It's September! Which means that in the States, everyone is heading into fall... while we're heading into a much-appreciated spring season. Here are some random highlights from our previous winter months:
We took Arden to her very first Comic-Con back in June. She still fits into her Supergirl outfit, and I still fit into my Jubilee costume, so we got to cosplay together! It was a fun experience, although to be honest I probably wouldn't attend Oz Comic-Con again unless there was a guest we really wanted to see. Compared to Seattle's ECCC (which we've attended twice), OzCC is really small, and while there were a few fun exhibits and stalls, it didn't warrant the ticket price in my opinion.
a little girl dressed as BB-8!
Arden received these free "Edna Mode" classes from an Incredibles 2 promotion, and insisted on wearing them for the rest of the day
mother-daughter cosplay!
Because Australian winter falls during a depressingly holiday-free season (believe it or not, they don't really celebrate the 4th of July here), locals have to make up their own celebratory festivities, such as the 2nd annual Firelight Festival. Last year's debut was very small, and organisers underestimated the amount of people who might stop by to witness... well, not a whole lot - a few street performers, a fireworks show and some cool fire-themed displays. However, this year they definitely stepped it up a notch, expanding their location and organising much more entertainment and fun:
Arden was a little freaked out by the blazing fire barrels ("it's A LITTLE BIT SCARY" she would whimper), but we all enjoyed the street performers, people-watching and fireworks show. And all of this was right in our neighbourhood! How cool.
Speaking of freaked out, Arden attended her first children's concert: her all-time favourites, the Wiggles! We made a big day trip out of the event, taking an hour-long train to Geelong (the closest city that wasn't sold out by the time I went online to buy tickets) and having some nice meals by the waterfront. Geelong holds a special place in my heart, as it was one of the first cities I got to explore while Ben was traveling locally for work, and we always love going back for short visits.
Geelong waterfront
Anyway, we were all very excited for the show. After Arden's first wonderful experience with live music in Grand Rapids this past May, I had high hopes for her attention span and enjoyment at a live kids' concert. Unfortunately, the moment the lights dimmed and the Wiggles ran out on stage, Arden burst into tears and wouldn’t stop howling until Ben took her off to the side of the auditorium, where they stayed for the entire show. I guess the ambience and screaming crowd was a little too much for her at this age. Oh well! Ben and I enjoyed the show at least. The Wiggles are a pretty talented ensemble.
Arden wore her "Emma" shirt and a yellow bow to match.
where Arden and Ben ended up standing for most of the show
My paternal cousin was in town for a short visit (she travels around the world to run marathons, and was in Australia for the Gold Coast marathon), so we got to meet up with her for lunch. I hadn't seen Irene since my last trip to Indonesia, which was when we were just kids. It was fun to catch up and for Arden to meet her.
hanging out with my cousin Irene
We got to witness the blood moon eclipse right from our apartment window. The event was very early in the morning, but Arden was up pretty early and we all got to catch a glimpse of the momentous sight.
blood moon!
Arden still enjoys her weekly classes, and I feel like she's improved a lot this season especially. It's been an amazing experience to witness not only Arden's first baby milestones, but to also gradually see her understanding more complicated instructions and concepts, and to see her relationships with her teachers grow.
Arden at dance class
Arden at music class
Aside from her swimming, music and dance classes, I also regularly take her to the aquarium, various parks, and a local playgroup. Our neighbourhood and city are both very family-friendly, and there's plenty to do even when the weather isn't great.
penguin selfie at the aquarium
Arden got her face painted at a winter fair - she LOVED it.
never without a tutu
This winter felt a little on the longer side, only because we didn't have our usual summer USA trip to break up the season (this year our visit was in April/May). However, we were able to take a short trip to warm and humid Singapore, which was very fun. I'd been to Singapore on a choir tour during my high school years, but didn't remember much about it, so it was pretty much a brand new experience for all of us. The recent visit also helped us appreciate the setting of "Crazy Rich Asians", a movie that means a lot to me as an Asian-American.
Ever since seeing the Gardens by the Bay featured on Planet Earth 2, Singapore has been near the top of my list of places to visit. I loved the idea of a city built to be a fusion of modern buildings in harmony with nature, and I was also eager to experience a place known for being a cultural hub/melting pot. It was also a great chance to escape the cold weather in Melbourne and best of all catch up with Candice's Mom, which we all loved - especially Arden.
train selfie!
The food in Singapore was as fantastic and diverse as I'd hoped. We had amazing Indian food in Little India, Thai food at Clarke Quay, Chinese in Chinatown, and some other great fusion places. We also stayed at a really nice apartment hotel that Candice's Mom had arranged, which included a full buffet breakfast every morning, complete with all sorts of cuisine and local delicacies (like dragon fruit).
Chinatown feast.
the pool at our apartment hotel - not a bad place to escape from Melbourne winter!
Our first full day we wandered around Marina Bay, and were able to spend some time by the iconic Merlion sculpture, exploring Marina Bay Sands (a massive hotel and huge shopping mall with a river running through it) and then spent the evening at Gardens by the Bay. It was everything I hoped it would be: beautiful gardens, great views of the city, a treetop walk, and an excellent light show (set to well known opera music). Arden also made friends with a group of little girls, so she was in heaven.
Merlion selfie!
the treetop walk
amazing light show.
The next day the sun came out so we decided to visit Sentosa Island. We didn't really know what to expect except some resorts and theme parks, but it was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. We loved riding the monorail, seeing another Merlion (this one was huge!), exploring some incredible art fountains/sculptures and enjoying the resort vibe of the island. That night we visited Clarke Quay, a cool area located on the Singapore River. It had a great vibe with street performers/musicians, lots of restaurants, and looked beautiful at night as all the buildings and bridges were lit up with different colours.
Arden loved the little water garden
Our last full day we spent wandering through the Botanic Gardens, which also feature an interactive children's garden, and the National Orchid Garden. The orchids were stunning and had an incredible variety of colours, and the garden had all these marked photo spots that were pretty fun to pose in.
National Orchid Garden
For our last night we went to Chinatown, which definitely had a different feel from the Chinatown in Melbourne. It was packed with stalls selling all kinds of things, including a few stalls selling nothing but durian. After hearing stories about durian, I have to agree - it smells absolutely disgusting. How anyone can eat it is beyond me.
a durian stall.
durians aren't even allowed in train stations and on trains..!
We had a great dinner in Chinatown, and while we were there Candice's Mom had a scroll of Arden's Chinese name made for her, to match the one that Candice has. It was a great way to end our trip and gave us a beautiful gift to remind Arden of our adventures in Singapore.
We usually visit North America in the summer, but because this year's trip was a bit earlier due to my sister-in-law's wedding, Arden and I got to witness Michigan in all its springtime glory. While the weather wasn't consistently pleasant, we saw some beautiful spring colours and enjoyed a few warm days in the Midwestern sunshine.
When I visited Grand Rapids in 2015 during my pregnancy with Arden, I got to attend a Grand Rapids Symphony performance at DeVos Hall, blissfully imagining the day when I'd be able to bring our cute little offspring to one of my mom's performances. And this year, I kind of got to do just that.
toddler choral conducting lesson #1
Our May visit wasn't the most convenient timing for my mother's performance/world tour schedule (right before our visit she was in NYC for a performance at Carnegie Hall; during our visit she had three performances over two weekends; a few days after our visit, she was off to Ireland for a choir tour), but it meant that Arden got to attend various choral rehearsals and concerts, watching her Ahma hard at work. She's a well-behaved toddler, but I didn't know what to expect when we brought her to see the Calvin Capella rehearse and later perform - but she did really really well! She didn't make a peep, watched intently and sat extremely still during the program which included Monteverdi motets, Ola Gjeilo's Dark Night of the Soul and one of my favourite pieces, Sing Me to Heaven by Daniel Gawthrop.
at the Capella concert
Arden did so well during the Capella concert that we brought her to hear the Grand Rapids Symphony Youth Choruses (one of which I was a member of, a few... decades ago? oh dear) the very next day. Again, Arden was very quiet and well-behaved, tapping her foot during a more upbeat piece and gently swaying during a melancholy song.
We were also in town for the Grand Rapids Symphony's performance of Beethoven's 9th, which I got to attend (alone) - although we brought Arden to the dress rehearsal, where she relished the new experience of being in a huge concert hall, her first exposure to a full orchestra with chorus. Even though it was a rehearsal, she was on her best behaviour, even whispering to me when she wanted to take her jacket off. And I didn't even know she was capable of whispering.
I got to run my first Michigan road race, the River Bank Run (the main event is a 25k, which I didn't care to train for - but they also hold 10k and 5k events, the latter of which I decided to enter). I didn't run quite as fast as I had hoped (I had trained in Melbourne the month prior, but didn't have much time to run during our entire Washington visit), but my main goal was just to experience a race in Grand Rapids, and that I did.
My family took us to the usual Grand Rapids attractions: the John Ball Zoo, Meijer Gardens, Meijer (totally not the same as the gardens - if you know, you know), GR Children's Museum, various libraries, parks and bookstores.
family sandbox time at the Children's museum
children's area at Meijer Gardens
Japanese gardens
Calder plaza
Arden loved being at my family's house as well, with two flights of stairs to climb up and down, lots of bedrooms to hang out in, and of course her Uncle Gabe's basement filled with toys, books, video games and a giant train table (that my dad had graciously lowered just for her!). She pounded on the grand piano, enjoyed turning light switches on and off, and I even took out my collection of old Playmobil toys for her to scatter around the house.
I got to see a few local friends as well (apologies to everyone I didn't get to see during this trip!), and it was fun to catch up and enjoy some of Beer City USA's finest offerings.
I'm always anxious about flying alone with Arden, but this year's plane rides (both domestic and international) went much MUCH better than last year's travel experiences. Even though Arden got sick during our last few days in Michigan and threw up at LAX, the 16-hour flight back to Melbourne was actually not too terrible. The biggest difference between flying with a 1.5 year old and a 2.5 year old is that the latter is more easily entertained by things like movies and television shows and sticker books and M&M's, while the former prefers screaming her lungs out for seven hours straight because she's overtired. You know, little differences. Oh, and because she no longer flies for free, she gets her own seat - and the extra room makes a big difference. Even if she still prefers sitting on laps.
And as usual, my mom insisted on flying with us from Grand Rapids to LA so I wouldn't have to make the entire international journey home alone (and so she could have some extra cuddle time with Arden!). Hopefully international travel (and travel in general) with Arden just gets easier and easier every year. So far, Arden has been on... 28 separate airplanes, in 2.5 years. She'll be a pro wanderluster by the age of 5.
Arden and I had a wonderful time in Grand Rapids this year. Thanks to our family and friends for a great visit!
