Last year, we had just arrived when the Formula 1 kicked off so we watched it lazily on tv. This year, we got the amazing opportunity to actually attend the three days of practises and races. It was very exciting, very loud, and really "cool". (although very hot and humid!)
On Friday night, I took Frunty. We stopped for pastries in the shape of Formula 1 race cars and got take-out sushi. We really enjoyed the BMWs, Porsches, whizzing by and Frunty was able to stay up long enough to see the actual practises. We also saw two shows, a dirt bike performance and a group of musicians called Escala.
On Saturday, Papa took the red eye back to Singapore from India and after a good nap, took Pit to the Formula 1. Again, pastries on the way! (by the way, we try to stick to our diet as much as possible but the occasional treat is sweet!)
On Sunday, Papa took Frunty. They stayed right til the very end of the race and Frunty seemed happy that Alonso from the Ferrari team won! As they headed to the MRT, they could hear the Mariah Carey concert. Frunty stood beside my bed at some unearthly hour and said something to me. I think I heard the word "exciting". Even though he was clearly very tired this morning as he ate breakfast before school, he regaled me with all kinds of info about burning cars and other mishaps and triumphs along the circuit.
We appreciated calls from Nonna Lili, Max and Emi in Turin to chat about the Formula 1. They were watching it too. Pit and I were watching it on tv. So we all had the fever! Nonna and Nonno also called to touch base on Zia Monica's birthday. We do not get a lot of phone calls so when we do, it really is very special and I was happy to hear Pit speaking Italian so well and was surprised at my own abilities to chat! What a great weekend!
Sunday, 26 September 2010
Thursday, 23 September 2010
Frunty's Arm
Here is Frunty at the KK hospital in Singapore having his arm x-rayed for the last time!!! Yeeha! Frunty's arm has healed perfectly and his doctor is thrilled as are we.
Frunty no longer has to wear the brace but will be exempt 1 more month from PE to protect the newly healed bones. He can start Karate again but no sparring. We are all really happy that all has ended so well. The entire experience from start to finish has been excellent. Everyone has accidents, no matter how careful we are...Frunty said breaking an arm is "awesome" but hopefully it will not happen again!
Job well done, Frunty! I know it is hard missing PE and an effort to walk, not run. It is not in your nature so you have done so well! You did have those fun experiences of riding an elephant and reeling in a grouper among other fish to help you during your time of convalescence. Soon you'll be back to your energetic self and full of the joie de vivre which makes us love you so! Actually wild horses could not drag your fun-loving spirit anywhere!
Wednesday, 22 September 2010
Malaysian Chinese Friends
Frunty's friend, Emily, from 2P Faith and her family invited the three of us to their home tonight for a traditional Mid-Autumn harvest meal, special moon cake desserts and a walk in the park to see a Line Dance. Or maybe they are saying "Lion" Dance. In any case, it was a lot of fun even though a few of the lanterns set on fire in the apartment but were quickly extinguished. Of course, this was a lot of excitement for the kids. We all loved the "Snow Skin" mooncakes the best and I am happy that they could accommodate our diet.
Emily's mom, Lynn, and I are in the PSG so I have been getting to know her over the past few months. Her husband reads with the students one morning a week so I have met him school on other occasions as well. It is so nice to have new friends and to start enjoying socializing again. When Papa gets home, we'll have to invite this family over for a special meal. Papa phoned during the party so at least we had a quick chat with him! Happy Full Moon!
Emily's mom, Lynn, and I are in the PSG so I have been getting to know her over the past few months. Her husband reads with the students one morning a week so I have met him school on other occasions as well. It is so nice to have new friends and to start enjoying socializing again. When Papa gets home, we'll have to invite this family over for a special meal. Papa phoned during the party so at least we had a quick chat with him! Happy Full Moon!
Sunday, 19 September 2010
Thank you, Papa!
For taking us to our favourite restaurant where we can play board games while eating! And for taking us to your office which is always a lot of fun. We love doing our homework there, with you!
Papa: I know you had a lot to do to get ready for your trip to India tonight so an extra special thank you from the Mommy for spending some extra special time with Frunty and Pit. They really love "Boys Days Out" with you. I was happy to get some much needed admin. done!!! I am glad you liked the special soup I made you. Have a good week in India! We miss you already!
Moon Cake and Lantern Festival
The community of Tanah Merah Fengshan just celebrated the Moon Cake Festival. We walked around our neighbourhood with our lanterns lit in the dark after having watched a magic show, several singers perform and an acrobatic. It was a nice evening and made even nicer by the fact that we know some people now in our community so there were friendly faces in the crowd. Our friend from England won a bike during the lucky draw.
Papa left tonight for a whirlwind work tour of India and will be at home in time to enjoy the Formula 1 on Saturday and Sunday, one day with Pit, the other day with Frunty. Friday night I will take Frunty.
Just as Papa was leaving for the airport, I was on the 6:30pm news here in Singapore on Channel 8 along with several other students and moms from Tampines Primary School. I think they kept the camera on me because I am the only foreigner and that makes for more interesting news on a Chinese news station. In the small segment, I am playing math games with the students along with other members of the PSG. (parent support group) I will have to ask the principal, Mrs. Wong, what she said in her interview as it was in Mandarin.
I almost forgot to mention the moon cakes and the bubbly which we enjoyed before the festivities tonight. I am grateful I was able to order cakes that meet our allergy-free criteria. They were made from lotus flowers with no gluten/egg/dairy etc. Quite tasty and came in an amazing box and bag. Very festive. This time last year we celebrated at Papa's colleague's home with many others in the party room and by the pool. I can hardly believe an entire year has already passed!! No time for looking back...Formula 1 coming up next!!!
Papa left tonight for a whirlwind work tour of India and will be at home in time to enjoy the Formula 1 on Saturday and Sunday, one day with Pit, the other day with Frunty. Friday night I will take Frunty.
Just as Papa was leaving for the airport, I was on the 6:30pm news here in Singapore on Channel 8 along with several other students and moms from Tampines Primary School. I think they kept the camera on me because I am the only foreigner and that makes for more interesting news on a Chinese news station. In the small segment, I am playing math games with the students along with other members of the PSG. (parent support group) I will have to ask the principal, Mrs. Wong, what she said in her interview as it was in Mandarin.
I almost forgot to mention the moon cakes and the bubbly which we enjoyed before the festivities tonight. I am grateful I was able to order cakes that meet our allergy-free criteria. They were made from lotus flowers with no gluten/egg/dairy etc. Quite tasty and came in an amazing box and bag. Very festive. This time last year we celebrated at Papa's colleague's home with many others in the party room and by the pool. I can hardly believe an entire year has already passed!! No time for looking back...Formula 1 coming up next!!!
Thursday, 16 September 2010
Regular Acitivities special too!
I know I tend to write about the extra special things we do and see here in Singapore but wanted to add that the daily events are also very fun.
In the pool, we like to play the Witch game. I chase the boys in the pool and when I catch them, I bring them over to my chopping block where I prepare them for my feast until the other boy saves his brother. They are getting harder and harder to catch, by the way, as they swim like dolphins. We also take turns holding onto the side of the pool. The two others try to pull the one holding on until he/she lets go. It is a great stretch for the lower back, I must say! Beside the pool we often play frisbee and badminton.
Another fun activity is for Amy to bring Pit to Tampines on the days when I volunteer at TPS, Frunty's school, and cannot get back by 11 am to pick Pit up. Amy leaves the two of us and we go the lower floor of Tampines Mall and buy a picnic lunch of sushi, cookies and freshly squeezed juices. Then we go to our favourite, quiet, little corner to eat together. It is near a few restaurants that seem to be empty at that time of day so it is a tranquille spot to catch up and right near a pet shop where we can look at Hamsters after we have eaten.
Then we pick up Frunty together and get him a lunch before heading home. Some days, Pit is not starving so we can all eat lunch together at 1:45pm at the mall and then we go for sushi or Mos Burgers or Carl's Jr. Once we arrive at our MRT station, the boys pretend I am no longer with them and walk home together. Of course, grandparents, my bike is at the MRT so I follow not too far behind to make sure they do not get into any monkey business!!
We always have story time each day as well. Papa and I take turns reading stories and Frunty does too. Pit is starting to read more and more and will sometimes read us a book as well. It is part of our unwinding time before bed and we all love that time snuggling together. We just finished a book about an Orangutan named Batpants by Jeremy Strong so at the library today, we got another one. Papa is reading a book to them about the Formula 1 as I write this blog entry.
We also like to play jeu de societe together as often as we can. Honestly, even though we now have a few channels, we forget all about tv and no one asks for it. I think we might watch one movie a week and one tv show. Last night, we forgot all about watching a nature show which we had been planning on watching. I only just realized that we forgot which goes to show you that tv is not really a part of our lives. On holidays though, if there is a tv in our hotel/hostel room, we like to unwind by watching some cartoons.
Papa also makes time to look at different things under the microscope with the boys and try to grow different things like shrimp eggs. This is pretty fun. Along with building carboard houses in the garage and playing basketball, we keep busy in these fun ways which make up our weekly adventures here at home. We are love our traditions and just started a new one tonight: making toasts at dinner for that which we are grateful.
Pit toasted the trees. Frunty is grateful for our family. I toasted Amy's excellent Thai dinner she prepared and Papa toasted all of us for making toasts. A fun new tradition!
In the pool, we like to play the Witch game. I chase the boys in the pool and when I catch them, I bring them over to my chopping block where I prepare them for my feast until the other boy saves his brother. They are getting harder and harder to catch, by the way, as they swim like dolphins. We also take turns holding onto the side of the pool. The two others try to pull the one holding on until he/she lets go. It is a great stretch for the lower back, I must say! Beside the pool we often play frisbee and badminton.
Another fun activity is for Amy to bring Pit to Tampines on the days when I volunteer at TPS, Frunty's school, and cannot get back by 11 am to pick Pit up. Amy leaves the two of us and we go the lower floor of Tampines Mall and buy a picnic lunch of sushi, cookies and freshly squeezed juices. Then we go to our favourite, quiet, little corner to eat together. It is near a few restaurants that seem to be empty at that time of day so it is a tranquille spot to catch up and right near a pet shop where we can look at Hamsters after we have eaten.
Then we pick up Frunty together and get him a lunch before heading home. Some days, Pit is not starving so we can all eat lunch together at 1:45pm at the mall and then we go for sushi or Mos Burgers or Carl's Jr. Once we arrive at our MRT station, the boys pretend I am no longer with them and walk home together. Of course, grandparents, my bike is at the MRT so I follow not too far behind to make sure they do not get into any monkey business!!
We always have story time each day as well. Papa and I take turns reading stories and Frunty does too. Pit is starting to read more and more and will sometimes read us a book as well. It is part of our unwinding time before bed and we all love that time snuggling together. We just finished a book about an Orangutan named Batpants by Jeremy Strong so at the library today, we got another one. Papa is reading a book to them about the Formula 1 as I write this blog entry.
We also like to play jeu de societe together as often as we can. Honestly, even though we now have a few channels, we forget all about tv and no one asks for it. I think we might watch one movie a week and one tv show. Last night, we forgot all about watching a nature show which we had been planning on watching. I only just realized that we forgot which goes to show you that tv is not really a part of our lives. On holidays though, if there is a tv in our hotel/hostel room, we like to unwind by watching some cartoons.
Papa also makes time to look at different things under the microscope with the boys and try to grow different things like shrimp eggs. This is pretty fun. Along with building carboard houses in the garage and playing basketball, we keep busy in these fun ways which make up our weekly adventures here at home. We are love our traditions and just started a new one tonight: making toasts at dinner for that which we are grateful.
Pit toasted the trees. Frunty is grateful for our family. I toasted Amy's excellent Thai dinner she prepared and Papa toasted all of us for making toasts. A fun new tradition!
Sunday, 12 September 2010
No crabbiness in Krabi!
Where to start?! Papa had to go to HKG during the kids' September holiday this year so I took the boys to Krabi, Thailand for a one week trip. The doctors told Frunty he must take care of his now-healed arm (yeah! it healed already perfectly!) and avoid "sports". Does adventure travelling count as a sport? I dare say it does and we are so lucky that nothing happened while Frunty:
*rode (or shall we say "drove"?) an elephant through the jungle
*jumped off a long tail boat into the pristine waters surrounding Chicken Island
*fought with a huge grouper and reeled it in during deep sea fishing
*body surfed on the waves at Aonang Beach
*rock climbed around the hot springs and slid down the natural slide into the Emerald Pool
*kayaked through the magnificent caves in a national park
Wow! It was a great week and Pit loved it too and we all arrived back home, safe and sound and no injuries. Frunty was most impressive remembering when to take on and off his new, arm brace. We met some fun people from China and the States and the kids cheered when they met a young Belgium woman and a Belgian couple celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary.
And Papa had a good week in HKG and catching up with lots of stuff in Singapore. We got back on Saturday, rested and had French lessons with our new tutor from Reunion Island, Priscille. On Sunday, we celebrated part 2 of Papa's birthday by seeing "Elmo Grows Up", live, followed by a walk by the river and a cake and bubbly back at home. So you see, the fun never stops!
And why should it?!
*rode (or shall we say "drove"?) an elephant through the jungle
*jumped off a long tail boat into the pristine waters surrounding Chicken Island
*fought with a huge grouper and reeled it in during deep sea fishing
*body surfed on the waves at Aonang Beach
*rock climbed around the hot springs and slid down the natural slide into the Emerald Pool
*kayaked through the magnificent caves in a national park
Wow! It was a great week and Pit loved it too and we all arrived back home, safe and sound and no injuries. Frunty was most impressive remembering when to take on and off his new, arm brace. We met some fun people from China and the States and the kids cheered when they met a young Belgium woman and a Belgian couple celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary.
And Papa had a good week in HKG and catching up with lots of stuff in Singapore. We got back on Saturday, rested and had French lessons with our new tutor from Reunion Island, Priscille. On Sunday, we celebrated part 2 of Papa's birthday by seeing "Elmo Grows Up", live, followed by a walk by the river and a cake and bubbly back at home. So you see, the fun never stops!
And why should it?!
