The big, red and prosperous CNY

It has always been incumbent on us during CNY to get out and make a festival out of several continuous non-working days. So we figured we had our work cut out for us when conversations like these started becoming the norm:

Athalia: Isobel, let's go out for a walk. 

Isobel: I dowan to go for walk. I wan to stay at home. 

Isobel, is that you taking a selfie of yourself sleeping?? Give Papa back his phone. No no. 

Okay. So the little girl wants to stay at home a lot these days. It'a not as if she doesn't rock it out, though. 

Here she is, sending out her babypheromones to the talent scouts of the blogosphere. They don't exist, Bellabel. Quick, drink your milk properly. Papa wants to sleep already. 

So we headed out, and what better way to prepare for days an days of gluttony than to make a date with the king of fruits?

Here she is, drunk on durian kampung. Do you see that guiltless face? That is a face that has not grasped the concept of 5 seconds on the lips, 5 years on the hips. Fast forwars a few days, it's CNY and...

Isobel, what on earth?? Did you finish all of Uncle SK's mango chocolate?? No no. No more, sweetheart. 

Guiltless, remorseless, gluttaneous. Her semblance to her mother really knows no limits. 

Athalia: Oi. 

Fergus: What oi?

Athalia: I saw that. 

Fergus: I'm building up a story arc. Dun kacau. 

Ok where was I?

Oh yes. CNY and finding an impetus to get out. We did, yes. Since my very best CNY memories were all made in Muar, we figured it wasn't too much to trek a coupla hours south to spend a few hours with the Ong clan. 

Here she is, not really diggin that Mandrin collar scene. 

And here she is absolutely diggin staircase-time larking about with her second-cousin Charmaine. 

In fact, Izzie seems to dig staircase time with or without companions. Here she is, back at home. 

And here she is, discovering that an old house in Muar with a garden, lots of grass, a real cat and brilliant blue skies is a lot more fun than staying at home in Subang Jaya. I don't know about big, red and prosperous, but it's been a fun-enough CNY for us all!