Taken from the TIME ASIA MAGAZINE: One by one, the little girls walk to the wooden blocks and extend their legs into the splits, one callused foot balancing on each block, their straining bodies hovering just above the ground.
Coach Yang Yaojun, his sweatpants hiked high over his belly, ambles over to the girls, smiles and hands the nearest one a stopwatch.
The girls, who are six and seven years old, do not smile back. Teetering on the blocks, they wait as Yang straddles each leg in turn, resting his 70-kg frame on their outstretched limbs (ouch!). No matter how tough the girls are, no matter how much resolve they have mustered, the tears come within seconds. They do not cry out, though. They just well up soundlessly & stare at the seconds ticking down on the stopwatch.
After half a minute, Yang stands up and lifts the girls off the blocks. They stagger with the first step, their oversized thigh muscles visibly twitching. By the second or third step, the tremors and the tears are gone.
When a child does this six days a week all year long, save a short holiday at Lunar New Year, there are only so many tears she can shed. (I also wanna cry already)
China's Olympic prowess, though, is hardly a reflection of a nationwide passion for sweaty competition. Unlike Americans or Australians, the vast majority of Chinese are not sporty people who tote racquets or join gyms. China's international athletic success is about nationalism; it is the physical expression of a resurgent country, a rebuttal to its history as the "Sick Man of Asia" exploited by colonialists during the waning days of the Qing dynasty.
Hermie looks like a snail here... Hehe
Bottom right pic caption:
By the way, the bottom left pic was originally die-cut of cardboxes in the shape of a sofa. Sprinkle grass 'seeds' over it and water it and it forms a grass sofa. Brilliant eh? Just make sure no ants get into your pants!
I think Kermit has probably finished eating his exoskeleton already and was very hungry. That's why he came up from beneath the sand to search for food. Anyway, no worries! I've got banana prepared for him for breakfast!
At the time of writing, my Kermit is probably happily munching on B-A-N-A-N-A-S while listening to Gwen Stefani. Haha...
Kermit was brown but after his molt, he's now dark grey in colour! It's amazing.
Baby Kermit is scared that I'll eat him.
Slurrrrpp... Come on let's salivate!
My two crabbies are molting simultaneously. So cute...
