Terracotta Warriors 兵马俑

He lived more than 2200 years ago, from 259 to 210 BCE. Born with the name Ying Zheng, he became king of the Qin state at the age of 13, but didn't really take power until he was 21. After conquering six other states, he united China in 221 BCE. He then adopted an entirely new title, Huangdi in Chinese, combining two words used to describe legendary kings. He is also called Qin Shi Huangdi, or First Emperor of the Qin dynasty.

The First Emperor established a centralised government to maintain his rule of China. He standardised writing characters, currency, and measurement units, began construction on a network of roads and waterways, and created an early version of Great Wall by connecting several older walls. The core elements of his unified state were retained by later dynasties and continue in some form today.

Discovered in 1974 (before I was born :)) in Xi'an (my hometown :)), the terracotta warriors are buried in 3 pits about 1.5km from the First Emperor's tomb mound. Almost 2000 warriors have been unearthed so far, but most are still buried, and the total number is probably close to 8000.

Asian Civilisation Museum borrowed 10 terracotta figures on display. This is probably the single most famous item from my home town. Here, I proudly present you, the Terracotta Warriors.

亚洲文明博物馆从西安借了10个兵马俑来展览。我是看过无数次，在西安的时候，每每有外地的朋友来，总会带去兵马俑，当时不是有太大的感觉。也许是因为离得太远，看得出壮观，却看不出仔细。

这次去看，有奇怪的老朋友的感觉，很近的很仔细地看到他脸上的表情，和关中男子的一点霸气，那个半跪着的俑。。。。。。他在玻璃里，我要仰着头看。。。。。。

Malay Kampong Tour 马来村庄小游

Joined a half day tour organised by RC, to Sarau Kampong at Lorong Buangkok, boasted as the last kampong in Singapore, maintained as a tourist and cultural spot. We went together with quite a number of close friends, and nearly half of the tour is made up of our pals, which made it more enjoyable.

Personally I love the place, the fresh air, the muddy road, the leafy trees and the shabby house. We went into a household as Mei need to pee, and had a few words with the auntie lived in. It's a tranquil and fresh place, and usually each household has a large compound, resembles what bungalows might have. I saw chickens raised in cage, dogs roamed in the yard, spiders on dry leaves.... Probably for the reason that I grew up in a kampong :)

We also went to a shop to view the Otah production line, a mushroom farm to see how mushroom is grown and tasted yummy dishes cooked by Dr Mushroom.

Enjoyed it! The country girl in me :)

我们参加了一个半天乡村小游，新加坡最后一个村庄，特意为了旅游和文化保存的（我真的看到很多大大的旅游巴士！）尽管如此，小村还是很静谧，空气异常新鲜，泥土的路，满地落叶，有院落的房子有些陈旧。我看到养在笼子里的鸡，在院子里没有栓住的狗，泥土路上的小泥水潭，蜘蛛在枯树叶上结网。

我喜欢，大致是因为我小时候在农村长大 ：）

我喜欢，也是因为这样的环境稀罕，岛上的其他地方，车马喧嚣，没见过泥土路，地上的树叶没有扫干净可以向市镇理事会投诉，鸡是不可以养的，怕禽流感，没有栓住狗的主人会被视为没有公德心。。。。

团里一半都是我们的朋友，还去了参观一个食物加工厂和一个蘑菇种植园。

West Coast Park 西海岸

西海岸公园是常去的地方，这次的新鲜在于瀚今可以爬绳索塔(?) 了，他也试了飞翔索道(?), 辛苦的爸爸一起爬高上低 :)。同去的Max带了好玩的泡泡。

Weekend afternoon at West Coast Park, a usual spot for us. Han Jin climbed up the tower made of strings with daddy's help, as well as the flying fox. Mei loved the x-wave.

X-Wave: Mei in the center with many other kids shaking at different points.



String Tower: Han Jin and Daddy climbed up to the top and down with the slide.

Big Brother + Language

Another entry about Han Jin.

Big Brother figure

Han Jin is very into his big brother figure, and he is indeed a very loving and caring big brother to Mei Mei. A few snapshots as evidence:

- Mei dropped the bottle purposely, I asked her to pick up. Han Jin intervened: Don't scold my Mei Mei.

- Mei whacked Han Jin on the head for no good reason. My face turned black. Before I said anything, Han Jin said: Mummy, it doesn't hurt. I can see he's holding back his emotion. Mei started to sob after I demanded her to say sorry. Han Jin pat Mei gently on the back: Mei Mei, it's ok. Mummy is not angry with you.

- At the lift lobby, Han Jin dutifully ensures Mei Mei does not stand near the door, because I once told him to take care of Mei after she crashed her finger at the lift in the library.

- At the playground, some of Han Jin's pals or older kids will brush Mei away. Han Jin stands out: This is my Mei Mei, don't push her. This is particularly commendable as Han Jin is usually shy outside, although he looks up to me, hoping me to back him up.

Okie, these are the rosy side. There are times they fight for toys, fight for my attention. But, generally, Han Jin is a sweet brother who is willing to share his toys, give up his books, or let go mummy for a moment. For all these, I am not in a hurry to get him sleep by himself. There will come a day that he doesn't want to share a bed or a room with me any more. For now, I'd enjoy my sweet boy, and compensate for what he has to give up after the arrival of Mei.

瀚今是个好哥哥，关心爱护妹妹。

- 有时妹妹做错事，我让她改正, 瀚今会常常说：不要骂我的妹妹！
- 妹妹现在会没事儿打瀚今。我沉下脸，还没有开口，瀚今说：妈妈，不痛的。我看得出他在用力控制自己的情绪。妹妹见我脸色不对，开始瘪嘴巴准备哭，瀚今赶紧拍拍妹妹的背：妹妹，不用紧的，妈妈没有生气。
- 在电梯间，瀚今会确保妹妹不要站在电梯门口。我记得我跟他讲过要保护妹妹，不要让她的手夹到。
- 在楼下游乐场，瀚今的朋友或大一点的孩子不要和妹妹玩。瀚今说：这是我的妹妹，不要推我的妹妹。虽然他会看着我， 期待我支持他，对瀚今来说，这不是很容易的。他一般非常随和地不会和朋友起冲突。

当然，他们有时也会争玩具，争妈妈。但瀚今绝大多数都会分享他的书，他的玩具，他的妈妈。 所以，我不会急着要瀚今自己睡，我要和我的大儿子多一些独享的时间。也许不久，他会要求有自己的房间。

Language

Han Jin lately picked up certain pronunciation from his classmates. He would now pronounce 't' as 'd', 'p' as 'b', 'k' as 'g'.

He would say: I'm very dired (tired). Ogie (Okie). It's impordant (important), etc.

His grammar is poor. He would say: go where (where do we go?), later you will fall down, this is my one etc.

His vocabulary is limited. He had difficulty in pronouncing 'electricity car' (in the context of environmentally friendly transportation), or 'democratic' ( in the context of national pledge) etc.

Given that English is a second language to me, I couldn't provide a good environment for him to have exposure to the profound English culture and literature, but at least, I will have to correct his grammar and pronunciation for the words I know.

Art products

These are what Han Jin produced after 8 Virtuoso Artist classes. Luckily, I recognises 3 pieces (Picasso's and Vangogh's).

1. Vincent Vangogh's Sunflowers
2. My Cute and Lovely Pet with Joan Miro
3. Vincent Vangogh's Starry Night
4. Picasso Inspired Portraits

Han Jin wasn't the art teacher's favorite, I am sure. She complained to me a few times that my boy did not have the initiative to work on a piece, and did not finish the class work. What I understand my boy is that, he is a young person aiming for perfection. He would rather not to do it if he knew he couldn't do it best. He often erases his writings until the paper is torn. This is a bad habit, though. So, I had to repeat to him that it doesn't matter if he drew messy or wrote ugly, but he has to try and make it a little better next time. And that was the reason I bought him oil pastels and gave him piles of paper to draw randomly. Still, he likes coloring much better than drawing. He colors nicely within the line, paints fairly ok, but he does not draw....... I will leave it as it is for now....

瀚今从画画班带回来的画作，梵高的向日葵，米罗的动物，梵高的夜空，毕加索的画像。瀚今是个很守规矩的孩子，所以创意不够，总是怕做不好。要多多鼓励我的大儿子。就算没有艺术的天分，可以有兴趣并享受艺术也是好的。

Here is the original version by the great artists. 原作。

妈妈，你看大树 + 2

1. 经过近日来iPhone YouTube 上的经典儿歌，和我的努力，妹妹的中文有了提高。会哼两只老虎，和泥娃娃。却再也不要看小兔子乖乖。上个礼拜外出的一天，妹妹突然对我说：妈妈，你看大树。我惊喜万分，妹妹第一句完整的中文句子！马上让全家人一起表扬妹妹，受了鼓舞的妹妹那天下午情绪非常好，不停的指东指西：妈妈，你看大树。。。。。

After much effort to create a Chinese speaking environment for Mei, her Chinese has shown noticeable improvement lately. One afternoon, she burst out in Chinese: Mum, See the tree! Her first complete Chinese sentence and the whole family joined me to praise her. After that, she kept speaking in Chinese that afternoon: Mum, See the tree! pointing to different subjects....all becoming tree...

2. 昨天搭巴士回家，145的终点站，车上不剩几个人，按了铃，站在门口，突然有一位老大爷冲我笑着挤眼睛。礼貌的弯了一下嘴，心想这老大爷怎么了。他又接着偏偏头，我开始有点不耐烦。老大爷不得已抬起手指了指，哦，后座上有一位酣睡的女子。。。：） 赶紧走过去叫她醒来，有点莞尔自己的迟钝。。。

Taking 145 back home, the last stop before the terminal, pressed the bell, and waited at the door. An old man suspiciously smiled at me with a wink. Returned a courtesy negligible smile, wondering what's wrong with him. He then shrugged his head side way, and I began to feel uneasy. Since I still couldn't comprehend, he had to point to, a young lady who was fast asleep at the back row. Oh, dear, quickly woke her up, I laughed at my retarded reaction after a whole day's work.

3. Saw a couple along AYE the other day. A young couple at the road side. We were turning the big loop at Clementi Road heading West, from the start of the long stretch of the slip road, I spotted them very early after the turn. The guy held the girl's face in both hands, and she was about one head shorter than him. The girl was in long skirt wearing silky long hair. The guy was carrying a bulky backpack. He held her face gently for a long time, about 10 over seconds from we turned the loop and drove on the slip road and passed by them onto AYE. Finally he kissed her gently after we passed.

那天在高速路边看见一对年轻的恋人。很浪漫的画面。他轻轻捧着她的脸，我从几百米外看到他们，我们几百米后，他还是那样捧着她的脸。女孩长发长裙。

明月几时有

水调歌头

作者：苏轼

丙辰中秋，欢饮达旦，大醉。作此篇，兼怀子由。

明月几时有?  把酒问青天。不知天上宫阙，今夕是何年。

我欲乘风归去，又恐琼楼玉宇，高处不胜寒。起舞弄清影，何似在人间。

转朱阁，低绮户，照无眠。不应有恨，何事长向别时圆。

人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴圆缺，此事古难全。但愿人长久，千里共婵娟。

"Thinking of You"

When will the moon be clear and bright?

　　With a cup of wine in my hand, I ask the blue sky.

　　I don't know what season it would be in the heavens on this night.

　　I'd like to ride the wind to fly home.

　　Yet I fear the crystal and jade mansions are much too high and cold for me.

　　Dancing with my moon-lit shadow;

　　It does not seem to be in this world.

　　The moon rounds the red mansion;

Stoops to silk-pad doors;

　　Shines upon the sleepless.

Bearing no grudge, why does the moon tend to be full when people are apart?

　　People may have sorrow or joy, be near or far apart;

　　The moon may be dim or bright, wax or wane;

　　This has been going on since the beginning of time.

　　May we all be blessed with longevity;

Though far apart, we are still able to share the beauty of the moon together.

这是苏轼在中秋把酒问欢，写给兄弟的词。我收到远方侄女的简讯，问我是不是忘了她。最近因为爸爸妈妈在老家，只是打电话给爸爸妈妈，没有打回给哥嫂和两个侄女。亲情是剪不断的，我是想念你们的。是的，我在这里也吃月饼，吃柚子，喝茶赏月，打灯笼。。。想念亲友。

It's a beautiful Mid-Autumn lyric by a Chinese poet Su Shi in 11 centuries, written for his brother who is far away in the capital while he was dismissed to a county as a local official. Most of the famous poets in Chinese history did not enjoy a successful career, and hence out of the sorrow they produced beautiful pieces sang by many nowadays.

Noreen & Noelle

Look at the sumptuous food, what auntie Lucy prepared for Noreen & Noelle's birthday party! Auntie Lucy helped us when Han Jin had the fall. She is someone special among all the helpers in the vicinity. She doesn't join the maids circle gossip and gathering. She spends her spare time reading. She has the curiosity and willingness to learn new cooking dishes, and prepares wonderful Chinese food. She is someone who is self-driven and have a passion to learn new things. Sounds the perfect employee? Even in a corporate world, I need such staff...

两朵金花的生日，文红和文君，女儿的贴心和可爱 ：）工人煮的食物很好吃！

从千湖渔场抓回来的鱼终是没有养活。。。楼下社区花园的Mr Yip给我们多几条小鱼和水草，希望这些小鱼的生命力会更顽强。。。

 

House

New House

Not mine. Ah Wei's. Had a visit to friend's new house, very spacious and nicely renovated. The layout happens to be the same as what we have viewed the other day, for a rental flat at Clementi. However, the condition is so much different.

阿为家的新房子。

Big House

 Not mine. Hubby's ex-boss, my teacher's. A 3 story bungalow, too much space for the kids to run around. My dream house is just a quarter of that. Just notice that Mei Mei is in her favorite laced skirt in both pics. Yes, her favorite is 'pink ballet dress'.

老板家的大房子

Backlog

Not backlog about my work, but backlog about my blog. :)

After a record number of 26 entries in Aug, the momentum died down and I have not updated any in Sep. It was due to the fact that I was busy clearing backlog at work since I took a fair number of leave in Aug and worked really hard during the month end closing season. I did not see sunlight when I went off for past week. Supposed to knock off at 4:30pm with my part time schedule...

Ok. No complaints. Should consider lucky that I have a job that I do enjoy? :)

Before the weekend starts, let's look at what we did last weekend:

 Usual activities at Sat. Morning Literacy Plus and play with school mates after than. Afternoon Yamaha. After Yamaha, we met hubby's ex-colleague for dinner.

Oh, dear, the 27 months girl is even chubbier than Mei Mei. How cute! Two chubby girls with similar outfit playing games. How cute!

九月很忙，常常是天黑了才回家，在我转做兼职后这是很少有的。只是怕这样的时间变成习惯。

看看上个礼拜我们做了什么。周六和老爸的前同事吃饭，他的二女儿居然比我们妹妹还圆嘟嘟。两个嘟嘟一起玩，可爱极了！

周日早上和Max去游泳，抓到瀚今跳水的一幕。下面三张照片：试着跳水的瀚今被Max推了一把，跌进了游泳池，水漫过头，水里的爸爸着急的表情；瀚今恐慌的哭，Max的爸爸也来关心瀚今；过了一会儿，Max分享怎样在水中屏气，瀚今腼腆地笑。 游泳真的要学呀！大力推荐裕廊东游泳池，有漂流，海浪，50米高的滑梯，各种小孩子的泳池。

周日下午去看Yi Hsian打乒乓球，一个全国的海选赛。给瀚今买了专业的球拍和球鞋。地点在大巴窑，我住了4，5的地方，别有亲切感。。。

Sunday morning at Jurong East Swimming Complex, tried the sea waves and floating, but not the high water slides. Han Jin had a scare in drowning, but hopefully a motivation to learn swimming.

 Sunday afternoon at Toapayoh, witnessing Yi Hsian playing at a national table tennis competition. Bought Han Jin the bat costing me over 100 bucks and table tennis shoes. Toapayoh, the place I stayed when I first came to Singapore, where I met my hubby and we got married. A place of memory...