Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Monday, December 24, 2012
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Weekly Call with Opa and Oma
Thank you Skype! For allowing Kaela and Opa and Oma to have a weekly Video Call;
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Eve of Deepavali with the Jayaretnams and Goes'
12th November 2012, Monday
It’s part of our family tradition to spend Deepavali eve together . We normally go over to our parents’ place around 7ish to perform some prayers and exchange presents. And then, we hang out , make some noise, chit chat, burn some fireworks (mostly safe), play card games, watch TV, eat again, munch on cookies and enjoy each other’s company.
The special thing about this year’s eve? Celebrating it with Kaela, our daughter. Still sounds unreal that we have a daughter.
We also had some VIP guests from Holland, Mr Bert Goes and Mrs Truus Goes.
Here are some photos that’ll do all the talking.
We’re so happy to share our tradition and culture with Vader and Moeder. Now they have an idea how we celebrate our festivities.
It was a cheerful night. A night to remember.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Thursday, November 29, 2012
First Deepavali celebration for Kaela with special guest, Oma and Opa.
13th November 2012, Tuesday
It was a very special Deepavali celebration this year because we have a new family member in our life, little Kaela. So we’re celebrating it as a family of three!
We practised the normal routine of going over to my (Shuba’s) parents’ place early in the morning for some oil application (the mini version of oil bath). After that, we put on our new clothes and wish each other Happy Deepavali. Some of the unmarried adults and children received ‘money packets’ from the married siblings. Our parents also received some money packets from us.
Then we sat down and had a hearty traditional Indian breakfast, specially prepared by Shuba’s mom. At lunch time, Oma and Opa came over for Deepavali lunch and enjoyed the Malaysian open house hospitality.
VaMo enjoying Deepavali lunch with Shuba’s parents
Monday, November 26, 2012
We import our dishwashers!
We hate doing our own dishes, hence we import our dishwashers from Holland.
We already miss our dishwashers as they’ve retired from dishwashing.
Thank you for your kind service.
We already miss our dishwashers as they’ve retired from dishwashing.
Thank you for your kind service.
Meeting oma and opa for the first time!
Dear Oma and Opa,
I am so happy that we got to meet each other face-to-face for the first time on 8th November 2012. My mother captured that moment on a camera for me to remember forever.
Here’s the first look you both gave me...
I will never forget that moment!
Ps: It was a momentous moment for my parents too!
Love,
Kaela Maya Jay Goes
Dikke Kus voor Kaela
Dear Oma and Opa,
I enjoyed our time together during your stay here from 8th Nov – 25th Nov 2012. We did so many things together and it was special for all of us.
Thank you for making this trip to come see me (and my parents). I will always remember the beautiful days we had together.
I can’t wait to see you both soon.
Ps: Thank you for all the presents you made and gave me. I am grateful.
Dikke Kus.
Love,
Kaela Maya Jay Goes
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Friday, November 23, 2012
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Kaela travels in style!
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Sunday, October 14, 2012
30 Day Celebration
According to the Indian tradition, 30 days after a child is born, there is big celebration to celebrate this new life.
On 6th October Kaela had 'her' 30 day celebration. A few pictures of the event...
It was a memorable evening!
On 6th October Kaela had 'her' 30 day celebration. A few pictures of the event...
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| The proud parent adoring their daughter |
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| Shuba's mom cooked a whole lot! Delicious! |
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| Kaela and her new gold chain |
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| Everybody wants to meet Kaela |
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| One of the many group pictures ;) |
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| Shuba and her brother and sister vltr - Sugan, Kaela, Shuba, Kartini, Ruben, Logan |
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| Shuba's parent admiring their granddaughter |
Friday, October 5, 2012
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
Kaela Maya Jay Goes - What does it mean?
KAELA: The Laurel Crown. This was often given to winners of competitions back in ancient Greece. (This is the Hebrew explantion, do note that Kaela carries different meaning in different languages/cultures.)
MAYA: - It's the name of Buddha's mom and also means Creative divine force. It's a Sanskrit (an ancient Indic language of India) name.
JAY: - The shortened version of Shuba's surname 'Jayaretnam'.
GOES: - Paul's surname (family name). Paul claims there is town in The Netherlands named after him.
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KAELA: Lauweren Krans. Dit werd vaak gegeven aan de winnaars van wedstrijden in het oude Griekenland. (Dit is de Hebreeuwse uitleg, weet wel dat Kaela een andere betekenis kan hebben in andere talen / culturen.)
MAYA: Het is de naam van de moeder van Boeddha en het betekent ook Creative goddelijke kracht. Het is een Sanskriet (een oude Indische taal uit India) naam.
JAY: De verkorte versie van achternaam Shuba's 'Jayaretnam'.
GOES: Paul's achternaam (familienaam), maar als je dit kunt lezen dan zul je dat begrijpen :).
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Papa at work
Isn’t this a cute photo?
It always melts my heart to see how much Paul is enjoying fatherhood.
He jumps straight into it and is eager to learn all the tasks of parenthood with me.
We have a great partnership.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
She arrived like a star!
On August 26, 2012, I had a home-water- en-caul-birth and received a healthy baby girl after a 24-hour labour. This magical experience has empowered and assured me that my body is designed to give birth naturally without any medical intervention. I am so blessed and grateful for this precious gift and memorable experience. Giving birth is the toughest thing I’ve done and I’ve come out of it feeling more powerful than ever. Gratefully, I had my loving and supportive husband next to me, who was also my birthing partner. I love you Paul Goes, you’re my rock. I also had the amazing Soo Wai Han (the hypnobirthing educator) leading me on confidently. Thank you Wai Han, I’m so glad you made it. And the lovely Salina Abd Aziz providing her care in many ways. Thank you Sal.
It’s miraculous how The Divine force within me guided me to achieve my birthing dream.
I am eternally grateful and humbled.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Germany - The Netherland in Taicang
'WE' won the Euro cup!
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Beautiful Gate, Cape Town
22nd February, 2011, Thursday
During our visit to the township areas in Cape Town, we took the opportunity to visit a local community home.Our good friends, Busi and Siya knew of this home and took us to ‘Beautiful Gate’, located in the township area of Nyanga. We were not welcomed at first because we didn’t have an appointment.
Luckily for us, we had a Dutch person with us, Paul my husband. The administrative person said, “We have a soft spot for Dutch people because our founder is Dutch”
She eventually made an exception for us and was a fantastic hostess. Her name was Sylviabo. We got a tour of the place, watched their videos, got to meet the kids and their caretakers, also known as their mama and papa.
The mama or papas are volunteers and they are there every day to care for them like a parent. Each house has about 5 kids to a mama/papa.
Beautiful Gate began as a street children's project in Muizenberg, Cape Town, South Africa. The street children's residential project, which ran until 2008, accommodated boys aged 6-14, and offered a street outreach programme and a community outreach programme.
In the township area of Nyanga you will find the communities of Crossroads and Philippi, which grew out of the increasing number of people moving to Cape Town to look for work. Unfortunately, many residents suffer due to high employment and social problems such as drug/alcohol abuse, gangsterism, teen pregnancy and a high crime rate.
Nyanga also has one of the highest HIV infection rates in the province, with about a third of adults being HIV positive. Clinics are often distant, making it difficult to get treatment. Many live with fear that they will be rejected by family and friends because of the stigma attached to the disease. Added to this, the financial burden, as the average income in that area is less than R1,000 per person per month.
Children and young people are a vital resource to the future. They need care and protection to live up to their fullest potential, which can be hard to find in an uncertain environment. Plus, surrounded by negative peer pressure and lack of opportunities, it’s easy to lose hope and get involved in negative activities.
Amidst all this, there’s Beautiful Gate.
How they bring hope to children and families...
In South Africa, the Lower Crossroads care centre is a Beautiful Gate community-based centre for children infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS. It offers residential and crisis care, medical and community care, church and community involvement, family reunification facilitation, and training. It serves 42 children (residential) and more than 250 children through the medium of after-school programmes. Children who are in need of medical care and a place of safety receive residential care; a nursery school programme aims to ensure that the children are being motivated and stimulated holistically.
The children are prepared for foster care placements or family reunification, where possible. The community care component of Lower Crossroads provides medical help, HIV/AIDS education, spiritual care, food, and psychosocial support through after-school care programmes and a sports programme. Training is provided at the care centre in the form of an annual 3-month-long HIV/AIDS school, as well as a 6-month-long Discipleship Training School.
If you’d like to devote time or donate cash to this organisation, kindly look up their website: www.beautifulgate.org. or their blog, http://www.thecrossroadschild.blogspot.com/They are a registered not-for profit organisation in South Africa.
When we visited Beautiful Gate, we were introduced to this adorable baby boy. He was found abandoned in the bushes nearby.
He is the star of the home. You can see why?
I read on their blog, that he was recently adopted. Read below or read the story at http://www.thecrossroadschild.blogspot.com/
If any of you get the chance to visit Cape Town, drop these guys an email before showing up. They love receiving volunteers from all over the world.
It is a well-managed organisation. We were impressed (including our fellow local friends).
Beautiful Gate opened our eyes and warmed our hearts.
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