Happy Chinese New Year

Welcome the dragon year! Today Map and her entire class at Julia Gabriel had to dress up for Chinese New Year.  Map's dress was the same style as last year.  It was a bit big actually because the store were out of size L, so mommy had to buy size XL.  Actually mommy liked a tight fit long Chinese dress for Map, but Map screamed her head off when mommy and daddy tried it on her at the store.  Map now always voiced her opinion loudly with a scream if she did not like any dress/shirt/pant.  Alas, this is the start of her way to assert her budding independence. Nowadays Map did not like tight dress/blouse/shirt, any long pant, any long sleeve shirt.  And Map had learned to shake her head again and again when she did not want some thing.  Though she was still trying to master nodding her head for yes.  

Map's CNY dress

With Jay

With Alphonsius

With Asher

Tsu-Ting

Map

With Keshav

With Alphonsius

Why is there a baby in that box?

 

How do you like my dress?

Larissa

Map, the taxi driver, having road rage

The playground 

Snack time - with Axler

 

Snack time - Keshav, Larissa, Jay and Asher

Snack time - Tsu-Ting, Shu-En, Alphonsius

Today snack is bear rice puff 

With my snack and my prune juice

The Evening Stroll at Singapore Botanic Garden

After Jurong Bird Park, Map came back to have lunch and took afternoon nap.  After the nap, Map had some snacks and also fed Thai Grandpa some blueberries.  

Feeding Thai Grandpa blueberries

Afterward,Thai Grandpa, daddy, mommy and Map went to Singapore Botanic Garden.  Thai grandpa really enjoyed taking pictures at Botanic Garden.  

Swan Lake

Map! Look at the turtles!

 

Map! Look at the swans!

Map walking

 We went into National Botanic Garden which was inside Botanic Garden.  The orchids there were so beautiful.

  

At National Orchid Garden

Map practicing going up and down the stairs

 

Swan Lake on the way back

Bye Bye Botanic Garden

Map's First Trip to Jurong Bird Park

Today Daddy came back from the US very early in the morning.  Hello daddy!  

Map woke up early to go to Jurong Bird Park with Thai Grandpa and mommy.  Daddy stayed home as he was tired from the long trip.

This was Map's first time at Jurong Bird Park.  It was a hot day.  Map immediately got excited with the colorful macaws at the entrance.  Map now could say "buh" for "bird" when she saw birds. 

Macaws at the entrance of the bird park

Map too excited at macaws to look at the camera

Map and 'nana' (banana)

The first stop was penguins.  Map saw African penguins in the outside pool.  African penguins did not need to live in the cold temperature.  After that we went inside to see the penguins from south pole - they need to live in the very cold temperature, so they were in temperature adjusted room.  Map had to say that Jurong Bird Park had a massive colony of south pole penguins.  It was impressive.  

In front of Penguin Coast

African penguins

Map - can you swim like penguins?

King penguins in cold room

Chinese New Year celebration for penguins 

Chinese New Year decoration

After the penguins, we walked around the bird park.  There were so many birds.  Map was in awe.  It was hard to get Map to look at the camera because her eyes were transfixed on the exotic birds.

Map with parrots in the background

Scarlett Ibis

Map in rainforest

Parrots

With bird of paradise plants

With stork and shoebill

Shoebill - funny looking bird

Map wants cookie

Map had very sensitive nose.  When she approached birds with strong poo's smell, she started gagging.  Must be the uric acid in the bird's pee and poo.  

Drinking milk and watching birds at the same time

Flamingo - thanks Thai Grandpa for correcting this (mommy had thought they were pelican)

Map and Flamingo

Mommy... Look!!

Map at the waterfall

It was such a hot day.  After a while, we had to hop into the panorail for some air condition and panorama view. 

Map inside panorail 

Map with fake flamingo

Before we went back, Thai Grandpa bought Map an African penguin plush toy as a souvenir.  

Thank you so much Thai Grandpa. 

Map and the penguin plush toy