Pia: I cannot play very well at Domu's school.
Daddy: Why not?
Pia: Because I don't have sunglasses
Daddy: Why do you need sunglasses?
Pia: Because the sun is shining and when I play, I might look at the sun and it will hurt my eyes.
Daddy: So don't look at the sun
Pia: But the sun is looking at me!
A friend visited us at home. After he left, Pia asked, "Daddy is that your friend?".
"Yes"
"Is he Uncle Robert?" (she pronounces it as Robet)
"Yes"
"Is he a Robot?"
"Hello, Mr. Leopold", Dominic greeted his Daddy.
"Stop that, Mrs. Leopold", Pia said to his Mommy.
They've taken to calling us Mr. and Mrs. Leopold.
Except that we don't know where they get picked up the name "Leopold". It's not our name.
Until we solve the mystery, we remain clueless why we are suddenly "Mr. and Mrs. Leopold"
"Let's play footy", said Dominic, while holding his basketball.
Footy. That's the Australian word for - I believe - any of the several versions of football played here. Dominic didn't learn that word from us -- we've never uttered it ourselves.
That's another Australianism he's picked up on his way to becoming an Australian.
Meanwhile Pia has picked up "To infinity and beyond!" on her way to becoming an Austronaut.
Pia was showing off something new she could do. She leapt about 3 feet from a standing position:
Pia: Daddy, don't tell Domu I can do that.
Daddy: Why not?
Pia: Because I don't want him to know that I can do that.
Daddy: Why not?
Pia: Because he doesn't know that I can do that.
Daddy: Why not?
Pia: Because we didn't tell him that I can do that.
As a baby, Sammy's options for amusement are pretty limited. If he's not in his playpen, he's usually sitting in his high-chair. Sitting in a chair for hours can get pretty boring as you may imagine, so Sammy has devised a little game to amuse himself.
He'll close his mouth lightly, then make a sustained blow of air pass through his lips, making them flap together very rapidly, producing a high pitched purring sound, only it doesn't go prrrr. It goes: brrrrrrrrrr-brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-brrrrrrrrrrrrr-brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-brrrrrrrrrrrr.
When he's getting into it, he will also use his fingers to flick his already flapping lips, making the sound even more bubbly: blu blu blu blu blu blu blu blu blu blu BLU BLU BLU BLU BLU BLU BLU BLUB!
There's our little engine on the go.
We were walking back home from church one night. It was just past 7 but already very dark. Autumn nights get dark very quickly here.
Hundreds of stars filled the black sky from one end to another. The moon was nearly full and seemed bigger than usual. Tonight it shone so brightly and so clearly its craters were visible.
It was an awe-inspiring sight, and the children were clearly moved:
"Look at the stars!", shouted Dominic, while pointing the to stars.
Pia pointed up to the Moon and shouted: "Look! The Sun!"
What would you do...
...if you were all alone in school and all your classmates had already gone home and you don't know where you parents are and you don't know why they still haven't picked you up?
Daddy forgot the time and was very late coming to school to pick up Dominic.
As soon as I entered the shoolgrounds, I looked for him. There was still about 300 meters to walk, but I could see him from a distance, no bigger than my thumbnail. I waved my arm at him so he could see me and not be too worried anymore. But he wasn't looking.
He was looking down at the ground, walking back and forth slowly across the playground, burdened with his backpack and his knapsack.
I was worried that he'd be crying.
Then, still from a distance, I saw him step up on a log, balance himself a little bit on it, then jump off. He was amusing himself. He's not too worried.
But as I came up to him and could finally see his face, I saw tears had been flowing for a while. Some had already dried.
He was happy to see us (I was with Sammy). He didn't complain. Didn't even ask why we were so late.
Pia had been doing addition and subtraction for a couple of weeks now, and she's definitely getting better and better. So much so that she's been answering pretty much all the questions correctly.
But when we moved to the next level - adding numbers with two or more columns (for example, 35 + 48), she faltered very very badly.
We could not figure out why, until we realized that she still hadn't memorized writing out numbers beyond 1 to 12.
So although she could add the numbers column by column and she could enunciate the correct answer, she didn't know how to write out the answer.
For example, she could say 'eight plus eight equals sixteen', she didn't know by heart how to write '16'. She would write something like 8 + 8 = 65.
For much of the civilized world, a fork's purpose is for pushing food onto the spoon, which is then used to carry food to the mouth.
There are cultures, like that in North America, where the fork is used as a spoon. These people scoop up food (such as peas) with their forks, and then convey the food to their mouths.
And then there's Dominic.
He has a technique for using the fork that can be described as....barbaric.
First, he uses his fork to carefully arrange a towering mound of food onto his spoon. Then he lifts the spoon, opens his mouth, and rests the tip of the spoon on his lower teeth line. Then, using his fork, he pushes the food from the spoon into his gaping mouth.
After successfully packing in the food, he leans back, and takes his time chewing what is the equivalent of two normal mouthfuls of food, before repeating the procedure.
Pia, on what could be her very first ride down any slide.
Having a playground on the 4th floor of the building we lived in - this was in the Hong Kong - made it very convenient to bring the kids out to play every day. The playground was open-air, so it's technically outdoors, even though within the building.
There were probably 300 families in the building. There was no shortage of children. There were always plenty of noisy children running and playing around. The first ones would arrive with their nannies, or their mommies, around 4:30 pm and play until up to 7:00 pm, when it became too dark to see.
This same pattern occurs everday except during winter. It was too cold to play outside by then.
They just started swimming classes at Dominic's school. We weren't expecting anything out of it, but right at the point where everyone started changing into their swimwear, Dominic decided he won't swim.
Which was surprising because he always loved to go swimming in beaches and in swimming pools.
Despite encouragements and some teasing (from me), gentle invitations from his teacher, and a few threats (from me, again) which led to tears (his) he really didn't want to swim.
My initial suspicion was that his schoolmates intimidated him. Dominic just splashes water, but these 6 year-olds were doing backstrokes, lapping the length of the pool, and diving through hoops. And that's literally jumping through a hula hoop. The instructor stands in the water, extends his arm holding a hoop and the children standing at the edge of the pool dive into the water through the hoop.
But no, intimidation wasn't the reason.
Only later that night did we find out why. The knee wound he received a few days ago was still fresh, and he intimated to Mommy his concern that the 'bad germs' would come in and infect him.
Fair enough, as they often say here.
Since that day, we've been trying to get his commitment to swim at their next swim class, but he seems to enjoy being cajey about it, and keeping us in the dark as to his intentions. We shall see.
Teaching Dominic to count 1 to 20 in Filipino while walking to school.
He's not getting the pronunciations right:
Daddy: Labing-isa ('eleven')
Dominic: Lagim-isa ('Horror one')
Daddy: Labing-dalawa ('twelve')
Dominic: Lagim-dalawa ('Horror two')
Daddy: Labing-tatlo ('thirteen')
Dominic: Lagim-tatlo ('Horror three')
Daddy: wait a minute...what were you saying?
No matter how hard she wished, Pia could not successfully get her swing to swing. She would flail her legs wildly. She would bend and stretch and lean her body forward and backward, left and right. She would shake her body, twist her hips, jerk her behind, and contort her body into various shapes. All to no avail.
The swing and its chains just shrug and twist with her for a few moments, and then settle back to their quiet state, their now sullen passenger being forced to -- once again -- ask someone to help push her.
Then all of sudden, after months of such struggle and helplessness, something clicked. Anatomical coordination fell into place and she can swing.
Now she swings as long as she likes; a graceful, happy, bobbing pendulum.
Pia was standing wet in the bathtub. She's learning how to give herself a shower.
Like most little children, she hadn't been very thorough in soaping herself. We started to guide her to make sure she soaped every part of her face and body and not miss a spot.
Daddy: Ok, soap your hair...
Daddy: Now soap your face...
Daddy: Don't forget your ears...
Daddy: The back of your neck...
Daddy: Your forehead..
Pia: NYAAAH!! Daaaahdeeee....I don't have four heads!
Trying to teach the children to speak Filipino, we start with 'Where are you off to?'
Daddy: Pia, say 'San ka pupunta?' That means 'Where are you going?'
Pia: (Drops the critical 'n') 'San ka puputa?', 'San ka puputa?','San ka puputa?'
"Where are you whoring?" -- not the best first sentence to teach.
I like the color play between the tree trunks, the leaves, the brick wall, the iron wall, the sunlight, and the ground.
Smile by Sammy. Photo by Mommy.
How do you earn 3 stickers in class in one day?
After his class was dismissed, Dominic ran out of his classroom proudly showing two stickers, 'The teacher gave me two stickers because I was very good in writing. I wrote "AUSTRALIA".'
'Very good,' I said.
And then he pointed to his left knee, which had a bandage. He tells the story behind it, 'This morning, when we were lining up, I was running and a tall boy pushed me. But it was an accident.'
'Who put the bandage on your knee?', I asked.
'The teacher', he said.
And that's how he earned 3 stickers today. Two proudly displayed on his bag. And a special one stuck on his knee.
Sammy has started eating rice. We mix it with soup so it'll go down easier. His 4 lower teeth have all lined up, and at least two teeth are peeking out from his upper gumline.
He still doesn't crawl. But we think it's about time that he learns to, so we try to be a bit sneaky and set things up so that he'll be forced to crawl.
We set him down flat on his tummy, and then we place some of his toys about a foot beyond his reach. The idea being that he will force himself to crawl toward the toys, if he wants to play.
But he has other ideas.
By stretching his left hand toward the toys, palms up, and opening and closing his hands, it's undeniable that he's trying to use magic to beckon the toys to come to him.
It may or may not work.
Keep tuned.
On the way to the train station, Pia was being playful and probably getting tired:
Pia: Mommy, my ears are thirsty.
We are making progress in teaching basic arithmetic to the kids. Dominic can now add or subtract arbitrarily large numbers, like these:
2345689 + 345284956
34950684 - 2304895
1000000 - 999
He trips a bit, especially when distracted by the TV, but he knows the rules for carrying numbers at addition, and for borrowing numbers at subtraction. We'll keep giving him exerices to cement his understanding.
Beyond addition, he's now learning how to multiply and has quickly grasped the concept. He now easily multiplies small numbers like 3 x 4, 2 x 0, 5 x 4.
Pia is starting her subtraction lessons and can do basic subtractions like 3-2, 5-4, and 6-2. She sometimes gets confused between addition and subtraction though, and will occassionally give 4 as the answer to 3-1.
Pia ran to the swing at the playground, sat down, and yelled out: "Daddy! Push me!"
Daddy: Say please.
Pia: Push me!
Daddy: Say pleeease.
Pia: PUSH. ME.
Daddy: You should say please if you want someone to do something for you.
Pia: PUSH ME NOW!
Daddy: Say please.
Pia: NOW!!!
Daddy: You must learn how to say please.
Pia: You must learn how to push me now!
While checking over Dominic's toenails, Mommy saw icky dirt under the tip of each toenail:
Mommy: 'Dominic, your toenails are so dirty. I think you have fungus!'
Dominic: 'Like you?'
Pia and Dominic both love fried eggs on their rice. Like most children, their favorite part is the yellow yolk.
Observing how they eat their eggs reveals something about their personality.
Dominic finishes off the white of the egg first, leaving an unbroken egg yolk for last. So he ends up with a half-sphere of yellow yolk. Pia, on the other hand, eats the yolk of the egg first, leaving the white of the fried egg with a hole in the middle where the yolk normally is.
The morning after a night of gazing up at the stars with the children, I asked, 'Look up at the sky. How come there are no stars in the daytime?'
Pia: Because we can't see them.
Me: Why can't we see them?
Pia: Because they're not there in the daytime.
Me: Why not?
Pia: Because they are not there.
Me: Why not?
Pia: Daaahhhddy....don't always say 'Why'
Me: Why?
Pia: STOP IT!
Perhaps a career in science is too early.
Domu left his toys and things scattered on the floor again.
Daddy: Dominic, how many times do I have to tell you: Put away your things after using them.
Domu: Oohhhhkay.....
Daddy: (Sigh) Dominic
Domu: (Sigh) Daddy.
School's out and the children are on vacation until the 2nd term begins.
To make sure they don't lose momentum, we are giving them some studying to do at home. Domu is studying how to add large numbers of any number of digits (like 2,345,689 + 45,789,002).
Pia is just beginning to learn and we're giving her small numbers to add (1 + 2, 2 + 1, etc.)
Sammy is starting to learn how to open and close his hands on cue.
Right after church, we were approach by a nice friendly lady, declaring what a lovely family we were. She then asked our children's names. So I looked at Domu and asked him: "What's your name?"
Going beyond the requirements of the Geneva Convention, where prisoners are required to give out only their names, Domu remained embarassingly quiet. So I looked at Pia, our wonderfully outspoken daughter. Sadly, she took was struck by instant amnesia. I thought of asking Sammy -- maybe HE knows his name.
Determined to never let that happen again, that night I practiced the
children:
Me: Domu, what's you full name?
Domu: <gave out his full name>
Me: Pia, what's your full name?
Pia: <gave out her full name>
Pia: Daddy, what's your foolish name?
As part of Domu's birthday celebration, we visited a park. The park had a nice playground and an almost dry lake (because of the drought).
Note Pia's new hairdo. All that's missing is the hair.
After a long night of overtime work, I went to bed at 4am. Five hours later, Pia was waking me up:
Daddy you have to wake up?
Daddy: (Confused) Why?
Pia: Because everyone wakes up in the morning
Daddy: I need to sleep just a little bit more, ok?
Pia: Ok.
...5 seconds pass...
Pia: Finished?
Me: What?....not yet
...another 5 seconds pass...
Pia: Finished?
Me: Not yet
...another 5 seconds pass...
Pia: Finished?
Me: (surrender) Yep.
Look, he can remain sitting position by himself. Give him a gentle but firm push and he won't tip over.
Pia was drawing some airplanes:
Me: What's that you're drawing?
Pia: I'm drawing a super airplane. It has these so it can kill the bad airplanes.
Me: What are those?
Pia: They shoot poison at the bad airplanes. The bad airplanes will die from the poison.
Me: What if the bad airplanes shoot the super airplane?
Pia: The super airplane will not die because it is strong. It is made of wood and it can turn invisible. The driver has a lever.
Me: Where do the bad airplanes come from?
Pia: From earth.
Me: Where does the super airplane come from?
Pia: From Australia
Sammy was asleep. Pia is playing, having fun, and screaming and yelling and laughing out loud.
Mom: Pia, be quiet. Sammy will wake up.
Pia: Why will Sammy wake up?
Mom: Because you are so noisy.
Pia: Mommy...I'm not noisy. Only my mouth is noisy.
Domu: Jarryd did not come to school today
Me: Maybe he's sick
Domu: No, he's not sick.
Me: Why do you think he didn't come to school today?
Domu: He's working
Me: What? He's too young to work.
Domu: No! He can work.
Me: But he's six years old.
Domu: Yes, but he can work. Before school he works. Yesterday he worked fast that's why he can go to school. Today he worked slow so he cannot go to school.
At Domu's school, they are now teaching spelling. Each pupil is given their own set of words. They seem to be easing Domu slowly, since his assignment is to learn how to spell the following words: a, is,in, and, be, I. Those were very easy for him, since in Hong Kong he was already at the stage where he'd been reading and writing two-character Chinese phrases.
To make the spelling practice a little tougher at home, we made him both spell the word and use it in a sentence.
Me: Spell 'A'
Domu: 'A'
Me: Use 'a' in a sentence
Domu: We went to Australia.
Me: Huh? Where's the a?
Domu: Australia begins with 'A'.
At the main train station on Spencer Stree
t, Melbourne. Domu loves trains and there's no shortage of them here.
Sammy can now sit up, Indian style. By letting him tip over a few times (in bed), he has learned how to balance himself. It's still too early to let him sit up safely on a hard surface like the floor, but he'll be there within a few days.
While waiting for our train ride home, and thirsty after a long trip around the city, Mommy asked Pia if she had any more water in her water bottle, which she carries in her bag.
Mommy: Pia, do you have water in your water bottle?
Pia: Yes
Mommy: Can you give me some?
Pia: I cannot.
Mommy: Why not?
Pia: Because it's mine.
We were walking along the sidewalk, going to church. An elderly man walked out of his lawn and started walking in the same direction just a few feet away from us.
After eyeing the man for a few moments, Domu exclaimed, loud enough for everyone to hear, 'Mommy, look at that man. He has a big tummy!' The man heard it, looked around, took it in stride, and just smiled.
Later that night, we spoke to the children about being discreet.
Me: When you are saying something not nice about someone, don't say it out loud. But if you are going to say something nice, you can say it out loud. For example, if you want to say 'that woman has a nice dress', then you can say that out loud. But if you want to say 'that man has a big tummy', or 'that man is very old,' then you should not speak it loud.'
Pia: How about 'that man has no ears?'
