Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 20 Mar 2011

Today we woke up early in the morning because we want to be at Putrajaya Precinct 2 early, to be there before the hot air balloon rise up!

               

It is the Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta!

                      

I prepared some snacks, sandwiches and fingers food for both Issac and Annabelle as we have to leave the house so early before 6.30am. We were finding our way to the right place as we followed the signage along the road once our car entered to Putrajaya areas.

In the morning, the weather seems like not really favorable for the event of the day. Patches of thick clouds hovering all around and made the sky so moody.

The balloonists already at the designated fields to set up the balloon, firing up the hot air and around 7.00am we can see a few of the hot air balloon were ready to fly up to the sky.

I was quite amazed and quite an eye-opening experience seeing the numbers of people holding DSLRs, It was as if the existence of compact point and shoot camera has ceased, and no longer matter.

Not only the volume of DSLR users are unbelievably enormous, the lenses mounted on their DSLR s are nothing short of spectacular. All those giant ultra wide angels, bazookas such as 70-200mm, and even more fisheyes lenses.

Even Daddy too, brought his 2 cameras – Canon 500D and 7D. And, we can feel and massive ‘human flood’ in to this area!

More and more hot air balloons up to the sky! The design of some of the balloon were rather interesting, though there were also plain and ordinary looking ones. The crowd favorites of coarse were the Darth Vader and Doraemon.

This was of coarse, our first time such an event. I have always seen hot air balloons through newspapers, magazines, paintings, television shows, or even the internet.

I have not really encountered a life on my life. Being there having an opportunity to see through my own camera was quite a satisfying experience.

We did not go for a ride, because by watching the lining with hundreds of people for the tickets really scared us away.

We left Putrajaya around noon time, there was raining by the time our car drove through the bridge.

This shot was taken by Daddy during we left the area.

Good and great satisfaction of the close encounter with the hot air balloon. Hope next year we able to come again.

A Journey of Pilgrim 19 Mar 2011

These photos were taken by Daddy at his job site at Jalan Ipoh.

There are devotees with barefoot were walking to the Hindu Temple for the purpose of vow fulfilment. During the pilgrimage, some devotees will carry large milk pots and ornate frames (kavadi). The kavadi are supported by a series of spikes that laterally pierce the skin of their chest and backs as a symbol of penance.

I have heard that on the month leading up to the pilgrimage, those who have decided to bear the kavadi will have mainly subsisted on a heavily restricted diet and completely fast on last few days before the pilgrimage.

Naturally, these extremes demand of very high level of mental and physical fortitude. Not all devotees who take the pilgrimage will pierce their skin with hooks.

Many will just opt carry a pot of milk, which serves as a symbol of fertility and abundance in Hindu faith. In a sense, it could be considered form of thanksgiving to their God for any prayers that he has answered.

                      

Alphabet Book : e

Another fun things to do here – another exercise or fun way to use the water colour paint, and make handprints at the same time. Both Issac and Annabelle were so happy and mentioned,” Mummy, my hand is so tickle when the paint brush on my palm and fingers!” They laughed through out the process…

Issac’s elephant will be a bit big because his hand is of course bigger than Annabelle.

You'll Need:

• Gray paint {we had fun mixing black and white together}
• Paintbrushes
• Pink 'ears' for your elephants
• Googley eyes
• Wet wipes {for quick clean-up}

To Make:
{Note: I cut out the pieces ahead of time since we have a short amount of time and a lot to do ~ otherwise I would recommend letting the kids cut out their own pieces as much as possible!}

1. Mix up the paint {if needed}.
2. And have kids colour grass along the bottom of their alphabet sheet.
3. Paint your child's hand with the gray paint, completely covering the fingers and palms.
4. Have your child place their hand on the paper {fingers pointing down toward the grass on the bottom} and gently press hand onto the paper so that the paint transfers.
5. Add an ear and an eye to your elephant and paint a thin tail.

Resource: http://homeschoolcreations.blogspot.com

e is for egg

This week we started with the lower case of the letter ‘e’, and ‘e’ is for egg.

What You’ll Need:

• Yellow, white and orange foam
• a few small yellow feathers
• a wiggly eye
• pen & pencil
• glue/tape
• scissors

How to Make the ‘e’ for egg:

1. Cut out a lowercase ‘e’ from a piece of a yellow foam sheet. To make the letters go along with the uppercase letters we’ve done in the past, this letter was cut from a piece of foam that was about 2” x 4” ~ small, but oh so cute!
2. Cut out an egg shape from white foam sheet {about 2” x 4”}.
3. Cut the egg in half using a zig-zag cut so that it looks like the egg has cracked.
4. Cut a small triangle out of the orange foam sheet to use a beak. Add a line for the beak opening using the pen.
5. Open the egg up {as pictured above} and glue the lowercase ‘e’ on top of the egg shell.
6. Add a the beak, feathers, and the wiggly eye.

Mummy just used the construction papers for this and we do not have the yellow feathers, if we have, sure the kids will be so happy.

Resource: http://totallytots.blogspot.com

Alphabet Book : E

When I took out the water colours, brushes, the white colour palette out, they are jumping and screaming.

Issac helped to set out the table and chair, Annabelle helped took out the old newspapers to put on top of the table.

Due to our house do not have enough small study table, so the kids have to take turn when they do this art.

Issac was so happy when coloured his Earth, he do the green colour as the land first, then follow by the blue sea colour. I was impressed as I saw the round shape is still ‘in shape’!

Belle just standing beside unhappily and waiting her turn.

After Issac completed his works, he took his own work to place beside the TV and let it dry.

Annabelle too, was so happy colouring her earth. I choose a light blue colour for her Earth, she just brush and colour the whole round shape.

That was the time that I think of something else on the land shape on earth.

Cutting out some green construction papers, and let her glued it to her blue earth after it dry.

They were really having fun doing it! Both shown to Daddy after daddy is back from work.

You'll Need:

• Drawing paper and some green construction paper
• Water colours
• Pencil
• Glue

To Make:

1. Draw out a large circle shape on the drawing paper as a Earth shape. And some smaller round shape as the land shape on the earth.

2. Have kids coloured the earth with the water colours – blue and green colour.

3. Cut out the round shape as the land shape using the green colour construction paper. {Just in case, your kid can not do it properly and you will need it as the land}

4. Glue it on top of the round Earth.

 

E is for Elephant

Last week we had our little hand print elephant on our Alphabet Book, this week we had our uppercase ‘E’ for that. Mummy noticed that both of the kids would prefer using hands or things that we had done on Alphabet Book, i think it is because the Alphabet Book would give them kind of surprise that what type of materials that we would be using today? Probably a bit of wondering that made them so excited! Anyway, here is what we did for today:

What You'll Need:

• Gray or white foam sheet/construction paper
• Scissors
• Pen {to trace letter}
• Gray paint ~ if you can't find gray paper or foam
• Googly eyes
• Glue

How to make the 'E' Elephant:

1. Trace and cut an uppercase 'E' out of the foam sheet or construction paper. Since our house currently didn't have gray foam or grey construction papers, I used black colour after we had glued it all together.
2. Using the extra foam, cut out an ear and a trunk for the elephant. I used a little sliver of our white foam to also cut out a tusk for him.
3. Glue the elephant's trunk onto the middle section of the letter 'E'.
4. Glue on the ear and paint if needed.
5. Add an eye and tusk to finish!

Resource: http://totallytots.blogspot.com

Pulau Ketam 5-6 Mar 2011

This is our first time going to Pulau Ketam as a family. I just packed some clothing as we intend to stay at one of the inn or hotel there for a night.

We took the KTM from Subang to Port Klang, a journey of nearly 45 minutes to an hour. It was children’s first time on the KTM train, so it was quite an experience for them.

                        

From Port Klang, we get to Pulau Ketam via the ferry, the fare is RM7.00 and the duration is about 30 minutes. Of coarse there is another type private speedboat RM10.00 and only take you 15 minutes to reach Pulau Ketam. We chose the ferry.

               

               

Pulau Ketam literally means Crab Island. In the late 1800s, Hainanese fisherman from Port Klang arrived at this island where they caught crabs and sold them for a living. Initially they went to and fro every day, which was a long journey because there were no speedboats back then.

               

               

After a few months, they built a small house on the swampland so they could stay the night. Eventually the swampland, regarded as an island became populated. And that was how Pulau Ketam was born.

               

               

We were walking around in the town. There are bikes to rent for RM5 per day,  we saw many tourists cycle and explore the island, whizzing past people’s homes and unsuspecting villagers. A lot eateries such as fried ice-cream, assorted shaved ice dessert, seafood.

                  

Daddy was so happy to be here as he could polishing his photography skills. Every object is his subject: temple, jetty, a man whom was apparently collecting the clams, sun set, sea, fishing boats, etc.

                   

We do stayed a night there in one of the small inn. When the day-trippers are gone, we can enjoy the calm, quietness and simplicity of the fishing village. At evening towards night time, the tide rises and the fishermen go to sea. They return by dawn and it is good to wake up early and check all those activities on the dock.

               

We woke up early in the morning but not that early to see the fishing boats but to have a morning walk to explore the places which we didn’t manage to yesterday. We had our breakfast and checked out the inn and headed towards the jetty for the ferry.

               

Not bad at all for a short getaway and for kids explorations how other people live.