Snow Sledding!

If you think it's not possible to have good ole fashioned kiddy fun at the age of 30 something, I'm here to prove you wrong! I haven't had this much fun in quite a while! Our friend Tuang Liang suggested we go snow sledding (thanks a million!) after we experienced almost 24 hrs of snow storm which dumped about 10 inches of snow in the Boston area. He has a Ski-Doo snow sled which is made of foam and has two handles on each side, allowing up to 2 adults and a kid to ride it. Riding the snow sled is an experience similar to riding the down wave of a slow-ish roller coaster! You just have to be brave and do it and not let go of the board of course! The experience was quite exhilarating and left us wanting to go at it again and again, the only down side being having to walk up the slope after each ride! Ah well, it was good exercise as well!
Suffice to say, we had great fun during our hour-long winter activity! I wanna go again!!!

We went to a park with good slopes in Cambridge, called Danehy Park. We weren't the only ones who got the idea! I think Meg really enjoyed herself too...
First solo attempt at snow sledding. "I'm not scared!" she declared...and she wasn't!
Bryan and Meg attempting to make snow angels, which didn't turn out too well.
The big little boy.

Being Sick...

is no fun. In fact, it's bothersome. The poor girl finally succumbed to the virus, much as I'd prayed she wouldn't. But it was too much to hope for, seeing I was as sick as a puppy last week with the flu, and with the little one clamouring all over me and demanding I put her to sleep - which I did and eventually fell asleep next to her as well, dispersing my germs in the general region of her face - it would've been a miracle if she didn't catch it. Her fever was worrying at times, almost reaching 40°C last Thursday. Despite her watery eyes and runny nose, she was still in pretty good spirits, which is always a good indicator of how sick she really feels. If she's still active, we're less worried. It's only when she's dull and limp that we know she can't take it. MJ looked after her most of the time as she fell sick on my busiest day of the week, Thursday, when I have a full day of classes. Still, I managed to cook some porridge for them before I left.

No, she's not having a facial, but is inhaling Eucalyptus scented vapour from a bowl of hot water which MJ added a few drops of concentrated Eucalyptus oil to.
Temporarily holding a cool wet towel to her forehead while we got the more long term solution, which you'll see in the next pix.
Osim's fever gel patch which one can stick in the fridge to cool before strapping it across the forehead. You have to leave it at room temperature for a few minutes before attaching it to the forehead or it'll shock as it's too cold.
Never too sick to 'read' the Globe, especially if Obama is on Page 1. A true journalist in the making...?

Crazy or What?!

Snow.
It's pretty, it's exciting, it's something we rarely see, it's the embodiment of winter.
It's also an inconvenience.
It stops traffic. It's dangerous when it turns into slippery ice. It makes our shoes and clothes soggy, it stays around for
weeks and months, turning from light, pure white to slushy, dirty grey.
It's prevented us from going out, except when absolutely necessary, for example to shoot an assignment.
The result of being out in relatively heavy snow and extreme cold: A bad flu. Fever, sore throat, cough, thick dark yellow yucky mucus, the works. Plus body ache from chasing my subject, a bike messenger, around for 4 hours.
I'm tired. I'm out of shape. I'm going to sleep.
Crazy or What?! Don't these exercise fanatics know when to quit? I can't even start! (exercising)
A scenic scene at Boston Common.
Stuff postcards are made of.
Snow is ploughed to the side of the roads, the corner of the carpark, basically wherever it can be moved to so as not to obstruct traffic, human and vehicular. Sometimes, the piles are so high, like this one which stands taller than the height of an SUV, and it stays there all winter until it has a chance to melt. Never park beside one of these piles, I say.

The Museum of Science and The Good Samaritan

We spent a very rainy Friday at the Museum of Science at the north end of Boston. We've always known that rainy days out are best spent indoors say in a museum or mall, but people forget that it's also a hassle to get to the destination in the first place! We didn't have an umbrella but our coats were more or less waterproof. So as we were leaving the north station T-stop and preparing to brave the unforgiving wind and rain, a good samaritan offered his umbrella to us. He basically insisted that we take his umbrella, which was in a decent condition, especially because MJ was carrying Meg.
For all the negative things we have to say about Americans and the American culture, it's also here that one encounters incidents of giving and selflessness to total strangers, no less. They don't think too much about whether the person they're giving to deserves their kindness, or justify what they're about to do. They basically don't judge. I haven't quite decided yet if this incident is a norm or an exception, but I would bet my money that this would never happen back home. Needless to say, it made our day.
The Museum of Science is huge. I think Meg is a little too young for us to explain most of the scientific theories and processes but it was a good eye opener for her, seeing the life-sized dinosaur and a respectable range of stuffed life-sized animals. There's lots to see but I have never been one who is attracted to science. Still, a visit to the MOS is educational and is a must go for every child.
Meg touching a glass ball filled with lightning bolts of electricity. The exhibit shows that humans conduct electricity much better than air around us, thus when we touch it, the bolts gravitate towards our hands and the electricity generated is much more energized and active.