Talking

An explosion happened in the last 2 months. From saying only a handful of words, Leah is now talking non-stop and hundreds of words, often in long sentences (Hannah play with baba, mama play with me; lots hot milk etc). It means you can start to have conversations, but it also means she can express herself better which has meant an end to the occasional biting or throwing herself on the floor in exasperation which is nice.

She is getting on really well with Hannah, though she has become too attached to Andrea, since she's seeing Andrea for a few hours a day once she is back from kindergarten. Speaking of which, she is very happy at kindergarten--which is probably helping with her English--which is just a short walk away and once of the best we saw out of many. Of course they have nice teachers, small classes, lunch, naps and plenty of toys etc. They also have rabbits, parent-teacher meetings and the like which is more than many of the other kindergartens that we saw.

She's still not yet into sharing, but she is almost there. She gets the one for me and one for you aspect--indeed she often proactively suggests that as a way to get what she wants! She has apparently started singing songs at kindergarten and is talking to herself sometimes at home. She still loves digging in the sand and dirt downstairs as well as running everywhere. She's stopped always putting her fingers up like little bunny ears when we try to take photos, but she has also begun to dislike being in photos sometimes, or tries to make funny faces.

She's got a strong mind and seems smart, with a good memory and sometimes is a very helpful little "google assistant", listening to conversations and reacting if she hears something that makes sense, like fetching something or responding to a conversation if she thinks it may somehow relate to her. She's also begun to lose her tummy which is good though both her and Hannah still eat way too many carbs.

I'm sure the next few months will be more amusing as Hannah and Leah start to have real conversations with each other. Hannah is already having long conversations, telling stories, and talking to strangers non-stop. She has a lot to say, and it will be fun to hear what Leah has to say in response!

Barcelona

i have justs spent a few days in Barcelona for work, at the mobile world congress, one of the world's largest technology conferences, and which i also attended two years ago. The conference was just like two years ago: enormous, interesting and somewhat fun.

Huawei's booth was the largest by some way focusing on the latest trends and solutions we offer for telecommunications companies, then there was the smaller one displaying our latest phones and smart watches, and another one looking at more futuristic technology: the driverless car simulation, the high definition and virtual reality widescreen camera that you could control from home to select what you want to watch (e.g. of a football match), the robots playing music, and the merged reality which you watch through the headset but can still interact with by wearing special gloves. There was also the virtual reality zombie shooting game which was a little disorientating. Outside town there was a connected car demonstation we did with Vodafone at the Barcelona racetrack, which was also the location for the Formula 1 testing so we also saw (and certainly heard) the racecars zooming by.

Unlike my previous visit I had some time to explore the beautiful old town of Barcelona with some stunning cathedrals, churches and buildings (as well as the weird) and the pretty squares or piazas. I was very impressed with the gothic quarter in particular, and at how many old and beautiful buildings there were. It is a very walkable city, with some nice shops and interesting buildings, though nothing too modern or extravagent that would ruin the overall feeling. I also noticed a lot of kids playgrounds everywhere... i guess this is something that is near the top of my consciousness nowadays!

There is an excellent nightlife, a pleasent seafront, a few nice parks, and some good museums. The main one, next to the cathedral is incredibly well done and allows you to explore Barcelona throughout the ages by actually exploing the archaeological ruins under the building. I also managed to pop into the small Jewish museum. One evening was spent at a spectacular art gallery on a hill overlooking Barcelona at a Huawei party for customers and guests wich some great food and entertainment. Another evening was spent at the Nou Camp watching Barcelona win a football match 6-1. 

There was plenty of time to eat some nice croissants, excellent tapas and paella, as well as sample local beers and wines. It was a tiring trip with lots of walking and lots of working at the exhibition, but it was also good to see many colleagues from China and other countries around the world who also work in Public Affairs or other departments and who I had not seen for a while.