Wednesday, March 24, 2010
I am just a kid!
Daddy was trying to convince JJ to practise Taekwondo when JJ did not feel like doing so. Daddy said that getting to black belts would hard work and daily practice. JJ looked into daddy's eyes and in a sincere and serious tone said "But, I am just a KID!"
Monday, March 1, 2010
4yr old JJ at the bar
Met up with old friends for brunch at Hummus Bar and Grill in Tarzana last Sunday. Nice Israeli place famous for it's hummus and laffa bread. 4 adults and 1 JJ.
Upon arrival, JJ was seated on the outside near the aisle close to a bar.
It was a Israeli Halloween so the bartenders, waitors and waitresses were dressed up in costume. JJ was fascinated by the bartender and the action at the bar.
Before we knew it, he had relocated himself at the bar where there was nobody else but himself and the bartender, Arvi.
It was an interesting sight - his tiny stature (with his back facing us) alone at this big long bar hanging out with this bartender who was an extremely nice fellow and kept JJ entertained. Mum tried to tip him afterwards for "looking after" JJ and he refused. JJ had a great time, we got to have some adult time and the bartender was quite amused himself.
Is this a sign of things to come?
Upon arrival, JJ was seated on the outside near the aisle close to a bar.
It was a Israeli Halloween so the bartenders, waitors and waitresses were dressed up in costume. JJ was fascinated by the bartender and the action at the bar.
Before we knew it, he had relocated himself at the bar where there was nobody else but himself and the bartender, Arvi.
It was an interesting sight - his tiny stature (with his back facing us) alone at this big long bar hanging out with this bartender who was an extremely nice fellow and kept JJ entertained. Mum tried to tip him afterwards for "looking after" JJ and he refused. JJ had a great time, we got to have some adult time and the bartender was quite amused himself.
Is this a sign of things to come?
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
No wasting please
JJ and daddy went to our fav (FreshWorks) for dinner after Spectrum/Kids' Club. Tuna sandwich for daddy and chicken strips w/fried for JJ. The chicken strips shrunk by about 50%. What happened! Oh, daddy as usual helped JJ finish his fries but left some of his chips on the plate. When we were about to help, JJ stopped daddy, pointed at my plate and said "No wasting, finish the chips!"
He was right and caught me in the act of wasting food. Chips came home with us and daddy ate them the next day for lunch together with baked beans and egg.
yes, JJ, no wasting. thanks for keeping me in check. God knows how many times I did the same to you before. Good teamwork.
He was right and caught me in the act of wasting food. Chips came home with us and daddy ate them the next day for lunch together with baked beans and egg.
yes, JJ, no wasting. thanks for keeping me in check. God knows how many times I did the same to you before. Good teamwork.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
First Speech Contest
Yesterday JJ particpated in his first speech contest at the Japanese Academy on Sawtelle.
We practised with him over a month ago 4 basic sentences for this class of 4/5/6 years old.
Boku wa Jay Leung desu
Boku no suki na iro wa ao desu
Boku no suki na tabemono wa osushi desu
Boku wa okikunattare pokemon ni naritasi desu
It was on a big stage in a pretty big hall which could easily sit over 200. There were about 100 or so people including kids. JJ's class (Kaori-sensei) went up first. 25 kids sitting in front of everyone.
JJ was no. 13. One by one, the kid went up, held the mike and delivered the speech. Some were good, some were ok, some refused to do, but most of them were very very cute. Some were very relaxed like JJ, who was one of the most relaxed ones playing around and putting his fingers into mouth once in a while due to probably boredom. Some were too nervous to speak at all and some squeaked by.
When it was JJ's turn, he walked up confidently, bowed to everyone, picked up the mike and delivered a perfect speech. OMG, it was much better than we had thought. It was spot on, flawless, great speed and volume. Being a critical father that I was, even I couldn't find anything wrong. I was sOOOOO proud of him. I couldn't almost cry. Upon completion, he bowed again (he was the only kid who did bow before and after, which is the proper way to start and finish)!
Ok, this is oyabaka kamo. But, who cares! This matters for he delivered exactly what he was supposed to through quite a bit of pracfice and focus.
What a great day today! GREAT job,JJ!
We practised with him over a month ago 4 basic sentences for this class of 4/5/6 years old.
Boku wa Jay Leung desu
Boku no suki na iro wa ao desu
Boku no suki na tabemono wa osushi desu
Boku wa okikunattare pokemon ni naritasi desu
It was on a big stage in a pretty big hall which could easily sit over 200. There were about 100 or so people including kids. JJ's class (Kaori-sensei) went up first. 25 kids sitting in front of everyone.
JJ was no. 13. One by one, the kid went up, held the mike and delivered the speech. Some were good, some were ok, some refused to do, but most of them were very very cute. Some were very relaxed like JJ, who was one of the most relaxed ones playing around and putting his fingers into mouth once in a while due to probably boredom. Some were too nervous to speak at all and some squeaked by.
When it was JJ's turn, he walked up confidently, bowed to everyone, picked up the mike and delivered a perfect speech. OMG, it was much better than we had thought. It was spot on, flawless, great speed and volume. Being a critical father that I was, even I couldn't find anything wrong. I was sOOOOO proud of him. I couldn't almost cry. Upon completion, he bowed again (he was the only kid who did bow before and after, which is the proper way to start and finish)!
Ok, this is oyabaka kamo. But, who cares! This matters for he delivered exactly what he was supposed to through quite a bit of pracfice and focus.
What a great day today! GREAT job,JJ!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Tough choice
Mummy and I have been mulling over which kindergarten JJ should go next year. Legacy, the best academically but it's religious so the concern is the student body and the potential conflict (later in the years) with our family values. PineCrest, non religious and vibrant school in an old facility. Nothing wrong with the old place but the academics, while good, does not seem as strong as Legacy. The public school option is a backup for we don't think it challenges students to their full potential relative to the private ones.
It's likely Legacy vs PineCrest. Need to do more research. We are vacillating between the 2 on a daily basis. Legacy is also about 50 % more expensive than PineCrest. While not a primary factor but, as Noriko says, at that price, it'd better to close to perfect...
Oh well, we'll have to keep mulling over. Next stop, talk to a friend who used to be a Pincrest teacher.
It's likely Legacy vs PineCrest. Need to do more research. We are vacillating between the 2 on a daily basis. Legacy is also about 50 % more expensive than PineCrest. While not a primary factor but, as Noriko says, at that price, it'd better to close to perfect...
Oh well, we'll have to keep mulling over. Next stop, talk to a friend who used to be a Pincrest teacher.
Kids' Club's tale
On our way to JJ's favorite restaurant, FreshWorks, after picking him up from kids' club, JJ suddenly said " Ms. A of Kids Club likes boys. She sleeps with Mr. B and Mr. C". OMG, where did that come from? . So, we asked who had told him that. Being the diplomat that he was, the response was " Nobody". We kept asking him but he kept giving the same response. Go figure!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Geared up
JJ got his Taikwondo safety gear today - helmet, face guard, gloves, foot guard, vest and bag. A grand total of $300! Jason (teacher) had him put it on for the class. Very cool! Shane's (classmate) mom kept saying that now they could spar with each other. Shane got his gear a while back.
JJ was very excited! Looks pretty cool to daddy as well. We had a great time in class. Jason had the break the board with lateral chops. First few kids had trouble breaking it the 1st time. No JJ, he broke it in one go both left and right , and broke it hard. His chops almost got to Jason! Nice work, JJ!
The bag's bigger than JJ but he insisted on carrying it back to the car. A funny sight seeing such a small creative carrying such as hugh bag which is relatively heavy for a 4 yr old.
Got home. Immediately put the gear on to show mummy. Practiced his chops again with daddy. He must have put on and taken off his gear 6-7 times the whole evening. Just couldn't stay away from it.
These gears will not last long as he's growing fast. May be we should resell them to other kids for $100 next year!
JJ was very excited! Looks pretty cool to daddy as well. We had a great time in class. Jason had the break the board with lateral chops. First few kids had trouble breaking it the 1st time. No JJ, he broke it in one go both left and right , and broke it hard. His chops almost got to Jason! Nice work, JJ!
The bag's bigger than JJ but he insisted on carrying it back to the car. A funny sight seeing such a small creative carrying such as hugh bag which is relatively heavy for a 4 yr old.
Got home. Immediately put the gear on to show mummy. Practiced his chops again with daddy. He must have put on and taken off his gear 6-7 times the whole evening. Just couldn't stay away from it.
These gears will not last long as he's growing fast. May be we should resell them to other kids for $100 next year!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)