Up till now both babies can do a few acts of their own. These include:
a) Clapping hands - already mentioned before, only since about 2 months ago JY actually does it louder maybe because her palms are fleshier. They do this pretty regularly when they're happy, and most notably when they see their milk on the way...
b) Red Indian cry - they'd cup their palms over their mouths and go '...wa wa wa..." repeatedly, kinda like those old stereotypical Wild West movie Indians. Actually this was a botched attempt to teach them to do a flying kiss.
c) Tim Chung Chung - I have no idea what to call this... as the original term is in Cantonese, and even then I still don't know why it's called that. Basically it involves putting the tips of your index fingers together (no mean feat for a baby's not fully developed motor skills). It's mostly all JL, only that she does a variation of it by putting the tip of her index finger on her other palm.
d) Flying kiss - after the first attempts to teach them this led to the Red Indian cry, they gradually picked it up and started doing it properly from middle of last month, accompanied by a loud "...MUAH..."
e) Tongue wagging - JL does this by repeatedly moving her tongue across her mouth sideways, making this loud gurgling sound. I have no idea how she does it because I can't seem to do it. Maybe my adult tongue simply isn't as flexible...
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Babies in Teluk Intan...
Last Saturday we finally found a chance to visit wifey's hometown, what with the babies being too small earlier, father-in-law's travelling, and our own schedules, settling on a slot was a bit vexing.
We originally aimed to leave by 0830, but what with one thing or another only got moving by 0930 after dropping off the maid at my parents'. Even though it was only a day trip, the amount of stuff we packed is simply beyond belief. You'd think we were going away for a week!
Traffic was very smooth, and weather very good, being cloudy most of the way, so there wasn't much use for the sunshades I bought last Thursday. The babies were naturally very curious and looked all around, but quickly fell asleep within half an hour after we left. Their normal pattern is usually a nap after their breakfast anyway, so they pretty much kept to it.
They slept all the way until just after Bidor, Jun Yen woke up first followed shortly by Jun Lee. It was quite amusing as Jun Yen woke up quite cheerfully and started chattering with Mommy, but Jun Lee was actually frowning quite a bit and looked distinctly grumpy at having her nap interrupted.
Due to the clear traffic, we made pretty good time and arrived in just under 2 hours. We put them down on a mattress we laid on the floor to play, and had to keep a close eye on them as they began crawling off the mattress when no one was looking.
Had lunch at Gulam Rasul, a nearby nasi kandar place, and it was simply fantastic. If you're in Teluk Intan give it a try. The Ayam Goreng Berempah (spicy fried chicken) was sensational!
Went to visit wifey's aunt who took care of babies a while ago, and she was quite delighted to see them, and had some dresses for the babies. A bit large for them now so saving it for later. Jun Lee didn't protest much being carried by their grand-aunt, but Jun Yen cried whenever grand-aunt tried to hold her. It's been many months since they saw her, so it's no wonder they don't recognise her.
Stopped by Sin Guan Hoe to buy the obligatory Heong Peng (biscuits with a molasses filling) and mooncakes. Left Teluk Intan around 1630. The babies fell asleep more or less as soon as we started off. Too much excitement for the day perhaps...
And so they slept all the way until we arrived back at parents' place at 1830. They've been very good girls throughout the trip, and the travelling didn't seem to bother them. Hopefully we'll be able to take them to more places in future.
We originally aimed to leave by 0830, but what with one thing or another only got moving by 0930 after dropping off the maid at my parents'. Even though it was only a day trip, the amount of stuff we packed is simply beyond belief. You'd think we were going away for a week!
Traffic was very smooth, and weather very good, being cloudy most of the way, so there wasn't much use for the sunshades I bought last Thursday. The babies were naturally very curious and looked all around, but quickly fell asleep within half an hour after we left. Their normal pattern is usually a nap after their breakfast anyway, so they pretty much kept to it.
They slept all the way until just after Bidor, Jun Yen woke up first followed shortly by Jun Lee. It was quite amusing as Jun Yen woke up quite cheerfully and started chattering with Mommy, but Jun Lee was actually frowning quite a bit and looked distinctly grumpy at having her nap interrupted.
Due to the clear traffic, we made pretty good time and arrived in just under 2 hours. We put them down on a mattress we laid on the floor to play, and had to keep a close eye on them as they began crawling off the mattress when no one was looking.
Had lunch at Gulam Rasul, a nearby nasi kandar place, and it was simply fantastic. If you're in Teluk Intan give it a try. The Ayam Goreng Berempah (spicy fried chicken) was sensational!
Went to visit wifey's aunt who took care of babies a while ago, and she was quite delighted to see them, and had some dresses for the babies. A bit large for them now so saving it for later. Jun Lee didn't protest much being carried by their grand-aunt, but Jun Yen cried whenever grand-aunt tried to hold her. It's been many months since they saw her, so it's no wonder they don't recognise her.
Stopped by Sin Guan Hoe to buy the obligatory Heong Peng (biscuits with a molasses filling) and mooncakes. Left Teluk Intan around 1630. The babies fell asleep more or less as soon as we started off. Too much excitement for the day perhaps...
And so they slept all the way until we arrived back at parents' place at 1830. They've been very good girls throughout the trip, and the travelling didn't seem to bother them. Hopefully we'll be able to take them to more places in future.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Proton Saga reviewed...
As an addition to my post on small cars here, I'm including this review of the 2nd gen Proton Saga. This was actually prompted by a friend asking me for my thoughts on this car, and though I had driven it I didn't include it in the original post as I was thinking more of hatches than sedans. But seeing as it shares the same price bracket (and more...) with the Savvy, it would make sense to include it here.
Firstly, as any Malaysian knows the first gen Proton Saga was the first model of national car, and lasted an unprecedented 20-over years, by midway through its life becoming the butt of many jokes. It also went through more facelifts than Michael Jackson, surely no mean feat...
The launch of the new 2nd gen Saga then was a turning point of sorts for Proton under the new management, and represented a casting off of the doldrums which had plagued the national automaker in recent years.
My first impression of the car is that it looks very handsome in a mainstream way, with not a line out of place, no idiosyncracies of note. This could also mean that it was boring to look at, but it certainly offended no one, and for a mass market car, could only be an asset.
The interior too is admirable. Conventionally laid out instruments, lots of room all round, especially the headroom, giving the car an airy feel. Dash materials feel decent enough, though the slippery and thin door lock knob is a cause for concern, but really isn't a big deal at all. Stereo is a 1-DIN Clarion unit which should make it easy to upgrade. Driving position is spot-on, and as it is based on the Savvy which is good in this area, is no real surprise.
A quick note first: I drove the M-Line Auto. On driving it out, I was pleasantly surprised that it had a big-car feel about it, and taking a corner or two didn't change my opinion. Comfort was good, definitely one of the better small cars in this area, though the tall suspension did dull its handling and contributed to more than a bit of body roll. It was certainly unlike its donor car in this respect, but then this is made up by its comfort and load carrying ability the tall suspension affords.
Engine was up to scratch, hauling the car with acceptable pace, but got a bit buzzy when stretched. The manual transmission should improve on this, without losing power to the slushbox. Brakes were decent with progressive travel that should make it easy to modulate and good bite despite the disc-drum setup, which is acceptable for a car this size.
Built quality looked good all round, with no particular areas to note. the only drawbacks are the safety gear which even in current M-line form has only a single airbag and no ABS. But still better than a certain Japanese car going for less than 70k...
All in a very, very good car for the price (less than 42k even for the top spec), and trumps all other competitors (err, what competitors?). Seriously, at this price, for this size, it simply has no peer for now. And it shows in the huge order book, with a reported waiting list of up to 6 months!
Another friend, an owner of a Japanese sedan, having seen it up close, remarked to me he couldn't see why anyone would pay twice as much for a City or Vios. Interesting question indeed...
Firstly, as any Malaysian knows the first gen Proton Saga was the first model of national car, and lasted an unprecedented 20-over years, by midway through its life becoming the butt of many jokes. It also went through more facelifts than Michael Jackson, surely no mean feat...
The launch of the new 2nd gen Saga then was a turning point of sorts for Proton under the new management, and represented a casting off of the doldrums which had plagued the national automaker in recent years.
My first impression of the car is that it looks very handsome in a mainstream way, with not a line out of place, no idiosyncracies of note. This could also mean that it was boring to look at, but it certainly offended no one, and for a mass market car, could only be an asset.
The interior too is admirable. Conventionally laid out instruments, lots of room all round, especially the headroom, giving the car an airy feel. Dash materials feel decent enough, though the slippery and thin door lock knob is a cause for concern, but really isn't a big deal at all. Stereo is a 1-DIN Clarion unit which should make it easy to upgrade. Driving position is spot-on, and as it is based on the Savvy which is good in this area, is no real surprise.
A quick note first: I drove the M-Line Auto. On driving it out, I was pleasantly surprised that it had a big-car feel about it, and taking a corner or two didn't change my opinion. Comfort was good, definitely one of the better small cars in this area, though the tall suspension did dull its handling and contributed to more than a bit of body roll. It was certainly unlike its donor car in this respect, but then this is made up by its comfort and load carrying ability the tall suspension affords.
Engine was up to scratch, hauling the car with acceptable pace, but got a bit buzzy when stretched. The manual transmission should improve on this, without losing power to the slushbox. Brakes were decent with progressive travel that should make it easy to modulate and good bite despite the disc-drum setup, which is acceptable for a car this size.
Built quality looked good all round, with no particular areas to note. the only drawbacks are the safety gear which even in current M-line form has only a single airbag and no ABS. But still better than a certain Japanese car going for less than 70k...
All in a very, very good car for the price (less than 42k even for the top spec), and trumps all other competitors (err, what competitors?). Seriously, at this price, for this size, it simply has no peer for now. And it shows in the huge order book, with a reported waiting list of up to 6 months!
Another friend, an owner of a Japanese sedan, having seen it up close, remarked to me he couldn't see why anyone would pay twice as much for a City or Vios. Interesting question indeed...
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Papa's Day With Babies...
August 31 was Malaysia's National Day (or more accurately Independence Day...) and as it fell on a Sunday, the next day (Monday) was a holiday too.
Unfortunately, wifey had to work, so it was up to me to take care of the babies that day. Haven't spent the whole day alone with them for a while now...
Day began rather slowly, they woke up (okay, woke up and bawled in earnest) at around 9am. They had been awake a while before that and were playing contentedly in their cots, so I didn't bother. But when the bawling started, I made them their milk and true to form, went back to nap after their breakfast.
Brought them downstairs around 10am plus, still a bit bleary eyed, and bathed first Jun Lee then Jun Yen. Both are now very comfortable in their baths, and it's been quite easy to bathe them ever since they learnt to sit in the tub quite a while before. They also like to play in the bath and would slap the water with their hands; Jun Yen does this more vigorously, and I got quite wet as as result. They also like to have the rubber ducky in the bath, but today I didn't put it in for them. So a quick bath, dry up, and another bottle of milk at 11am.
Put them into the playpen and they remained content to play with their toys (their favourite is the Lego mouse-thingy) while I skipped upstairs to order pizza online, hehe... Used to order Dominos but of late Pizza Hut has gotten its act together, and the Pan Pizza-Thin Crust combo for 32bucks delivered was a decent deal.
By 1pm, the babies looked kinda sleepy, so I brought them up to their cots (not without some protest...) to nap. Brother came over and we had pizza and watched a DVD. Around 3pm they woke up, so bro and I brought them downstairs to the playpen again, before he went back home.
Soon it began raining, and raining.
I pushed the playpen to the door so the babies could watch the rain. I sat next to them watching as the rain pelted down, and I felt very contented. They too, looked like they were mesmerised by the rain. I turned to look at them and they looked back and smiled, with Jun Lee saying something to me that sounded like "Ehh", and went back to watching the rain. Satisfaction is a strange thing...
Papa, you're gonna take care of us the whole day?...
Unfortunately, wifey had to work, so it was up to me to take care of the babies that day. Haven't spent the whole day alone with them for a while now...
Day began rather slowly, they woke up (okay, woke up and bawled in earnest) at around 9am. They had been awake a while before that and were playing contentedly in their cots, so I didn't bother. But when the bawling started, I made them their milk and true to form, went back to nap after their breakfast.
Brought them downstairs around 10am plus, still a bit bleary eyed, and bathed first Jun Lee then Jun Yen. Both are now very comfortable in their baths, and it's been quite easy to bathe them ever since they learnt to sit in the tub quite a while before. They also like to play in the bath and would slap the water with their hands; Jun Yen does this more vigorously, and I got quite wet as as result. They also like to have the rubber ducky in the bath, but today I didn't put it in for them. So a quick bath, dry up, and another bottle of milk at 11am.
Put them into the playpen and they remained content to play with their toys (their favourite is the Lego mouse-thingy) while I skipped upstairs to order pizza online, hehe... Used to order Dominos but of late Pizza Hut has gotten its act together, and the Pan Pizza-Thin Crust combo for 32bucks delivered was a decent deal.
By 1pm, the babies looked kinda sleepy, so I brought them up to their cots (not without some protest...) to nap. Brother came over and we had pizza and watched a DVD. Around 3pm they woke up, so bro and I brought them downstairs to the playpen again, before he went back home.
Soon it began raining, and raining.
A rainy afternoon...
I pushed the playpen to the door so the babies could watch the rain. I sat next to them watching as the rain pelted down, and I felt very contented. They too, looked like they were mesmerised by the rain. I turned to look at them and they looked back and smiled, with Jun Lee saying something to me that sounded like "Ehh", and went back to watching the rain. Satisfaction is a strange thing...
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