so today’s entry is more about Daddy than Melur or Arman. Daddy left early in the morning (before the kids woke up) to run the Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon at Stanley Park. Daddy finished in about 2 and a half hours. Daddy is so sore. But everyone got a medal for finishing, a memento of the occasion. And so we enjoyed the spoils of my “victory”.

Arman Gets Wet

Arman has to get home early today. He got in a water fight with some kids and wants a water gun to join in the fun. Listen to his explanation.

Confessions of Arman

Picnic Time

After a nice BBQ yesterday, it’s time for a nice picnic by the beach. But before that, enjoy some footage of the kids this morning taken by Mommy.

Early Morning Dance

We decided to take the zipcar out again this afternoon, just because the beach isn’t that easily accessibly by public transport. There’s a fair amount of walking to get to the beach, even after taking the bus. We took the zipcar out for 2 hours, enough time to enjoy the beach.

Daddy played some sports with the other guys. We also played some Frisbee. Mommy and the kids enjoyed the beach. It was a pretty nice end to the weekend. I wonder what adventures await Melur and Arman this summer. Care to join in the fun?

At the Beach

New BBQ Grill

We have the zipcar today until 5pm. And so we decided to get a new BBQ grill. Summer is here, and what better time to get a grill and enjoy yummy BBQ chicken outside. We made our way to Zellers near Oakridge Mall to make a selection.

This was our first BBQ grill. And to be frank, I’ve never handled a gas grill. I’m use to charcoal. But in the time I’ve spent in Vancouver, I’ve noticed that charcoal grills aren’t that popular. Maybe it’s an environment thing, or a clean up thing. But since people used gas grills, I guess that’s what we’d have to get. I asked the sales person at Zellers for a crash course in gas grills, and before long, we made our purchase. The whole thing barely fit into our little zipcar, but we made accommodations. And before we could get home, we had to fill up our BBQ grill gas tank (which comes empty when purchased). We were told that any old gas station would do the job. But that wasn’t the case. The first gas station we went to only take trade-ins, which is apparent the case at most gas stations. We were advised not to trade in our brand new gas container, since the safety of the one we purchased is guaranteed. You never really know how old or how structurally sound the used gas containers are. The closest gas station that filled up empty containers is a few miles south towards the airport. That wasn’t the end of it.

When we got there, they couldn’t fill up the container. Since we had a brand new container that has never been filled with gas before, it had to be purged first. And so we had to drive down a few more blocks to get it purged and then filled. But anyway, we had the car, and we really wanted the BBQ. No big deal… When we got home, it took me about 45 minutes to assemble the thing. It’s a fairly large grill. I went through the instructions slowly to make sure everything was put together properly. Once everything was put together, we got ready for our first BBQ… which is TODAY! Hahahahaa… We couldn’t wait. Actually, the Malaysian students at UBC where going to invite us for BBQ by the beach tomorrow. But when we told them we were getting a BBQ grill today, we pushed the BBQ to today as well. We’ll have a picnic by the beach tomorrow instead. Mommy prepared the meat, and the BBQ was ready to go.

New BBQ Grill

The Malaysian students arrived a bit late, but there was plenty of food to go around. And with a gas grill, you can start and stop the BBQ anytime you want. As you can see, we barbequed into the night. It was fun. I wonder when our next BBQ will be. I doubt it’ll be very long from now.

Summer is here!

Agong’s Birthday Celebration

It’s finally here! After weeks of practice, the kids’ choir will finally be performing their 2 patriotic songs in front of a Malaysian audience at the Agong’s Birthday Celebration hosted by the Consulate General of Malaysia in Vancouver.

The show is suppose to start at 6 pm, with a short rehearsal with the kids at around 5:30 pm. We donned our traditional Malaysian outfits, and drove our zipcar to the Terasen Building, which is where the Consulate General’s office is located. The performance is being held on the ground floor, in one of the ballrooms.

We parked in the basement, and made our way to the ballroom. It was a pretty big ballroom; with a small make shift stage in the middle. We weren’t the only ones performing tonight. We had other traditional dance and silat performances as well. I was happy to contribute what I could to this festive event. And I knew no matter what happens, the kids can do no wrong and will be utterly adorable.

We managed to squeeze in a little practice time before the guests arrived. But the kids were hungry and quite distracted really. We had to sneak in the back room for some food. I have to say, the food is awesome. Can’t wait for the dinner to start. Check out the following short video of the cast:

Kids' Choir Cast

Once the guests arrived, we started the ceremony with speeches and presentations from the various contributors. Before long, it was our turn to perform. And so, here it is!

Kids' Choir Performance

I was really proud of the kids’ performance today. Everyone said they did a good job. But really! How can such a cute group of kids do anything wrong. After our little stint, it was finally time for the dinner. Mmmm…. Malaysian Food!!! Once the kids weren’t full anymore, they went about playing with the other kids. And Mommy and Daddy took the opportunity to catch up with the other Malaysian, and make some new Malaysian friends in Vancouver. There are apparently quite a few of us.

We stayed pretty late. We didn’t mind since we had a car. We had a really good time meeting other Malaysians, and eating Malaysian food. Now that the kids’ choir has performed its “duty”, there’ll be no more weekend gatherings with the kids. L I guess I’ll have to find other avenues to get the kids involved in music.

Good Job, Kids Choir.

Clean-Up Day at Acadia Pre-School

It’s Friday, and it’s Clean-Up Day at Acadia Pre-School. I decided to take the day off, not only because it’s clean-up day, but also because the Agong's Birthday celebration is tonight, and we need time to prepare.

The weather was really nice this Friday morning. Many parents were here to help clean up the school grounds. The school ground isn’t very large, but with everyone’s help we could get the cleaning done quickly. Arman and Daddy helped clean the outside, scooping up dirt (that was swept into a pile by other parents), and putting it back into the playground area with a shovel.

Despite all the clean-up work, Arman still found time to play with his friends. I chanced to meet one of his good friends, Hogan. Hogan is only a month younger than Arman, but because Hogan is born in 2004 (not 2003 like Arman), he won’t be joining Arman at Kinderclub come the fall. Aww… But Hogan will still be around Acadia Park.

Mommy joined us soon after. And a BBQ lunch was served. We had the usual vegetarian fair. After lunch, I had to dart to Friday prayers, and Mommy and Arman headed home. One more big event to prepare for tonight!

Today, we were invited to Amirah’s birthday party (I hope that’s spelt right) at her house near Oakridge Mall. We arrived a little early, and decided to get a few things at the mall first, before heading to Amirah’s house. We arrived on time, which by Malaysian standards is kind of early. But the other guests arrived soon after we did. I brought my guitar since today was also a practice day for the choir, before the kids perform for the Agong’s Birthday next week.

I thought Uncle Aliman’s house was pretty nice (Amirah’s dad). We entered through the front door, I set aside my guitar (Melur and Arman handed their present to Amirah), and we proceeded to the backyard, which was pretty big. I thought today was going to be a regular birthday party, but it turned out to be a BBQ as well. What a bonus!!! The backyard was enclosed, so we just let the kids roam free and play with the other kids.

Birthday and BBQ

The food was awesome, and we met many other Malaysians whom we didn’t even know were coming, like the students from UBC. While enjoying the food, I also got a chance to hold Amirah’s new little sister, born in Canada just a couple of months ago.

The baby seemed to take a liking to me. Her mom was busy, preparing things for the BBQ. I don’t think she minds me holding her baby for a while. Arman seemed very excited to see the baby. Take a look for yourselves:

New Baby Sister

We spent quite a bit of time outside. Weather was good. Food was good. Company was good too. I got to make some new friends. Soon after, it was time to sing the birthday song for the birthday girl.

Birthday Song for Amirah

That was pretty much our Saturday evening. We had a short choir practice, but I think the kids really wanted to play outside. So I cut it short. I think they’re ready for the show next week anyway. What can you really expect from a bunch of 5-6 year olds. Arman is only 4! I’ll be sure to post that as soon as I can. Anyway…

Happy Birthday Amirah!

Melur Kinderclub Dance Recital

Daddy Left work early today just to see Melur dance at her dance recital. Melur and her classmates at Kinderclub have been taking dance lessons, and today is the culmination of many weeks of practice. I wonder what Melur and her classmates have in store for us.

I arrived on time, but Mommy and Arman were a little late. Lucky for us (I guess), some of the other parents were late as well. Once all the parents arrived, we were ready to start. The theme was Country Western, and the kids appeared in cowboy outfits – blue jeans, t-shirts and cowboy hats. The first bit – Achy Break Heart.

Achy Breaky Heart

Look at Melur go. I think she has quite a knack for dance. The next video is actually 2 performances one after the other. Unfortunately, due to technical constraints, the second performance was cut a little prematurely. But it’s still fun to watch. Check out the Macarena moves:

Macarena

There was just one last performance, which the kids performed sitting down – Lollipop!

Lollipop

We were thoroughly entertained, and so proud of Melur and all the other kids. They all did a good job. And they thanked their teacher with hugs and flowers.

After the dance festivities, we made it back to Kinderclub (the performance was held in the University Hill facility, by the way) for some food. The kids were able to savour the moment and relax. Take a break, guys. You deserve it!

Before long, we had to hurry home. Mommy and Daddy have writing class tonight. We have Kakak Jehan baby-sitting the kids tonight. Take good care of them, Kakak Jehan. We’ll be back after class.