Geography and Science

Bought these two activities for the kids, in their short stay here, they have learned about the world. Ann could recognise the flags of the various countries in Asia and I was amazed that she could also identify some flags from North America.


Great geography lesson even for me!



Science lesson

Remember when I was younger and was doing the science lesson on electricity. How I made use of wires, batteries and a bulb to show how electricity helped the bulb to get lighted up. Now, things are made much easier for the kids. With this, Kai and Ann had lots of fun making the bulb light, the radio sound, the propeller fly...

More activities for the kids

While waiting for school to start, apart from doing school work, I try to make my outings with the kids a learning experience too. I found this Shanghai Kids Museum on the map and decided to bring the kids there. It was really a museum especially built for the kids. Kai and Ann had a really great time.


The Shanghai Discovery Children's Museum


Inside and outside a submarine. Very well done, very real


Kids in space


Very realistic space landing

From the future to the past...


Playing with the different types of vintage phone


Kai sending out a telegram


Ann trying to do a film on her brother



This one was really interesting and the kids loved it. First you draw or pick a picture from the machine,
then you send it out, next you run to the giant screen and blocked little signals and soon you would be able
to see what you have sent out. Amazing! Now, you know why China is moving so fast.


Pretending to be doctor


This how you should brush your teeth...hmm, where should we put the heart?


This is the arch bridge puzzle. You have to form the arch bridge with the help of a support, once you are done,
remove the support and your bridge should not fall


Ta-da...Kai did it. The clue is to put the right brick at the right place


Ann, the cashier and the kids on a tree house


Kai the actor, trying to do a flim from Kai's acting



This was another activity which the kids really enjoyed. Creating waves which would sink the boat


Waiting to see the launch...


...of the spaceship


You know the greatest harvest from this trip was this wind-up tin robot. The vintage type and Kai was the happiest
boy when he was able to buy it home using his own savings


50 cents note?

We all have seen 50 cents coin but to see a 50 cents note, that was our very first.


50 cents note

Bored kids

Have you seen any?


Waiting for school to start, waiting for our cargoes to arrive...wait, wait, wait

This is NOT a posted photograph. I caught it while Ann was watching Discovery and Kai was playing with his small robot. For once, the kids are dying to get back to school. Inspite of all the activities I have for them, nothing beats getting back to school!

p/s: there are no cartoons on TV, no cartoon network, no disney channel, no nothing....Now, I know why China kids work so very hard.


Read Chinese

Believe it or not, I have learned to read Chinese. English publications are hard to come by even if I managed to find them, it would cost alot more because they would be considered imported goods. Thankfully, I still have one English novel given by the kids' Uncle Moses at the airport when he came to see us off. I am 'rationing' my reading, so I am also reading ELLE in Chinese! But I have always find that the Chinese language is a very beautiful language, it is more wordy but very expressive. The same scene described in the Chinese language and the English language can bring out very different emotions. Thankfully, the Chinese characters used in China are in the simplifed form...also must thank our leaders for making Chinese a compulsory subject! So, children, LEARN YOUR CHINESE!

Our words and our actions

Saw this notice...and I found it to contain so much truth.


Translated, it read, "parents are the children's first teacher. Your words and actions will affect your children for
the rest of their lives."

So often, we don't realise that our children are slowly picking up our habits and our actions. Quietly, they are observing our movements and listening to what we are saying. The good and the bad, our kids are taking them in...for example, Kai's habit of lying down to read comes from dh. DH has the habit of lying down to read and even when he is reading bedtime stories to him. So now, dh had to stop this habit. As for Ann, she has cultivated the habit of always wanting to munch something...yes, she got it from me. Often, I could also hear her 'lecturing' her brother, exactly the same way I did it to Kai. Sometimes, even word for word. I have to really be selective with my words, words which help to discipline with love and not words that belittle and discourage them.

Happy Birthday, Singapore!

Time really files, just last year, we celebrated Singapore National Day at Macungie with a small group of Singaporeans. In one short year, we flew across the earth and landed in China this year.

Thank God for friends who cross our paths. We got to know this lady who runs a Singapore restaurant which serves very close-to-home dishes. Just knowing us for the first time, she invited us to the Singapore National Day celebrations which was held at her restaurant. It was a good time to meet up with fellow Singaporeans in Shanghai. Next year, we'll probably try to have one at our home.


Celebrating Singapore National Day! That's the Singapore restaurant!


Their waitress' uniform is the same as those worn by the Singapore Airlines stewardess. Slideshows of all the various National Day Parade...through the years


Of course, never complete without fellow Singaporeans!

Happy National Day!!!!