another new thread for chinese mums

[csa]

gong xi fa chai!

a new thread for a new year? (good idea yingers)

hope everyone had a good celebration this weekend. us? the closest celebration i got to was speaking to my family on new year's eve and hearing about their reunion dinner

rojak, east coast is nice and you can get really nice places for cheaper than it would be in the middle of town. will you have a car? public transport is real easy tho so guess no worries there. only thing is forget about car seats in taxis. it's a case of hold them tight and cross your fingers! will put on my thinking cap and find some fun places for you. can i cat you?

Fez - yes CAT me!

We are getting a car - with 2 kids, car seats and very lightweight buggy for DD - it would just be easier to get car though am a bit petrified at thought of driving there.

Don't have a good track record of driving here as it is!

Think DS would enjoy the underground though - we don't have them in Belfast so it's exciting to him. Actually all public transport is exciting to him, he kept wanting to go up stairs in the buses when we were in London!

t2bg - that will be me in Singapore - doing the rounds of the Mums and Toddlers with DD in tow!

My current challenge is how to keep DS occupied this summer as the summer camp I had enrolled him in last year isn't operating this year.

I think I'll add DD Chinese name onto passport as well.

Rojak - ohh that is exiciting news. What do you little ones think about it all?

HeyBaby - hope you are feeling better now. I know what you mean about wanting to be pampered for awhile. Some days it just seems never ending. I went to a health farm with my MIL and felt more tired when I came home, I think I over exicited myself.... Where are you going to in the US by the way?

Thanks everyone for your well wishes. DS slowly recovering but seems to have conjunctivitis now! Has anyone had any experience with this - his eyes are producing a lot of discharge and very crusty esp when he wakes up. He seems to be rubbing them a lot but then again this could be tiredness or allergies or anything I guess! I'm feeling a bit better but still tired and a bit hayfever-ish. Big question is whether there will come a time when you DON'T feel tired (ie within the next 18 years?)

ROJAK!!!! What exciting news! It'll be summer all year long for you (sigh!) and the FOOD... Nice and close to your family I assume too? Lovely. Are you excited?!! A bit different to Belfast! Will your kids be going to international school then?

Teacakes - we are planning on going to New England. Have just booked flights and car hire as accommodation is proving to be more tricky. Don't know about you guys but we prefer to go self-catering with at least a separate bedroom coz we found on previous travels that going out past DS' bedtime (eg for dinner) didn't suit us as well. Having found this out, we then in the past found ourselves stuck in a hotel room with DS sleeping in the corner, unable to watch movies or chat or anything for fear of waking him up! Since then we have sworn to the self-catering, separate bedroom scenario. Accomm in New England is quite pricey in any case from what I've seen so far. But can't WAIT! And am looking forward to some shopping too!

HeyBaby - New England will be lovely in September!

We haven't quite decided what to do re: schools yet - I emailed one of the international schools (the only one which looked and felt - from the website - the most similar to DS' prep school here) and it has a waiting list!

So I'm going to wait till I get there and have a look around for some preschools - and let DS go back to kingergarten for a year and perhaps pick up some Mandarin.

The international school above does not offer Mandarin at DS' level - waits till they're older and as we're not sure how long we'll be there for, I'd like him to have some exposure to Mandarin immediately and I'm planning to take some classes too so I can encourage him with it.

Which ones of you ladies come from Hong Kong again?

DH and I have a few days in HK on our own (no kids!) in 2 weeks time and wouldn't mind some recommendations for good dim sum, a tailor (for DH) and any other top notch shopping and eating secrets.

Thanks

Rojak, ermm...my family are from HK altho I'm a BBC so can't help on HK recommendations I'm afraid. Each time we go back to HK we get dragged to a different place to eat/shop etc.

Heybaby, New England will be fab in Sept - hope you catch the autumn colours. DH and I went there for our honeymoon (5 years ago), shall I CAT you with some suggestions?

Rojak,
I haven't been back for a year or so now, so I expect everything will have changed by now.

Eateries are too many too mention, but if you want good seafood best to go out to the islands were there are fresh and you can pick what you want.

Shopping wise the malls in TST and HK island are great for brands. Then the Temple street night market for cheapie goods and copies. There is also a street in TST that do seconds - can't remember the name but will write when it comes to me.

DH got a suit done in a tailor in TST as well, again forgotten name but they all tend to be good. If you are going to Bangkok though it would be cheaper there.

HeyBaby - sounds like it is going to be a lovely trip.

Fishnchips - I don't know if I can CAT. Another user told me I'm not set up for it? R u happy to post a quick message on this thread with suggestions (sorry if this doesn't interest anyone else!).

Rojak, there are plenty of good food places absolutely everywhere,
I don't come from there, but i have a sis working there. Fav places to go for me are causeway bay, times sq, mong kok, central, lan kwai fong (drinks/pubs area with lots of expats bbc and abc)
can't think of anymore right now .. haven't been in a few yrs .. so yep, probs all changed !!

Apologies for the hijack everyone!

Heybaby, just some quick suggestions for your trip to New England. We stayed in an apartment during our stay in Boston, v lovely place, big rooms, fully equipped kitchen and slap bang in the heart of Beacon Hill. Find here. Would also recommend a trip to Cape Cod, gorgeous beaches and quirky towns. To catch the fall colours, its kinda hit and miss and depends on your luck. We went to Franconia in New Hampshire (great for walks) and Bar Habor in Maine (fantastic lobsters). If you decide to go to Vermont, you really must take DS to the Ben and Jerry Ice Cream Factory!

We stayed in BnB's after Boston so can't recommend any self-catering places, however some bnb's have a communal lounge for guests to use so you could get DS settled and then go there to relax, watch tv etc. We were surprised to find some places didn't even have a tv in the room.

For shopping you must go to Wrentham Village Premium Outlets . Its about 35 mins SW from Boston. Allow plenty of time, its huge!

hello, is everyone out enjoying the sun?

wanted to say that DD has the beingings of her 1st tooth coming through!! and she is able to get up onto her knees by pulling herself up onto something.

hope you are all well.
Rojak / Heybaby are you guys back from your hols yet?

Have been busy busy busy at work! Lots going on - I feel like I hardly have time to think straight sometimes! Am disappointed that although I've only been back less than 2 months I have already been asked to come into the office on my "WFH" day during the week and manager has started questioning exactly why I NEED to work at home. Also I am finding that being a PT employee, you feel like a bit of a non-entity. Anyway am trying to tell myself that it all doesn't matter as I have much higher priorities now ...

Fishnchips - thanks for the tips! The accom website looks great - I have just emailed them. How old were your kids when you travelled to New England? We preferred not to do the BnB thing because DS will only nearly be 1 and very active and inquisitive with a bedtime around 8pm (well at the moment!). TBH I also just want to get settled down in one place rather than move from place to place - much more relaxing for us parents!

Teacakes - our trip is in Sept but I wish it was sooner!

I am back from hols and am also busy at work and trying to sort out house, cars, clutter etc etc before we move at the end of September.

Am already feeling disengaged at work as brain is tied up thinking about what we need to do before we go.

Hello all,

Rojak - family from Hk but am also a bbc so no use of places to go in HK, I just let others decide!

Am thinking of taking my two to san francisco or possibly seattle next summer with a friend to see off my DH as he goes off to cycle across the USA. Any suggestions on good hotels who are truly child friendly?

I was talking to a friend's dh about religion and he was saying that us chinese were pretty smart as we had no proper religion and hence none of these religious hang ups and wars.He is pretty anti-religion I gather. What do you guys think? I know that a lot of stuff my mum does is more supersitious and cultural rather than religious and again with taoism and confusiasm i think it is more philosophical than religious.

I don't know about the Chinese having no religion.

There are a lot of Chinese who are christians, an awful lot who are buddhists though maybe not devout. But the recent and tragic history of China ref Cultural Revolution where people weren't allowed to have religion may be an explanation as to why your English friend thinks the Chinese are religion-less.

Of course, I could be flippant here and say that the Chinese do have a religion and it's money!

Hallelujah sister - ain't THAT the truth ie. the money thing Have you seen so many parents obsessed by the stockmarket and investments??? I think I must be a throwback!

Trying2bgood - DITTO re: accommodation. Stupidly we have left it pretty late to book some for our New England trip but part of the reason is that is all seems to be SO expensive. I guess we DO want a separate bedroom (so that DH and I can actually talk or watch tv past DS's bedtime rather than tiptoeing around etc) but I thought that the States would be full of family accommodation. I guess it is ... but at a PRICE! So far even the crappiest 1 bed place (and some are just suites ie all the same room but just has a "living area" too) are £100 per night. I am going to post a separate message in the travel section but if anyone has any ideas PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!

hiya, can you not rent an apartment? they are usually cheaper.

Sorry for being thick here but what is the money thing and chinese, i dont get it?

wyls - joke about the Chinese not having a god when in fact they do because many worship "money" instead.

Heybaby - it's not just parents who talk about their stocks but I come across an awful lot of flashing your cash among the Chinese community (usually men!) in Northern Ireland.

Sorry can't help with accommodation in New England, but I think fall in New England tends to be popular with the Americans too which may be why it's expensive.

Oh got you. Ha ha

rojak
sad but true. maybe that's why my finances and investments are in a mess - my little personal rebellion against stocks and shares!

heybaby, sorry to hear about the job thing. sadly, all of my friends who are PT also say that they have to work a FT job during PT hours whilst being paid a PT salary!

Anybody know of chinese language lessons in the Essex area?

If you are looking for classes for cantonese then there is a chinese school in southend. Let me know if you need more info.

Hi Tootsieroll - no idea about Chinese classes in Essex but saw your other post on the M'sia / Spore / Brunei thread.

Most of us from that thread hang out on this one.
Are you in Singapore or the UK?

I'm from M'sia but moving to Spore (from Northern Ireland) in 2 months time.

hi Rojak,
I wondered about your nick I'm in UK, but singaporean.

I'd prefer Mandarin classes....didn't know they did Cantonese classes in Southend? What's the contact? Would anyone know about the Chinese community in Harlow, if they do language lessons?