Musicals have always been a part of our lives and families. We grew up on a steady diet of The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, Mary Poppins and such, and soundtracks are part of our car's CD list.
Five years ago, Girl #1 took part in the Fusion musical theatre workshop and loved it. They did songs from Annie and Mamma Mia. The next year, it was Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
After a few years hiatus, we signed her and Boy #1 up for another workshop, this time by The Jumping JellyBeans theatre company (bascially the same people behind Fusion). Musicals to be covered included Cats, Hairspray and Frozen.
The week-long holiday programme was held at the Pusat Kreatif Kanak-Kanak Tuanku Bainun in Taman Tun Dr Ismail. I have probably passed it many times but never knew what lay inside. It's a really picturesque place, with many studios and auditorium, to encourage children in the arts.
The Courtyard at the Creative Centre
The children learned how to sing and dance under the tutelage of facilitators from Malaysia and the UK (some of whom performed in the Broadway edition of these musicals). So they were taught actual choreography and inside tips and tricks by the pros! This was definitely an integral part of the experience. It was grueling training, though and the kiddos were often exhausted by the end of each day.
Learning the moves and positions
The last day of the workshop was performance day!
Sorry for the poor photo quality ... my handphone doesn't perform well under low light. Thankfully, the children performed excellently.
Gumbie Cat
Scenes from Hairspray
In Summer — probably one of the cutest number of the afternoon
The cast ... a job well done!
There was limited seating, so each family had limited number of tickets for the show. Thankfully, the entire performance can be viewed here. Enjoy!
We made a trip down south to the little town of Kluang, Johor, with the extended family. Hubby spent many of his growing up years there, so there were plenty of family and friends to catch up with.
We stayed a new hotel, GL Hotel, which is pretty decent. The rooms are quite small, but the family suite was perfect for the kids.
We made the mandatory stop at Barney's for a scrumptious Western dinner. Definitely a must-try when you are in Kluang.
Open daily from 11.30am to 10pm
Address: 5 & 6, Jalan Yayasan, Kluang
Contact: 07-774 4992
The chef showing his chops
We also had another mandatory stop at the original Kluang Station Rail Coffee, located at the railroad station. for its trademarked kaya buns and nasi lemak.
The Kluang-ites in our group also got a chance to experience something new at the Kahang Organic Rice Eco Farm (KOREF), which is about a 40-minute drive from our hotel. The sun was hot, but the breeze was so cooling that it was an enjoyable day out.
There were many activities you could try out, such as rafting, water obstacle course, farm tour, fish feeding, flying fox and water walking ball. There are several packages you can choose from. We paid RM35 per adult and RM25 per kid for 2 water-based activities and lunch.
After our last trip up Fraser's Hill, we started planning for a return visit, this time staying in one of my favourite colonial-styled bungalows. The last time we stayed here, Girl #1 was only 6 months old! So this trip is definitely way overdue.
Perched at the highest point of the hill, the bungalow is guarded by tall pine trees and surrounded by beautiful blooms ...
like this ...
and this ...
and this!
(Am not putting the name of the bungalow here because it's really difficult to get a booking and I don't want competition!! Hehe.)
It was pretty much a free-and-easy kinda do-nothing holiday with family ... definitely my favourite kind of trip.
We took advantage of the outdoors as much as we could. The kiddos enjoyed exploring the large spacious grounds, looking for pine cones and having a game of rounders. We sat on a mat and sketched while keeping an eye out for creepy crawlies.
Now we are 6: One for each of us in the family
Run and skip and play
Fresh cool air
Boy #2 drawing what he saw
Boy #1's drawing was more from his imagination
Hi Creepy Crawly
The large window seats in the bungalow were a favourite spot for chilling, checking out the garden or hiding while reading a book.
The view's great from here
This view is pretty awesome too
Our evenings were spent around the Boggle set and the Pictionary board — games we played growing up. It was good family time together. Simple but meaningful. Would love to have more of these sort of times back home, but the busyness of daily life makes it very challenging.
The nights were very cold, though, and Baby had a stuffy nose that kept us up. Definitely need to put on more layers next time.
Our caretaker and cook provided us with daily western meals, from chicken and pork to beef — very fresh and hearty meals.
Despite being in his 70s, Mr Tan and his wife run the place mostly by themselves, from the housekeeping and cleaning to the cooking and washing up. He's been working there since I was a young girl, and I hope he'd stay healthy and strong for many more years to come.
Kiddos drew a TQ note for our caretakers
We had a lovely time and would definitely be back. Until we meet again!
Now if only we could find a way to bypass that winding road up Fraser's Hill ...
