2nd Shanghai Trip (Part 2 - Food!)

Hi all,

This is about food!
We had a great dinner with the Shanghai Teachers at 品三国, that means "Taste the Three Kingdoms". All their food names were based on stories of the "Three Kingdoms". We had a great time... Most of them came during their summer hols and we became great friends!

Look that this... it looks like soldiers on a dragon boat... head is quails eggs with a mushroom hair. Body is rice wrapped in pandan leaves. Think this is called 草船接箭。

This is a HUGE bowl... see the bread beside it for relative size. It is called 水煮鱼。To me it is more like 油煮鱼。They are fish and some veg put in hot oil (without cooking), it was cooked by it's oil heat.

And the all time favourite Xiao-Long-Bao 小笼包. It is very cheap and nice. The huge one is called Tang-Bao 汤包. It looks like a bao from the outside but the soup is inside. I had a hard time figuring out how to eat (with some graceful-ness)

They had the plate lifted up by a stand and I think I am supposed to put my face over it and sip up the soup. Can't waste the soup, it's crab soup! Heavens... =)

(We were just trying to funny and see if it looks like mickey...)

OK, Part 3 coming when I am free...

2nd Shanghai Trip (Part 1)

Hi dear,

It's me with the coolest train i've ever taken...



In the past, the fastest train I've taken was the bullet train in Japan. But this is even faster!

This is the Shanghai Maglev! A magnetic train that travels at 431km/h. Faster than F1! (Haha... I've been telling the whole world that!) I can feel the lifting up (from the track) and the next moment, it moves... and it slowly increases to 431km/h. The houses and the trees went passed very fast...

One moment, I felt a little tremble (wondering what's wrong??), it took me a long while to realise it just passed an opposite train... and you can't see it!

Those who when through Relative Velocity with me... 2 trains passing each other at 431km/h each is like seeing something at 862km/h! (actually cannot see a thing. =D) Still remember? Relative...

=)

It is really 431km/h! No Camera Tricks!

Love,
Mama Wai

22 Dec is the day!

Hello all,

Thanks for waiting. Just came back Shanghai a few days back. Last mission in Swiss! This is a real exciting trip. Share with you soon...

Yes! 19 Dec is my last day in Swiss. 22 Dec I will be reporting to my new work place at Grange Road. It is far.... (from home) but near Orchard.

Moving on to be the Secretariat for YOG (Youth Olympics Games)... isn't this unbelievable and exciting? 2 years break from the classroom in exchange for a "once a lifetime" new involvement. Actually I do not know what I am in for, only know that YOG 2010 is an event, a world event!

Will keep everyone updated of new excitments!

Have a good week and weekend!

I am back on the last day of school

Today is really the last day of school for Sec 1-3. 2008 is really finishing... come 2009 and 2010!!

Really have not been updating this blog. Wonder if anyone still hop by and read...

OK, this is an announcement...
For all my ex-darlings, 19 Dec will be my last day at Swiss.
My red pen will rest for 2 years. Will be doing something different, something beyond imagination... Make a guess....

Tell u in my next post... (Hahaha...) Current darlings... Don't tell... shhh...

Hot Park: Hort Park

This is one of the hottest place at the moment. Hot, as in well advertised in the papers... hot, if you go at the wrong time of the day.

It is situated at Alexandra Road, near the old SAJC.


This is the entrance. This is the unique bridge that you can see along the main road.

Some of the things you can see when you walk in.
Children's playground.
It is like a huge showcase of plants, some you can hardly find. You can see lots of fruits, from bananas to African Cherries to passionfruits! Lots of herbs and spices! Lots of flowers and orchids. The best is the dancing leaves! The leaves dance with music. YOU MUST SEE TO BELIEVE. It is really not the wind. Hunt for it and play some music using your hp or whatever.

There is also an old cotton tree. It produces cotton!

There is just so much to see... Explore slowly...


And... this is Mama's new friend at the park... Say hi when you see him...

Latest Outdoor Activity: Kite Flying

Have been looking at this for a long time and we finally bought this at SKP. This beautiful kite takes off quite easily with the wind.

We went to the open field off Woodlands Ave 12 at 5 plus (the blocks provided all the shade we need, so it was good timing)
It is real open and windy.

And Wai Hoi trying to figure out the strings...

Wai Yan making faces at me!

You will see us there often, till the kids got tired of kites.

Thanks for Remembering My Birthday!

Thanks for remembering my birthday! This is from Indra, our CCPE, the rose is so nicely done...
Blur... but really nicely done!
And many other presents on the last day of Term 2 Week 10!
Also received many well-wishes from many colleagues, ex-students through sms-es, facebooks and emails. Thanks! I feel so loved... haha!

Playground @ Big Splash

Explored this new place. Newly renovated at East Coast.
I think this is the swimming facilities, not sure if it's ready. The first level is the bicycle and skates rental with a 7-eleven beside it.This is the nice, traditional look of the fastfood KFC

Skate area, with some restaurants at the building at the background.

There is a kids playground on the 2nd level of this building, and some eateries on the 1st floor.
A nice view of the sea...

And the kids...

Wai Lok, who is fascinated by the birds
Wai Yan on her 4-wheels

Wai Hoi showing off that he can ride a bicycle without support.

Quite a fun, but tiring day for the kids n Mama ;)

Term 2 starting tomorrow!

March hols ended just like that... Term 2 is going to start...
Before I start work, I'll just put up my few favourite pics taken today. We went to the nursery after breakfast. And this is Wai Yan and her...

See No Evil
Hear No Evil
Speak No Evil
Tulips taken at the nursery cold room
Sunflowers!

More pics to share... in my next post... ;) Gotto prepare tomorrow's work!

Mama is working very hard in school

Hi to all those constantly visiting my blog. Sorry, have been very busy with school. Hardly any time to blog (one of the reason is i'm quite slow in updating blogs).

Wanted to put up a blog on Caterpillar and Butterfly... but dear Wai Hoi set the butterfly free the morning it emerged from its pupa stage. Did not get a chance to take a pic of the Lime Butterfly.

Thanks to Nuture Cove for bring life, really life to education!

Ok, going back to work! will update again soon, I hope.

Shanghai Trip Part 3: Shanghai @ night

This is Shanghai at night... First pic is the Pearl Tower. 东方明珠. It is one of the "Must Visit" in Shanghai. It was very very cold when I was there. We took a lift to the top of the tower. From there, you will be able to see a 360 degree portrait of Shanghai view.

The next 3 pics were taken at The Bund. 外滩. The first faces the other side of the river while the other 2 shows the brightly lit city buildings.

Up next is the place where we had our dinner twice. It is a restaurant in a huge boat. Can you see the dragon head? Unfortunately, the boat is not moving, just a bit of sway caused by the current.
This interesting boat restaurant is harboured under the bridge. This pic was taken after our dinner on our way to the Acrobatic Show.
These 2 pics were taken at the show. Amazing show indeed! A lot of balancing, from chairs to humans. A lot of coordination too!

By the way, they are throwing many hats.

More to come... Enjoy your week ahead everyone!

Visit to Wetland Reserve Sungei Buloh

Cannot remember which weekend, we visited Wetland Reserve Sungei Buloh. Good weather, but wrong time...

By the time we reached there, it was high tide! current was strong and part of the trekking path was submerged by water. We had to back-track cos we can't go any further.

So we can forget about the mangrove, all plants at the mangrove area were submerged. No mud-skipper, nothing!!! Managed to locate a few crabs that hugged the barks of the trees. Luckliy no crocodiles.
Along the tracks, we see a lot of huge lizards like this! Komodo Dragon? I'm not very sure. They can be more than a metre long!
Wai Hoi and Wai Yan posing for a pic.
Wai Lok probably don't know what is happening, he had a good sleep along the track with a nice breeze.
They never failed to smile at the camera.

So, moral of the story is...
Be there early, maybe 9am?

Prawn Fishing!

More interesting Shanghai pics coming...
With very little time today, sharing something closer to home.
This is Nature Park at Bishan. It has a golf driving range and 2 small ponds for prawn fishing.
It costs:
$15 for 1 hr
$25 for 2 hr
$30 for 3 hr

Good thing about this place is that it has fences around the pond and safe for children. Kids can run all over the place.
And...
I saw them putting in a net full of prawns... which means there are prawns really in there!

So we got a rod and some bait. Took a net to keep the catch.

This is Daddy and Wai Hoi trying to set the bait on the hook. WaiYan will run when the prawn is caught and struggling on the line. She is funny!This is Wai Hoi's catch of the day! not bad huh? We managed 7 prawns in 1 hour. I thought that's good enough for the kids.

Watch out for my next post on Sungei Buloh!