Daddy had decided not to bring along our laptop for the trip thinking that if we do so, we might end up spending more time in front of the computer. So now that we are back, we have tons of pictures to upload and stories to blog! Daddy agreed to help to blog some … hmm … but I am afraid that may means months before any pictures and stories will be put up! Will see how…meanwhile here’s Day 2 of our trip…

We woke up early on at 5.30am Hawaiian time which is around 8.30am in Phoenix. Started our day with sumptuous buffet breakfast at the hotel. Mummy was quite clueless about our itinerary for the day but luckily Daddy had everything planned out. This was one of our most well researched trip. Can’t remember when was the last time Daddy was so well prepared. In order to make our $$ worth this time, he had decided to put in more effort researching and I am glad that I could just sit back and relax

We set off for Kailua beach park after a good breakfast. As we drove out of Waikiki, it became apparent why this island is such a paradise. Lush green forest lined the highway and the weather was hot but with the surrounding greenery, the air was cooled and though it was almost noon, you can still smell the freshness in the air. Thanks to the plants that were working hard, ingesting and transforming the stale air to breathable O2. The freshness and coolness of the air was almost therapeutic.

We decided to pack some lunch at one of the local fast food chain Zippy before heading to the beach. One of the very common Japanese food found in Hawaii was Saimin, it is something like Ramen, cooked either in soup or fried. We got Mal a soup Saimin and some fried chicken and were ready to go.

Kailua beach park is at the eastern coast of Oahu. It is one of Oahu’s most beautiful beaches with excellent swimming and wind surfing. The beach is nice and fine sand perfect for sunbathing and recreational activities. This area is also a world-class wind surfing destination but the wave and wind looked too intimidating for amateur wind surfers like us. Instead we spent hours playing on the beach, building sand castles, watching people wind surf, para surf, relaxing and enjoying the beautiful ocean. The wind was pretty strong for that day, not sure whether it was this strong normally. Comparing to the water in Maldive where we tried windsurfing, the wind and wave here were far too challenging!

Our next stop after the beach was a short drive to Pali lookout It was mid afternoon and after our lunch on the beach, Mal dozed off almost immediately once we got onto the car. We decided to take the chance to leave him in the car, with the window slightly wound down for some ventilation while we dashed off to the lookout area. We were not so worried about Mal waking up while we were gone as we were quite sure he wouldn’t be waking up so soon. We were more concerned about being sued for negligence by some nosey passerby, as in US, it is a pretty serious offence to leave kids unattended in the car. Ooops! did I just announce this to the whole world?!

The main highlights for Day 2 was the hike up Diamond Head Crater . This is an extinct volcanoe which is more than 3,500 feet in diameter with a 760-foot summit, Diamond Head in Waikiki is perhaps the world’s most recognized volcanic crater. It is a lasting remnant of a volcanic explosion that occurred about 500,000 years ago. Would love to climb up Volcano Kilauea , an active volcano in Big Island Hawaii with chance of viewing active lava flow but since we are not going to fly there this time (now I am thinking maybe we should have just paid the USD 200 each and sling Mal for the hike up the volcano, we read the hike is not suitable for kids as falling on the harden lava is no joke as it cuts like glass), guess an extinct one is better than nothing. Yeah! I have to console myself!

At Diamond Head crater, Daddy had a good workout hiking up the crater with Mal sling around him. We took around 2 hours to hike up and down the crater, slowly taking pictures, enjoying the view along the way and snacking at the park after the hike.

After the hike, we drove around looking for food. The Frommer’s guidebook that I borrowed from the library came in pretty handy when it comes to recommendations on what to eat on the island. After driving around for a while, we decided to head back to Waikiki for some Japanese food. We chose a restaurant with the most customers, not recommended in the guidebook though, for some Ramen and fried Saimin. Looks good on the photo but turned out not very authentic, tasted more like those noodles or zi cha ordered from coffee shop back home!

It had been a long day and Mal missed his lego toys in the hotel room. So first thing he did when he got back to the room was to play with his toys. Thereafter, he had his bath and very soon he was sound asleep. It was a very fruitful day for us as we thought we had seen quite a bit for a day. Can’t wait to see what this island had to offer…our holiday had just begun…

hot miso soup for breakfast…

his favourite pancakes and blueberry muffins…

even the glass taste good!

the lush green forest was too good to pass up…

so we stopped along the way for some scenery shots
but Mal would rather stay in the car…as the wind was too strong and the sun too bright! after this trip we realised that Mal wasn’t really the outdoorsy type! haiz!
the fast food chain that can only be found in Hawaii
Kailua Beach Park, the wind surfers’ paradise
the wind was howling…
such beautiful natural colours
the other end of the beach where you can catch a short glimpse of the beach from the highway Mal at the beach
the sand is so fine and soft…
see what we have made…looks simple??? realised that it isn’t as simple as it looks!
nice pathway from the carpark to the beach and ocean
hidden path to the beach…
let’s check it out…
It was high tide and this is what we saw….a daily view for the houses that are built right along this stretch of the beach
taking a detour to Kaneohe Bay
kids playing at the school’s basketball court, I was surprised by how run down the school was
not very impressive Kaneohe beach, only noticed a few locals hanging around here
that’s what happened when you go against the wind…natural hair gel at Pali lookout
at Pali lookout
view from the lookout
photo shoot by chinese tourist..hurry hurry…we need to make it back to the car before someone caught us leaving Mal sleeping unattended in the car!
Le’ahi or Diamond Head Craterhow it was created…
Diamond Head Crater…Here We Come!!!Mal just woke up from his nap, in time to begin the hike, the sling came in super handy
Daddy sling Mal all the way up the summit…Mal was having such a good time enjoying the view from the sling while Daddy was totally shack out! Good workout for Daddy though
stopping by for some photo shoot on the way up
more shots
daunting flight of stairs….this is only the beginning!
reaching the top of the stairs
this looks like the stairs in a lighthouse…final steps to the summit???
not quite…more steps coming up…
finally at the summit! 3 cheers for Daddy and his talking back pack!
what a view…
can actually spot our hotel from here!
a narrow trail to the generator at the summitmore pics from the summit
ooohhh..nice!
the Diamond head lighthouse!

how can Daddy miss out a picture with a lighthouse!
time to make our way down…it is close to 6 in the evening and the sun is not as hot hus Mal could do without his shades and hat
the happy backpack!
the unique bird commonly found on the island, known as the Red Crested Cardinal We were surrounded by them while we were snacking at the park cos we fed them the prawn crackers we were having!
the not so authentic Japanese noodles at Waikiki
time for a cold beer and some sea breeze at the balcony after tucking Mal in…what a day!

HAWAII here we come!!! We went on a 6 Days 5 Nights vacation in Oahu, Hawaii. It was by far my most dreamt of holiday vacation. I was beaming ear to ear when Daddy sent me his Expedia itinerary options,…New York, Yellow Stone National Park or Hawaii! I couldn’t stop smiling when I saw the word HAWAII…and what made it more attractive…was the word ‘Resort and Spa’ followed by the name of the hotel! For once, I do not have any 2nd thoughts about the trip and I knew for sure my holiday will not be spoilt by the bitter cold weather!

My impression of Hawaii before the trip was limited to Waikiki beach, surf, sun and sea, oh and volcanoes…hmm to me, Bali is like a mini Hawaii and we had been to Bali a few times. Our last trip was when Mal just turned 1. We love the sea, the surf, the sun, the nature, the food and the imitation surf wear in Bali I digressed.

We woke up at 5 plus to go to the airport as we need to catch the 8.15 am flight. It was a direct flight and took about 6 hours to fly from Phoenix to Oahu. We had mentally prepared Mal for the trip as we were afraid that he might get grumpy waking up so early in the morning. He was tired, but was not at all grumpy and was so excited, cheerful and chatty when he woke up. I guess he was very excited about the trip. Though it was not his first time flying, it was the first time that he was so aware about what was happening around. He was so chatty and asking loads of questions, must be the airplane books that he had been reading recently. Boarding and flying the plane seem more meaningful to him now as he began to piece up all the puzzles in his little head. What is a plane, how the engine looks like, how the wings look like, how the airplane lands, what are the wheels for etc he was curious about EVERYTING and luckily Daddy sat right next to him throughout the whole journey and that helped to answer all his WHYs, HOWs, WHEREs blah blah blah.

We stayed in Waikiki beach, supposedly the most expensive stretch of land in Hawaii. Other than hotels, there were lots of condo and I was surprised to find out that a lot of Asians live along this stretch of land. I guess they are the rich people there. We were however rather disappointed during our drive from the airport to the hotel. For a while we thought we were in Singapore! The weather, the high rise building, the highway that cut through high rise residential buildings. Are we back in Tiong Bahru or Havelock Road?! Traffic was bad and it was not what we were expecting! Where were the sun, sea, surf and greenery?!

The drive to our hotel seem forever with the jam and a few wrong turns…we finally made it to our hotel. Upgraded to a partial sea facing room with free breakfast every morning at an additional 25 bucks. We soon realised that the free breakfast was one of the best thing for the trip

So after checking in, we were all excited to check out the famous Waikiki beach which was right across our hotel. Hmmm…again…not very impressed by what we saw. Sand not very white (they got the sand from Molokai island as the sand erosion in the recent years had washed away most of the sand along Waikiki beach), water not very clear and what made it worse was they had these algae infested rocks to block up the ocean so as to make a lagoon at the beach area, so much for the natural beauty…

So after a 6 hours long flight, we were greeted by urban landscape, condos and high rise buildings that sprung out in disorder, bad traffic on the highway and beach with a lagoon that looks like East Coast! Aloha…Singapore??

I guess that is what happen when the expectation is too high. Luckily the disappointment was only contained within the first day…for the next few days, as we travel out of Waikiki…we soon found the beauty of the island and hidden jewel that made the place one of the most sought after holiday destination…

bright and cheery at Phoenix Airport

Daddy was the one with panda looking eyes with just 2 hours of sleep the night before
enjoying the view…cozy cozy corner…
other than Daddy, he had his Lego plane (thanks to ???’s Lego Zoo set) and touch light to keep him entertained
finally HAWAII!!!
ALOHA!
we need drink! the new federal law doesn’t allow us to carry drinking water on board the plane! thanks to the terrorist and the Bush administration
Mal just can’t get enough of the airplane! If possible…he would love to hang out at the waiting area longer!
oh this is what the engine of the plane looks like!
at the car rental…Dollar.com…always our preferred choice…cos…it is CHEAP
a kind soul helps us take a picture

so this is Waikiki…looks like shenton way?!
or maybe Tiong Bahru??
hmm…or Havelock Road???

a little more holiday mood as we approach our hotel
YUM!!! noodles!!! for lunch! Japanese restaurants are EVERYWHERE!!!

lobby of our hotel
CLEAN WHITE sheets!!!
and a partial sea view of Waikik beach
at the lagoon…notice the rocks?!
man at the street…he is so good with his hands…all he needs is coconut leaves…and he can transform them to almost anything!
look at his visor! real cool, huh?!here’s at little fish for Mal! Welcome to Hawaii!!!

Mal birthday falls on 18 April which is today but we had an advance birthday party celebration for him over the weekend. It was held in our back yard. We had BBQ and Laksa, some snack and desserts. This was the 2nd time we had a celebration for Mal. When we were in spore, celebrations such as his full month, 1st birthday were kept simple with only close family members. Over here, we had been spoiling him a bit with big birthday parties. He received tons of presents and toys. I was hoping that he will not take all these toys and presents for granted and learn to treasure them. Things that are in abundance tend to be taken for granted and I think it is too difficult to defy this natural law.

The theme for the party was Mickey Mouse and Friends. Thankfully, we got most of the stuff done up before Mal fell sick. This year, we DIY quite a few things. We made his birthday banner and goodie bags for the kids. Thanks to the Mickey Mouse birthday book that he had been reading. We got most of the ideas from the book Mal was so excited when he first found out that he was going to have a Mickey Mouse birthday party just like what he read in the book. He was all excited and ready to help out with the crafts and preparation. I should have known better that the enthusiasm and attention span of a 3 year old can’t be for long! Think he enjoyed more watching me finished up the mess he had created! This kept us occupied for quite a few days.

Anyway, we were really stressed up by Mal’s fever that refused to go off. We were hoping and praying that he would be well enough for the party and we took the chance to go ahead with the preparation. We were so thankful that things turned out pretty well. I guess there were too much happy bugs around that even Mal’s virus had to take a back seat! He wasn’t as cheerful as he normally was in the beginning due to the constant dosage of fever medicine that he had been taking but he soon warmed up and got into the mood during later part of the celebration. He had been nibbling his food for the past few days and we were so worried that non of the BBQ stuff would appease him so we actually prepared some soup and rice for him. I soon realised that my worries were unfounded as he not only finished his blend soup and noodle but also downed a few chicken wings, hotdogs and cakes! I guess he was trying to make up for the lost appetite the past few days!

Though it was stressful and tiring, we enjoyed ourselves and had a great time. In comparison to taking care of Mal during the past few days that he was sick, the party was a breeze. I was actually surprised that I enjoyed it and we knew that Mal had a great time too when we saw his eagerness to try out his new toys after all the guests left and refused to go to bed.

We’ve got so much to thank…

Thank you for the thoughtful gifts!
Thank you for the ang pows!
Thank you for the concern and help that you offered during the past week that Mal was sick and for the food preparation!
Thank you for all the great ideas for party games!
Thank you for the BBQ pit, the chairs, the tables, the cooler boxes, the housefly swatters, the spot light etc!
Thank you for recording the video and the DVD!
Thank you for taking over the camera!
Thank you for sharing the pictures for the night!
Thank you for helping out in the BBQing!
Thank you for taking time out to celebrate the evening with us!
Thank you Thank you Thank you !!!
Thank you for a wonderful evening and for making Mal’s birthday such a blast!

Maybe is because of his lack of rest, sleep and appetite during his period that he was sick that contributed to his rather unacceptable behaviour these few days. He had been arguing with us, whining, crying and screaming alot. He argued with us over little things . Take for example yesterday, I was on the way out to get some Gatorade for Daddy for his bad diarrhea. Mal wanted one too and he called it the ‘blue drink’. His memory is amazing, he only had that once and he remembers it. When I came back with the drink, he insisted that it was not the same as the one he had before, as he had a small bottle Gatorade instead of a big one. He began to whine, cry, scream and throw fit in the kitchen, asking why I did not get the small bottle Gatorade instead. He refused to take my explanation that the supermarket ran out of the small bottle.(Actually they had the small bottle ones but they were more expensive, anyway it doesn’t matter) He insisted that he saw the small bottle Gatorade in Walmart and I should have gott en that instead. Both Daddy and me was trying to explain and placate him by giving him a very good explanation why we did not buy the small bottle Gatorade, but we soon realised that the issue here was not the ’size of the bottle’. This little guy here was just seizing every opportunity to act up! He is not interested in reasoning. He is just looking for an excuse to whine and cry and get things his way!

It ended with a time out session for him. He refused to sit on his naughty chair and chose to face the wall instead. After 5 minutes or so of facing the wall, he calmed down and was ready to apologize and promise not to misbehave again and became all weepy and sorry.

Another hour or so later, it started all over again…this time, over how Daddy’s feet shouldn’t be on the bed and should be on the floor!

facing the wall over naughty chair

It had been a crazy week. It started off with Mal having poor appetite which was quite unusual especially if I cooked his favourite dishes. We soon found out he was actually feeling unwell as he started to have mild diarrhea and vomitted out his milk on one occasion. This was followed by a few days of fever and he sure freaked us out when his fever hit an all time high of 40 plus degree. We started off feeding him cherry flavoured Tylenol but he hated the sweet cherry taste, so we switched to the grape flavoured Motrin, still it did not help, he refused to drink his medicine. It was a battle of crying and screaming and shouting when it comes to medicine time. It didn’t help when his fever refused to subside even after we gave him the stronger fever medication. It was the 1st time Mal had the fever medication from his anus. This time, we did not bring him to the doctor and on the 5th day, his fever eventually subsided. His body had won the battle over the virus.

It was Luke Days at Luke AFB on 24 and 25 March. Luke Days is a special event held at Luke Air Force base every other year (in the odd years). The two-day show is a unique combination of aerial demonstrations, military. It is a free event for everyone.

We had the privilege to catch the preview for the aerial display for some of the planes on Friday. It was both Mal’s and Mummy’s 1st encounter with the USAF Thunderbirds. I was so thrilled, excited and was giggling like a little girl when I managed to get a photo shoot with the 1st female pilot for the Thunderbirds team. Daddy however rolled eyes at my eagerness, hmmm…he was just jealous!

On Friday night, we were also lucky to catch a very unique aerial display by the MIG 17s where fireworks were put out from the planes. It was breathtaking, spectacular and simply awesome. I doubt I will get another chance to catch such unique show again.

We went for the event itself on sunday again to catch more exhibits and aerial display. This time round, we went even closer and nearer to the planes. The noise from the jets’ engines was almost deafening but I simply love it Luckily we were well prepared and brought along ear masks for Mal. It was such a rare opportunity to come so close to the show that I told Daddy we have to be there…even if the sun was scorching hot…even if we need to wait 1/2 the day for the show to start!

The weather was hot and by the end of the day, we were totally exhausted and charred. We took tons of pictures and video. So here is the HUGE video for the event, be patient while the video loads..
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn5MX2laueQ]

This week will be a week to remember as it was the 1st time Mal was left in a childcare center all by himself! and each time I picked him up, the first thing he would say was ‘I am so glad you are done!’

Yes! I had finally signed up the fitness club! I hesitate soooo long cos I wasn’t sure whether we could fit into this ‘new lifestyle’, yeah, I can be lazy and unmotivated and full of excuses when it comes to working out, but I guess with the $$ we paid for the club membership, it is enough for me to drag myself out of the house no matter how lazy I feel! It is always the initial hurdle that is difficult to get over, 99.999% of the time, after a good workout, I feel good, happy, positive, energize and feel like I have the power to do anything! yeah, trust me, it is THIS good!

During the first day Mal was there, he tear a bit in the beginning as he knew that I would be gone for a while, he still remember the last time I left him there with Grace and Annie. For the 2nd time, it took a shorter time for me to assure and leave him. I hope we are moving towards the day when he will jump with joy when it’s time to go to the childcare center. If we succeed, it will make the membership fee all worthwhile as the benefits it will bring us, as far as I can think of, good health and independence, are priceless!

We were invited to a baseball game by the Mayor of the City last Friday. It was our 1st traditional American baseball game. The food was good, the weather was hot and the heat at the stadium was quite unbearable for the littleones. Both me and Daddy know nuts about baseball games and rules. At Bat, Strike, Ball and Out were terms alien to us! We had to rely on some of our friends to explain to us the scores on the huge scoring board, it was a shame to think that I used to attend baseball training back home cos I used to date a baseball coach! HA! The only thing I can remember now was they wore super tight tights and special protection for their vital organs for the guys! hmmm…I was that bimbonic!
It was a practice game between the San Diego Padres and the Arizona Diamondbacks, which I only heard of after the game. Before that, Yankees and White Sox were about all I know about baseball! So much about my brief knowledge on baseball game.

We were at the stand for I think less than 45 minutes, before Daddy brought Mal somewhere else with more shade and where he could run around with the other kids. I wouldn’t mind staying back to watch the game as it gets pretty interesting once you know the rules, but it was pushing the limit too much to finish the game (a full game I think will last for 3 to 4 hours) with kids around. We left early, just in time for Mal to take his afternoon nap before going for a advance Easter Day celebration at Daddy’s office. It was a good experience for all 3 of us.

nice pose…

nice swing…

but I think I have more fun swinging here!

finding shade under an umbrella

nice cold beer will be good…but nah…it was just mountain dew

taking turns to beat the eggs

Annie and Grace came over while we were baking some chocolate muffins. I was almost done baking all my muffins when I realised that I missed out the baking powder! Had to do another batch to satisfy myself! So the girls came just in time to join us for our 2nd round of baking. The kids had loads of fun taking turns (not all the time though) to help crack the eggs, beat the eggs, mix, stir and scoop.

full concentration…

making sure that the mixture doesn’t drip all over!

this is how I do it!testing the muffins with a satay stick
these are less than 1/2 of what we baked

These herbs which Daddy planted sometime back sprung to life and are growing like crazy now. Surprisingly, Mal likes to eat these herbs that we planted. Maybe is because he was involved in the whole process, from sowing the seeds to harvesting the herbs…oh and not to forget…peeing on the herbs sometimes…and we told him ‘the herbs love your pee!’ hahhaha and he would ask
‘Why does the herb loves my pee?’
‘Does the grass loves my pee also?’
Wanna try some organic herbs from our back yard??! heheh