My First Rented Bicycle

Last Sat, my parents brought me to East Coast Park for our family time. Papa meant to rent a tandem bike as we usually did but Mama asked the shopkeeper to see if there was a bike suitable for me and we were shown one. Before long, I was on my very first rented 4 wheels bicycle which cost a mere $3 for a 2 hour rental period. Woohoo!

Mama could see the back wheels were not level with the ground but decided to go along and see how things will work out. Here is a video of Papa teaching me how to cycle.

Yes, I know I look very serious here but it's because I was a serious learner. hehe... :D

Maybe Papa will be buying me a 4 wheel bicycle soon... :D

47 Months Old

Dear all,
I am 47 months old. Now, Mama will tell anyone who asks for my age that I am turning 4 next month.
The last month, I really learnt a lot of skills. Now, I can button my own shirt and insist on buttoning my school shirt every morning. The bad thing about this is that I take a long time at this but the good thing is, Mama has since learnt to put me on this task while she goes and do something else like change her own clothes or something.

I had also learnt to write with a pencil. Just this evening, I actually started writing the capital letter A in a writing book after Mama had her dinner. Mama couldn't help but thought to herself I am really grown up as she saw me write on the dots that formed the letter A.

I am also improving a little on the skate scooter Mama bought. When Papa first took me skate scooting he observed that I do not know how to place my feet together after kicking. Now, I can do it and the scooter will move a very short distance of perhaps a few cm. Mama believes with time and practice, I will improve.

As for my verbal skills, Mama would at times recalled how she was rather worried I was using too few single words even at 26 months old when most 2 year-olds would be using 2 words phrases like "play car", "eat food". But just hear me now. I can hold my debate with my parents and I can narrate very simple incidents of what happened in class. For example, before I fell asleep today, I told my mum about my classmate who had a birthday party in school. I told her we sang the birthday song and we took pictures.

The month that passed, I was more interested in speaking in Mandarin. Mama was pleasantly surprised I told I had complained to my Chinese teacher, 于老师, saying, "于老师,Lukas 拉我的衣服。" Now, my mother was not so interested why Lukas pulled my shirt. She was more impressed by the precision of my complaint. At times, I will request for Mama to speak to me in Mandarin and Mama will oblige me too.

I am also learning to write Chinese strokes in school. Once, Mama came home after work to discovered I already know "横，竖，撇， 捺", the first 4 basic strokes used for writing Chinese characters. I could write them in the air using my fingers.

The only problem was, Teacher Karen said I was writing too slowly and she advised my parents to let me practice more writing at home.  Papa once witnessed 于老师 tap the table in an attempt to get me to focus and write more quickly.

Sorry, no point hurrying me in anything. Mama has discovered that I seem to be immune to attempts of hurrying me in whatever I am doing. Even threatening me with a cane does not make me go any faster. For example, if I am opening the gate with a key, even if Mama gets impatient with me, I will still open it at my own pace rather than hurry. Mama thinks this is better than some adults. If you hurry these adults when they are opening the gate, they get anxious, fumble and take even longer. Not me. I just go at my steady pace.

Unfortunately, this made my parents smack my head when they run out of patience waiting for me. Also, I am now tall enough for them to smack my head rather easily.

Mama thinks it may be due to the structured environment in my school because on my own accord I actually go to my study table to do work like writing. I may be practising what I do in school. Then again, I will get distracted and sharpen my pencils instead before I settle down to write. And if I am not satisfied with what I had written, I will erase them and write the letter again.

On my 47th month birthday, Papa decided to bring me for a haircut and the hairdresser was instructed to give me a high slope. Now, Papa thinks I look like Homer Simpson from the Simpsons family. This is not very good as I probably get penalised for misbehaviour more easily at home.

Ok, that is all for the moment. Mama will try to upload the pictures another day. Thanks for reading so far. :D

Gong Xi Gong Xi

This was me singing Gong Xi Gong Xi at home. Papa had also added some Youtube links to the Chinese New Year song. When I was done with the Gong xi gong xi, I said something which Mama thinks I had picked up by observing my teachers in school. For your listening pleasure. :D

46 Months Old

Dear all,
I am now 46 months old. At 46 months, I surprised Mama with my ability to negotiate. Nowadays, I get to help Mama cover the metal lid on the milk powder tin followed by the plastic cover when she is making milk for me. One night, I did not cover the tin tightly and flipped the tin over. When Mama saw me, I was holding the tin upside down in my hands. Thank God the milk powder did not spill out. Still, this infuriated Mama and she refused to let me have any part in the milk-making process anymore because I had betrayed her trust. After we had calmed down, I talked to Mama and she explained to me I cannot participate in the milk-making process anymore. I then asked her how about she covered the metal lid while I do the plastic cover. Mama was really surprised by this negotiation but she had forgotten what she had told me.

I am also learning to button my own shirt. Many a times, I asked to button my own shirt when we were preparing to leave the house. Mama would leave me to do it since I was very insistent about it.

I am also spending more evenings at Nai nai's place. Papa had agreed with Nai nai that Nai Nai will prepare my dinner and mind me on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings. This is me trying to sweep the floor at Nai Nai's place. I am often very enthusiastic on helping and insistent about doing this household chore.

I also like to imitate my teachers in school. For example, after switching on the computer, I will pretend to be a teacher and ask if everyone is ready. Since there are no other children around, I will then ask Papa,"Papa, are you ready?". If Mama is around, I will ask, "Mama, are you ready". Perhaps you will know better in another video clip Mama intends to post.

With Chinese New Year approaching, I had been singing many Chinese New Year songs in school and I had "brought" these songs home by singing them as and when I felt like it. I could sing Gong Xi Gong Xi and even first 1 or 2 verses of Cai Shen Dao (the God of Prosperity arrives). Now, my parents are not too keen for me to sing the latter.

I also learnt to sing songs in church such as "We bring the sacrifice of praise" and "Give thank with a grateful heart". Again, I break into these songs as and when I feel like it, singing "We bring the sacrifice of praise" most often.

A couple of times, I sang something that went, "Laughing, laughin, everybody laughing" after church. Mama thought this reminded her of a TV character named Laughing Gor who was actually a police undercover in a secret society in a Hong Kong drama serial. She found it strange that I should be singing a song about laughing in church. One day, she peeped into my class and finally discovered the answer.

The song was titled Absolutely Nothing. She did not have a chance to hear the tune but the lyrics on the screen went something like, "Nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing..." The lyrics were about the fact that absolutely nothing could take away the love of God.

My sunday school teacher also told Papa I was good with computer. Mama thinks it's because I had insisted on helping my sunday school teacher operate the laptop that screened the lyrics of the song that were sung.

Papa also gave me a user profile with my name and at Mama's suggestion, gave me a password. That made me very happy initially. I will log into my profile using my password and then tell my parents, "Doh-zo". It's Japanese meaning, "please". Kind of like inviting them to use the computer. See, this was me, doing my "Doh-zo"

Watching Papa create my profile probably helped me learn how to create a Main Administrator account on Gu Gu's used laptop. I would had put in a password on this Main Administrator account if Papa did not stop me. Mama found it somewhat surprising because I was not even 4 years old.

Ok, that's about all Mama could recall at the moment. She will write more again next time. She's already thinking of what to write about my 47th month development :D

He Ain't Heavy, He's my Shu Shu

The Chinese New Year that just passed, I was more aware of my Papa's cousins whom I usually see only once a year. See the boy on my right in red T-shirt? His name is Jia Long and he is only about 3 years older than me. Yet, I should be calling me Shu Shu as he is Papa's cousin. I also met a young boy who is only about 18 months old at a relative's place at Tampines. Guess what? His Papa is actually Nai Nai's cousin. So Papa has to address him as Jiu Jiu and that made his son Papa's cousin. I am supposed to address this 18 months toddler as Shu Shu too..... what an interestingly perplexed extended family....

Oh, by the way, the relative whom I became really lovingly acquainted to is Jia Long Shu Shu's elder sister, Jia Hui Gu Gu. That was how Mama taught me to address her. It is unknown to Mama how I started to address her as Ah Gu after Mama left me for a while to eat her lunch.

After seeing Ah Gu on the first day of Chinese New Year, I had asked to see her the next day and Mama told me I will see her again when Shu Shu gets married. Since then, I often asked Shu shu about his wedding when he comes home after work.

Once, when Shu Shu arrived home after work, I asked him if he was getting married that day. Another occasion, I asked if Shu Shu wanted to get married. Not that I am concerned about Shu Shu's marital status but simply because I want to see Ah Gu again. Unfortunately, Mama observed Ah Gu does not have mutual feelings about me. She seemed awkward that I was so attached to her and calling her Ah Gu certainly did not endeared me to her. ;p

Skate Scooter

3 days ago, Mama took half day leave to with the intention of peeping at me during my speech and drama class in school and fetching me home. As she had been somewhat troubled by my late sleeping hours the past 2 evenings, she decided to take the opportunity to fix this problem by tiring me out after school.

So after peeping at me for a while, she went to Lot 1 and bought me this skate scooter. She told me nothing about it on our way home. It was Papa who told me about it when we reached home. As this is my very first skate scooter, Mama supposed I had never really tried skate scooting before but see me go in the above. It's my first hour or so with it. Rather good for a first timer, don't you think so?

Anyway, Mama's plan kind of worked. I slept at about 10.30pm on Thursday and Friday evening. This is already much better because the 2 nights before Mama bought the scooter, I was not sleeping until about 11.30pm. Kind of almost drove my parents (especially Mama) up the wall. haha... There will be more scooting days to come..