Happiness! (Pt 1)

This entry is of unexpected moments captured that make my heart sing...

Isn't this the most adorable face?

Brotherly love...cleaning little sis' ear...

Yummm

Nyap Sayot! These are some of big sis' medals from her school track events...

Chloe loved to put things on her head when she was around 1 year old...
she was wearing her diaper and yes, she still loves to dig for gold...

Chloe caught with her sister's underwear...

This was so funny...Chloe was actually sucking on the
round knob that's at the end of a window blind string as he slept.

Meg wearing Claudia's specs...
her jammy and her pose is so funny
...like an old granny

Chloe wearing Pooh's t-shirt...

The Green House

The Green House recently opened on 24 February 2009. Since then, I've been there 3 times and each time trying different items on their menu and I must say their food is delicious and their pricing reasonable - good value.

The 1st time, I had their Mee Kari and lunch buddy had the Rojak Tambi - both are yummy (sorry Azreen Cafe...now your Rojak Tambi is No. 2 on my list...) The 2nd time, I had the Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng and my lunch buddy had the Nasi Lemak Ayam Rendang. Verdict - The BEST Nasi Lemak I've ever had! It's the rice they use. Long grain fragrant rice cooked to perfection with a hint of coconut milk.

Today I brought my eldest princess to have brunch The Green House before sending her off to school. Nasi Ayam Penyet was on the menu...finger licking good! Oh and their kopi-O ice will wake you up!


As you enter the Green House, this pretty wall welcomes you...


At a corner, there's even a foot massager and a comfy couch for you while you wait for your take-away order. The indoor dining hall is air-conditioned and the ambience is very calming with soft lights and pretty windows...


Presenting the Nasi Ayam Penyet....comes with ulam and a small bowl of soup and a finger bowl...



Meet my sweet brunch companion....


The Green House is located along Rubber Road, facing The Original Carwash (another great place).

Art by Megan (March 2009)

Valentine's Day

Forget the commercialism, colours, beliefs... Valentine's Day is a great day... It's a celebration of LOVE! To my husband of 16 years, Lawrence, I love you... To my children, Mitchell, Claudia, Megan and Chloe, I love you... To my mom and dad, I love you... To my brother and sisters, Linus, Fiona and Pauline, I love you... To all my family members, grandparents, aunties, uncles, cousins, nephews, nieces, in-laws, I love you... To all my friends, near and far, I love you... To everyone in the world and the departed, I love you... I LOVE LOVE!!!!

2,000 Years Ago....in China

Ancient Imperial Language of China – 2,000 Years Ago

How Did it Sound Like? (Mind you, it's no way similar to Mandarin)
Has this Ancient Language Survived?
Who Speaks it Today?

You'll be Surprised. You have heard it. You, your parents, or grandparents may still be speaking this ancient, archaic language!

Yes, it's HOKKIEN (Fujian/Minnan Hua)

Hokkien is:

1. The surviving language of the Tang Dynasty (618-907AD), China 's Golden Age of Culture.
Note: The Hokkien we hear today may have "evolved" from its original form 2,000 years ago, but it still retains the main elements of the Tang Dynasty Language.

2. Hokkiens are the surviving descendants of the Tang Dynasty -- When the Tang Dynasty collapsed, the people of the Tang Dynasty fled South and sought refuge in the Hokkien ( Fujian ) province. Hence, Hokkien called themselves
Tng-lang (Tang Ren or People of the Tang Dynasty) instead of Hua Lang (Hua Ren).

3. Hokkien has 8 tones instead of Mandarin's 4. Linguists claim that ancient languages tend to have more complex tones.

4. Hokkien retains the ancient Chinese pronunciation of "K-sounding" endings (for instance, Hak Seng (student),
Tua Ok (university), Thak Chek (read a book/study) -- the "k" sounding ending is not found in Mandarin.

5. The collection of the famous "Three Hundred Tang Dynasty Poems" sound better when recited in Hokkien/Teochew if compared to Mandarin.

6. Consider this for a moment: Today, the Hokkien Nam Yim ochestral performance still has its roots in ancient Tang dynasty music. Here's the proof: The formation of today Nam Yim ensemble is typically seen in ancient Tang dynasty paintings of musicians.

More Astonishingly:

Although not genetically-related, Hokkiens, Koreans and Japanese share many similar words (which are different from Mandarin).


That's because Hokkien was the official language of the powerful Tang Dynasty whose influence and language spread to Japan and Korea (just like Latin – where many words were borrowed by the English, French, Italian, etc). Here are just a few words in Hokkien, Japanese & Korean for your comparison:

Hokkien	Korean	Japanese
Sin Boon (news)	Sin Mun	Shinbun - newspaper
Cheng Hu (government)	Chong Bu
Pang (room)	Pang
Chhia (car/vehicle)	Ch'a
Mui/M'ng (door)	Mun
P'hio (ticket)	P'yo
Eng Wan (eternal)	Yong Won
Chaek (book)	Ch'ae
Ki (flag)	Ki	Ki
Kang river)	Gang/kang
Poh Hiam (insurance)	Poh Ham
Sio Sim (caution)	Cho sim
Mo Kui (demon)	Ma gui
Cham (attend/join/mix)	Ch'am sok
Kantan (simple)	Gan Dan
Sin Sei Kai (new world)	Shin Sae Gae
Kok Ka (nation)	Kuk Kka
Hya (elder brother)	Hyaeng
Choon Pi (prepare)	Jun Bi
Si Kan (time)	Si Kan
Kam tong (emotion, feeling)	Kam Jong	Kanjoo
Kamsia (gratitude, thanks)	Kam Sa	Kansha
Keat Hoon (marriage)	Kyol Hon	Kekkon
Oon Tong (exercise)	Un Dong	Undoo
Tua Ok (university)	Tae Hak	Daigaku
Aun Chuan (safety)	An Jon	An Zen
Mua Chiok(satisfaction)	Man Jok	Manzoku
Ai Lang (lover)	Ae In	Aijin
Seng Kong (success)	Song Kong	Seikoo
Chhiu Sat (suicide)	Cha sal	Jisatsu
Pu Do (grapes)	P'o d'o	Budoo
Chin Por (progress)	Chin bo	Shinpo

To all 49 Million Hokkien Speakers:

Be Proud of Your Ancient Hokkien Heritage & Language! Speak it Loud and Clear. Teach Your Future Generation this Imperial Language, Less it Fades Away.
Be Proud Children of the Tang Emperors.

To all Mandarin-speaking friends out there -- do not look down on your other Chinese friends who do not speak Mandarin – whom you guys fondly refer to as "Bananas". In fact, they are speaking a language which is much more ancient & linguistically complicated than Mandarin.

Keep in mind that Mandarin is just:

1. A Northern Chinese dialect (heavily influenced by non Han Chinese) that was elevated to the status of National Language by Sun Yat Sen for the sake of China 's national unity.

2. Mandarin was never spoken by your proud, imperial Tang Dynasty ancestors. It was probably spoken by the Northern (Non-Han) Jurchen, Mongols and Manchu minority. Start speaking the language of your ancestors today.

Other interesting links: http://www.famouschinese.com/virtual/Penang_Hokkien

Art - Part 2

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...enjoy them....they were all drawn in 2008


By Megan

By Chloe

By Megan

By Megan

By Megan

Art

My girls love to draw and can draw pretty well, except for my boy who is 15 now and cannot draw even if to save his own life (it really is that bad). Will post one soon when I can get my hands on them...

This one is by Claudia. She did this when she was she was about 5 or 6. She loved the PowerPuff Girls and would draw them everyday. Kept this on my office noticeboard for years so it's faded.
Ha...this one is by the artist of the family, Megan. She's 5 and has been drawing as soon as she could hold a pencil. She will draw on any surface! This one was done last year on our upstairs hall wall. Can't even get mad at her for drawing on the walls...as I find her drawings so adorable and as the years pass, I can see the changes in her drawing skill...that's the advantage of wall drawings, you can preserve them ahahahahha - that is until they get painted over.

More later...