The land of Sheep, Kiwi borts and Enephans

I sent an email to my manager reminding him of my extended Easter holidays. He sends an email asking me " .. I would like to jog your memory that next week is very critical for the company and I want to enquire what plans you have in place to get the team working during your absence?". That spells trouble. Is he trying to say "cancel your holidays and take them some other time ?". Or, is he genuinely asking me how I, as the team leader, have delegated tasks for the 5 days I will be off ? Should I disregard his email and be cheeky by not saying a word ? Should I make it clear to him that I have already bought and paid for the tickets (non refundable) ?

It turned out ok; He was ok with me taking 5 days off since I have worked *every* Saturday or Sunday since the 17th of Nov 2007 and I have worked extended hours during weekdays since the 4th of Dec 2007. He sent me of saying ".. come back relaxed. Enjoy your holidays". Phew !

It is 11:00pm on Friday (Good Friday) and we haven't even packed. Well, we are still discussing "which suitcase(s) to take with us". The kids have gone to sleep and Monica is yawning every 5 minutes. The most essential things to take are "Lila associated" and we had to make a systematic list. Aga is ok these days. He *can* eat in a restaurant although he makes no sense asking for Noodles and fish balls in an Italian or an Indian restaurant. As a matter of fact, these days, he orders himself what he wants. To the waiter's disbelief, Aga customarily asks for noodles and fish balls (with soup) inducing the waiter to look at me immediately, very concerned.

It will be a 6 day trip to NZ and all I and Monica wanted was relaxation; Oh BOY, we were wide of the mark ! You will find out why.

We woke up at 4:30am. We woke the kids up and skipped their breakfast; they will have to eat at Tullamarine and not at Glen Waverley. No time. I took a quick shower followed by Monica. At 6:00am we reached Tullamarine and checked in quickly. Emirates, zero hops from Melbourne to Auckland. To my chagrin, as I was speaking up Emirates' credentials to Monica, the flight got delayed by 1 hour but Lila slept through the entire 3.5 hour flight. Agastya was very energised. He was flying in an aeroplane, again, but he knew we were flying to New Zealand. He was going to see Sheep, Kiwi borts (birds), Enephans (well, no one is to squabble with him here), Peewins (penguins), Greky Sharks (great white sharks) and mongoos whales (humongous whales). We simply nodded in agreement.

Auckland's runway juts out into the ocean and it was quite bloodcurdling for me. As you all know, I am hydrophobic and the thought of navy blue gives me the shits. It was all green, all around. Oh, this very well could be Cambridge. But, unlike Cambridge, it was all sunny. Beautiful blue skys all around, long silver clouds way high up, sail boats as far as your eyes can see. The airport was small, but flawlessly efficient. I would say it is about as big as Tullamarine (Melbourne) and that is it. But, it has a separate queue for families with kids to clear immigration !! I have never seen this in any other country I have been to and I have been to many ! Many !!

Monica: I was dead impressed when I saw Auckland airport. One of the best airports I've seen in my entire life. But it all made sense on our way out of the country. We had to pay 25 dollars each for adults to get out of the country! OMG. You have to pay to get out of the country! Reminds me of Indonesia, but foreigners get out of the country freely. You have to pay for visa on arrival but nothing to pay on the way out. Indonesians however, must pay Rp. 1 million to get out of their own country.


While waiting to collect the baggage, you are tempted to sample free coffee and tea !! Who are these people ? Nutters ? Free for any visitor coming into the country (ok, it does not cost much but I have not seen this ritual anywhere else). We walked into Thrifty car rental and collected the keys, a booster seat, a child seat and a GPS device. It was a KIA ! KIA Magentis (never heard of this bullock cart on 4 wheels ever before). The only good thing about this car (so they call it) was that it ran on Diesel which is the acceptable option these days given the cost of petrol / solar / gasoline.

I point the GPS device to our hotel, Quality Inn, West End, Auckland and it in point of fact took me 14 kms north of the hotel. I called the reception from my mobile phone and they tell me it is at the intersection of two major roads. I plot the GPS to take me to that co-ordinate and store it in the "recent list" for future use. It was 5:30pm when we reached the hotel. The room was .. hmm .. Ok. Good enough.

Monica's uncle, Oki and his daughter Nadia, live in Auckland. Monica had arranged for them to meet with us later that evening. Uncle Oki, Opa Oki for Aga, dropped in approximately at 6:00pm with Nadia. Aga, as usual, bonded with both Opa Oki and Aunt Nadia very quickly. Opa Oki is one of the nicest people I have met. He hails from Jakarta, relates to Monica from her father's side. Opa Oki took us on a tour of Auckland's city centre. We were totally stunned to see an entire street full of Korean restaurants. I have never ever seen a Korean restaurant in my life although I recall eating Kimchi; (I am trying hard to recall from where !!)

Monica: Aga get attached to people very quickly. Everyday in NZ whenever we didn't see Opa Okie, he asked for them. He even thought our hotel is Opa Okie's house and kept asking where they were.

Anyway, after our shortish tour, we went to have dinner at a Chinese restaurant. Auckland, to me, is a funny city. Every other store you would find on the high street is a "shoe store". Dotted in between those shoe stores are "porn" sellers. Crazy ass combinations, if you ask me.

• 23 march

Opa Oki and Aunty Nadia went to Mass and we went to Kelly Tarltons. $130.00 NZ to enter (for the family). It is an Under water quest; ok an aquarium but the variation is that, it is an all Antarctic encounter. Expensive; but where else but the Antarctic can you see Emperor Penguins ? These King penguins are about 5 to 6 feet tall and they look splendid in their yellow / black & white outfit. In addition to this, you
can see the sharks, the stingrays, whales, seals and numerous other sea beasts.

The ride to see Emperor Penguins:

As usual, when we go to a shop with toys, Aga rips me off. He takes how much ever he can grab with his two hands and he heads straight, as the crow flies, to the payment counter (as if he is going to pay for them himself). $100.00 worth of stuffed toys for himself and none for Lila. Monica calls Opa Oki on the phone and we meet him just outside. We drive a short distance to the Michael Joseph Savage memorial (NZ's ex-prime minister) from where you have outstanding views, 360 degrees, as far as the horizon existed. We made the mistake of not charging the camera the night before; we managed just one photo before the camera died on us.

Monica: As a result, I had no photos of Opa Okie & Aunty Nadia. :( I should also mention, although the battery was low, if it wasn't for Nagi's doing video frenzy, I could have taken a group photo with the view of Auckland harbour in the background. Huh. Here's the photo anyway. The only one we managed to take just before the battery went flat.

Monica and Opa Oki felt like eating Nandos. We had a take away and went to "North head" from where you, again, had brilliant view of the Auckland skyline. The city view could electrify you for 10 minutes. But the beauty of Auckland is not because of its man made structures. The meal was quite bad, but the views made it tolerable. Lila was a nightmare. She cried every 5 minutes of her waking hour during our entire sojourn at NZ. She was a pain. Aga, who himself is a baby, seemed utterly well behaved in contrast. If Lila was not held (carried) by either I or Monica, she will squeal. Actually, she learned something new while at NZ. She learned the exorcist war cry. An easy whimpering will intensify into an all out "ear splitting" war cry; So exasperating that I had to bawl back at her all the while knowing it is of no use. She is only a baby and she knows not whom I am screaming at and why I am screaming. Pain !

When Monica had her meal to her heart's content, we headed to "Milford" where Opa Oki resided. The plan was for Aga and Lila to have an afternoon nap. Monica succeeded with Aga but Lila's eyes were as wide as a black olive. She would not go to sleep; well she would not blink !!

Later that night, that night perhaps our last at Auckland, Opa Oki took us to "Long bay" where Aga could play and we could walk along the beach. It was an ok outing, we were all partially pleased. On the way back, Opa Oki treated us at a Vietnamese restaurant. Hansan Vietnamese restaurant. The meal was undeniably good. We headed back to Quality Inn and called it a night; the next day we were to drive to Rotorua.

• 24 march

We had our breakfast at the hotel, checked out and positioned the GPS device to Rotorua. But we had to replenish our stock (Lila's food and nappies). NZ has lovely combinations of fruit juices. NZ is over industrious. For a country that is laid back (in life style, not attitude) it is unquestionably mind boggling that it produces many times over than what its people can consume. Take this; only 10% of what NZ produces (fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat, wool - what not) is consumed locally. The rest is exported. The population is so small that it does not justify investing loads of money on R&D. It is cheaper for NZ to buy what it wants off Europe or the USA or may be even Australia. For this to happen, they need to have something in NZ which they could export. Fruits and Vegetables, Dairy are precisely doing that for NZ. Top quality I must assert.

The surprise was, between Auckland and Rotorua, there are 2 towns with names that are significant to I and Monica.

Bombay (!!) ..and...

Cambridge.

Bombay even has a temple !! Cambridge, like the name sounds, was indeed fine-looking. We stopped there for lunch and when we got back into the car, I told Aga it will be a while before we reach the hotel and that he should sleep. He said okay. The first instance I looked at him, once reaching the highway, he had already gone to sleep !!

Lila, of course, was vexing us by making fear-provoking noises. She was getting on to my nerves but there was nothing I or Monica could do. It was exactly 2:45pm when we reached the outskirts of Rotorua. Monica, the previous night, decided that we would take the kids to Agrodome. We pulled over and contemplated whether we should head straight to the Agrodome or queue it up for the following day. Since our trip itself was short, I convinced Monica that we should complete the Agrodome experience then and there.

It turned out, the Agrodome experience is exactly 2 hours long and the tickets were $100.00 exactly. We had a Sheep show and the farm tour. We had never ever seen so many sheep varieties in our life and the Merino was simply awesome.

The host was a champion sheep shearer and he performed the show pretty well. The sheep were all cute, looked fabulously stupid.

The sheep dogs, my God, they were exceedingly smart.

After the show, I took Aga up to the stage and took some close up photos. The sheep were about half as big as a cow and Aga was modestly intimidated by them. If you look at some of these photos, you can see his apprehensive look.

Once he settled in, he was doing his normal "sayang sayang" with them and even dared to touch the sheep dogs.

After that, to my shock, he sighted the novelty shop in the corner. He dragged me to the shop and asked me to buy him a sheep !! I, instead, convinced him to accept a stuffed toy. I bought Monica a lovely winter jacket, pure wool on the inside and sheep leather on the exterior. Yes, quite a dent on my wallet. She tried for size and decided to take one; who am I to say no ?

Monica: Liar. He INSISTED I should buy a jacket. I absolutely had no idea why. He insisted on the type also.

We hopped on to the tractor for the farm tour. It was an absolute joy. I was anticipating him to just drive around and show the kids sheep, cows etc. But, it was an educational experience. We saw the Kiwi vine, the Manuka tree, the NZ olive, tasted wine made of Kiwi fruit, 5 different varieties of dairy cows (including the splendid Texas long horn), Llamas, Alpacas, a cross between the Llama and the Alpaca, Stag, Deer, Ostriches, Emus and of course all the different Sheep.

It was fantastic. When the show finished, it was 5pm exactly. We went to the hotel and checked in. When we got out of the car, we could smell the Sulphur !! Rotorua is a Caldera (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caldera). Rotorua was a colossal volcano, so massive that during a certain volcanic eruption, it collapsed onto itself. Rather than the usual crater we associate volcanoes with, Rotorua has a Caldera. Once it collapsed, rain water and other discharges filled up forming a "lake". However, the geo-thermal activity still continues. The lake, technically, is still on top of a latent volcano. Many places around Rotorua still "spew" out as mud pools or Geysers. As a result, if a way can be found to regulate the heat, you can have Hot springs, thermal power stations etc.

We had dinner at an Indian restaurant that night; The tandoori palace. SKIP that place if you ever go to Rotorua. The waitress kept making so many mistakes. She even dispensed the wrong meal to one of the tables only to correct herself when it was way too late. It took me 20 minutes just to pay the bill and she could not even count correctly !! She kept asking me for 20 more cents and I kept telling her I had given her the precise change. Another waitress jumped in and established that I have given her the correct change; Bloody idiots. The food was not all that great either. Monica grumbled it was too salty. Aga who normally likes spinach declined to complete his share.

Monica: Noticed all the waitresses are non-Indians (white, actually). We had to wait for a LONG TIME to get our food. They forgot to serve our papaddums before that. When all the dishes were laid out on the table, I asked for the papaddums we had ordered, and it came 5 minutes after that, with NO relish. What kind of an Indian restaurant is this?!

• 25 march

The next morning, we had breakfast at the hotel and headed towards Lake Taupo. Before we did that, we stopped at Te Puia; the site of Pohutu Geyser. $130.00 to enter.

It used to be the 8th wonder of the world until the white and pink flats crumbled and collapsed. We heard about how the NZ natives, the Maoris, arrived at NZ from the Polynesian islands. While their story may seen far fetched for the most of us, it nevertheless show cases a culture and sophistication to us that is artistic and vibrant. The rocks in the area, to the touch, were at the least hot. Steam, tinged with Sulphur, spewed out of the fissures. The geyser erupts 3 times every hour and the wind gently carries some of it from the distance closer to you. The face is humid, reeking with Sulphur, but the general sensation is not something that is yucky. It was an experience, an experience that was loved most by Aga.

Lila slept through the entire 3 hour trip !!!

We had a traditional Maori meal, a name which I cannot remember at the moment. Monica took a photo of it and I suppose the bread on top is just a garnish.

I have to assume, the slice of bread, is a western influence. Neither Monica nor Aga enjoyed it. I avariciously consumed all the vegetables in the basket. It was hot and it was perfect. Monica said she hated stuffing. I forced Aga to have some of it and he relented eventually. I gave up after 5 minutes because it was an uphill struggle getting him to eat the meal.

We drove towards Lake Taupo; exactly 45 minutes from Rotorua. Monica cared not a fig for the lake or its significance. She secretly came to hear about a prawn farm on the way to Lake Taupo near Huka falls. Can you envision a person who wants to fly away to another country to eat prawns when there are many prawn farms near by in their own country ? It was perceptibly Monica's day. Well, Aga's too.

I wanted none of that nonsense. I cannot even stand the smell of prawns. I stayed away with Lila. Monica went with Aga to the Prawn hatchery. Aga saw small, tiny prawns at the hatchery and hand fed the prawns (which he described to me as tickling) at the nursery. That was not enough for Monica.

When I ultimately caught up with them, I found a small bucket filled with ice and both Monica and Aga had fishing rods in their hands !!! I asked her what the heck she was doing; "Prawn fishing of-course". Aga was cute, stuffing a raw piece of steak at the hook and dunking it in the water. He was determined to have fun and Monica was determined to "catch" one. She expounded to me the reason behind the "ice" in the bucket. Prawns go to "sleep" when shoved in ice !! Fresh Prawns you see !!

When we came out, I asked Monica if she wanted to go on the Huka falls jet. She begged to be excused and I booked one ride for myself. $95.00 per adult. When I got into the ride, I told Monica to go and get something for herself and Aga and that I will meet them at the restaurant.
Now about my ride. The Huka jet boat is a 520 horse power, twin Hamilton jet unit that is powered by a super charged V6 buick engine. The hamilton twin jets pump out 800 litres of water every second. The top speed is 90kph and the jet boats do 360 degree spins (honestly). The top speed is attained more than just a dozen times and we are taken on a 30 minute spine-tingling adventure that is not for the faint hearted. Surprisingly, a minute or two after the start, the exhilaration overwhelms any distress and results in a truly notable experience. No seat belts, just holding on to the handle bar. Splish, splash, 90 kph hydroplaning all the way to Huka falls. The falls are the scariest site for me. You see nothing but foam. The river is about a 100 meters wide and the noise is deafening. SCARY !! I prayed for the jet to return. The driver took us closer and closer to the falls. There is so much foam in the falls, the truth is, there is no buoyancy. It is said, not even wood will float 8 meters from the fall edge.

The driver took us about 50 metres from the waterfall's edge. That is a mere 42 metre from death. SCARY ! (video of the falls). Huka falls' volume outflow is 300,000 litres every second. That is the same as filling two Olympic sized swimming pool every second !!! Imagine the roar and the size.

When I returned, thank God for that, I went searching for Monica into the restaurant. There she was, a glorious spectacle. A colossal serving dish in front of her and she was all smiles. She was so content and super pleased with herself. Aga was rubbing his tummy and said he wanted to see a doctor. I enquired why, he said "prawns inside" !!!

Monica bought herself and Aga $116.00 worth of prawns.

Jumbo, freshly cooked prawns and if truth be told, her plan was to finish them that day; preferably right then and there.

Monica: Yummy. I should start teaching Aga how to peel his own prawns. He was slowing me down!

Believe me or not, of course Aga had some, she finished the entire jumbo prawn tray that day !!
In two sittings. She was very thankful and certainly I was happy she had enjoyed the day.

Blinded by the site of jumbo prawns, Monica had forgotten the Huka falls. I drove her and the kids to the look out point and what we saw was a tremendous site.

Aga was running around here and there like a monkey and the waterfalls were already giving me an unsettled stomach. Again, I am hydrophobic and I cannot stand the site of water - especially the one that looks foreboding. I wish you could appreciate this waterfall and the size of it. I had to sternly condition and threaten Aga to get shipshape for the next half hour. He listened and hung on to my fingers.

We drove back to Rotorua that night and I cheekily asked Monica what she would like for dinner. She said she is stuffed with prawns and nothing could ever get in her stomach for the rest of the day. Monica, after putting Lila to bed, went to the spa with Aga (I had booked a room that had a spa). Aga was having so much fun with Monica and it was close to 11:00pm when he hit the sack. I told him to sleep quickly since we had to drive to Auckland the next day.

• 26 march

We woke up, cleaned up and headed to Burger King (!!) for breakfast. Monica had a crossaint and Aga had some pancakes. He had about half of it and I finished the pancakes for him. I had a coffee and we headed to Skyline Skyrides. $48.00 for the family for the use of Gondolas. The highlight for I and Aga were the Luge rides. $18.00 for 3 rides. It is a gravity ride on 3 wheels. It goes downhill, no motorised accelerators; only brakes. If you take the brake off, gravity pulls the luge downhill. It cannot de described well. Please read it for yourself.

We had lunch at a chinese restaurant; Weilin's. It had exactly 5 tables inside and the menu was both in English and Chinese. The chef looked chinese and the waiter/manager looked chinese. They spoke chinese. The food tasted chinese. All in all, the place was good. If you go to Rotorua, please go to Weilin's. It is vely goot.

I decide, I will step on the accelerator and steer the GPS to Auckland city centre. It took me exactly 5 hours to reach Auckland city centre. I and Monica bought some souvenirs for Visali and her family and head out to dinner (Chinese again).

We have an early night knowing perfectly well the next day we would be flying back to Melbourne. Lila was a total nightmare for nearly half hour. Eventually, tiredness knocked her out completely and Monica was indeed thankful for that.

• 27 march

Thursday. Gloomy and overcast -not so much the clouds or the weather. That is how we felt. We had a terrific time in NZ. Certainly it was not relaxing, but it was a welcome disturbance to say the least. I have seen half a dozen advertisements from "Tourism NZ" prompting foreigners to visit the islands. The real scenes are many magnitudes more beautiful than the glorified advertisements themselves.

The people were friendly and polite. We checked out, settled all the bills and went to MOTAT. Ok, I know you are going to ask me "what the fuck is motat?". I have been there once and I still ask myself "what the fuck it really is".

No, just joking. It is a museum of technology. Absolutely fantastic. But, for Aga and Lila, it had nothing. ZIP ! Nevertheless, he was trying to lay his hands on some precious, priceless, technological marvels. I had to jump in and tell him they are not toys at all.

Thank God they had most of those technology "firsts" inside glass show cases. Ok, here is the bottom line for all you folks out there planning a trip to Auckland. MOTAT is not for you if you are not interested in Telecommunications, Electrical / Electronics, Transportation (cars, trains, trams etc) or some crazy ass science experiments. You would have just wasted $15.00 per head.

I saw Monica in significant discomfort with her back weighing her down quite a bit. We drove to the Quay side and had lunch at an Italian restaurant. Every one of us enjoyed the lunch. Before we realised, it was time to drive to Auckland airport to return the car and check in. That was the end of an eventful holiday.

I recommend those who have not been to New Zealand before that they should spend a week or two there. I, personally, am aiming to visit south island next year – But in Winter !!.

More later.

Tagged twice

I was tagged by Deb and Little Gastronomy around the same time (i.e. the second one came before I managed to even done the first one - I was travelling for a week to North Island, NZ, so that's my excuse).

I'm not going to mix them together, and will tag different people for each tag.

1. Little Gastronomy's.
I recently came to know her site and I admire her cooking skills and how organised she is.

This tag is for me to share 5 things about myself that most of you probably wouldn't know.

My childhood:
I was a very skinny girl. I ate loads but nothing seemed to stick to my body. Some people thinks it's a blessing but nevertheless it's a nightmare. I was skinny ugly. Finding clothing my size was difficult.

My life before I had kids:
I was a software engineer working with Nokia in Cambridge and then with Brand Communications in Huntingdon. I used to live in Landbeach and then Milton in Cambridgeshire. I never thought I'm the mothering type, and never had imagined myself being a full time mom.

My current projects:

1. Get on top of Lila's teething. Grr. This young lady is giving me back problem!
2. Make sure Aga recognise all the alphabets, and write them.
   
3. Be more creative in my cooking.
   
4. Finish up my novel.
   

My cooking history:
First time I really cook must have been in Melbourne when I was around 18. Never really had to, before that. I haven't really improved lots since then, though. Bleah.

My best and worst cooking:
Best: Rambutan chicken/pork balls in soup. Grandma's recipe.
Worst: Loads of them. Stir fries that didn't quite work out.

I'm tagging:

1. Deb :D
   
2. Erina
3. Sisca
4. Depe
   

2. Deb's

Instructions:
Remove 1 question from below and add in your personal question, make it a total of 20 questions, then tag 8 people in your list, list them out at the end of this post.

1. What do you really really want right now?
I really really want to have come to my grandma's 80th birthday party tonight :( Unfortunately it's tonight and it's in Yogyakarta (Indonesia), far far away from here. A lot of my uncles, aunties and cousins will be there too :(. I can only wish my grandma good health and happiness and hope to see you again soon.

2. If you can turn into anything, what do you wish you can turn into?
Absolutely don't want to turn into male, Deb. I think female is the better creature. I probably want to turn into a toddler, where everything is so exciting and no worries for the world.

3. How are you feeling now?
My back hurts. Too much carrying Lila during our trip to NZ.

4. Where is the place that you want to go most?
I want to go everywhere. Absolutely everywhere. I wish they invent the teleporting device sooner!

5. If you have one dream to come true, what would it be?
I want to have my own mansion, with the butler, the gardener, the maids, the lot.

6. Do you believe in seeing the rainbow after the rain?
Yes. I also believe rain doesn't necessarily mean bad. Sometimes you need rain to 'rejuvenate' everything and make everything refreshed. The rainbow is probably just a bonus.

7. Do you think religion is redundant?
No way.

8. What cheers you up for the rest of the day?
Aga's jokes and Lila's smiles.

9. If you meet someone you love, would you confess to him/her?
Why not. I'd have to make sure myself that I'm in love with him first, though.

10. List out three good things of the person who tagged you.
a) She's an easy going person.
b) She works hard to be who she is today.
c) She cherishes her friends.

11. What are the requirements that you wish from your other half?
Faithfulness and honesty. I could tolerate anything else.

12. What type of person do you hate the most?
Liars and cheaters.

13. What would you do if you won a million dollars?
I'll give half of it to friends and family (hear me friends and family, so please pray that I win a million so you'll get your share), and buy my mansion for the rest.

14. What would you wanna be after you're dead?
I want to be remembered by friends and family and be kept in their hearts.

15. If you have a chance, which part of your character would you like to change?
Un-sportyness.

16. What would you most want to achieve right now?
I want to be a good mom.

17. What do you think is the most important thing in your life?
My family and loving friends.

18. If there's one thing in your life you want to do but yet unable to, what would it be?
I wanted to be a dentist. I guess it's too late now.

19. What do you see yourself as in the next 10 years?
I see myself as a mansion-owner, good wife and mother of two beautiful kids (sense the narcisism?).

20. If you were an animal, what would you be?
I'll be a polar bear. Sleeping for months and months.

I'm tagging these people: (Deb, you're supposed to choose EIGHT!!)
1. Little Gastronomy :D
2. Djes
3. Mrs. Kittenhead
4. Anna
5. Dewi (yinyeksin)
6. Venny
7. Nani
8. Cathy (are you still reading this?)

Sports day

Today was Sports Day at Aga's school so they have organised races. Aga was on group 4, and there were 6 people in the group including him.




[left to right: Aisher, Agastya, Gemma, Thomas, dunno, dunno, Ms. Irene at the back]


This is Aga having fun with Patrick and Ayden before the race:


Oh when the saints go marching in!



Aga and Aisher on the line up for horse racing:


BTW, prior to this, a couple of days back, Aga and Aisher had an episode. Apparently Aga poured sand on his hair and then Aisher scratched Aga's face. It's lovely to be kids. Today there was no sign of that. They were having a freak out of a time.

Horse racing:


The last race:



Aga consistently came third in the first 3 races, and got disqualified on the last one because one girl took two balls so he didn't get any. Never mind, he didn't quite understand what winning/losing means anyway. He was just having fun. Moreover, we had food after the race! What a way to end fun time, eh?



Here are his medals:



When we got home suddenly he was in the mood for colouring so he did, and here's the result after 2 minutes:




Hmm... I haven't really been blogging about Lila lately, so I thought I should do it as well. She's been eating well and she's a chatter box. She loves to repeat / mimic what others do.

Last weekend was very hot, so we had ice cream at Visali's place. Lila eagerly watched me put every spoon of ice cream into my mouth, so I decided to give her a taste.



Oh, how she loved it. She tried to grab my spoon. She tried to eat the bowl. She tried to grab the ice cream off the bowl with her hand. Little missy!!!

I want to be a doctor

I thought it was not right for toddlers to propose what or who they want to be when they grow up. You are well capable of handling things that come out of the blue unless it is from a child !

We have a distant relative here in Melbourne and he only ever refers to me as Dr. Nagi.

Aga never called me anything else but "daddy" although he takes liberty in calling his mother "Monica" whenever he is peeved or gets less attention from her. I suppose he saw me call her "Monica" with varying tones and indeed he has studied me very well.

Aga calling her "Monica" is well known to everyone who has seen him as he never cared for the surroundings or who else is close by. He would call her "Monica" because he wanted to.

So, this "distant relative" motioned Aga to come close by and enquired "Do you know your daddy's name?". Aga says "no" !!

The guy says, your daddy's name is "Dr. Nagi". Can you say that ? Ofcourse, Aga responds to it like a parrot; "Daaaactar Naadi".

No one ever mentioned that to Aga, ever, and it had been 3 weeks before the same "distant relatve" met with Aga. Promptly he asked Aga for his father's name and to my surprise Aga responds correctly with "Dr. Nagi". No mistakes or improper pronounciations this time.

Last weekend, during one of the noon naps:-

Aga: Aga loves daddy.
I: Daddy loves aga too.
Aga: Aga wants to be a doctor.
I: Sure Raja, daddy and mummy will help you become a good doctor.
Aga: Ok.

(Suddenly I get confused why he wants to become a doctor. I for one will not force my kids to become a doctor or an engineer or a pilot. They will become what they want to and if I can help it, I will make that happen. I will provide with encouragement and the means for them to realise their target. But, a 3 year old wanting to be a doctor !! I ponder ..)

I: Aga, Is daddy a doctor ?
Aga: Yes.
I: Is that why you want to become a doctor ?
Aga: Yes. I want to check inside tongue with torch light and I want to be a doctor.

(My son thinks I am a medical doctor !!!. So, he remembered our local doctor checking him with a pen torch when he had a throat infection. I felt proud that he could remember but I also realised I am not the "medical" doctor that he thinks I am !! But, he does not know there are doctors belonging to different professional backgrounds !)

I: Ok. Good boy. You can become a doctor. I will help you become a very good doctor.
Aga: Aga loves daddy.
I: I love you too Aga.
Aga: Aga wants triangle chips (!!!!!)
I: Cheeky rascal. How is this related to you becoming a doctor ? Sleep now. I will give you triangle chips after you wake up.

(Half hour of tossing and turning .. and he goes to sleep. One hour later, he wakes up)

Aga: (no smile) Aga wants chips (!!!!!)
I: (deliberately bring him circle chips)
Aga: I want triangle chips !!!

Ok. Looks like he knows what he wants.

Artsy work for dummies

This book, "The Foam Book" is definitely one of my "Artsy work for mummies (dummies)" books.



It has pre-cut foam pieces (in shapes like triangles, circles, half circles, squares, rectangles, etc, and in different sizes), and the book itself has guides to think of ideas of what to make out of this foams so that not so arty mom like me can still ace it with kids.

This is how it looks like in the book:



.... and this is how Aga made it (with a little help from me point out what he should look for, and gluing the smallest piece of circles). The car was on a different page from the book, btw.



When I said to Aga that we have enough art work for today, he said he wanted to make a pig. I said OK, but I told him he has to make the pig all by himself.

The result:




Not so artsy mommy so proud...

Seriously, I was not so artsy, I remember my mom had pre-cut everything I was supposed to do in my kindergarten 'exam', and even with her pre-cut stuff, I managed to screw it up. There was pre-cut tree, grass and chicken. I put the tree, the grass, and the chicken ON TOP OF THE TREE. Huh! What's wrong with that?

Aga wants what

It is impossible to win an argument with Aga. I can even subdue Monica, occasionally, by offering her goodies or peace - whichever is cheaper at that time.

Aga has just finished his lunch.

Aga: What does Aga want ?
I: Nothing. You just finished your lunch.
Aga: Aga wants triangle chips (Dorritos)
I: You had noodles and soup with Mummy just a few minutes back. After your nap I will give you triangle chips
Aga: Ok. Triangle chips later. Aga wants circle chips (banana chips) now.
I: Oy ! I just told you that you cannot have anything until after your nap
Aga: Aga wants lihat TV (see TV)
I: Ok. That is ok. What would you like to watch ?
Aga: Bob the builder
I: Ok. (and I turn on the TV). Ok. Daddy will go have his lunch now.
Aga: Ok. What does Aga want ?
I: NOTHING man. I already told you that.
Aga: LAUGHING out loud. Aga funny !
I: Phew .. (my kid has some sense of humour that exhausts me enough)