"Adopting a Child won't change the world; but for that Child the world will change."

Monday 23 January 2012

Gong Hey Fat Choy!

恭禧發財 Gong Hey Fat Choy which means Wishing You Prosperous Year (my girl's southern Chinese so we say it in Cantonese!)

新年快樂 HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Today marks the beginning of the Year of the Dragon!

PersonalityOccupying the 5th position in the Chinese Zodiac, the Dragon is the mightiest of the signs. Dragons symbolize such character traits as dominance and ambition. Dragons prefer to live by their own rules and if left on their own, are usually successful. They’re driven, unafraid of challenges, and willing to take risks. They’re passionate in all they do and they do things in grand fashion. Unfortunately, this passion and enthusiasm can leave Dragons feeling exhausted and interestingly, unfulfilled. While Dragons frequently help others, rarely will they ask for help. Others are attracted to Dragons, especially their colorful personalities, but deep down, Dragons prefer to be alone. Perhaps that is because they’re most successful when working alone. Their preference to be alone can come across as arrogance or conceitedness, but these qualities aren’t applicable. Dragons have tempers that can flare fast!
HealthConsidering their hard-working nature, Dragons are healthy overall. They do get stressed and suffer from periodic tension/headaches, likely because they take so many risks. Dragons could benefit from incorporating mild activity into their lives. Yoga or walking would be good as these activities can work both their minds and their bodies.
CareerDragons prefer leading to being led. Jobs that allow them to express their creativity are good choices. Some good careers include: inventor, manager, computer analyst, lawyer, engineer, architect, broker, and sales person.
RelationshipsDragons will give into love, but won’t give up their independence. Because they have quick, sometimes vengeful tempers, their partners need to be tough-skinned. Dragons enjoy others who are intriguing, and when they find the right partners, they’ll usually commit to that person for life.
Dragons and the 5 elementsMetal Dragons – Years 1940 and 2000Metal strengthens this already strong sign. Metal Dragons are more determined and they’ll fight for what they believe in. They enjoy the company of those who feel mighty enough to challenge their beliefs. They’re true leaders and usually find plenty of others willing to follow.Water Dragons – Years 1952 and 2012Water calms the Dragon’s fire. Water Dragons are able to see things from other points of view. They don’t have the need to always be right. Their decisions, if well-researched, are usually better since they allow other’s to become involved. Wood Dragons – 1904 and 1964Wood Dragons also are willing to entertain the opinions of others. Their artistic side is strong, and Wood Dragons enjoy being creative and innovative. They get along with others, but will always be the dominating force.Fire Dragons – 1916 and 1976A Fire Dragon’s emotions can flare instantly. Fire Dragons put themselves on pedestals, and because they react quickly and recklessly, they sometimes make wrong decisions. Fire Dragons need to slow down and keep their tempers in check as that’s when they’re best.Earth Dragons – Years 1928 and 1988More rooted in the ground, Earth Dragons make better decisions because they act more rationally. Earth Dragons are level-headed and able to control their behaviors. They’re more supportive of others, but they prefer being admired by others.
CompatibilityDragons are compatible with the Monkey or Rat and incompatible with the Ox and Goat.

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5 weeks and 3 days til we leave for China!

Sunday 22 January 2012

Sunday Snapshot - 22 Jan 2012

It was a gorgeous warm day, here in South Oz! Mr T wanted to take the jetski for a trip up the River, Miss M & Tiny got to travel first, from Murray Bridge to Wellington. I met them at Wellington, to pick up the girls, and drop off H-Man, then the boys were off to Goolwa. It was a 100kms from Murray Bridge to Goolwa - they did it with one fuel stop, and got a little lost on massive Lake Alexandrina - arriving at Goolwa in just under 3 hours. The boys had lunch in Goolwa then turned around and rode back to Murray Bridge! They loved it.
Tiny and I hopped in the spa just after lunch, then had another spa with the boys when they got home.... all in all, a great, busy day for one little munchkin!! This was Tiny at 7pm tonight...


Sunday Snapshot

Thursday 12 January 2012

Counting Down!

I'm so excited! Only 47 more days til we begin our holiday to China! Don't think I mentioned it here, but last year, one of our local airlines released a new route to Beijing, so they had super cheap deals! We'd just returned home from our USA trip... had no money, coz that cost a fortune! And then they emailed me bout the new route! DOH!! We tossed the idea around for a couple of days, and decided to whack it on credit - because we would never again see prices as ridiculously cheap as these!!!

We had talked about heading back to Tiny's province when Tiny was 5 or 6, so it WAS in the plan... just not quite this soon!!!

I booked the trip as far away as the sale would allow - which gave us bout 9 months to save and get organised! I've booked everything online, myself... we're going CARRY-ON ONLY!! Its going to be awesome!

First stop - Beijing for 3-4 days, see different part of the Great Wall, (I linked to a snowy pic... as this will probably be how it'll be for us!! brrrr) and do a "local" tour, where we'll have lunch with a local family. We will fly to Chengdu - and I've actually booked a tour company for this bit - coz it was going to get messy! We'll visit the Panda Sanctuary & trip out to LeShan to see the giant Buddha in the side of the mountain, (not that I'm a huge Buddha fan... but it looks like one of those amazing things you just have to see?!!). Next day we'll fly to Jiuzhaigou (I think its gonna be FREEEEZING here!)- absolutely beautiful scenery - can't wait to see it in the flesh! The kids are really looking forward to seeing SNOW! It doesn't snow where we're from - so it'll be a real treat! (REALLY CHILLY... but treat, none the less!!) Stay in the Jiuzhaigou area for a couple of days then fly back to Chengdu. We'll head straight out to Guilin, and do a River Cruise & local area tour. We'll then grab an overnight train to Guangzhou. Meet a friend who lives there, who will also accompany us to Tiny's county, of Ping Yuan. I haven't booked our travel there yet - so we'll either go by train or fly, to Meizhou which is the nearest large town. We'll stay a few nights in Meizhou, and I've organised a car and driver to drive us to Ping Yuan. We'll go back to Guangzhou for a few days (SHOPPING!! we don't have to carry-on only home!! I've organised 25kgs of luggage allowance for at least two of us!), fly back to Beijing... then go home.

It'll be busy... but boy it's gonna be fun! (I'm so excited that we're going to Tiny's County. Can't wait to see it!)

Monday 9 January 2012

Sunday Snapshot - New Life

I love it when the sheep have babies! Poor little thing was born on a 41C degree day (bout 107F?)! Its Mama kept leaving him behind, while he was trying to find shade. So we had to go find him, and reunite him a few times!! Poor little baby got sunburnt too, he skin under his white fluff was really pink. Its the middle of summer here - our paddocks are so dry... hanging out for some rain!

Sunday Snapshot