Happy Birthday, Everyone!

Today's the seventh day of the Chinese New Year and it is traditionally known as 人日 (Rénrì) where it is the Birthday of EVERYONE. Woohoo!

And since the first two days of the Chinese New Year weren't exactly enough for the adults to feast to their satisfaction, the first weekend of the Dragon Year would see di-di, mei-mei & me tagging along with Daddy & Mummy to their friends' homes.

Luckily for us, one of the homes was that of Benji's & Sarah's. 

And together with Clara, when you put us all in proximity, you are ensured of ear-popping shrieks and laughter from the 5 of us!

Erm well... only 4 for now, because Sarah was busy treating mei-mei like her beloved doll.

Not that mei-mei minded of course.

In fact, I think she loved being fussed over by her Sarah jie-jie. Hee.

That was until Sarah had TWO dolls to fuss over!

And while we kids were busy playing, the adults decided to play too - with food (again!).

But they had (wisely) left us kids out of this food-tossing event.

I wonder why?

龙众 huat arh!

No matter, we kids got our share of share later when it was time to cut the Birthday cake!

No, it wasn't because of 人日. Though I wished it was because that would mean ALL of us would get a present!

Rather, it was to celebrate both the birthdays of Benji & Sarah as their special days also fall in the month of January.

I know what Benji wished for - more trips to Disneyland!

Hahaha...

Happy Birthday everyone! May all your wishes come true in the Year of the Dragon!

Chingay 2012: Sprinkle Splash Splosh

(Daddy previews)

Chingay.

Just one word to conjure up colourful images of festivity & conviviality. 

When I was a little boy, my parents used to bring me and my sister to brave the crowds along Orchard Road to catch a glimpse of those magnificent floats and performances. How I vividly remember those times, especially as I remained perched on my dad's shoulders. Until I ballooned in size during my later years that is.

Being Chingay's 40th anniversary this year, Chingay 2012 celebrates love in all its guises, flowing with passion, romance, harmony and community spirit, with the theme of "Love, Care and Kindness Everywhere".

I was kindly invited to its media conference and full dress rehearsal about 2 weeks back, and it was really an eye-opener to see how everything is put together.

Since this year is the Year of the Water Dragon, it is fitting that the whole Chingay parade takes place ON water. Yup, a 360-metres waterway has been specially constructed behind the F1 Pit Building where performers will literally make a splash with their performances.

As everyone waited for nightfall, the whole area was gradually transformed into an illuminating and magical platform right before my eyes.

And that was the perfect cue for the parade to get underway!

The grand opening segment features a whole array of - what else - dragons; from a LED Hip Hop dragon dance, straw dragons, water dragons, a human dragon from Zhangjiang, a dazzling dragon float to two magnificent dragon and phoenix from Xi'an, Shaanxi of China with 36m-long bodies and 16m-wing!

Coupled with the enthusiastic participation of the performers, it was truly a spectacle of colours, lights and sounds.

International cultures were also displayed in their fullest vibrancy, with various performances and floats from China, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia and even Egypt!

One particular segment was the showcase of Chinese Culture featuring "踏歌" (Ta Ge)  - a Chinese Classical Dance of Han Dynasty accompanied by a towering float.

The grandeur of the floats were replicated in the other culture segments too, with each being a performance in its own right.

2 float representatives from the NUS Rag Day (an annual float competition) even took part in the parade, with one coming from the Kent Ridge Hall & Sheares Hall while the other was a joint effort from Eusoff & Temasek Halls.

To me, these floats are the highlights as I used to have a hand in constructing this kind of floats every year during my NUS days. The floats are entirely made up of recycled materials, like newspapers, tetra paks, drink cans, etc, so it is a really Herculean task to construct one of these.

The next half of the show shifts its focus to the Community, featuring a multitude of dance forms from line dancing, folk dancing, Samba dancing to a synchronized symphony of 600 'dikir barat' singers and dancers and a tai chi fan dance, and even spectacular bicycle stunts on water.

Oh, and a point to note - be prepared to get REALLY WET if you are seated among the first few rows. The performers really know how to make full use of the water!

Barring the inevitable hiccups (since it was only a rehearsal), Chingay 2012 looks set to be a truly splashing good time for all! And I think Andy (of sengkangbabies) will attest to that too.

There are 2 parade shows on 3 and 4 Feb, but tickets are already sold out for the 4 Feb show. Limited tickets are still available for the 3 Feb one, so do hurry if you want to catch the the parade! You can purchase the tickets via Sistic HERE.


Venue: F1 Pit Building
Dates: 3 & 4 Feb 2012 (4 Feb SOLD OUT)
Time: 8.30pm
For prices & location, please click here: http://www.chingay.org.sg/2012/ticketing.asp
For more information on Chingay 2012, visit here: http://www.chingay.org.sg/

Our CNY visits

Chinese New Year for us monkies, has always been revolving the same house-visiting routine ever since I was born. At least for the first 2 days of the new year. But that's not to say we are bored with all the house visiting - in fact, I feel it's kind of fun to visit so many different relatives' homes in one day (and to collect so many ang pows too!).

Our first day of the Chinese New Year usually kicks off with a family portrait at our own place.

And this usually means loads of goofing around for the camera too!

We then make our first stop of the day - at Ma-ma's & Ye-ye's house - for some traditional Cantonese dishes that Ma-ma whips up every CNY.

This is then followed by an also very important tradition too, whereby we monkies serve tea to our elders, aka Ma-ma & Ye-ye.

And this year, mei-mei can join in our routine as well... erm, only problem was... she was the one who wanted to drink the tea! Adoi!

And like almost all families, we would have our annual family photo taken as well. :)

Then, it's off to Kong-kong's & Por-por's house to wish them a very prosperous Chinese New Year!

We usually gorge ourselves silly again there, and continue to do so at both of our Tai-Pors' (Daddy's and Mummy's grandmothers) house next.

We monkies look forward to this part of the day, because it's the only time where we get to play with our food - just like the adults!

It's yusheng (or some kind of Chinese salad with raw fish), where we can literally throw our food high up into the air. Not only that, we are permitted to shout as loud as we want to! The adults usually go 'HUAT ARH!', but di-di & I just want to compete to see who can toss the ingredients highest. Hee hee.

The adults believe the higher the yusheng is tossed, the more luck one would have. As for mei-mei, the only thing she wants more is CNY goodies!

See what I mean?

 And if the gorging during our first day of the CNY is excessive, I think the second day isn't any better. :P

The second day consists of visits to our various uncles' and aunties' homes and yup, we still had to begin the day with a photoshoot at our home.

Only this time, di-di & I grew tired of the typical smiling-for-the-camera shots.

So we tried something different.

Smart hor? Like that we didn't have to smile for the camera at all. Wahahaha...

Then it was off to our proper 拜年. And even mei-mei had her own bag for mandarin oranges!

So it was hello to yet more rounds of feasting... for the adults (and mei-mei). For us boys, there will usually be the computer, TV or iPhone at the respective homes to keep us company as the adults went about their merry-making. :P

The only problem? We would have to wake up early for school the next day, while Daddy & Mummy have to go back to work. Uh-oh.

Oh well. At least we can be sure there'll be more visiting come this weekend!

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

It's the first day of the Chinese New Year today! 

And boy, are we in super high spirits.

Here's wishing all our dear readers, friends and family an abundance of health, wealth and happiness this Chinese New Year!

Simply put, 龙众 huat ah!

Legoland Malaysia - can't wait!

(Daddy previews)

One upcoming project that has both my older monkies really excited is the Legoland Theme Park in Malaysia. Okay, I admit - I am equally as excited as them, if not more. And considering Legoland Malaysia will only be an approximately 30 minutes drive away from Tuas checkpoint, I forsee it will be a frequent family outing destination for us. :)

A few days ago, I was privileged to be invited to a media luncheon hosted by Legoland Malaysia and Thistle Hotel JB. Both parties announced a possible collaboration, as well as took the opportunity to unveil a Legoland Malaysia Dragon mascot called 'Ollie the Dragon'.

Ollie was constructed entirely out of approximately 10,000 Lego bricks, and what better way to welcome the Chinese New Year with a Lego Dragon!

Mr. Siegfried Boerst, General Manager of Legoland Malaysia, was on hand to field questions from the media regarding the ongoing construction of the theme park.

As of December 2011, the park is 40% completed and scheduled to open in the last quarter of 2012. Ooh, the anticipation factor just went up a notch!

And the anticipation factor multiplied considerably after having a sneak peek at the Legoland Malaysia construction site.

Here's a look at the upcoming Lego TECHNIC Test Track ride!

The park is divided up into seven themed areas. Each theme area is designed to ensure that visitors of all ages will find much to explore and enjoy themselves silly at the LEGO® experiment centres. It is 76 acres of fun and adventure - packed with more than 40 rides, shows and attractions. Nearly all of the rides are hands-on, so you can push, pull, pedal, program, steer, squirt, splash, crawl, climb and yes – build your way through a full day of non-stop fun.

Click on the park map below to find out more!

And right now, if you purchase an annual pass to LEGOLAND® Malaysia, you'll enjoy unlimited entry on all regular opening days up to 3 months in year 2012 and the entire year 2013! What's more, it's on sale at a promotional price!

PROMOTIONAL PRICE (for a limited time only)

Adult : RM195 (R.P. RM275)
Children (age 3-11) : RM150 (RM210)
*Ticket prices exclude a RM3 ticket fee.

Considering the fact that a One-Day ticket costs RM140 for an Adult and RM110 for a Child, I say it's a really good deal!

Click here: http://www.legoland.com.my/News/Annual-Pass/ for more information and FAQs, and buy your tickets online at http://www.airasiaredtix.com/Events/Legoland/.

We definitely will be buying ours!!! :D