It has been some time since I last took care of a baby and so , when Loreen asked me if SLing and I could take care of baby Mark, I have no reservation whatsoever but at the back of my mind, I had this nagging question if we could take care of the baby. Nevertheless, when I told SLing about taking care of baby Mark, she readily agreed without hesitation too. So, our babysitting duties were on. YES! We were very excited plus we really wanted to babysit Mark well. We soon make plans to take care of baby Mark and also to take him to the zoo. Yeah, there is no better place to bring this tiny tot to the zoo and introduce him to the animals I have eaten in my life! Hahahahahahaaaa……..
Anyway, to make it an even more wonderful time, we had invited baby Mark’s grandparents, Bro Teo ST and Sis Evelyn to come along for the fun time. I remembered that SLing and I looked around our house and ensured that our place was baby conducive, safe and clean prior to the arrival of baby Mark. When Daniel dropped by that Friday morning together with a loadful of Mark’s gazillion things, I believe with all my heart that baby Mark is one lucky dude with such loving parents in Daniel and Loreen. Still in his morning 10 sen face and innocent looking demeanor, he was handed over to me and SLing as Daniel was off to work! Like a little ogre in fairytale land, I wringed my hands and tapping my fingers like the prayer pyramid, I exclaimed “ You’re mmmmmiiiiinnnnneeee!” and let go some sinister snicker! But alas , it was not to be! That fella smiled at me and called me “Uncle” and all my sinister plots were gone within seconds! Such an adorable child indeed. Aided with his cheeky smile, puffy cheeks and playful eyes, he would melt even the hardest hearts out there. Anyway, within minutes of packing up his stuff of milk bottle, water bottle and what not, we were off to pick up his grandparents, Bro Teo & Sis Evelyn and headed to our morning breakfast shop at Neela’s Restaurant in Bukit Beruang. We had breakfast of roti canai and tea to invigorate us in our stomach and blood stream in the morning and stock up our energy which would come pretty handy when taking care of baby Mark while at the zoo. I must say that both Bro Teo and Evelyn were equally excited of the prospect of spending time with the grandson and also to visit the zoo after many years. To be very honest, I too would not have visited the zoo had it not been for Mark eventhough the zoo is about 15 minutes drive from my home.
Anyway, to be fair, though the entrance fee may look a little bit steep for some but in all honesty, there had been some great updates and new attractions to the zoo that makes the massive jump in the price of the entrance ticket. So, the increase in ticketing pricing was expected. However, there is a 10% discount for Malaccans and reduced pricing for older folks ( warga tua ). Children aged between 1- 4 need not pay for the entrance fee. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by the new upgrades and new attractions like the Dinosaur Park which is really a very good simulation of amalgamating the natural surroundings with the creatures of the yesteryears. Fantastic do up of the park in the zoo, amenities and eateries too. I must say I was impressed with Zoo Melaka! Double thumbs up for this attraction!
I guess, this was also felt by baby Mark, Bro Teo and Sis Evelyn too. The colourful and loud Macaws greeted Mark and us as we passed through the entrance to the zoo. What a beautiful sight indeed! Mark was totally enthralled and captivated by the colors of the feathery birds and it was difficult to get a good picture of him without him turning his head around every time the Macaws made some joyful noises. It was such a joy seeing him enjoying the sights and sounds. Bro Teo and Evelyn gleefully glided and held Mark lovingly to show him the beautiful colored birds. The aviary of birds were nearby and soon, you could see Mark waving and keeping his eyes glued to the wonderful and beautifully colored birds in their cages. Soon, animals after animals soon filled our binoculars eyes as we searched for the animals in the cages.
What a lovely sight indeed. The one thing I was so thankful on this day was the fact that the weather was just perfect for a zoo visit. It was cool, good breeze and overcast weather. It wasn’t a hot day but we were all sweating profusely. Our t-shirts were like our second skin that morning and profoundly laced with our sweat and perfumic aroma of sweat! But we enjoyed the sights, the sound and the animals in the zoo. Make no mistakes the four big cats were there namely black panther, clouded leopard, tiger and lion eventhough they were lethargic by the cool morning day. I guess, I must say that baby Mark and his grandparents enjoyed the walk in the zoo and the especially the Dinosaur Park. What an engineering marvel indeed! The life-like dinosaurs were marvelously built together with the movements and sounds made it really special for the child and adults alike. Personally, they were a mechanical and engineering marvel indeed.
Anyway, I couldn’t help pointing out to Mark that the deers, birds, ostrich, emu and some other animals do taste rather good in black pepper, herbs and spices or even mushroom sauces during our private walks around these enclosures. Yeah, Mark gave me some look which I dare not even mentioned but at least, the truth was told, right? Can’t help it when I am at the zoo. Btw, baby Mark was really very captivated by the giraffe that he couldn’t stop smiling and pointing excitedly at the giraffe. Have not eaten that one and so I wasn’t able to share my experience with baby Mark on that one! Hahahaahahaaaaaaa…….
As we ended our trip to the zoo and say our goodbyes to Bro Teo & Sis Evelyn, who were whacked tired by now as they also took care of Mark and his bundles of energy, we now have to take Mark back to our home! It was delightfully frightening as we need to ensure his safety, fed, no bruises or knocks and most importantly, still baby Mark! It was an enormously joyful task! Mark must have been thinking “ Ha, the fun just begins!” We took Mark back to our home, bathe him and fed him the best we could! Nooooooooo! Not from the animals of the zoo but real basic ABC soup la. That fella, Mark refused to makan nor drink milk but continued to run circles around us in the house. Yeah, a nice place was his playground and there’s always something new to do. Eventhough we may be tired looking after this bundle of lightning energy zapper, Mark is truly a good, intelligent and cheeky fella. He would test us a lot by doing some things and then he would pretend to be innocent about it and gave up that wondrous cheeky smile! I must say that he is well-trained by his mom and dad, Loreen & Daniel and I must give credit to the both of them as Mark is really a well behaved boy. Yeah, he’s twisted in his own ways ( hahahahahahahaaaa…. He shouts rather loud but it’s all fun and good for me ! ) but he’s alive and he picks up words and phrases fast and he learns well. I am just so amazed by his bundles of energy and have reserves some more!!!! I came to the conclusion that it’s his milk powder. I suspect that those scientists, researches and manufacturers of milk powder today must have put some formula inside these milk powders to make the babies goes haywire with their bundles of energy and drive their parents mad/go crazy chasing after them! Yup! That’s my theory!
Yeah, SLing and I were pumped out by the whole day activity of fun and games meaning chasing that fella around our house and getting him to give us silly/cute look and the “ Catch me if you can “ look on his smuck face ! But all in all, it was such a joyful occasion truly being able to babysit Mark. Baby Mark actually dozed off at about 4.10pm that evening after being up the whole day and after some milk and some rice meal. I was totally slumped on the sofa by the end of it and I felt as though I have just finished a game of competitive football match with 6 half times!!!! Hahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaa……It was fun and I’ll do it again any time. However, the next time, I’ll be more prepared, I promise. I’ll prepare some potent cough mixture first to make that fella drowsy and go to sleep…hahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaa…….
Now, where did I put the cough mixture?!!!!! I need some to sleep NOW !!!!!!
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