SG50 The Fighter Jets Fly By ECP Expressway

Date:  Aug 9, 2015

While we driving home.  It was 12 noon when we on the ECP Expressway.

There is a fighter jet flying in the sky.

So, we hazard light our car, and investigate.

Kay: “Is Singapore under attack?"

Where have they fly to?  Where is it?

Here it comes again.  Four fighter jets doing the twisted moves.

Here comes Larry Leong.  Our friend who is going to drive across 15 countries form Singapore to London in 66 days in his Land Rovers, with his wife Simone, and their daughter Lucy.  I think Lucy is only 5 years old.  And the plan is, 50 years later, hopefully Lucy will do another long Land Rover trip to celebrate SG100.

What do you know?  The four fighter jets came to see them off too.

A convoy of 52 Land Rovers will escort Larry’s car to Tuas check point where he will joined with other Malaysia drivers, about 15 of them to embark this wonderful journey.

The sky is not that good.  But good enough for us to see the LOVE shape the fighter jets make.

The kids really love it.  They don’t like the sun though.

Let’s do selfie.  or Wefie.

Happy Birthday Singapore.  In front of us.

Happy SG50.  Behind us.

An Hour at Urban Ski

Date:  Aug 17, 2015

This year, we are heading back to Hokkaido for our winter vacation.

So, it is nice to know that there is an Urban Ski opening in Singapore.  And it is just right beside my office here at Millenia Walk.

[Updates] At the moment, Urban Ski has to close down for 2 months so that they can get a proper license they are missing… yeap… The Amusement Park license.  Once they got the license, they will re-open again.  :)

Urban Ski is a training facilities for skier.  It is kind of amazing.

Since I am bringing Jay and Kay back to Hokkaido for Skiing, so, it is better to train up Kay first.  Because Kay has zero roller blade experience and only 2 hours experience with skiing (last December).

It is not a big facility but at any one time they can have two trainers train on two different sections.  Each section can accommodate up to 4 students.

So, let’s give it a try.  If you learn at Hokkaido, I think it is much more expensive. 

If Kay can pick up at least most of the basic here in Singapore, then, it will be easier for us.

They have shoes for all sizes.

Jay has a red shoe.

The helmet, they required every one to wear a hygiene head net before you can wear the helmet.  I think that should not be needed at all.  It looks very ugly.

OK.  We are up.  It is our turn.

There is a big revolving carpet below.  

And they moisture it with water.  That is why when you turn your ski, it will cut the carpet and the water will sprinkle up just like the snow effect.  

Very cool.

The coach wants us to get the feeling of the carpet.

 Kay is up and skiing.  And he did good.  

But he cannot come down.  

HaHaHa… because his leg is not “pizza” shape enough.

I can fly.  Yoo hoo...

It feels real.

It’s me and Jay Jay turn.  Jay has learn it before, that is why he can pick it up faster.

Let’s focus on Kay Kay again.  He is the one who need to learn how to control.

The coach will lend him a hand to make him comfortable.  He needs to do that pizza shape in order to stabilise.

He has not enough strength to control the ski.  That is why.

So, he will need to learn a few times before he has the confident.

And by the way, sometimes it can be dangerous too.  But the coach will stop the facility in time.

After just a two sessions of 10 minutes sessions, my legs are very very tired.  

I can walk 2-3 hours continuously but this skiing sessions is using all the muscle that I don’t usually use. 

So, my legs are very tired after the skiing lesson.

But I must say, it is a fun thing to do, especially in Singapore.

Can’t wait for it to reopen again.

Learn Chinese Compositions

Date:  May 4, 2015

“May the 4th be with you!"

Last week, I posted a very interesting method of learning Chinese.

Last week article.  http://miniliew.blogspot.sg/2015/04/date-apr-26-2015-i-would-love-that-my.html

This week, I wanted to tell you why it is useful.  It was meant for Oral test and reading.  

But today I find that it is useful for doing Chinese Composition Writings too.

Students are allowed to bring electronic dictionary into the class to take the Chinese paper 1.  Which is Chinese Composition writing.

If you don’t know how to write the words or phrases, don’t worry, simply type the Han Yu Pin Yin will do.

For example “Zhi Dao” is ”??“.

Even they are not sure about the correct Han Yu Pin Yin, they can simply type “zd”, which is the first alphabet for Zhi and the first alphabet of Dao.  And then, you just scroll to the words you want. 

But how does the kid know how to read the words they wanted to write?  So that they can key in the Han Yu Pin Yin?

Unfortunately, there is no easy way.  You have to READ MORE and LEARN MORE.

The more you read, the more that you will learn and use the Chinese words.  If you seldom read, then, you will definitely don’t know how to search and write.

I started to use this Oral test assessment book.

Inside has 15 passages.  This is one of them.

Next, I start to read the story books.  

I would say these story books has about 75% of the vacabs that Jay knows how to read.  There are 25% still he does not know how to pronounce.

So, what I did is to record down my voice reading the story.

Then, every morning or day, I will ask him to listen to the recording and eyes look at the passage.  Read it inside his mind, not reading out loud.  

The more he read the books, the more he will hear my voice.  It is also a very familiar voice.  So, it felt natural for him to read the story book this way.

It is kind of like an audiobook.  :)  Here is the sample of my voice.  hahahaha

So, the more he read, the more he understand the usage of the the Chinese words and sentences.

The more he read, the more he will remember.

Usually, takes about 5-7 days to read one passage or a story.

There will be a lot of words he had not seen before.

But because he is reading it, he remember it subconsciously.

Because he remember how it was pronounce, he is able to tell what is the Han Yu Pin Yin.

Because he has seen the words before, when he key the Han Yu Pin Yin, he is able to select the correct words and learn how to write them.

So far the result has been good.

Lastly, I want to share with you this passage.  Telling why we need to teach our kids to read.

Don’t worry, it not only apply to Mommy, also apply to Daddy.

Confident look, confident writing.  May the force be with you.

The Little Red Brick Show SG50 Edition

Date:  Aug 28, 2015

Some friends told us about it.  

And today is the last day of the exibition.

It is at the National Library.

This blog is for those who has miss it.

Usually Friday night is the kids and the Smith Girls playdate time at home.  Today, let’s do a special outdoor playdate visiting the Little Red Brick Show.

The first thing that caught my eye is this Duxton HDB.  It looks so real.

Then, these old style houses looks pretty amazing.

I told them kids, why can’t they build something like this.

Got to love those roof and water pipes.

Take from another angle.

Looks so realistic.

How about this Katong bread store.

And they have the hawker stall below and beside the house.

How about this old house.

My wife grand father stay exactly in this kind of houses last time.

It is amazing.

Look at this tinkgkat and biscuit.

Wow.  This is the biscuit Kay Kay and most of other kids love to eat.

Wha hahahahahaha.  So real the color.

Some tower somewhere in Singapore.

PSA.

SBS Transit bus.

KTM train.

Another train.

Chinese Opera.

Learn Mandarin with the Lion.

Singapore VR man.

Read the description.

Racial Harmony.  Cool, the painted the kebaya.

Made using Legos.

Zouk Playground?

How about the Army camp.

The red big head police car.

The lights.

They really enjoy every thing made in Lego.

Here come the Astroboy.

It’s dinner time.  Let’s eat!

Let’s eat dinner.

Resolution for the next few playdates.

1.  I have to rearrange the legos into COLOURS sorting instead of shapes.

2.  The kids will need to make something that is very Singaporean.