Sunday Sunday Sunday

First things first a quick dash to the shops to buy some bits and pieces, and also to have lunch - a delicious Pho Boa today.

Check out Amy and Ollie.

In fact inspect Amy closer. We all said: "What are you Amy, Indian? A hippy?"

"No Daddy, I am a Ninja."

Ha Ha Ha Ha - you soooooooo funny Amy (sorry Ninja).

Ohhhh 50% sale on at my favourite work shirt shop.

So I am rummaging and browsing and Amy and Ollie find this desk and chairs at the back and go for a chat together. Almost looks like boss and employee, or an interview in the photo above.

Amy says: "So Mr Brown, why is production down 20% this fiscal?"

Ollie says: "Whatever!"

Then I got rumbled taking a photo in the one below.

Off then for some fun at LiiliPutt - yep mini golf indoors.

Amy got really good at it after some coaching from yours truly. Look at that swing.

That's it Amy hold the club like you would a tube of toothpaste. Loose hands. Head down. Slightly bent knees. Relax. Take a calming deep breath. Address the ball. Ball on your front foot. Read the curves of the green. Check the slope.

OK then do it your way, bit the bloody thing as hard as you can. Ha Ha!

Then off to a new prawn fishing spot we found on East Coast. Really cool, must take you there Mum. Miz could be a first for you in Feb'13.

This one has:

• Prawn fishing for Malaysian fresh water prawns - with pincers,
• Fresh water fish fishing - some big boys in that tank,
• Kids pools with guppies and the like that the kids can fish for with nets and then put in a tank (supplied) and taken home - "two fish in a tank, one says the other one - how do you drive this?"
• Fish spa - the one where the Dr Fish eat all the dead skin off your feet,
• A kids playground.

Oh yes - this one is really good. Plus there's a 7-11 a few steps away selling refreshing beverages of the frothy kind. Hmmmmmm!

Look left and there's Mary with the kids.

Look right and there's me with the kids.

Amy drew first blood on her rod - well done to the prawning virgin.

It's a waiting game!

Final score:

• Daddy - 3
• Amy - 1
• Mary - 1 (but the biggest)
• Ollie - oh dear 0

The off to Sushi Tei again a few steps away.

We bashed the revolving meals you can see just above Amy's head - and then went big on Al La Carte too. Yummy Yummy!

I love their creamed sweetcorn croquettes.

Happy food times for me and Amy. This after she had demolished 3 bowls of edemame, 4 gyoza, 1 cream sweetcorn croquette, 1 can of pop, 2 sashimi - phew!

Is she smiling or is that wind???

Our dining partners for this evening, Mr Oliver Kennett and Ms Marysol Enoroba.

Nice photos you two.

Although these two were down selected personally by Mary from a whole bunch.

I shall let her explain the rather toothy photo story - GGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

Thanks for a great day guys - it was a blast. Nice to get out of the house and really not care about the usual rain coming in. Great Sunday thanks!

A walk in our "back garden" after the rain!

Yet again another rainy Saturday afternoon - bugger!

We'd stayed in in the morning as I needed to "create" another meal for the new cook book (coming on well by the way - and it looks like two recipes will be going in a local magazine with yours truly in Feb'13). I cooked a Japanese Beef Casserole, was pretty damn good I have to say.

So we thought, let's go for a walk after Amy's nap and the heavens then decided to open on us.

We waited, we waited, we waited and in the end it paid off - we went for our walk. Well Mary and I walked, the kids went on scooters.

I think the rain freshened up the flowers.

So feminine head on, here we go some nice little snaps of the walk. Sorry can't tell you what the flowers are, but very very nice huh! Read on though if you don't like flowers, there's other stuff in here as well - come on, come on!

Lilies in the ponds, where today we saw loads of turtles and even Ollie spotted a baby monitor lizard. Good news that the place is thriving. It's very beautiful.

This is a great shot, speed freaks on the racing circuit. Amy coming in a close second at the moment.

This plant amazed me. Look at the zig zagging stem. Have you ever seen anything like that?? Oops feminine side coming through strong. Have an urge to talk about shoes and accessories, must fight the urge. Think football, think football.

It's hard to fight the urge, the flowers are just so beautiful. Must fight, must fight!

It's OK, I'm back - phew!
Now we're talking.
Wey Hey Mary find her favourite plant in the gardens. Can't think why though.
Face says it all!
Ha Ha Ha Ha!!!!!

Let's now have some photos of some birds!!!!
Way too many flowers!

OK lads here is a beautiful parakeet that was stalking us. I could have got much closer but with a continually shouting 4 and 11 year old do you think anything stayed around long enough for us to have a good look, not a chance.

Yes boys more birds, now in abundance.
We think this one a mocking jay.
Beautiful breast!

Whoops slight slip up again.
Some arty photo stuff.
I call this one "caterpillar eaten leaves against the evening sky, sort of arty-like."
I like it!

Here come the speed freaks again - this time negotiating the very dangerous water jump on the race course.

Kids I said jump,

Jump,

JUMP ........

OK just go straight through it then!

Recognise this?

For those that have seen Ollie's film trailer "A Gran Plan" - remember the line:

"You don't laugh from here. You laugh from here."

Yep this is THE very bench from that scene.

DON'T SIT ON THE BENCH.

Yep this little caterpillar is a poisonous little bugger.

Will make your skin itchy and it will swell it up - maybe good if it got it in your pants, but not good on an arm or hand or leg!

Final one of the day.

Having watched the new Spiderman movie last night on the box with Mary, Ollie and Amy - I have to admit I did get a little star-struck when I saw his co-star in the gardens. I do apologise not my usual thing, but you were so good in the film mate, I hear you did all your own stunts???

As Slade would say: "IT'S CHRISTMAS!"

Our turn to host Christmas this year.

So Mary and I were up very early to cook cook cook for the 25 expected guests - our Filipino friends. 

We held the party in one of the function rooms in the condo, so we decked it with decorations, we took the Christmas tree down, organised parlour games (yes the girls still call them parlour games - it's like "Upstairs & Downstairs" isn't it), gift swaps, and a ton of food.

Mary did an amazing job as cook, host, co-ordinator - a wonderful day for all. 

My job was create the Christmas quiz which I hosted with Ollie. Cook my Asian sausage rolls, Asian Brussel sprouts and create the "welcome drink". 

But first, of course, we had present opening at home - this at about 6-30am - PHEW!

Here's Amy opening her first present. The gift from Santa. Amy left some sugar, milk and cookies for Santa and the reindeer. They said thank you to her for that.

And what was inside - her very own puppy, ha ha! This one's great - no piles of poo and pools of wee anywhere in sight. Immediately house trained.

Thank you to my brother and sister for buying Amy a new "interactive with iPod Furby".
Very cute as you feed it and talk to it and rub it's tummy and it giggles type thing.
Oh yeah did I mention he talks, and talks, and talks, and talks, and talks!!!!!!

So again thank you to my brother and sister for getting this for her - ahahahahahahahahahaah!

Ollie checking out his new Camera/Camcorder - awesome little thing. Waterproof, ruggedised, sporty thing. Very cool and now Ollie is a budding photographer and short film creator.

OH God it's that bloody Furby again, and it's awake - ahahahahahahahahahahaha!

My girls preparing for the singing and dancing competition - we had markers for scoring as Amy is holding.

5 or 10 points per act could be awarded.

Some shots of the girls.

Now the funny thing. See the drink that Glenda is holding. That is the Welcome Drink. Made of guava/pineapple/apple juices, ginger beer, mango, star fruit, cinnamon, papaya, lime. Oh yeah and 4 bottles of sparkling wine, half a bottle of vodka and some white rum. Little did the girls know, as it really did taste just lovely and fruity.

So look at the girls all placid and sober. We'll get to some other photos shortly - ha ha! How things change because of a few Welcome Drinks!

A couple of lovely group shots - starting to fill up now. Food going down well. Much needed too as there was a tonne of it.

OK here we go. Singing and dancing contest. Nereh up first for that. I was musical co-ordinator. Name drawn from a hat, then that individual pulls a 50/50 chance of dancing or singing.

I think some of the Welcome Drink is starting to have an effect? What do you think?

Next up the kids - yep, Gangnam Style.

They were EXCELLENT and in fact came joint first on a perfect score of 160.

Here goes Ging Ging, perhaps with too much underarm deodorant on? Seems to have made her arms unable to put down. Or could it be that Welcome Drink again?

Yep more Gangnam Style. And the kids had not been drinking, I promise!

Then we kicked off the quiz.

Ollie and I were hosts for this full multi-media, interactive quiz. Singing, dancing and multiple-choice were on the cards. Here is jingle bells karaoke section - what on earth is Nereh doing? Ha Ha! Jingle Bells dance?? Could be Welcome Drink related?

Team 2 in action. Team 2 also the final winners. The final winners of the prize of a brand new iPAD to share between them. More of the iPAD later. Well done team 2.

Next up Santa Santa. Blindfold someone, stick them in the middle, hand them a little santa claus toy. Surround with a circle of friends. One person comes in and takes the toy. All then stand hands behind back as the person in the middle tries to guess who took the santa. Get it!

Now to pass the parcel - 20 presents or 20 layers to get through. We had pre-planned to make sure all got a gift. SO me in charge of music had to ensure the music stopped on 20 individual people without making it look "staged". Ha Ha!

Remember that amazing first prize of an iPAD for the Christmas Quiz.

Well here I am showing that off - yep it was a brand new iPAD.

Ollie now takes over above and below.

A game of batman, superman, wonder woman for a selected audience. Amy did very well at this. Great work Ollie.

See Ging Ging has that arm problem again!!!

Oh my goodness its catching - they're all at it now, even Amy.

A lovely photo of the girls, starting to wind down now as some of the had curfews to manage. Such a shame that even on Christmas Day they have to do this. Nightmare employers if they can't even allow one day of absolute freedom. Bah Humbug!

Nearing then end of a great day now.

Goodbyes to some already done. Last few standing now. Shame the day came to an end. What a wonderful party we had with our very good friends. Thanks to you all for coming and having fun with us, you made it a very fun and very special day.

OK OK not quite over. That last little bit of energy induced by Welcome Drink, enables one last dance and one last dance that happens to be Gangnam Style taught by the dazzling duo of Ollie and Amy.

I LOVE this snap below as I caught them all mid air. Superb!

But see again, it's Ging Ging and her arm problem. Ha Ha! Change your deodorant sweetie!

Then back home for clear up, wash up, bed for kids, and relax for us.

Maricel, renowned for sleeping at our place, hits a home run this time. No sleeping across two dining room chairs, no not this time - she made it to the sofa. Phew! She looks much happier there.

Was there a cause for the sudden sleepiness?

See the orange beaker?

Sorry see the empty orange beaker?

Guess what was in that before it became empty?

Yep you guessed it, Welcome Drink! No wonder she's sleeping - he he.

And the final photo of a wonderful day.

Maricel and JB off home. But what's that they're sporting?

Looks like some sort of drinks holders each. Yep, we gave them some takeaway Welcome Drink.

So Welcome Drink then became a Goodbye Drink - he ha.

Thanks again girls - what a great day! Happy Christmas and see you all at New Year hopefully.

xxxxxx