Language Getting Colorful

I don't remember exactly what I was pointing out to her on one of our walks. It might have been racoon tracks or something. But I sure remember her response to something that was unexpected.

She actually said, "What the...?"
She didn't complete it, of course. I tried to control my reaction. I simply asked, "What does that mean?"
She explained, "It means you're gulat."

Pee Power

Me: Ok. we're leaving in a bit. You want to try to pee?
Rama: Sure! I can pee when you want me too. I can also pee when teacher wants me too.

So she pees on command.

Me: How can you do that?
Rama: I have powers, remember?

Helping Out

We had dinner at the house of Rama's Papi. Post-dinner, Rama and I were just playing. After a while, I said, "Wait, I have to help your Papi clean up." She agreed, "Ok, we'll help." So we made our way to the kitchen. At that point, her dad piped in, "Rama, I just need you to finish the milk."

Rama to me: "Di ba, you wanted to help Papi? Drink my milk."

Saturday Round-up

It was an easy, but fairly full, Saturday. It was cold, but there was no way that she was NOT wearing that tiara.

We started off at the Village Playhouse for a show about an ant and his friend the snail. After that was a hearty lunch at Dr. G, just across the theatre. Then we went downtown to shop a bit. Turns out, there was a performance at the park! It was the day that the lights in the park were to be lit for the holidays; before the countdown, there was to be a circus act. By the Aerial Angels. They were a fun act - fire eating, aerial silk acrobatics and contortions. ("When we succeed with a trick, it's acrobatic splendor. When we fail, it's comedy.") Of course, later that day, Rama and I would manage to copy some of the tricks, with some easy flips and tumbles.
She held our spot on the rock while I lined up for hot chocolate.













The hot choco (with melting marshmallows!) was a perfect foil to the chilly weather. Brrr!

Rama Castle

Rama got a star for this. She was so proud when she went home that day with stories about how all her other classmates wanted to touch her project. The brief was simply to construct any 3d structure to demonstrate shapes. I guess we got excited.

A Night at the Museum

Friday Nights at the Royal Ontario Museum are fun and kid-friendly. Kids are toured around by the resident flutist/piper. Rama would later tell family that she saw "Bears. Dead. But sitting. Crocodile. Dead. Dinosaur. Also dead." She also was fascinated by the mummy (who died of a toothache).

After the tour, we had time for a bite. Making our way to the cafeteria, Rama asks, "Is there salad there?" Yes. "Tofu?" Not sure. She just wanted me to be happy.

After the meal, we took in a show. The blurb on the brochure said it was a band, but it was actually just one singer/songwriter, Lynn Miles, who played the guitar, harmonica, and piano. One of her spiels went, "This next song is about love and alcohol. Not a good combination."

Rama, not too softly: "I know this song!"

That seemed to amuse some people around us.

How Did She Know?

I'm eating my fifth (sixth?) cookie. I manage to rationalize that I'm merely making room in the jar for the cookies that were left waiting in the original packaging. With a mouthful of cookies and heart wracked with guilt, I sit beside Rama. She looks at me and says, "You can't have enough cookies?"

Mindreader.

Weekend Round-up

So last Saturday night, Rama and I joined Toronto's culturati at the ballet. (We got choice seats; I entered a haiku-writing contest and won the tickets). Anastasia sustained her attention for two whole hours. And she applauded with gusto at the appropriate times. Of course there were men in tights. White tights, no less. But for some reason, the male leads wore normal pants. Rama noticed: "I can't see the guy's bum-bum."

On another note, Rama was tripping on this Sunday afternoon. (I work in advertising, and I was enjoying this look into the ad world. I happened to open it when she was nearby. She came over, caught most of it and asked to see this over and over). In the evening, she was reciting dialog from the sketch. "Free show! Free show!"

One thing I learned about her today is that she can scroll to HISTORY and click on the link she wants by herself.

Boo!

So we went trick-or-treating on Halloween.

Career ang halloween decor - one house was Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. (I'm sure they were from the advertising industry somehow.) I learned that last year, their concept was Hitchcock's Birds. Glad I missed that. Here's Willy with Captain Jack Sparrow. We realized we were both characters played by Johnny Depp!

And here's one view of the Wonka lawn.

Rama was in her usual princess garb. Dressing up for Halloween didn't seem like too big a deal for us - she wears her tiara everyday and dons her princess gowns to the park on a regular Saturday afternoon. So I wonder what I will do to make it more special for her.

When her bag was half-full with candy, she started casting worried glances at me. After a few more houses, she said to me, "Ayaw ko na." I didn't understand it! "Pagod ka na?" She shakes her head. "Baka I might get a stomachache sa dami ng candy."

I just explained that we don't have to eat everything at once. And we would share most of it with others.

Later that evening, we spread all the candy on the living room floor. We asked the other kids and adults what their faves were and we gave them their faves from our pile. One dad, we heard, liked Wonderbar - we left a lot in his shoes, as a surprise. Another kid got all our Cadbury Caramilk. Rama kept all the Reeses for me. And then she asks me, "Are you happy?"