Mid Year Results
May 28, 2009
Category : Parenting & Kids, education | Leave a Comment
As usual I greeted Hang at the door when he came home from school. I could tell from the instant if my boy had a good or a bad day in school as it would be written all over his face.
He got his mid-year results.
2nd in Class.
Devastated was an understatement to describe how he felt! Read his entry in his blog. He tried to hide his tears. I hugged and bathed him. Then we brought him for dinner and ice cream to cheer him up.
When I checked his result slip, I noticed a discrepancy. I was under the impression that he had a perfect score for CA1 English but it was recorded as only 98%. So I contacted his teacher immediately. The teacher told me that there was one test on Adjective that Hang scored only 8/10. However, I could not find the worksheet in the pile of test papers returned.
I am certain that the test worksheet was not returned to us. Yet I turned the house upside down in search for that missing piece. I needed to be sure as Hang was only 1% shy of getting the first position.
At the end of the day, I was still not sure if he did lost 2 marks for the test. But it does not matter. Because the one thing I was sure was we had taught Hang some very valuable lessons in life. One, he could always count on his family to nurse his wounds and we will always be there for him. Two, we helped him picked himself up after a fall. This might be the first failure he faced in his life and we were glad we were there to comfort him and seize that teachable moment of life’s lessons.
And that matters more than the 1% or the first position.
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Manicure Pedicure
May 15, 2009
Category : Daily Escapade, Parenting & Kids | 1 Comment
Its a challenge trimming active toddler’s nails. But little ones can enjoy this exclusive service in our home saloon where they are made to sit in little baskets for a luxurious session of classic manicure and pedicure.
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I cut my Hair!
May 15, 2009
Category : Parenting & Kids | Leave a Comment
Xiang’s sudden [hidden] inspiration to be a stylist. Indeed, he made a statment with his cool hair cut using a humble craft scissors!
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Conversation with myself
May 14, 2009
Category : Me Myself, Out & About | Leave a Comment
Why are you unhappy again ?
I don’t know.
So what can bring the smile back ?
I also want to know.
Do you need a hug ?
Maybe.
Will an assortment of macaroons from Canele cheer you up?
I love them. But NO, I dont want them now.
Are you still feeling empty?
I am filled to my brim.
You are complicated!
No denial to that.
Do women like you come with Instruction Manuals ?
Feedback to my Maker. He forgot to include that when I was delivered.
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Exam Stress [AGAIN]
May 8, 2009
Category : education | 1 Comment
I’ve no time to entertain my emotions. Really. With the impending mid-year exams, my classes run from back to back.
I’ve prepared loads of materials to help Hang with his revisions. And to make mugging for exams as interesting as it permits, I searched extensively for interesting websites, especially those with animations and interactive games.
When I could not find the ideal materials, I made them myself! I toiled through the night to compile a list of verbs in the past and present tense. Next, I made flash cards - present tense on one side, past tense on the other. Hang was elated this morning when he saw the flash cards and that encouraged him to memorize most of the irregular verbs.
Grammar drives me up the wall! The rule is these and those but with exceptions of this and that! Why is the comparative of light, light-er while expensive, not expendsiv-ier? So I learnt - Verbs with more than 2 syllables, the comparative and Superlative forms do not follow the convention of adding er, instead, add more and most before the verb. Again, not without exceptions!
I have not paid much attention to Grammar, relying on intuition to scarpe through major exams. Now, I literally have to reserach them, study them and summarize them into digestible bite-size, before teaching Hang. It’s understatement to say I am suffering from exam-stress.
Anyway, I will be uplaoding the resources on my Education blog.
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Void
May 8, 2009
Category : HED, Me Myself, Out & About | 2 Comments
:: A heart that goes seeking but knows that what its looking for ::
I could not find a valid reason to be unhappy with my current lifestyle. To begin with, I am a fairly contented person. I count my blessings. I rejoice in the simplicity of life. Sipping coffee. Smelling the rain. Feeling the breeze. Hearing the boys squabble. Writing. Teaching. Breathing.
Yet, I am consumed by this unexplainable void in my life. A huge empty space waiting to be filled. But with what? Maybe, I should learn not to entertain my emotions too much.
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Me Thursday
May 1, 2009
Category : Me Myself | 5 Comments
:: Dress from Future State. Went well with high boots ::
Yesterday was ME Thursday. I don’t work. I do (or don’t do) whatever my heart desires. I did not bath the boys in the morning. I did not send Hang down to wait for the school bus, even though he requested. I did not even do flash cards with my baby! I spent the whole morning in bed, organising photographs and blogging and took a long nap in the afternoon. But, brought the kids out for dinner and spent some time with them before going out for a hot date with the lover. We headed down to Bellini Grande (our second visit in the month, and we simply love the place!)
Meeting new friends. Live band. Dancing. Lychee Martini. Even a puff of the cigar. We were spiritually rejuvenated.
We left when the night was still young. We need a good night rest so that we can be up early to have breakfast with the boys, to help them with their work, to play with them, bring them swimming as promised. We are parents after all.
Post Note : Mmmm … Yes! My tummy is visible. Pregnant? Far from it. Maybe its the way I stand? OK, no excuses. Time to hit the gym.
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Problems with our marriage?
April 30, 2009
Category : Romance & Marriage | Leave a Comment
The lost art of romance.
The forgotten love.
The setting sun. The rising moon.
Drowned by the passing of days to nights.
And Lovers became Strangers.
:: :: ::
We were having problems when we were madly in love during courtship. We were having problems when we were adjusting to each other in the initial years of marriage. We were having problems when the reality of raising children and managing the household set in. We were having problems when we were enjoying the bliss of a happy family. So, Yes! We were having problems at every single stage of our married life. But which couple weren’t?
Undeniably, at one point, our life came to a standstill as we summoned every ounce of energy to deal with the problems in hand. I liken our marriage to a journey. We came to a crossroad. We could have taken a different path. Suffice to say, we have chosen to walk down the same path, hand in hand, with renewed vigour and passion.
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From the Outside. From the Inside.
April 28, 2009
Category : Me Myself | 9 Comments
From the Outside. A couple of weeks back, someone mistook me for my eldest son’s sister. I have also shed the ‘aunty’ status. Now, to the general public, especially, young children, I am ‘jie jie’. And the most hilarious compliment hit me last week, when a not-too-bad-looking middle aged guy came up to me expressing his sincerity to befriend me. The last time this happened was when I was an undergraduate. Understandably, because I was in my micro miniskirt on my way to Zouk. Anyway, for the recent incident, I accepted his compliment with glee but brushed him aside. With my greys hidden by colours and wrinkles under concealers, I am after all a mother of 3, hitting my 40s!
From the Inside. The past 6 months saw major transformation of me from the outside. Of late, the void in my life compel me to look at myself from the inside.
Work. For the whole of last year, I struggled desperately to find a balance between bringing in the dough and time for the family. Being in school zapped every ounce of my energy and by day end, I am but a walking zombie. I conceded defeat. With uncertainty, fear and a tinge of regret for leaving a job that I love, I left school at the start of the year. But it proved to be the best decision thus far. The money from freelance writing, curriculum planning and tutoring is more than sufficient. Working hours are much shorter and more flexible. With money and more time in hand, everything else fall into place neatly.
Kids. I have plenty of time to spend individually with each of them, to engage them. I relish the many instances where we have breakfast together and discuss current affairs, and talk about work and school over lunch and dinner. Hang is coping well in school. I just need to guide him along. Xiang faced great challenges in reading and Math. We suspected that he is dyslexic. It pains me to see him struggle and lagging behind his peers. But with patience, lots of encouragement and daily hard work, he is improving gradually. Xuan is much closer to the maid. He looks for her for comfort and goes to her for his needs. I can’t say I am not bothered, but I accepted the consequential distant the when I came back from Shanghai. Overall, the boys are much closer to me. And I love being around, being there for them.
Me. In the past, my life revolves around work and the kids. Now, I’ve added a new dimension to my exuberance life - Myself. One day of every week, I declare it a ME day. I’ve bought 7 pairs of shoes, revamped my wardrobe, met up with friends, dated my lover, attended a make up workshop, tried Brazilian waxing leaving only a taunting heart shape for Valentine. I am planning to visit a museum, learn new skills - cooking, real estate, maybe photography.
I am at peace with life. I have found the time and energy to savour the simple pleasures of sipping a cup of coffee in my arm chair, reading a book, playing the piano (played duet with Hang), watching the thunder clouds form over the city from my bedroom, admiring the beauty of nature, the morning mist that hangs over the reservoir while blogging from my study, listening to my ipod, allured by the twinkling stars above. I want to live everyday as if they are the last days of my life. Carpe Diem!
Him. Suffice to say I am [still] happily married. However, I could not battle the recent bout of lonliness. Of seeking romance, love and lust.
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Decided
April 23, 2009
Category : Me Myself, Religion | Leave a Comment
:: sunrise from my bedroom ::
I woke up and ask myself. Am I happy ?
No.
I woke up and ask myself, again? Am I happy ?
Maybe.
I woke up and ask myself, yet again. Am I happy?
Mmmm …
I woke up and ask myself, for umpteen times. Am I happy?
*BLANK*
I woke up, today.
And simply decided to be happy.
I am.
Life’s a decision
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