A Sudden Goodbye

This was the final photo taken of Kaya before she died...
 
After just 2 weeks, our very sweet tiger of a kitten, "Kaya" died. She was lethargic during the time we enjoyed her, but deteriorated quickly over the weekend, and died after bringing her to the vet on Aug 30, 2011. The vet treated her for worms, but she became limp and cold and very weak in the hours after. We kept her at school, hoping to re-hydrate her with special salts, but she breathed her last in Monica's arms that afternoon.

Monica finished school bravely, and we buried her in a patch of dirt under our kitchen window on Sep 10, 2011.

I smile bitter sweetly when I gaze out my window to look for birds... reminded at how wonderful things come in small packages, and may only last a fleeting moment.

~ Shien

Kaya's Perch

Kaya was sleeping more than ever, and appeared even more lethargic--we were concerned and decided to take her to the vet on Monday.

She really enjoyed sleeping on the internet router. It was a platform just large enough for her that produced a significant amount of heat like a heating pad.

Nevertheless, we enjoyed cuddling with little Kaya since she seemed to like sleeping on us just as much. Monica spent many hours reading as a result! It was almost like having an infant child again!


Ian found ways to exploit Kaya's affinity for warm cuddly places. She especially enjoyed Ian's bathrobe.
 

 

~ Shien

Sleeping with "Kaya"

Aria had been hinting that she wanted to spend a night with Kaya. Today, Aria had Kaya in her room, laying on her bed. She is very close to getting her desire--as soon as Kaya shows that she can use her litter box reliably...

~ Shien

Play with Family!

Ian, Aria and cousin Jo took to each other very quickly! Aria and Jo got to sharing their toys.

Ian enjoyed making silly faces with Jo--she didn't skip a beat and threw them right back at him!

For lunch, we went to the famous Sister's Char Kway Teow. Yes, they had a lovely plate of Char Kway Teow with massive prawns, fresh, snappy bean sprouts and topped it off with a flourish of crab meat.

But at RM7 a plate, I have found similar examples at half that price!

Still, it was nice to hunt down a famous Penang Landmark and get there just in time to see a car pulling away so that we had a parking spot!

After lunch, we went back to the hotel to swim...

Play chess..





Ride slides.

Good times!

~ Shien

And the Boy Jumped Over My Moon... Cake

Ian and Aria had been eyeing their stilts ever since I unpacked them. Trouble was, I could not assemble them because I needed an allen wrench somewhere in the rest of the boxes.

Eventually, I found the tool and put the stilts together. Ian and Aria did not waste any time showing off their stilts and skills to our Chan Neighbors!

Ian is so good at walking on stilts that he can climb stairs and kick wads of paper around. He started hopping around and I got a notion--can the boy jump over the moon... cake?

Our Wet Market Chef created this moon cake recipe direct from Hong Kong. It was lovely! Think velvety, dense, molten chocolate-like slickness of lotus seed paste encased by a pliable, fragrant skin that is barely more resilient than the filling.

The filling is studded with white flecks of toasted pumpkin seeds and crowned an orange orb of salted egg yolk that is crumbly and savory.

Chef even presented our quad cake order in a special edition box complete with magnet activated flap!

He was so proud of his product and box that he held on to the box tightly as he described every element of his creation.

We were glad that this was the reduced sugar variety as the moon cake was plenty sweet!

No complaints from the kids, however!





~ Shien

Ian & Aria--BFFs

Aria asks Ian: "Can I give you a hug?" 

"Well, alright..."

"Urgh! Enough already!" (Ian pushes Aria away for a moment, then reconsiders...) 

"Aw, who am I kidding?!! Come here you!!!!" And he gives her such a bearhug she squeals!

~ Shien

The rain in Spain Falls Mainly in...Penang!

Lovely 75 degree F weather, high humidity, intermittent showers and blustery thunder squalls that seem to blow away the haze and freshen the air. Mist and sprinkling rain veils the lush hills around us. The only drawback is it is smelling kind of dank around.

~ Shien

Penang Street on Ramadan

We visited Penang Street in the middle of Ramadan. It was hot, we bought fruit juices, and did what we thought was the local thing by hanging on the street corner and sipping...

We even got a little goofy!

But the fun ended for me when I noticed groups of Malays glancing longingly at our family. At first, I thought it was because they were attracted by our cute kids. then I realized that they were staring at our fruit juices.

The Malay Children especially, were being chided for looking forlornly at us.

Suddenly, I felt like evaporating from the scene--embarrassed at my lack of cultural awareness and sensitivity!

I told Monica discreetly, and moved off the street corner to finish our snack in a more secluded area.

To refocus, we decided to take photos of some old buildings along an alley.

~ Shien

Eating Mac and Cheese in a Bowl with Chopsticks

Here's an interesting cross-cultural twist.

Prepare a couple of boxes of Kraft Mac n Cheese.

Add some delighted kiddos who choose to serve themselves.

They loaded up BOWLS and ate their 'mac with CHOPSTICKS!

~ Shien

Meet Our Newest Addition to Our Family "Kaya"

I finally cracked. I had been stalling about getting a cat--trying to settle in and adjust to Penang...

But still missing "Nori" whom we gave to our neighbors in the US, and after watching Ian and Aria play at length with a kitten at our regular fruit stall at the wet market, I realized I was out of excuses.

And I realized it was time. But the last time I asked the stall owner, he said that this was his kitten. So I decided to ask him to find our family a kitten. He told me I could have her. I explained that I did not want to take his kitten--I know this was his.

Yet, he persisted and offered me his kitten, but insisted that we need to lavish her with lots of affection because she enjoys attention! Well, he picked the right family!

Monica is perplexed at why she seems so lethargic. She probably has worms--coming from the wet market and all! All the same, she is very affectionate and lays on us a lot!

~ Shien

School Open House

Tonight, the school held an open house for the enrolled students and their families--it was an opportunity for the entire school community to see the rest of the school that they had not explored.

Dormitories, other divisions, labs and buildings that were normally not accessible were open that night for all to see. After registration, the high-school kids and their parents went to the Chapel to hear a very exclusive announcement. In January 2012, the school was rolling out the one-to-one program where every student would use iPad2s with electronic textbooks!

After the announcement, parents explored the school campus according to their student's daily schedule. They had 7 minutes when the bell rang to find their class, listen to a teacher's presentation, then move to the next class on the list! The parents really enjoyed getting a tasted for what their children went through!

The food was also being served throughout the evening this year, and the lines were non-existent. There was no mob swarming the food and tables, and children leisurely made their way among the play areas!

It was also a great time to visit friends and make new ones!





 ~ Shien