Just.

Ah, that wonderful feel shitty inside, questioning if you are an adequate mum, twisted insides syndrome. I get it from time to time. When I hear about how the top student in their school get like at least 10 hours of tuition a week, I wonder if I am being a shit ass mom by not doing the same for my girls. Same goes for baby flash cards, whatever superpower camps, lada lada lada. I want to let the kids enjoy their childhood as much as I can let them, but yet I am so horridly insecure about the ‘what if’s.

I never had that confidence in knowing everything about being a great mum. I’ll be worrying about the kids and then chastising myself for worrying. I lost count of how many times I didn’t know something and had to let good ole common sense tide me over.

I felt it in the past when I had to work and I get pointed remarks like how we ought to be stay home mums if we decide to have kids.

I feel it now as a stay home mum, that I should somehow do more for them. Yes, I know I have issues.

Sometimes I think I got a whole load of  baggage when it comes to my kids. BAH.

It’s official. We love Parkway Parade. So much so that it is now our regular jaunt after moving to the East. The rustic charm. The significantly smaller crowd. The basement, with its eclectic lifestyle mix is my favourite. Suffice it to say I am not enticed by the grandeur of Ion, Ngee Ann and the likes (not to mention the horrifying crowds!).

We have our routine down pat. The girls will go off gaming while we will be vegetating at either Coffee Bean or Starbucks, or grocery shopping at the lovely stretch of Organic Mart, Sakuraya and San Espirito, after which we will pick them up for Berrylite yogurt and go poke around Border’s, Exim Arts and Pet Lovers Centre. Oh, and the Watson’s at PP? LOVE. Don’t get me started on Isetan and the beauty counters.

We were there again last weekend chillin’ but this time there was hmm, something different. You know, like a cockroach smacked flat in the middle of a Monet SOMETHING.

SPGs. All eight of them, one after another, in the span of a few hours. Was it SPG Day or something?

I have nothing against Asian women dating white men. I have girlfriends dating or married to white guys and they cannot be further from the SPG tag. So what’s my irk? It’s clearly not their preference – I have dated white men before, I just don’t share the perceived superiority in doing so. Rather, it’s the typical SPG behaviour I find distasteful – the poor dress sense, the fake accent, the strange compulsion towards public displays of affection/ lust and the one thing that befuddles me the most – the grand air of superiority in snaring  a white old man.

Put yourself in my shoes. We were enjoying ourselves, engaging in light hearted banter while people watching and shopping. It’s all good. Suddenly SPG zeros in on the horizon, sucking on white tonsils, pushing her insufficient but overexposed bosom against white chest while unleashing annoying giggles and an incomprehensible accent onto us innocent bystanders while looking extremely smug (why, I wonder).

ANNOYING.

K told me about her neighbour fooling around with his maid. That won’t be the first story I heard about maids getting it on with their white bosses. Before you think I am thumbing my nose at maids, I am not. I think any man or woman pulling a meal ticket on their boss is just poor form. If there is one thing I hope to teach my daughters, it is to make a honest day of living on your own capabilities and resourcefulness, but those capabilities and resourcefulness do not include making sheep’s eyes at your boss or worse, sleeping your way up.

Strangely though, I was not concerned about how such a display of unwise womanhood will register on my girls. I believe in not shielding them from the ugliness of life. If anything, I welcome the opportunity to talk about it.. And where else do you get such wonderful real life ‘how not to be’ scenarios?

But bearing in mind I am the same mother who mentally plans survival strategies in case the ferry sinks, I did have some terrifying ‘what if’s going on at the back of my mind but they were querulously silenced by an incisive remark from my daughter.

I am proud.

If there’s anyone who can melt me into a puddle with just a few words, it’s my younger girl, Gean. She’s a real mummy’s girl, that one.

Of course, I have to mention how she painstakingly copied SIX pages of lyric just so she can serenade me from the pages (so cute!)

And then there is that incident where her friend chanced upon our cutesy neoprint and made a comment like ‘Wah, your mum’s quite fat’.

Our friend positively puffed up her chest and bellowed,

‘You don’t know anything ok! My mum is exercising now and she lost a lot of weight OK!’

She was still bristling indignant when she related the matter after ballet class. Heh.

On a sidenote:

Gean’s first day at school.

There’s something very poignant about this photo that I can’t put my finger on.

Matthew 6:25

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

I used to think that this had little to do with me till I learned that the Christian perspective of worry is a ’self-oriented assumption of responsibility’. Now that’s interesting to me because I am was a control freak who needs to be on top on everything I do, which is essentially, a worrywart. So yes, I have all the stress related afflictions you can imagine, which is frankly, stupidly self afflicted.

So, one of my resolutions in 2010 to be as cool as a cucumber and to trust in Jesus for all my wants and needs. Shalom!

And I gotta love how I get revelations in my life. It can be a thought placed in my mind, a messenger through spoken or written words or the best – in conversations with my kids during bedtime.

Germs was sharing with me about her church friend who was a stellar student  and who, would you believe it or not, never had a day of tuition or enrichment classes in her life. Yes, none of those Berries/ Kumon/ Tien Hsia/ so many other extras that kids need to plough through after school each day.

I thought about my kids.

Germs aced her English and Science despite no not much help from my department. No, I am so not the flashcards and home experiments kinda mom. I also love how she actively tries to improve herself in the Chinese language and to immense in the culture, despite us being a primarily English speaking household . I used to despise Chinese who proudly proclaimed themselves to be bananas, but now I just feel sad for them, that they have robbed themselves of a culture so richly steeped in history, values, pride and for want of an appropriate English word – ???So I am quite proud that she really makes the effort to read classics like ???? and to explore, say the origins of Chinese festivals. I have faith that she will do well again. Math is a subject that both she and I have been eluded of a natural aptitude so she is getting some help from a really competent teacher, who I can only say is a godsend. The rest of her time she spends doing what she enjoys – reading, playing games on her DS and FB, skateboarding and her school sports.

Gean, my baby girl, just started on Primary 1 this year (which should really warrant a post all of its own!). And bless her, she tells me in that innocence so devoid of arrogance and pride, she finds her P1 syllabus strangely easy. Which is to say that Wesley and YWCA have done great jobs in not only nurturing a kind, sensitive and loving child, they have also educated her well.

I then realize how unknowingly we have been blessed, that in my ridiculously relaxed attitude when it comes to the kids, that in my determination that they should enjoy their extremely limited childhood in this extremely competitive country, He has blessed the children so abundantly in every area, be it their studies, interests, sports, character, health and well being.

I shudder to think of what if, if I had been the same control freak in their lives as I had been in my own. I am humbly thankful.

What I am saying is, when we rest in God, He does his work which is so much more perfect than any one of us can ever achieve.

Time to aim for that level of wisdom in the other areas of my life! And yes, when I got hospitalized (yet again) for a gastro condition, it’s not a lack of blessing in the area of my health.  It’s really Him trying to get through my thick skull – let go.

So my girl came in third for her category in the triathlon. She was a little peeved at losing out to boys – the first and second positions went to older boys. I was a little surprised that they did not segregate the sexes (this girls vs boys thing is so stale) but my guess is that they wanted to just make it a fun event rather than a competitive one.

The ‘prize’  is self explanatory too. No trophy or ribbons like in a competitive event, but a ‘winner’ sticker pasted on a huge tin of Milo.

Me, I am just glad she had fun.

The other day when we were headed to Ikea, I stalled to check if I remembered to bring the children’s Smaland passports to collect them stickers.

Aiyoh, so aunty, can or not.

Indeed, if you had told the uber cool me ten years ago who thought it was so unglamorous to even have to queue to get into a club (I expected to be signed in) that I would one day collect point stickers for my children, I would have laughed querulously in your face.

Then I would have baulked at leaving the partying behind to have kids.

Now, I would baulk at the thought of leaving the kids behind to go partying.

How things have changed.

Without going into false modesty that irks me so, I will simply confess that I am insanely and irrationally proud of my daughter – and rightfully so.

She’s beat 84 other girls to win this championship cup.

If hearts could explode with maternal pride, mine would have done so many times over.

It makes the 25 kg weight gain (which never really went away), the I-wanna-pull-my-hair-out-why-is-this-girl-such-a-mule frustration and the crazy work/ family juggling all worth it.

Oh, and she is taking part in a triathlon this Saturday.

Does my girl rock or does she rock?

So my daughter draws all kinds of monsters, some conjured from the recesses of her mind. I am awed, humbled and impressed, all at the same time.

She also did an architectural looking sketch of the Eiffel tower for her camp tee design (which I of course forgot to snap a picture before she submitted it)

My daughter, cool in a kooky nonchalant way

I have long learned to let go when it was painfully clear that she was not and will never be the stupidly mystical girly princess I conjured in my mind. You know, the ballerina who plays the piano, incurably dainty, minds her Ps and Qs and is princessably (yes, I know there is no such word, but hey this is my blog) perfect. I had pigheadedly tried to enrol her in ballet when it was clear that she prefers sports like netball, tennis and soccer.

I call it the ‘trying to do the right thing’ complex and I have been fighting this ever since.

The right thing – this is highly debatable and indeed, if we try to define it by the world’s standard (and by the world, I mean meddling nosy people who have no business commenting in other people’s family business), it is headed for disaster.

To define it by our own parenting standards is another minefield because like it or not, we are burdened by the influences of our own upbringing, the baggage from our own childhood and experience, and the conventions of society. It takes a very conscious effort to break out and look at things from a fresh eye of perspective.

You know how it is in dreams – you think you are seeing and experiencing things but when you really open your eyes, you realize that you are in quite another place and seeing quite something else?

So my girl is not a fairy tale princess.

She plays defender in the school netball team. She plays soccer with boys. She drops 100 pushups (proper kickass pushups and not girly ‘knee’ pushups) at a go. She wants to play the guitar and drums. Her art blows my mind.

I think my daughter is darn cool in a way that rocks my world and it sure as hell aint hereditary.

Singapore – A 35 year old single man tries to perform hypnosis in MSN.. with hilarious results. (Via TK)

His conversation with Olivia, a mom of 2 (who supposedly provided some false information to him)
Click for the MSN conversation (more…)

*Cues thunder and lightning* Am I the only remaining Singaporean parent to feel this way?

I am not against having tuition for the kids if they need help but I am against having tuition for the kids if you want to ace everyone else, ace everything and to play the senseless one up game with everyone else. I know some parents who are proud to have their kids tutored in all the subjects just to be ‘ahead’ in the rat race.

This is like winning in the Special Olympics. If you need to ask why, stop reading.

I have never forced tuition on Germaine because

1. she doesn’t need it.
2. I don’t need her to glorify me with her results
3. honestly, who found the stuff they learned in school relevant when they started working? I am not the only one who feels this way. Big shot investment banking lawyer also ok.

I also rebel against positioning education as a win or lose situation. I hate the way our education system pushes parents and students to choose courses which are “useful”, “practical” or “in-demand” (rather than the courses for which the student has a genuine interest).

This education system also ostracized people who may not score well academically, but are nevertheless talented and intelligent. Now it begs the question,

“Are examinations the only way to gauge your potential, talent and intelligence?”

I have friends who will never dream of sending their kids to Sports School in case the children ‘don’t have something to fall back on’. Is this the fault of the parents? No.

This is the fault of this elitist government who has worshipped the God of Academic Results. An ‘A team‘ which has lost (only) billions in investments  and came up with gems like Job Credit Scheme.

Lastly, look at poor Rebecca Wong (or rather, poor Rebecca Wong’s parents).

ST Nov 29, 2008
Tuition not the way to success

WHEN I collected my Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) results in 1985, I was told I had been selected to attend a Special Assistance Plan (SAP) secondary school. This sudden ‘promotion’ did my parents proud but it gave me much stress. The moment I started at the SAP school, I fell from being the top girl to being among the top 15. For the first time in my life, I knew I was simply ‘not good enough’ and was bitterly disappointed with myself.

Since almost everyone ahead of me had tuition of various kinds, I told my parents I needed help too.It was not long before my single-income family began to channel huge amounts towards education investment – tuition for me and my three siblings. One day, the principal of my SAP school in Katong asked to meet my parents concerning my lacklustre grades. He wanted me to drop chemistry and English literature specifically, ’so as not to pull down the school standard’. After my mother pleaded with him tearfully, this humiliating episode ended with more tuition for me and less retirement funds for my food-seller parents. In all, I had tuition in six out of 10 subjects, not because I did badly, but because I was not good enough to achieve the As and Bs the school was furiously churning out ….

Rebecca Wang

The children were playing with sparklers and Big took some gorgeous pictures with the Nikon D60. Love the focus and effects.

I think they had lots of fun, though I get nervous around them things. The sparklers, not the kids.

The weather was gloriously sunny and breezy so we went for a walk in the estate.

Look at the scattered leaves on the ground. Our problems are but one leaf in the big scheme of things.

Pond at Kent Ridge Park

Feeding the turtles

‘Fishing’

Caught a leaf.

The scenery is simply breathtaking. I prefer to take a walk in the park a million times more than jostling with crowds in shopping centres or along Orchard Road. *shudder*

It almost felt like our own private park – it was that quiet and serene.

Hmm.. do not catch birds with your bare hands? Do not clench the bird in your fists? LOL

I think we will miss the park a lot when we move out end of this year. If there is one good thing that the government has done, it is National Parks. Hort Park is another place that is great for relaxation and kid friendly. Hopefully the next house we move into will be close to a park or amidst greenery.

**

Pictures taken with the Nikon D60.

We had a chance to visit Marina Barrage, a new place of interest when we brought the kids to the family carnival organized by PUB. Boy, was it a chore getting there without a car.

We took the train to Marina Bay station where there is a free shuttle bus service every half hour to the Barrage. Given the usual efficiency in civil service, the timings as shown in the shuttle notice were not accurate – the revised notice for the New Year’s Eve schedule was not reflected accordingly. If you are going on a weekend or public holiday, the timings are different from that of a weekday. Do check with the station personnel if you are unsure.

The walk to the ‘bus stop’ from the station took about 7 minutes and it is highly uncomfortable due to the lack of any shelter and the continuous flow of dust and exhaust fumes from the heavy industrial vehicles that drove past endlessly.

I cannot comprehend why the ‘bus stop’ cannot be located right outside the station. The shuttle is operated every half hour and will not cause any traffic jam. The shuttle also alights us quite a distance away from the Barrage – about 7 minutes walk. I am not impressed with the logistics planning. It would be better if you can drive there or go directly by taxi – less grief. Parking is available at carpark A – right beside the Barrage.

Given the inconvenience in getting there, I was glad the children had some form of fun once we reached the carnival.

Food stalls outside the Pump House

Not as grouchy as mummy

The Pump House which contains 7 massive water pumps

Playing in the ‘Water Balloons’

F1 zippers

Evening lights

You can even have a picnic here

As I was looking back at my Christmas posts in the last two years, I was cringing at how bimbotic and obnoxious I must have sounded two years ago. The clincher was that I had meant to be thankful for what I have.

The 2008 me wanted to give the 2006 me a tight slap on the face.

On a brighter note, it’s a reminder to myself to be more tolerant to people I deem bimbotic and idiotic now as seeing how I was ignorantly guilty. Who knows, perhaps the 2010 me might have something to say about the 2008 me now? LOL.

This year though, like the last few years, had us spending it quietly with the family and at TK’s home party.

The girls with TK’s sister’s dog, Nigel, who is a real slut. Nigel, not TK’s sister.

As usual, there weren’t any big ticket ‘wants’ by the children as we don’t have the habit of giving gifts only during Christmas or birthdays. They have their books, DVDs, games, gadgets, phone and whatnots already, so we got them craft and game sets for this Christmas. Though yours truly here was very tempted to get the Wii..

But I think having Xbox and Xbox 360, PSP and PS3… and DS lite are quite enough for this household.

For now.

In any case, Christmas, being other than the season for giving, sharing and forgiving, is primarily the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Besides the practice of gifting in the family, I feel it’s important to share with the children about giving to the less privileged.

Featured in Young Parents (Dec 08) for their Christmas writeup

I feel as fortunate and thankful as I did in 2006, only much more mellow, less squealy and definitely more sombre. There are many things that I have lost in life – only to be blessed with much more in return and there is nothing in life that can replace the joy, frustration, happiness and exasperation that my girls give me.

In retrospect, this was a good year for me. I had fulfilled a good part of my agenda, left the best boss I ever had (he sent me the sweetest sms over Christmas – ‘to my very very valued ex PA..’), started the business, examined myself as a person, got the highest paid and most boring job I ever had and yeah, got bored – I should have known.

I need new challenges.

So yes, I had a good year, though I had a down period lately, but here’s to an even better year.

**

In the new year to come and in view of the recession and economy crisis, we plan to scale down on a lot of luxuries and extravagances and focusing on minimizing  our debts and building our assets.

Cash in the hand is better than a(nother) bag in the wardrobe I say.

After all like Michael Levin of celebrity PR fame said,

“As a celebrity media expert and author, I predict the new year will be marked by a cultural trend I am calling “Luxury Shame”. In the extraordinary recessionary times, it seems vulgar to flaunt one’s luxurious lifestyle.

I caution even the most successful celebrities to go ‘bling-less’.”

What more of us humble folks?

Judging from the fun we had at Dim Sum Dollies, the family trooped to the WRAP festival also organized by NHB under the Explore Singapore! program.

There were good activities lined out for the kids – crafts, balloon sculpting and body art ‘kiosks’ set up to cater to the kids but the only glitch was probably that there was too much demand and too little supply. The queues were snaking long and tempers flared when a brawl broke out between two mothers in front of us. Now if they are giving out free 2.55s, I’d take apart the hussy who cuts my queue but this is freaking kids’ doodles for crissake. And lady, staging a catfight in front of your daughter is a big uh uh and certainly most unglamourous.

It doesn’t mean that I will take it lying down if my kids get sidelined but I prefer to let kids sort things out on their own – they learn to be independent and street smart. The only time I remember pulling my weight as a mum was when violence got involved. To cut a long story short, another kid hit Gean while trying to shove her off the swing. Gean, being sweetness personified, brushed it aside because the kid was younger. But this mother here was like, HOW DARE YOU, YOU LITTLE PIECE OF TURD. Big told me later that I looked murderous. I did contemplate breaking her little fingers one by one.

KIDDING. Really.

Anyway the ending was an anti climax. When I approached the mother to speak to her, I remained calm. Kids get boisterous when playing together, that’s fine but the line should be drawn at smacking and the likes – and I told her so accordingly. The kids were watching me and very possibly learning from my approach of handling conflict. Of course, there are occasions that call for a suitable meltdown but this is hardly it.

Anyway, I digress. So, if there is any queue cutting, I’d let the kids sort it out, failing which attention should be brought to the service provider as a matter of fact and that’s that.

Besides having more activities for the children so that they don’t kill each other, I think the temperature has to be adjusted lower to accommodate the afternoon sun and increased human traffic. It was rather warm indoors and scorching HOT outdoors – more fans and marquee tents would have been most welcome.

The area indoors was also spacious enough for more seats, something which I found very scarce in commodity. Perhaps I am speaking with prejudice but fat arses like mine need to be parked occasionally while I looked on with Dowager-like indulgence while my offsprings entertained themselves with paint and exploding balloons.

All in all, this mum here is happy when the kids are happy and judging from the photos, the kids don’t give a hoot about fat arses needing seats.

But still.

Must have at carnivals – food stalls! My only lament – not enough

Kweh kweh!! I.must.resist.

MUST.RESIST.

RESIST!

Damned, resistance is futile

Sigh, guess why I am a plus size auntie. *burp*

Jack and Rai of EIC performing! I especially liked Rai singing the hokkien song ‘One Half‘ (one of the songs in 881)

The bouncing cow. Perennial kids’ favourite.

Alamak you see this girl. Macham hantu can.

Body artist doing a flower mural for Gean

Pose also got pattern ok. Tsk.

Posing with her balloon flower (pink of course) and the painted art. *rolls eyes*

Ger getting her body art done

COOKIE MONSTER!!! I was almost tempted to queue and get one done too

Yep she likes dogs (yes, TK, the attraction is your dogs, not you)

Having icecream after all that fun

Happy campers

We brought the kids to catch the Dim Sum Dollies show last Saturday at the National Museum with Serendipity and TK.

The delectable Dim Sum Dollies! I absolutely adore these ladies for their comic talent. They can sing a mean tune too.

The turnout for the show. We were standing at the back to get a ‘bird’s eye view’. I think judging from the reaction from the audience, they enjoyed the show as much as, if not more than we did.

Emma plucked this dude from the audience and posed a question to him, “What is the name of the museum – the National Museum of __________?” He was stumped, much to the amusement of the audience. We cracked up even more when Pamela offered ‘multiple choices‘ – “Is it Malaysia? Singapore?” LOL. I think he had stage fright lah.

My kids enjoying the show with much gusto. Don’t ask me why Gean was doing the lips thing.

This segment about the Singapore Girl (SQ girl) was hilarious. I especially am amused by the humorous sly digs at how atrocious their spoken English can be sometimes, the competitive bitchiness and their strange Pinkerton affliction.

Selena being a good sport and striking a pose for our camera

Emma and Pamela gamely posing for us too.

Serendipity feeling tempted to jab my butt? Tsk! LOL.

**

I think NHB has done a great job in thinking out of the box in its innovative outreach programs. In tying in with the popular and well received Dim Sum Dollies, and marketing it at an extremely affordable price at $10 per adult, it’s a clever and interesting way to draw people in. Sure enough, we wanted to carry on exploring the museum after the show ended.

The only minor grouse my kids had was that the skit, at 30 minutes, was too short! These kids know a good thing when they see it. Heh. Also, don’t forget that the influence of children and the impact of good will during childhood (think MacDonalds, people) is a very real and powerful marketing factor. The kids are already asking when they can ‘go to the museum’ again. Heh.

I would say that the Explore Singapore! program (70+ events in 27 museums!) is a success because we will be going again for the WRAP festival tomorrow with the kids. With a good itinerary for both adults and kids, I think NHB has it down pat.

**
More photos

Hair style pattern book – so nostalgic!!

Old school toiletries – the powder is still available these days, not sure about the rest.

Antique Singer sewing machine! Big’s mum has one too.

Silk cheongsam – the workmanship looks so exquisite and impeccable. I was swooning away.

Antique wedding gown – check out the OMG puff sleeves!

This sounds so wrong. LOL.

See the audiophones that we are plugged in to? The different exhibits in the museum are tagged with numbers – when you key in the number, you can listen to information about the exhibit. With audio and visual guidance, we explored Singapore history and the Japanese Occupation with ease. PS – also note that I am double the size of Serendipity. Hiak hiak hiak!!

**

BIG thanks to Blog2u.sg and NHB for the kind invitation extended to me, Big, the kids AND my friends.

Ger is on hols till end of the year. While we have already planned the usual camps for them (they had just came back from their scuba/ archery/ bowling camps), I hope we won’t tear out too much of our hair out the rest of the time. LOL. I don’t believe in spoonfeeding entertainment or activities to fill out her day (after all she is quite independent and already has a plan of what she is going to do). She remembered that the quota of borrowed books is doubled to 8 per person during school holidays and had asked if she could go every week. Amenities like the pool, soccer field, basketball court and tennis court are at our convenience so I think we are in good hands.

And no, she is not ‘going through the next year’s syllabus’ as what I have heard from some parents’ intentions. Poor kids – are they the victims of their parents’ over demanding expectations or the society’s punishing pace and pressure? I don’t do this not only because I want to retain whatever vestiges of childhood she has, I also don’t want to risk her getting bored because we have been through the syllabus. After all, someone had been known to get up to no good when she gets bored.

Anyway, we have been swimming in the mornings, going to the library, taking walks and having games at home so far. She’s still having her ballet weekly and will be going back to school for intensive netball training. She’s been selected for the school team next year and will be in Sports Class – something that she had been aiming for. It’s not the first time I feel glad that I have enrolled her in this convent – where the culture and spirit encourages values, principles, character and belief in self.

After all, efforts at home need to be complemented by a corresponding system and culture in school. That is also why I was not interested in a ‘top school’ where there will definitely be an over emphasis on academic results, homework, holiday classes and what nots. I am quite pleased with her results, even though the Chinese was less than ideal because she missed out an entire chunk of questions at the back due to time issue.

When I told her she has to learn to manage her time in examinations instead of saying ‘not enough time’, she glibly told me that there were people who scored worse and they did all the questions. To which I gave my usual refrain – look not to the bottom but to the top. I wanted to start on my ‘you are your own best and worst competitor’ spiel but she was starting to roll her eyes.

Having a game of reversi with Ger

Having a spot of tea with the girl
When I am watching my CSI/ Dexter/ Monk etc, I like to have a pot of tea on with some finger food. Sometimes, the telly is on while I surf the net, do some crafts or flip through magazines. Any fellow multi taskers out there?

Malay kueh kueh

Weak brew of Lapsang – I love this cup. Big bought it for me – he knows I like old school stuff.

I was going through the old photo albums because the children are away in their scuba/ archery/ bowling camp and I am as usual, being a wuss and missing the scampers.

Sigh, seems like yesterday when Ger was such a geram little baby!!!

So cheeky!

So geram!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hmm, I don’t know why she looks so ‘mabok’ here. LOL

Fond memories of her wearing a dress.

Earnest little schoolgirl

At a friend’s home

She looked ‘kuailan’ in this pic! LOL

Another one of her in a dress.

Sigh, and now she is ten going on twenty. How time flies.

We went to Gean’s K1 concert last Friday. She was dancing as a watermelon to ‘The Fruit of the Spirit’. Like her sister, she took to the stage beautifully and was quite the trooper.

Ger very gamely took the video of her sister dancing which was very sweet but really, her video cannot make it. She was trying to take the footage of everybody and in certain sequences, her sister was cut out! We are so buying the official DVD. LOL

Suddenly I feel that my baby is growing up so quickly and it seemed like yesterday when she was just a geram little baby. Sigh.

We went for an evening walk at Henderson Waves last weekend. It is better to go in the early morning when there are less mozzies and not so damn hot. The scenery is beautiful though. Most importantly, FOC ok.

I love how the kids make their own entertainment. LOL.

And of course there were idiots who don’t know how to read signs and insist on smoking and polluting the air. Common sense to know not to smoke in places where people take relaxing walks right? Apparently not.