Krista CNY Pot Luck Party

Today at school, we had pot luck party in conjunction with the Chinese New Year. Tomorrow onwards the center will be closed for 8 days hence the celebration prior. Everyone had to come dressed in red and bring something to share among classmates and teachers.

While I was contemplating on what to bring, daddy got the needed ingredients for his famous Banana Muffin.

He was gung ho about the whole thing and got a new tray for mini muffins. I ended up bringing enough for the whole school.

First Colouring Competition

The Hong Leong bank held a Chinese New Year open house with a range activities at it's premises last weekend. It's basically a promotional drive to entice new customers. While the adults got busy browsing banking options, the kids were roped into a colouring competition.

For a first timer, neither did I settle for crayons nor colour pencils but joined a water colour on canvas competition. A wax art showcasing the year of the rabbit was pre-drawn and we just had to colour it.

You guessed it! It's Batik Art! I had some trouble with the mixing but the turn out was quite spectacular since there's no right or wrong colour combination for Batik. Tricky to be within boundaries nevertheless I'm proud of my work.

I was the youngest participant and got a consolation trophy for my 10 minutes effort within the given hour. It was a great experience.

Happy Ponggal & Thaipusam

The last 7 days has been a week of penance with a string of prayers for a good 2011. The Ponggal celebration which is now deemed to be the Tamil New Year (still figuring this out) kick started the week.

We opted for an indoor Thanksgiving for it's quick prep time and easy handling. I headed out to Gymboree right after hence we savored the cold Ponggal at lunch. A heavy vegetarian eat out followed for dinner.

In between the days we had daddy's birthday but the big one was on 20th ... Thaipusam. This was a must do the fact that I'm at school from this year on, I needed all the blessings to stay sharp and focused.

Lord Muruga was ever so beautiful and you only get to have such good view if you seek his blessings on the night before Thaipusam. Crowd was picking up so we skipped hill temple for that very reason.

I couldn't help with a little amusement while I was there so this manual (powered by 2 men spinning it) carousel was the top pick. The sturdy piece kept good balance for an enjoyable spin. Sadly there weren't many takers.

Of all the entertaining games they had, this was a real sick one. Temple management ... please take note.

Midway Checkpoint!

January 13th, 3 and a half years old and at my peak. I'm beginning to loose my 'babyness', getting aggressive, rebellious and independent. It's not all that bad, it's part of learning and growing.

As I discover new things, I wanna be able to experience it on my own. Daddy's always there to tell me this and that but how do I learn if I don't get my hands dirty. I'm walking and running thanks to all the falls and bumps I went through.

With school, my routine runs on tight schedule and it's the weekends that I yearn for to unwind. Class work started and I got my first 'Star' for colouring.

 

And homework ...

Cheers to growing up!

Krista - My Kindergarten

Every parent wants the best for their child and daddy left no stones unturned by taking 4 Fridays last month to survey couple of kindergartens within my neighbourhood (and some outside of it).

He narrowed it down to a few and I decided on this. Krista is the largest kindergarten chain in Malaysia. The programs they offer and recognitions for their outstanding feats are found in their website. (http://www.krista.com.my/).

The environment is just as important so the center at Laman Rimbunan, Kepong which opened it's doors last October provided an opportunity for me to be one of the pioneer students plus everything is brand new.

A conducive setup promotes lateral thinking and nurtures potential both academically and athletically. Krista provides a stepping stone to a learning experience that's enjoyable and nourishing to the mind and body.

The dining area where breakfast is served is equipped with taps built to 'our height' so that we learn to be independent and know the importance of hygiene. A session at the sand pit requires a good wash-up.

Malaysians are results driven so there isn't much take on Montessori Method. Krista makes it a point to enrich us on this hence a study area dedicated to it. I'm fed with the thought on exponential growth and how important learning is to just memorizing. Daddy's been a major advocate on this.

Might look like cookathon but we were allowed to play before starting the day proper and there isn't going to be any major classes for it's the Orientation week and I'm still getting acquainted with my new found friends.

Thanks to Gymboree, I need not worry about separation anxiety. There were a couple of my friends created some serious teary and tantrum-filled goodbyes ... went on pretty much into the hour and left the rest of us dumbfounded.

Happy New Year 2011!

2010 has been a very good year! Not only enriching in so many ways to my growth (no pun intended!) it was a very fast year. We wanted to be at Desapark City for the fireworks but decided to get glued to the TV for some good shows.

Daddy made a daring climb up to the roof for glimpses of the fireworks and took this shot. I got to see the tip from where I was but the thunderous sound was good enough to enjoy the moment.

Cheers to the New Year!

January 1st prayers have always been at Batu Caves and no change this year. Fantastic to be blessed at such a majestic temple. The atmosphere evokes great inspirations.

This year 2 bulls were led up to the hill and they became instant hit with the tourist up at the cave temple.

I started the year with a massive feat. I walked down all 272 steps from the hill and what a feeling it was. Reminiscing my 2010 resolutions, completed all but 1 that needs strong financial backing to be realized.

1) To get off the Sarong Hammock - Done and easy with bed now
2) To master alphabets and numbers (for starters till 20) - Done
3) To learn at least 5 rhymes by heart - Moved on to movie songs .. ;-)
4) To visit another foreign country - Started saving for this
5) To take up a new hobby - One too many now

As you can see from the car sticker, I'm taking the next step. Come Monday, 3rd January I'm starting Kindergarten at Krista and for that I've decided to have only 1 resolution - Enjoy the learning experience!

Wishes for a Good Year ahead ... Happy 2011 everyone