b3 b0rn.. c0nf0rm, b3 si|3nt .. di3

the day started early – was awake by 5 am to do some last minute checking of luggage and going around the house ensuring that no power sockets are connected. we nearly started off the day on the wrong foot as somehow the tickets for the first leg of the trip was missing – i had separated the west coast and east coast leg of the trip ( not to put all your eggs in one basket, you know?)

anywho, after nearly turning the living area upside down with my search, thought of asking kakak whether she’s seen a similar ticket holder. thankfully, she has so that crisis was averted.

arrived at sentral kl by 7 am allowing us to have breakfast at your fav fast food outlet  - the golden arches. bumped into azah who was on her way to office – sent her with my best wishes for those who are still at the office – heh heh

after hanging around infront of the gate for 20 mins, we were finally allowed to descend to the platform to board Train No. 10 (also known as Sinaran Utara)

the coach was clean and pleasant, albeit a bit rundown. am not surprised that KTM may not be able to afford refurbishing considering the number of cars being bought by malaysians year in and year out and that ‘now everyone can fly’ – rail travel is definitely not at the top of the list of travel modes.

kakak was initially excited with the sights and views but after the 1 hour mark passed – she kept asking how much longer til we reached our destination. good thing the kids were able to walk around within and between the coaches, else we may ended up with kids bouncing off the walls. 2 hours before reaching butterworth, they finally tired out enough to doze off for their naps.

our arrival at platform 1, butterworth station was greeted by a rainy afternoon and no taxi in sight. fortunately the towkay of the local cab outfit was on the lookout for passengers and ensured us that a cab will be arriving shortly. after a bout of photo taking (some in retro/b&w mode just for that nostalgic feel) our ride arrived and took us to our lodgings for the next two nights – sunway hotel seberang jaya.

the friendly cab driver, after finding out we were out-of-towners on holiday, suggested we head over to penang isle but we informed him that we’ve been there every year and would like to explore the mainland. after cracking his brains for local attractions, he proposed that we head for the rice bowl of malaysia and check out the archeological sites there.

by the time we reached the hotel, we were quite sold on the idea of immersing ourselves in a bit of local history and then off to the seaside for some seafood.

one late lunch and a bath later, the kids were all snug in the room trying to tune into 616 :p.. amir was out by 8pm with kakak, the two boys took awhile to settle down – a few trips to the lobby and business floors finally did it – and they were asleep by 10:30pm.

49 hours and 10 minutes.

that’s the minimum number of hours (barring any delays in the schedule) that the faramir clan will be on the railroads over the 9 days of tgrt.

that’s 5 times the time spent cooped up in a return car trip to penang. god grant the whole clan the serenity to survive  the 5 train rides

and just when i thot i’d be able to go on leave with a clear conscience, corp planning had to drop the bomb on our budgeting cycle being brought forward – with the main bulk of the effort having to be completed while i am on leave. yeesh. talk about bad timing.

plus that finally got the green light to go forth with my pet project (guess what it is?… yup. budget cycle improvement.. what joy!) .. though this at least is based on my own schedule. hoping to get this one off by april.

i just need a paperbag for the next 1 w + 1 d

-farah out!-

in order to not to risk turning  loco on the locomotives, any rational parent would want to be prepared with things to amuse their kids when on long trips – be it on the car, plane or train. boats – i won’t even think of it.. there’s enough to worry about kids falling overboard, than worrying abt them being entertained.

of course, with the advent of technology – we can always fall back on the good old portable dvd player. but i’d like to keep that as my final recourse. some options available depending on how much effort needs to be put into crafting the games:

NO TOOLS REQUIRED

Here are some games that require no supplies and are limited only by your imagination!!!

Take turns with the oldest or youngest starting the game and the first person to guess or win goes next:

• I Spy with my little eye – give clues – can be done with letters and colours also
• ABC – each person picks an item starting with next letter in the alphabet.
• Old MacDonald – take turns adding an animal
• Guess the animal, person or thing – give clues
• Guess where I am – give clues
• Guess the Pokemon – just for kids usually – give clues including HP points and evolved forms
• Statue Game – last person to stay still wins
• Quietest the Longest – last person to remain quiet wins – this makes for a quiet train ride. *I use this a lot in the car muahaha.. and it works!*
• Spelling bee with age/ability appropriate words or backwards spelling to make it harder for older children.
• Domino Spelling – first person starts with a letter and the next person adds a letter and continues with each person adding a letter.  The person who cannot add a letter is out and a new word is started until only one player is left.
• Category Lists – these can be done randomly or alphabetically – eg – farm animals, states or provinces.
• A variation on the “I’m going camping and I will bring” game where each person picks an item to bring to the travel destination and each subsequent person must recite the entire list.  First person who forgets an item on the list is out.
• Video Trivia – make up questions about favourite children’s videos.
• Counting and shape game – have children count the number of a certain shape or colour item they see along the way.
• Sing-alongs are fun and increase oxygen intake while you play to reduce the feeling of fatigue while travelling, especially action songs like “The Wheels on the Bus”.  You can also have a christmas sing-along which is really fun for a summer holiday. *probably not – since you’d be annoying the other passengers in the coach – in your own car, this works of course*
• Sound contest – see how many different sounds you can make.
• Simon says clap your hands, etc.  when the caller asks for an action without saying “Simon Says” anyone who does the action is out.

PENCILS, PAPER AND COLOURING

These games require only a pad of paper and some pencils, crayons or washable markers to play.

Pens  can also be used

• Hangman – or you can use the format of wheel of fortune to guess letters that form the word indicated by the spaces on the pad.
• Tic tac toe is always a family favourite
• Many children just love to draw and a quiet time for this is a welcome respite *Definitely kakak’s thing*
• Spelling games can also be played this way.
• A visual scavenger hunt – make a list of things to see and kids can cross it out when they see it.
• Catagory list game can also be used this way.
• Keeping a journal either by pictures for younger children or older children can write down their adventures for a keepsake.
• Tracing – pick objects or hands to trace and colour.

now, with those lists – i should at least keep fidgeting kids at bay for at least 2-3 hours before we need to walk em