Honey4Boyz

A rare full cold moon brightened up the sky on Christmas Day. It's the first time in 38 years that it's full moon on Christmas. December's nights are the longest of the year so we could see the full moon much longer and it's a typically cold month. What a rare treat indeed to end my homeschooling year with Brandon!  Drawings By Brandon:- On a still winter night H.M.S. Resolution in a Gale,  original painted by Willem van de Velde the Younger (1670) The cannon shot, original painted by Willem van de Velde the Younger (1680) Shipwreck on a cloudy night Hong Kong International Airport The Starry Night, original painted by Vincent van Gogh Brandon wrapped up his  Charlotte Mason  homeschooling year. It has been a very eventful year for him, and the family as well. We've thoroughly enjoyed the journey and saw the benefits of exposing him to a wide spread of interests and lotsa free time for him to explore and connect with things...

Maker Faire is a 2-day showcase of the DIY culture and wacky and fun projects in science, engineering & technology, art, craft and even waste materials.  We've not heard of it before this. But this is Singapore's 4th year in organising the Maker Faire which started in the US, now spread to all parts of the world.  We met makers from all walks of life, young and old, institutions, professionals, hobbyists, tinkerers, students and kids!  There's a lot of creativity vibes here. This is one event that's not limited by age and full of surprises to show what they're making and share what they're learning. As the boys're growing up, we threw away many of their old bicycles. Here, we learn that we can turn old bicycles into new inventions eg bike blenders to make smoothies, bike generators to pedal for power, bike mowers to keep the lawns tidy, etc. This is a fully-automated "Latte Art" drawing machine from Japan. The makers are n...

While I was writing this post, my hubby stopped by and wanted to talk. I answered him briefly, so I could get on with my writing. Ticking my to-do list is more important than being with someone. Indeed 'being' is much harder than 'doing'. Even at home, there's a never ending list of things to do with no sense of completion. I walk around sometimes like there's something I forget to do.  Whether in schools or homeschooling, the rat race is there. We're encouraged to pack our life full of activities and maximise our learning experience. At work, we have to look productive and take on more responsibilities. We live as if there's nothing wrong with this system. We call it 'progression'. If there's nothing wrong, why are we so perplexed by the flood of bad news, why are so many people unhappy? Why are so many on medication to control stress, depression?  Slowing down is radical in this day. Learning to let go doing all things is just as r...

It's Chinese New Year. Year 2015 is the Year of Goat or Sheep or Ram, whatever. One of the things we enjoy, not sure it's a tradition or not, is making crafts for decoration. Paper cuts is a popular Chinese handicraft. It's good for training the motor skills as well. Learning some simple designs from Youtube  and the techniques of cutting can be tricky. We've some visitors this CNY, so we put up more decorations in the house than usual. The red crafts sure made our house looked cheerful and festive.  Another tradition we enjoy is meeting up with our family members and friends. Especially those who come back from afar. We do not reside overseas so we do not feel the anticipation of travelling far for family gatherings. Most of the gatherings revolved around eating, and eating and eating. The kids enjoyed throwing the Pop-pop at each other, and the more daring ones played the firecrackers. Think the boys have outgrown the mild sparklers. Visit from my Myanm...

It's Christmas time!  We wanted to do something new together with some friends. Cupcake decoration with fondant sounded like a very cool idea. It's not as hard as we thought. Kids nowadays have been exposed to playing dough/clay so this is not very different. I bought the ready coloured fondant, ranging from RM8-9 per small tub. Most important - baking your own the cupcakes is definitely tastier and fresher. Most kids like chocolate, but I made marble cupcakes cos the recipe has been tested and easy. The other thing is the glue between the cake top and the fondant base. Buttercream is commonly used and it's available in almost ready made form. The design? Leave the kids alone. We're not making designer cupcakes, so the kids would figure it out. Let the fun begin...... Full concentration..... Rolling the fondant... A 3D snowman! Ryan's artwork with surgical finesse.... Putting in the final touches... Mother and son team! ...

Ipoh is always about eat, eat and eat. But now, we have one more reason to stay a little longer. The street art fever that started in Penang has now come to Ipoh. I don't know who commissioned the Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic, but it's an excellent idea. His paintings certainly caught the spirit of the Old Town. This is my favourite 'Kopi-O Bungkus' inspired by the local coffee culture in Ipoh. 'Thean Chun', one of the coffee shops from the tin mining days and still very, very popular. At 3pm, it's still crowded with customers waiting for their Ipoh  Hor Fun  (chicken noodle soup). A popular figure in the Old Town, the hunchback Uncle is still very much hands on in shredding the smooth poached chicken. Now at 71 years old, he's still standing on his feet from early morning to late afternoon until the last patron leaves. I always wonder why he does not train younger helpers, and take a more relaxed pace. Other than the perfect smooth  hor f...