East and West Celebrations

The first day of Chinese 'Niu' Year (26.01.09) is also coincidentally Australia Day this year. So while a minority of us Chinese celebrate our lunar new year, majority of Australians also get a much welcomed public holiday.

KK in new clothes, with his ang pow and a sweet.

I read that there are some debate ongoing about the appropriateness of 26 January as 'Australia Day' as it is the date of the arrival of the first fleet of Europeans in 1788, which the indigenous people considered as an 'invasion' of their land. Regardless, Australians are out in full force celebrating this beautiful day and to me, this is a day to celebrate the Australian spirit and quality lifestyle.

Celebrating Australia Day, the Australian way

As I wondered how to spend the day meaningfully, we were invited to go to the beach and have a BBQ. So the whole family woke up really early on this day to set off on an hour long drive to Kingston Beach with Sherin and her family. As we neared the beach, we saw that a lot of others were already up and about, cycling, roller blading, jogging or simply strolling with prams and kids in toll.

XX giving a push to KK

The beach slowly fill up with people, families with beach umbrellas, tents and picnic towels. It was a beautiful day, the sun was out and there was a breeze. Not too cold, not too hot. And I didn't perspire at all!! I actully enjoyed sitting there doing nothing, looking at the kids play. I don't ever remember doing that in Singapore. Just don't overlook the importance of sun protection. I had applied sun block but forgot about my ankles and feet and I'm now regretting it.

KK buried in sand.

We got home about 4pm and as XX took a long nap, I went about preparing for dinner. We had invited a few friends over for Chicken Curry to usher in the new year. Altogether, 8 adults and 3 kids visited us that night. It's really 热闹! Although it meant a little extra work, I really didn't mind as I enjoyed the company. Of course, having a dishwasher and a husband to vacuum the floor afterwards helps!

Chinese New Year

It's that time of the year for all Chinese to celebrate but not all Chinese are celebrating.

Our first year in Australia, this is also our first Chinese New Year where we won't be celebrating with our family back in S'pore. Ironically, this coming New Year is the Year of the Ox, MY year!! Naturally, I'm feeling a little homesick during this period, knowing I'll be missing out on all the gatherings and feastings!

As a Chinese, I endeavour to make this a special day in our calendar. But believe me, it's not very easy when no one around you gives you any pressure to observe any of the so-called CNY traditions. I've gotten new pyjamas for everyone to wear on New Year's Eve. This is one of my family tradition since I was a kid and I intend to continue it. We'll have a steamboat reunion dinner at home and have invited 2 friends to join us. Other than that, I'm skipping the spring cleaning (no time, no mood, esp with the heat wave now), am still trying to see if I can buy a new shirt or jeans before Monday, and will most likely just change a new set of bedsheet on the eve. Of course, ang pows for the kids and hopefully, I'll get to exchange a few auspicious greetings with some friends if/when I see them.

I seriously didn't feel any CNY mood until last Saturday when Hubby came home from S'pore with a box of pineapple tarts from my sis-in-law and some Chinese New Year Cards, which I hung up on the wall. Then, my friend gave me her homemade version and I immediately felt the 'spring' fever. I decided that I should perhaps make some other cookies to add to what I have, to make it like a decent spread of goodies, in case anyone comes visiting.

So last minute, I found 2 recipes for Almond Cookies and Peanut Cookies at this site and made a batch each on Monday and today. They turn out quite well, considering my first attempt. The cookies are not difficult to make and they melt in the mouth. Here they are below:

Don't the arrangement looks like the Singapore flag, with a crescent moon and 5 stars?

Here's wishing all my friends, relatives and family in Singapore a very very 新年快乐, 万事如意!

Games We Play

Children learn from play. We have been playing some games with KK which helps (we hope) to improve his language skills. Under the 'disguise' of games, KK finds it so fun and interesting he'll be the one proposing we play these games, especially on long car trips.



For English, we play this game where we take turns saying words that starts with the last letter of the previous word. This would hopefully help KK in learning spelling. Another game we play is to take turns naming items beginning with letters from A-Z. I give it a theme to increase the difficulty level. For example, "items beginning from A-Z in a supermarket". So far, we've tried 'at home', 'in the airport' and even 'in Harvey Norman'. KK enjoys it a lot and would often initiate these games with us.



At night, we'll sometimes 'Make a Bedtime Story'. Actually this started when I didn't want to read him a story as it was getting late. So I proposed we just lay in bed and take turns saying one part of 'our own bedtime story'. I'll start off with "Once upon a time,...." and whatever comes to my mind and he'll take it from there. This trains his narrative ability and also stirs his imagination. Hopefully it'll be useful when it comes to writing compositions next time in school.

The first story we created was about "Bobo The Bolster and his smelly story". It turned out to be a very interesting tale of how he couldn't keep himself clean. I also introduced his friends, Pipi the Pillow and Blankio the Blanket to the story. KK had a lot of fun creating the story and we made a sequel the next night. He also narrated the story again to me the next day and made me type it down. He said he wants to sell the story to 'Angus & Robertson' (the book store). I asked him if I can publish the story on my blog and let others read for free but my business-minded son wants people to pay money for his story...so he can use the $$ to buy Wii....haha! So out of respect to the co-author, sorry guys...:-p.

Nowadays, KK is so enthusiastic at making stories, he'll blabber on and on with his crazy imaginative story that I've got no chance to continue. In any case, I'll be too confused and lost by the time he stops to follow up. I don't usually listen to his story content, which can be very far-fetched, but I'm happy to hear him trying to join sentences to describe a series of events that's happening to the story character.

We've been having difficulty getting KK to speak Mandarin here. We've tried using both 'carrot and cane' methods but they don't work. I realised that we can't rush it and force it. Now, we're speaking as much Mandarin as we can remember to him during day to day conversations. He still replies back in English but hopefully, the more he listens, the more he'll absorb and one day he'll feel confident enough to speak back completely in Mandarin. Already he's showing signs of improvement and can reply simple answers as 有, 没有, 要, 不要, 吃饱了 etc.



It is with games that he's shown the most interest recently in using Mandarin. Ironically, we have to use a game of teasing each other in Mandarin to spark off his interest in Chinese words. We would 'throw' each other with bombastic combinations of words which are both comical and crazy. Like "你是西瓜蛋!" (You are a watermelon egg!) I also created another version of creating 'the most disgusting recipes' using crazy combinations of ingredients in Mandarin. These crazy exchanges of words will improve his vocabulary of Chinese words and the boy will actually take the initiative to ask us how to say some words in Mandarin.



This summer vacation, Hubby has taken upon himself to improve KK's handwriting. Unfortunately, we haven't got any games to play for this one. KK was made to write a simple journal entry about what interesting thing he did during his holiday. Then when there's nothing else interesting to write, I simply made him copy some words from a children's book. There were a lot of tears and anguish initially, but the more he practised, the faster and better he wrote. I must say that compare to his previous handwriting which had hanging alphabets and uneven sizes, there is a definite improvement.



KK also learnt to read the clock this holiday. (Seems he learns more at home than at school?) This also took a few hours of grilling over 2 days to make him understand the way hands in the clock works. Now he just needs more practice so now and then, I'll just ask him to tell me the time.



I'm still thinking how to improve his counting skills, especially subtraction and addition of big numbers. He's not much clue how much he should take back when he gives people money. We tried playing Monopoly with him but that's a very long game to play just to get him to count money. Also, he gets pretty upset when everyone else is buying cottages and building castles and he's not.

There seems like a million and one other things to teach the children - social skills, values, character building, sportsmanship, discipline... etc etc. Makes me really understand the importance of a parent's role in our child's life, especially during these formative years.

Wives don't come from sisters

KK and I had the opportunity to clarify a rather "grown up fact" one night last week. He was lying in bed, about to sleep, and I was, as usual, accompanying them in bed. Strange, he is extremely interested in making conversations when it's time to keep quiet.

I can't remember what led to it, but he suddenly mentioned that I must give birth to a girl. I asked why? I would have fallen off the bed with his reply, if not for the fact that I was already sleeping on the floor. "So that I can marry her when I grow up!" He added earnestly, "Otherwise there won't be anyone to cook for me next time." Wah, think so far ahead, I thought. I laughed and told him you can't marry your own sister. Straightaway he asked, "Then how did Papa get you?" So I got to explain to him that his father and I are not siblings, we were friends first before we got married. That set the record straight, and he next asked how he can find such 'friends'. That will be a long time down the road, my boy. You'll meet someone special to cook for you one day....till then, sleep tight. Enough information for your young mind to digest.

Beach Boys

Finally, the weather is warm enough this week for us to visit the beach again. This would have been our third attempt at going to the Altona beach. Our first attempt during Spring, (I think in Nov?) failed miserably the minute we stepped out of our car. The wind was howling and we zipped up our jackets immediately. Looking around, the whole beach was deserted, except for a few joggers/walkers walking their dogs. There were a few cars parked in front of the beach, but its occupants decided to stay inside and enjoy the sea view through the windscreen. I thought we were the only crazy buggers carrying beach toys in this lousy weather, then I saw another disappointed looking kid, also all zipped up and holding beach toys, with his dad walking away.

Beautiful Day

But the weather was perfect yesterday as we headed down after breakfast. This time, instead of cloudy grey skies, it was a clear blue sky. I see many other beachgoers already set up their tents and beach chairs and people bobbing in the sea, so I know we're definitely going to dig some sand this time!

The kids began scooping around the sand with their mini spades before we could even lay out the picnic mats. After a few minutes, just as I start to sit down and enjoy the sand on my toes, KK got a bit bored with the sand and asked "why do we have to go to the beach when we already have a sand pit at home?" I thought the answer was very obvious - the sun, the breeze, the view. The sea, the water, the salty smell in the air. I didn't think he liked the sea very much. He asked what's that awful smell (of salty sea) when he got down from the car and when I asked him to go take a walk in the water, he said he's not stepping onto those 'black black' (seaweed) things. Well, there were a lot of seaweed being washed up the shore and in the water. I do find it a little yucky myself but we've got to let go of our 'urbanised-self' and embrace 'ruggedness' if you want to appreciate nature. Afterall, you get used to it after a while.

All protected - sunblock, hat and UV protected swimwear

KK sitting proudly beside his 'castle'

I realised that if I don't want to go home after 30 mins here, the children might need some help to spark off their imagination about what they can do at the beach. Left to their own devices, they'll probably end up throwing sand at each other. Instead of just digging aimlessly on the sand, I suggested to KK that we build a sand castle. The sand there is really fine and dry, we'll need some water to moist the sand so we can pack it. This got him and XX interested and we were busy moulding a mini mountain castle. I started collecting the water from the sea but before long, KK ventured there himself, through the seaweed and all, to get the water. XX, unfortunately, refused to enter the water again, because he said it was cold.




KK was very proud of his castle. He even decorated it with shells and 'cannons'. There was also a 'catapult' and a drawbridge, just like that medieval Kryal Castle. I learnt that day that one of our role as parents is to inspire our children to the possibilities out there and what they can set themselves to achieve.

Taking a Break in Ballarat

I finally got to catch up a little on rest when I took a nap yesterday with XX. And this was only because Hubby reminded me to do it before I fall sick.




The past week has been tiring even though we didn't do much. Partly because I've started a new hobby but mainly because XX has been more than a handful recently.







On our first night at the Windmill Holiday Park in Ballarat, XX refused to sleep. He finally fell asleep in my arms after I sang to him. Then throughout the night, he kept waking up crying. I don't know what's wrong with him. Maybe it's a new environment or maybe he's not well. And once he gets into 'the bad mood', nothing you do will please him. Try to hug him, he'll push you away. Ignore him, he'll cry harder. Everything you ask him, he'll give you his standard answer 'NO'. This boy can be very adorable when he's in a good mood but can also throw a stubborn terrible tantrum. We had wanted to visit Souverign Hill the next morning, but end up both Hubby and I were so tire out by XX's midnight drama that we couldn't wake up in time. We decided to visit the Ballarat Wildlife Park instead.








The ticket price to the Wildlife Park was $22 per adult and $13.50 per child above 5 years old. We also bought a pack of kangeroo food for $3. It's quite expensive but we could only confirm that it's a rip-off after we went in. The premise is not very big, I reckon if you walk non-stop, you could probably complete one round in 15 mins. We took about 2 hours, stopping to let the children feed the lazy and greedy kangeroos, while avoiding their lumps of poop scattered all over the place. I did enjoy the Reptile House collection of snakes, lizards and crocodiles though. I could see these reptiles, some of them poisonous, so close up and they are so beautiful. Not sure if I'll say the same thing if there isn't a glass wall between us! And we came really close to some emus, who were so docile they just stood there like a statue while visitors posed next to them. Unfortunately, XX tripped over a tree root there and had his face in mud, and most probably their poop, while trying to get closer. Poor thing!




Although I packed bacon mushroom and egg sandwiches, the kids were picky and refused to eat them. That's one of the biggest headaches I'm facing nowadays, making their meals. If I make something that they don't fancy, you should see the tortured look on their face! KK will make comments like 'Gross!', 'Disgusting!' while XX will spit it out and then cover his face with his hands when you try to feed him again. Of course, I have my ways to counter them. Wait a while longer. When they're hungry enough and there's no other food, they'll eat. (This works for KK.) Or try again when they're in a better mood. (This works for XX.) Alternatively, give the food some 'plastic surgery' to make it look different but still the same ingredients. When all else fails, finish up the food yourself, or make husband eat it, and remember never to cook it again for the next few months.




Anyway, we left the Wildlife Park when XX got tired and cranky. The 'show' they had then was about snakes and the narrator kept talking about what to do if you are bitten by a snake while another keeper had a python around her to let people touch. That's all? And there was no proper seating for visitors so you got to stand around under the scorching sun. For the next 'show', they bought out a koala for photograph taking, which I believe they will charge extra for.








The kids had just as good a time, I believe, back at the holiday park. They played water at the pool, jumped like crazy on the gigantic Jumping Pillow and watched cartoon movies (with free popcorn) at the Recreation Room. At 5.30pm, there will be some kids activities organised by Windmill where they played simple team games. KK had fun running on the Jumping Pillow while others try to row a ball across to touch him. Or he'll be trying to throw balls at the other kids running through. Even XX and I enjoyed some bouncing fun on this giant 'pillow'.





The chalet is clean and looks quite new. It is small but rather cosy, with a queen bed, a bunk bed and a small but complete kitchen. We could park our car just beside the cabin and the pool was just right outside. There's a fan and air-con/heater, TV in both living and bedroom, so it's very comfortable.

On the 3rd day, we decided to skip Souverign Hill as we didn't think the kids would enjoy gold-panning or learning about mining. Instead, we drove to "Australia's Biggest Playground" and let them have fun there. Most importantly, it is free. As expected, they got tired of running around after a while and rested over gelato ice-cream at the open space next to the playground. The playground was supposed to be facing Lake Wendouree but 3 years ago, this artificial lake dried up. There's a bad drought in Australia, so can't waste water maintaining it. We played frisbee and had a simple picnic lunch of sandwiches there, followed by a short walk through the Botanic gardens opposite. That's how we spent the day and XX fell asleep in the car on the way back.

The last day, we checked out of Windmill and visited Kryal Castle, Australia's 'unique' medieval castle. I'm sorry to say, that's another disappointment. There's wasn't much to do inside, besides looking at some of their collection of ancient weapons, armoury and chemistry. The place looks run-down and is poorly maintained. The exhibit rooms are old and boring looking. Besides a rather scenic hilltop view and the little drawbridge at the entrance, there isn't anything there worth seeing. The shows are 2 hours apart but how to stay so long with young children? Luckily, we managed to endure till 1.30pm to see the Jousting show, which was probably the highlight of the visit. You see 2 'knights' on horses taking turns to hit some targets with a joust and a jester trying to make you laugh with silly antics.

After this, I think I've enough of Ballarat. It was a good break, but it's time to drive back home.

A New Year Already!

I really mean it when I say 'Time flies' nowadays. In a flash, our 3-day holiday to Ballarat was over, 2009 arrived and it's gonna be Chinese New Year in about 3 weeks.

Have you ever noticed that time moves faster as you get older? I remembered when I was a kid, I waited and waited for a the longest time ever for my next birthday to arrive. But this time, it was just like not too long ago that I celebrated my birthday in Melbourne when I came over for the house hunting trip and now, there's less than 5 months to go before I move one digit up in my age (again). Can you believe we're already stayed in Melbourne for more than 6 months?

2008 has been an extremely busy and significant year for us. It is indeed the year we 'reap the rewards of our decisions' (see my post last year). From the day we decided to make the move till now, it has a been an exciting journey of learning, adjusting and discovering. Of course, we miss all our love ones and friends back in Singapore, especially during festive seasons. Other than that, I'm glad we made that decision.

On a personal front, since I've stayed home with the kids doing 'home duties', I've learnt (about cooking and baking) and also discovered a lot about myself. I'm doing things that I've not previously thought I'm capable of doing. The kids still drive me crazy but overall, I think I'm happier.

Well, I've promised to write more about our holiday in Ballarat but I'll like to postpone it to the next post. I just want to end off here wishing everyone a Happy New Year and may 2009 be a peaceful and fulfilling year for all!