Best day ever

After a meal at Ikea and an ice cream cone later, I overheard M mumbling "Today is the best day ever".

To the little child in you

Children's Day is usually celebrated on 1st October but god-knows-who changed it to the 1st Friday of October.

This is the 1st Children's Day that I am unable to spend the day with the boys. My new job requires me to be office-based. No difference from the millions of mothers in the world.

On the way back, I pop into Icon and bought some cheese tarts for the boys. When I got home, M ripped the box apart thinking it is a present. Love their crazy acts while savoring the tarts.

Happy Children's Day, boys. You still drives me crazy!

And to the little child in you reading this, Happy Children's Day too. ;-)

Best CL2 Reader Award

When I arrive home from my business trip, J saw me the comms book from his school. In it was a note informing us that J has won an award.

I guess you don't need me to tell you how proud I was at that moment and when I took a second look, it is an award for CL2 meaning Chinese Language 2. I was dumb-founded with joy.

Coming from an English-speaking family, J struggles with the Chinese language and for him to win this award, it is simply amazing. Now I can walk into the next PTA with pride as I won't get the usual feedback that J really need help with his Mandarin and feeling like a terrible parent.

J, once again, you've made me so proud and I can't tell you enough how blessed I am to have you as my son.....award or no award.

Nearing the end of another year

The annual school photo sessions usually marks the end of the year.

When the boys took home their photos and comparing J's photo to last year, it is surprising that he has grown so much.

As for Matt, it is his 1st school photo but I think the photo captured his cheekiness.


J - 2011



J - 2010

M - 2011

My little helper, my little angel

Having hurt my back, it has been a very painful day for me. I have been doing nothing but lying in bed and walking at a tortoise's pace.

Despite the pain, my heart celebrates the day. I am very comforted by J's sensitivity.

He supported me gently when I need to get up to walk, brought me my dinner and drinks. He even helped me to undress when I need to take my shower. (yes it is that painful that I can't even undress myself)

When I mention that I need to go to the toilet, he stood up and offered his help. As I can manage myself, I told him it wasn't necessary. He responded by saying "ok but if you need help, just call me ok?".

This little angel of mine is God-sent and once again, I am grateful.

Parent Volunteer

Singapore's school system sucks! But yet, we allow ourselves to get sucked into it. Or is there a choice?

Every Singaporean child should be allowed the chance of getting enrolled to a school within 1km radius from their home. No balloting required. No clan or religion affliation required. Every child should start on the same level playing field. And if the Education Minister is reading this post, you sucks too!

Ok, ok. The intention of this post is not meant to bitch abt the system because at the the end of the day, it will take another GE to wake up the Government's slumbering minds.

This post is meant to recognize the effort my Ah Lau has put in to get the boys into the primary school nearest to our home.

So far, we were informed that we have clocked 10.5 hours out of the 40 hours as Parents Volunteer (PV).

K is the one who has clocked these hours. Whenever, we receive a request from the school to volunteer our time, he would sms me to ensure that we book the slot and reply to the co-ordinator.

He is the one who has spent his paid leaves to guard the staircase during the school exam period and invigilating.

If any of his friends or relatives know that he is doing this, they will roll on the floor laughing. Never in their dreams would they imagine him doing such tasks.

I guess what I want to say is I am touched by his dedication.

Thank you, K.

Wear Sunscreen

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’99, wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.

The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.

I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded.

But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked….You’re not as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing everyday that scares you

Sing

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss

Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.

Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you
succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children,maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…what ever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s.

Enjoy your body,use it every way you can…don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own

Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good.

Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you
should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders. Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen…

49 days

I need to pen this down before time corrodes my emotions. It has been 49 days since my Father-in-law passed away.

The past 49 days has been a blur for me and the family is still coming to terms with his premature death. In every way, we feel that he was robbed from us.

My FIL, or Father as I call him, recently retired early in the year. The retirement was welcomed as that means being to live life at an easier pace for him and being able to fully recuperate from a severe fall from 1 year back. 2 months into retirement, the stroke strike him down and he never woke up from a coma.

In the 13 days when he was in ICU, we lived with the hope that he will wake up. But implications after implications made it difficult to believe in the miracle. It pains us to see him deteriorating as the medications has little effect to improve him condition nor will it bring him back to a level of basic functionality. It was merely keeping his body alive. The decision to stop medication was witnessed by his love ones. Without the medication, it was a matter of time and we know time always win.

After keeping vigilant for nearly 20 hours and comforted that he is able to hold on without medication, we headed back home for a short rest. Father chose this moment to breathe his last the minute we all reached home.

This is my Father, the man who always put others before him. Deep down, I believe that he didn’t want to pass away in full view of all his family and relatives keeping vigilant in the hospital. He wanted to ensure that we are all home safely before he bid farewell.

My early observation of Father is that he is the one who does the housework. Every weekend, he would be vacuuming the floor, cleaning the toilet or constantly repairing the gadgets in the house that has broken down. Subsequently I noticed that Father seldom gets angry. I often wonder why this trait was not passed onto his children. After marrying into the family, I came to realize that Father is the much respected eldest brother to his siblings. Father is the one that will lend a helping hand to anyone in need.

He is also my Mother-in-law care-giver. Due to her weak knees, my MIL is dependent on him for her doctor’s visit, marketing and even going for a haircut. Never once did he complain that he has to do all these on weekends where a rest is so required.

Every child has in one way or another broke the heart of his or her parent. Like any child, my insensitivity and fiery temper has hurt Father too. Like any father, he has chosen to forgive.

49 days has passed but the pain has not lessened. At times, in the stillness of the night, I would think of him. Every morning, as I walk pass the construction site on my way to work, I would think of him whenever I see a blue lorry carrying construction workers passing by.

Every weekends when we go back to visit my MIL, I half-expect to see him smiling while walking to open the gate for us and jokingly asking the the boys 你是谁?

I am still trying to get use to life without Father. And I know it will take a while.

Father, I still miss you.

The last photo taken with Father during his birthday celebration.

Art Showcase - Drawings done by J

J looks forward to his weekly home-based art lessons. On the day of the lesson, he will often sit by the balcony to look out for his teacher to arrive. And when the doorbell rings, he would rush to the door and greet the teacher with a exuberant hello. Ask him what he wants to be when he grows up and he would say "Artist".

After every lesson, I would be amazed at the quality of work being produced. Even though it is more pricey as compared to group learning but I am happy to see him enjoying the lessons so much.

A pix of J and Mum. J and Mum are both wearing their fav color.

J had some difficulty associating with an old-fashion steam train as he's not seen one b4.

J's fav drawing - He's into dinosaurs right now.

A drawing made up of paper montage and painting.

2D Drawing

This is the 1st drawing from this class. This is the one that blew my mind away.

Palm Sunday

Very often, you will find J in my home office painting or doing craft. As I check on him, he was working on a craft work. It looks very abstract to me so I asked him what it is. He points to the cross and said "This is the cross that Jesus died for us.". I asked him what the green, beige and brown patches are and he mumbled some answers. Then I asked what the the red patches are and he said "Jesus' blood. This picture is abt the Cross and the blood of Jesus."

On this palm sunday, I am reminded of God's love through the art of a little child.



For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,

that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

Oops

M's recently started using the word "stupid" whenever he needs to express anger or frustration. This is an unacceptable word in our household. When I was disciplining M, J asked me what does “stupid” means and why we can’t use it. I explained to him that it is not an encouraging word as it means that a person is not very smart. J nodded his head in understanding.

A few days later, I had a conversation with K and he simply could not understand what I was trying to say and in frustration, I said “Dear, you are not very smart hor.”

J turned around and looked at me with a cheeky face and said “Mum, Daddy is something like stupid, right?”.

God sent to us an angel

God sent to me an angel,

it had a broken wing.

I bent my head and wondered

“How could God do such a thing?”

When I asked the Father

why He sent this child to me,

the answer was forthcoming,

He said “Listen and you’ll see.”

“My children are all precious,

and none is like the rest.

Each one to me is special,

and the least is as the best.

I send each one from Heaven

and I place it in the care

of those who know my mercy,

those with love to spare.

Sometimes I take them back again.

Sometimes I let them stay.

No matter what may happen

I am never far away.

So if you find an angel

and you don’t know what to do,

remember, I am with you,

love is all I ask of you.”

Paul Dammann

J often tells me about his special-needs classmate, L. J says that L doesn't really know how to talk and is still learning.

While I was having a conversation with Ms Yap, J's teacher, she told me that she had seeked J's help to keep an eye over L because J is mature and responsible. When I came to know of this, I am very proud.

God, thank you for sending to us an angel to teach us that we have enough love to go around. And thank you for sending me my very own mature and responsible angel.

Mr Sonshine turns 3

M turns 3 today.

We will be celebrating by having a simple party in school and going to Swenson for dinner.

 

Birthday present from Ah Gong



Birthday celebration in school



Dinner celebration at Swensons

Being politically correct

J made a mess of the house and this is my conversation with him.
Mum: J, look at what you've done. Now I have to clean up your mess?
J: Why do you have to say "your mess"?
Mum: Because you created it, thus it is your mess.
J: Mum, you can always say "the mess" instead of "your mess".

Labour of love

This is the 1st DIY project that K and I did for our home.

As we've been living with K's parents before we moved out, all home improvement task was carried out by K's dad. My FIL is very good at keeping the house in tip top condition. In the bathroom where my MIL does the laundry, there is even a ventilation fan that was installed by my FIL!

Now that K and I have our own home, we need to take on the responsibility of maintaining our home. After moving in for 7 months, we finally put up the racking in the storage cupboard. I had wanted to get a customised shelf but it would have cost $700. It only cost us $100+ to put up these simple DIY shelves.

We didn't have any distraction as the kids are with my ILs so it made it much easier for K and I to work together. While he does all the hard work of drilling, I was his Vanna White; handing him the tools he need to complete the task. Though it was hard work but I was happy to have this chance of doing something together with my husband.

Ladybug Veggie Printing.....and eating

This is another craft project which I did with the boys - Ladybug Veggie Printing.

As with any craft that uses paint, it can get quite messy thus I told the boys to remove their top so as not to stain their shirt. But lo and behold, J took everything off and M was so amused that he did the same. As they sat down on the cold floor, I can't help but shudder for them.

With simple props like potato, carrots and red and black paint, I demostrated to them how to print the ladybug. For about 10 minutes, they followed what I taught them to do but curiosity got the better of them. J started to paint the potato instead and M dip the carrot into the paint and tasted it. The craft session came to a screeching halt...sigh.



M: Do you feel cold, kor kor? J: Ya but that is the way I like it!

Blast off

J loves art and craft but I don't. However, as the dutiful mum, I would research and come up with art and crafts projects that we can do without having to go out and buy all too many craft supplies.

This is a project that just require toilet roll, colored papers and markers.

Mummy and her 2 bears

Another craft project with the boys. J took the task very seriously while M just, well, goof around. As for me, that face on the bear; that is how I look like at the end of every day. 

Confused Baby Bear, Ditzy Mummy Bear, Happy Big Bro Bear

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The Making of Pirates of Carribbean

The joy of simplicity

Recently, J has learnt to appreciate "you tiao". He likes the crispy and chewy texture of the dough.

Whenever I eat "you tiao", I am reminded of Cantonese congee. The thick creamy texture of porridge can be paired with any ingredients that you like. It reminds me of the many winter seasons spent in Hong Kong which is almost like my 2nd home for the past years. Eating it during the cold season brings comfort to the tummy and heart.

Tks to J, I have a sudden craving for congee and attempt to cook it. A quick call to my colleague in Hk to check on the receipe. I decide to upgrade it by adding dried scallop to it. Using my wonderous thermal cooker, I left it to cook overnight and woke up in the morning with a bowl of yummy congee. Since we don't have "you tiao", I improvised with fried wanton skin which also has the crisy texture. I made my congee with marinated sliced beef and sat down to enjoy it.

幸福是如此简单

Can you see the difference?

J loves to draw and every day, he can be drawing up to 10 pictures; writing letters and making invitation card for his imaginary party. And when I saw on Em's FB that her son, K is attending home-based art lesson and was impressed with K's drawing, I decided to let J tried it out.

J patiently waited for his teacher to arrive at 7pm and when it was 5 mins past 7, he kept asking why the teacher has not arrive. And when the doorbell ring, he pushed me to open the door and happily greeted the teacher.

To aid in his concentration, it was a "closed-door" session conducted in his room. Thus I have no idea what was going on.

At the end of the lesson, when I saw the drawing, I almost did a double-flip.

Do you see the difference in the drawing? But of course, right? The 2 drawings on the left and right was done by J before he attended art lesson. The one in the middle is what he drew during the lesson. It is indeed money well spent.

You cannot see me...

Tried to take a pix of M after he came out from the shower with side-parting hairstyle and old-fashioned gingham pjs. But these are the poses he made while chanting "You cannot see me".

Neh neh neh neh neh....you cannot see me.

You still cannot see me.

You can look at my stencil instead but you cannot see me!

I love you mum 101000

J came to me and asked how to write "one thousand". I told him "one zero zero zero" would make 1000. He came back a few seconds later with a heart-shaped paper withe the words "I love you mum 101000" on it.

Apparently he had made me a card and and wanted to write "I love you mum 1000x" on it. However, he only knows how to write up to tens, so he just wrote "10" and came to ask me how to make it to 1000. And when I told him "one zero zero zero", he just added it to the "10" he has written and it became 101000. Now my son love me one hundred and one thousand times. This is definitely much better than one thousand times.




1st day of school 2011

After 6 tormeting-for-me weeks of national school holidays, it is finally time (hurray!!) for J to return to school. It will also be M's 1st day in Pre-Nursery. And as usual, I am all jittery.

As they are in the 2nd session, the boys woke up as per their usual schedule and took their time to have their breakfast and bath. When M was done with his bath and walked out to the living room in his school uniform, J exclaimed "Didi, how come you look like me?!".

Before leaving the house to wait for the school bus, I repeatedly reminded J that he has to take care of M and have to comfort him if he is afraid. J was more than ready to take on the brotherly role.

While at the waiting area, I was reminded that just 7 months ago, J started in the new school and we were sitting in the exact same position while waiting for the bus. But today, he seems so much more mature with his added responsibility as a big brother.

When the school bus came, the boys waved good bye and went off. They didnt know that K and I actually trail them from behind.

As we had speed ahead, we arrived earlier than the school bus and saw J holding onto M tightly and whispering instructions into his ears after alighting from the bus. He also helped M to deposit the school bag on the bench before attending assembly in the hall.

K and I watched all these activities from afar and J caught sight of us and gave us a big smile and a nod. I was bursting with pride.

After assembly, they adjourn to their respective classes and we saw a bored M fidgetting in class. So far, so good as there was no separation anxiety displayed by him. (I think I was more anxious than him :))

It is a normal schedule for J but a 1-hr class for M so that it is a smoother integration. We waited outside M's class and watched anxiously for the teacher to round up the lesson for the day.

After the "Goodbye" song, the teacher let the children out of the class and M walked steadily towards us and we went home together. As for J, I have no doubt he will enjoy the rest of his day in school.

Postscribe on 10 Jan: Told M that he has to attend school and he said with a frown "I go to school that day already what. Why I have to go again?"

The making of Pirates of the Carribbean

While searching for a new career path, I am at the mean-time a full time mum. And to make full use of my available time, I had to think and plan of many activities to occupy the time of the 2 boys.

After 6 weeks of school holidays, J has started to feedback that he is bored and don't know what to do. And thus I went on the net in search of activities to do and found an easy art and craft that I now the boys will enjoy. It is a simple task of making a pirate hat out of craft paper.

The boys putting together the various pieces of paper to make the hat.

Oh my! What a pair of ferocious of pirates!