Kuala Lumpur: Climbing a waterfall

After a long, almost lost, taxi ride to a waterfall in Kuala Lumpur, we found the waterfall hike and the ATV's. There is a 45 minute hike to the waterfall. But, Malaysians don't like to sweat much. So, they rode ATV's. I love the Muslim scarf under the helmet!

God, I love my new SLR camera!

Two beautiful male specimens, oh and a gorgeous waterfall!

March 6, 2011

We picnicked at the top of a gorgeous waterfall. It was very safe and shallow with no chance of near-death experiences, if you've read previous postings! The cool water was so refreshing in this heat. And, more importantly, we all needed an escape from the intensity of KL city life, including the excessive work load I'd taken on for a few weeks. Ah, it cleared my head for a few relaxing hours...

Griffin Post: Vine swinging in Chiang Mai, Thailand

March 16, 2011

We went trekking in the mountains of Thailand .On the hike we found a vine that looked liked a swing in the forest.Alice discovered it first ,we started taking turns swinging on the vine .It was amazing ,when your pusher let go you would swing very unstably over a little grassy spot and go very high in the air then swing back .Boom boom wanted to try so he got on (our guide had to carry him) .When he was on we decided to let him go very slowly in case he fell .The moment he let go he toppled backward and started to cry .from then on we did not let him on the swing again .

Click HERE to see a video of the kids swinging on vines on a mountain outside Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Kuala Lumpur: High Tea and Teeth

Nails painted

Fancy Chinese New Year dresses and suits worn

Serious diners worthy of being allowed into the Mandarin Oriental Hotel for high tea.

Chinese New Year Mandarin oranges given to us by the Mandarin Oriental.

Clotted cream for scones, BABY!

But, even better for the Moms - excellent CHAMPAGNE!!!

All under the tall Petronas towers

Fancy dressup for our 2nd high tea!

Damn, Griffin looks good, and he knows it!

Note to Patrick: She is STILL wearing the pink cowboy boots you got her.
Even in sweltering, sweaty, nasty intense heat.

Meg the turtle researcher extraordinaire, Mike, and fam

Mandarin Oriental High Tea

The kids actually sat and chatted

Abraham, drawing Komodo Dragons with Meg, entranced by her magical abilities with kids

Tooth lost at the Third, Mom-Alice High Tea

February, 2011

Three High Teas in one month. First, Rebecca was dying for a high tea before she left. So, on her last day, she and Hunter took us out for Chinese New Year high tea at the Mandarin Oriental hotel, just under the Petronas Towers and an easy walk from our apartment. We had to paint the girls' nails and work on their matching hair-dos before coming. Then, we noshed on all the exotic Chinese items over high tea, not your typical high tea -- including a mushroom-chicken-filled Rabbit-shaped dim sum, with little red eyes. Of course, the kids only ate the scones with clotted cream, despite all the exotica in front of them.

Rebecca introduced me to a new, rich tea, and the kids had a near-spicy tea they loved with lots of ginger, lemongrass, and verbena. They learned to sit with a napkin across their laps, daintily dipping biscotti into their honey-filled teas. Of course, my favorite moment was when Becca ordered us champagne and we sat on the roof overlooking KL, with our kids drawing pictures next to us, reminiscing over our time in KL together, feeling more bonded than ever, so happy Becca got to know and picture one of the most salient years of our lives.

And, we went back for more! We took Meg there for her birthday, along with her friend Mike, both Fulbright student scholars doing fascinating work. Meg completely charmed my kids, once again, with her magic touch with kids. Click HERE for a video of our high tea with Meg and Mike.

Alice and I returned for a Mommy-Alice-only high tea a week later. Alice spent most of our tea intensely focused on her loose tooth. It didn't stop her from stuffing scones down her throat, but by the end of the tea -- Voila! I yanked the tooth easily out. But, we didn't forsee all the blood. Yes, at the fancy Mandarin hotel. But, that's their job, it turns out, to smooth over bloody messes with finesse. Alice may have bloodied up their starched napkins, but she was cleaned up quickly, fawned over, much fanfare was made over her tooth, and she left with a clean tooth wrapped up like a nugget of gold.

Kuala Lumpur: American Association of Malaysia Ball

February 28, 2011

Ken and I were invited to join friends in a table at the American Association Ball. While we had fun drinking, dancing, and eating with the largely American crowd filled with embassy, oil, and teaching types, I may have had just as much fun shopping with Alice for my fancy dress and shoes. And, Ken got to shop for local formal wear which is a batik shirt. He didn't giggle in giddiness as Alice and I did as we shopped.

I wish you could have seen a video of the Muslim Malaysian women at the ball gown store trying to non-verbally explain to me where I needed a strapless push-up bra for my dress. Are you surprised my dress had batik-ed butterflies covered in sequins when Alice shopped with me? And, then we went to Jimmy Choos. Yes ladies (and Brendan!) Malaysia has Jimmy Choos which I dared not enter in the U.S. But, here I strode in with Alice and stared at the outrageously beautiful and priced shoes. The gay, tight-suit-fitted Chinese Malaysian staff awkwardly broke it to me that no Jimmy Choo store in Asia has shoes that fit my BIG American feet. However, they do have a SECRET CLOSET (!!!) with previous collections at a FAT DISCOUNT with many shoes in my size.

Oh my god. Alice and I sat down and spread the shoes in my size out carefully. And, she immediately honed in on the fanciest satin pair, laden in sparkly sequins wrapped all around my feet. While I hobbled on my walk home at the end of the night, I happily cringed in pain while picking up the long trail of my dress.

Griffin Soccer Birthday Party

The Indestructible Pinata, made by Adela, the Venezuelan Electrical Engineer who's unable to work here so puts all her immense engineer brain power into making pinatas you can't break

Alice bravely played with a whole bunch of boys after previously claiming she wouldn't play.

Abraham also bravely acted as goalie, facing big boys as his opposition.

Felipe, Mateo, Gunnar, and Griffin - the soccer-loving dream team
from Argentina, Sweden, and the U.S.!

Alice's friend, Manantika from India, came to keep her company.

Abraham did not back down.

Note that Griffin is not in this picture eating pizza with everyone.
He refused to leave the soccer field. He knew a once-in-a-lifetime experience of getting all his friends on the soccer field when he had one.

Griffin and Nick, his best friend at school

Mateo, his best soccer buddy

Felipe, Mateo's brother, and another soccer whiz

Harrison, Griffin's new best friend in our building

February 27, 2011

Griffin's Blog for Griffin's Soccer Birthday Party:

When we go there there were lessons of soccer going on taught by the soccer coaches at my school .I waited a little while, until I saw a field that was clear .Me Alice and Boom got on the field and started playing around .When Bryce arrive lots of people started arriving .Nick (one of my 5 best friends in Malaysia),Till(the fastast kid in my class),Harrison(my new best friend), and a whole bunch of other people .Then the coach came in and devided us up into teams .It was a furios mach, we did 2 maches,my team won one and there team one one .I especialy proud of Boom boom ,this is how he defended ,got hit in the chest with the ball and got back up and so on .He got hit on the head and the face with the ball and and went off the field for a minute then got back on the field .after the mach we had cake .I didn't really like the cake ,I just cared about playing soccer .After that we hit the pinyata .I learned one thing from that ,I learned that 9 year old kids with a metal base ball bat can't break open one of adelas pinyatas .In the end dad had to break it open .After the party I tried to open a present but dad wouldn't let me .THE END.p.s.
Mom got a new camera shes realy exited about it .Best wishes Griffin.

In great humility, Griffin touted Boom's soccer playing prowess, but forgot to mention that it was Griffin who scored a beautiful goal.

Click HERE for video of pinata striking. Click HERE for video of Griffin's friends singing for him while he blew out the candles on the cake at his soccer party. Click HERE for a video of them playing soccer at the party. Click HERE for a video of Griffin's friends at the school cafeteria singing Happy Birthday to him on his actual birthday.