Road Trip 7-8June: Bryce and Zion Canyon, Utah (Part 4)

The next morning, we continued the drive to Zion Canyon, approx 2hr. Jared slept thru the journey, so it was not too bad.

The drive into Zion Canyon was impressive!...Its like driving into the rock itself unlike Grand Canyon/Bryce Canyon...we are viewing from top or bottom, far away from the rock. But within the Zion itself, there's no scenic point..all they offered was tracking trails. Faint :( Its though for preggers and hb who need to carry Jared. So we chose the easiest trail..

Tracking journey starts!

Wild flowers along the way

Finally we reached the small waterfall, taking a rest

We only managed to cover 1 tracking trail..as we were rushing of time. Its a long drive home of 5hrs..and so we left Zion Canyon at about 12pm+ and reach home about 5pm+. Its tough to be in car for so long under the hot sun. Jared made some fuss, refusing lunch etc..but finally slept most part of the journey.

Road Trip 7-8June: Bryce and Zion Canyon, Utah (Part 3)

Strangely when we were trying to book accomodation for Bryce Canyon since 1 mth back, it always showed fully book. But when we were there, most of them still showed Vacancy. So we checked into Best Western's Ruby Inn which was just outside Bryce Canyon and zonk off almost immediately. Hehe




Getting ready for dinner, weather was very cold and wind was so strong. See how many layers we layered him..hehe

After dinner, we rushed back to sunset point in the canyon trying to catch the sunset. To our surprise, the sun was not there!..After a long search, we realised that best view to watch sunset is from the lake in our hotel!..Pek chek!...hehe

View at the sunset point during sunset, no sun, and so cold somemore.

The lake 1 block behind our hotel room.

Jared loves bathing since we arrived at US. He like to sit in bathtub and play for a long time.

Road Trip 7-8June: Bryce and Zion Canyon, Utah (Part 2)

Pics from Bryce Canyon


The stone that formed like tunnel








I thought the trees and sky look real nice


Yeah, I knew it all look the same...but daddy keep driving us to the different lookout point..hehe


My favourite family pic of the trip, we all smile so happily. Wind blow quite strong there, so diff to setup tripod, so we have very little family pic.


The natural bridge


A must to take pic at the signboard.

Road Trip 7-8June: Bryce and Zion Canyon, Utah (Part 1)

There's nothing much available in Utah, mainly National Parks..where there's a lot a lot of stone..

This weekend we went to explore Bryce and Zion Canyon. Bryce is about 4hour away while Zion is another 2hr drive from Bryce.

Drive pass Red Canyon Scenic Point

Family pic at Red Canyon

Jared refused to pose alone under the big stone, cos he scared stone will fall off his head. hehe

One of the very few photo that managed to capture Jared look so chubby..

Some Pics Wk1- US stay

During our 1st wk stay, 2 days consecutively it rains..so temp drop to 9C to 14C...we basically got stucked at home. Finally when the weather becomes better, Jared gets to go to his favourite playground again.


Jared with his oversize baseball jacket.



The more edible meal I cooked, with the advise from daddy by the side..He was supposed to cook but once he got home, Jared cling on him like a monkey..so he became the advisor..hehe

This is taken at our apartment area. Almost the whole Salt Lake City is surrounded by snowy mountain..

SAHM Diary Day 2

3 June Tues

-Kinda sueh, Jared cry badly when daddy left for work, till vomit..and he also pooed...So I got to wash the potty :( hehe..I always hoped he will poo during daddy around, then I relax..hehe

-Managed to get Jared to pee on toilet the whole day

-Jared slept at 11.30pm to 3pm and even skip the porridge I prepared for him.

-For my own lunch, I ate ham and cheese sandwhich, ready made macoroni salad from walmart, tasty!

-Dinner is complete failure, I made watercress soup with soya bean stock, but the dried watercress just taste so bad, that the whole pot was thrown! hehe..Jared also split out the baked salmon I made...After a long while, managed to get him eat the porridge and mince salmon...

-Since my cooking not good, daddy decided cook for the next day..hehe

-This is the bento I prepared for him for lunch the next day

Ham and cheese sandwhich with lettuce+strawberry and left over macoroni
p/s What I hate about being Sahm here, got to cook loh. My cooking is just too lousy that ppl lost appetite look at it..hehe.

Stay at home with Mummy Day 1

2 June Mon
It's my first SAHM day..officially starts today!..Quite lucky to have daddy with us throughout the weekend to help settle down jet lags, familiarise with surrouding, operating equiptment..yes, I need help with stove etc etc..hehe

Its the first night all of us had no more jetlag and can sleep through all the way..So this round was pretty good, it just took us 3days to get used of everything here.

We woke up around 6.30am...sending daddy off at 7am...and that's the start of my day.

For breakfast, I prepared cereal+milk+strawberry, Jared's favourite breakfast for the past 2 days. But bad mummy has lousy memory, the last 2 days he took milk at 6am, woke up at 10am for breakfast. So he didn't have any appetite for breakfast. We were also skyping with my mum who thought me step by step how to make black bean soup..hehe..

Lunch, I got Jared noodle+black bean soup. While daddy rushed home from work and bang into carpark's pole..Jia lat..So I asked him not to come back any more hehe.

Whenever I'm busy with stuff, I will turn on VCD for Jared to watch..when I'm free to teach him, he not interested..make me so pek chek.

He was so bored that he slept after lunch, and snack-raisin+peanut, without milk..I had to rush to prepare him milk so that he could take before sleep..hehe.

For dinner, he ate whatever I had prepared..black bean soup(again!), hard boil egg and mix vege+luncheon meat (dun worry, he only take the mix vege) hehe.

After daddy got home about 5.30pm, we rushed off to Walmart to buy some food stuff...there's where Jared unleased all his energy ...make daddy help him jump, turn, run around with him..hehe

I kinda of like the sahm life here..note: Only here..cos weather is better, colder and dry. So I don't sweat, and become oily pan. We don't need to pay for bills..so I switch on and off heater/aircon throughout the day...

p/s Jared reminded me to comb my hair and change my clothes before we get down to downstair to wait for daddy..hehe..

When Jared sleep, I can't sleep, got to prepare dinner and plan our LA trip..

Day 1- Pleasant Grove, Utah

1st day in US, the 3 of us only woke up around 10am+..Had cereal with milk and off we go and start our shopping. Jared loves the cereal with milk, can eat a bowl of it. If in SG, take about 1 -2tablespoon with very little milk.

We covered places like university mall, toy-r-us, baby r-us. Even though its weekend, the shopping mall are not crowded at all unlike in SG. Wonder where does the ppl goes? Canyon maybe..Cannot imagine we try to book an accomodation for next weekend for Bryce canyon also so difficult, all fully book since few wks ago. I don't remember Grand canyon was as popular?



At Toy-r-us playing with thomas train

A walk around apartment area

Now is summer, weather here is cool in morning and evening onwards 14-18C, In afternoon can range from 23-27C..Very hot but less humid than SG.

Hello from Utah!

Now is 5am..me suffering bad jet lag, so woke at 3am..after I get down from the bed, Jared took over my sleep space and sleep horizontally across the bed now..Finally, waited so long for daddy to realise I wasn't sleeping and quickly ask for laptop password..now can use comp, at least not so bored liao.

We left Whampoa around 3am on 30May, with my parents and sis sending us to the airport. And at the airport, Jared's gong and a mah already waiting since 2am+. Jared woke up once at airport, in fact he couldn't wait to get up to on to flight, keep telling everyone that he
's gonna take plane and time's up, we're going in despite knowing his waipo is not joining the trip.

In the plane towards Narita
I didn't realise how much energy can a tot at his age hv. Slept only 3+hrs can make him tong till 9am+ then take a short nap for 1-2hr and continue to be jumping around in the plane..In fact, he was awake most of time throughout the 7hr flight to Narita, then only slept at 6pm+ to 12am on the journey to Portland. When we arrived at PDX, it was their morning time 9am, although he was sleepy, I told him it's morning liao..so he's energy start to burst again, running around lauging out loud etc etc.

He only managed to complete knock off on the last flight PDX to SLC, and woke up again when we reached daddy's hotel (Hv been telling him its a hotel, so that he won't dare to pee around when not wearing diapers) hehe. The whole journey was kinda tough from 1st flight to finally reach home actually took exactly 24hrs..

SIN to Narita 7hrs
Narita to PDX 9hrs
Wait at PDX for 4hours +
PDX-SLC 2hrs
then journey home 1hr+

But he actually took everything kinda well, I was so worried he might refused to get on plane at any point..but he always look very forward to next plane ride..and most time will buckle up himself when the signal is on. He took very little of most of his child meal (only fruits and vege) as well as milk feed, cos he vomit the moment flight took off fr Sin..maybe got little phobia with milk. Luckily he ate quite a lot of sweet potato porridge my mum prepared.


This round the security check over in US become really strict, our bak kwa got chiong kong..so sad...luckily never bring bird nest, I think will get chiong kong too. The securities check very detail of every of our bag, and try to read ingredients description on most food packaging..Anything related to meat is not allowed..Much much more strict then any place I've been to..in fact over at SG side, we were "interviewed" for so long before can check in. I think all these only happen to going to US..



first dinner at Old Spaggeti Factory

Haiz...Teacher feedback!

Even though Jared been in school since Jan, this is the first time I receive official feedback from teacher..See liao, very worry and sad ah..

The content of the communication book:

Dear Mr & Mrs Tiong,
In class, it appears Jared has adjusted to the new environment. There seem to be some problem, when we are having circle time. He does not want to join in and often sits away from the group. During tea break he does not wish to have snack as well. I will continue to encourage him to participate in the activities. Perhaps it would help if you can talk with him about it.


Hmmm...that's our Jared, to be frank, we are already so surprise he did not cry at all and very look forward for school much more than talentplus time. But seeing teacher's feedback like this formally..still make us worry lah..Haiz.

p/s To reply to teacher, I've sent my reply to daddy to take a look, re-phrase if needed and etc...hehe.

Waipo's Birthday @ Dian Xiao Er Causeway Point

Jia lat, my face all swollen, taken 18weeks preggo!








The birthday song singing .. ever since that time daddy's birthday he asked "Na yi ke hua yu? and got amused by that, he like to repeat the question again and again when we asked him to sing birthday song. Hehe

Updates:Jared 30 Month Old and Mummy

Jared turned 30mth this month. Ever since he turned 2yr olds, I have stop doing the monthly updates, and stop calculating how many mth he is now..hehe..When ppl asked I would just say...he is 2.5yr.

At 30mth old, he is:

-> Super duper naughty
-> Sharp tongue, easily hurt ppl, if we didn't stop him in time
*He said this to Enen's gong gong a friend at void deck, while pointing to him*
Jared: 你的牙子掉到光光
The next time I saw Enen's gong gong, he is with teeth liao..heheh

*Mum threaten to beat him with cane,when he refused to bath, and use the cane to hit on table*
Jared ran to a room and start singing out loud: 世上只有妈妈好， 没妈的孩子像根草 !!
At that moment, she don't know to laugh or cry

-> His ability to speak in Mandarin is so good that he'll learn to talk exactly like my grandma, hokkien, hakka+Malaysian Mandarin...You can faint when you hear

美国: He says it as mei3 kok4
读书: He says it as tu4 shu1

and many many more...

-> English Language

Favourite is
Mummy What are you doing? Daddy What are you doing? Ah yi What are you doing?
Can you give me the blanket?
When being asked question with "Why?" he'll start replying "because" and don't know how to continue liao..hehe

-> Reading words
Oh complete headache...
Words start with P or with P in there, is Pizza
Words start with t is Tongue

Headache boh.

Chinese characters are equally jia lat, basically he has no intention and interest to learn to read words.
But he can memorise story really well, after CNY, he can tell story 小臂虎借尾巴,
华盛顿 (the one who cut his dad's tree)..

-> Singing
He like to sing soooo much.
Now he can sing 红红太阳下山, 泥娃娃, 世上只有妈妈好 full song. While I could sing part of them.
English nursery ryhmes is quite limited now..cos I've ran out of song to teach him..the last few songs that I thought him is Barney's I love you, Sound of music(Do a deer a female deer..), My bonnie...

-> Jumping with feet lift off from ground
It take too long to learn this..hehe, only around 29mth+ he could do it. Ever since he able to jump, he has been jumping everywhere..So when we take dinner at restaurant, instead of joining us makan..he stand beside table jumping while counting how many jumps he made..*Headache*

-> Taking Medicine
He take all his medicine from spoon since the big ill post CNY and he actually loves cough syrup?!!..Hates runny nose syrup.

-> In love with Barney
Love barney so so much after the 1st Barney CD, now we have 2-3 barney and he'll ask to watch everyday. Favourite is Imagination Island(Watch from youtube) and The land of make believe.
But he actually like BJ and baby Bop more than Barney, He watch the CD for the 青青(baby Bop) and 黄黄 BJ.

-> Help himself with anything in the fridge
Nowadays he'll open the fridge himself and help himself with anything he wants from the fridge..He'll get yakult/vitagen, fruits or full cream packeted drinks anytime he wants.

-> Bicycle
He yearns to own one, always end up lending from Jian Ming, his void deck friend. Once he got the bicycle he will ride and ride till 1hr, and only being threaten that Jian Ming going home then he'll return the bike. Sometimes he get sad when Jian Ming refused to lend it to him..hehe..

Since we are going to US soon, my parents refused to buy him a bike lah..and daddy get pek chek, say we sure buy 1 for him there..hehe. although our stay is so short.

Mummy Update
I'm 18wks pregnant as of this week, completed amnio test on Monday, and the fast test result showed bb is normal and this round we are expecting a gal!

I gain 1.8kg from the 3 day hospitalisation leave after the amnio, thanks to the soup and food my mum prepared during these period..hehe..*headache*

Haven't recovered fully from the scared of amnio, so can't feel full excitement of bb gal yet!..But I'll soon recover, and get myself indulge in US shopping spree..We are leaving on 30May, daddy coming home on 24May(US time) reaching 26May.

Hopefully everything goes smoothly and let us enjoy the 2mth stay in US!

New School

Jared started his new school at Whampoa Blk 85 PCF on 5 May. The program is called Little Step-Pre nursery class.



It was quite a big decision to change him from the usual environment from the Talentplus which he was attending from Jan onwards. After 4mth at Talentplus, finally he is able to join in class activities and cry only short while when my mum left after the free play. The teacher even took sometime to try to convince my mum and me that with Jared's character it will be to harsh to change him at mid year. Till the very last day at Talentplus, Jared was still crying so chamly when my mum left.


But the new school definitely could provide more, cheaper school fees (no payment for school holidays), in house toilet, much better environment- a slide, an area for story telling under a big tree, etc etc.

Talentplus quite jia lat, in Jared's 5mth stay, from 1st day till last day, they are singing the same song, the free play always got extended from the initial 30mins to close to 45mins or 1 hour. So left next hr for tea break and lesson time.

Anyway, couldn't complain to Talentplus when we there, cos scared Jared cannot adapt to Little Step and we may need to go back there one day..so we just told the teacher he is 30mth, I preferred him to join bigger kids rather than the young ones..hehe. All those kids in Little step joined at beginning of year when they are 30mths and so now most of them are already 3yr old.

Talk about Jared 1st week in school.

Oh it was a pleasant surprise...he did not cry at all throughout, by 3rd day my mum don't need to join him in class. He would follow teacher into the class. But he wasn't able to join the activities yet. So most time when circle, dancing, exercise..he would sit at one corner alone..hehe..Yet, he still love going to the new school. The class hours are earlier 8.30am-10.30am compared to Talentplus 9am-11am. My mum has to wake him up everytime at 8am.

In this new school, food are provided during class and have specified timetable..so Jared would hunger on certain days..cos he don't take bread and selective cake..biscuit is fine..That's the only bad part loh.

Teacher commented that he everything also request teacher for help to complete...He'll said Teacher 帮你colour, to get teacher to help him do the colouring..over at Talentplus, all his art work are quite nicely done by the teacher..hehe...But in this school a lot of outline..so I felt better at least the teacher know what they are supposed to do for Jared this type of kids..hehe.

At least so far so good, that's probaly the best pre-nursery within walking distance in Whampoa liao.

Driving skill

Jared has been driving this motorbike very well. Sometimes he could drive for half an hour turning round and round in there.

Happy Birthday to Daddy!

Jared's Unplugged Concert

Jared playing his violin and in high mood to sing few songs in row. Daddy was around video-conferencing with us, can even hear daddy cheer and clap...Can't be more impress with advancement of the technology!

Zoo Trip on Good Friday Holiday

This is very backdated post..hehe.

We managed to go to zoo on Good Friday holiday despite daddy has brought along our zoo pass.
The friendly zoo phone operator told me that they could issue a temporary pass...You don't know how happy I am haha. Public hols not really a good time to go JB, so we aimed for zoo.

Never before I've seen so many cars at the zoo car park, we are on the last 2 row! Usually with daddy, we park the car at the first 2 row at zoo entrance. And it felt even better that I managed to bring in my grandma, my parents, myself and Jared in FOC hehe! I told them all are grand parents..It was my dad first ever trip to the zoo..while Jared has been asking for a trip the zoo for long time..so it was quite a nice one. heh

Singing school song

My mum said that he completely refused to do any action or singing in school when everyone else is having so much fun with this songs.
But see when at home he behaved like a teacher and ask us to follow..hehe. Sometime he sings in mess, can't really hear what's he sing..hehe

Only smile No sing & Horton!

Jared has been able to learn new songs real fast..before I knew it, he already can sing the whole Ti oh oh. But he refused to cooperate lah..

I find his smile very nice in this video. He was poo-pooing..Oh forgot to say, we managed to bring him to watch Horton..and survived again! hehe.



Before this, I was telling him for whole week that only me and him go watch..Sometimes he ok, sometimes not. Then finally when Sat comes, I asked him again..he say no..So I got to bring my mum along lah.

He was behaving okay..till he high tide, then keep moving around and keep tell us 要小便, but refused to pee in diaper in cinema..So had to be brought out to toilet to pee. Lucky only pee 1x. hehe.

But after the movie, I asked if he want to watch more movies? He replied 够了, and knocked off almost immediately after the movie..

Then I asked him later in the day, is bee movie nicer or Horton the elephant, his answer is always Bee. hee I agreed too!

Wanna grow up to be Lee Hom? JJ?

I wish! haha..

Jared looks pro and seems to enjoy it a lot huh? But back home the toy keyboard I got for him, he probaly only play about 1 day and throw it around liao.

At Ikea

Like a big boy!

Pics taken today before we go to Ikea and Giant. Need to get him another table for Whampoa. So nice that Ikea having sales..had quite a lot of saving. Gain IQ having promotion at Giant, so I lugged back 6 tin..wow..