Tuesday, Day 20: Heading Home

We’re not in LA yet. We’re still in Asia – in transit at the Taoyuan (Taiwan) airport, waiting for our flight to LAX. We had to say our goodbyes to Por-por and Yi-por Annie as they sent us off to the Penang airport this afternoon, but we still had enough time to get some hawker food for lunch. The flight to Taipei was uneventful and only about only about a quarter full.

 

Here in Taiwan have about three hours in transit. I must say this is a very kid-friendly airport. They have several playground areas for children, including a dedicated one for toddlers. The airport also has plenty of diaper changing areas and even a nursery station for breastfeeding and cribs for me to sleep. Then for the adults there is free internet access in certain areas and Taiwanese beef noodles. So, we’re not bored and having a great time! Now for the long haul to LA. See you then!

 

 

(1) At Penang Airport, taking one last goodbye photo. (2) Arriving in Taoyuan International Airport,  taking advantage of the aboriginal cultural display. (3) At the toddler’s playground at the Taoyuan airport – a great airport for infants!

 

Monday, Day 19: Last Full Day In Malaysia

Today’s our last full day in Malaysia. We didn’t take many photos today. I mean, how many smiling faces at dinners does one wish to see on a trip? I did have a great morning stroll along the beach today and watched Daddy sip a beverage at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Much of the day was spent at the hospital as Daddy talked with hospital administrators about possibly working here in Penang and Por-por also had a checkup. We had a goodbye dinner at my grand-nanny’s home. That’s it. Life has become more routine over the past few days, less touristy and more like a local. But that’s good.

 

Tomorrow afternoon we start our flight back home, transiting in Taipei for three hours, and then stopping over in LAX for one day, to give me a breather. Next report from Southern California. Thank you for such a wonderful time, Asia!

 

 

(1) From a photo taken this morning, showing me getting piano lessons from Por-por. (2) Taken Saturday, happily playing with my big multi-colored ball.

 

Sunday, Day 18: My First Mother’s Day

Happy Belated Mother’s Day to all of my blog readers! In Malaysia, we celebrate Mother’s Day the same day as in the States. And what did we do to celebrate? By eating out, of course (you do see a pattern in how we celebrate in Penang, don’t you). Our day began when Mommy’s primary school friend Aunty Phai Su and her 7 year-old son Zhong Jun, took us out to a dim sum breakfast at a seaside restaurant called Bali Hai. For lunch, we went out to the home of Uncle Thomas and Aunt Maria Tean’s home. Dinner was hosted by Uncle Patrick Tan and Aunty Mary Tan at a nice Chinese restaurant.

Both Tans are physicians at Penang Adventist Hospital, but Aunty Mary is my type – a pediatric specialist. And this morning I was noted by Mommy to be more fussy than usual, have an increasingly runny nose, and sport a low-grade fever, so  in the afternoon my parents took me to see Aunty Mary to be examined to make sure there was nothing that was serious. Fortunately, I am pretty much fine, but it was very comforting to know we had great medical attention even while traveling out of the country! And with that ends my blog for Mother’s Day 2008.

(1) At Bali Hai, an open-air dim sum restaurant located on Gurney Drive. The restaurant motto is “if it swims, we have it.” (2) With Zhong Jun, who enjoyed pushing me along the beach walk on Gurney Drive after breakfast. (3) Theodore Tean, the youngest of 3 Tean boys, watches me in fascination with mother Maria and younger sister at his side. (4) Getting checked out by Dr. Mary Tan, pediatric cardiologist for a low-grade fever and fussiness. Fortunately, nothing serious!

 

Saturday, Day 17: Old Times Revisited

Today was a nostalgic day of sorts for my parents, as they visited old friends and took me to an especially meaningful place for them. The captions detail our activities today. The one damper on this day was that this was day 2 of Daddy’s gastrointestinal misadventure, which limited his ability to enjoy Malaysia’s culinary delights.

(1) Sabbath morning at Mommy’s home church, Penang SDA, with Rei Hong and her children Nathalie and Lewcas. (2) In the afternoon we visited the grounds of the Eastern & Oriental Hotel. It was just about at this spot where this picture was taken that Mommy & Daddy got married 6 ½ years ago on Christmas Day, 2001. (3) Before dinner, I share a laugh at a traditional Chinese Nyonya restaurant with Drs. Chong Seng Fook and his wife Agnes. He is a general surgeon and she is a pediatrician at Penang Adventist Hospital and also old friends with Mommy.

 

Day 16 (II): Me and My Por-por

Excuse the grammatically incorrect title. I just had to show you this photo of us taken on Friday morning. In the States, they say “I love my grandma.” Here, I say “I love my por-por.”

 

Thursday, Day 15, (II): Yi-por’s Shoe Store

My yi-por (grand-aunt, por-por’s sister) Annie manages a shoe store in downtown Penang. Called “House of Clark,” the store actually doesn’t carry Clark shoes now, but their signature shoes consist of Birkenstocks, Dexter, and Lee shoes. We dropped by to say hi. And wouldn’t you know, another grand-aunt Gertrude popped in unexpectedly to say hello. So many aunties…I can’t keep them all straight! But I love the attention they give me.

(1) With Yi-por Annie in her shoe shop. (2) Trying on a pair of kids’ Birkenstocks, but they are still too big. I’ll need to wait until I’m…three?? (3) With Grand-aunt Gertrude.

 

Thursday, Day 15, (I): Penang Botanical Garden

Penang’s Botanical Garden is a wonderful respite from the hubbub of the city. Accompanied by plenty of other city-dwellers, we took an early morning walk to avoid the heat of day. If you’re lucky, you might even see wild monkeys dancing around, although we didn’t catch any glimpse of them this time. However, Daddy got a good photo of a pigeon flying off from a tree.

(1) At a gazebo within the park, taking in the view of the mountains and lush vegetation. (2) Not sure what the funny face is about, but I enjoy doing sputtering occasionally. (3) Colorful penang pigeon, the thick-billed green pigeon (Treron curvirostra) taking flight. (4) After a good walk, I play with the straws from a young coconut drink. This photo was taking just before I rammed the straw up Daddy’s nose. His expression changed all of a sudden.

 

Wednesday, Day 13: My Point of View

Virtually all my blogs have photos of me, and that’s fine. I think we babies enjoy the attention. However, these photos are all physically taken from the adult point of view. I was thinking, it would be really nice to have one blog that shows life from my physical point of view. You know, it’s not easy being a baby. We’re short and are unable to get any good view unless somebody is holding us up. We’re constantly looking up from the stroller. So, in recognition of what we go through every day, Daddy took some photos from my vantage point. Try being a baby for a day.

No photos of me today, but all from my viewpoint! What you see is what I see. (1) View from my car seat with limited scenery. Boring, huh? (2) At Cold Storage grocery store in the basement of Gurney Plaza, gazing wistfully at all that baby food! Can we get it all, Mommy? (3) Mommy finally to the rescue with a mixture of cereal and pureed fruits. “Open wide!”

 

Day 12 (II): Home with a View

While in Malaysia we’re staying in Por-por’s home, a condominium on the 9^th floor, just two blocks from the beach. Just wanted to share this view with you.

 

View from the balcony of Por-por’s home looking due east. The high rises are mixtures of hotels and private residences, while in the foreground you can see the more traditional-type bungalow residences. Penang is an island and the faint lights on the horizon are from the town of Butterworth, across the strait on the peninsular mainland.

 

Tuesday, Day 12 (I): Big Things, Little Things

The big things are, of course, visiting friends and relatives and my parents eating great Penang food. Today I met a cousin of mine, Amelia, for the first time. And as far as food is concerned, Daddy & Mommy had hawker food, best tasting and cheapest, for lunch and dinner.

 

But today I also have photos of some little things we did today. One interesting thing I received was a type of skin treatment consisting of traditional Chinese medicine. After an herbal bath, my grand-nanny used a combination of white powder and green herbs mixed into a paste onto my body as a way to heal the irritation caused by scratching and to reduce subsequent allergic reactions. She said it worked for Mommy when she was a little girl, and her skin is fairly good even now! Even Daddy, being the western-trained skeptic, didn’t have any objections given my skin condition and his reluctance to use topical steroids. We’ll see – after the treatment Mommy says it looked better already J.

 

(1) Meeting Amelia, 2 years old, and her doll for the first time. Because Mommy & Amelia’s daddy are 1st cousins, that makes us 2nd cousins. (2) A very happy me getting my nails trimmed. This needs to be done frequently because my nails grow like weeds! (3) The green herbal paste is placed over me by Mommy & Grand-nanny, especially over skin folds like elbow and knee creases. I consider this my first spa treatment, designed for babies!