inspiredkids

11.5.12 - Seremban State Museum

2012-09-07T00:14:00.001+08:00

We went to the Seremban State Museum, which was situated in Jalan Labu in Seremban. The museum is house in a building reflecting the Minangkabau architecture, with its unique shaped roofs. Admission is free.

Lovely lattice design

Inside the building, at the exhibition area on the ground floor, there is a 14th century human skeleton, displayed in a glass enclosure.

We went outdoors first to see the wooden buildings in their grounds. There was a tall replica of megalithic stones outside.

The boys were most fascinated by the cannons

The Istana Ampang and Rumah Minangkabau in the grounds

We found out that this was a former palace. It was formerly the royal residence in Negeri Sembilan. The building is nearly 150 years old and was built in Kuala Pilah and later on taken down and reassembled here. It was built without any nails. It's remarkable how the wood can last so long.

Outside the palace

Inside the palace

A Negeri Sembilan house

Wooden fishing boats

A Negeri Sembilan house

The side view

11.5.12 - Seremban playground

2012-09-06T17:49:00.002+08:00

In the morning, I brought the boys to a playground nearby, in the town. Seremban town is quite green. It has quite a number of parks with nice playgrounds and they all seemed to be under utilised. I hardly see anyone at the playgrounds, even in the evening.

This playground has an obstacle course, besides its usual slides and see-saws.

I wish KL had such type of "obstacle course" playground equipment

Beside this playground, there is another bicycle area called "Laman Basikal".

It has small roads with road signs and some children were learning the proper way to ride a bicycle using road signs.

Learning to cross the road at the zebra crossing

There was also a playground in there

Some of the beautiful trees over there.

10.5.12 - Trip to Seremban

2012-09-06T17:47:00.002+08:00

We went to Seremban for a couple of days tagging hubby who was organising a team building course there. We stayed at Allson Klana Resort in Seremban.

Checking out the hotel room

Interesting miniature rope course

In the evening, I brought the boys to the park, which was nearest to the hotel. It was nice being at the park, listening to the wind blowing through the trees. There was no one at the playground and only a few people jogging around the park.

S played alone, while E fell asleep in the car and was still asleep at the park

The next day, they went swimming in the large pool.

They made their play more creative by playing with a water bottle and pouring water into the "drain".

8.5.12 - Ramp experiment

2012-09-06T17:25:00.002+08:00

S went and conducted his own experiment to test which lego built vehicle that he made would go down the ramp faster.

8.5.12 - Preschool drama class

2012-09-06T17:24:00.002+08:00

Listening to stories in their drama class. They love the class very much.

These are some of the turtles that live in the Sentul lake. We tried to feed them by throwing the breadcrumbs towards them, but the fishes were faster, and gobbled up their bread. Poor turtles!

8.5.12 - Ramp experiment

2012-09-06T17:24:00.001+08:00

S went and conducted his own experiment to test which lego built vehicle that he made would go down the ramp faster.

7.5.12 - Assembling water hose reel

2012-08-07T20:02:00.000+08:00

I bought a water hose with reel at Tesco and S was keen to assemble it. He could follow the visual instructions on the box. So, I left him at it, until he got stuck halfway and needed help to complete it. I too got confused at one point as the picture in the instructions was not clear.

1.5.12 - Selangor state level Wesak celebration

2012-08-07T20:01:00.001+08:00

We brought our boys to the Selangor state level Wesak celebration, which was held at Auditorium, Dewan Jubli Perak, SUK Shah Alam.

All attendees were provided with packed vegetarian dinner before the event, thanks to the sponsors.

After that, those who had taken their meals went to queue up at the entrance to the auditorium. It was really packed as the doors weren't opened for the next 50 minutes. I wondered why they didn't let people in, until the last minute. It was uncomfortable and stuffy for the people who were waiting there. A large portion of the attendees were senior citizens, and they were standing or sitting on the floor, waiting for the doors to open.

Fortunately, I brought sketch books for my boys and they started drawing there oblivious to the crowd standing around them.

To our relief, finally we were allowed in. We received a goodie bag with some buns, a bottle of water, a Wesak flag and the event booklet.

The audience were given a battery operated lotus candle, which could change colours. We were directed which way to hold it and practiced a few times for the "opening" ceremony.

Colourful colour-changing lotuses

The event was officiated by Y.A.B. Tan Sri Dato' Seri Abd Khalid bin Ibrahim, the Chief Minister of Selangor. After that, it was followed by speeches and presentation.

1.5.12 - KLCC Park

2012-08-07T19:56:00.001+08:00

We went to Homedec 2012 at KLCC. I just realised that there is practically a home expo in KL every month. We parked at the car park near the mosque, so we walked through the park and the boys got to play at the playground there.

This park is very clean and well maintained.

26.4.12 - Lego creations

2012-08-07T19:16:00.002+08:00

Lego creations by S.

Cherating - Day 3

2012-08-06T22:44:00.000+08:00

On our third day here, after breakfast, we went to the beach. Some friends who had woken up early to watch the sunrise were greeted by the sight of a large nesting turtle. Having woken up late, we missed the opportunity to see that.

Having a toast

A beautiful lotus flower at Ruby's

In the morning, the winds and waves were less strong. We went to the beach for a final time. E didn't want to go into the water and preferred to make a "house for ants" from sand.

Cherating - Day 2

2012-08-06T22:41:00.002+08:00

After leaving the turtle sanctuary, we walked behind the place, trying to find out what that interesting looking wooden house nearby was. We soon found ourselves at the entrance to the famed Club Med in Cherating.

The boys picked up flowers that had fallen to the ground.

We just hung around at the beach there, as the security guard didn't allow outsiders to enter Club Med.

We found several crab holes at the beach.

We returned to the resort and the children played with this bubble balloon. It's from a tube of transparent "paste" that must be squeezed out and put on a tiny straw and blown up into a bubble. I haven't seen this around in more than 30 years.I thought it had been banned.

In the evening, we drove to the next state, Kemaman in Terengganu and had dinner there. We bought a bunch of bananas, but it was expensive compared to the price in KL.

The sky was filled with angry, dark clouds when we were driving back and started pouring just as we arrived back at the resort.

After the rain, it was cooling and the pesky flies were gone. My boys played with their friends, and all the boys were bonded over iPad games.

29.4.12 - Cherating Turtle Sanctuary

2012-08-06T22:38:00.002+08:00

After lunch on the second day, we went to Cherating Turtle Sanctuary. It was still scorching hot in the afternoon. We saw a number of tourist buses and vans parked at the car park. There were many tourists (some from other countries) visiting the turtle sanctuary.

The place belonged to the Pahang Fisheries Department.

Visiting hours

The building that housed the Cherating Turtle Sanctuary

This is a dugong

When we went inside, the indoor exhibition area was small and stuffy. I didn't check if there was any air-conditioner there. If there was, it didn't seem to be working. We quickly exited the place.

When we went to the pool area to have a breath of fresh air but were sorely disappointed to see the pool water so filthy. It was depressing and I felt embarrassed to be a Malaysian. Is this what we are showcasing to our visitors? Furthermore, there were many tourists there, and some were foreigners.

The poor turtles are living in dirty water.

This is a real turtle that has been stuffed

We had to remove our footwear before we entered the turtle sanctuary building, and when we visited the pool area outdoors, we were barefooted. I was disgusted to find dog poop on the ground nearby this turtle exhibition area outdoors, where we had to walk barefooted. The people in charge didn't seem to be cleaning this place. Maybe it was a Sunday and they weren't working. What a great impression we (Malaysians) gave to our foreign tourists. We had been to 2 other turtle sanctuaries before - Segari turtle sanctuary in Lumut, Perak and another in Pangkalan Balak, Melaka, but this was the most disappointing of all. This was the one with the most tourists but not upkept at all. It's a shame that we had so many opportunities for eco-tourism but didn't know how to take advantage of it.

Turtle hatchery by the beach

28.4.12 - Trip to Cherating - Day 1

2012-08-06T22:32:00.000+08:00

We joined in a 3D/2N trip to Cherating, Pahang with a large group of friends and their children. The drive to Cherating was about 3.5 hours, but it felt much longer than that. Perhaps it was because there wasn't much things to see when we were on the highway. We stayed at Ruby's Resort, which was more like a motel, actually. It is a basic accommodation without any swimming pool.

The road to the venue

We stayed at one of the smaller rooms on the right, called Bamboo. It was very small, just slightly larger than the size of 2 single beds, and came with a toilet attached. It was scorching hot when we arrived and the heat was overpowering - one of those rare days (perhaps made more intense by being near the sea), so the only thing hubby and myself wanted was to hibernate in the air-conditioned room, never mind that it felt claustrophobic. The room was RM150 per night with surcharge on weekends.

The children played together

There was a nice treehouse at a shady tree next to the resort.

When it was cooler in the evening, we walked across to the beach.

The wind and the waves were quite strong in the evening. The boys played and jumped over the waves.

After his shower, E sat outdoors doing his drawing

Ruby's Resort is more like a sanctuary for animals, as the owner, Ruby, takes in stray dogs and cats. This is a suitable place if people want to have a vacation with their pets, as she has special rooms where the family can stay with their pets.

Some of the animals there. There were dogs too.

From our room, on the way to the meals area for dinner, we came across sleeping dogs and cats. Don't get me wrong, I love animals, and used to take care of several in my younger days. However, it was a little disconcerting to be eating so close to many stray dogs and cats roaming about the place. It also dampened my appetite to be eating at a dusty table with lizard droppings and a cat jumping on to the chairs and tables, trying to get at the food. I had to close an eye and think of more attractive things. Not advisable for people who are a stickler for cleanliness, who prefer a more hygienic area for their meals.

The kids played together after dinner.

26.4.12 - Arranging numbers

2012-08-06T22:23:00.002+08:00

S made these from his magnetic numbers. I like the symmetry and design.

27.4.12 - Catching bugs

2012-07-31T18:48:00.000+08:00

Some of the children and mums in our playgroup went to the park nearby and caught bugs to study them and release them after that. My boys refused to catch the bugs and preferred to watch instead. They think that bugs should just be left alone.

27.4.12 - Toy creations

2012-07-31T17:53:00.002+08:00

Below are the toy creations that S created this month

25.4.12 - Library books read in April 2012

2012-07-31T17:52:00.000+08:00

These are the library books we read in April 2012.

From PJ Community Library

From PJ Playcentre library

From TTDI Community Library

25.4.12 - Helping mummy with household chores

2012-07-31T17:49:00.001+08:00

After our maid left us for good after 3 years of work with us, S (5 years 7 months) voluntarily chips in to help me with household chores.

Cutting taufu and washing rice

Sweeping, vacuuming and mopping.

Washing bucket, scrubbing cloth and loading and unloading clothes from the washing machine.

Hanging and pegging clothes.

19.4.12 - Climbing monkey bars

2012-07-31T17:49:00.000+08:00

Gymnastics has taught S to be more brave and he managed to climb the whole stretch of the monkey bars, after 2.5 months of gymnastics class.

14.4.12 - Autoshow

2012-07-31T17:35:00.001+08:00

Immediately after visiting the dentist, we walked behind the building to see some cars on display at a small autoshow. The boys were interested in the decorated cars.

14.4.12 - At the dentist

2012-07-31T17:35:00.000+08:00

I brought E in to the dentist at our residential area to refill a filling for a small cavity in between his front teeth that had dropped off. He initially didn't want to go as he said that the taste of the filling was bitter. This is be his fourth visit to the dentist (excluding his tooth extraction under general anesthesia) last year. Because his earlier extraction was done under anesthesia, he doesn't have any fear of the dentist.

The dentist was very impressed with his courage

14.4.12 - Pusat Sains Negara

2012-07-18T01:12:00.003+08:00

We went to Pusat Sains Negara in the morning, as I had to return our library books.

We saw several caterpillars at the Nature Secrets Lab. This is a medium size caterpillar. I saw the same type of caterpillar in a broccoli head that I had bought from Tesco. Unfortunately it was dead, maybe due to being kept in the fridge. I had not realised it was there.

There was too much mist that it felt claustrophobic, so we hurried out.

The boys went to play at the waterpark instead. After that we went inside the main building.

Our first time seeing a diver feeding the fishes. It seems this "show" is held on weekends only.

At the indoor play area

13.4.12 - Gymnastics class

2012-07-18T01:04:00.002+08:00

This is E during one of his gymnastics class sessions. S finds it scary to do this.

7.4.12 - Cheng Beng prayers

2012-07-18T01:02:00.000+08:00

I was debating whether to bring the boys to attend the Cheng Beng prayers for my late grandparents, as the environment might be smoky and unsuitable for them. However, I thought it would be a good educational event for them to experience, so we brought them there.

We went to Nilai Memorial Park, where my late grandparents' urns were kept. It was the boys' first time there. We were pleasantly surprised that the road was not jammed and there were not too many people there. There was even a shady place to sit and very breezy too.

Grandma guiding S on the prayer rituals

Showing E my late grandparents pictures