Ashfall

Less than two full weeks into a new decade, the active volcano in the middle of a lake (itself caused by past volcanic eruptions) not far from the main city started spewing ash. It was a weekend, and many locals and tourists were in the city of Tagaytay when they saw smoke rising from Taal's crater. 

By early morning the next day, ashfall spread as far north as the central business district, and schools were called off for a few days. 

When students returned they were required to wear masks to protect from ash inhalation. Earthquake and fire drills were modified to include ashfall scenarios. N95 masks were added to Go bags and first aid kits. 

While it was safe by the end of the second week to walk around the metro and swimming pools cleaned up and reopened, most of us still kept stock of the masks, adding to the N95 variant the standard surgical masks sold at pharmacies because there was a new danger of a spreading coronavirus. 

 

Happy New Decade

Before my sisters and I were all married with children (actually the last time was 2008, when Little A was 5 months old), my family used to spend New Year's Eve in Hong Kong quite often. It's the nearest overseas destination from Manila, and my mum and older sister hate beaches (and places that aren't bustling city centres in general) so this was the logical choice for a quick getaway. My dad travelled here for work maybe once a month at the busiest time of his career, as did Big A and one of my brothers-in-law, and my stopovers to and from the UK were always Hong Kong, so it's a city we all love as a family.

12 years after our last family trip here (now numbering 16 rather than 5), we decided to come back, possibly for a last hurrah. After our visit with Little A last June, protests have taken place in Hong Kong every weekend, and the situation with China seems very much on a knife's edge. We decided to risk it, after much consideration, consultation with friends who live there, and generous discounts from the hotels whose revenues have dropped sharply in the last half-year.

What a good decision it was. Not only was the city quiet and peaceful, we were able to take Little A back to his new favourite places with minimal crowds. New Year's Day was spent at Disneyland, Big A's first time ever (ours was last June), and we also did Noah's Ark and Ocean Park again. And the Star ferry rides from Hong Kong to Kowloon side and back. 

We hope things settle down in this city, though we know its time as a "free" port is limited, so that until it fully becomes once more a Chinese city, Little A can enjoy it as much as we all did, growing up. 

Happy New Decade, everyone! 

Music Lover

Little A has long been an aficionado of classical music. Baby Einstein remains one of his favourites - he and a select group of young tween and teen boys comprise an online fandom, apparently, collecting toys, puppets, dvds, and other items featured on the shows. I always figured his YouTube favourites were also on the spectrum, though verbal, and maybe they are. They are older than he is and still obsessed, so I need not stress too much about the age-appropriate aspect of it all. 

Apart from the characters, Little A has learnt much about the music. Unlike the rest of the family who simply appreciate that it sounds good and took an incredibly gifted composer to make up, he actually knows composer, piece, movement, and chord for the music he loves. 

Whenever possible, we go to concerts. Since many happen to be on school nights, we sit in on rehearsals, where he is thrilled to listen, wave his hands, and "watch with glittering eyes" (thank you, Roald Dahl) the wonderful musical instruments he would love to touch.

Many of the orchestras do mall concerts, which is fantastic for the non-paying public in that it raises awareness and hopefully gets the musical bodies some sponsors for future shows. But one special event happens every Halloween since Little A was one - a children's concert at our nation's only proper theatre, where normally kids below 7 are not permitted. My mum organised this with some friends in the orchestra world, and we are so glad the tradition has continued even after her 3 year run. 

Each year, the weekend closest to Halloween, there is a "petting zoo" of orchestral instruments that allows kids to get up close and see how they work, trick or treating by sponsors, maybe a storytelling event by a local publishing house to promote their newest children's book, and the main event, the concert. Events are themed every year, and the music and "story" is woven in to match. 

Even if Little A is already of age to sit in the audience at any time, he still loves the children's concert, and we make it a tradition to go every year. He still has some anxiety about what might come and be scary, so we go through the programme and list of pieces before the show starts, so he can anticipate any scary bits and put on headphones or step outside the auditorium if he needs to. Once the concert is over, he usually looks for YouTube footage or videos taken (if permitted) of the same concert, or others. One day, we have promised to take him to Sydney Opera House and Wien Volksoper. And my dream is just for him to hang around Covent Garden watching the buskers. One day. 

Singapore, Part Four

Here we are again! This year there was a new attraction, Rainforest Lumina, which Big A said was a clever ruse. making us walk the zoo at night with nothing to see but simulated light shows, but to me was an excellent additional revenue stream for an otherwise dead space (after 7pm). 

We always get a Parkhopper ticket, which allows for one entrance per park (Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, River Safari, Rainforest Lumina and Jurong Bird Park) within a reasonable amount of time. We've never visited the Bird Park as it's located on another part of the island, but a new space is being built next to the zoo to relocate it by next year or so.

Another day was spent on Sentosa, at the SEA Aquarium and Universal Studios. This year there was no time for the ArtScience Museum, but neither was there a good exhibit on, so we skipped that in favour of his favourite music store, located in the shopping mall just down the road from our apartment. This time next month will be the annual Halloween Children's Concert, another event to look forward to. See you again next year, Singapore! 

Learning First Aid

While The Philippine Red Cross spends much of its time conducting first aid training workshops to companies and schools, the target audience is usually adults. This year, Little A is in Upper School, a sixth grader, so their year level was included in the workshop.

I spent the morning at the annual Manila International Bookfair while my son was learning how to administer CPR. His, I think, may have been a more worthwhile use of time (though I did get a lot of Christmas shopping done and supported local authors and publishers at the same time). I pray he'll never have to use his newfound skills, but am glad he has learnt how. Perhaps I ought to get certified as well. 

Grandparent Love

Little A is beyond lucky to have all four grandparents plus a great grandmother living, all in good health and fairly active.

Great Grandma is 80 years his senior, having celebrated her milestone birthday just a month ahead of Little A's entrance into the world. While he can't communicate with speech, Little A has a special bond with GGM, shown in the gentle way he treats her compared to his boisterous behaviour in general, and since Big A and I travel often, he gets to spend more time with her and with my parents as they like him to spend weekends and Halloween breaks with them. 

Big A's parents have their hands full with their only granddaughter living with them as her parents work in Singapore, but they do come by when they can to spend some time with Little A. 

My parents have seven grandchildren, of which Little A is second to youngest. These days we only get together for birthdays, Easter, Mother's Day, and Christmas, but each family tries to spend as much time as they can with them. We hope Little A can make lasting memories with his grandparents as we have done with ours. 

Turning Twelve

This year's birthday was spent at Little A's favourite mountain getaway, and once again my parents joined us for the weekend. 

He's all about The Muppet Show these days, so I hunted down some toys on Ebay, and we made a trip to the post office parcel section to pick up the books his godmum sent from Finland (via Book Depository). 

Next year, this guy will be a teen! For now, summer fun continues, and we are discovering new places and new things as well as frequenting old favourite haunts. 

Crossfit is all the rage, as well as Ninja training. One such centre recently opened nearby, so we have given it a try, and will see about fitting it into his schedule as a regular after-school activity when fifth grade begins. 

A new indoor play area for older children also opened at one of the malls where I have a shop, so sometimes I take the little guy to work with me and leave him there for an hour or two before taking him for a late lunch. Only a few more weeks, and then it's on to sixth grade!

Summertime Fun

For the first time since he started at "big" school in 2013, Little A did not join the six-week summer school programme this year.

He has made good progress behaviourally and socially, with much better eye contact, sustained focus on tasks, increased awareness of what goes on around him, and greatly improved tolerance. We've been able to increase his activities to include wall climbing, and while his food choices remain limited, he has started to explore other restaurants apart from the couple we have been limited to for the past years. 

We have started frequenting a new teppanyaki place at the mall where I do adult ballet classes. Once every two weeks, Little A and I have lunch there, either before or after the main lunch crowd has gone. The chefs always include a cooking demonstration, and Little A dons an apron and hat and plays a part. They cheer him on, and since he is no longer afraid of applause, he enjoys the attention, just like any typical child his age.  

This summer will be just that - a "typical" school holiday with twice weekly swim lessons and not much else, just the way summer holidays should be. 

Starting with five days in Hong Kong courtesy of accumulated airmiles and accompanied by my parents, we enjoyed Noah's Ark, Ocean Park, Van Gogh Alive, and our first ever trip to Disneyland. Little A behaved perfectly apart from a small tantrum as we left Disney, no doubt a release of the tension and anxiety he had been holding in throughout the new experience. We also managed a couple of ferry journeys, and found a teppanyaki place to supply Little A's lunches and dinners after the first couple of Chinese meals resulted in very little being eaten. 

This trip resulted in a "new" item added to the list of Little A's favourites, and with luck we will visit this lovely city again and again. 

Two days after our return, HongKong citizens began protesting civil liberties being taken away by Mother China. We hope this is resolved peacefully and properly, and hope that we can still enjoy this beloved city the way it has been for all the years of my memory. 

Grand Opening

The last day of 5th grade was followed by the official opening of Little A's school's new wing, one that had been under construction for nearly the entire academic year.

Student #001, Little A was given the honour of cutting the ribbon. I had no idea that he and his Occupational Therapist had been practicing this for the past few weeks. He used safety scissors, and the ribbon was quite wide, but everyone stood by patiently and he persevered until the ribbon was cut. 

Fine motor skills, classroom behaviour and other improvements were made this past year. Tomorrow, we go off to Hong Kong for five days with his grandparents, his first trip to this city since he was below two years old. Big A and I decided that this summer, for the first time since Little A started at "big" school aged 6, he would not join their annual 6 week summer program. Instead he'll have a typical summer with football clinic, swim classes, and plenty of free time. Fingers crossed all goes well! 

Singapore , Again

September again, time for what has become a family tradition of annual Singapore visits. The owner of the apartment we first rented two years ago keeps the space reserved for us the weekend after Formula One, and we are happy to go back for a long weekend when the city is not too crowded and the weather is pleasantly cool. Little A skips a couple of schooldays and off we go to the zoo, the River Safari, and the Night Safari.

This year there is a new addition to the Zoo, a climbing frame with several levels. After confirming with the attendant that Little A does have special needs but can follow verbal instructions, he was attached to the harness and started out on his climb.

As with most first time activities, he had to be coached verbally and helped physically for the first few minutes, but once he got braver and more used to the equipment, acquitted himself very well.

On our last morning, the airline sent an email to inform us of a two hour delay. Thankful that we had not yet left the apartment, we sent the owner a quick message to ask if we could leave our luggage there for a couple of hours while we went to the mall. Big A wandered around, while Little A, the Au Pair and I went to the ArtScience Museum and discovered a Marvel movie exhibition. 

Two hours was just enough for the museum, a quick meal, and then it was off to the airport and back home. We look forward to installment 4 next September!

A Few of His Favourite Things

To look at those photos, one would say they were snapshots in the life of a very typical tween. And indeed they are, because life with autism is simply more challenging for all involved, but otherwise very much the same as a "regular" child's life. Little A lacks siblings and peers his age to play with, but doesn't seem lonely, as he is constantly on the move and in search of something active to do. He knows he can command full attention of a parent, teacher or therapist when needed, and perhaps this gives a little bit of a sense of security. 

I don't mean to try and voice Little A's thoughts or feelings, most of which are total mysteries as he still cannot articulate them, but on the whole his nature is cheerful and loving, and he is fortunate to be a few yards away from The Mind Museum, Adventure Zone, the climbing gym, and a large swimming pool. As the parent who spends most time with him, I would say he is a happy child.

Unlike typical children his age, he has never asked for an expensive videogame or gadget, nor does he want to see the latest movies or tv shows. Happy with his iPad, favourite books and regular visits to museums and classical concerts, he cares not a jot about whether his trainers are the newest and trendiest style, so long as they fit comfortably.

There are many things I wish for my son, but after this year's hospital scare, we are all about making the most of every opportunity that comes our way. Carpe Diem!

Tweendom

 

This year marks Little A's second in the double digits, making him an official "tween." Since he usually has cupcakes at school during the summer class programme we kept with this tradition, one that has been going on since the school opened in 2013. At home we had a Starry Night cake, made by an amazingly talented co-mum. It tasted as good as it looked, and as he blew out his candles, we wished our not-so-little boy many more coming years of good health, positive development, new skills, marvelous milestones, and treasured memories. 

Little Swimmer

Little A has always been a water baby. He loved the water since before he could walk properly, and when he did become mobile he wasted no time in escaping our apartment, climbing over the gate, and making his way to the building swimming pool - before he was two years old. 

By the time he was four he had taught himself swimming, a combination of doggy paddle and breaststroke kick, and would happily paddle the entire 20 metre length of the pool every single day. 

Big A was once a National Swimmer, but refused to teach his son so he could always be the "fun" swimming companion rather than the disciplinarian stroke perfectionist (as his dad - himself a former Olympic athlete - was with him and his brother).

Akiko Thompson Swim School tied up with Little A's school a few years ago for swim classes once a week during term time. Little A formed a bond with Coach Honey, and she has been coming to train him on Saturdays as well, and up to thrice a week during the summer.

From his invented doggy paddle to "proper" strokes, Coach tells us he will soon be ready for a proper competition. We look forward to cheering him on, but first, he needs to master diving. 

Farewell, Fourth Grade

 

The end of "Grey Four" marked the fifth anniversary of Little A's school, and while Big A and I were away in Australia on nonrefundable tickets, my nieces helped out with pet day, bringing in their Shiba Inu for the kids to meet, and my parents stood in for us at the moving-up day celebration. 

Little A was given a "Five Star" award, for having attended all five years. There were song and dance numbers, speeches, and the groundbreaking for a new building that will provide a badly needed extension as the school grows ever larger. 

Here's to fifth grade in August!