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Without meaning to sound callous, we're hoping to send minibeanie to a playschool when the baby comes along. Not that I want him out of my hair for a couple of hours each day but I feel a new environment will be stimulating for him socially and intellectually. Ok ok... if I have to be totally honest, I DO cherish a few hours of 'free' time ;P
There have been a few options we're toying with. The first decision will be the International vs. Chinese syllabus. The International route leads basically to the one school which takes in children from age 2 - there isn't much choice we have there ;) Naturally, our options open up considerably with the Chinese route. There is that aforementioned school which has a parallel Chinese division and there are also a host of local options such as the very auspicious sounding "Golden Apple" or a playschool located within the grounds of Sichuan University.
From my discussions with parents, the main differences between the International and Chinese divisions are firstly, the pupil-to-teacher ratio where it's somewhat lower in the former than in the latter. Secondly, the Chinese route follows the syllabus as set forth by the Chinese education ministry. I can't comment on which syllabus is better because I do not have detailed information on both. But going by the pupil-to-teacher ratio as a factor, I'm inclined to prefer the International route.
Unfortunately, the International route is at an international school which almost by default costs an arm and a leg. Friends from Singapore will be familiar with this school, it's EtonHouse. As such, we're looking forward to Eton's Open House on Tuesday where we'll explore the grounds, learn more about its International and Chinese divisions and of course, the impact on our bank balance.
All the logical reasoning aside, both dada and I can't believe that our little one will be heading off to school soon! he's growing up so quickly!! :((
minibeanie is 1 year, 9 months & 4 weeks old
microbeanie is 23 weeks 4 days in utero
Friends have asked if the second time round is easier. Hmm. Well, I kind of have a little experience so I suppose that makes it a little 'easier'. Then again, every pregnancy is different. But having to take care of and nurture a toddler entering his "terrible twos" is a another game altogether.
Instead of sitting on my arse in conference call meetings, it is reading-lego-playground duty, sometimes in swift progression ;) But I really shouldn't complain as I'm lucky to have all the help I can get. Our domestic helper who now comes in every weekday for at least half a day brings minibeanie down to the playground to burn all that energy that will otherwise have driven me crazy. And really, although he has his moments, he doesn't really have them all too often and if I can rise above the occasion by adopting a zen attitude, it usually passes without much fuss.
Therefore, I guess there's no simple answer to the question. Just because I've popped one out before, it doesn't make it easier. It's not like baking cookies. And you can't apply "economies of scale" (unless you count the toys & clothes that can be shared); in fact, I think there's dis-economies of scale! There, I think that's my answer :)
minibeanie is 1 year, 9 months, 3 weeks & 2 days old
microbeanie is 22 weeks 5 days in utero
Someone please shoot me if I ever wear one of these!
minibeanie is 1 year, 9 months, 2 weeks & 3 days old
microbeanie is 22 weeks in utero
Today marks the anniversary of the 8.0 earthquake that devastated so many lives in Sichuan. Read the blog's posts on the earthquake here.
According to China Daily, more than 87000 people are dead or missing and by an official estimate, more than 5000 children. I feel so blessed that we escaped unscathed from the quake.... if we have a moment to spare in our busy schedules, let us pause, reflect and pray.
Our weekend trip to Mount Emei was wonderful. We arrived on Saturday at our hotel nearly 2pm. We decided to hit the road for the summit almost immediately because of a natural phenomenon that was supposed to take place between 3 and 4pm - the sea of clouds (云海). And it was just as well because our driver took an hour to bring us to 2700m. From there to the summit of 3079m, it was to be a 1.5 km hike followed by a 2 minute cable car ride to the Golden Summit (金顶).
Dada carried minibeanie on the baby carrier when we began the climb. The air was moist as the entire mountain was enveloped in clouds - we were walking in clouds! Unfortunately, that also meant we couldn't see much beyond. So much for for the 'sea of clouds'. Thankfully though, it was cool because soon we were huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf. Excellent cardio workout! I have to add that dada was complaining of sore knees and our friend was feeling faint while the slight expectant lady in the group was still rather sprightly after the hike :D
The cable car ride was nice although it passed in a haze - literally! :D We arrived at the Golden Summit without too much time to spare as the last ride was at 6pm :( Ascending a long flight of steps, we were met by the world's highest golden Buddha, Puxian. It stands at 48m tall with a weight of 660 tons. The 10 head sculptures in 10 directions of Puxian signify the boundless practices and wishes of Puxian. At the summit was also the monastery that was founded as early as 1st century AD. I wish we had time to explore the place a lot more leisurely and read up on its history!!
Quite amazingly, we were the only the only foreigners around. And of course, minibeanie always gets the attention of all the ladies.
Puxian shrouded in clouds on our ascend
Clearer weather on our descent
The mission for next day was Good Tea Hunting. We went tea tasting at the renowned Emei Xueya 峨眉雪芽 (Snow bud of Emei? Transliteration is always a tricky if not hilarious affair ;) and after that, found our way to another company which had a tea plantation in the vicinity. Zhuye Qing's 竹叶青 ("Green bamboo leaves") tea plantation/tea house/museum grounds were beautifully landscaped in the traditional Chinese style. All in, we tasted and bought some great green tea only grown in Sichuan.
There are altogether 6 categories of tea with green tea being the least processed and not in the least fermented. [Green tea, 绿茶, is not to be confused with another category of 'green' tea that is fermented 青茶). Green tea has to be made with 85C water - too hot and its essential oils evaporate thus changing its taste. Green tea shouldn't be steeped unlike black tea as the first and second brew have the most delicate of flavours. Subsequent brews would result in a slightly bitter palate. The type of vessel is also important. One has to use either glass or porcelain with the former preferred as the unfurling and dancing tea leaves are a visual treat by itself.
A couple of months ago, I was so keen to learn about tea that I bought a Chinese book on tea! ... along with a Chinese dictionary ;D I realized that there was a real dearth of knowledge among the English literature on Chinese tea. All the books on tea I found on Amazon were superficial in depth and nothing more than glossy picture books. Perhaps I should research and write a book on Chinese tea :) I wonder if there's interest in this topic...
minibeanie is 1 year, 9 months, 2 weeks & 2 days old
microbeanie is 21weeks 6days in utero
My advice to any would-be parents is, "get away before your whole life changes!" And I was really glad we went to Buenos Aires in my 20th week before minibeanie came along (in fact, it was somewhere above Brazil when I felt the first definitive kick from minibeanie). Two years on, just when we get comfortable with the toddler routine, we feel that our world is about to be rocked again.
[deep breaths]
There's no time like the present so we thought we should make some holiday plans in the next 3 months. First stop. Mount Emei (峨眉山). We'd been pathetically sequestered in Chengdu city for a year, so besides claiming to have seen the pandas, we should add 1 of China's most sacred Buddhist mountains to our list. After all, it's 'merely'* 150km away.
Like many of our trips here, the impetus was a friend visiting. Thus, this weekend, I've arranged for us a driver and his car to be our chauffeur for the 1.5 day trip. Accommodation has been booked in a 5* hotel at the foot of the mountain with hot springs. Unfortunately, I won't be able to partake in the hot springs but I'm hoping that we get some magnificent views at the summit, visit Emei's famous tea plantation (峨眉雪芽) and visit some monasteries, supposedly the birthplace of Shaolin martial arts.
Can't wait!
* no distance is near enough with a toddler!
minibeanie is 1 year, 9 months, 1 week & 5 days old
microbeanie is 21 weeks 2 days in utero
It's official! Numero deux is very much on the way :)
Today, we just did our third ultrasound and the first 4D ultrasound in Chengdu (more on that later). Everything is going ok. So here's presenting ....... microbeanie (no surprise there! :D)
So in keeping with the new chapter, there's also going to be a new look for the blog. Oh yes, if any of you are wondering, it's now 21 weeks and 1 day.
minibeanie is 1 year, 9 months, 1 week & 4 days old
I just had to laugh when I read this blog entry, The worst pregnancy product of all time. Amen to that! In fact, I'd even go so far as to say it's the worst product of all time!
Honestly though, I'd bought into the notion that thongs are sexy but hey, I was in my 20s. Now, 1 baby and more than a couple of years later, those few pieces of lacy red thongs lie in the Siberian reaches of my wardrobe. The reason for their abandonment is pure practicality. I just hate the feeling of having a wedgie between the crack of my butt perpetually. How do g-string-wearers tolerate that?? I'd find my sexy some other way ;)
What are some of your worst purchases? I can think of one - home exercise machines?
minibeanie is 1 year, 9 months, 1 week & 1 day old
I believe it's important to have family traditions. Reunion dinners for Chinese New Year, turkey & gingerbread cookies for Christmas, we all have them. But besides festivals, I realized we've unwittingly created one around the weekend. Pancakes for breakfast! It's the only time all of us get to sit down together for breakfast without the company transport to catch or (in time to come) the school bus to dash for.
So when mummy isn't too tired to get up in the wee hours of the morning with the boys, we sit down for pancakes. (So far, it had been quite a regular affair ;) I experimented with several recipes. I mixed my own with the standard ingredients of milk, egg & flour adjusting for flow consistency, found a crepe recipe and even used a bottle of pancake mix that I lugged back from Australia.
While the D-I-M pancakes were ok, I hadn't nailed the right proportion of liquids to dry ingredients. On the other hand, I felt that the crepes would be better suited for crepes suzette or as french crepes with ham & cheese. (I did make caramelized bananas as filling 1 weekend but sticking to plain ol' jam & honey would feed 3 hungry mouths sooner :D ) Ironically, the most enthusiastic response came from the pancake mix. Since I regard ready mixes not without a certain amount of disdain preferring the old fashion route, I just had to search for a substitute.
I found it in allrecipes.com. More than 2000 reviews that gathered 4.5 out of 5 stars couldn't be too off the mark, I thought. They were right. The recipe gave the best pancakes we'd had for a long time. I agreed with most of the reviewers - do not change a single thing about the recipe, it's perfect as it is. Some who thinned the batter either didn't know that the thick consistency would give it the light-as-air fluffiness or preferred their pancakes thin a la crepes. The only thing I added was 2tbsp of ground flaxseed that upped the nutrients but took away none of the fluff.
This pancake recipe would be a part of our weekend tradition.
minibeanie is 1 year, 9 months & 5 days old
Ok ok.... it's way past Easter but we were recently the grateful beneficiary of a Kinder egg. A Kinder egg means imported chocolate and imported chocolate is either expensive or hard to find. In Kinder's case, it's not found in Chengdu and so you can understand what I mean by "grateful".
minibeanie was hesitant at first (typical toddler!) but after a tiny piece of chocolate was put into his mouth, he finished the entire egg in a matter of minutes :D The toy in the egg (casing) within the egg was also nice. I think he's not going to say no to a Kinder egg in future.
Recently, we also celebrated the-day-we-first-met anniversary of more than a decade. Yes, I'm being deliberately evasive. ...Suffice to say, it does make me feel a little geriatric ;) We went for an early dinner at a fantastic Szechuan restaurant so that we could make it home for dessert, a sinful chocolate cake layered with ganache and iced with fresh cream, strawberries and toasted almonds.
A small inner voice made me bring half a cake and a million calories to the playgroup the next day. After all, what are friends for? ;)
minibeanie is 1 year, 9 months & 4 days old
I created this milkshake a few years ago when I was in the throes of preparing for my wedding (read: squeezing into That Dress ;) Till now, I still make it as my lunch whenever I need something quick, fuss-free and HEALTHY.
Here's what I normally use:
- 2-3dl fat-free milk, depending on how thick you want the smoothie to be
- 1dl instant oats
- 1 large ripe banana
- a handful of frozen fruits (e.g. strawberries)
- 1tbsp ground flaxseed (opt)
- yoghurt (opt)
* Preferably, all ingredients should be cold
** for the metric-challenged, 1dl (deciliter) = 100ml (milliliter)
Put oats in a glass and add about half the milk. Microwave until oats are cooked. Put all ingredients into a blender and blend. taa-daa! A guilt-free creamy smoothie.
I made this smoothie today with some frozen durian :D ... which I think would have most of my western friends running for cover but it was a wonderful change from strawberries. I shall try to remember to freeze some nectarines or mangoes when they're in season!
Why this is the Bestest Healthiest smoothie ever (no sh**). You get calcium, protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals & omega-3 (from flaxseed) all in 1. Traditional milkshakes have generous amounts of ice cream for its creaminess but here, the creamy texture comes from the oats. Oat is very heart & gut friendly if you don't already know. Basically, oat reduces LDL (bad) cholesterol & has cancer fighting properties. And banana adds a natural sweetness to the smoothie without the need for sugar.
If I recall, I remember seeing a similar recipe from Dr. Oz, Oprah's health guru. I issue a challenge to all oat-fearing skeptics - you won't be able to taste or know there are oats in this smoothie. Kippis!
minibeanie is 1 year, 9 months & 2 days old
As expected, the battle for minibeanie to stay put in bed continued for a few days. It's now the 6th day after the side of his crib is removed, which allowed him to get out of his crib by himself, and I think victory is on hand! Last night, I marched him back to bed SIX times within a span of 15 minutes. He surrendered finally either because he was so tired or because he knew it'd be futile. Or both ;) This afternoon's nap took 3 tries. As for tonight's bedtime, he tried to make an escape only once. Yay!!
Recently when having some friends over with their 13 month old daughter, I realized that some parents over-indulge their kids, to put it nicely. I don't mean the occasional candy or even the very occasional extra episode of Sesame Street. In this particular instance, the toddler refused to sit in her car seat and what did the parents do? Put her in the middle seat albeit with a seat-belt. What's wrong with this scenario? Firstly, she's too small to be sitting without a child-seat - why are child-seats or boosters even invented in the first place? Secondly, the middle seat only has a seat-belt across the lap. A 2-point harness is hardly the best safety belt for a regular adult let alone a toddler. Thirdly, physics tells us that a 10kg toddler becomes a 400kg torpedo at 40km/h. Therefore, "she won't sit in her baby-seat" or "we only drive in the city (implicitly saying "we aren't close to the autobarn speed") are merely whinings of over-indulgent parents. Who are the adults in the family who should know better?
I made a post on Car Safety eons ago when we were still in Finland. If anything, I've even more vitriol for our 'friends' yesterday because Chinese drivers are nuts. You can absolutely gurantee stupidity from others. If I'm dogmatic about this issue, that's because this is a black & white issue. It isn't even close to the pacifier or the sippy-cup debate by a far measure. Because in this case, over-indulgence can kill.
minibeanie is 1 year, 8 months, 2 weeks & 5 days old
I heard a loud thump in the afternoon followed by a baby crying 2 seconds later. Thinking it was the neighbour's baby, I felt sorry for the baby and continued with measuring the flour for my puff pastry. Then I heard the cries a lot louder this time. In fact, it was coming from the top of my stairs. Alarmed, I ran up the stairs and realized that it was minibeanie crying. The thump had come from him. And he had fallen out of his crib because he'd climbed out of it!
He had a blue and black protruding bump on his forehead. Thankfully, his cries were quickly soothed, he was conscious, his irises weren't dilated, he wasn't throwing up and he wasn't drowsy. Those were signs to look out for after a bump. He seemed fine otherwise.
Doing up his own bedroom has been a work-in-progress. One wall is now painted a bright and cheery sunshine yellow. (Heh, the Chinese name for the shade is in fact, 阳光普照) We just need to make our way to our local Ikea to get his "big boy" toddler bed and some storage shelves. The incident today forced us to take a step towards the migration. Well, we couldn't just plop him down in his new bed in his new room one night and expect that he's going to accept it. As with everything, it has to be introduced 1 step at a time. (Toddlers are sticklers for routine ;)
We were first thinking of moving the crib to his room (his eventual "big boy" would be unassembled in the storeroom) and when he has gotten used to the room, we would then introduce the bed. Well..... apparently, this afternoon's fall meant that the migration would have to take somewhat different steps. We removed a side of the Stokke crib which meant that minibeanie could climb in and out of his crib easily on his own. Might as well because his 'real' bed wouldn't have bars to cage him in anyway. So there, first big step for a little guy.
No 'cage' also meant that the sleep routine was challenged. Either it was the total freedom or the feeling of insecurity, minibeanie had some difficulty settling down to sleep tonight. Thrice he crept out of bed within 5 minutes and opened the door (yes, he has learnt how to work the door handle being on tip-toe - the Bolshoi Ballet would have recruited him as a Sugar Plum Fairy).
First the door would open 10cm, followed by silence. Then, it would open a little more and an impish boy with a grin would peek out from behind. Dada was in the loft working so he didn't get away ;) It wasn't until I marched him to bed and stayed in the room writing this blog that he stayed put. I suspect this would be the dance for the next few nights until he got used to the idea that a) we meant business when we said it was bedtime and b) the novelty of an 'open' bed had worn off.
Another milestone today was when he said "bye bye" accompanied by a wave. Previously, it was just the Queen's wave. He also tried to say "truck" today..... or something close. I'm glad that he's speaking a little more now. "Tam" (jam), "cheese", "kaa" (car)...
minibeanie is 1 year, 8 months, 1 week & 6 days old
...if the title prompted you to read this post, you've a dirty mind tsk tsk... ;)
We just settled down after a quick trip back to Singapore. I think I've mastered the art of packing light - minibeanie & my check-in luggage weighs a total of 9.5kg ...leaving me a little more than 20.5kg for the return luggage heheh. And it did come in handy because I bought a Kenwood Chef that I've been eyeing for a very long time ;P It even came bundled with a meat mincer accessory - perfect for mincing lamb for Shepherd's Pie. Yes, I'm having fun with my newest toy.
Speaking of toy, DH's toy du jour is the espresso machine that has been sitting in our kitchen for a year. It's a hand-me-down from his former boss but it still works like a charm. Lately, after threats of the machine being banished to the storeroom because it's sitting on highly valuable kitchen top real estate, DH finally started decalcifying it and starting his research on how to be a home barrista. This weekend we've had 2 shots of espresssos each. Nice. The second attempt today was a lot better. More crema and less watered down. Apparently, tamping & increasing the pressure made the difference. Tamping the coffee a little more to get the water to flow through slower (and thereby extracting more flavour) and increasing the pressure achieved a fuller bodied taste. But there's a limit to how much pressure... too much and it results in a brew that's too strong or bitter (hmm, I don't confess to be a connoisseur)
There's a lot of science behind making that perfect cuppa.
- Grind. Not as fine as Turkish or Greek coffee but finer than that for the moka pot and definitely that for drip coffee. Best if it's grinded on the spot or less than a week old because the oils from the bean turn ground coffee rancid. The evenness of the grind also makes a difference. For that matter, electric grinders with blades seldom do the job well because they don't produce an even grind...or by the time it does, it has become coffee dust. Those with burrs do a lot better.
- Roast. Dark roasted or espresso roast is the best.
- Water. Fresh 'softened' water. Not distilled or mineral water.
- Technical factors. These include things like water temperature which should be 92-96c, pressure should be 9-10atm and extraction time is ideally about 25sec.
Since it's hard to get all these factors right at the same time and because every espresso home machine is different, I think it's still going to take a lot of experimenting before we get a consistent head of golden crema each time. Meanwhile, we're all going to be running around & talking a little faster.
minibeanie is 1 year, 8 months, 1 week & 5 days old
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