No - I can't believe it is the end of the year already. I couldn't possibly allow December to only have one post - so here is the final post of the year. We have visitors from the States at the moment and are traveling to Beijing with them on the 2nd January for a couple of days. The weather in Beijing is looking, well, cold. As in Illinois depths of winter cold. As in a high of zero (32F) and lows of, well it doesn't bear thinking about. So I've gone out and bought some robust trousers for Alex and Sebastien to wear. We're planning on seeing the Forbidden City and the Great Wall - but we shall see.
Finishing the year up re-acquainting myself with Xiamen, especially the relatively cooler and wetter winter. Drying clothes is proving taxing though we are getting there. Still catching up on the laundry from our trip to Australia! Have a few more things to buy before heading to Beijing including proper weatherproof shoes for Sebastien - the Robeez/Bobux just don't dry fast enough in this weather. Perhaps I just need to have seven pairs of shoes for him...wait, that's Alex!
Alex is trying to readjust to school and is not enjoying it at the moment. She really misses us during the day and has consistently told us each evening that she cried for Mama today. Only two more weeks and then she has her mid-year break. One month without school - boy is Mama in trouble!! Not sure what we'll be doing for the spring festival coming up at the end of January - it must be the year of the Ox as I've suddenly been surrounded by oxen decorations everywhere I go. So from the Year of the Rat we go into the Year of the Ox - and as a water ox, this should be a good year for me, no?!
Anyway, I will be in contact after we return from Beijing - still waiting on some guest posts (poke) - and will continue to bring our story up to date on our arrival in China.
A happy, healthy and prosperous New Year to all.
Wednesday 31 December 2008
Friday 26 December 2008
Home again, home again, jiggiddy jig.
Yes - we're back in China after our almost-two-month break in Australia. So we're now re-adjusting to life in the Middle Kingdom. Arriving home Christmas Eve was a bit of a stretch, with the 9.45pm arrival time the same as 12.45am Australian time. Although Sebastien had been vomiting leading up to our departure (got to hate viruses!) he managed to avoid doing so during our flights.
Anyway, I have lined up some guest blog posts about our visit home and once I receive them I'll post - it should be interesting to read about our visit from different perspectives! Plus I'll get back onto filling in our China life - after all, I only got to our departure from LA...
So here's to many more posts in the near future!
Anyway, I have lined up some guest blog posts about our visit home and once I receive them I'll post - it should be interesting to read about our visit from different perspectives! Plus I'll get back onto filling in our China life - after all, I only got to our departure from LA...
So here's to many more posts in the near future!
Saturday 8 November 2008
Australia Bound
We're off to a family wedding (my younger brother) in Australia and so will not be on as much - on the other hand, I may be able to convince some of the people we're staying with to "guest blog" for me.
I must also add that whilst Alex does love her extended family, she had been a little confused between "Australia" and "America" and was very upset to learn that she couldn't also see all her friends "who are very sad and crying and far, far away." Maybe that return trip to the States will happen sooner rather than later...
I must also add that whilst Alex does love her extended family, she had been a little confused between "Australia" and "America" and was very upset to learn that she couldn't also see all her friends "who are very sad and crying and far, far away." Maybe that return trip to the States will happen sooner rather than later...
Sunday 26 October 2008
The season for weddings
I'm not sure when peak season is for weddings, but in the past month there have been wedding booths galore advertising their wares. 
Having tried to find a photographer to have Sebastien's 12 month portrait taken, I soon realised that the 5 or 6 places I saw were strictly wedding phots only - huge shops that had elaborate "sets" for taking a series of photos in different outfits. I laughed when I saw the advertisement (below) for traditional photos - not eastern I imagined.
Having tried to find a photographer to have Sebastien's 12 month portrait taken, I soon realised that the 5 or 6 places I saw were strictly wedding phots only - huge shops that had elaborate "sets" for taking a series of photos in different outfits. I laughed when I saw the advertisement (below) for traditional photos - not eastern I imagined.
The market down the road
You've seen this photo of the market our bus passes in the mornings on the way to school - hard to miss as our bus often squeezes its way through a throng of people buying and selling fresh produce (other items are sold at the top of the street). It is a peculiarity of China that morning markets will spring up on various streets, with vendors simply appearing and putting their wares on the street (sometimes on plastic sheeting, sometimes in plastic tubs or bamboo baskets and sometimes just straight off the back of their electric bike) - it seems that this is tolerated and somewhat policed as at a designated time (7.30am in our case) "official" people come by to ensure that everyone is moving on and the street cleaners move in to mop up the mess - and mess does not adequately convey the situation on some mornings!This is a truly amazing event to observe - and if we have Alex and Sebastien with us then we are observed too - and to see all the varying fruits, vegetables and animals on offer. Whilst Alex has been there a couple of times, she hasn't seen some of the "hairier" scenarios involving live produce and is more interested in the long strip of fried dough (almost like a donut that's been unravelled - but not sweet) that she is certain she can con out of one or the other of us. I didn't think to get a photo of it but will have to one of these days!
Brett has wondered through with the camera - and in truth he is much gamer than I about taking photos of anything and everything - so I shall leave it for him to post about it - complete with photos. The ball's in his court!
Waiting until the cool weather
I am finding it hard to believe that we live directly across from Gulangyu (seen here from our balcony) and yet have still not visited it. Famous for the number of pianos it has (they even have a piano festival each year), the architecture from foreign embassies that used to be situated there, and that neither cars nor trucks are allowed on it - it is visited by many tourists. But not us. Not yet at least. We were advised to wait until the cooler months to visit it as then you could spend longer walking around the island, especially with children and the distances that they cover. So I look out over the water at the ferries floating past (complete with loudspeaker commentary in chinese) and content myself with that.
This little piggy goes to market...
...and this little piggy goes everywhere!
Sebastien has even tried to sneak him out onto the balcony (there's a strict "no toys on balcony" policy in our apartment - otherwise could you imagine the "testing gravity theory" from Sebastien given his highchair antics?!). He's worn out his batteries so I need to replace those.
Sebastien has even tried to sneak him out onto the balcony (there's a strict "no toys on balcony" policy in our apartment - otherwise could you imagine the "testing gravity theory" from Sebastien given his highchair antics?!). He's worn out his batteries so I need to replace those.
Our first bread
Although we don't have an oven, there are some bakeries around the city (predominently vietnamese) where we purchase bread. I try to keep some sliced bread in the freezer for jam or peanut butter sandwiches (it goes moldy really quickly here).
The first bread we purchased is still the kids favorite as it is sweet - when you break it open it is in layers, sort of like fairyfloss/cotton candy.
They can eat an entire loaf in a sitting, no problem.
The first bread we purchased is still the kids favorite as it is sweet - when you break it open it is in layers, sort of like fairyfloss/cotton candy.
They can eat an entire loaf in a sitting, no problem.
A boy and his...
...shoes and handbag??
Yep, Sebastien is a real fan of Alex's high heels,
they make such a satisfying "clop,clop" noise on our marble floor and loves dragging her handbags around (also putting things in and out of them is a favourite activity too - so long as the zip is already undone).
Did I mention that we've banished the high heels to daddy's work as the downstairs neighbor complained twice about the noise - noisy laowai!
Yep, Sebastien is a real fan of Alex's high heels,
they make such a satisfying "clop,clop" noise on our marble floor and loves dragging her handbags around (also putting things in and out of them is a favourite activity too - so long as the zip is already undone).
Did I mention that we've banished the high heels to daddy's work as the downstairs neighbor complained twice about the noise - noisy laowai!
Happy Birthday to me
In all the excitement of moving to China, I forgot to blog about my birthday! I celebrated it just over a week after we arrived in China - in fact, it was just after we had moved into our apartment. Here are some photos of my day.
First up I finally managed to find in a Trustmart supermarket (tucked away on a shelf and not at all obvious) a packet of five balloons. I had wanted some for Sebastien's birthday in a month, but broke out the pink one for me:
I made good use of our fridge magnets - got to remind the family somehow:
That evening I came home to find the table piled with some goodies that Alex and Sebastien had helped Daddy to find:
You'll see some little chocolates, various dried fruits, some coated peanuts, pistaccios, some individually wrapped cream(?) filled cookies as well as a large container of strawberry cookies, a beautiful blue baby frame and a jewellry box (for me to fill with a jade piece of my choice once I've worked out where to buy from), and two cards.
And the final touch - a little chinglish to keep me going:
First up I finally managed to find in a Trustmart supermarket (tucked away on a shelf and not at all obvious) a packet of five balloons. I had wanted some for Sebastien's birthday in a month, but broke out the pink one for me:
I made good use of our fridge magnets - got to remind the family somehow:
That evening I came home to find the table piled with some goodies that Alex and Sebastien had helped Daddy to find:
You'll see some little chocolates, various dried fruits, some coated peanuts, pistaccios, some individually wrapped cream(?) filled cookies as well as a large container of strawberry cookies, a beautiful blue baby frame and a jewellry box (for me to fill with a jade piece of my choice once I've worked out where to buy from), and two cards.
And the final touch - a little chinglish to keep me going:
More about where we live
Some things I've found out about where we live:
Population: 1994 est. 458,000 (according to The Colombia Encyclopedia), the most recent estimate of the end of 2005 is that it has reached 1,532,200.
City Flower: Bougainvillea glabra or Paper Flower (first image taken from wikipedia, second shows it growing on the sides of the elevated roads)
City Tree: Delonix Regia or Flame Tree
City Bird: Egret (the island is said to be in the shape of a flying egret - personally I can't see this)
Weather: Subtropical with weather influenced by typhoons several times each year (July-September). Sites I've found indicate an average of 82F/27.7C summer and 55F/12.7C winter - but having arrived mid-August I experienced 90F/32.2+ for days at a time, not a temperature I'm comfortable with in combination with high humidity. You know it's stinking hot when just standing at the bus-stop finds a rivulet of sweat running down your back - and you leave an imprint when you arise to get off the bus...
Fluctuation in temperature appears minimal with most days and nights spent within a range of 15 degrees F/7 degrees C. I am assured by more seasoned expats that winter is cold, cold, cold (hard for me to imagine at the moment!) and finds them piling on all the clothes that they own in their apartments. Apparently it's all the marble that keeps things cool. I'm not convinced, having found the change in temperature once autumn arrived to be a welcome change from the relentless heat and humidity of August and September. It amused me no end that everyone started wearing long sleeves, jeans and trousers (even some pullovers) whilst I just enjoyed wearing my shorts and short sleeves without sweating. Oh, and I was often chided (in chinese - but some things transcend language) for having Sebastien out and about without [choose one or several] long pants, shoes, long short, hat, umbrella etc etc. It takes a village...and they're not afraid to let you know! But enough of my tangent...
Average Income: The Xiamen government reported that the average per capita income in 2006 was US$2,153 (US$3,433 for administrative staff). The municipal government sets a minimum monthly wage that (interestingly) varies according to which district you work in Xiamen: "The city's minimum monthly wage during the period from1 July, 2003 to 30 June, 2004 is RMB Yuan 480 in Siming and Huli districts, RMB Yuan 430 in Jimei and Haicang districts and RMB Yuan 360 in Tong'an and Xiang'an districts respectively" - or roughly US$68.50, US$61.40 and US$51.40. This really blew me away when I realised that what I used to earn per month (BC - before children) in Australia was more or less 8 months of a Xiamen chinese resident's income. Even now, our income is much more than the average.
Cash is king and I intend to post about currency later as I have been collecting the many variations found here - plus I want to note down some things I find interesting about counterfeiting.
That will do for now. Have to move on from the cafe before my bottom falls asleep!
Population: 1994 est. 458,000 (according to The Colombia Encyclopedia), the most recent estimate of the end of 2005 is that it has reached 1,532,200.
City Flower: Bougainvillea glabra or Paper Flower (first image taken from wikipedia, second shows it growing on the sides of the elevated roads)
City Tree: Delonix Regia or Flame Tree
City Bird: Egret (the island is said to be in the shape of a flying egret - personally I can't see this)
Weather: Subtropical with weather influenced by typhoons several times each year (July-September). Sites I've found indicate an average of 82F/27.7C summer and 55F/12.7C winter - but having arrived mid-August I experienced 90F/32.2+ for days at a time, not a temperature I'm comfortable with in combination with high humidity. You know it's stinking hot when just standing at the bus-stop finds a rivulet of sweat running down your back - and you leave an imprint when you arise to get off the bus...
Fluctuation in temperature appears minimal with most days and nights spent within a range of 15 degrees F/7 degrees C. I am assured by more seasoned expats that winter is cold, cold, cold (hard for me to imagine at the moment!) and finds them piling on all the clothes that they own in their apartments. Apparently it's all the marble that keeps things cool. I'm not convinced, having found the change in temperature once autumn arrived to be a welcome change from the relentless heat and humidity of August and September. It amused me no end that everyone started wearing long sleeves, jeans and trousers (even some pullovers) whilst I just enjoyed wearing my shorts and short sleeves without sweating. Oh, and I was often chided (in chinese - but some things transcend language) for having Sebastien out and about without [choose one or several] long pants, shoes, long short, hat, umbrella etc etc. It takes a village...and they're not afraid to let you know! But enough of my tangent...
Average Income: The Xiamen government reported that the average per capita income in 2006 was US$2,153 (US$3,433 for administrative staff). The municipal government sets a minimum monthly wage that (interestingly) varies according to which district you work in Xiamen: "The city's minimum monthly wage during the period from1 July, 2003 to 30 June, 2004 is RMB Yuan 480 in Siming and Huli districts, RMB Yuan 430 in Jimei and Haicang districts and RMB Yuan 360 in Tong'an and Xiang'an districts respectively" - or roughly US$68.50, US$61.40 and US$51.40. This really blew me away when I realised that what I used to earn per month (BC - before children) in Australia was more or less 8 months of a Xiamen chinese resident's income. Even now, our income is much more than the average.
Cash is king and I intend to post about currency later as I have been collecting the many variations found here - plus I want to note down some things I find interesting about counterfeiting.
That will do for now. Have to move on from the cafe before my bottom falls asleep!
Size matters
I recently asked to Brett whether I looked taller than other people here as I often felt as though I was looking out over people's heads when walking around with Sebastien. I've done some searching online, but haven't come up with a definitive answer about what is the average height of men and women in China. My observations would be that it's a good head shorter than me for women and somewhat less than that for most men - though I have read that Chinese tend to be shorter in the south and taller in the north. Interestingly I have found reports of leg-lengthening operations being used in the past to gain height (see an example here) as well as firms discriminating hiring practices based on height.
On the other hand, I know that I am larger (rounder/fatter) than the vast majority of people here (hmm, just like in europe...). I don't even bother to try on clothes and am going to head to the cloth market and tailers to have some clothes made once I get back from Australia.
My foot is on the larger side of average too now (thanks to two pregnancies) though I can still find shoes occasionally. I suspect that I'll enjoy shopping more for Sebastien and Alex's clothes - heh.
On the other hand, I know that I am larger (rounder/fatter) than the vast majority of people here (hmm, just like in europe...). I don't even bother to try on clothes and am going to head to the cloth market and tailers to have some clothes made once I get back from Australia.
My foot is on the larger side of average too now (thanks to two pregnancies) though I can still find shoes occasionally. I suspect that I'll enjoy shopping more for Sebastien and Alex's clothes - heh.
The decadence of time
Ahh, the essence of a day off. As ten whole hours stretch luxuriously in front of me I scramble to get out of the apartment, computer in my bag. Oh to spend some time on my own, blogging up a storm before the intensity of packing for our Australian trip. To not have the rapscallion and monster chasing me around the apartment demanding in turn to be played with, fed, sung with or read to. Ahh, bliss does not encompass the feeling.
So here's a tribute to the "other" blog poster - a lurker really as he has rarely made an appearance here in spite of many opportunities - to Brett, husband and daddy extraordinaire whose plan to hike somewhere dirty (not difficult in Xiamen) til they drop is his battle plan for the day.
And so, onward. Caffeine fuelled posts to follow in an effort to be more up-to-date before heading to Australia and possibly not blogging for two months (only kidding, of course I'll be blogging...) whilst on holiday with the twin tornadoes.
So here's a tribute to the "other" blog poster - a lurker really as he has rarely made an appearance here in spite of many opportunities - to Brett, husband and daddy extraordinaire whose plan to hike somewhere dirty (not difficult in Xiamen) til they drop is his battle plan for the day.
And so, onward. Caffeine fuelled posts to follow in an effort to be more up-to-date before heading to Australia and possibly not blogging for two months (only kidding, of course I'll be blogging...) whilst on holiday with the twin tornadoes.
Friday 24 October 2008
Coffee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hmm, a little excited perhaps. Or maybe it's just because I've just had my first "real" coffee since getting to China.
Found my way over to the Marco Polo Hotel (supposed to be expat neighborhood) this morning (9th September when I started this post) with Sebastien and lo and behold. Cafe district!
A row of about 5 coffee houses plus several non-chinese restaurants that also sell coffee were sitting awaiting my discovery.
Of course, being a western want, a basic black coffee costs around 30元 which is close enough to US$5 to go "ouch" (remember that our evening meal is around 6-7元 to feed all of us). So this is not something that I'll be doing every day but definitely a once a week pilgrimage thing.
Even better, the first coffee house I actually went into (as opposed to just walking by) called Javaromas (love the arty design for the coffee cup on their website) is owned by an Australian (I had my suspicions when I noticed a cluster of Australian aboriginal wall art on the wall after I sat down).
They are halfway across the city (I am still yet to come across a coffee house anywhere near the university) and have free wi-fi too so one of my days off - when I leave the kids behind with Brett to look after - I'll grab the computer and do some decent surfing over a couple of coffees. This is one that combines red wine and coffee - my kind of outfit!
Bliss.
Found my way over to the Marco Polo Hotel (supposed to be expat neighborhood) this morning (9th September when I started this post) with Sebastien and lo and behold. Cafe district!
A row of about 5 coffee houses plus several non-chinese restaurants that also sell coffee were sitting awaiting my discovery.
Of course, being a western want, a basic black coffee costs around 30元 which is close enough to US$5 to go "ouch" (remember that our evening meal is around 6-7元 to feed all of us). So this is not something that I'll be doing every day but definitely a once a week pilgrimage thing.
Even better, the first coffee house I actually went into (as opposed to just walking by) called Javaromas (love the arty design for the coffee cup on their website) is owned by an Australian (I had my suspicions when I noticed a cluster of Australian aboriginal wall art on the wall after I sat down).
They are halfway across the city (I am still yet to come across a coffee house anywhere near the university) and have free wi-fi too so one of my days off - when I leave the kids behind with Brett to look after - I'll grab the computer and do some decent surfing over a couple of coffees. This is one that combines red wine and coffee - my kind of outfit!
Bliss.Snake massage anyone?
No, not here in China, in Israel.
Anyone who's had a pedicure around me will know just how ticklish I am on my feet. So I just could not imagine having a "snake massage" like this story shows. I took this image from their article - there are 4 others if you click through. What you read in the China Daily...hmmm!
Anyone who's had a pedicure around me will know just how ticklish I am on my feet. So I just could not imagine having a "snake massage" like this story shows. I took this image from their article - there are 4 others if you click through. What you read in the China Daily...hmmm!
Thursday 23 October 2008
Business Name
Hello out there. Anyone have a flash of inspiration about a business name for an editing/proofreading/writing etc etc kind of business, comment or shoot me an email.
Thanks muchly!
Thanks muchly!
Has it really been two years?!
I first started this blog in November 2006 when Alex was 20 months old and can't believe that it has continued through another baby (hello Sebastien) and a move to China (hello Xiamen).
With the two year anniversary approaching, I thought I'd get the blog an appropriate anniversary gift and combine the 1st and 2nd year (paper and cotton) and investigate how to get a hard copy printed and bound of the blog's first couple of years. And it's been difficult finding a clear cut answer.
If anyone has a flash of inspiration, leave me a comment. Until then, I'll keep doing the internet rounds to see what's available.
With the two year anniversary approaching, I thought I'd get the blog an appropriate anniversary gift and combine the 1st and 2nd year (paper and cotton) and investigate how to get a hard copy printed and bound of the blog's first couple of years. And it's been difficult finding a clear cut answer.
If anyone has a flash of inspiration, leave me a comment. Until then, I'll keep doing the internet rounds to see what's available.
Wednesday 22 October 2008
Learning Chinese IV
I have a new favourite website (http://www.nciku.com) for Chinese - it has pinyin plus you can write characters with your mouse!! Check it out. This is where I will take most of my chinese characters from from now.
Since I've been using my Xiàmén (like shhyah-muhn) 厦门 map recently, I thought I'd discuss compass points and street names here.
It took me a long time to work this out (over a month) because the street names were always changing as you walked along them. First some basics:
Da ( like da) 大 big
So Hubin Nan Lu, Hubin Bei Lu and Hubin Xi Lu are, respectively, Lakeside south road, Lakeside north road and Lakeside west road - interestingly these are located around a lake...fancy that.
Now sometimes the same street will change for example: Hubin Nan Lu, Hubin Zhong Lu and Hubin Bei Lu which means that you've walked along south Hubin St, middle Hubin St and north Hubin St. Finally some streets will be called dalu or dajie which translates as a main road - you know, big...
Now if only I could remember this when I'm out instead of needing to refer to my map like an obvious tourist - not that I'm ever going to look like a local ;)
Oh and the other thing is that "face" in China is very important - so don't ask just anyone for directions or you may get sent off in the complete wrong direction just because someone didn't want to show that they didn't know the answer to your question (or didn't understand what you asked).
Since I've been using my Xiàmén (like shhyah-muhn) 厦门 map recently, I thought I'd discuss compass points and street names here.
It took me a long time to work this out (over a month) because the street names were always changing as you walked along them. First some basics:
Lu (sounds like Lew) 路 street or road
Jie (like gee) 街 street or road
Bei (like bay) 北 north
Nan (like nan) 南 south
Nan (like nan) 南 south
Dong (like dong) 东 east
Xi (like shee) 西 west
Zhong (like jong) 中 centreDa ( like da) 大 big
So Hubin Nan Lu, Hubin Bei Lu and Hubin Xi Lu are, respectively, Lakeside south road, Lakeside north road and Lakeside west road - interestingly these are located around a lake...fancy that.
Now sometimes the same street will change for example: Hubin Nan Lu, Hubin Zhong Lu and Hubin Bei Lu which means that you've walked along south Hubin St, middle Hubin St and north Hubin St. Finally some streets will be called dalu or dajie which translates as a main road - you know, big...
Now if only I could remember this when I'm out instead of needing to refer to my map like an obvious tourist - not that I'm ever going to look like a local ;)
Oh and the other thing is that "face" in China is very important - so don't ask just anyone for directions or you may get sent off in the complete wrong direction just because someone didn't want to show that they didn't know the answer to your question (or didn't understand what you asked).
Snippets from China II
Something we've noticed here in Xiamen is that it appears that every second woman is holding an umbrella - regardless of the weather. In fact, Chinese women are very concerned about their skin colour; the whiter the better, contrary to the west where the browner the better. In China, if you are brown skinned then you must have to work in the sun, ergo you must be poor/be of low social status. Meanwhile, in the west if you have a tan then you must have spare time, ergo you must be rich/possibly have a boat/are of high social status. With my lily white skin, I'm glad I'm in China ;)
Millions of yuan worth of whitening products are sold each year. Other ways, women especially, keep the sun at bay include carrying an umbrella/parasol where-ever they go (handy for sudden downpours and great for blocking out the sun). For the women who ride bikes (regular or electric) there are special sleeves and purpose-made capes to wear to protect your arms and neck - no "driving arm" for them!
We were conspicuously without umbrella the first week we were here - so we allowed Alex to choose an umbrella for us to use whilst out walking the streets. Now some are quite ornate: lacey cutouts, shiny or pearlescent colours - not many are single colour, standard-does-the-job types so this was a dicey proposition...blame jetlag. Originally meant to be Alex's to use, it soon became apparent that if it remained hers she would soon take out every Chinese person we encountered on the footpath. So it's become mine and I found her an alternate.
What do you think of the result (yes I am one of "those" no-umbrellas-up-in-the-house-superstitious kinds)?
Millions of yuan worth of whitening products are sold each year. Other ways, women especially, keep the sun at bay include carrying an umbrella/parasol where-ever they go (handy for sudden downpours and great for blocking out the sun). For the women who ride bikes (regular or electric) there are special sleeves and purpose-made capes to wear to protect your arms and neck - no "driving arm" for them!
We were conspicuously without umbrella the first week we were here - so we allowed Alex to choose an umbrella for us to use whilst out walking the streets. Now some are quite ornate: lacey cutouts, shiny or pearlescent colours - not many are single colour, standard-does-the-job types so this was a dicey proposition...blame jetlag. Originally meant to be Alex's to use, it soon became apparent that if it remained hers she would soon take out every Chinese person we encountered on the footpath. So it's become mine and I found her an alternate.
What do you think of the result (yes I am one of "those" no-umbrellas-up-in-the-house-superstitious kinds)?
Tuesday 21 October 2008
The end of the real deal
Things you can do with five blown-up balloons in the apartment: dance!
Daddy brought home two packages from work - we planned to open both Tuesday evening but that didn't end up happening as Sebastien was quite taken with the contents of the first package and it wouldn't have been fair to make him give up new things to open something he didn't quite understand. So we opened the second package Wednesday morning. Yes indeed, it was the birthday that just kept on giving! Here he is opening
Grandie and Poppie's parcel first up:
The various trucks are a huge hit, replacing piggy for the most part as these fit nicely into his hands. He's taken to crawling around the place with one in each hand, rolling it along and then pushing them off of furniture (did I mention that we're too loud for our downstairs neighour?)
Then on Wednesday morning, here he is opening Uncle B and Aunty Chelle's parcel:
Here's Alex's reaction to not being allowed to open all the presents the day before:
Daddy brought home two packages from work - we planned to open both Tuesday evening but that didn't end up happening as Sebastien was quite taken with the contents of the first package and it wouldn't have been fair to make him give up new things to open something he didn't quite understand. So we opened the second package Wednesday morning. Yes indeed, it was the birthday that just kept on giving! Here he is opening
Grandie and Poppie's parcel first up:
The various trucks are a huge hit, replacing piggy for the most part as these fit nicely into his hands. He's taken to crawling around the place with one in each hand, rolling it along and then pushing them off of furniture (did I mention that we're too loud for our downstairs neighour?)
Then on Wednesday morning, here he is opening Uncle B and Aunty Chelle's parcel:
Here's Alex's reaction to not being allowed to open all the presents the day before:
Blogger settings
A brief note to apologise for the lack of finesse of these posts - they look so beautifully set in the preview then appear all out of whack once published. I'm just too far behind to go back and play with the html to "fix" them so please bear with the addled posts.
Thank you.
Now back to our regular service...
Thank you.
Now back to our regular service...
The real deal
And a happy birthday morning to you!
Tuesday morning came and with it - PANCAKES!
And what pancake would be complete without your very own "Happy Birthday" playing candle (yes, I did manage to slip a few pieces into our shipped items from the States).
Alex was especially excited to be having such a different breakfast (her usual oats, milk and fruit don't quite measure up)! They both put away quite a few (luckily I'd found pancake mix the previous week as the milk situation was still unresolved so making them from scratch out of the question).
Afterwards, Sebastien (well, mainly Alex, really) opened his present from the family (I believe her words were :let me help you Sebastien" whilst grabbing it and starting to tear the paper):
Some animals and a pair of chinese pyjamas (no, no split pants). Toys have been somewhat difficult to find - plus Sebastien is usually happy just playing with his sister's things...;)
I know, I know "Made in China" right - well made and then promptly exported from China it seems. I am waiting a Toys'R Us that is set to open in Xiamen sometime in the next 6 months - mainly to see what on earth they have!
Then it was off to school for Alex with more fun planned for the evening. Balloons come in packets of five - all different colours. Very different shopping for birthdays here.
Tuesday morning came and with it - PANCAKES!
And what pancake would be complete without your very own "Happy Birthday" playing candle (yes, I did manage to slip a few pieces into our shipped items from the States).
Alex was especially excited to be having such a different breakfast (her usual oats, milk and fruit don't quite measure up)! They both put away quite a few (luckily I'd found pancake mix the previous week as the milk situation was still unresolved so making them from scratch out of the question).
Afterwards, Sebastien (well, mainly Alex, really) opened his present from the family (I believe her words were :let me help you Sebastien" whilst grabbing it and starting to tear the paper):
Some animals and a pair of chinese pyjamas (no, no split pants). Toys have been somewhat difficult to find - plus Sebastien is usually happy just playing with his sister's things...;)
I know, I know "Made in China" right - well made and then promptly exported from China it seems. I am waiting a Toys'R Us that is set to open in Xiamen sometime in the next 6 months - mainly to see what on earth they have!
Then it was off to school for Alex with more fun planned for the evening. Balloons come in packets of five - all different colours. Very different shopping for birthdays here.
China snacks
I have been trying to bring home a "mystery item" each time I go shopping to broaden our experience of the food here - and it usually truly is mystery as it's got no english nor pinyin on the package to help determine what might be inside (the only help being which aisle it was located in). But I had a yearning for something salty and thought I'd check out the chips selection here - yikes! Not quite your usual flavours I thought I'd play it safe and stick with the fruit and vegies flavours first...here is a small selection:
In keeping with how chinese view the world, just as with ying and yang there are cool and warm things - so the first photo shows the cool cucumber flavour and the warm mango flavour (I was so excited to find that - not so excited once I tasted it). The next picture is of the tube chips - pringles pesto italiano and the cucumber again, but my favourite one so far is the lime one - I just needed a shot of tequila to go with it and it would have been perfect!
And here you never have anything nearly so boring as a "plain" flavour - instead:
"potato flavour"! In case you wondered what it was - heh.
In keeping with how chinese view the world, just as with ying and yang there are cool and warm things - so the first photo shows the cool cucumber flavour and the warm mango flavour (I was so excited to find that - not so excited once I tasted it). The next picture is of the tube chips - pringles pesto italiano and the cucumber again, but my favourite one so far is the lime one - I just needed a shot of tequila to go with it and it would have been perfect!
And here you never have anything nearly so boring as a "plain" flavour - instead:
"potato flavour"! In case you wondered what it was - heh.
The Birthday that keeps on, and on, and on
Because Sebastien's birthday is on a Tuesday - which is a school night - we decided to celebrate his birthday a little early on the weekend before.
How to celebrate a first birthday - the original birthday - the one that shows the way for all other birthdays to follow (well, at least until your mid-twenties ;))? This was the conundrum that I faced. In an apartment that has no oven (I had contemplated a microwave mug-cake - but no flour, raising medium and dodgy milk...) and where cake is a relatively novel concept, I was sure that Sebastien would fall prey to "second child syndrome".
Alex had recently been asking for some "American pizza - not Chinese pizza" as we'd sampled something that might be known as a savoury kind of pseudo-pizza/bun/thingy. So with that as a guide, we headed out to one of the three Pizza Huts in town - the closest one which also happens to be on the 24th floor of a harbour building looking out over the harbour and city.
If we'd known enough Mandarin, we might have even been able to ask for a window seat...but we will save that for another time.
First, daddy and the birthday boy - check out that smile!
Then Mummy and the kids.
We ordered the much anticipated pizza (I must admit that I was anticipating it just as much) so Sebastien managed parts of several slices: the birthday boy with his slice of pizza
Alex didn't go for it nearly as much as we thought she would - in hindsight we think that the stuffed crust was too much cheese, certainly for us it was. Next time we'll stick with the thin crust.
The birthday cake that I found just off of Zhongshan Lu at a bakery - just the right size. Plus I got a "Hello Kitty" cookie thing filled with cream that I thought Sebastien might prefer, though Alex thought it was pretty good too.
Ready to blow out the candle (with a little bit of help - naturally).
We had been a mini sensation as the only laowai in the place (until right at the end). Leaving at the end - standing just inside the door waiting for the elevator.
One thing about Pizza Hut here is that a visit to the salad bar is a "one time affair" only - and consequently you get:
This was early in the construction phase - unfortunately I was otherwise occupied by the birthday boy and his sister to capture the ediface that resulted from this effort - quite extraordinary! But if you check out the web, you can see other results such as this one, this one, or even this one.
So we headed home and awaited Tuesday for "the real deal".
How to celebrate a first birthday - the original birthday - the one that shows the way for all other birthdays to follow (well, at least until your mid-twenties ;))? This was the conundrum that I faced. In an apartment that has no oven (I had contemplated a microwave mug-cake - but no flour, raising medium and dodgy milk...) and where cake is a relatively novel concept, I was sure that Sebastien would fall prey to "second child syndrome".
Alex had recently been asking for some "American pizza - not Chinese pizza" as we'd sampled something that might be known as a savoury kind of pseudo-pizza/bun/thingy. So with that as a guide, we headed out to one of the three Pizza Huts in town - the closest one which also happens to be on the 24th floor of a harbour building looking out over the harbour and city.
If we'd known enough Mandarin, we might have even been able to ask for a window seat...but we will save that for another time.
First, daddy and the birthday boy - check out that smile!
Then Mummy and the kids.
We ordered the much anticipated pizza (I must admit that I was anticipating it just as much) so Sebastien managed parts of several slices: the birthday boy with his slice of pizza
Alex didn't go for it nearly as much as we thought she would - in hindsight we think that the stuffed crust was too much cheese, certainly for us it was. Next time we'll stick with the thin crust.
The birthday cake that I found just off of Zhongshan Lu at a bakery - just the right size. Plus I got a "Hello Kitty" cookie thing filled with cream that I thought Sebastien might prefer, though Alex thought it was pretty good too.
Ready to blow out the candle (with a little bit of help - naturally).
We had been a mini sensation as the only laowai in the place (until right at the end). Leaving at the end - standing just inside the door waiting for the elevator.
One thing about Pizza Hut here is that a visit to the salad bar is a "one time affair" only - and consequently you get:
This was early in the construction phase - unfortunately I was otherwise occupied by the birthday boy and his sister to capture the ediface that resulted from this effort - quite extraordinary! But if you check out the web, you can see other results such as this one, this one, or even this one.
So we headed home and awaited Tuesday for "the real deal".
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Xiamen University, China
Our home away from Australia