Gingerbread & Santa

I forgot to post the important picture of me and Santa from the other night. I thought he was supposed to come down the chimney but since chimneys are quite foreign to HK builders, I have no idea where Santa came from.

On Sunday, I went to Granma Ling's house to "make winter" which was hardly the case because it must have been 24 degrees outside! Anyway, Granma Ling made us a tablefull of delicious food and she even made me a gingerbread house and gingerbread man cookies! Thank you!! I've got everything I need for Christmas, except for some snow!

My Christmas party with my friends

We had a party with ALL my friends from my Monday Cantonese playgroup. I have been friends with them since I was 8 months old. It's amazing that almost all of them were looking at the camera, isn't it? I even saw Santa the very first time. I was hesitant at first in approaching him but after I realised he just wanted to give me a present, I began liking him more and more. I do hope he comes back soon. Santa got me colourful fabric A-Zs which is perfect because I've been learning them every morning. There's 4 more days until Christmas...more parties, more food, more presents....but I know that it's really all about JESUS! Thanks for reminding me Dai Yee Ma...

Granma's birthday

We went to Victoria Park yesterday for a picnic Christmas party. For the gift exchange, I got a set of plastic golf club and a plastic bat. This is the first time I've ever played with anything like that and I immediately clung to the bat and began hitting whatever was in my sight. Silly me, I really thought that round ball was a watermelon, my favorite summer fruit.

Today we celebrated granma Ling's birthday at a buffet lunch where I feasted on endless sushi. See the above picture? I was explaining to her how I made the handprint as a gift to her. She was so pleased! Happy Birthday Ma Ma!

Putting up the Christmas Tree

Tis the beginning of a busy holiday season. I helped out in putting the Christmas tree up yesterday. I hung up decorations in a very localised region of the tree due to my limited height capability. I am so happy about all the lights and hangings on the tree--it has quickly become my favorite holiday. I look forward to the party in the coming weeks with all my buddies from my Monday playgroup--it's going to be a big celebration first time ever! And sshhhhh, don't tell anyone I told you, but I heard Santa's coming to my place that night! I MUST be special!

Daddy's back!

Daddy's back! He returned on Monday bringing lots of goodies for me. My uncle James got me some finger puppets and a colourful knit hat from Ethiopia--thank you Uncle James. But what I loved even more was trying to fit myself inside daddy's suitcase.

It is US Thanksgiving today. No turkey in the oven as we're not Americans but I am still thankful that I have friends, family, and good healthy food to eat.

My A too C's and 1-5

My daddy has been in Toronto for 2 days now. I know he misses me a lot so I dedicate today's blog to him. It is my attempt at ABCs and 1 to 5. Are you proud of me??? I am!

Open Air Market

We spent our afternoon at the Cyberport Open Air market today. Though there were too many people, I still enjoyed my time there throwing pebbles, dragging around a bright green floatie, and drinking Perrier for the first time. I felt like such a grown up drinking it right from the bottle.

I also visited my naturopath over the weekend. The doctor gave me various tiny pellets that my mommy calls 'candy' for the following: (1) cough; (2) flem; and (3) my constitution. The 3rd one is the one that baffles me the most: how 3 little pellets can change my behaviour. The doctor strictly instructed that only 3 be given to me. Mommy thought that my 5 star behaviour was so good today that she is tempted to give me the rest.

One fine day

Not a cloud in the sky and with the cool weather, it was most suitable for a day out at the Ocean Park (again!), this time visiting the aquarium, jelly fish, and seals. Look at the picture above with all the purple jellyfish in the background...oh, and they change colours too! We had lunch at the Bayview restaurant, overlooking the beautiful Repulse and South Bay. I was most amused with the mirror ceiling we had. Then we had a nice celebration at home for my helper Edna. She let me blow out her candles--I think they all had lots of cake with plentiful of saliva coating.

A New Era

Both the computer and I contracted some kind of virus so that is why I have been MIA on my blog! But the computer is all fixed now so we are all good and I can show you an update. Most exciting news is that Barack Obama has been elected the new US president. Mommy has high hopes that this marks a new era of change--Obama is young, charismatic, and handsome...I hope he will have a lasting positive impact on the US, its neighbours and a domino effect on the rest of the world!

A few pictures to show you what I've been up to:

SNAKE: a mom at school brought her pet snake for us to see and touch. I was a bit afraid at first but after all the other kids touched it, I thought it was safe to feel it too. However, it's too long and slimy for my liking--"woh woh" is still my favorite.

HALLOWEEN: we got to wear our costume to school and I recycled last year's since it was a different audience anyway. Here's a priceless shot of myself with the vampire.

BEST COSTUME: I won the best costume at a friend's birthday party--that thing on my neck is a real Calgarian cowboy necklace that Daddy lent to me! well, to tell you the truth, no one else read the invitation about a best costume contest so there was not really a competition. Still, I won a bouncy ball and I'm really happy about that!

Another girlfriend?

I haven't seen Naomi since my Baby Buddies classes back in June. She has blossomed into a sweet, beautiful girl. Don't we make a cute couple? She likes me a lot too--I think it's my big broad shoulders so she can lean on me when she needs a shoulder to cry on, and my skills in camera and videos so that I can record her beauty (what most local girls look for in a man!). I liked her so much I so willingly and voluntarily shared ALL my toys with her--that is a lot for me to give up! But when she sat on my mommy's lap, my jealousy took over and I gave her a slap on her head. Mommy's still my number one woman....for now.

Lady Clementi's Ride

Daddy & mommy took time out to go hiking with me on Lady Clementi's Ride. It was a new trail for all of us and it was such a pleasant walk.

Recently, I've been learning a lot of animal names. After going thru all the farm animals, I am picking up names for jungle animals. I cannot say the names--they are all "woh woh" (dogs) to me, but if you ask me to pick a specific plastic animal out of the bunch that mommy has bought me, I will not disappoint you.

Mommy and Daddy plan on taking me to a zoo soon--can't wait to put an animal name to a real animal face!

My First Ocean Park visit!

Mommy has waited so long to take me to Ocean Park and the day has finally come! Weatherman said 26 degrees, cloudy with sunny periods--what a liar! We were boiling under the sun! But beyond the hot sun, Ethan and I very much enjoyed Ocean Park. We met Le Le the panda from China. She was having her bamboo snack when we arrived. Her other mate must have been taking her morning nap. But I fancied the smaller sized battery operated ones more....we moved onto the 11:30 am Dolphin and Seal show. That is my usual lunch time. Perhaps that is why I paid more attention to my breadsticks and rice crackers as opposed to the real stars, dolphine and seal. All that sun and heat wore me out, so I only managed to see a bit of the aquarium. I'll save that for next time--Mommy bought an annual pass so we shall be frequenting there quite often! More pictures next time!

I'm 1.5 years old today!

I am 1.5 years old today! I'm such a big boy now! Look I can thread a whole string of blocks all by myself! Mommy took me to IFC this morning. We had a nice time sitting outside looking at all the "bot-tse" (boats). We have more exciting plans tonight, like having Chinese seafood with my buddies Ethan and Tristan! What a feast it will be!

Mid October weather

It is getting cooler in HK now. I think the change in weather is giving me a runny nose. I hope I am not getting sick again! But even with a runny nose, I maintain my smile, my appetite and a cheerful mood to play.

Sunday in Discovery Bay

I went to Discovery Bay to visit Gung Gung and Por Por yesterday--I love the boat ride out there. Por Por took me to the beach and Gung Gung played with me in the playground. There was also a live band in the town square--just look at how happy I was running and playing in the crowd. After a delicious meal prepared by Por Por, I went home to find a new present from Daddy. He went to Shanghai on the weekend and got me my very own drum! I have enough instruments to form a big baby boom band now!

Hiding behind curtains

Ethan and I are at it again: our game of the day was hiding behind the dining room curtain. We think it is so funny because no one can see us. We take turns hiding from one side of the room to the other side of the room. We almost crashed at one point.

I Got Hit On at a Wedding!

I am used to creeping up to little wee belles from behind and giving them big hugs so when this charming 'lil chickee grabbed my hand the moment we met, I was struck with awe! She sure wasn't shy. Her name is Sophia and she is almost 1 year old! We met at a wedding last night. It's too bad we both could not stay a little longer because I would've enjoyed our first dance together in the beautiful ballroom dance floor.

Hyperactive...NOT

Cannot sit still, cannot concentrate, always wanting to run around...are these all symptoms of a Hyperactive toddler on the edge of being labelled an Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder victim?? Mommy was beginning to worry so she casually brought up this issue with the principal at school today. To mommy's relief, I am ABSOLUTELY NORMAL! The explanation is that I'm simply a B-O-Y!!! This is how I learn about the world, apparently! Mommy just was not pleased that so much tuition was being paid for me to climb up and down the indoor slide at school instead of doing the "proper" montessori work, like pouring water from one cup to another or spooning black beans from one bowl to another with a ladel!!!! ha ha ha...

I am now into buses, cars, motorcycles, trucks, anything that has wheels! In fact, because "bus" and "car" are the only words I can say, every moving vehicle is a "BUS"! Here I am wearing mommy's green shirt, which is a dress when it's on me, and I'm wheeling the bus on my policecar....whooosh...

Oh, and with my obsession with wearing my mommy's jewellery, clothing (only green ones!!!), and shoes, I think I will drive my mom straight into the child psychologist's office...ha ha ha...

A new type of spa...

It is a holiday here in HK today. With no other better plans in place, I went off to South Bay Beach again with my buddies Ethan and Tristan. Being a bit bored of scooping sand, I tried a brand new type of spa...burying myself in sand! It does wonders for the skin...kind of has an exfoliating effect.

Dance & Dip!

I've only been showing you pictures lately so I thought you'd be delighted to watch a video today. Mommy & Daddy danced the Tango on their wedding night--maybe that is why I have an affinity to tango music. I love it when they "dip" me so I learnt the word today and ordered them to "dip" me some more. How exhilarating!

Shoes Fetish

Gold is THE colour in 2008, so my Auntie Eva just bought me the latest GOLD New Balance sneakers. I am definitely the Coolest Kid on The Block now!

I knew the day would come when I would become obsessed with trying on mommy's shoes--it's something that all toddlers go through, right? And why is that?? Is it just another way to pretend that they are older than what they really are?? Anyway, this pair tops my favorite--a pair of gold open toe flats because I can show off my beautiful toes. I especially like the pretty bows in the front. I also like that my gold sneakers can match my mommy's gold shoes.

My New Kitchen

It's only September but I thought it was Christmas when Daddy & Mommy surprised me on Saturday morning with a brand new play kitchen! It comes with "stainless steel" fridge, microwave, oven, and even a cordless phone. The elements on the stove makes boiling and frying sounds, just like the real ones! I played with it in most of my waking hours this weekend. See the picture I posted--with my big bulging stomach, I am already starting to look like a real chef!

For the first time, Mommy even let me watch DVD--she bought a Thomas the Train DVD because lately, I seem to have some kind of magnetism to this blue train character whenever I see him in outside shops, bookstores or on boys' apparel. I was mesmerised for the 10 minutes that I watched it--the only time in my life I have voluntarily sat completely still. How scary, my eyes were glued to the TV screen. This is why all parents should limit TV watching of any kind to a minimum!

Wong Nai Chung Reservoir

I went to feed the fish and turtles at the Wong Nai Chung Reservoir yesterday afternoon. We went on a pedalboat so we got very close to them. Because the turtles and fish are so used to being fed fresh bread, they were quite aggressive in getting the food. They sure are big for being on a pure carbohydrate diet. Afterwards, my friends Tristan and Ethan came over to play with me until 9pm!

A day out on the yacht

Right after school today, I hopped onto the yacht and spent all day out by the sea. We ended up at Long Ke beach. Lacking a speedboat, Daddy rowed Mommy and I to the beach with a dingy. Much of the time on the beach I spent welcoming all the big incoming water waves with courage. I also shoveled sand, collected seashells, built sand castles, ate sand and drank enough sea water to cut out salt in my diet for the next 2 weeks. To get back to the boat, we got on the dingy again, but the waves got stronger, so much so that our dingy flipped over . Daddy & Mommy were so proud of me today because I wasn't scared at all and really thought it was so much fun. True candidate for extreme sports!

Car washing

It will be my 2nd Mid Autumn Festival celebration this coming Sunday. Last year, I was still too young to eat mooncake but with 16 tooth, I think I can gobble down the entire mooncake this year so I'm excited about that! I think Mommy will let me choose the lantern this year too. So far, she just brings me down to our lobby to look at the two rabbit lanterns. I'm on really good terms with the security guards so they let me wheel them all around the lobby everyday.

It was a very nice day today that instead of going to the park or the beach, I decided to help out with washing the car. I suspect that I will be replacing our domestic helper soon, after I'm trained to do the laundry and ironing.

September: start of school

I have started Montessori school again after taking a bit of a summer break. Today, I started Soccatots. It was great fun. We chase a ball, kick it, and learn to balance bean bags on our heads. Through all that activity, I think I expended 10% of my energy! I've still got 90% left and that is driving Mommy crazy.

Daddy, in the 1st photo, is playing tricks with my eyes by moving natto (Japanese fermented bean, one of my favorite foods) closer and closer to my eyes until they get crossed. Mommy is so scared that they'll get stuck while being crossed!

Mommy has rotated my toys around and I began playing with Noah's Ark. In the 2nd photo, I am looking at Noah in awe. Did I tell you that I say grace regularly before my meals every day? I've been trained since I was 6 months old!

And lastly, just wanted to show you all 16 of my pearly whites! I look so grown up with so much teeth! Anyone looking for a baby toothpaste commercial model, give me a ring!