Camel goes on a Holiday with us - Ruby's Resort

We've been traveling quite a bit this month.  I guess, it's kinda like making up for all the time lost when I had issues with health. Anyway, we just got back and I told my husband that I'd be blogging about Camel's holiday. My husband raised his eyebrows and asked "Not blogging about OUR holiday, but about our dog's holiday?" I replied "Yes, Camel's turn this time." So here, a short post bout Camel's vacation.

We adopted Camel about 5 years ago. He was an abused dog, rescued by a volunteer at PAWS. When we first adopted him, he was already debarked by his previous owner,  timid, scared of being carried, cowered whenever we walked towards him. It took us a while to gain his full trust, and today, he's such a confident, curious little pooch.

Well, when the children found out that Camel would be going on a holiday with us to Ruby's Resort, they went wild with excitement! To cut a long story short, Camel was spoilt with the constant attention he got at the resort from all the children.

As for Nel and Jo, they as usual had a great time with friends, spending most of the day by the beach swimming, playing with the waves (jumping over...hiding under ..swimming over and simply getting whacked by huge waves.) 

 Ruby's Resort where you get to holiday with your pets. Ruby herself has several stray dogs and cats which are really well taken care off.

 Camel's very first time at the beach.

 Nel taking Camel for a long run. They both loved it!

 Camel's first experience with waves. At first he kept barking as every wave crashed onto shore. Then being the curious dog he is, he approached it with a pounce. The wave smacked him, and he got a fright. Afterwards, he'd only try swimming when the water was calm.

Best friends taking a break

The waves at the Cherating beach are huge and strong. That created a lot of exciting play for the children.

 Trying a bit of boarding

 At Ruby's pets are to be kept on the leash, except when in the middle compound. Here Camel managed to escape from the compound and went wondering on his own.

 All the kids went running after him shouting "Camel come back!! Camel!!" (Camel is a fast runner!) Well they found him in someone's balcony. So one of them got him out.

 Camel watching his first sunrise at the beach. I think he really loved it.

On the second night, after  a long wonderful day by the beach the children knocked out very quickly. But we were awoken less than 10 minutes after. A turtle had chosen to land right by Ruby's gate. The few of us who were awake walked out to watch quietly from afar as the turtle dug her hole. As we watched we realized we weren't the only ones. Several strangers dressed in black stood nearby waiting for the turtle to lay her eggs. Sure enough as soon as she started laying, they came and took her eggs, claiming that they were conservationist. A few riders on bikes passed by, exchanged words, and rode away. I certainly hope her eggs are safe.  We stayed about 2 hours watching the whole tedious process. So much tough work. Poor turtle. The children walked quietly by her side as she returned to sea saying their goodbyes. What a lovely experience added to the lovely weekend. Truly God is good.

We plan to go back real soon with Camel again, and a few friends with their doggies. Camel aside, we truly enjoyed the trip because we got to catch up with friends, and the children got to bond better with their buddies. Indeed, it really doesn't matter where one spends the holidays, as long as there is good company. :)



@poundthegarlic.blogspot.com 2013

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Camping Merapoh, Sg. Relau.

We spent a lovely weekend away at Taman Negara Merapoh, Sg. Relau with six other families.  When we first arrived at the campsite, we were really disappointed with how the campground looked. It was super hot, several trees had wasps nests, and the river that flowed next to campground was murky, not a breath of wind.  It looked no better than anyone's backyard and less than 10 minutes after arrival, one of the kids got stung, and several more received bites throughout the stay.

Some backed out of camping and decided to rent a chalet next to the campground. (Chalet costs RM90 with aircond.)  Well...the rest of us decided that since we'd driven all the way there, we might as well set up tent.  After setting up tent, we decided to trek to escape the scorching heat.

 

10 minutes into the jungle (err...quite a lot of leeches!), the air got cooler and we saw the river as it should be, the beautiful Sg. Relau river. Quite fast flowing at certain spots, cold and almost crystal clear. The kids jumped in immediately. Some started building structures with pebbles and slates they found, creating imaginary sushi and furniture shops in the river, some built dams and forts and some had races and water fights.

Boys having a swimming race upstream.

Exploring the beautiful Relau River. The current is strong and several slippers and stuff flowed downstream and away.

A splashing fight and good time.

After a really refreshing swim, we had BBQ for dinner, and of course marshmallows for the kids. Then the 17 children played till their heart's content while we adults sat and chatted. In between many insects dropped by to show off their colours. It's amazing how many varieties of insects we found! This thrilled us all, especially the bug lovers and children.

 It was hard falling asleep after that because of the heat. It only got cooler about 3am.

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Were awaken early by the amazing sounds of the forest. That's one thing I really loved about Merapoh, it's just teeming with wildlife. First thing I saw was a huge hornbill flying across the sky. A group of gibbons called loudly from nearby and an amazing orchestra of insects made incredibly powerful sounds.

A few of us walked the forest path in silence listening to the morning sounds of nature. The children cupped their ears and were amazed at the high frequency of sounds traveling all around us.

Some of us then decided to take a 4WD towards Kelah Sanctuary. The ride was wild, going up and down steep roads at a rather fast speed. A friend mentioned that this was a really dangerous journey, because we were sitting on the top on handmade planks which moved forward and backward with the truck! But the children and adrenaline junkies imagined themselves on a roller coaster ride, screaming at every bend and slope. At quite many spots, we had to duck to avoid hanging branches, especially sharp rattan!

On the truck, heading to Kelah Sanctuary

Arrival at Kelah Sanctuary

First thing we saw were beautiful butterflies everywhere

The man who brought us in provided lots of fish food. We placed some in our palms and fed the fish, which boldly came and ate out of our hands. These are huge and strong fish which swim against the current. They really feel like toothless babies munching on our palms when they grab the food.

The man in charge caught several Kelahs for us to feel and hold. Well, some of us tried to catch one, but failed to do so. The fish  were just too powerful and strong.

Fruits that the Kelah eat

After the excitement of seeing the powerful fish swimming against the fast, shallow rapids, we went for a long cold cold swim in this really refreshing river. It was HEAVENLY and just made the whole camping trip worth it!

On our way back, we stopped at this high lookout point to enjoy the beauty of the forest.

I spotted two Prevost squirrel,  around our campsite. Very active and can really jump quite a far distance from tree to tree. Was thrilled to watch them in action.

In the end, despite the hot campsite with lots of bees and wasps, most of us enjoyed ourselves tremendously. The children certainly did, as one child said to his mum at the end of the camp "What am  I going to do without my friends mama?" 

Actually it was interesting observing the children as they played. We left them on their own, and they had a large space to run and a little hall with a stage. They created their own drama, and new games. When the lights went off, they made shadow dramas with their flashlights.  Sometimes in teams they played army and detective, defended forts and captured "enemies". Children left on their own become really creative and they are wonderful at organizing themselves.

If you plan to go, I recommend the chalets rather than the campsite. But then again, if you rented the chalet, you'd miss nature's beautiful sounds that ring through the night and early morning. So for us, we'd still camp.

(What can I say, I intended to make this a detailed post, but just got news that a good friend just passed away of nasal cancer. Deeply saddened, though I know he's in a better place.     :(  RIP Mr. Choo Chee Kuang.)

@poundthegarlic.blogspot.com 2013

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Short getaway, Family Time.

With the current heat wave, we decided on a spontaneous trip to the beach yesterday. At first the children begged if they could bring a friend or two, but hubby and I decided that it'd be just family. Family time.

As we traveled away from the city, past tiny villages/towns and vegetable farms, I felt the tension from stress begin to ease. Once at the beach we found a spot and Nel decided to stay put on the sand, contented  to just building stuff with her spade and hands, while her dad sat with her.

Jo and I decided to walk far out since the  tide was low and water really far out. How lovely that God gave me a talkative, extroverted child to break my introverted thoughts. At first a hundred thoughts filled my head as usual while I tried to internally sort them out, but almost every thought was broken by my curious child's chatter and questions. So I gave up thinking and truly began to enjoy nature and my child.

"Mum...look...did you know tube worms build their homes deep down under. Look mum, I've dug, and it looks like an underground tunnel system, tubes going everywhere!"

"Mum" said the young one slyly,  "I'm an alligator, hiding in the murky water...come near me and SNAP!!! I am ferocious!" Jo's just lost 3 front teeth. She claims that she currently looks like a sabertooth with 2 fangs showing.


"Look mum...see the slugs. I love slugs..so pretty. See here, see here, an anemone!! It closes when I touch!"

At one point, Nel too joined us on our walk, helping her lil sister look for interesting sea creatures.

Sister is probably the most competitive relationship within the family,

 but once the sisters are grown, 

it becomes the strongest relationship.
~Margaret Mead

"See mum, how the small crabs dig a hole" (sorry blur video..)



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"See mum, how high I can jump!"

"Mum...careful where you walk, don't walk where crabs are. Oh WOW!!! The crabs have dominated the land!! They're everywhere." "Do they all share the same water hole?"

Jo thinks the little pool in between the crab holes is a drinking source for them.

After about an hour far out examining the creatures at low tide, we finally walked inwards to inspect what Nel had been doing.

A few castles and a TOILET BOWL where you get to shit in if you pay RM50!

She'd also helped her lil sis make a large pond which Jo filled with all her catch of the day..several crabs, slugs, hermit crabs and all.

We stayed, enjoying the windy breeze, the changing hues as the sun set. Sunset was amazing...breathtaking. Most people had by then left to eat. But sunset was the part we had waited for. Nel sat watching, dazzled by the colours while Jo ooh and aahed at the colours while running back and forth fetching water for her water creatures.

We sat till it got darker and most people had left except us. Then gladly we packed, washed up and got us a delicious dinner of grilled fish and rice.

Nel building me a cushion to sit on.

So much contentment can come from just a short outing with family alone. I tell my kids from time to time, some outings must be shared just by family alone, for family time is so important to reconnect. Family time is precious. It fills our hearts and mind with peace and love , eases away tension, gives us strength to face the days together as one.

A Happy Family is but an earlier heaven ~ George Bernard Shaw

A family in harmony will prosper in everything.~

CHINESE PROVERB

In truth a family is what you make it. It is made strong, not by number of heads counted at the dinner table, but by the rituals you help family members create, by the memories you share, by the commitment of time, caring, and love you show to one another, and by the hopes for the future you have as individuals and as a unit. ~MARGE KENNEDY

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Some random stuff:  Resting from a bad cough the other day, the house grew too quiet. I went downstairs to find Nel folding a huge mountain of clothes all by herself. Jo too was hard at work, sweeping and organizing my kitchen for me. These random moments are more precious than mother's day itself.

@poundthegarlic.blogspot.com 2013

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Short Getaway - Janda Baik (Bug photography)

After the past couple of really busy months, it was really nice to go for a short getaway just to unwind, relax and recharge. So together with several other families we headed to Janda Baik just for a weekend.

What a lovely place to unwind. The chalet we booked is situated right by the river, and the sound of flowing river has a way of calming the soul, and lifting ones spirits.

Some shots below. It was oh sooo nice to be among nature and to be able to "capture" some bugs again on my camera. I'd missed nature photography so much. Some shots below.

Since the chalet was pretty small (it has just one room), some of us had to camp. It was nice camping in cool weather beside the gurgling stream.

Some of the children at play. They spent almost every waking hour at the river.

Early Morn by our campsite.

Beautiful colours, a feast for the soul.

I spent lots of time sitting here, reflecting and at the same time watching damselflies and dragonflies. After sitting still for a while, some damselflies actually began landing on my hands.Cool. :)

There's an amazing variety of dragonflies and damselflies here, mainly the colours of blue, purple, orange, red and green. That's almost every colour isn't it. That's what I love about nature...colours.

I particularly love this greenish one. Oh so beautiful and intriguing.

Was so hard to capture it with its wings opened. After several failed attempts, walla, one achievement.

Attempt at capturing one in midair. Not so clear, but I know practice makes perfect. Will keep practicing.

Finally, the greatest "catch" of the weekend was this furry caterpillar. After some research, I believe that this is a Tussock Moth Caterpillar. It walks rather fast and doesn't seem to be very scared of humans.

I guess, what made the whole trip fantastic was great company. To all who went, thank you for great company. To the BBQ chefs..I can still taste and smell the food. Slrrrp. As for the children, they definitely had a wonderful time running around, playing in the stream, making new friends. :)

@poundthegarlic.blogspot.com 2013

[where we stayed http://www.saujanajandabaik.com/  ]
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Paper Mosaic of Silhouettes

Jo and cousins enjoying the mosaic art by Prof Chan Eng Heng.

We've been attracted to mosaic art ever since we visited the Turtle Alley in K Terengganu, where the walls and floor are decorated with mosaic art  done by Prof Chan Eng Heng.

So we borrowed a couple of books from the library on mosaic art, and looked at some really old mosaic art online. We discovered that the oldest mosaic art goes back to the time of Mesopotamia. We also looked online, at some old Christian Mosaic artworks and were amazed at the details that went into the work.









Well, today begins a series of art work we plan to do, all related to  mosaic art in some way or other.

In math we worked on the topic of tessellation coz I thought, it's kinda related. The kids, especially Nel loved this, as she's always loved patterns.

In the kitchen we experimented with swirling colours. I boiled some water, added corn starch and floated food colouring on the top for the children to swirl to create marble like, mosaic like texture. We wanted to try paper marbling, but I had no alum to treat paper, thus just playing with creating patterns. To do this, add enough corn flour to boiled water to create thick texture. Add food colouring in random spots and swirl with toothpick.

Next we tried paper marbling using shaving cream. Spray shaving cream onto a tray, add food colouring, swirl using tooth pick. Place paper on top of coloured shaving cream, then remove paper. Scrape off foam to see pattern beneath.

 After all these mini projects, I decided we could  move on to larger pieces of work. For today it was a paper mosaic of the children's silhouette. We had two friends come by today as part of our co-op. Working together is great coz it motivates the children to finish their work, and allows for group discussion and comments after.

First the children had to figure out how they wanted their silhouette. Based on their decision, we drew around each child and cut out the shape of their silhouette. Then they began planning and then pasting papers on to create their mosaic art. It was a very messy process...lots of paper going around. It also required a lot of patience, planning and determination.

Dyl planning and sticking on cut/torn strips of paper.

Almost complete work by Nel.

Work completed, the children sat around their work of paper mosaic commenting and enjoying their end product. They were very proud and happy of their achievement! :)

I asked my children what  they learnt from all this. They replied
-We learnt to make decisions from how to pose for our silhouette, to what colours to use and how the papers would fit. We learnt how to plan and create in our mind. Most of all, we love the final product!

Next plan is to move on to using real ceramic tiles. Looking forward to that.

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@Poundthegarlic.blogspot.com 2013

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Discovering My Child's Strengths

I listened to an interesting sermon recently on raising children. I liked a particular suggestion the speaker gave on discovering our children's strengths.

Too often  parents impose their wants and expectations on their children, dictating their children's paths without regards for their children's talents and strengths. I mean, I've personally met quite a number of people who've gone to university to study a subject of their parent's choice, just for the sake of pleasing their parents. Upon graduation, they've come out and seeked out jobs in the area of their strengths or passion, totally unrelated to what they've studied. Some work, save up and head back to university to finally study what they've wanted to study all along.

As I parent  my young ones, I hope somehow, to avoid that trap. Part of parenting for me, is to discover my children's strengths and guide them to their best potential. Anyway, the little activity suggested by the speaker was as follows:

1) Create 3 columns on a paper. Ask your children to list down 30 things which they think they're good at in  column one.
2) In a second column, pick 15 items from the first, which they think they are excellent at.
3) In a third column, select 7 from the 2nd column, which they've been praised for. Meaning, someone's told them they're good at it.

So I did the exercise with my children. We didn't do it in columns, but used a highlighter to complete part 2.

My children have allowed me to put their list here, just for future reference. They didn't take the assignment too seriously, you'll see why... but I'll be doing it with them again perhaps in a year's time.

Here I've typed out what each child's written.  Child One (Yellow),  Child Two (Blue)...I'm sure you can guess, who's who.

In the end, Child One picked 7 Things which she's heard others praise her for. And based on what she chose, we concluded that her strengths lay with Hospitality, Children, Animals and Making Things. With that, we talked of people who might possibly have similar strengths, such as teachers, psychologists, vets, therapists, engineers, scientists and architects.

As for Child Two, with her talents in pouncing, ferocious looks and joking...I wondered how to summarize her. Well, she's still young...but we decided that for now, it'd be along the lines of creating dramas, sports or writing plots for storybooks.

It's always interesting to find out what your child thinks of herself. Through this exercise, I also found out some negative things they thought of themselves, for they'd listed in column one "I'm good at  (a bad thing)..."  I've chosen not to list negative traits here.This exercise gave me the opportunity to talk about these negative views of self. And if it had been my fault, then I've to rectify it.

Yeap...give it a go, discover your child. :)

 @poundthegarlic.blogspot.com 2013

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Mini Street Theatre Performance

Recently, my children, together with their friends, formed a small street theatre  group under the guidance of Shantini Venugopal and Lorna Henderson.

Initially when a parent initiated the class, my older girl was a very reluctant participant. She being an introvert, prefers spending her time reading books in a quiet corner, or spending time with just a few close friends whom she knows  very well. In a group setting, she'd rather watch, observe or daydream without participating. She tends to back away from group activities fearing several things like being "watched", making mistakes, not fitting in, not knowing what to say etc. I understand these fears, as I'm an introvert too.

I'm just so glad that through this group, Nel was able to set aside and overcome some of that fear, and even performed on stage.   :)   Way to go Nel!

As for Jo, she thoroughly enjoyed the classes. I can't say she was a good performer, sometimes participating, sometimes getting distracted by the happenings around her. Still, this was a wonderful experience. At the end of it all, they performed twice at Publika, once at the Agathians Shelter Home (which was awesome!) and at Phyllis Caring Home.

Warming up with teacher Lorna before the show at Publika.

Shantini V, talking to the audience and introducing the children's group.

Wowing the audience with songs, poetry and drama. Also notice the young stilt walkers.

Colourful flags that the children handpainted themselves.

Using drama to touch the community. Performing at Phyllis Caring Home.  The person who runs the home was so touched. She commented "In 20 years I've been here, this is one of the best moments ever for us. "

Performing at the Agathian Home for Boys. Warming up before performance at the Agathians

The Agathian boys performed for us in return. They are fantastic dancers!! The crowd went wild with their performance! (Photo taken by Alison, but I kinda edited pic by "chopping" off  heads to protect privacy of participants.)

@poundthegarlic.blogspot.com 2013

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