Beaconhouse's got talent

Last Saturday was Harvynna's school concert. It was the first concert for her, so naturally, we were all excited. Last year, the 4 year olds did not participate in the concert. The concert is a combination of the 4 preschools in KL, as well as the graduation ceremony. As it is a combination, I told Harvynna to request a 'BIG' role as they have to combine so many kids into one morning. Dont mean to be so kiasu, but the last thing you want is to see your kid right at the back amongst thousand other kids, holding a tree or something. So she made the request to her principal 'Teacher Helena, I want a big role for the concert. I want to be in front'

So she was selected to emcee the section introducing the 3 year olds. I think she did a great job - no stage fright and the lines came out flawlessly. She held the mic so close to her mouth to ensure the whole Wisma MBSA could hear her!!

Then she took part in the 'Off Schulwerk' performance where she played the recorder. This was one of those were she was like a drop in the ocean. Being the tallest girl in her school, she had to stand at the back!! The perfomance was good.

Then for the Grand Finale, all the kids came out to sing 'Kebemama'. Harvynna and 2 other kids led the performance by standing in front of the mic in front followed by Negaraku. I know all kids at that age sound alike, but i am sure that it was her voice filling the air. Towards the end, she was getting tired, and we could see her looking everywhere and scratching her head!!

The night before the concert, she told me that she was taking part in 3 events, followed by 'Are

you happy now?' Oops. hey, i just wanted the concert to be something to be remembered.

How did Rowena fair during the concert? She got bored after a while, but was excited to see her sister on stage plus she recognized some of Harvynna's friends on stage. She is looking forward to participate in next year's concert when she enrols in the school.

Halloween 2009

This year's Halloween was rather low keyed as I have been so drained and out of energy. But I am fine now as I have upped my caffeine intake to a state of zombieness! It also seems like there were less Halloween parties this year for kids. The one at Kidzsports, Bangsar Village was on a Friday, and I could not take the day off.

Anyway, the girl's dance teacher had promised them a Halloween dance session on the 31st and they had to dress up for that. So there - a cheap, easy Halloween, where I get to dump the girls for 2 hours.

On the 3oth, Harvynna's school had a Halloween costume day -so all the kids got dressed in their best Halloween outfit. Harvynna recycled last year's costume as the teacher said no one else was dressed as a pumpkin. They had a small party and the kids were happy.

Apparently, Bangsar Village was also having a Halloween thingy, which I only found out on the 30th - so went i asked them if the girls could participate (at 10 that night), they told me' sorry, we are full!'

Anyway, we set out for their dance class at Celebrity Fitness on the 31st, all dressed in their costumes - Harvynna as a Hawaiian Princess and Rowena as a witch. They danced to Michael Jackson's hits, where Thriller was the grand Finale. It was quite funny to see all the kids dancing. As Rowena is the youngest one there, she really does stand out - while everyone moves to the left, she would move to the right and when everyone does a turn on the spot, she turns round the class and when everyone else, moves forward 4 steps, she runs forward 10 steps! Luckily, the teacher has not banned her from the class.

Normally, I would let them do their class, while I go to the opposite studio for my own workout. But this time, the moment their class started, I went downstairs to the concourse and asked if they can squeeze 2 lil girls in and they said YES. So when their class finished at 2.45, I told them, No Yoga today, we are going for the Halloween party downstairs which starts at 3.00pm.

So we rushed down, and the contest started. The girls did not win anything although I was very impressed that they did not have stage fright. Harvynna went up the stage and did a Hula dance while Rowena tried to do some witchmanship too!

The afternoon ended with a trick or treat session where all the outlets in BV1 participated. They received heaps and heaps of sweets, chocolates and lollies - which really made their day.

Pictures to be posted soon!

The Tooth Fairy

Harvynna's first milk teeth has officially fallen. This is her 'lateral incisor' or her lower teeth. The tooth was already shaking the last couple of weeks. But I told her not to touch it or pull it out for my own selfish reasons - I was afraid the missing tooth would hinder her speech during her story telling contest and her concert. But the tooth could not wait for the concert and decided to fall off. The new teeth was already in place and has grown half way. I can see another new tooth sprouting out 2 teeth away. It's not noticable since it is the lower teeth. I read that a child's milk teeth starts falling from the age of 6.

I told Harvynna that when her upper teeth fall out, I will take a picture and enlarge it. Of course, she wasnt too pleased.

My bodyguard

The girls can be very protective of her family. Yesterday, I brought back some BM books from my library so she can improve her BM vocabulary. She came across the word 'tiri' and asked me what it meant. I told her 'tiri' means step like step mother. Then she asked me:

Harvynna: Whats a step mother?

Me: A new mummy. Just like if mummy dies, and daddy marries another lady, that will be your step mother

Harvynna: I dont want. I dont like her. I wont go to her house. And she cannot come to my house.

Rowena: I will smack her and kick her.

Harvynna: I will do my tae-kwan-do kick on her, then no more step mummy. Stupid daddy!

Me: :) haha

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I told them that later today I will be going out, so daddy will pick them up after work.

Harvynna: Why?

Me: Because I am going out

Harvynna: Where are u going?

Me: Going to KL (as in going downtown)

Harvynna: You already are in KL, so tell me where you are going

Me: Going to KL town to meet my friends

Harvynna: Why

Me: I am meeting my friends from 'xxxx' (my previous workplace). Its good to meet up with them once in a while

Harvynna: Once in a while? Then why daddy meets up with his friends all the time?

Me: ??????????

The Big Bad Wolf

The girls have been pretty busy the last couple of weeks as my brother and kids were down and Harvynna was preparing for her story telling audition.

We chose Little Red Riding Hood as it was easy to remember, Harvynna was the Big Bad Wolf. She did quite a good job with the story and was pretty confident. I managed to get the costume from my school, where the students previously performed 'Cats the musical'. She refused to wear the wig till she went into the audition room.

And i need to improve on my face painting skills as she ended up looking like a tiger!! She did not allow me to go into the audition room, but I watched her perform through the peep hole and saw that she did perform they way we had practised. She felt like she was at an American Idol performance as there were 3 judges sitting and watching her! They selected 2 winners from the story telling category. Although she did not win, but I am proud of her and it was a good activity we did together.

Rowena, has also memorised the story and is able to do it as she was always there when Harvynna was practising. Now, if they are bored, they will both tell the story together with all the actions.

Anyway, the audition was a good exposure for Harvynna as she will be emceeing the introduction for her school concert in November.

Cousins & Dinosaurs

My brother and his kids are back from Australia. Some pics of the kiddos at the Dinotrek at Petrosains, KLCC.

Bandung: 7th - 10th September

We had a short getaway to Bandung last week. The trip was booked some time last year on one of Air Asia's promotions. I have always wanted to go to Bandung having heard of its reputation of being a shopping haven due to its wide range of Factory Outlets.

Bandung is basically a place for Indonesians where the Jakarta crowd flock there every weekend to shop. Luckily we went on a weekday. That, however, did not spare us from traffic jams. The traffic there is horrendous as people just drive any way they want, cutting into everyone's lane. The people there however, are very courtiest and helpful - so different from the way they drive!

We stayed at Grand Seriti Hotel on Jalan Setia Budhi. The hotel was still quite new and the rooms were good. The reason I chose that hotel as it was located near Rumah Mode, which is the best Factory Outlet in Bandung. Having stayed so nearby, we managed 2 trips there. Rumah Mode is a more upmarket factory outlet. Most of their stuff are original, hence the higher prices. The ambience is also nice, with many restaurants within the outlet. One thing good about the bigger factory outlets in Bandung is that they come fully equipped with childrens playgrounds and cafes. My dad was the babysitter and looked after the girls at the playground!

Day 2
We decided to hit Jalan Riau - a famous shopping street where many of their FO's come recommended. We took the Angkutan Kota there as we wanted the girls to have the experience of riding in one. The Angkotan Kota is their public transport in the form of a green van with the doors unclosed. It is also very cheap - Rp9000 for the 5 of us. (kids travel free!). However, during peak hours, they will cramp the van to the max.

Bandung can get really hot at mid day and walking the streets can be quite tiring for the lil ones. We went to:

Heritage - highly recommended but I found it quite disappointing. They carried more local brands and the kids line was not enticing. Had a good indoor playground.

Cascade - like a mall with 3 levels - each level dedicated to menswear, womenswear and childrens wear. Comes with a nice outdoor cafe and a Koi pond. Some good stuff there.

Had lunch and my dad took the girls back to the hotel for a nap. Continued shopping with my mum.

Oasis - So so only. I dont think I found anything there.

The Brands outlet - had a lot of stuff but did not like the way it was arranged. They basically just put everything together and you really have to look through everything. Was also pretty tired then.

The Secret - this was good. Well arranged and had some really good kids stuff. The kids department was at another wing at the back. They carried most of the leading brands. Most of their kids stuff were for kids 5 years and below. Bought some stuff for Rowie there.

We went back to Rumah Mode that night!

Day 3

Rented a car (MPV) with a driver. Highly recommended as it is really worth the Rp400000. This includes the car, driver, petrol and parking, Of course, we tipped the driver for his buka puasa. The driver takes you anywhere you want and is really convenient as we did not have to walk at all. They will wait for you while you do your thing. You can leave all your bags in the car, while you go to the next shopping outlet.

The driver picked us up from the hotel and took us to Tangkuban Perahu, the famous volcano in Bandung. It was definitely an experience for the girls as they had seen pictures of volcanoes in books, and were looking forward to seeing one. Rowie found the place smelly -'so smelly the vaikino' as the sulphur smell was very strong.

After Tangkuban Perahu, which took us about 3 hours, we went back into town and hit Jalan Dago - another famous shopping area. Dago has more factory outlets and shops and looks like a more happenning place. The driver took us to:

Grande - this was excellent. Found stuff for everyone here and the prices were much cheaper than Jalan Riau or Rumah Mode. This place was recommended by the driver. I just told him to recommend some Fos and he made the recommendations. Found lots of stuff for the girls.

Next we went into one of the malls (cant remember the name, to have lunch). Then we sent my dad back to the hotel and Rowie needed to be washed up and changed. After that, the driver took us back to Dago, as we wanted to get the famous 'Amanda brownie kukus'. Bandung is famous for their brownies. They have 5 outlets specialising in these brownies that come in various varieties including serikaya, cheese, marble and many more. And it was really nice. It only cost about RM8 per box. There are also many carts along the roadside selling the same brownies, but it may not be as fresh. There are also other brands with similar packaging selling brownies - but the Amanda brand is of the best quality.(claim the locals)

Next, the driver brought us to Kartika Sari, another bakery famous for the Indonesian layer cake. Although, it tasted good, I thought it was overpriced. So we did not get any. Then we headed to the last FO - Episode, which was also pretty good. Got some gym wear for myself here. By then, we were tired of shopping and headed for a spa. The driver recommended one but once we got there, it was shut. So we thought we will head to the famous Roger's spa and saloon. That too, was closed. So the driver took us to one near the hotel. We were going round town a few times. See - the hired car and driver really comes in useful! The girls had their signature menicure and pedicure.

By the time we finished, it was almost 8 pm and we were really knackered.

Day 4 - had an early flight to catch. So could not do anything besides have breakfast and head for the airport.

Overall, Bandung is a good place to shop especially if you are looking for kids clothings. They even have nice stuff for boys. There is a good selection for men too. For ladies, it is seasonal, if you are lucky, you might go when the new line comes in.