Heritage Walk in Johor Bahru 28 September 2013

Observing bread making @Jalan Tan Hiok Nee. The bread is baked with traditional brick oven.  

An Indian grocery shop. Small shop but full of treasures.

Another brick oven bakery at Jalan Salahuddin. 

While eating at Jalan Meldrum, push cart food stalls, there was an old granny hollered "ma biu bo"  (cantonese). It reminded me of my childhood where my parent would buy  "ma biu bo" for just 10 or 20 cents. I bought a copy from the granny and it costs 50 cent!. :) 

 The Chinese Heritage Museum at Jalan Tan Hiok Nee is informative and interesting. 

The display on the praying altar is so extensive !! 

Street Performance at JB Arts Festival, Johor Bharu 27 September 2013

This is the kids ' 4th performance with JJB children theatre at JB Arts Festival.  

En was feeling at the top of the world, doing both stilts and hoop, juggling and twirling it, switching from one hand to the other. 

Little one improved so much this time around. She sang much louder and her body movement are so much beautiful. 

Terra Farm Tree House, Brinchang, Cameron Highland Pahang 14 September 2013

We started with visiting Terra farm and ended up knowing a bit of how plants can grow naturally and healthily. I said, "a bit " because I am not fluent in Mandarin which was the language of choice of the owner who is passionately explaining when we were touring the farm.  It is heartwarming to know a farmer who cares so much on planting 'real' food. Terra vegetables will be part of our diet from now on.  

This is the dining hall or community hall and kitchen where all the guests of the total six tree houses mingle, eat and cook. The ingredients for cooking is provided by Terra. We paid RM 100 per adult and RM 80 per kid, per night.  

En suprised (maybe I should said shocked) everyone (yes, including me) by entertaining the crowd here at the dining hall. (no photo of it though) by belting up a few songs right in front. 

I was awestruck by how fearless she is. And if you asked me what I did to my child, I did nothing but just being her biggest supporter and trusting her that she will bloom naturally on her own.

At 7 am sharp, she dashed out of the tree house with one of her close friend, xy  all for the sake of cooking in the kitchen, preparing breakfast.

From tree house number 6, which located at the highest point among the six tree houses, we hiked up through the cold jungle.  

Do you know what this is?

Looks really nice, isn't it?

Campfire to shoo mosquito out of the tree house.

The children of Terra happily brought their kid-guests to pluck some strawberries, leading the way through the hilly farm. I am impressed by how calm and kind hearted these children are. And it struck me hard, to live even more simple and cut down unnecessarily distractions. Do what matters but not what the crowd does.

The walk way among the tree houses. This is definitely better than a 5 star hotel. 

Being 9 in a group, we stayed at the biggest tree house. Other tree houses accommodate 4 to 7 people. 

This is the exterior verandah.  

This big tree house has two doors where both lead to two rooms. The room on the right side has a ladder that goes up to another room and there is where all the 9 of us slept.

The toilet/shower is located behind it at the side.

We utterly love love this place. Simple and refreshing. 

Lata Berembun Waterfall, Raub Pahang 7 September 2013

You need a modified 4WD to reach Lata Berembun waterfall. Our driver is Alvin Loo and can be contacted at 016 711 3626, skyman.alvin@gmail.com. He is an experienced one who drove us across river and deep muddy track.  He picked us up from the wet market of Kg. Sg Klau, Jalan Sg. Chalit. There is a parking space at the market where we parked our car. 

From Sg. Gombak toll, Karak Highway, it took about 1.5 hour to arrive here. The "kopitiam" at Kg. Sg. Klau are opened for breakfast when we arrived at 9am.

Taking a break from the 45 minutes journey from the pick up point to Lata Berembun Waterfall.

Enjoying the sweet sour taste of "kedondong" plucked from the hill side.

The terrain that we passed through. It could be muddy after a rain.

We just need to trek a short distance of less than 10 minutes to the fall from where we were dropped off. 

There is a pool of fresh cooling water to dip in. 

The kids created the water flowing system. 

This water scoop is made of two twigs and a 'mooncake' plastic container. 

Snow skin mooncake 5 September 2013

Cooking and baking is part of life, part of homeschooling. As we live, we learn. It is not limited by curriculum. It is anything that matters to the learner.

I just talked to a parent who asked, how I homeschool? This is a very common question to me and I have been asked countless of times. The strange thing is, each time I was asked this very question, I still find it hard to explain that, in fact, the whole thing is homeschooling. Life itself, my life, your life is homeschooling. The whole world is a school. It is not bound by a curriculum where a certain objectives should be met at the end of it. It is hard to digest that education can be spontaneous and if you let it, it can happen the minute one wakes up.

Another popular question is what about goal? Don't we need to set a goal for the kid? Here is a writing on goal-less which I feel it resonates with me. Read here 

Cardbox Arcade, Bangsar Village 17 August 2013

En has modified her last year cardboard game. The 9 holes box( left) was upright and glued on another 3-holes box. She recycled the old token box (right)

This is the new game. 

On the first day, she didn't look happy manning this game. I found out it was because she modified the rule of the games following someone's suggestion and she felt that the new rule is not as good as her original one. I always tell her to be open-minded and listen to suggestion. And this scenario created another opportunity to tell her, to appreciate suggestion and how to reject politely and trust your feeling. The next day, she changed the game back to her original rule and it turned out that customers were indeed happier playing the original one. 

Peeping into the token box, I saw she improvised the token box by pasting a half-cut muesli bar box(left top) to collect tokens slotted- in from outside.

My 6 year old bravely attending to the arcade business. 

One token for three balls. 

The balls were pushed out through the small hole (see below)

Chinese Calligraphy Painting 15 August 2013

Drew by Hui

En's drawing will usually have heart-shape or rainbow on it. :)

Camping at Teluk Keke, Pulau Perhentian, Trengganu 8 August 2013

We had a great time at Teluk Keke campsite and would love to come back soon. Teluk Keke is located at Pulau Perhentian Besar.

The journey here took us about 7 hours(excluding stops) to travel the 549 km from Batu Caves to Kuala Besut Jetty via Karak Highway, Lebuhraya Pantai Timur (exit Jabur), Cherating, Kemaman, Jerteh, Dungun, Kuala Trengganu, Exit Kota Bahru, Setiu, Kuala Besut. 

Upon arrival at the jetty, you will spot men circling the area on a motorcycle, selling boat tickets for different company. The speedboat ticket for an adult is RM 70 both way and RM 35 for a child. The company which sold you the boat ticket will show you where to park your car, RM 7 per day. Please inform the boatman of your departure day and time. Keep your return leg boat ticket with you.  

The earliest boat is 7am and the next one will leave once there are enough people. The jetty closed at 530pm.

There are some accommodations at the jetty if you wish to stay the night. Samudera Hotel 09-6979 326. T'Lodge 09-6978 777. 

The toilet/shower area was abandoned.

The kids showered with icy cold water from the well, our only water source at the campsite.

Little Hui got used to bury her poo deep in the sand. 

Our tents and campfire at the beach. Please remember to bring huge garbage bag to bring your rubbish back to the mainland.

Start fire with pine needles, bark, twig and coconut husk. Barbeque sweet potatoes. 

Cushion Starfish

The sea in front of the campsite is good to snorkel and swim. You may want to bring your own snorkel mask and life jacket or rent it from Abdul Chalet. 

Canoe can be rented from Abdul chalet, about 15 minutes walk from Teluk Keke.

Price list @Abdul Chalet

A couple doing Yoga at the top of the rocks, around the corner of the campsite. So calm and serene. Maybe I should check yoga out too. 

I lost count of how many sea cucumber I have seen. 

Walking to Abdul Chalet. 

If you are coming from Teluk Keke jetty (photo above), on your left is to Abdul Chalet and right side is where you can camp. 

After the jetty, take the steps to go past an abandoned chalets before reaching Abdul Chalet. Next to Abdul Chalet is Tuna Bay and follow by Coconut & Cozy Chalet.There is a grocery stall and restaurants over here. 

 There was one time En decided to swim over than to use the steps. 

Beach front of Abdul Chalet.

The sea in front of Tuna Bay. 

En floating, at Lata Air Berani.  

We also rented a boat to snorkel at four other areas @ RM40 per adult and RM20 per child. 

We were lucky to come across two hawksbill turtles and the kids said it was a great feeling swimming with it.