Putting Up The Tree

We will be spending Christmas this year in Beijing and I certainly hope that it would be a white Christmas. The temperature has already plunged below zero but snow is slow this year. However, Christmas is still a week away and there is hope yet.

I packed my 7 foot Christmas tree from Malaysia when we shifted over to Beijing last year and we opened up the box to put up the tree last year, we  found that the stand for the tree was damaged in the shifting. Hence, we have not tree in Beijing last year.

The new Christmas tree that we put up this year in Beijing ..

This year, since we are staying put in Beijing for Christmas and no Christmas is complete without a tree, we went out to buy a new one. We were told that they were much cheaper here but we have no idea how cheap they really were until we got ours. We bought a new 5 footer with fiber optic lights, just like the one we had, for only RMB150 (RM75)!!! I remembered that we bought ours back in Malaysia for RM400 (RMB800) at a special discount and we had to drive all the way to Petaling Street to get it!

This would be the first year that Chenya could help in decorating the tree and she had fun, both helping and fighting with her brother while helping of course. Daddy was busy in putting up the ornaments while mommy was busy with the camera (or busy figuring out how to use the camera).

We also bought a Christmas wreath to hang on our door for the very first time. I have always wanted to buy one and hang on our doors for so many years but they were so so expensive back in Malaysia that I could not bear to pay the price to buy one. After much bargaining, of which my better half is pretty good at, we managed to get one that we like for a steal. Only RMB70 (RM35)! 

In fact, when Ryan had a Christmas party in school last week and we were asked to contribute some food, we contributed a similar tree instead of food, so that the children could put up the tree and hang up the ornaments themselves. And the tree can be used for a few years to come and we told the teachers that it would be a cool idea to get the kids to write their names and year and hang it up on the tree. Hence, over the years, they can actually see ornaments belonging to different kids who have been to that class previously.

More of that and pictures in the next post.

The Legend of Kung Fu

As far as I can remembered, Ryan has always been interested in kung fu and has been demonstrating and posing with his self taught moves in a lot of his pictures as far back as when he was only two. He was agile, flexible and above all, focus and passionate for the art.

Ryan, his friend Slevin and his head coach posing with the performers on stage after the show 'The Legend of Kung Fu'

Hence, as I have posted in one of my earlier post, we wasted no time, in registering him to one of the Shaolin kung fu classes for children his age when we finally found one bear our place. He has been practicing and learning his Shaolin kung fu for a couple of months now and had learnt quite a number of impressive moves which include his signature eagle, tiger and snake stance, all of which he is just too eager to demonstrate whenever he has a chance. Chenya is picking up her kung fu `moves' too, imitating his brother, watching from the sidelines.

Ryan going through his kung fu moves during training every Sunday afternoon.

His head coach seemed to have a special liking for him and at times, pushed him to practice with some older kids or used him to demonstrate some moves to the younger ones, all of which Ryan was just too please.

Ryan with his kung fu stance, taken during our holiday trip to Club Med Bali in 2011. We had always wanted him to learn wushu properly. Little did imagine, that he is now learning Shaolin Kung Fun in BEIJING, CHINA!

Recently, his class organized an evening to watch the well received 'The LEGEND OF KUNG FU' performance at the Red Theatre in Beijing (www.redtheatre.cn). Ryan was over the moon. Honestly, so was I as I have always, always been amazed with the`seemingly super human' feats that this monks could do. It was a family affair. We got special discounts for our seats and only had to pay RMB260 (RM130) for the RMB325 seats and it was 90 minutes performance.

Right from the word go, Ryan was sitting at the edge of his seat, eyes glued to the stage as the monks of all ages, leaped, jumped, somersaulted and `flew' with amazing flexibility and ease, occasionally yelling in recognition, some stance that he could identified with... "Tiger!!! Monkey!!! Eagle ...!!!"

Pictures from The Legend of Kung Fu website

The show was spectacular both as far as the stage production is concerned as well as the high quality of performance from the performers, bringing forth the message of the true value and meaning of practicing kung fu, their quest in training their body likened to rock and steel, as protectors of peace.

And where was Chenya in all this? Silently being cuddled by her mommy, hanging on to her trusty napkin, her thumb comfortably in her mouth, and her eyes peeled, constantly on a lookout for performers dropping from the ceiling or coming out from the side doors.

They must have been impressed by the performance. Why? Because I caught Chenya that night, smiling and with her eyes still closed, laughed and yelled "Very good (in Cantonese) and clapped" and continue sleeping.

And Ryan? He now inspired to be as good and wants to be able to break a metal bar over his head!!!!!! Not wanting to disappoint him, we told him that he could do that in due time and he need to practice harder and eat more to build up enough muscles and strength.

I just found out that they organized special tours to visit the Shaolin Temple. Emmmm...that would sound interesting, don't you think?   

No Longer Available

My wife's laptop has been invaded! Yes. Invaded by stickers of every kind, from Ultraman to tiny burgers!

Suddenly, her laptop no longer looked so serious nor 'corporate'.

My wife often comes home telling that some colleagues or acquaintance were telling her that she does not look like one who already had two children at home. Of course, each time she tells me these, she is is smiling and grinning from ear to ear and I guessed that is something every lady would love to hear.

To be honest, she definitely does not look her age and she always complained that I do not say that enough in front of her. So, I might as well document that down here in my blog.

When she showed me the laptop and what the children have done with their newly acquired stickers, I was telling her that it is one way that the children are labeling or branding her as a 'Mommy', 'Married','Taken' or simply 'No Longer Available'.

What would be your first impression when you see this laptop?

Happy Birthday Zoewe

The first addition to our family was actually not Ryan but Zoewe, our toy poodle a.k.a. our eldest daughter. Today, 6th July 2013, is her 6th birthday and her first in Beijing. We got her when in August, when she was barely two months and since that day, she has brought us nothing but pure joy, happiness and loyal companionship.

We were advised by many well meaning friends and relatives to give her up when we knew that Ryan was on his way but we simply could not because she is part of our family. She has proven all these years to be that perfect protective, well mannered eldest `sister' to both Ryan and Chenya, despite being bullied countless times by them.

Nothing makes her happier than these:-

a. Eat and eat

b. Going for walks

c. Being cuddled

d. Play 'fetch' with her favourite ball.

What frightens her the most:-

a. Thunderstorm

b. Firecrackers during Chinese New Year

She would literally trembles and would want us to cuddle and hold her and to comfort her.

We can not imagine our lives without her and whenever she goes for grooming, our lives are somewhat less exciting for that several hours. Somehow, there is this sense of something missing at home.

So, Zoewe, although I know that you would never be able to read this post but I know that deep in your heart, you can feel how much you are part of our lives and how much we love you and we are looking to share many many many birthdays with you in the years to come. 

Blood is Thicker Than Water

If you currently have more than one child, do you still remember the one major reason why you went ahead to conceive another, or do you still remember that one major reason your spouse used to convince you to go ahead with another?

If you currently have ONLY ONE child, can you recall one reason why so many, especially your parents or in-laws are trying to tell you why you should go ahead to have another. And if you have been trying to have another, what is the reason that you have braved your fear for conception, pregnancy and pain?

If I remembered correctly, that one reason was "so that Ryan being the only child then would have a little brother or sister to play and grow up with and would not be lonely." Well, at least that was the reason that so many people were telling us, the same reason my wife was using to convince me to concede defeat and the main reason why I went ahead to work on Chenya, so to speak.

Well, one thing is for sure. Ryan is definitely not lonely right now because he is kept so busy fighting with his little sister, Chenya. However, there are also so many sweet and tender moments that they shared together which reaffirms our belief that they are there for each other, or at least that is what we hope for.

Unfortunately, I have come across too many families where sibling rivalry, not when they were young but after they have grown up, has torn an entire family apart. Sisters not on speaking terms with sisters, brothers cursing brothers or sisters suing brothers. My mother's own family comes to mind where siblings can go on not talking or seeing each other for decades. I just cannot imagine the pain the parents must be going through, seeing their own children hating, fighting and hurting each other.

If that is to happen to Ryan and Chenya eventually, then I would rather have Ryan being lonely as a child, then having to endure the pain of seeing them going at each other's throats.

So, my dear son and daughter. If and when you are old enough to read and understand this, do know that our intention of having both of you together is FOR EACH OTHER, to love, to care and to be there for each other when we are no longer around. Nothing will please us more than seeing the love and bond that we see in you now, as you play together, mature and strengthen as how we have wish and pray for.

Blood is always thicker than water.