3rd Month

It had been only 3 mths that we have been here in Copenhagen but it seemed like a long time. We did quite abit of travelling within Denmark and the kids are loving this country. They have made friends and we (WK and I) have also made quite a number of friends, which makes CPH a much nicer place to live in amidst the super cold, gloomy weather during this period of time.

We have more or less settled down but we are going to shift to our new place (nearer school) in 3 weeks time. Sigh.....We have to start exploring the new place again. As much as I dislike the current house, I am going to miss the convenience of the place (supermarkets, amenities and shopping) are within 5 - 10min walk) and the big garden, where the children love to play. Positively, shifting to the new place will reduce my travelling time to school by more than half. But it also means travelling to work will be much further for Wk, and he will then be home later too. Well, we can never have the best of both worlds.

I am dreading the amount of packing and unpacking soon. sigh....

初雪

My Little Penguin, Lezane (a term coined by Kyla)

It is really exciting seeing falling snow flakes for the first time. It is indeed really beautiful especially when it falls in the night. Kyla and Lezane loved the falling snow when they first saw it early in the morning. Also, they got really excited when they saw me scrapping the snow off our car and they loved stepping their boots into the snow covered garden, marking their footprints. This 2010 Christmas will be mark the first white Christmas for the Tays and the first Christmas to be spent overseas.

It is Not Easy Making Friends

Lately, I have been trying to observe how Kyla interacts with her classmates. She has always been one of the earlier attendees and she would also look out of the door to see if her preferred playmates (K and E) have arrived so that she could play with them. However, most of the time, her preferred classmates tend to feel differently about her playing with them.

Kyla would always greet them enthusiastically but somehow, they could be rather 'cold' towards her. If K and E were both in class, they would tend to stick together and ignore Kyla. Like today, they would say to each other, "here she comes again" in a rather displeased tone, which disturbed me quite abit. I wonder if Kyla heard them. If she would, I think she would be hurt. (Maybe, that explained why she kept asking me to bake things for her classmates to gain attention and acceptance). But if either one of them is missing, they would play with Kyla. Kyla is like a replacement friend, which I do not feel good about it. However, even if no one plays with her, she can be also happy playing by herself (which happens most of the time). She did tell me that most of the time when she tried to play with the rest, they do not want to let her join in their circle and she would end up playing by herself. I do not feel good hearing that thou. She is like an outcast. I guess it would take some time for her to develop a good relationship with her 'angmoh' friends. Having no close friends does not dampen her mood in going to school. She still enjoys going to school everyday. I am heartened to have such a a very happy and optimistic girl. :-)

Trick or Treat 2010

Halloween was a 'big' thing for Kyla's school. The parents teachers association (PTA) organised a yearly affair to go tricking or treating in one of the neighbourhoods. Kyla had been looking forward to the Halloween as we had bought her a princess dress and we had been decorating our house. Lezane, too, had a spiderman suit,which was not put to use at all.

Weikai and I were surprised at the scale of how the homes were decorated. The families put in alot of effort to make it look gory and eerie. Many had skeletons, hanging ghosts, graveyards and eerie background music to up the atmosphere by a notch. Initially, Kyla was taken aback and she was scared. She held on to my hands really tightly whenever we went knocking on the doors, which explains very badly taken photos (WK couldnt help much coz he was carrying the then sleeping Lezane). At times, I would squeal too when a ghost or vampire suddenly popped out of nowhere.

Overall, I must say it was quite an eye opener for all of us and I am sure we will be back treating again next year...

Autumn Break

This week is the start of the second semester. So what have we done for the autumn break?

Actually, nothing much. We were pretty much kept at home except to visit a playground and Tivoli Gardens for Halloween. The week of holiday would mean lots of planning for me ahead of time to keep the kids gainfully engaged at home. The kids schedule were packed with learning and supermarketing with mummy almost everyday.

Everyday, the kids would have their breakfast and it would be followed by one to two hours of lapbooking. After that, it would be lunch and nap. After their nap, we would then continue with activities such as lego building, baking, playing outside if the weather permits. The kids would then wait for daddy to come home for dinner where they can watch TV (favorite activity of the day) and it would be just play for the rest of the night. That pretty much summed up what they have been doing.

Young Chefs at Work

Hoh hoh.. I am preparing claypot chicken rice

Kyla the humble chef preparing stirfry beef

Kyla and Lezane are always around in the kitchen when I cook lunch and dinner. They have always enjoyed baking alot (but i hate the after-math of each baking session thou) and now they want to try more exciting cooking in the kitchen- it is to cook dishes on the hob.

Well, their 'training' in cooking started off with breaking eggs back home in Singapore and then in Denmark, they learnt how to season it with soya and pepper (which Kyla doesn't like the smell). They took turns in getting near the hob. Kyla will get to cook when Lezane is sleeping. (Otherwise, both will be fighting which will be far too dangerous in the kitchen.) And Lezane gets to cook while Kyla is at school. Like this, both will be able to get my full attention while they are cooking near the hot hob. It is fun getting them to cook with me- the numerous expressions, the excitement they get when they hear and see the oil sizzles, makes me forget my tiredness for that moment.

And hence, without further ado, let me introduce my young chefs

Bento #5

Kyla is getting sick with bread and requested for a hot meal today. Cooked some broccoli with chicken and corn. Tried to decorate the rice like a chick in an egg shell but did not turn out too well thou.

My Beary Cheesecake Tartlets

I had wanted to make a whole cheesecake but I couldn't find my pounder amidst the many boxes that I have yet to unpack. Hence, in the end i gave up and made cheesecake tartlets instead. I changed the recipe a little as some ingredients were not available in Denmark. Nevertheless, it still turned out not too bad for a first try (thou the pastry tasted a little too salty).

Bento #4

The bento consists of butter bread, corn and fish fingers. Looks easy to pc them together ya but I took 30min to do it. I am just so slow at bentoing...I wonder how long i can last this passion. hahha...

Bento #3

Today, Kyla requested for prata and hotdogs. So i just did a little flower and decorated the hotdogs as octopus. Hope she will enjoy the cold prata thou..

Starting to Bento

For the man- my hubby
A fairy butter sandwich

Trying to make it like my girl

As Kyla's school doesn't provide lunch, I have to prepare lunch box for her to bring to school. With limited bento tools, I try to make it interesting for her. So far, it has been bread as she doesnt want hot meals like fried rice for lunch yet. Here are some photos to share.

Tomorrow will be prata. Watch out what i am going to do with it...(as if something great) ahahha...

Getting to Know More Friends

Shannon, Weikai's colleague, invited us over to her cosy house for dinner. We did a cranberry banana cake for her as a gift. She had also invited some of the colleagues over. She whipped up a yummy dinner, which consisted of mini baguette pizza as appetiser, super good lasagna as main and lots of cakes and fruits for dessert.

Kyla and Lezane mingled well with the adults with them being the only kids. Lezane relaxed on the soft while Kyla is constantly at the dining table waiting for more food to come. hahaha...And to end off the dinner, most of them had a good workout with Guitar Heroes, including the kids.

The next round of dinner would be soon with her teaching me how to cook Vietnamese spring rolls and pho. Can't wait.

My First Birthday Abroad!

I spent my first birthday abroad right here in Copenhagen in the most playful way at Legoland and Givskud Zoo. It was a treat not only for me but for the entire Tay troop. We had a scenic ride to Billund on a Saturday morning for 3 hrs and stayed there for a night at Propellor Hotel near Legoland. Along the way, Kyla and Lezane kept asking, "Are we there yet?" They got bored seeing maize fields, ocean, cows, sheep and etc after awhile. All they wanted was to get out and see Lego. (I am wondering how are we going to drive to Germany, which would be a much longer ride.)

Upon arrival at Legoland, we were awed by how the tiny lego bricks could pieced together to be some awesome and gigantic 'animals', 'rockets', 'windmills', 'miniature world travel sites' and etc. It was just simply awesome. As usual, we rode on many of the rides and Lezane would sulk and wail whenever he was not allowed to on the more dangerous ride. It was a very enjoyable walk in the park as everyone was on a leisure and holiday mood. It was very much unlike Disneyland in HK where everyone were rushing and pushing around to get into queues for the rides.

On Sunday, our day started a little gloomy with heavy showers. But we still decided to go on with our plan to visit the drive-in Safari. It was the right choice!!!. The skies started to clear up when we reached the zoo.

We got lost enroute to the zoo but our little detour gave us the opportunity to take a closer look at the beautiful countryside. The kids too were excited seeing the cows from a closer view and windmills just so near us. The kids were even happier and hysterical when we started our safari tour in our own car. Kyla and Lezane kept asking me to wind up our windows, in case the animals decided to come really close to us and give us a 'kiss'. The drive through experience was beyond words. Can you imagine being so close to a troop of lions just 3 metres or less away, or a giraffe just a metre away? It was totally awesome.

After a heart-thumping adventure at the zoo, we drove back home. It was past 6pm when we finally reached the city. Weikai had no choice but to get a bday cake from a supermarket for my bday. He even got me flowers from the supermarket too as nothing is opened after 6pm in CPH ( flowers and wine are so cheap in CPH that he has been buying them on a regular basis. We always have fresh flowers by our kitchen window.)

Thanks dear for driving and everything else! :-)

First Month in CPH

Time just flashed by and we are already here for a month in Copenhagen. Our adventure started a little unhappy and rocky but now we are settled down and starting to 'enjoy' the peace and quiet of CPH.

Kyla has started school and is enjoying it very much. But Lezane is not very happy that he doesn't have a school to go to. He always cry so badly when we leave Kyla at school and he had to follow me home. We wanted to put him in school too but the fees are too hefty for a preschooler (about 2-3k SGD a term). Let's see how..

Regarding Weikai, he is also pretty much settled at work. He comes home earlier as compared to his stint in Peking, which is good for us. As for our new house, we are still in the process of sourcing for one (this part is our headache)...

As for me, things are looking brighter and cheery. Getting to know a few more mums at school helps abit (althou is still a hi and bye kinda relationship). Hope as time goes by, I will have more friends over here.

Now I am looking forward to our little adventure in 2 days time to LEGOLAND....

Kyla Started School Again

Lezane picking Kyla up

At the playground

On the way to school

Her school (looks very technical and clinical)

Kyla started school again at Copenhagen International School. It was without tears and she made friends very quickly and enjoyed herself at school. Hooray.... At least now, she wants to go to school. Thank god. Her teacher 'bought' her over by playing Abba music during class and she enjoyed dancing and singing. Her teacher told me she danced crazily...(which is good).

But travelling is a hassle. Lezane tends to cry and fuss on the way back home. He wants to join Kyla at school. He will always wail when we leave school. However, he still cannot attend school. (I cant wait for him to go to school thou...hehehhe).

Anyways, here are some photos of her at school.

Down and Under

This is exactly what I am feeling right now. House searching, marketing, unpacking 50 boxes, managing impatient lezane, cooking, housework etc etc... is just too overwhelming for me. I am feeling so horrible right now coz no matter how hard i try to manage my temper, I just cannot control myself in beating and scolding Lezane whenever he misbehaves himself. I know he is also trying to adapt and he wants someone to play with him. But given the mountain of tasks each day, i just can't spend 24/7 with him playing and carrying him. Kyla also tried to play with him but she always end up getting bashed up by him. She will get so upset about it. Sometimes, I feel that i am just not spending enough attention on Kyla as most of my energy and time are spent on 'controlling' the misbehaving Lezane. Everything is just so wrong ....

When the going gets tough

This relocation is tougher than what I expected. I wish I am an octopus that will be able to do many things at one go and handle my emotions better.

I am feeling so angry with myself right now for not giving enough attention to my two young fellas. As Weikai had to work, most of the setting up and cleaning has to be done by me ( Wk does try his best to help whenever he could), and with limited toys and activities for the moment, we have to resort to letting them watch TV (aka danish cartoons) as we try to finish what we need to do.

Kyla has been very patient with me. She tries to play with Lezane as much as she could (but most of the time, she ends up getting bullied by Lezane) and not bother me too much until I am done. I am very grateful for that. Whenever I put on a not so happy face, she will tell me" Mummy, smile, put on a happy face" and she will act silly to cheer me up. Lezane, on the other hand, has been a challenge. I have to carry him when i do grocery, shopping, go toilet or any other time. His temper is getting shorter and shorter and that makes me really pull out my hair. He has also not been telling me he wants to pee or shit. I have to clear up his pee outside too. He had since peed in the planeterium, garden and toysrus slide. And shit on the house floor. He wet his pants so much that i ran out of underwear that i have to resort to buying 2 x $20 undies for him. Very ex....

Right now, I just wish i am back in Singapore or Beijing...

Shifted but...

We have shifted and I am overwhelmed by the state of the house. I am beyond words to describe it.

From now onwards, I think i am only counting down to the days that I get to return to Singapore for holidays...If you ask me if it is bad, IT IS THAT BAD....

My Sweetest Angel

Many a times, I get depressed, Kyla seemed to notice and she would put on her best behavior.

This time the relocation is harder as we do not have the luxury of extra help and is just the four of us moving and trying to settle everything on our own. Worst, we had to stay in hotel first and move into the apartment a week later. Kyla, being a sensitive gal, seemed to notice the stress that I was under, said something sweet while we were out -- I was carrying quite a number of bags and she asked if she could help me with some of it as it was heavy and I had to carry Lezane too. Also, she would now and then asked if i was ok. She also kept reassuring me that she like Denmark. Her sunshine character engergises me and makes everything seemed more positive for now.

Thank you Kyla...and mommy loves u lots...

Touched down

We have finally touched down in Copenhagen. Not settled in for the moment until Friday when we shift into our new home in Amagerbrode. (We are residing in a city hotel at the moment.)

The long haul flight was not very easy with the two kids. Kyla was an angel on board but I have a devil, Lezane, who screamed and yell whenever he gets frustrated. Our only blessings were that he slept for half the journey. The rest of the flight was spent carrying him in and out of the toilet (his favorite activity was to wash his hands and wipe it and throw into the toilet bowl on board). How weird can it get right! Weikai and I kept counting down the hours for us to get out of the plane.

Finally at 0700hr,we arrived and our next challenge was to carry 12 luggages with 2 kids in tow to the van. Thankfully, we had Weikai's colleague to help. We were also pleasantly surprised by the pickup vehicle, which was a Mercedes van equipped with Wii, coffee machine, wine, movies, disco lights, microwave,etc and a super cool driver whose hair is styled like Didi. Kyla loved the van so much that she requested if she could take this bus to school. We were also thankful that we were given a family suite to stay in at the moment so that I could do a little cooking for the kids.

I hope I will enjoy this stay as much as I did for Peking. Will write more soon.

Toilet Training

Lezane is finally off diapers for the day now thou there are some misses now and then. But i must say it is a great achievement for him to be off diapers at 2 yrs old. His toilet training all started because in Denmark, he would not be accepted in school until he was toilet trained. It took us 2 weeks to get him to understand how to pee in the toilet (alot easier with kyla then) but our efforts (including my mother in law's) all paid off now. Great, it is alot of savings for diapers...

Happy 2nd Birthday to Lezane

With the Hengs With the Tays

Lezane had turned two last Wednesday when we touched down in Singapore. Overall, he is a very fun loving boy with a super fiery temper (maybe just like me). This year, we held three family celebrations in Singapore and Beijing, all of which I think he had enjoyed much (with the exception of not wanting to wear the jersey).

Although it has been a tiring two years (especially the past four months), it has been a bliss to have him. Mama, Papa and RouRou Love You, Lezane.

Adios Peking!

We are leaving Peking in a week's time. Gosh how time flies and we are already here for 4 months. Sounds really short but we had many adventures as a family and also as individuals here in the land of history.

Both myself and our kids have forged many friendships here (not sure if they do remember thou but the pictures will bring them fond memories), which I will remember fondly deep in my heart. Some positive outcomes from this relocation are:

1. Improvement in Mandarin for all of us

2. Slight improvement in cooking

3. Growing independence in the kids and myself

4. Stronger bondage between the kids and I

5. Greater variety in the kids diet, which included fruits and vegetables

Although, we are looking forward to our next destination and my month-long break in Singapore, I am already missing Peking (thou we still have a week more to go). Adios Peking and farewell to all my friends here...

When You Do Not Know The Language

We have been faithfully going down to the playground between 5.30pm to 7pm because Kyla has made some new found playmates. Lezane, too enjoyed the new friends' company (all gals thou) and the chain just goes on - Mummy Heng made friends with their parents. It was a time where mummy heng could have some proper adult communication as Weikai had been working hard so so often these days... Among our residential friends are Jamaican Ambassador's kids, families from Hongkong, US, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan.

Speaking of expat kids, particularly kids from the Afghanistan diplomat family made a deep impression in me. They have 4 kids (aged 1 mth old to 6 yrs old). Their kids are always playing individually (not with their siblings too) and no adults will be around to supervise them. They are a very very quiet bunch and always play by themselves. I think their quietness is due to the lack of understanding of Mandarin and English. Most of the time, I see the elder son self-entertaining himself until some other kids approach him to play. But most of the time, no one approach him, except for us and Kyla's playmates. He is a very nice kid - always helping me with Kyla's bike when she had trouble, while I was busy looking out for Lezane. Lezane and him love playing peekaboo with each other (as it is an easy game without having to communicate). He would also help to look out for other kids when they are in trouble. He would give up his seat at the swing when he was asked to. Never was he rough with anyone, unlike the French kids at our residence. Everytime I see him, I feel very sad. His eyes are filled with loneliness and sadness. I could tell that he wanted to make more friends and play with boys of his age. But it is not easy for him and his family as they are hindered by the language. He sets me thinking if Kyla and Lezane will also be alienated at school/neighbourhood when we move to a country that we could not speak the language and look different.

Our Daily Routine

Lezane at Homeschool

Swimming time

Playground

Arts and Crafts (Kyla's favorite activity)

Myself and the kids have gotten into a regular daily timetable as below. It helps alot for me to have a schedule in place so that I could organise my activities and personal time better.

Our daily life goes like this:

7-7.30am: Cook lunch for Lezane (the ingredients are prepared the night before)

7.30-8.30am: The kids get awakened and have their morning milk feed and prepare for school

8.30-9am: Waiting for taxi to fetch Kyla to school

9-10am: Supermarketing with Lezane or take a little walk around the neighbourhood if the weather is good (but the weather is getting a little unbearable)

10-11.30am: Homeschool for Lezane

11.30am-12.30pm: Lunch and shower

12.30-1.30pm: Playtime for Lezane

1.30-4pm: Naptime and Cooking for Dinner/Me-Time/Laundry/Cleaning the house/Baking

4pm-5pm: Kyla and Lezane's independent play (if they can)

5-6pm: Dinner

6-7pm: Mandarin/English/Math for Kyla & Lezane (sometimes we go swimming or playground)

7-8.30pm: Waiting for Daddy and watching DVD/play again

8.30-9.30pm: Getting ready for bed and good night

Nothing very exciting but it keeps my sanity in place. When Weikai is around, this schedule doesn't follow anymore. Is all play for Daddy and the kids.

A Month of Domesticated Life

Time flies....It has been a month plus since I have arrived in Beijing. When I first came to Beijing in Mar/Apr, it was still winter and now the weather is turning warmer and more acceptable for both the kids and I.

Initially, the idea of being a housewife sounded very daunting to me. I am always wondering whether I will be able to manage my two super active kids on my own without any help and enjoy full-time motherhood. Well after a month of adjustment, I must say I am slowly getting accustomed to life in Beijing and enjoying the 24/7 moments with my children (thou I must say at times, they can really get me on my nerves and causing me to lose my temper). I am also managing pretty well with cooking and housework too.

But there are some things that I do not fancy much about Beijing. I dislike people spitting in public. It is really gross and Lezane loves rolling on the floor when he gets upset (can you imagine how exasperated i can get when he does that). Everywhere is dried up sputum. Yucks. Public toilets are without doors and full of shit. There was once Kyla said.." eee.. so dirty... mummy i cannot shee shee... so smelly". She really held her pee till we could find a decent toilet.

No aircons in taxi (gosh, can you imagine how warm it gets when the sun is glaring at you) and very little airconditioning in cinemas (when you pay for SGD$10++ for a movie).

The positive part of this relocation, we can get to visit different places of interest every weekend and that happens on my favorite days of the week, Thurs and Sats (when Weikai is home and 'no-cook' days for me). On these days, we will venture out to do some sight seeing and try out the many yummy food in Beijing.

In summary, this one month plus had been eventful and enjoyable. Hope it will contd to be fun for me, for Kyla, for Lezane and for Weikai.

A Walk With History

Tiananmen Square
鼓楼

钟楼

Teabreak at a rooftop coffee outlet

The Hutong

Forbidden City

Last Saturday, we took the opportunity to do some sight-seeing while Weikai's parents are here. It was a beautiful day with sun and wind. We triapse into the Forbidden City, Gu Lou and the Hutongs.

Before we entered the Forbidden City, we thought we could travel back history to enjoy the grandeur and vastness of the place. However, we were a little disappointed. Many of the palaces could only be viewed from afar (ie. we could only see the architecture and the exterior designs of the palaces). After a while, all the palaces all looked the same.

On the other hand, the Hutongs provided a very different facade of Beijing. We visited the busy 700m long 南锣鼓巷。I loved the 古色古乡feel of the street. The street was littered with many interesting shops from crepes to local designer products shops to local pubs and yogurt shop. It was very enjoyable window shopping at the street with Weikai. It was like back to the dating days. But well no more of such days anymore - everywhere, everyday, anywhere, we have our kids in tow (different kind of bliss).

The next sightseeing trip will be to 前门on our 'first dating' anniversary day, 15 May (gosh it has been a good 12 yrs with Mr Tay). Will update again...

Thursdays are Baking Days

Mother's Day

Mother's Day celebration was kept simple in Beijing. Kyla made cards for all the mothers of Tay and Heng Family. We also had an early celebration at 花家怡园 for Weikai's mum. We made a sponge cake (meant for mother's day), which was a total flop as I had accidentally dropped some yolks into the white and I knew the cake was doomed for failure. Nevertheless, the kids had lots of fun decorating the cake, blowing candles and creaming each other faces.

On the actual day, we left the kids behind and went singing with Weikai's colleagues. KTV in Beijing is really wow. The moment I stepped foot into the KTV, I thought I was in a 5-star hotel. That is how suaku I am. The system is hi-tech and service was great. They even had a high chair for the lead singer to sit on with maracas and shakers. It was an enjoyable night with Weikai's colleagues singing like professionals. Really put me to shame when I sang with them. Overall, we had a great night.

Our First Overseas Abode