Photos: Western Hotel

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Auntie of Kluang (Pa Wee's sister who is Lydia's only paternal great aunt) and Lydia

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"I-Phone Aficinados"

(left to right): Chris Wee, Isaac Wee, Lydia, and Sam Wee

Note: Both Isaac and Lydia were fascinated the games available on the I-Phones. Fortunately Chris and Sam both own one, so they allowed Isaac and Lydia to play with them while under their supervision.

Note: Both of these pictures were taken on January 2, 2011 at the Best Western Marina Hotel in Lumut, Malaysia near Pangkor Island.

Photos: Wedding Flower Girl

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Lydia (flower girl # 1), Isaac Wee (ring bearer), and Isabel Wee (flower girl # 2) are preparing to drop flower petals along the path leading into the restaurant.

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Lydia, Isaac, Audrey Wee (bride), and San Hui Lee (groom) wait at the front door before strolling down the main aisle of the restaurant.

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Lydia and Isaac are scattering flower petals on the floor for Audrey and San Hui.

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Job's done!

Note: All of these pictures were taken during January 1, 2011 at the wedding banquet in Lido Hall, a Chinese restaurant in Sitiawan, Malaysia, for Audrey Wee and San Hui Lee.

Photos: Wedding Cousins

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(sitting: left to right): Fei Ching Yap, Lydia, Nelly Wee, Audrey Wee (bride), San Hui Lee (groom), Kristy Wee

(standing: left to right): Lin Li Yap, Fei Ling Yap, Jason Wee, Chris Wee, Sam Wee, and Vincent Wee

San Hui Lee's parents' home

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Sam is showing Lydia a game on his Apple I-Phone.

Note: Lydia was quite enamored with this device, and she often asked her cousins who owned I-phones, Sam or Chris, to demonstrate its various features and games for her.

San Hui Lee's parents' home

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Kristy and Nelly

Lido Hall

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Lydia and Fei Ling

Lido Hall

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Chris is carrying Lydia.

Lido Hall

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Lydia and Sam

Lido Hall

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Jason and Lydia

Lido Hall

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Jason, Sam, Nelly, Kristy, Lydia, and Sam

Lido Hall

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Lin Li, Lydia, and Michelle (Lin Li's friend)

Lido Hall

Note: All of these pictures were taken on January 1, 2011 in Sitiwan, Malaysia during the wedding ceremony and reception of Audrey Wee and San Hui Lee.

Photos: Wedding: Audrey and San Hui

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Audrey Wee, the bride, is surrounded by her attendants. On Audrey's right is Isabel (her niece), and on her left are Isaac (her nephew), and Lydia (her cousin).

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Audrey and our family

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Tom, SiowFong, Audrey, and San Hui Lee (the groom)

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Audrey and Lydia

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Isaac is trying to open the door to the limousine while Vincent Wee, his father, and Lydia observe Isaac's attempt.

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San Hui Lee, the groom, with Isaac and Lydia.

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Bridal bouquet

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The limousine that Audrey and San Hui rented was a Rolls Royce model.

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Lydia is standing beside the tea ceremony items.

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Group picture of the Wee family

(first row: left to right): Lydia, Sook Li (holding Isabel), Say Sang (with his arms around Isaac), San Hui, Audrey, Ma Wee

(second row: left to right): Tom, SiowFong, Auntie of Kluang (Pa Wee's sister), Fei Ling, May Nah, Fei Ching, Choo, Ting Ting, Sam

(third row: left to right): Adam (Nelly's friend), Nelly, Kristy, Michelle (Lin Li's friend), Lin Li, Bernard, Jason, Vincent, and Chris

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San Hui and Audrey are sitting in the back seat of the limousine.

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Nelly, Lydia, Fei Ling, Auntie of Kluang, and Kristy are seated around a banquet table.

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Audrey and Lydia at the wedding banquet


Note: All of these pictures were taken on January 1, 2011 in one of three places: Best Western Marina Resort in Pangkor, Malaysia, San Hui's parents home in Sitiawan, Malaysia, and a Lido Hall, a Chinese restaurant in Sitiawan, Malaysia.

Photos: Best Western Marina Island Resort

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Outdoor pool at the hotel

Photographer: Tom

Note: The entire Wee family decided to take a holiday together during our visit to Malaysia this year because of two reasons: first, they had not done that in a while; and second, since Audrey, one of SiowFong's nieces, and San Hui, her fiance, were officially celebrating their wedding in this part of Malaysia as the resort was near San Hui's home town.

Photo note: The pool was so long and sweeping that even a super wide angle lens (at its 18 mm setting on a 35 mm format camera), with its 100 degree horizontal angle of perspective, could not capture the entire view.

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Group photo

(left to right): Isabel Wee, Ting Ting (Isabel's and Isaac's mom) Wee, Lydia, and Isaac Wee

Photographer: Tom

Note: Isabel, Lydia's niece, is 2 years, 7 months of age, and Isaac, Lydia's nephew, is 5 years, 4 months of age.

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Isaac, Isabel, and Lydia are enjoying the water.

Photographer: Tom

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Isaac and Vincent Wee (Isaac's and Isabel's father) are watching Lydia's blown bubbles.

Photographer: SiowFong

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Vincent is holding Lydia's hand as they walk back to the hotel from the pier.

Photographer: SiowFong

Note: All of these pictures were taken on December 31, 2010 at the Best Western Marina Island Resort Pangkor - Lumut on Marina Island, Teluk Muruh, 32200 Perak.

Photos: Isaac Bunny

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Cousin Vincent Wee is holding the bunny that he bought for his son Isaac, who is 5 months older than Lydia, so that Lydia can brush the bunny's tummy.

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Isaac's fuzzy bunny is laying on its back.

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Lydia is petting the bunny.

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Fur ball might be an appropriate term to describe this well-nourished bunny.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on December 31, 2011 at the home of Vincent, Ting Ting, Isaac, and Isabel Wee in Selango, Malaysia, which is one of the suburban cities outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Photos: Arriving in Malaysia

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While Lydia's dad is retrieving Ma Wee's checked in luggage, Lydia and Ma Wee are watching the action at the airport.

Note: For Ma Wee, landing at Kuala Lumpur brought a smile to her face as this is her "terra firma", her homeland which she has missed after being away for seven months in America.

According to Operation World (http://www.operationworld.org/malc), Malaysia, a country with about 330,000 square kilometers of land, has a population of almost 28 million, 72 percent of which live in the metropolitan areas. Malay is the official language, but 144 other languages are also spoken. Christians comprise approximately 9.5 percent of the population while Islam, the official religion, is practiced by about 63 percent of the inhabitants.

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Family picture around the luggage cart

(left to right): Lydia (with her toy cell phone), dad, and Ma Wee

Note: SiowFong took both of these pictures on December 30, 2010 at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Photos: Transiting in Taiwan 2

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Eva Air jetliner

Photographer: Tom

Note: The most direct route from Seattle to Malaysia or Singapore usually involves taking a flight from Seattle to Taipeil via Eva Air, a Taiwanese-based carrier. From Taipei, Eva Air has connections to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia or Singapore. With other carriers, such as Cathay Pacific (based in Hong Kong), Malaysian Air (based in Kuala Lumpur), and Singapore Airlines (based in Singapore), the required flight plan from Seattle to Malaysia or Singapore must involved a stop in another North American city, either Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Vancouver, BC, before heading overseas. We also used to like to take China Airlines, another Taiwanese-based airline, but they discontinued their routes from Seattle to Taipei two to three years ago.

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Lydia is standing underneath a "Welcome to Taiwan" sign.

Photographer: SiowFong

Note: According to Operation World (http://www.operationworld.org/chnt), Taiwan (Republic of China), whose surface area is 36,000 square kilometers, has about 23 and a half million inhabitants, 81 percent of which reside in cities. Mandarin is the official language though Hakka and Hoklo are widely spoken. Christians make up about 6 percent of the population.

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Lydia and Tiger are ready for a meal.

Photographer: SiowFong

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Lydia and "Pour Pour" (Ma Wee)

Note: Ma Wee's visit lasted 7 months this year, the longest of her three stays in America (the other times were 6 months in 2007 and 4 months in 2008).

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Everyone is getting ready to enjoy a Taiwanese meal in one of the restaurants at the airport.

Photographer: SiowFong

Note: All of these pictures were taken on December 30, 2010 at the Taiwan International Airport in Taipei, Taiwan.

Transiting in Taiwan 1

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Lydia is posing beside Santa Claus.

Note: On our trip from America to Malaysia to bring Ma Wee back home, we had a five-hour layover at the Taipei airport in Taiwan.

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Lydia is riding in Santa's sleigh.

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Lydia is standing beside two of Santa's reindeers.

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Presents galore !

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Lydia is touching a star on a Christmas tree.

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Lydia, poinsettias, and a Christmas tree

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Lydia is pretending to lick this candy cane.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on December 30, 2010 at the Taipei International Airport in Taiwan.