a different christmas

no theme party this christmas. it's too much of a rush for all, what with the vacation and anniversary celebrations. but definitely back next year.

that was the first difference.

with all that financial uncertainty out there, it seemed fitting to do our part to save and give back to society.

so it was a green and austere christmas we had this year.

the trimmings were all recycled. the santa hats are at least 5 years old. got a good wash for one last use and then they were sent to the recycling bin.

these trimmings will be seen again next year in a different presentation. they have since been stashed away in a box.

food this year was also cut down. we don't really need the works. we had a ham and a turkey and we are still eating leftovers today!!

the second difference is the absence of a tree. it is greener to buy a real tree as we send it back to the nursery to be compacted into mulch and compost. but this year, it was a little late to buy one. 

so i set up a corner instead. santa did climb down to deliver presents but even the presents are much fewer than the previous years.

that makes the third difference. the family agreed to give to the less fortunate so through world vision, a VWO, wei decided to give a bicycle to a child in laos while xru gave 2 HIV test kits to children in lesotho. these donations were our "presents" to them. the rest of the family gave food hampers to the local needy. 

the girls made presents for all. wei gave out hand-drawn glass water bottles ala stained glass. most pretty and practical. xru, on the other hand sewed cute keychains for all.

yes, so, the surprise element is missing. 

but the goodness you feel deep down more than compensates for it.

in the midst of all the commercialism that christmas has become over the years, it's good to take stock, and go back to the basics.

it's a season of giving and sharing. and let's not forget that.

bob and robert (2)

still in my sua teng hat with bob and robert....and bobina, roberta, bobby, rob, bert.......

maybe sua teng-ness runs in the family. don't ask me why she packed her woolies for a summer holiday.

duh! stop suffocating me!

that's much better :-)

yup, you saw right. she's SITTING IN THE TROLLEY!

if this isn't regression, i don't know what is.

the very picturesque te awanga villa. it's so spacious it can sleep ten. will come back here with the clan one day

the view of the ocean from my bedroom window

gay-ser?  guy-ser? whatever. this is the lady knox geyser

the way to a man's heart is through his stomach

a hangi dinner being cooked by the hot stones. the maoris sure save a lot on gas.

artistic or pure bad shot? you decide.

the idyllic shot by the shores of lake taupo. taken at nicara cottage.

the deserted streets of rotorua as we walked in circles looking for the elusive award winning restaurant, 1824, or is it 1284? we found it in the end and agreed unanimously that it was worth the search.

the lonesome prawn catcher who decided to try her luck across the pond. she caught one.

manuka beer, anyone? not bad tasting actually.

esp when paired with these succulent boiled prawns.

another idyllic shot at lake taupo

clean and meticulous, even in the smallest of details.

my sentiments exactly, your majesty. 

taken in auckland museum.

fifty years of togetherness

know that i have a song in my heart, a smile on my face and a bounce in my step everytime i look at these photos.

 

we children count our blessings for healthy, loving parents who treasure each other and are not afraid to show it.

....of ten thousand memories

of ten thousand memories. and counting.

married to my best friend

yes, and for the last 20 years too.

like any major event that has happened in my life, the images of the anniversary celebrations have been running over and over in my head and will continue to do so for the next few weeks, i am sure.

it was a magical, touching and fun evening.

with lots of palpable love and excitement and surprisingly, few tears.

i thought i would shed tears of joy but i was too busy enjoying myself to cry. surrounded by loved ones, i was on an all time high. 

with some alcohol later, i was, apparently, in my element.  *wide grin*

"bottoms up, bottoms up" was my signature refrain, recalls a laughing gary. for such embarrassing moments i plead temporary, or is it selective, amnesia.

oz and i were so, so proud of our daughters who organised and ran the entire proceedings. it was almost surreal; some parts of the evening as i watched both of them at work, my jaw must have grazed the floor as i wondered: did we raise these two lovely, loving, intelligent girls? 

i gave thanks there and then.

they must have worked many hours behind our backs, digging deep into the yellowing photo albums to come up with a most hilarious montage on powerpoint as well as in a momento booklet for all.

the very happy and proud couple

the tables have turned as our daughters made us repeat after them. our marriage vows, that is.

and after that, PARTY TIME!!!!!

karaoke at keppel club where all let their hair down. and shoes out. and, in the case of xru, father's blazer on.

some had real snazzy moves

the newly minted mei gui jie mei (rose sisters) 

as had happened before, the staff had to switch off the lights and stop the karaoke system before we reluctantly trooped out, hoarse and tired. and, in my case, bloated too because of too much beer encased in a cheongsum sausage but who cared???

it was a night to remember.

bob and robert (I)

dunno how or where to begin posting about a lovely, relaxing holiday so will let the pictures speak for themselves.

a book, a plate of seasonal fruits bought earlier at the farmers' market, and a expansive view of the pacific ocean.  what more can one ask for on holiday?

laid back lifestyle of the kiwis - kite flying on a little hillock in auckland

shale beach at te awanga, 15 mins from napier, hawkes bay

a very happy xiao char bor

one of my fave pictures of a relaxed father and his precious daughters

the following pictures taken at bluff hill, napier, tell a story

and the ticklish moments....

yes, you may be laughing at how cartoon i look but i was seriously ticklish as oz tried to adjust the strap of the smelly helmet before we started the luge at rotorua.

the luge turned out to be loads of fun. of course, i was the grandma of the family while everyone overtook me. we took 2 rides on the elementary course and one on the intermediate. didn't dare try the advanced one.

was in kiwi land for only a few days and she's trying to look like a maori  (see below)

took in a maori cultural experience in rotorua. the expected haka, bulging eyeballs, tongue-sticking, and lots of belly fat.

the photographer at work:

the weather was good throughout the ten days we were there - sunny blue skies and cool winds.

the hat made me look like quite a dorothy lamour in her heyday (minus the bikini)

ok, so the hat may be a bit sua teng but it really did its job. this was taken at close to 7pm.

think of the gazillion freckles that could have sprouted!

these three photos are taken from the lake taupo apartment at 3 different times of the day.

l.o.v.e.l.y

and for the simple pleasures of life...

instant noodles tasted esp good for breakfast. must be nong shim korean noodles and have to be eaten out of the pot. serious.

on a rainy evening in lake taupo, this one pot meal was heavenly. found an asian grocery store that sold knorr chicken cubes and udon noodles and fishballs :-)

no, we didn't fish in lake taupo after all. but the girls really enjoyed prawn fishing.

after one and a half hours, they caught a grand total of 5 prawns with wei's catch of the blue-clawed prawn (above) being the biggest.

at the te awanga villa, we had regular visitors who quacked their appreciation each time bread was served to them. they were called bob and robert by oz.

 

at nicara cottage at rotorua, the jetty is a great place to feed the swans and ducks.

a sunshine-filled dining table with breakfast cooked with love.

apart from the luge, the girls did the bungy-jump. mighty proud of them cos i know i would never have the guts to do it.

the red pouch that fell with wei contained her glasses :-)

did the huka falls jet that had all the thrills and spills.

the te awanga villa had a trampoline which was meant to entertain younger children, i am sure. but it didn't stop two teenagers from monkeying around.

it's obvious that one is a dancer while the other is, well, a jumper.

and they couldn't stop jumping after that.....

we rented a 4 wheel drive Prado which was really comfortable and great on those trunk roads. except one very important detail:  no reverse sensors.

as oz complained :  no good lah. no teet-teet.

and this is what happens when there's no teet-teet.

came across other su(e)'s.

one of the rare family shots. this was taken on timer aboard the cable car in rotorua.

*end of part one*