Speaking of the New Year, here are a little chronicles of how I spent my New Year in Malaysia. Again, I was lamenting during the week after Christmas because my office was on holiday (and supposedly me too!) but my husband and his family had to work as per normal. They are accustomed to take long break during Chinese New Year. This said, on global holiday season, I had to kill my holiday time by working (a bit) too and I did not quite like this idea.
For almost a week, I got really bored at home and felt that my treasured yearly holiday moments had gone into the drain. I had bad mood almost on daily basis and became easily irritated on small things almost all the time (just like having PMS symptoms!). Bad, bad.
To the rescue came a bunch of relatives of mine from Malang and Jakarta who happened to spend their New Year holiday by joining a guided tour for four days in Kuala Lumpur and Genting Highlands. I fought incredibly hard to make my husband spare his busy time to send me to Kuala Lumpur and meet my relatives there. I mean what are the odds of having quite a lot of relatives from Indonesia to visit me in Malaysia whilst I am just one hour drive away from them? A couple days later, my wish was granted. I finally got to see my relatives in Kuala Lumpur for few hours for two consecutive days, right before they had to leave Malaysia.
It was such a delight to see all of my relatives here in Malaysia.
Friday, 30 December 2011.
In the late afternoon, my husband decided to finish his work earlier and took me to Bukit Bintang area in Kuala Lumpur to see my relatives from Indonesia. At last, I met the daughter of my elder cousin in Jakarta again, Baby Kaylee. The first time I saw Kaylee was when she's merely two months old and now, the second time I saw her, she is already two years old!
Kaylee and Aunt Christine.
Kaylee treated me like a complete stranger. Completely understandable, though.
My husband and I bought Seremban's signature snack, Siew Pao, for my relatives to taste when we met them in Kuala Lumpur.
One is never enough.
My cousin ordered two more boxes of Siew Pao on the next day to be brought to Indonesia.
My relatives, husband and I didn't do many interesting stuff in Bukit Bintang area other than chit chatting with them (non-stop) at KFC Restaurant and accompanied them doing some malls hopping in Kuala Lumpur. Poor my cousin, she and her husband barely enjoyed their vacation in Malaysia because Baby Kaylee was quite demanding during her first overseas trip. The kid had to be carried around everywhere most of the time.
Me and my cousin from Jakarta, dr. Tata:
Relaxing at the Pacific Coffee Company, Farenheit 88 Mall
since this funky Mom was too tired carrying Kaylee all the time.
Father on holiday: Mother-in-Law's shopping bags on the left hand
and baby bag on the right hand.
At 6pm, my relatives had to assemble in a meeting point for pre-arranged dinner with other tour members, so my husband and I went back to Seremban. We plan to see my relatives again on the next day in Genting Highlands.
Walking my Uncle to his tour bus's meeting point.
Saturday, 31 December 2011.
After work, my husband brought me all the way to Genting Highlands to meet my relatives again before they left Malaysia on the next day. I was really happy to see all of them again although overall, we were just catching up and sporadically checking out some shopping malls, even when we were in Genting Highlands.
Group Photo with Genting Theme Park in the background.
Baby Kaylee at Genting Shopping Mall: An obvious her Dad's mini-me.
Two Indonesian young aunties with a kid,
who could not be bothered to pose in front of the camera.
I learned one new thing during my trip to Genting Highlands last week, that a Sand Art Workshop (for kids) at a mall is worth visiting when you have toddlers and you find it hard to keep the kids quiet during your leisure time at a mall. My cousins, aunt and I spent quite some time playing some colourful sand art with Kaylee at Genting Shopping Mall. Amazingly, this workshop worked wonders for both Kaylee and her Mom. The two of them seemed to enjoy working on the colourful sand art very much. Moreover, they did not have to spend so much time by just sitting in a boring cafe or food court as the kid didn't want to walk by herself when her Mom wanted to check the mall out whilst her Mom was definitely already so flat tired carrying her all the time when walking around inside the mall. By the way, a pram didn't do much help here. My niece refused to be put in the pram which her parents brought all the way from Jakarta.
Kaylee was so happy working with the colourful sand art and her Dora sticker paper.
Her Mom happily attended this mini art workshop too.
Last group photo in Genting before my relatives went back to Kuala Lumpur
and left Malaysia on the next morning.
Not long after the Sand Art games, all my relatives had to go back to Kuala Lumpur for dinner with the other tour members and needed to start packing their luggage too as they were leaving Malaysia on the next morning. This being said, my husband and I had to bid farewell with all of them. I hope to see all of them again in Indonesia soon!
So I guess, that's about it! Nothing much that my husband and I actually did to celebrate the New Year's Eve or the New Year in Malaysia itself this year. In fact, I guess I had to see a doctor at Klinik 1Malaysia and slept early on the New Year's Eve as I was feverish due to my sore throat.
Sunday, 1 January 2012.
Nothing significant I could remember from celebrating the actual day of the New Year. All I recall now was the fact that my husband and I went to see some friends in a local restaurant for light supper that night.
Husband and I on New Year's supper at Tarot Cafe, Seremban.
Monday, 2 January 2012.
The New Year Day plus one: The highlight of the post New Year celebration was indeed the three-hour karaoke session at Green Box Karaoke, Jusco Seremban that my husband and I privately enjoyed. Both my husband and I sang our hearts out during the morning happy hours at the local karaoke box.
Impromptu karaoke marathon to celebrate New Year.
Honestly, my husband and I are no good singers, but we could not care less when we were paired as karaoke duo. The two of us just continued singing and screeching albeit most songs that we sang were off-key. I generally sang my old favourite boy band music from my teenager era that I husband could only roll his eyes at. After the three hour karaoke marathon, my sore throat revisited me again. My voice turned almost like a frog's and I could not sleep well that night because my just-slightly-recovered throat gave me terrible sore again. Nevertheless, private karaoke session with husband = fun, fun!
Tuesday, 3 January 2012.
Reality hit. Everyone was back to work, including me. Busy, busy!
Cheers to the New Year of 2012! May this year treats everybody real nicely.