Sweet potatoes, steamed. Swee ...
Friday, March 04, 2016
Monday, February 15, 2016
CNY Ang Pows 2016
There were 2 versions this year, the rectangular ones were for the adults, the monkey ones were for the kids!
Extending last year's idea, I wanted the kids to do some artwork on this year's ang pows to make them more personalized and original. There were some hiccups along the way e.g. yellow printer ink was running out causing the colour of the ang pow to be off, the flower plum cutter that I bought could not cut through felt cloth (wanted the kids to stick different shades of pink flowers on the ang pows) and the idea had to be abandoned, the gold paint did not settle well on the red packets, etc. Due to time constraints, this was what we came up or rather, made do with for this year, the year of the Monkey.
As for the monkey-faced red packets, I stumbled upon a YouTube videos on origami monkey and thought it would be fun to have origami monkey as ang pows. I took me a while to search for a folding method that could allow me to encase and slot money in. I then did a template with folding and cutting lines and filled in the colors I wanted. I created 2 versions of it - girl monkey with ribbon and boy without. I gave A the boy monkey ang pow and B the girl monkey ang pow as 压岁钱 on the eve of CNY! They both love it and the ang pows are still under their pillows! :)
The process was fun and B had been a great help this time round! :)
Related Posts:
CNY Any Pows 2015
CNY Ang Pows 2014
Ang Pows 2013
Extending last year's idea, I wanted the kids to do some artwork on this year's ang pows to make them more personalized and original. There were some hiccups along the way e.g. yellow printer ink was running out causing the colour of the ang pow to be off, the flower plum cutter that I bought could not cut through felt cloth (wanted the kids to stick different shades of pink flowers on the ang pows) and the idea had to be abandoned, the gold paint did not settle well on the red packets, etc. Due to time constraints, this was what we came up or rather, made do with for this year, the year of the Monkey.
As for the monkey-faced red packets, I stumbled upon a YouTube videos on origami monkey and thought it would be fun to have origami monkey as ang pows. I took me a while to search for a folding method that could allow me to encase and slot money in. I then did a template with folding and cutting lines and filled in the colors I wanted. I created 2 versions of it - girl monkey with ribbon and boy without. I gave A the boy monkey ang pow and B the girl monkey ang pow as 压岁钱 on the eve of CNY! They both love it and the ang pows are still under their pillows! :)
The process was fun and B had been a great help this time round! :)
Related Posts:
CNY Any Pows 2015
CNY Ang Pows 2014
Ang Pows 2013
CNY 2016
Happy Chinese New Year! 新年快乐！
Our matching outfits on CNY Day 1. :)
Not a lot of places we went to this year. We've only managed to go parents-in-law's (10:20am), DC's uncle's (伯父) (11:15am) and DC's aunt's (姨妈) (1pm) on Day 1; DC's aunt ("Lai"姨) on Day 2 night (8pm) when B got better; B's nanny's (10:45am) and my parent's (12:30pm) on Day 3.
Both kids had fun visiting the relatives from house to house, so much that A didn't want to go back home on the first day of CNY! B learnt that every family would put sweets in trays and she ate quite a lot of them! A was just recovering from his cough and B was having runny nose and slight fever this year. Her fever went up at night on CNY Day 1 and she had difficulty sleeping. Both of us only managed to fall asleep at 5am. As a result, the next day which was CNY Day 2 we could not do any home visiting... It didn't help that I had to work on that day, rotating shifts to monitor our stuff following some unnecessary alerts that came out on the eve of CNY! Yes, CNY Day 2 was quite a damper! So, on CNY Day 3, after DC and A went to work and school respectively, I resolved to take B (whose childcare centre was closed) out to continue our visiting. :)
Some snippets of Day 1:
Besides the fire engine that they have been playing for years, now there was this to entertain them, or rather let us be entertained by them! I was pleasantly surprised that both of them were not afraid when their grandaunt handed them the lion and I must say they did a reasonably good (first-time) job imitating the dance! They must have learnt from the lion dance performance we took them last Sat when our MP came for the pre-CNY celebration at the clubhouse!
We had guests on Day 1 :) The boys played cars and the girls played the doughs.
This was what B made:
Snippets on Day 2:
Pictures above: A and B posing with oranges.
Pictures below: A and B at grandaunt's place. The kids couldn't get enough of the seaweed crackers that, like last year, they packed some back home!
Snippets on Day 3:
Look what Ang Pow B got herself at her nanny's! It's now sleeping with her every night! :)
After that, my sis drove us to our parent's for a nice lunch. We had food that were brought back from paternal uncle's place (ngoh hiang, prawn balls) and maternal aunt's place (abacus, vermicelli). Yummy food! B had her ever so tasty porridge cooked with love from my mummy! :)
We went to find Daddy after B's nap, for coffee and cakes and then B had her rides, before we went home for dinner and A! :)
Snippets on Day 4:
B on CNY Day 4. She skipped school, as I had to take her to the doctor's! This was her at one of the shops, after the doctor visit. We also went Toys "R" Us where I got her an Elsa gift. :)
Day 5 was business as usual, how we wish CNY could last the whole 15 days!
Our matching outfits on CNY Day 1. :)Not a lot of places we went to this year. We've only managed to go parents-in-law's (10:20am), DC's uncle's (伯父) (11:15am) and DC's aunt's (姨妈) (1pm) on Day 1; DC's aunt ("Lai"姨) on Day 2 night (8pm) when B got better; B's nanny's (10:45am) and my parent's (12:30pm) on Day 3.
Both kids had fun visiting the relatives from house to house, so much that A didn't want to go back home on the first day of CNY! B learnt that every family would put sweets in trays and she ate quite a lot of them! A was just recovering from his cough and B was having runny nose and slight fever this year. Her fever went up at night on CNY Day 1 and she had difficulty sleeping. Both of us only managed to fall asleep at 5am. As a result, the next day which was CNY Day 2 we could not do any home visiting... It didn't help that I had to work on that day, rotating shifts to monitor our stuff following some unnecessary alerts that came out on the eve of CNY! Yes, CNY Day 2 was quite a damper! So, on CNY Day 3, after DC and A went to work and school respectively, I resolved to take B (whose childcare centre was closed) out to continue our visiting. :)
Some snippets of Day 1:
Jenny biscuits from Hong Kong!
We had guests on Day 1 :) The boys played cars and the girls played the doughs.
This was what B made:
Snippets on Day 2:
Pictures below: A and B at grandaunt's place. The kids couldn't get enough of the seaweed crackers that, like last year, they packed some back home!
Snippets on Day 3:
After that, my sis drove us to our parent's for a nice lunch. We had food that were brought back from paternal uncle's place (ngoh hiang, prawn balls) and maternal aunt's place (abacus, vermicelli). Yummy food! B had her ever so tasty porridge cooked with love from my mummy! :)
We went to find Daddy after B's nap, for coffee and cakes and then B had her rides, before we went home for dinner and A! :)
Snippets on Day 4:
B on CNY Day 4. She skipped school, as I had to take her to the doctor's! This was her at one of the shops, after the doctor visit. We also went Toys "R" Us where I got her an Elsa gift. :)
Day 5 was business as usual, how we wish CNY could last the whole 15 days!
Sunday, February 07, 2016
Reunion dinner
What a spread. There's Lo Hei too.
Steamed pomfret, salted egg prawns, steamed chicken, sea cucumbers, abalones, scallops and lotus root soup.
Steamed pomfret, salted egg prawns, steamed chicken, sea cucumbers, abalones, scallops and lotus root soup.
Thursday, February 04, 2016
The Revenant
CAST
Leonardo Dicaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter, Lukas Haas
DIRECTOR
Alejandro G. Iñárritu
GENRE
Action/ Adventure
RELEASE
04-02-2016
RUNNING TIME
156 minutes
SYNOPSIS
Deep in the unchartered American wilderness, hunter Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is severely injured and left for dead by a traitorous member of his team, John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy). With sheer will as his only weapon, Glass must navigate a hostile environment, a brutal winter and warring tribes in a relentless quest to survive and exact vengeance on Fitzgerald. Inspired true events, THE REVENANT is directed and co-written by renowned filmmaker and Academy Award winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Birdman, Babel).
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DC has been waiting for this to be shown as the critical response for it was very good. It's about how a man survived against all odds to seek revenge for his son stabbed to death by his mate.
It was a cruel world then, betrayed, abandoned and left to die. I admired his wits and determination to stay alive but at the same time thought that some parts were quite unreal... e.g. crawling out of his grave when he was so badly injured, falling down the cliff unhurt while the horse died, outfighting a bear, etc
I did feel that Leonardo Dicaprio deserved a big win this time (The Revenant won three Golden Globe Awards, and was nominated for 12 Academy Awards) as playing this role was really hard work for him!
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Elsa from Head to Toe
B's "Elsa" inventory list (as at now):
Head: 6 hair clips
Neck: 2 necklaces
Body: 1 jacket
3 long gowns
3 dresses
5 blouses
2 skirts
3 pajamas
6 pair of socks
6 bags
3 birthday parties
1 pair of shoes
1 hair brush
1 biscuit tin
6 milk packs
1 doll
6 undies
countless stickers
photo cards
Related Posts:
Hi, My Name Is Elsa
Head: 6 hair clips
Neck: 2 necklaces
Body: 1 jacket
3 long gowns
3 dresses
5 blouses
2 skirts
3 pajamas
6 pair of socks
6 bags
3 birthday parties
1 pair of shoes
1 hair brush
1 biscuit tin
6 milk packs
1 doll
6 undies
countless stickers
photo cards
Related Posts:
Hi, My Name Is Elsa
Monday, January 11, 2016
Coffee overload
Shouldn't have ordered the 2nd one in the afternoon. Not one to give up a good offer, I still had to order the Starbucks which had a $2 off, for the 3rd coffee of the day. This offer from the receipt the previous day and expired in a day.
Well, maybe I'll be awake tonight for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
Sunday, December 27, 2015
Movie Time with Family
We figured out a pretty good way to spend family time on a weekend and at the same time immersed ourselves in movies we like with the people we love!
And so, off we went to the City Link Mall - DC watched Ip Man 3 with his dad, while I watched The Good Dinosaur with my kiddos! :)
It was a pity the kiddos still could not appreciate movies yet - A kept asking where his daddy and grandpa were, subsequently to the toilet and B was afraid of the dinosaurs and sound effects... but, they did have a big deal of fun after the show! I took them on a free trolley car ride and then we went to have some fun activities at the stations set up in City Link Mall, thanks to 2 Samaritans who handed us free passes that they didn't need (passes come with spending at the mall)!
Ip Man 3
CAST
Donnie Yen, Max Zhang Jin, Lynn Hung, Patrick Tam, Bryan Leung, Karena Ng, Kent Cheng, Louis Cheng, Danny Chan, Babyjohn Choi, Mike Tyson
DIRECTOR
Wilson Yip
GENRE
Action/ Drama
RELEASE
24-12-2015
RUNNING TIME
105 minutes
SYNOPSIS
Ip Man (Donnie Yen) takes on disciple, Bruce Lee, and engage in frequent sparring sessions to hone his skill after seeing great potential. Meanwhile, a well-known property developer-cum-street fighter played by American boxer Mike Tyson, challenges Ip Man in an incredible showdown of Wing Chun kung fu versus heavyweight boxing. In a never-seen-before union of Ip Man, Bruce Lee (revived by computer graphics) and Mike Tyson, the past and the present unite as a tribute to two of China’s greatest fighters.
The Good Dinosaur
CAST
Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Maleah Nipay-Padilla
DIRECTOR
Peter Sohn
GENRE
Animation
RELEASE
26-11-2015
RUNNING TIME
101 minutes
SYNOPSIS
"The Good Dinosaur" asks the question: What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? Pixar Animation Studios takes you on an epic journey into the world of dinosaurs where an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend. While traveling through a harsh and mysterious landscape, Arlo learns the power of confronting his fears and discovers what he is truly capable of.
Related Posts:
Watching the Lego Movie with the kiddos
At the Science Centre
Minions
And so, off we went to the City Link Mall - DC watched Ip Man 3 with his dad, while I watched The Good Dinosaur with my kiddos! :)
It was a pity the kiddos still could not appreciate movies yet - A kept asking where his daddy and grandpa were, subsequently to the toilet and B was afraid of the dinosaurs and sound effects... but, they did have a big deal of fun after the show! I took them on a free trolley car ride and then we went to have some fun activities at the stations set up in City Link Mall, thanks to 2 Samaritans who handed us free passes that they didn't need (passes come with spending at the mall)!
CAST
Donnie Yen, Max Zhang Jin, Lynn Hung, Patrick Tam, Bryan Leung, Karena Ng, Kent Cheng, Louis Cheng, Danny Chan, Babyjohn Choi, Mike Tyson
DIRECTOR
Wilson Yip
GENRE
Action/ Drama
RELEASE
24-12-2015
RUNNING TIME
105 minutes
SYNOPSIS
Ip Man (Donnie Yen) takes on disciple, Bruce Lee, and engage in frequent sparring sessions to hone his skill after seeing great potential. Meanwhile, a well-known property developer-cum-street fighter played by American boxer Mike Tyson, challenges Ip Man in an incredible showdown of Wing Chun kung fu versus heavyweight boxing. In a never-seen-before union of Ip Man, Bruce Lee (revived by computer graphics) and Mike Tyson, the past and the present unite as a tribute to two of China’s greatest fighters.
CAST
Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Maleah Nipay-Padilla
DIRECTOR
Peter Sohn
GENRE
Animation
RELEASE
26-11-2015
RUNNING TIME
101 minutes
SYNOPSIS
"The Good Dinosaur" asks the question: What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? Pixar Animation Studios takes you on an epic journey into the world of dinosaurs where an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend. While traveling through a harsh and mysterious landscape, Arlo learns the power of confronting his fears and discovers what he is truly capable of.
Related Posts:
Watching the Lego Movie with the kiddos
At the Science Centre
Minions
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2CAST
Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Sam Claflin, Jena Malone
DIRECTOR
Francis Lawrence
GENRE
Action/ Adventure
RELEASE
19-11-2015
RUNNING TIME
136 minutes
SYNOPSIS
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 brings the franchise to its powerful final chapter, in which Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) realizes the stakes are no longer just for survival—they are for the future.
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Just realized that we have been watching every prior episodes of The Hunger Games at home! This has to be one of the very few films that DC rented that had succeeded in holding my attention to follow through the full duration without dozing off! :P
The rating was bad, probably because there weren't any action on the conquest of the Capitol but I thought the show was quite enjoyable and the ending was complete and acceptable.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Star Wars The Force Awakens
CAST:
John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Lupita Nyong’o, Gwendoline Christie, Domhnall Gleeson, Max von Sydow, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Kenny Baker
DIRECTOR:
J.J. Abrams
GENRE:
Action/ Adventure
RELEASE:
17-12-2015
RUNNING TIME:
136 minutes
SYNOPSIS:
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan & Abrams, and features a cast including actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o, Gwendoline Christie, Crystal Clarke, Pip Andersen, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow. They will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker. The film is being produced by Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk, and John Williams returns as the composer. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is Episode VII in the Star Wars Saga.
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The sequel created such a buzz with the stomptroopers from the Galatic Empire appearing in the airport and shopping malls before its opening! Of course we wouldn't want to miss it out!
I rather enjoyed the show and loved BB-8, the newly introduced droid! It's a shame though, that the hope for a happy ending and a reunion of the disjointed family was dashed after Han Solo was killed by his own son...
Related Posts:
A Star Wars Party!
It's Movie Mania this Valentine's Day
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