Saturday, December 3, 2011

Portrait of a Saturday done in Amber

So it's a Saturday, there's no school today and you're five soon-to-be-six years old. How do you spend the day? Well, if you're my daughter Amber, you start by watching a Wiggles DVD over breakfast, then play some of the games on the Nick Jr. website while your dad does some housework. Soon there's a long-distance telephone call from the USA - it's your Nanny and Grandad, calling to say "hello". You're looking forward to seeing them in Washington next month! Following your conversation with your grandparents, you play a few more games, whereupon it's then time for lunch with your parents. After Mom goes back to work, it's time to roll up your sleeves and get down to some work yourself, for Christmas is coming soon! Now that Thanksgiving has passed (even though it isn't observed here in Taiwan, you were still able to eat a turkey dinner on that day at a place your father refers to as an "expat cafe" in Taichung), the work of setting up the tree must now be tackled, but you're up for it. You quickly unpack the plastic tree from its box in the storage room, and after Dad sets it up, you set to work hanging up the decorations:


It isn't long before you're finished, but it soon become apparent the artificial tree is looking a tad barren. So off you go with your dad to the local Carrefour hypermarket, but not before making a detour to a nearby park first. A girl needs her exercise after all, and if you want to have those training wheels removed someday, you'll need more practice on how to ride a bicycle, which you do this afternoon, making a circuit of the park. Despite the colder temperatures, the day was sunny, so you brought along one of your teddy bear friends for the ride on your Hello Kitty ハローキティ bike:


Having stretched your legs, it's off in the car to Carrefour. You and Dad spend a lot of time there, for in addition to more ornaments, there are several other things that need to be bought, such as bananas, cereal and milk, all of which you keep track of by putting a check next to the items on the shopping list you and your father made up beforehand. You also take a look at the toys - with Christmas looming over the horizon, it's time to let Santa know what you would like him to bring you on the night of the 24th/25th:


After everything has been paid for, you push the shopping cart back to the where the car is parked, but not before playing a quick game of Whac-A-Mole first. Back outside, it's now dark, and you reach home just minutes before Mom gets back from work. Without further ado, you take the new ornaments out of their packages, and commence hanging them up in the tree:


Mission accomplished, and a job well done! The day is concluded with dinner at a neighborhood restaurant, where you help yourself to Mom's hot pot 火鍋 and Dad's steak dinners. Back at home, you have time to watch some Pink Panther clips on YouTube before you take a bath, and then it's off to bed, warm and cozy under your Ampamman アンパンマン comforter, surrounded by all your stuffed animals.

Life is wonderful when you're five-going-on-six years old. Sweet dreams 波ちゃん.

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