From SF, we drove to LA for a 1 night stay, before making our way to Palm Spring for shopping on the 4 July. The drive from SF to LA broke the record. We were on the road for 14 hours!!! The actual time we were on the road differs so much from what was planned. It was planned to take us 7-8 hours to get from SF to LA. This happened because of a few reasons

1. We took the 17 mile drive…which was a longer route..we made a mistake and thought that this was the route to go based on the plan
2. We were too engrossed in the scenery along the way….when we first enter 17 mile drive…we made a few stops to take pictures along the way…not knowing that it was only the beginning and there were more sceneries coming up.
3. We took like 6 hours, which was 4 hours late from the plan….just to hit highway 1 where the main bulk of the journey should be!!!

It was a looonng drive and the road on highway 1 being so winding made the drive worse! Mummy ended up having motion sickness and we had to stop the car for her to puke! We ended up stopping for dinner at around 7 at a small town along the pacific coast called Morro Bay. It was a very beautiful town. We ate at a fish and chip restaurant along the bay.I was too sick to have any appetite for food…esp deep fried food…but the fish and chips they served was really good, if not ??would not have say so and when I finally tried…I must say it was the best fish and chips I had tasted…cos at the state that I am in…I can still eat…normally fish and chip is not something I would order, as I find them too oily. The fish was very fresh for obvious reasons and it doesn’t taste too oily or soggy.

It crossed our mind that we could find lodging at this nice little town and forfeit our hotel in LA instead. But we persevered on and it took us another 4 hours to get to LA. Mal was so tired from the long drive that at the last 1 hour of our drive to LA, he refused to sit in his car seat to sleep…so Mummy had to end up carrying him while he dozed off to sleep. By the time we reached our hotel in LA , it was passed midnight.

We broke the record! Everyone was soo….ooo tired from the drive and I think Mal and Daddy were the champions in endurance. Mal though a bit cranky, but being so young …we can’t really blame him cos even the adults felt drained out from the long drive, as for Daddy, he was the sole driver throughout the journey!

Though the drive was long and tiring…I would still strongly recommend Highway 1 if you are travelling from LA to SF. The scenery along the way is simply breathtaking…given a chance…we will do it again…but will definitely take our time to enjoy the beautiful scenery and find lodging along the coast.

1st stop on our way from SF to LA..it was a fruit store outside a farm…selling fresh fruit they had harvest from their farm!!!
we bought some honey sticks and a crate of strawberry from the store and Mal was sucking the stick here…

along 17 mile drive…

we stopped by for photo shooting…

it was just the beginning…

and everyone still looks fresh and full of energy…unaware of the long drive that was ahead…

we stopped by too long…

and far too many stops…

as the scenery was too good to be missed

Uncle Eddy was glad to stand on the turf of the Pebble Beach Golf club…
Mal was still happy…
and could still sing us a song…
some more stops along the way…this time along highway 1….
mummy was already feeling car sick and Mal was getting tired too…
more pictures along highway 1…
as we were already late from our plan…
we could only enjoy the scenery from inside the car
we should have hit highway 1 earlier so that we can have more stops along the highway…. finally we took a break at this lovely town…
we decided to eat here…a fish and chip restaurant
it was a simple restaurant with a fantastic view
this is what we can see from the restaurant
just in time to catch the sunset…
Mummy was however too tired to really enjoy…
Mal was however able to eat…the plain and simple looking fish and chips…tasted really good!!
and apparently, people came here for their clam chowder as well…
this was for the finale night at Palm Spring…It was 4th July night and we were lucky to be able to catch the fireworks from our hotel balcony!!! The rooms we had here were the best for the whole trip! We had 3 suites and the rooms were HUGE with a living area. We were so tempted to extend another night here esp. ??

We drove 3 hours plus to San Francisco. The hotel that we stayed here was San Francisco Airport Marriott. We chose a hotel near the airport as it was cheaper. The hotel lobby was ok and simple. The room was comfortable with clean sheets….those that were white, the way Mummy likes them to be. We had 3 rooms all at the same level near to each others but none of them were sea facing. We were however not complaining as we got the rooms at a very good rate. The hotel sits on a bay and has a very nice view of the bay. Across the bay, we can see the planes landing at the airport. We enjoyed our stay at the hotel very much and will definitely like to stay here if we visit SF again.

San Francisco is a beautiful city…very colourful and vibrant in a different way as compared to Las Vegas which was another vibrant and colourful city. Will be a very nice place to live in. Everything was so unique. The bridge, the chinatown, the houses that was built on up and down slopes, Pier39, the tram. All these were very unique to tourist like us…wonder whether those people who live there find them as special….sometimes people tends to take such things for granted…things that had become part of their daily lives.

We reached there late afternoon and the view of the city was awesome…even when some parts were quite old and run down like most big city. The unique architecture such as the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate bridge made up for all the imperfections in the city. We headed striaght to Fisherman’s Wharf and the famous Pier 39. It was very crowded and it feel like everyone is on holiday….you can smell the sea, hear the seagulls, watch street performances or just sit at a cafeteria and watch the people go.

As it was located just next to pacific ocean, SF unlike most other places was not affected by the summer heat. It was cool and even cold at some places with the strong breeze from the sea. It seems almost perfect to stay there…the food, the scenery, the weather….but still, nothing beats our home country…as we always tell Mal…Home is where the Heart is….and that is where our hearts is….where our family and friends are…but if you will to ask Mal, he will tell you … here is where his heart is….cos he had forgotten about his home back in Singapore

the scenery on the way from Yosemite to San Franciscoat Pier 39…
us at the pier….

?? at Pier 39

Daddy saying cheeze….it was a bit chilly with the sea breeze…
guessing what was he doing
climbing up the stilt while mummy fed him lunch…
he was having porridge which we had brought along…
but his appetite for the porridge wasn’t so good…he was more interested in the famous clam chowder in a bread bowl that we were having
Mal and Mummy at the merry go round…
Mal loves merry go round but he refused to take the horsey ride alone…he will always choose the one that looks like a carriage…so that either mummy or daddy could sit with him…
look at all the people…
uncle eddy and ?? with the famous Alcatraz…
mummy and mal with alcatraz
us with alcatraz….
we ain’t so lucky this time…only managed to see 1 pathetic sea lion sun bathing….normally there are a whole group of them sun bathing at the same time…which was one of the highlight at Pier 39some of the scenery in San Francisco…the downtown area, the Lombard Street which was known to be the crookiest street in the world, the tram and the famous Golden Gate Bridge…

it was brrrrr…rrrr cold…and ?? was falling sick too…after ??…first time they tasted ‘cold’ cos whenever we told them it was going to be cold…they just couldn’t imagine cos the summer heat was so hot everywhere else!?? was wrapped up like a dumpling
Mal at chinatown…
we visited chinatown on the 2nd day at San Francisco, it was elaborate and had everything…for a while it made us forgot that we were in a Western country…probably remind us of those busy Hong Kong streets
we hopped on the tram at the very last minute when we saw it passing by in chinatown…
the tram brought us to the other end of the street…we got off the tram and while waiting for the tram to go back…Mal took a break and have some snack…
at the other end of the street waiting for the tram to start moving…on the 2nd day we also try to find the Golden Gate Bridge park as we remembered that we could probably get a better view of the bridge from there….
?? and ?? at the Golden Gate Bridge
?? and mummy…
the big tree…
we were determined to find a better spot to take picture with the bridge…this place was a short walk from where we parked the car…the tired ones stayed in the car while the rest make a quick rush to take pictures.
still did not turn out very well as the sun was still behind us thus making this picture looked so darkthe sun was supre glaring!
more pictures of Pier 39, the downtown area, the hotel we stayed and the chinatown…

HELP!!! We are being harassed!!!

BY A STUPID BIRD!!!!!
This bird has been harassing us since Saturday 15 Jul. We were having lunch in the kitchen when we heard a knock coming from the living room. Daddy went out to check and did not find anything suspicious except for this bird that was seen flying off each time he appeared.
This went on for the whole afternoon….and the next morning…as early as 5 plus in the morning the bird started knocking on the glass door again!!! This continued for the whole day and till today…the bird was still doing so.

What is wrong with this bird???!!! Mummy trys to figure out
1. It was trying to look for insects in the wire mesh ???
2. It was trying to look for insects on the top of the glass door ??
3. It was trying to enter the house??
4. It mistook its own reflection as another bird which was as ugly looking as itself cos it could see his own reflection in the glass
5. It was trying to seek revenge for its baby that it thought we killed!!! cos there were a few incidents that we found baby egg shells in our backyard…probably fallen from some bird nests in the tree
6. It was trying to be funny…maybe it found out that our family had just left…and it was a good time to harass us !!!! HAHAHA

TELL ME WHAT SHOULD WE DO ???!!! It is beginning to get on my NERVE!!!

Our next stop at Yosemite was for 4 days 3 nights. 1st day was spent mostly travelling from LV to Yosemite. Looking for a place in Yosemite was tough! One of the major highway was closed due to major rock slide and this had narrowed down our choices for accomodation. Yosemite National Park itself is a huge place and it can take close to an hour to get to the point of interest in the park, such as the Yosemite Valley and the Glacier Point from the entrace, depending on which park entrance you are at. Still remember our last visit to the park, which was more than 10 years ago…the place we stayed took us close to 2 hours to get to the Valley and this time round we hope to minimise the travelling time with Mal around.

There were lodgings within the park but were more expensive. People here booked way in advance for trips like that and thus I guessed those cheaper and better ones were taken for those dates that we wanted. After a lot of time spent searching…finally we decided on the bed and breakfast place which was in Oakhurst, a town 2o minutes from the South park entrance. Travelling time to and fro the point of attraction in the park was much shorter than our previous visit…but still…tiring for Mal and the more elderly travellers in our group. So end up up most of them were sleeping while we drove through the park.

Luckily the point of attraction in the park was truely breathtaking and that more or less made up for the scenery that were missed along the way. Even for Mummy and Daddy who had been there before find the scenery awesome and the tiredness we suffered travelling became insignificant. Will let the pictures do the talking…

finally reached the valley…light at the end of the tunnel!!!

the famous Half Dome…guess you can tell why this name from the picture…

the Bridal Veil Fall…

?? and ??….look like honeymooners…hehehe

we are in the Yosemite Valley….
our 1st stop at Yosemite Valley …
Daddy had to stay at the car…cos Mal was sleeping inside…

if I could dig out the photo we took more than 10 years back at the same location…it will be fun to compare how much we had ‘aged’ or ‘matured’!!! too bad…they are all back in spore….

another familiar setting for the photo…little white flowers…

this one was a different fall…it was the Yosemite Fall…

us…and Yosemite Fallheehee…so who’s the one who come out with the pose??
another shot with the fall…

to get close and personal with the fall…we need to take a hike…taking break during the hike here..
it was hot and Mal was too tired to walk…lucky Daddy was there to carry him…
diaper changing time during the hike… so in touch with nature !!!
finally we reached the lower Yosemite Fall…
the water fall was huge and powerful… and with the wind…it felt like drizzling with water being blown our direction
standing here longer would make us drenched!snack time!!! GOTCHA!finally…a photo of us with the fall…this was the best shot out of the many we took…the photographer’s skill really sucks!
a walk to the restroom….SO SCENIC!!!!
leaving the Yosemite Fall…
looking back…you can catch a breathtaking view of the whole water fall…which consists of the upper and lower fall…
at the bus stopwaiting for a bus to take us back to where we park our car…arrrgghhh…time to call it a day….
guess what?!
yeah…our car tire punctured on our way back to the bed and breakfast place…luckily we had a spare tire and with Daddy skillful hand…the tire was fixed in 15 minutes time!!!
end of our 1st Day Exploration in Yosemite Park!!!
our 2nd day in the park…this time at Glacier Point..looking at the Half Dome from another anglecan you spot Uncle Eddy ??? Remind us that we are so teeny wheeny compared to the world of nature…
??and ?? and the big trees
wildflower…
Mal was coming down with a sore throat…Daddy thought that having cold ice cream will be a good substitute for his lunch…soothe his throat and fill his stomach…
lunch break for Mal…he had fried rice…due to his sore throat…he only ate a few mouth…
and a break for drink….
hey cool dude!hey you calling ME? or the DOME??
it’s getting more difficult to take pic with this guy! Too cool to be photographed!
the brave pose…
another brave pose…mummy’s legs were shivering….cos if you will to turn and look down…omg! will make mummy’s leg turn jelly!
daddy and mummy and the dome…
daddy and mummy and the valleyuncle Eddy and ?? and the valley?? and ?? and the valley
us hiding in the shade under a big rock while waiting for rest to finish with the photos…
another hike …this time to see the big trees in the park…
this tree fell down 300 years ago….look at the huge root! We took photo at the same spot more than 10 years ago!!! Now Mal was here to take the picture with us!
Mal playing with the water in a small stream we saw along the way to see the giant tree
wild deer we saw along the way…
finally we saw the Grizzly Giant who was 2000 over years old…after a long hike…3 cheers to Daddy who had carried Mal ALL THE WAY!!!
after the Grizzly Giant…?? and Uncle Eddy proceed to see another giant…this time this giant has a big hole in it which can fit the size of a car! ?
the rest of us were too tired to continue the hike..it was only about 400 meters away…but the the upslope was too much for the elderly and Mal…
finally a picture with the deer on the way back to the car…

On the 4th Day, we left Las Vegas. We checked out from the place at around 10.30 am and drove through MacDonald to grab some breakfast. It was then followed by a looonnng drive, around 7 hours to our next destination at Yosemite National Park By the time we reached there, it was around evening time and our stomachs were all growling.

For the next few days we will be staying in a bed and breakfast place. The place was very different from the one we stayed in Las Vegas. Not as luxurious and comfortable. Initially we were abit disappointed especially Mummy. We had 2 rooms, one with a kitchen, which sleep 5 people and the other was a room that can accomodate 2 people. The rooms look rather old and run down… and the kitchen…at first glance looked pathetic as it was quite cramped and the utensils looked old and dusty…and Mummy can’t really imagine this place being so fully booked, maybe we were pampered too much in Las Vegas. Upon reaching the place, everyone took turns to have our bath and by the time we finished, the older mummies had whipped out a sumptuous dinner! So though abit rundown, the kitchen was well equiped enough to let us cook a decent meals, or maybe the 2 mummies were too good. Anything that touched their hands…will hocca poccas…***trink*** turned into something yummy

The next morning we went to the main hall for breakfast. We were up early and we took a walk around the place before breakfast was served. Upon closer scrutiny, we realised that the place must have used to be very nice. It was run down now, probably due to lack of maintenance and also some construction works were going on. Little little details in the garden told us that this little place used to a very nice retreat … with sound of the water running and birds chirping while snacking on the honey jars that were hung around the garden.

Each evening after we came back from our sightseeing, we ate our dinner outdoor. We were really lucky to visit the place during summer as the weather was just right for us to sit outdoor to enjoy our dinner. We lighted some candles and the ambience was better than that of a restaurant if you minus away the annoying mosquitoes! Mal was actually very badly bitten by those mosquitoes especially on his face as that was where we left out the insect repellent. Each night after dinner, we would start our gambling session after putting Malcolm to sleep. It was just like those olden days…where instead of watching TV after dinner…the whole family will get together, chit chat under the stars. This was the type of place one would love to stay to get away from the bustling city!

outside the room for 5 people. We had just arrived the place after a whole day of driving…

everyone helping to set up the table for dinner

the place we had our dinner every night …
view from the place we had dinner

yummy yummy….dinner for our first night!!!
Mal will have the privilege to taste the food first…
more yummy food for our 2nd night !!!the hungry looking ones…
us…in front of a well…it was a real well behind us….
a better look at the well…and off course…??
us at the outdoor dining area…
?? and ?? with the water fountain that was dried up?? in front of the house…just outside the main hall…guess what she was doing…what else…making used of the wooden chair to massage her muscle again….can’t tell right ? ooops sorry ??…I let the cat out of the bag
the main hall area…it was abit cluttered….
?? at the main hall area
the place where we had breakfast…
these are really huge wildflowers which we found in the back yard. Can’t remember the name but they are those flowers that you could easily blow and disperse them
guess what were we doing???
we were searching for fallen pine cones!!! First time for some of them to see so many on the ground
all happy with their harvests…will be bringing all these back to Singapore
proceeding to the breakfast place….
hmm…not so yummy breakfast…all too westernized for ?? and ??…
but the place more or less made up for it….
?? and ?? at breakfast…
uncle Eddy at breakfast…
Mal enjoying his sausage….
more pictures of the place
before we leave….
maybe we had took things for granted…for ?? and ??…they love the architecture of the house…even it looks a bit old…
so each one of us took turn to take picture in front of the house…even at the entrance…it’s uncle eddy’s turn
and ??’s turn…
finally Malcolm’s turn….bye bye…we had grown to love the place…in just 3 days’ time…

So finally it was time for everyone to go back Singapore. We had been telling Mal that everyone will be going back Singapore so that it will not come as a shock for him. He woke up around 8 am and after a quick breakfast…we were ready to set off for the airport at around 8.30. For a while, Mal thought that we are going to the airport to take the plane with them as Mummy told him that he needs to get changed as we were going to the airport. He happily asked ?? to change for him as he thought he would be taking the plane with them. So Mummy had to tell him again that we will not be taking the plane with the rest and will be staying here instead.

To him, here is where his home is. He had forgotten our home in Singapore. If you ask him, he will tell you … that is ??’’s house. Maybe when we go back next year. He will want to come back here cos to him, here is his home.

After seeing everyone off at the airport. We went home and Daddy was off to work just like usual. It was back to just the 2 of us at home and this time the house seems so quiet. Would have gone out for some shopping with the rest but was too tired both physically and emotionally. After lunch, we slept from 1.30pm to 5 pm!!! So with ?? gone, it is back to having Mummy cooks all the meals and Mummy realised that all this while when ?? had been around, followed by ?? they all around, Mummy had been very laxed in housework and taking care of Mal cos there are so many people to help out and I could spend all the spare time doing things for myself and not as much attention was paid on Mal. Only when everyone was gone, that I discovered that Mal had learnt how to talk alot, not that I did not realise this before, just that I hardly sit down and engage in a proper conversation with him. Now, with just the 2 of us…and not much things to do and Mummy being abit homesick, and Mal being the only one around, I started talking to him. It feels very good to know that he had grown up so much and can be of such great companion to me… and for a while, Mummy doesn’t mind having another brother or sister for him if they will grow up to be as great listener and companion as Mal

Mal seems not as affected by their departure as Mummy. In the evening, he finished 1 big bowl of noodle and he went to bed early at 9 pm even having slept for more than 3 hours in the afternoon. I guessed there are less distractions now and it is easier for him to follow his schedule when it comes to eat, sleep and poo For the past few nights before the rest left, Mal had been sleeping at almost 12 midnight. He had been busy playing and entertaining the rest and we let him stay up late as we don’t get to do this everytime.

Now with everyone left, there are some things we will miss….
Mal saying ????to ??
Mal saying ‘good morning’ to everyone
Mal saying ‘good nite and ??’ to everyone
Mal giving good nite hugs and kisses to everyone
Mal saying ????? to ??
Mal saying ???????????
Mal saying ??….???
and all the Mandarin songs he had learnt

He sound so cute speaking Mandarin…guess we should continue to speak to him in Mandarin so that he can start a conversation with ???????? and ?? when we go back next year

Their short visit comes and goes so fast but we were all glad that we had the opportunity to show them around. One of the greatest joy in life is to be able to share our happiness with the people around us, especially those who matter to us.

It’s the 2nd day of our trip. We had an early night the night before as everyone was either tired with the travelling or the jet lag. We cooked simple noodle soup the night before and retire early to reserve the energy for more sightseeing today. Today will be shopping day for us. We will be going to the factory outlet here to have our shopping spree. Most of them had simple bread and jam breakfast with coffee while waiting for Mummy and ?? to finish their workout at the gym. Daddy was given the privelege to sleep all he wants as he was the desinated driver for the trip.

We finally left our rooms close to noon for tim sum brunch before beginning our shopping spree. When we finally reached the outlet, it was almost 2. The shopping was quite fruitful and by the time the sun set. Our feet were sored from all the walking. We went back to our apartment and had a simple dinner. It was good to be travelling with so many Mummies as they are professional care takers! Nobody will go hungry…as they could churn out decent meals readily (eerrhh… not this Mummy that is writing the blog though)

On the 3rd day, Mal and uncle Eddy went to the pool for a morning swim while this time Daddy and ?? workout in the gym. Today we will continue our sightseeing along the strip area. The day began with a sumptuous Japanese buffet lunch at Todai at Aladdin . We visited some hotels and the popular M&M and Coca Cola novelty shops. Dinner was back to the 1st chinese restaurant we ate on our 1st day before proceeding to the asian supermarket to stock up on grocery as we were planning for more cooking in our next destination.

it is a brand new day! Mal is happy to have so much company, all ready to set off with Mal leading the group he is gonna be everyone’s darling and terror for the next few weeks back to his car seat … r we ready to go ?yeah..all SET!
this is for little uncle back home to envy castles…. yummy yummy tim sum

fun at tim sum place

say cheeze or cheese burger and fries ….

having a break with Daddy while the rest continue shoppingon the way to the M&M and Coca Cola shops…can you see the shops just across the road??

morning swim to start the day

this was the hotel we stayed during our 1st visit to Las Vegas…stopping by to take a picture

we were at Aladdin…the place where we had our Jpananese buffet…there was this toy shop with some very livelike puppies and cats moving around. Mal was instantly attracted to them

there was a Thunderstorm show inside Aladdin…where there are lights and sound effect and even rain to simulate a real thunderstorm. Real cool…Mal was however a bit scared as you can see him clinging on to Daddy here…

??, ?? and Mal with the smiley, lying buddha…
?? and ?? with the smi
ley, lying buddha…
Mummy and Daddy with the smiley, lying buddha…

?? are you salivating yet ???

when will I get my 1st watch?!! Daddy was tempted to get one for him but Mummy think is a bit expensive for this young boy
Hey Mr M&M….we were here before during our last Las Vegas trip but did not take any pics cos we were in a rush.
Mummy and ??….
nowadays it is not easy to get Mal to smile to the camera, maybe he had gotten so sick of Mummy photographing him. So instead of asking him to ‘SMILE!’ we ask him to say ‘ Cheese burgur and French fries’ cos at least his mouth open and if we are lucky…it will turn out to look like a big smile
look at all the M&M behind us!!! So COLOURFUL!!!
they are hard to resist even for adults… not to mention kids!!!
so here is Mal … trying to make his very own bag of M&Ms
some really cool machine to print out souvenir coins…for a while we really thought the machine was capable to churn out souvenir coins from the one we dropped in….think we just too sua koo … cos we during our trip later on…we realised such souvenir coin machines were quite common in places of interest.
with the M&M furry toys…can you tell where are we here???
it’s the coke shop!everything on Coca Colathere was even a bar selling beverages…..what else…but Coca Cola
Mal at Caesars Palace….posing with the roman nude man sculpture
??and ?? at Ceasars Palaceus at Ceasars Palace
?? and ?? at Ceasars Palace
all these big casinos ….
really know how to tempt their customers to spend more $$$
one last glance from our living area…

Hey…finally back from the trip and gotto catch up with all updates that I had missed. This time Las Vegas, here we come again! We will be meeting ??, ??, ??, ?? and Uncle Eddy. Daddy was just back from his working trip from Canada and off we went again. This will be a long trip and we will be one the road for more than a week. Not sure whether Mal could take it or not but will never know until we try.

The drive to Las Vegas was an easy 5 hours drive. Mal was very good in his carseat. He played, slept, ate and in a wink of an eye. We reached LV. Our family were already stayed there for a night as they had reached US a few days ago and after having stayed in LA for 2 nights, they took a flight to LV to meet us. All sound simple huh…but it took a long while to plan out the itenerary!

We met up with them at Aladdin hotel lobby. So excited and happy to see them all. Mal was however under a bit of shock. It took him a while before he warmed up and realised that right in front of him was his favourite ?? whom he talks to over the webcam almost everyday.

Mal ate, played and slept in his car seat all the way to LV. It was a good start
off for some good chinese food in LV. We had chicken, both steamed and soya oil and Daddy’s favourite noodle!
Here’s Mal’s favourite ??. When Mal was much younger, we used to be able to sneak out in the evening and have his favourite ?? baby sit for us

?? and ?? at Bellagio…can you tell what is the theme for the decoration??

It’s US Independence Day which falls on the 4th July…just like our National Day

A group photo…
here’s another family picture with Mal doing better in the pic

Are we in Paris??Finally..we managed to catch the fountain show at Bellagio…

too bad it’s summer and the sun sets very late…we did not stay late enough to catch the show with the beautiful lights.

the show kinda put what we had in Sentosa to shame
finally back to our comfy room
Mal likes the place
the comfy master bedroom wth a spacious bathroom with huge jacuzzi tub
and a very very well equiped kitchen