Gardening

Shifting in, the boys and I (mostly me) decided to start our little indoor garden. It has since grown from a few small plants to include mint, cacti, gloxinia, and even chilly plants.

It's lovely to see things grow...the trick is to just discreetly discard or replace the dead plants...nothing to do with green thumbs actually. It also helps to have friends give you plants that have already learnt to survive in the indoor environment!

Recently, the big chilly plant that we grew from seed has started to develop flower buds. The boys love to check everyday if any of the white droopy buds bloom.

The mint shoots we got from Auntie BL are growing very well, long enough to twine around the wire rack. The orphaned spiky leaf plant left behind by Auntie C is is also growing baby shoots.

Wondering whether the garden will survive when the cold sets in. But again, I have learnt in Suzhou to just do what you think is right and then. If not, nothing ever gets done :P.

Happy 9th Anniversary!

To my dear friends BL & KM (and their product J)

Nine years of wedded bliss

Many more to come!

It's great sharing this day with you...

From us, your Suzhou "extended family"

Thousand Island Lake

During the mid-autumn long weekend, we took a self-drive trip to Thousand Island Lake.

It was a long 5-hour drive to reach there and our first in China - one of those trips where the journey mattered more than the destination.

You see, SL and I missed those days back home when we would drive for hours to destinations in Malaysia. The sense of freedom we used to have was just too irresistible.

The drive there was quite easy. The drive back...well, let's just say a certain someone misplaced (or lost) the toll station card. In China, the toll card says which entry point you started and determines how much you pay for highway tolls. We looked and looked, couldn't find it and had to do some explaining. We were let off with a RMB20 fine.

Oh yes..back to Thousand Island Lake. It's a relaxing place. Yes, there are over a thousand islands, I understand. Kinda reminds me of Lake Kenyir in Malaysia.

We also took a day trip to some islands, but their offerings are mainly man-made really.

Nothing much in terms of places of interest, so we spent most of our time reading, gaming, munching on sunflower seeds, relaxing, talking, eating.

And of course, gazing at the lake with its hues of blue and green. It helped that our hotel was just overlooking the lake. Yes, that's what we were there for. And exactly what we needed.

Snapshots of Lijiang

I hope a picture can paint a thousand words, because I've decided to simply put up photos we took of Lijiang. I figured that my one Lijiang entry thus far simply doesn't do it justice, but I'm too lazy to write more. So, here's a quick photo tour of LiJiang:

Gaga over Yoga

It's funny how it took me so long to discover Yoga. "Re-discover" is probably the better word.

I remember several years ago, SL and I signed up for a basic Yoga course. We just had Zern then and it was really tough keeping up with weekly lessons. My only impression of Yoga was of the instructor - quite an old Chinese man - who was much more flexible than I was.

My image of him is very fuzzy, not so much because of the years that have passed, but because he was always too far away during the lessons for us to get a close look. You see, we were always kind of late and had to be at the back of the room most of the time.

I had almost given up on the idea of ever doing Yoga again. Until last year. I signed up for a gym membership then (yes yes, another trapping of Tai Tai life, I admit) and as fate would have it, my first class was one on Yoga. I didn't quite like it. I couldn't balance. I couldn't stretch. It was embarassing to fall down. I thought I would just stick to Aerobics. Then, very slowly, I could feel the usual aches and pains (literally that "pain in the neck" sensation) dissolving away as I perservered. It was enlightening.

I'm glad I held on to the practice. Nowadays, I cannot do without Yoga for too long. Even on holidays like the recent one to Li Jiang, I would do yoga. It doesn't need props, the right shoes etc, and SL joins in too. One of those rare "sports" we both like. He even suggested putting up pix of Yoga at Li Jiang.

Next time you feel age is catching up on you, give Yoga a shot. Maybe all you need is just a good long s-t-r-e-t-c-h....

Back to school

The boys headed back to school yesterday.


Zern's moving to the so-called Key Stage 2 in a British International School. His enthusiasm is infectious (big yawn). Actually, all 3 of us found it a bit tough to wake up early yesterday. After all, we had been sleeping in late almost every day of the summer hols!

Keane is eager to get back to school not for anything else but the school library! We all miss books in English and are suffering from "literary deprivation". Wishing that somehow the Woodlands Library would land in Suzhou.


I for one am glad to get some time of my own in the day. (Finally time for catching up with yoga and reading.)

Housewarming

Our house is warmed today by the visit of good friends. In between helpings of curry chicken, fried bee hoon and nasi lemak, we chatted the hours away.

Gatherings like these must surely be one of the perks of expathood.

The kids have their own table too! They seem to be enjoying themselves but ahem, in their own ways.

Thank you to the families of BL, BL, C, I and J! C & LL - this is what you missed. Hee hee.

Lijiang 古 城

Lijiang is one of those rare places in China that can grow on you. Once you step in, you may feel like you've been there before. Even after you leave, you may still reminisce about its sights, scents and sounds.

The old city ( 古 城〕, where we stayed in, is a quaint mix of old and new. Inns ( 客 栈〕 and shops dot the cobbled-stone walkways, alongside coffee houses and bars.

Waterways link the old city, against a backdrop of willow trees and colourful flowers. The mild weather makes it tempting to spend the whole day outdoors, and nothing beats sipping a cup of tea and daydreaming ( 发 呆〕.

In touch again

I know I promised an entry on Lijiang. That's being drafted, I promise.

I just had to thank all who responded to my first entry. It was great to hear from old friends, some whom I thought have forgotten about me.

Thank you J,LL,KT,R, K and BL. You gave me the motivation to continue blogging. I need it you know, what with the "exciting" life I now lead (as one of you commented). Distractions abound.

Seriously, blogging rocks...it's a great tool for staying in touch. Special thanks to KT who gently reminded me to start updating again, after such a long hiatus.

Our new home

Friends from near and far, I am back on the web. I don't know how long I can sustain this blog but like Lao Tze once said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with one single step." Hopefully, I can continue this journey before failure in web access, or some other unforeseen circumstance, stops me in my tracks. For now, I hope this is the permanent new home for the latest from us in Suzhou.

We're also now comfortably settled in another new home - the physical one. It's located within the same compound but in a newer phase. It's also on a much, much higher floor than our previous 2nd level. Guess which floor we're at?

The mosquitoes have stopped bothering us, our air-con works most of the time(keeping fingers crossed) and we now have a stunning view of the JinJi Lake!

The boys now have their own beds instead of sharing a double deck. And they are obviously quite thrilled with that. Of course, they're smiling too because of the two whole months of summer hols ahead of them when this picture was taken:P.

Holidays are coming to an end soon next week though, which is why we spent the whole of last week in Lijiang, sort of to catch up on our travelling. Lijiang is a town located in Yunnan Province -breathtakingly beautiful, albeit crowded in the town centre. A sneak preview of what we saw (this is not taken from the wallpaper photos, I swear, but during the car journey from Lijiang to Airport!) but more on that in my next entry....