Practicing....

Victoria is really expressing an interest in language.  What letters make up a word, what that word says and is enjoying practicing writing.  It's wonderful that she has this interest and wants to learn but makes reading a long story "short" abit more difficult now.

This is what I often find her doing when she's wanting some quiet time.... (the photo turned on me and I'm not surew how to rotate it)

 or this....sitting on her bed looking at search and find books.  This day was rather cold so she figured it was warmer to wrap herself up on her bed.  I liked her thinking !!

Chinese New Year

This week we've been celebrating Chinese New Year.  Or should I say...we've been at home having a quiet week keeping warm.  It apparently has been the coldest CNY in about 60 years - and it was freezing.  Due to the weather - it was pretty grey and miserable looking - it was rather uninspiring to do anything. 

I took the girls to the cinema to see "Puss in Boots", which we all really enjoyed.  It was in 3D so we got to wear our glasses and to munch on popcorn.  It was also warm inside the cinema rather than the arctic conditions they normally have with the air con on. 

After, we had a quick walk around Pacific Place and admired all the Chinese New Year decorations. 

On a different day the girls and I went down to Times Square.  I'd admired the decorations before and thought I should bring the girls down.  It was a bitter (and I do mean BITTERLY) cold day and we went early - 10.30 - which is always a good time to go as no one is around.  And during CNY there are always "less" people around and it feels very (unnaturally) quiet.

The quiet streets in Causeway Bay.....

Outside Times Square....

On the lucky chair inside Times Square....

At the end we went through Lane Crawford (plush department store) and sampled some perfume.  This was the one that Hannah liked the best.  Victoria had one too but she didn't want her photo taken...

For Hong Kong, this celebration is like our Christmas.  Shops actually close and it's alot quieter.  They have fireworks to celebration the changing of the year.  They started at 8pm - gave me a surprise as I'd forgotten all about them - and because we are close(ish) to the harbour you could hear the boom of them going.  Hannah wasn't quite asleep so came to watch with me.  We could see a little from the window but they were on the TV so in the end we got the best view.

I was timing to see how long they went for......25 mins from beginning to end - a spectacular show!!

World of Wearable Art (WOW)

The New Zealand extravaganza for the World of Wearable Art (or WOW as it's known as) is showning now in Hong Kong for the next week.  I have actually never seen the show while in NZ - even when I used to work directly across from where it was held - so it's ironic that I get to watch it in HK.  The collection that was shown was costumes that are in the muesum in Nelson. 

I was fortunate enough to go to a Premier Night showing that the HK Jockey Club put on.  It was AMAZING.  The way that the show had been put together and the costumes....oh my.... the costumes/outfits/creations of art were quite simply out of this world!  You just didn't know quite where to look and then when you thought you'd seen "the best" another one was right behind it to take its place. 

I was so pleased to have been able to go and to see this.  And now I know what I've been missing out on all these years.....

Read-A-Thon

For one month, beginning 11th Jan to 8th Feb, Hannah's school is doing a read-a-thon.  This is to not only encourage reading amongst the students but also as a fundraiser.  I think it's a pretty good idea and so far Hannah has embraced it.  She does enjoy reading - especially those Rainbow Magic books......I am quietly trying to "broaden" her reading selection with something abit different amongst those fairy books.

Weds was library day at school.  I met Hannah at the bus after school and this was what I was greeted with (I was abit slow getting her coming off the actual bus with her nose in a book)!




















She waited by the driveway for me to catch up so we could walk across to the elevator together.  And read all the way, in the elevator, up to our apartment.

Once inside snuggled into her bean bag to finish the book.  One Rainbow Magic fairy book completed !!!

It's wonderful to see her developing a love of reading. 

Victoria has it too and will quite happily go sit on her bed, on her bean bag with a selection of books. 

On a side note - this was the sky that morning.  It was early - I think I took it about 6.50am - but thought it made a great shot.

The start of a new day......

Chinese New Year 2012

I had hoped to start off the twenty 12 blogging year abit better than what I've done.  I've got lots of updates so may as well start with today.

Today at both the girls' schools they were celebrating Chinese New Year.  They were able to go to school in their Chinese outfits.  It was just a normal school day for Hannah but she isn't now back til Feb 1st.

Victoria had a Chinese New Year party at school and I was a parent help.  They had a craft morning making different types of chinese items and moved around all the class rooms.  It was great to spend time with her (when she was in her classroom where I was) and to see all the great work she'd done on the walls.

Hannah abit cold.....love the purple flowers.....

 Standing beside the 'lucky' oranges...

Standing in the same place as Hannah on the podium but in FRONT of the purple flowers

Standing beside the "lucky" oranges too.  She had to stand in the same place as Hannah!

On my phone I have a tool that I use on my photos to make them "better".  The photos of the girls beside the oranges I redid in this tool.  And made the girls stand out.  I quite like the results.

Victoria at school working on her dragon.

We will now be leaving the Year of the Rabbit and will be going into the Year of the Dragon.  This is regarded as one of the MOST auspicious years to be born in as you are forever a Dragon!

As they say in Mandarin Gong Xi Fa Cai ! 
Happy New Year!!

December 1st

Today was a day all about Hannah.  To celebrate Movember (and to raise money) her school did a moustache day.  This meant for any children that wanted, a moustache would be painted onto their face.  Of course Hannah did so she took her $5 in.  Her mo, when she got home, had disappeared but I found a great photo of her and her friends taken at school.

One of her top teeth has been wobbly for ages.  It really hasn't wanted to come out until today.  We came home after swimming and it was just about out.  I asked her if she wanted me to pull it out, she nodded, so I did !!  She was very excited as it meant that the tooth fairy would visit.  She's a jewellry box in the shape of a crown.  Normally the lid would stay open but for some reason it just wasnt' happening.  We manage to put something in to stop it from closing - this was so that the tooth fairy could just fly in take the tooth and leave some money AND then get out again !!

Also, at swimming Hannah got given a badge.  She got given it as she can now swim 25m !!  We were very impressed with that.  Victoria had got hers the day before for 10m !!  Which was also very impressive.  I don't have a photo of her as she didn't want me to take one !!

Victoria's Christmas Play 2011

Today was Victoria's school Christmas play.  She has been practicing her lines for a number of weeks now.  When I went to help her the other day (I now know the lines) I got told off - "These are my lines NOT yours" (with her hands on her hips)!!  Her class - Barn Owls - were doing it with one of the younger classes - Hedgehogs.  They all did very well.

The Barn Owls class were performing parts of the Nativety story and Victoria was an angel.  Not any angel but Angel No 2 !!

Paul and I managed to nab front row seats - first time in 4 years that that happened !!  The children came out and even though we were right there in front Victoria didn't see us - there was abit of a perplexed look on her face but that disappeared when she saw us.  Hannah was at school as she was going on a school trip at the same time.  I had to record Victoria saying her lines so that Hannah could see how she did.