Monday, September 09, 2024

Our first holiday as an extended family


September 5-8:

It was a commendable effort that everyone scheduled time away from work and routine to spend a few days together for a holiday. It would be especially challenging  that the group comprises young children with different routines and habits, therefore a holiday that doesn't involve flights and putting up at an extremely accessible hotel with a connecting mega mall, makes the most sense. This way, different groups could go about with their separate agenda (eg shopping, nap, meals, indoor playground etc) and it was also convenient to spontaneously meet up for a meal or tea break. Or knock on each other's door to distribute fruits, share snacks or herbal mutton soup which my parents dabao after having an early breakfast at a kopitiam nearby.

One dinner, we made reservation at Pekin Restaurant and feasted like royalty! 

(Aptly named my FB album "Sek-tember holiday" 😁)

I am deeply heartened that this trip materialised and we created core memories. I am also deeply thankful that my parents are relatively healthy and mobile at their age - their legs strong to bring them around the huge mall; their appetites are voracious to enjoy the sumptuous feast (suckling pig, pi pa duck, Indonesian curry prawn); their minds alert to convert Ringgit into Sgd as quickly as one would expect of Asian parents; their minds open and carefree to laugh heartily at each other and at ourselves (epic remark by mom: 我左手可以抹屁股!)😂.

Above: Parents waiting for our takeaway order of egg tarts from Nam Heong. I saw this cute moment of the duo and wanted to take a picture to remember this moment by, but I knew that if I turned around and were the one behind the camera, my parents would feel awkward, so I asked Yx to do so and indeed u see, dad and mom returned a smile/pose so naturally 🙂 

Random notes from Ye

On 2 separate occasions, I was working at my home desk when Ye sat beside, doodled on a post-it and passed it to me: