Child of Tan

Ma Ma and I

2008-04-16T15:08:00.000-07:00

When Ma Ma was visitng, life was great. She would read to me anytime, cook for me and accompany me whilst I ate, and play and sing with me all day, not forgetting indulging me with my precious Thomas DVD and this bus!

Ku Ku comes to town!

2008-04-16T14:44:00.000-07:00

I got to see Ku Ku again. I like that name and said it like it should be. And I liked her lots too!

Hand-me-downs

2008-04-16T14:39:00.000-07:00

This is a jumper my daddy's family have been passing around for a long time. On it is a tag saying "Used to be Andrew's".

Choo Choot!

2008-04-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

I make a good train sound because they're my favourite now. This was my first trip on a train - diesel and steam-engine back. We've been back since and always stop at the world's famous Bury market.

I'm (going to be) a Celebrity!

2008-04-05T17:46:00.000-07:00

Here I am practising for the day when I become a superstar! Don't you think a jumpsuit with lambs on it would look great for a rocker?

Ma Ma and Yeh Yeh come!

2008-04-05T17:15:00.000-07:00

I've had such fun recently when my family came to see us the previous two months. First, was Ma Ma and Yeh Yeh whom I prefer to call Po Po and AH Chenngg! With them here I didn't have to go to nursery and could play with them instead. Here are some photos of us at home and our trip to Edinburgh.

Visitors

2008-03-31T15:56:00.000-07:00

The snowy weather also brought visitors from the east and the south. Uncle Benny, Aunty Lareina, Uncle Gabriel and Aunty Wen Sze came and they saw the best of Manchester - football!

My first time out in the snow - February 2

2008-03-31T15:42:00.000-07:00

In search of some sun - January 2008

2008-03-31T15:28:00.000-07:00

Here we are in Alicante. We enjoyed the beach though I kept getting sand in my coat. Sand and water are simply great!

Cool skirts - only on Burns Night

2008-03-31T15:21:00.000-07:00

I wasn't too keen on this because I thought guys don't wear skirts. And I'm a guy. But I had company so it was alright.

The Shepherd Boy

2008-03-23T17:02:00.000-07:00

This was me before Christmas 2007. Mummy was trying to get me to pose for home-made Christmas cards but the production line stopped here.

My holiday in Malaysia - December 2007

2008-03-23T16:35:00.000-07:00

Things I did in Malaysia

2008-03-23T15:08:00.000-07:00

I was very busy with a lot of learning to do. The hot weather was a good place to chill out whilst it was raining, hang out with my family indoors, go for a dip or, better still, use a hose! I loved to get out and if I couldn't, they finally understood when I rattled those big gates!

Your average teen

2007-11-23T01:15:00.000-08:00

In action!

2007-11-04T16:20:00.000-08:00

Here I am testing out the stones, mud and water in Derwent Waters. Was very upset when I had to stop. The Mill Inn is great for its pies but I prefer the carrots. And I can now get around on my little cow that Aunty Joyce gave me whilst throwing and catching the ball! It's very quiet now that my grandparents and greatgrandaunt have left but I shall see them soon:)

Twinkle, twinkle

2007-11-04T16:06:00.000-08:00

I'm the little boy with the stars, my mummy says. That sounds really great! Here I am at Grandaunty Sai Peng's garden not too impressed with photo-taking. Can't they see I'm having my peggies? My folks enjoyed their dim sum near Wembley and they've been trying to feed me this but I can't, won't.

Pussycat, pussycat where have you been?

2007-11-04T14:39:00.000-08:00

I did not visit the Queen but I did go to London again where I met Grandaunty Sai Peng and Aunty Daveen. I was last here when I was 4 months old and this time there was so much more to see! Check out the headless man in Covent Garden...I had to laugh in the end!

Family reunion

2007-11-04T14:27:00.000-08:00

Early last month I met my Poe Poe, Kong Kong and Chor Chor again when they came to visit me. I was very quickly friends with them - so many playmates! They learnt that I had personal spaces too! Here we are around Manchester!

Playgrounds are fun!

2007-11-04T14:23:00.000-08:00

This is one of the playgrounds I go to. I love this giant abacus and the see-saw!

Bananaman

2007-10-04T17:11:00.000-07:00

Strawberries, BBQ and farewell

2007-10-04T16:36:00.000-07:00

Eating strawberries like this was hard work for Daddy - he couldn't keep up with me. Later I had fun on all the cars whilst Lynsey drove around in her fast red car. We said our goodbyes after dim sum - till the next time...

Reunion at Peterborough

2007-10-04T16:08:00.000-07:00

I've been absent for a while as I've been busy! 3 weeks ago we met my friends, Leanne and Lynsey, this time in their home. They were very nice to me and treated me like a little "sai loh" though I'm not little.

Durian feast

2007-09-10T08:06:00.000-07:00

Daddy had bought some durian from a Thai shop he had gone into while looking for change for the parking meter.

So we had a mini-durian feast with Uncle Richard and Alexander over (after a day, thus leaving enough time for the smell to envelop the kitchen, dining and living rooms).

Alexander had three bites, while I tried a bite and that was it.

I'm a big baby

2007-09-10T08:03:00.000-07:00

Whitby Abbey

2007-09-04T04:20:00.000-07:00

Overlooking the seaside is Whitby Abbey. Read about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitby_Abbey

While Mummy, Daddy, and Grandauntie Siew Har walked around listening to audio commentaries, I pushed my pushchair up and down this medieval monastery (site of the Synod of Whitby and - perhaps more famously - the inspiration for Stoker's Dracula!!).

At the seaside

2007-09-04T04:10:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I went to Whitby to visit Grandauntie Siew Har, Grandauntie Siew Choon, Granduncle Robert, Uncle Ben, and Uncle John.

First steps

2007-09-04T04:04:00.000-07:00

I can walk!

The day I had my operation - August 10

2007-08-25T02:28:00.000-07:00

Here I am in Royal Manchester Children's Hospital awaiting my operation. Check out my colourful gown! Mummy and Daddy want to thank God it went well!

Stages of healing

2007-08-19T12:59:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who prayed for my skin tag removal op. Here are some pictures from the past week. The bandages are now removed.

Dean or Brando?

2007-08-19T12:55:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Auntie Mich for the cool jacket!

Near Howe

2007-08-09T08:55:00.000-07:00

While in the Lake District, we stayed in Near Howe nearby Keswick.

Watch me perfect my hide-and-seek strategy.

Keswick Convention

2007-08-09T08:50:00.000-07:00

We were in Keswick for the weekend coinciding with the (Christian) Convention which is held there annually. Most of the activities are during the week though, so we only had evening meetings to attend. We spent our time eating and walking off the pies. Well, my parents walked while I watched them walk.

My fave time

2007-08-09T08:29:00.000-07:00

Bath time!

In my PJs

2007-07-10T05:25:00.000-07:00

It's bedtime, though I don't look like I'm about to sleep. Zzzzzzzz...

My favourite activity

2007-07-10T05:16:00.000-07:00

Thrashing CDs and audio equipment! While humming to the music, of course.

My favourite toy

2007-07-10T05:08:00.000-07:00

I'm coming to get you...

2007-06-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

My cake (baked by Mummy)

2007-06-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

My Birthday (Part 3)

2007-06-21T14:43:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more photos from nursery.

My Birthday (Part 2)

2007-06-21T14:31:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, I celebrated my birthday with my friends at nursery.

My Birthday (Part 1)

2007-06-21T14:22:00.000-07:00

It's my birthday! (or was, since I'm blogging belatedly) And this blog's birthday too (thereabouts). I had a birthday party with some friends last Sunday (June 17) in anticipation of my real birthday which fell on Tuesday.

Our holiday in Portugal

2007-06-09T14:31:00.000-07:00

I went on holiday with my parents 3 weeks ago. The highlights of my trip were waiting at the shore for the waves, touching and eating sand (nice! my parents preferred sardines), walking around holding my folks' fingers. I could do this everyday!

Kitchen help

2007-05-13T12:09:00.000-07:00

I helped unload some dishes and cutlery from the dishwasher today.

Walking about (with assistance)

2007-05-13T12:01:00.000-07:00

Passport/visa-style photos

2007-05-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

I was planning to go to US for Uncle Adrian's graduation. Which was yesterday actually. Congratulations, Uncle Adrian!

Well, my passport was held up by the UK home office. By the time I got it back, I didn't have sufficient time to get a US visa.

But here are some photos from about a week or so ago when we still had hopes of getting the visa in time.

A day in the park

2007-05-13T11:47:00.000-07:00

Budding artist or little terror?

2007-04-14T14:49:00.000-07:00

During dinner today, I displayed a new (self-taught, I must proudly add) skill. Much to Daddy's dismay. Check out the photos. Once I get a spoonful of purple coloured stuff in my mouth (it's blueberry vanilla, just in case any of you think Daddy's feeding me paint), I'd place my mouth on the table to make pretty purple patterns. Then use my hands to wipe it all over. Then just repeat until the whole canvas (or table) is covered. Try it for yourself!

Another skill I'm trying to perfect is knocking the bowl off Daddy's hands as that adds a nice splash of colour to the table, floor, wall. I've done so with occasional success, but am definitely getting better. (Knocked off some mango orange stuff onto myself and the pushchair when I didn't want anymore when we were walking around Chorlton today.)

Gates

2007-04-09T12:29:00.000-07:00

I'm crawling at breakneck speed (at least from the point of view of my old folks) nowadays. Hence the stairs are now gated. Here are some pictures of me rattling the gate at the top of the staircase, which I probably shouldn't be doing since Daddy's not particularly good at DIY.

Easter Sunday

2007-04-09T12:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! After church, my family and I spent the day at my friend Alex's house. Here are some pictures of me playing in his garden.

Brushing my teeth

2007-03-28T02:54:00.000-07:00

Set me free!

2007-03-20T05:20:00.000-07:00

To crawl or not to crawl

2007-03-20T05:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Mummy's Day

2007-03-20T05:04:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, it was Mummy's Day in the UK. Well, Mothering Sunday to be precise.

I got Mummy some flowers, and also made her a card at nursery. (Daddy's still puzzled over how I'm able to make beautiful cards - Chinese New Year and Mummy's Day so far - at nursery when it seems that all I want to do with pieces of paper is smash and/or eat them. And I'm able to write at nursery too, it seems! Err... I've also got a blog, dude.)

9 months old

2007-03-20T04:45:00.000-07:00

I turned 9 months old yesterday!

Dinner at Auntie Mars & Uncle Andrew's

2007-02-24T14:08:00.000-08:00

In contrast to the earlier Chinese New Year photos, here I'm not in my pyjamas.

With Alexander's family

2007-02-24T13:48:00.000-08:00

Today, I had lunch with my friend Alexander and his family.

In a new sweater from Poe Poe

2007-02-24T13:45:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year!

2007-02-22T08:05:00.000-08:00

A year later

2007-02-13T01:09:00.000-08:00

Here are some snaps from my first trip to Keswick (Jan '06 - you can't see me!) as well as my more recent second (Feb '07 - you still can't see me very well as I'm under the raincover).

Prince Charles was here

2007-02-11T13:35:00.000-08:00

Prince Charles was at this wee pub in Hesket Newmarket last Monday. Not that I'm a monarchist by any stretch, but with children's literature (especially for us boys) filled with stories of kings and knights, it's hard not be impressed by the tale of a fine prince charming popping by for a pint and a game of darts.

Trip to Lake District

2007-02-11T13:27:00.000-08:00

Just got back from the Lake District. Mummy, Daddy, and I went to the Lakes on Saturday, visiting Keswick then Ireby, a small village where we stayed overnight. It was my second time to Keswick - my first was in January last year when I was still a bump. We ate a lot (here's a photo of me having a drink in a pub), and walked a little. Well, Mummy and Daddy walked while I tagged along.

Tumbling down

2007-01-27T02:08:00.000-08:00

Being a kid

2007-01-27T01:55:00.000-08:00

Watching telly and playing with some toys.

Posing for the camera

2007-01-17T15:30:00.000-08:00

Some photos from Dubai

2007-01-17T15:19:00.000-08:00

We spent a night in Dubai to break our journey on the way back to Manchester from Malaysia. My pushchair was sent all the way back, so I used a complimentary pushchair from the airline.

First week in nursery

2007-01-17T15:14:00.000-08:00

About a fortnight ago, my family and I arrived back in Manchester after spending Christmas and New Year's in Malaysia. So we're adapting back to routine after a nice holiday. A whole new routine for Mummy and me. Mummy's back at work, albeit part-time @ 60%. And whenever she's at work, I'm at Holyrood nursery in Prestwich. Here are some pictures Daddy took when picking me up this evening.

Getting ready for the sun

2006-11-27T13:38:00.000-08:00

Here I'm getting ready for my trip to sunny Malaysia in a few weeks. Or should I be preparing for the haze instead?

Chilling

2006-11-27T13:33:00.000-08:00

Solids

2006-11-27T13:23:00.000-08:00

Last Monday (20 November), I had my first taste of solids: rice cereal.

As you can see, I quite like my food!

Little Hoodie (not the scary sort)

2006-11-27T13:18:00.000-08:00

Here I'm dressed in a knitted "hoodie" given to me by my paternal Grand Ah Yee. Ummm... maybe I'll save this for my little sister.

All Smiles

2006-11-12T10:18:00.000-08:00

In my snowsuit

2006-11-12T10:15:00.000-08:00

It's autumn now and getting cold...

Sitting up

2006-11-06T14:09:00.000-08:00

I can now sit up for 10-15 seconds!

Elevated

2006-11-06T13:57:00.000-08:00

Finally, I am elevated! Mummy and Daddy no longer have dinner at the coffee table with me on the bouncer/rocker by their side. Rather, I can now join them at the dining table.

Hmmm... I wonder how the solid looking stuff they put in their mouths taste.

Rolling over

2006-11-06T13:54:00.000-08:00

I'm not particularly keen on lying on my front. In the past, I would cry whenever put in such an unpleasant position. Nowadays, I just roll over.

Dinner with Stephen and Siobhan

2006-11-02T05:00:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday evening, we had dinner with Stephen, Daddy's coursemate at uni, and his girlfriend Siobhan. Indian food for them and... errr, it's still milk for me.

On massages and the senses

2006-11-02T04:53:00.000-08:00

When one's older, one gets massaged by a masseur/masseuse. At my wee age, one gets massaged by the health care visitor. Some of us babies - including my mate Aaron, who's 1 1/2 weeks older than I - went for a massage on Wednesday. After our massage, Aaron and I (supervised by our mummies) went to play in the sensory play room.

With my security blanket (a gift from Auntie Mich)

2006-11-02T04:48:00.000-08:00

In Chorlton eating hot dogs

2006-11-02T04:44:00.000-08:00

In Grand Auntie Sai Peng's Garden

2006-10-22T12:18:00.000-07:00

During our trip to London, my family and I stayed at Grand Auntie Sai Peng's home, whcih she graciously offered to us. Here are some pictures of Grand Auntie Sai Peng, Auntie Daveen, Mummy, Daddy and I in her lovely garden.

Oriental City, Colindale

2006-10-22T12:10:00.000-07:00

Oriental City, introduced to us by Grand Auntie Sai Peng, has whetted my appetite for Malaysia (or at least the smell of or the taste of its food via Mummy).

London

2006-10-22T11:59:00.000-07:00

After sorting out the paperwork with regard to my registration and passport, my family and I went to Hyde Park, which is right around the corner from the Belgrave Square where the Malaysian High Commission is at. We also walked around Leicester Square and Covent Garden.

Trains are totally awesome!

2006-10-22T11:54:00.000-07:00

The concepts of country and citizenship

2006-10-22T11:34:00.000-07:00

I'm still getting to grips with the concepts of "country" and "citizenship." It appears that though I was born in Salford, my parents are from a distant land called Malaysia. Further, due to my Daddy being a Malaysian, I too am a Malaysian citizen. (But if "citizen" is from the root "city", shouldn't my Dad be a Kuantanite and I a Salfordian?)

Though born a Malaysian, to register my citizenship my family and I made a journey to a far away town called London, which is the capital (I guess the most important place) of the country I'm now in. There, we went to the Malaysian embassy, which is where a group of Malaysians represent the whole of Malaysia in a non-Malaysian piece of land.

In fact, to further complicate things for my wee four-month old head (albeit a rather large one), not only is the Malaysian embassy an embassy but is a High Commission. This seems to be what embassies of Commonwealth countries are called. Commonwealth countries being pieces of land formerly united and controlled by one land. Why anybody would want to occupy more land boggles my mind since I'm not quite yet exploring all the land on my playmat.

But I digress. At the embassy/High Commission, I registered my birth and signed up for a passport, which allows me to pass through the ports of the many different lands not in Salford or London.

Here are some pictures of me on the way to the High Commission, in a queue (I hear there's lot of queueing up in life!), and getting changed while in the queue.

At Mummy's Workplace

2006-10-22T11:27:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday, I had an appointment with the ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat) specialist, thus headed to Pendlebury Children's Hospital, which is Mummy's workplace.

On clothes when one goes out

2006-10-22T10:42:00.000-07:00

When I went to church last Sunday, I discovered what some seem to quite dread: the scenario that the clothes you're wearing are the same as (or quite similar to) another's. Here are some photos of Auntie Migdelia and I. Quite neat, I think!

On certain things which are private when one's all grown up

2006-10-11T14:06:00.000-07:00

I hear that in this world I'm slowly growing into, certain things are private, not to be disclosed.

One of these things, so it seems, is one's weight. Especially when one's in the 91st percentile. (It appears that's ok though since I'm around the 98th percentile for length aka height... my Daddy says I take after him - errr, sorry, Dad, I don't think so).

Anyway, went for my immunisations yesterday and all went well. My length's 88cm and my weight's between 7.8-8kgs, depending on my position on the tiny weighing scale (yes, I admit it's not too precise). I took my jabs pretty well, and am all set for another visit to the doctor's next Tuesday (an ENT appointment).

Immunisation Tuesday

2006-10-10T05:56:00.000-07:00

Here I am looking at Mummy as she chats with Auntie Cheng Yi.

Later this afternoon, I go to get further immunised.

Saturday pix

2006-10-10T05:38:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of me before going to Trafford Centre. My parents had lunch at Yo Sushi, while I slept a little and had a poo.

Lunch at Auntie Annabel's

2006-10-03T14:09:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, a few of us had lunch at Auntie Annabel and Uncle Richard's. We had Mexican food (tuna+mayo in peppers wrapped in fried egg), Kentucky Fried Chicken (Daddy's current craze), roast beef, roast pork (turkey? I don't know for sure - I just drink milk!), etc. We were quite an international crowd. Here I am with some of the older children (I'm waiting for Baby Bryce so I won't always be the youngest!) around Auntie Lizzie. In the picture where there's four of us, there's a Ghanaian, a Kenyan, a South African, and me (currently citizenless!).

Recent photos

2006-10-01T02:11:00.000-07:00

A History of Babies

2006-09-17T14:10:00.000-07:00

Baby (now Uncle) Adrian and Baby Me

2006-09-17T13:54:00.000-07:00

My future looks

2006-09-17T13:41:00.000-07:00

Yeh Yeh and Mah Mah just dug up some photos of Uncle Adrian when he was a baby. When he was a baby, he looked quite like what I look like now. And, looking at these pictures, although he was a baby more than two decades ago, he still looks quite the same actually.

So perhaps just by looking at me, one may catch a glimpse of what the 21 year old me would look like?

What I've been up to this weekend

2006-09-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

Hello! Some have been wondering why my posts have been somewhat infrequent, but it's because being a little baby (3 months at 1107am on Tuesday), I've been busy! New things to learn and all that. I guess I'll have more time in my teens (if blogs still are the rage then).

Daddy says people usually say that ("I'll have more time later") about getting involved in church as well. I'll have more time after exams, studies, climbing the ladder, blah blah. And before you know it, you have an excuse that can be used for the next couple of decades or so (for church and everything else): kids!

This weekend has been fairly quiet. Played around the house yesterday. My Grand Ah Yee's sheepskin makes a comfortable surface on my playmat, so I quite like it unless it has remnants of my puke. Speaking of which, I've been quite bothered by reflux, so yesterday tried Gaviscon, which is nice and high in sodium.

Today, we had Auntie Migdelia, who is from Acapulco and teaching me Spanish, over for lunch. We had some bread that my maternal Grand Ah Yee brought from Germany and an assortment of different meats. Daddy cooked and mowed the grass at the same time, so I'm not exactly sure about the food's cleanliness.

Grand Ah Yee's sheepskin

2006-09-11T03:42:00.000-07:00

My (paternal) Grand Ah Yee had given me a sheepskin rug when she came by to visit from Wollongong, Australia, about a month ago. Yesterday, I played on it for the first time while Mummy and Daddy were having dinner (penne, instant some pasta sauce with anchovies, and salmon in Gimsom nyonya sauce).

Also, here I am with some "friends".

Grand Ah Yee's visit

2006-09-11T03:24:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago, my (maternal) Grand Ah Yee and her family came by from Dusseldorf to visit. Uncle Ben had graduated from UCL on Friday, and they came by afterwards to see me! And also to watch England versus ummm... Andorra. Well, for the experience of Old Trafford and to watch Peter Crouch, I suppose. But based on what my Grand Ah Yee had clothed me in, though she's a Malaysian living in Germany watching an England game, she's probably a closet Brazilian fan.

Heaton Park

2006-09-08T02:29:00.000-07:00

Last Monday, which was Labour Day in the US (thus Daddy opted to take the day off), we went for an evening stroll at Heaton Park.

Happy (be-early) Birthday Kong Kong

2006-09-07T08:07:00.000-07:00

Once again, I learnt the meaning of "goodbye", bidding adieu to Poe Poe and Kong Kong who left for Subang Jaya on Tuesday.

The evening prior, some of us gathered to eat, chat, and celebrate Kong Kong's birthday. Auntie Mars and Uncle Andrew cooked a lot of dishes: fish, taugeh, and delicious prawns. Daddy, on the other hand, bought some food from the Szechuan restaurant Red Chili's in case Kong Kong is nostalgic for some Xiamen/Amoy fare: cucumber in vinegar, pork and chili, beef in chili soup, aubergine with... urm, some chili. Auntie Megumi dropped by on her way back from work to say bye to my grandparents.

I've settled into a bit of a routine now. I sleep rather earlier, hence my absence from any of these photos. I was asleep during the party (and actually throughout the time in the airport the next morning too).

At play

2006-08-31T03:32:00.000-07:00