Hg Gundam Astray Gold Frame Amatsu Mina Review

HG Gundam Astray Gold Frame Amatsu Mina Review

By E Choy

Boxart

Hello everyone, today I will be reviewing the Hg Gundam Astray Gold Frame Amatsu Mina from Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Astray. 

The Amatsu Mina is the rebuilt form of the Gundam Astray Gold Frame and the Gundam Astray Gold Frame Amatsu after it was stolen from Heliopolis by Rondo Gina Sakahu, this mobile suit was piloted by Rondo Mina Sakahu, Gina's twin sister. 

First Impression

First of all, the thing that caught my eye when I first opened the box was the gloss black parts, these parts make up much of the kit and are shiny and reflective. This mobile suit looks amazing, the gold, black and red all compliment each other. The asymmetry of the two arms emphasizes on the dark and evil aspect of the model.

Weapons

This kit comes with a variety of weapons, there is the Trikeros Kai, a weapon from the Blitz Gundam (the right arm is also from the Blitz). It has a beam saber/gun and lancer darts. The next weapon is the Totsuka no Tsurugi sabers, these are moulded in one piece. After that is the Tsumuha no Tachi triple claw, the claws can extend and are one piece. The last weapon is the Magashira no Hoko harpoons, these are attached to wires and can be posed. 

Articulation

As demonstrated by the photos above, the Amatsu Mina has exceptional articulation for a kit made in 2013. There are no front skirts and back skirts so the front kick and back kick are not hindered. The knee bend and arm bend are close to 180 degrees and the ankles can bend backwards about 45 degrees. The head is on a ball joint and the shoulders are male pegs attached to female pegs, not ball joints into polycaps. The ankles have three points of movement which allow very good articulation.

Action poses

End Notes

All in all, the Amatsu Mina is a great HG kit and is highly recommended by me as it is glossy, dark and evil looking. But every Gunpla has flaws and this kit's flaw is that it relies too much on stickers; I painted mine though. If you are a big fan of additional parts, this kit has enough parts (but not enough polycaps) to build another arm, albeit without the shoulder armour. In conclusion, I rate this kit a 9/10.

The sticker sheet

The extra right arm

Painting Rocks

Rocking da Garden

By A Choy

A rock is a stone. There are many ways of using a rock/stone in everyday life examples include: lining pots, in fish tank, holding things outside down. Rocks are an unsung hero which makes life well life. Today I decided to make the Rocks Fancy.    :)

Stuff you will need

• Rocks
• Paint (Any type) 
• Paint Brushes
• An Old Toothbrush

You can paint your rocks any colour and design but today I will show you guys how to make Splotch Rocks. To make Splotch Rocks you need to have specific colours to make the design.

Colours you will need

• Black
• White
• Dark Blue or Blue
• Pink
• Purple

You can change the colours 

1. Paint your rocks black or white. It is best to do this outside or on Newspaper
2. Let your rocks dry
3. Apply some paint on the toothbrush
4. Fleck the colours on
5. Let is Dry
6. Enjoy your Rocks

The stuff you will need

Giddy over Guppies

I am back! But it's not the same person.

""It's been too long since I last blogged but I have decided it is time to get back into the mode.

I started blogging in Aug 2010, continuing through to May 2012. My husband said most blogger abandon their blogs after XXX. I told him, "Not this one". Then I disappeared from the blogging scene.

I wasn't idle. I had a gift from above, baby #3. The older kids went to school. We worked hard. We played hard. I was living life to the fullest. There was no time to stop. It felt like everything tumbled into everything else. Overwhelming.

In my original profile, I wrote, "I am deeply grateful to be given this time to slow down, smell the roses and peer at the earthworms in the grass. I explore the small wonders of this world with my children and move my family to a more wholesome and natural lifestyle. I blog about the things that enrich our lives and those that I believe make the world a better place."

Perhaps I should change the profile first. But I am sentimental. I can't bring myself to touch that section. I like the person who wrote that. She sounds happy and contented, viewing the world through rose tinted glasses. What colour are my glasses these days ?

That lady who wrote that, did she yell at the kids ? Would she threaten to tell Daddy ? What would she think of paying a kid to practice her piano pieces ? Well, I think she yelled but not as often as I do. No, she never used Daddy as a threat. She would be appalled that kids should be bribed to learn. "Learning should be directed by the child."

"Ah! What does she know?" say this lady. "She had 2 kids. They were 1 and 3 years old. They napped twice a day, for goodness sake. They didn't have school work then. ECAs were at the park."

"You don't try so hard anymore."

"Hey! I am tired. I have worked 24/7. Almost 365 days for the last 4 years."

I'd like to think that I don't appear to try so hard now because
1. I have embraced my ideals. What I have consciously set out to do have become second nature. 
2. I have repeated some actions enough times to do it confidently, like administer suppositories.
3. I have come to realize that 80% is perfect.
4. My standards have changed.

But thanks. You have got a point there. I needed that reminder. While I may think I am in a state of mothering flow, I must remember that being a mother is a privilege. Being tired is not an excuse for being unloving, less than gentle, unkind. I must remember to listen, to respect, to nurture and to continue to learn the fine art of mothering.

In 2 and a half years, I have changed. I have grown. I am a different person, a different mother. I will not judge who I was and who I have become.

And yes, I must remember to stop and smell the roses.

Moving

We are in the midst of preparing to move to a new neighbourhood. The preparations are more mental than physical because we have the luxury of professional movers.

Physical preparation for moving
1. We have put up a huge to do list on the wall. My husband and I make notes and take pleasure crossing things off.
2. He has started throwing things out. The rest of us 'rescue' some things.
3. We talk about our new place.
That's about it. Yes, we are not a very physical family.

Mentally, we prepare to close Part I of our lives in Taiwan.
Neihu has been our neighbour for the past three years. My husband and I knew immediately that we  wanted to live here the moment we saw the place. We saw the little park, the path that winds up the hill and the 'woods'. We fell in love. We didn't see beyond that to be honest. The actual apartment was nice enough but the green right at our doorstop made it irresistible. We will miss that.

Beyond the green is a school where we get treated to a full view of sports day, concert rehearsals, political rallies, fire safety training and the Taiwan national anthem sung every Tuesday. Every morning, from as early as 4AM, locals enter the school grounds - legitimately and do their rounds around the field. The rain does not deter them. They walk / run with their umbrellas. Sometimes the rain is so fine, we cannot tell if it is raining. We look towards the school field - walkers with umbrellas ? Children playing ? We will miss all these.

Once, when the school children were rehearsing for a drum performance, we had to put with with the boom boom boom every afternoon for weeks. It woke my babies up and annoyed me. The voice of the teacher who directs the sports day is rough and loud. She barks all instructions to 1000 ? students with a haler. Argh ! But she had my sympathy when she nearly lost her voice after all those practises. These I will not miss but I will remember fondly.

And far beyond the school, on the left, stands the famous landmark of Taipei city - Taipei 101. Each new year's eve we got full view of the fireworks display from the iconic building. We never had to brave the traffic jam or crowds to see the spectacular show. One year, we even saw the fireworks in Danshui from our place. We reluctantly give up our free tickets to the show.

The Sprayers

One day, on a whim, I filled a sprayer with water and a couple of drops of red food colouring, for Ae to take to the park. I thought it would keep her amused while I did some exercise. She was entertained. She sat on the walkway and sprayed all around her. She sprayed on the white tree bark that was falling off the trees. She sprayed on bird shit and stones. It was fun for a while and then she got bored.

The sprayer then sat unused on the shoe rack for a few weeks. Her brother asked about it when he came home from school but he didn't try it. Suddenly, we are hit by sprayer fever in the house. They both want the sprayer. "Oh ! Let it be a lesson in sharing and taking turns.", I thought. But reminding them to share was disrupting my peace in the park. So, we ended up asking by mother for her 'bug sprayer' from the balcony.

The second sprayer is opaque so I didn't fill it with colouring. It is bigger and initially neither of the kids wanted it. So, back to sharing and taking turns. One day, I mentioned to Ew that it had a shooting mode. Now it is the sprayer of his choice.

So what are they learning from using the sprayer at the park besides the abandoned lesson in sharing and taking turns ? Plenty !
1. They are building up fine motor skills to help with their writing.
2. They are improving coordination.
3. They are learning that red colouring only shows on lighter coloured objects like white bird poo but not on mud.
4. They are learning amidst my shouts of "No!" that spraying on the winged termites damages their wings and they can't fly. But if their mother stops them in time, and the bug does not shed his wing and it has a chance to dry, he can fly again.
5. They are learning that you need to stop and let some air into the big sprayer or it won't spray - Bernoulli's principle.
6. They are learning which people to avoid because they will get yelled at for spraying on plants.
7, 8, 9, 10.....

Water Babies



Bath Art

Ingredients for fun:

1) Non-toxic paint

2) Palette / any receptacle for paints

3) Paint brushes / sponges / toothbrushes / rags

4) Dark coloured clothes

For clean up:

5) Cleaning brushes

6) Bathroom cleaner, if required

Tips:

1) Set rules

2) Involve kids in the cleaning up (skip the bathroom cleaner) - that can be part of the fun

3) Expect a mess

4) Have rags ready

5) Clean the palettes / brushes etc., bathroom then shower the kids

6) Test your tiles - I forgot to check and panicked when the red paint didn't wash off



Ae painted a dinosaur

Ew's Transformer robot on the bathroom floor

Magnificent !

A wacky and wonderful journey through science

Dull science is rampant. The worse I can think of are the text books we used in primary and secondary schools (in Malaysia), 30 years ago. So bad, that I cannot remember how the secondary school ones look like. The only primary school science book I can remember is a page with a search for hidden animals. That was way back in Standard 1.

Despite that, I became a scientist. I met many very interesting science teachers who made up for those dire books and kindled my interest in the subject. The best part was having an aunt, who was a science teacher, who always took the opportunity to show the relevance of science in everyday life. Most unforgettable, was the time she bought cow eyes so we could cut them up at home and examine the lenses.

Enter Miss Frizzle and the Magic School Bus - a series of books by Scholastic about scientific topics written in the most entertaining fashion yet packed with nuggets of information. According to the Official Scholastic website for The Magic School Bus the series is almost 25 years old. But I have never seen them until a couple months ago at the Taipei Public Library. The author is Joanna Cole who was an elementary school teacher, librarian and a children's book editor. The books are illustrated by Bruce Degen.

Miss Frizzle is a teacher who is very passionate about her subject. She is portrayed as a wacky woman, very single minded in her quest to impart knowledge and provide experiences for her class of students. She is often the butt of the children's jokes which I find can be quite rude. This I attribute to my Asian perspective of respect and reverence of capable people in a teaching capacity. Or perhaps, I am now too distant from the age where it was hilarious to poke fun at teachers. But I tend to skip those parts when reading to my children. I substitute every nickname for Frizzie/ the Frizz with Miss Frizzle and I erase every mockery of her. Yes, I am a stick in the mud.

The first book we picked up at the end of last year,was "The Magic School Bus and the Electric Field Trip". Miss Frizzle takes the students to a power plant. The children learn how electricity, how it is generated and distributed to homes. They travel through various electrical appliances. 
With all The Magic School Bus classic books, the scientific information is presented in a simple and easy to understand format. There is an element of imagination but the science remains factual. I really like the many layers of information. While the main story progresses, there are side notes in the form of the students' reports which provide additional detail or explanation. Real scientific terms are introduced and explained. The things explored are familiar and relevant. Sometimes, Ae follows the main story. Most times, she ignores the books but if she finds one on a shelve in the library, she brings it to her brother. Ew follows the main story and goes for the extra notes. Sometimes, he requests that I skip those parts, so I do.

If you are uncomfortable with the imaginary aspects of the story like a bus that changes forms, time travel, students small enough to float through electrical wires, the last two pages handles the brickbats. The author admits certain things are not possible or provides explanation. Some additional clarification is provided for anyone who may want to look up some of the information.

The illustrations are fantastic - attractive, colourful and greatly help children understand the concepts. There are detailed diagrams to explain how things work e.g. turbines. Jokes are often inserted as speech bubbles. I mentioned that Miss Frizzle is ribbed but there are clever play on words and wit. I love the creative designs of Miss Frizzles dresses, complete with matching shoes and earrings. It complements the theme explored in each book and provides previews of what is in store. Again, the diagrams are fun but factual. I wish Bruce Degen illustrated some of the text books I read.

Being very interested in electrical appliances, Ew got a lot out of that book. He probably didn't grasp the part about atoms losing an electron and how the movement of electrons creates electricity but I think he acquired the basic understanding of electricity. He can name the electrical appliances in the house (vs. non electrical). He can explain the end effect of electricity for an electrical appliance to work e.g. generate heat or light, cause movement. During the Fukushima incident, there were pictures of the nuclear reactors in the newspapers. I explained those to him and he seemed to grasp the concept because he had seen pictures of turbines in The Magic School Bus book.

The next book we borrowed was "The Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body". The students travel through the digestive system and learn about oxygenation of blood and organs. This was the book that travelled with us back to Malaysia and entertained the children for 2 weeks. Again, Ew could identify with a lot of the stuff covered because he had asked me about poo in Mamypoko once and I had drawn him a diagram of the digestive track from the mouth to the anus. The book didn't go in the same direction but it built on some knowledge that he already had and added more about blood cells, the brain and muscles. He probably can't tell you about muscle fibres, I can't either. During a trip to the hospital, he stopped in front of the Neurology Clinic, pointed to a diagram and said "Mummy, look ! That is the brain." I was impressed.

It was a nice coincidence that I happen to find the VCD for the TV tie in for the same at Tesco. It is called "The Magic School Bus Gets Eaten" but the story is similar to the book. I am not a big fan of TV, so I prefer the books. The kids watched it twice and haven't asked for it since. (For this I am indeed grateful. Amen.)
.
Then we read "The Magic School Bus Explores the Senses". It was information overload for my kids as the Magic School Bus went through the eyes, ears, nose, tongue. Ew wasn't interested. Maybe it would be more suitable for an older child who has explored those concepts before. I liked it for the explanation of how each sense works. The story was creative but Miss Frizzle wasn't driving the bus. And the vice-principle whatever his name, doesn't drive it as well. Who say men make better drivers ?

During a library visit, we came across two Magic School Bus books in a different format. The books are smaller, thinner and much simpler. Those were the Science Readers designed for children early readers to read on their own. Despite the simplicity, the science remains true. What impressed me was these books are not about simple, mundane (sorry) subjects that most readers tend to be. No "Fox does the trot" or repetitive "More spaghetti I say". No, the two books we borrowed were "The Magic School Bus Gets Crabby" and "The Magic School Bus Flies with the Dinosaurs". The Crabby one is about tide pools and the organisms within. The latter introduces the link between birds and dinosaurs. The students of Miss Frizzle's class go back in time and learn about the feathered dinosaurs of Liaoning Plain in China. I improved my dino-vocabulary with words like Jinzhousaurus, Confuciousornis.

Ae loved those simple Magic School Bus readers. She carried them to the dinner table many times to read while she ate. I think she had found in them books like those her brother was reading but more at her level.

We are currently have "The Magic School Bus in the Time of the Dinosaurs" (classic book) and "The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth"(classic book). The former is a more popular choice in our household. We borrowed "The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth" first and read it a few times. Then my reservation of "The Magic School Bus in the Time of the Dinosaurs" came through. After we picked up the "The Magic School Bus in the Time of the Dinosaurs" from the library, the "The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth" was left forgotten at the bottom of the book basket.

In summary,
1) great series of book about science except for the rude jokes about the teacher
2) suitable for children of various ages - pre-school to primary. This adult loves it too!
3) different levels of information present in a manner that allows one the choice to skim or delve
4) wide range of topics - start with those that interest your child to get the most out of it. As they start to like Miss Frizzle and the bus, introduce new topics.
5) different formats - from simple readers, classic books, chapter books, cartoons

To quote Miss Frizzle, "Fasten your seat belts and take a field trip on the Magic School Bus".

Alishan, Day 1

In our 2 years here, our travel has centred around the train hotspots in Taiwan. Last June, we visited Taiping Shan to ride the Bong Bong train. In Dec, we saw the historical roundhouse in Changhua. I thought it was time for us to pay tribute to perhaps the most famous attraction in Taiwan - Alishan, to pay tribute to the iconic forest railway.

Alishan means 'Mount Ali'. It all becomes a bit confusing when Mummy tries to answer the 'Are we there yet?' question because there is no mountain there called Ali. Alishan covers a mountainous area which boasts several mountains (none called Ali). The name is derived from the name of a tribal chief, Abali. When out hunting with Abali, the aborigines never went home empty handed. Hence, Abali was revered among the aborigines and they named his hunting ground after him. When it became too much of  a mouthful, they shorted it to Alishan. (retold from memory, with poetic licence). On our trip, we explored the Alishan National Scenic Area (ANSA) and spend about a day in the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area (ANFRA) within the ANSA.
Unfortunately, about a week before we were scheduled to leave. The little forest railway was derailed by falling tree branches, killing 30 Chinese tourist. The little train service was suspended and remains suspended today as I write. It was a major disappointment for us but we were so looking forward to the trip that we proceeded anyway.

The Alishan National Scenic Area website is a great resource although the news has not been updated since 2010. I can't help but conclude that the Tourism Bureau of Taiwan is not actively encouraging people to visit Alishan. As I went along the trip, I understood why. Large stretches of Provincial Highway 18 leading to the ANFRA, damaged by Typhoon Morakot in 2010 are still being repaired. We saw signs of fresh landslides along the way. Twice, we came to roads that had collapsed and had to turn back and change our plans. It was scary.

So, lets get to our trip.

There are several ways to get to Alishan. The Taiwan High Speed Rail connects to Chiayi. A cheaper option is the ordinary train by the Taiwan Railway Administration or buses from Taipei. In Chiayi, one can transfer to buses or trains to the ANSA and ANFRA. A large number of visitors take advantage of this excellent public transport arrangement. Erm..we chose to self-drive for various reasons - I am a detailed packer and didn't want to risk leaving the kids' toilet seat on the train and my husband is a control freak who addresses himself as 'The Captain' (of his vessel).

We started off on a wet and smoggy Monday morning following a map provided by Mr. He, our favorite airport limo service provider. We decided to forgo the GPS at this point, as our device seem to have a penchant for small country lanes. Our route was National Highway 1, all the way to Yun Lin --> Provincial Highway 78 to Gukeng --> National Highway 3. It was somewhere along National Highway 3, that our GPS started to show its fetish for the narrow country lanes again. Somewhere around Jhuci, we found ourselves going up a small winding mountain road. The mist was coming in fast although it was around 4pm. Suddenly the little mountain road came to an end. Up in front was the remains of a road, broken and we could not see beyond that for the mist.

Ew became really worried. My son is an expressive worry wart. He worries out loud. That's my husband's gene, I know. I am the stoic, let's project an optimistic front type. My palms may be sweaty, my heart may be pounding but my lips are sealed. My son needs certainty. At his point of his life, he gets that from us. To see us hesitating, calling, stopping, turning back. That's outside his comfort zone. I want his to learn to be mindful of this as he grows.

At this point, I called our accommodation for the first night and found to my dismay we were off course. We had to head to Provincial Highway 18. We shifted the sails and turned back. In actual fact, the road was too narrow, we had to reverse down it. But as the mist cleared so did our spirits. We whooped when we saw this.

Well kids, we are sort of there

Well, it was another hours drive Shizhou, near where we were going to stay. It is within the ANSA and just outside the fringe of the ANFRA. Staying outside the ANFRA is cheaper. It also gives you the base to explore the attractions of the ANSA. There are many hidden gems.

We decided to make an impromptu stop when we spotted a train engine. We were getting fatigued having been in the car for about 5 hours. I have no idea where this is. If it is any help, the name starts with the Chinese character for bamboo. It was a fun 15 minutes piss stop.

The road started to get windy and my dear son became queasy. While his sister glugged down a bottle of milk, he puked up the little green Skittle and whatever liquid left in his stomach. Poor chap. It was quite impossible to stop. The mist came in again. Traffic up the mountains was heavy.

There are very few petrol stations in the ANSA. Consult the ANSA website for the locations. When in doubt, top up your tank as we did in Shizhou.  Finally arrived at our destination for the Day 1 - Lauya Restaurant and Guesthouse. Read my review of Lauya on Tripadvisor.

A balm for the weary travellers



Our room - second one from the left



Magnificent mountains showed themselves
when the mist cleared in the morning

Frogs were everywhere - we counted 8 hopping around us at night.
There were fireflies across the main road and in the slopes behind.

Ready to call it a day, we were disappointed to learn that the cooks at Lauya were away tending the farm plot. Maybe that was a blessing in disguise, we were very happy with our dinner that evening. About 10 minutes drive from Lauya, in Shizhou we found a gem of a restaurant. They have an English menu. We feasted on tea oil chicken, tofu, mountain vegetable. Our hostess was warm and efficient. During our trip, we went back a second time. To my amazement, she remembered what we ate 2 days ago and which table we sat at. That is customer delight !

This is it ! Pardon my inability of read Chinese.
It is along the main road in Shizhou,
opposite Hi Lite. Tel: 05-2562732

 To be continued....

Pizza and Bagels

When I turn my oven on, I aim to make the most of the heat by creating two delicacies. I started today thinking about pizza for dinner. And I have been thinking about bagel the whole week. Since I watched Bob Blumer (Glutton for Punishment) learn how to make bagels, I have been dying to give it a go. While my pizza dough was proofing, I made a batch of bagels.

The pizza dough is Jamie Oliver's recipe. I make half the recipe and use a wholewheat flour / bread flour mix. Both organic. I rolled the crust thin but it didn't turn out crispy. Probably because of the wholewheat content. Toppings were homemade bollognese sauce, pineapple, mushrooms, organic capsicum, tomatoes, onions, cheese. There was enough to make 4 pizzas. We ate 2.5 for dinner, that leaves 1.5 for lunch tomorrow. Wholesome and yummy!

I tried a new bagel recipe. My usual one is from The Arthur Flour 'A Dozen Simple Bagels'. Today I came across this one from Hubpages which I thought was really simple and fuss free (no mention of malt powder or substitutes). It actually uses the same technique which Bob Blumer was trying to perfect. Cool ! Cause that was the whole reason I wanted to get my hands dirty was to try this technique.

I haven't eaten any of the bagels yet but I must say the shape of my bagels are looking a lot better than batches before.

I am compelled to confess my boo boo. When one tries to do too many things at a ago, like make pizza AND bagels, one tends to make mistakes. Especially if one works like me, I look at a recipe, and try to memorize the steps cause I don't like to refer to a paper while I work. I shaped my bagel, dipped them in poppy seeds and then remembered that oops....... that should come after I boil them. Anyway, most of the poppy seeds stayed on.

A Hmmmm point: This recipe calls for the bagels to be turned over while baking. I have not done that before. I did it today. It was messy cause the bottom of those bagels had stuck onto the reasonably oiled tray and bits came off. When the bagels were done, those bits from the bottom got stuck to the top. So although, they are shapelier, they are looking a bit pock marked. I think I will skip that step the next time. After all, I didn't see Bob doing that.

"To Ew, for reading your first 13 words"

In a previous blog, I shared my frustrations teaching Ew to read ("You can't make him read or write, but you can make him not want to"). Out of the window went Siegfried Engelmann's "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons".

I didn't give up. I am just doing it differently.

We continue going to the library. Ewan loves his reading (as in being read to). He demands for it. He whines for it. When I lost my voice for 2 days and told him I couldn't read. My 4 year old told me "Reading is very good. We must do more of it." and "Mum, you can whisper the story to me if you can't read." I continue to surround him with books, books and more books. I shared my woes with Aunt Gloria in Ohio. She homeschooled 4 kids. She is the guru of homeschooling. At Christmas, she sent us a whole box of books!

I sound out words "to myself". When I am reading a book to him, I deliberately pause and sound out words e.g. "C-A-T cat". I don't make any demands of him. Sometimes, he gets annoyed because the story is stalled but he just thinks that I need to do that for me to read well.

I make up silly song with words spelled out in the lyrics. I can't think of an example of a song I created at the moment. There is a song that they play at Toy-R-Us that is really catchy and it goes something like "B-A-N-A-N-A, banana" over and over again. My kids learn things that are rowdy, loud and silly, easily.

I build his confidence by asking him to read the words in the story which I know he has memorized. "Once upon a time, there were three ......" I pause. He says,"bears". I praise. I applaud him for reading the word. I tell Po-Po. I tell Daddy. Everyone congratulates him. Ew acts nonchalant but I know he is pleased because he is doing it more now. He doesn't protest as much.

I deliberately spell out a word, sound it out, say it out load. As we read on and the word appears again, I ask him to help me read it. He does. Sometimes, he doesn't. That's ok too. We read the "Fantastic Mr Fox" for a month. The word "fox" was everywhere. When we were at a Thai restaurant last weekend, the chief waiter's name tag said "FOX". I turn to Ew and said, "Ew, can you read the Uncle's name on his tag". He looked away. A little embarrassed. I felt triumphant. I knew he knew it. Learning was reinforced in that incident.

When I see a word that means a lot to him example a food he likes, I point it out. I say "Hey, you like cheese. I think you should know the word cheese, so we can buy more when we're out shopping."

I label a few things around the house. Richard Gentry suggested it in his book "Raising confident Readers: How to Teach your Child to Read and write, from Baby to age Seven". I have only done it once. The labels are falling off and looking tacky. My house is looking  tacky. I am not sure if it works. Seeing the word in a book, I ask Ew to check if the label for "door" is still there. "Are you sure?" I ask. He spells it out. By the way, I was quite demotivated reading it because my child does not even fit the phase 1 Richard advocates. But he does have a few good tips here and there.

Last week, I bravely counted the words that Ew can now read. 13 words - bear, bus, toy, car, cheese, door, fox, train, cat, pig, No, dog, "I can't remember the last one". I made a really big deal of it. I wrote out all the words on different coloured cards. I punched a hole in the corner of each card and tied it together with a pipe cleaner. I told everyone about the words. Everyone wanted to hear him read and he did.

Ew told me he should be rewarded with a book from my secret stash (The Box). I present him "Rumpelstiltskin".  In it I have scribbled, " To Ew, for reading your first 13 words"





Pipe-cleaner-saurus

I have lost my voice. I can squeak, I can whisper but I can't do my usually ongoing narrative for my kids. Nevertheless, I had to keep them occupied for some peace in the house this morning. I reached for The Box.

The Box. Whenever I go to the stationery shop to buy a birthday card, I pick up a bunch of other little items to make it up to NT$100. The stationery shop gives a 10% discount on purchases above NT$100. These knick knacks go into the The Box. There are treasures to be found in the market too. The Box is not a physical box but rather a bunch of items hidden in high shelves and deep drawers, that I can reach into for a quick reward or to entertain.

Out came the multicoloured pipe cleaners. The colours and texture was enough to make them stop squabbling and calm down.

We googled pipe cleaner crafts. It is surprisingly popular. We started at  Disney Family Fun. There is a quick video which shows you the basic steps called Pipe Cleaner Tips & Tricks. Twist, coil, insert, connect, bundle. The kids quickly decided they wanted the dinosaur. So I made them these Pipe-cleaner-saurus.  It is not a replica of what's on the website but that's creativity.

Check out those eyes !

Black eye peas never looked so mournful on a dinosaur

Do a search on the Disney Family Fun website and you will find a whole lot of other ideas for pipe cleaners. Michaels is another cool website for crafts. Of course it is an online store first, but look under Project >> Kids / Teachers and there are fantastic crafts for kids. Check out the Chenille (the posh name for pipe cleaners) Bunnies and Chicks for an Easter project.

At Martha Stewart's you can create a whole zoo out of pipe cleaners. Check out Squidoo as well for other recommended websites.

Show the kids a few examples and then let them at it. That's what I am going to do the next time.

Spring on our Balcony Garden

It is lovely to go out on our balcony garden these days! All the green peeping from the soil and buds on the plants. Here are some of our stars. We also have tomato seedlings, a beet root, and a type of vegetable which is appearing in every pot.

Lemon blossoms looking pretty and perfuming the room
(Background: Looking down at the park from the 14th floor)

Pea flower

Pea
Our pea shoots are growing in a mix of coconut coir and organic matter in
stacked planter which we built

The harvest
Don't laugh - I am optimistic

Strawberry tartlets are technically from my kitchen not garden but
strawberries are one of the spring fruits that we are now enjoying 

Mee Ku

9 !

These turtle shaped steamed dumplings are special to the Chinese community. Usually a prayer offering on special occasions (see my previous post "The Jade Emperor's Birthday), 'mee ku's are scarce these days. They can be found at wet markets in small towns but hardly anyone makes them anymore.

To us who grew up on 'mee ku', they are special. To me, it evokes memories of an idyllic childhood. The plump turtle shape has a natural appeal for kids (and adults). Fresh from the steamer, it is warm, soft and sweet - the ultimate comfort food. A really special treat is to dip slices of  'mee ku' in beaten egg and fry them in a pan like French toast.

The recipe is from 'At Home with Amy Beh'. (I'll type it out later :)

The Jade Emperor's Birthday

The ninth day of the Chinese New Year is the Jade Emperor's Birthday known as "Pai Thee Kong". It is celebrated by the Hokkien Chinese. Having married a strapping man from this clan, I have a standing invitation to the party each year.

Being one for those for Chinese rituals since I was a child (I have always loved burning the gold and coloured paper for my grandmother cause it was the closest I could get to adult-sanctioned burning), I have secretly been making notes. This is also important as I am sure many of you have felt frustrated by the lack of written instructions / clarity on what must be done on certain Chinese family occasions.

Day -4: Make green bean filling for 'ang ku' (red turtles)
Ingredients: Split green beans, sugar
Soak 500g of split green beans overnight.
Steam with XX amount of water for YY minutes. ( I didn't get specifics. Excuse: I think it takes trial and error to get it right. Real reason: I went out gallivanting while mother-in-law (MIL) slogging away at the hearth.)
Blend with 350g sugar.
Fry in wok to mash up.
Refrigerate.

Day -3: Make 'ang ku' (red turtles)

Ingredients: ??? flour, glutinous rice flour, water, red colouring, oil, sugar - I don't know the quantities
Excuse: Hokkien is my fourth language. Real reason: I was not paying attention when my mother-in-law (MIL) was mixing the dough. Please don't tell her. For the same reason, I am guessing some of the ingredients. What I got was it was a mixture of two types of flour. One being glutinous rice flour and the other I am guessing is wheat flour. A total of 600g. I hang my head in shame - hardly living up to my reputation for being scientific and documenting facts.

The next part is confusing. MIL took hot water and mixed it with cool water (1:4). She later told me that she should have used boiling water. Add colouring, oil and sugar to the water. Mix flour and water.

Roll for 20 minutes. Phew ! Tip: Try using the Knead function of the bread maker or Kitchen Aid. It is really hard work. I was sweating and my arms were aching. It is wasn't for my desire to stay in good books, I would not have completed 10 minutes.

You will also need to have a mould for ang ku and access to banana trees. Cut banana leaves into 3'x3' squares and paint with cooking oil.

Roll dough into strips. Cut into pieces. Dust mould with flour. Flatten dough with a rolling pin. Take a teaspoonful of bean filling. Place in the centre of the dough. Fold dough over the filling forming a ball. Put the ball into the mould and gently press the ball of dough to fill the mould. When you are satisfied with your efforts, tap the mould really hard so the dough drops out. You should get a lovely little ang ku taking the shape of the mould which I did not. Each time I got malformed orange lumps with filling spilling out of the sides.

Put the ang ku onto the oiled banana leaf square.

Steam for 7 minutes on high.

Day -2: Make 'mee ku'

A family of 'mee ku's

Ingredients: AP Flour 1kg (MIL has a large household), baking powder 1 tsp, sugar 300gm, yeast 1/2 packet, oil 2 tsp, vinegar 1/2 tsp, water XX

The night before, make the 'ibu' (starter dough) by mixing 400gm of flour with 1.5 bowls of water and 1/2 packet of yeast.

Err...mix the rest of the ingredients in and knead for 20 minutes or until dough is soft and shiny. At this point I left the house and went I came back I saw this (and a visibly tired MIL).

Abundance 
I bet the people at SEATRU (Sea Turtle Research Unit) wished the same on their beaches

Day -1: Make steamed egg cake (to replace commercially bought steamed cake aka huat kuih), sweet glutinous rice, red eggs, jelly
I deferred these modules to next year.

Purchase other party food which was not bought earlier - sugar cane, another type of glutinous rice cake (nee kuih), 5 types of fruits, pineapple (that makes it 6 types of fruits), flowers (which were my present to MIL). Staples from the Hokkien pantry which are included are 'mee suah', 'chai' - a combination of dried ingredients such as bean threads, black fungus, shitake, bean curd sheets which are used to cook a vegetarian dish, dried longan.

At 11:59pm, the table is set.

A feast fit for an Emperor

Offering of gold

Day 0: The Party
A few minutes after 12am, incense and candles are lit. Family members take turns offering incense and prayers. The generic prayer goes something like this. "Po pee peng aun....." Bless us with peace...

The gold is burned. The tea cups are refilled twice during the ceremony. We hang around the table chatting, comparing neighbours offering - waiting for our feasting to began.

At 1am, we bring the offering back in. My MIL makes us "mee suah" with a hot soup and XXL sized prawns. We tuck in. YUM !

Happy Birthday Thee Kong !