joy and claire took an mrt to jurong today.
at the control station, sweet and innocent joy was being stopped by the station officer who requested her to open up her bags and plastic bags for checking. she claimed it was so embarassing.
haha, u can imagine joy's surprised look. she was telling me,"aiyo, it's just a pair of innocent sisters taking a train. how can they stop me, just becoz' they see me carrying a lot of plastic bags?"
of coz, if u see a girl with funky hip hop pants and sexy see-through top walking into the station, how can one not be suspicious? modern terrorists can also look pretty, u knw? it's usually those with innocent countenances that the ringmaster will recruit, rite?
she explained to the officer,"i'm going for concert rehearsal, that's why i need to carry all these!"
after the explanation, the officer blurted out a silly response,"going for ballad, huh!"
joy almost let out a laugh....she certainly doesnt look like she belongs to the contemporary dancer category, neither is she demure looking like a ballerina, and to ptop it all, she's definitely dressed in hip hop style!
anyway, it's another long day for the duo princesses...now the young one is asleep while the older one is keeping up with late nite, on the pretext of watching election news (actually, she's on the i-phone. aye).
if serene has a chance to read this blog, thks for sending the girls back. u saved them so much travelling time.....friendship really counts in times of need.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
lettting go or supporting them?
in the car, while fetching my 2 princesses to the kembangan mrt station for them to make their way to pioneer station, jurong, claire asked,"mommy, u knw some parents offer their support for the concert rehearsal. i'm sure u will not do it, rite?"
huh, what a way to question me?
well, frankly, staying through with the kids on their rehearsal is a waste of time for me. in fact, last week, hubby and i made our way to jb jusco to have a great dinner and being in each other's companionship was great (without the kids' presence). couples do need such free and easy time, once in a while!
well, i reckon many mothers offer to help, coz' they want to assure that their kids' interest are taken care off...from food to make-up to changed dressing and hairdo.....
i responded,"frankly, i'm very proud that both of you are independent enough to handle things on ur own...seriously, so many dances that require different outfits change and yet, u could do it backstage on ur own! esp for claire who's probably the only young girl who has no 'parental support' and yet havent lost any thing so far!"
on the same issue that claire had raised, i continued,"not that i'm reluctant to do it, it's just that when it's time to LET GO, i hv to learn to do it! i gotta learn to trust in ur ability to do things on ur own, instead of stringing u on."
indeed, giving support comes in different level. when overly done, kids will lean twds us all the times and lose its independence to work.
i do salute parents who give their time and energy to help out their children in the dance rehearsal and actual day performance. if such effort is for the benefit of the wider group of children, it wins my admiration. but mostly, u see that parents just wanna be there to make sure that their kids change on time to go on stage for their show.
so far, only one parent will bother to buy snacks for other children, while serving her own child, making her the STAR parent, haha. i like her too, a very generous woman who patiently waits for her 2 girls to finish up the dance!
talk about independence, i recalled during claire's debut hip hop concert in 2008 (p2 then), i had to worry about her being a fussy eater. dinner pack was provided but knowing her, i had to specially prepare sushi and other snacks for her, and leaving words with a a parent support mom to watch over her...yes, iwas very protective over claire then, more becoz i didn't want her to have gastric discomfort!
in fact, i even went to the backstage to look for her, in the midst of the stuffy claustrophic atmosphere, to ensure that everything was alrite with her.
since p4 however, i reminded her that she's grown up and has to learn to buy food from canteen instead of creating inconvenience for me and helper to deliver food on certain days, when she needs to stay back......today, she's more mature although joy thinks that she still has room for improvement when it comes to taking public transport to school, instead of relying on us to fetch us to and fro each day!
huh, what a way to question me?
well, frankly, staying through with the kids on their rehearsal is a waste of time for me. in fact, last week, hubby and i made our way to jb jusco to have a great dinner and being in each other's companionship was great (without the kids' presence). couples do need such free and easy time, once in a while!
well, i reckon many mothers offer to help, coz' they want to assure that their kids' interest are taken care off...from food to make-up to changed dressing and hairdo.....
i responded,"frankly, i'm very proud that both of you are independent enough to handle things on ur own...seriously, so many dances that require different outfits change and yet, u could do it backstage on ur own! esp for claire who's probably the only young girl who has no 'parental support' and yet havent lost any thing so far!"
on the same issue that claire had raised, i continued,"not that i'm reluctant to do it, it's just that when it's time to LET GO, i hv to learn to do it! i gotta learn to trust in ur ability to do things on ur own, instead of stringing u on."
indeed, giving support comes in different level. when overly done, kids will lean twds us all the times and lose its independence to work.
i do salute parents who give their time and energy to help out their children in the dance rehearsal and actual day performance. if such effort is for the benefit of the wider group of children, it wins my admiration. but mostly, u see that parents just wanna be there to make sure that their kids change on time to go on stage for their show.
so far, only one parent will bother to buy snacks for other children, while serving her own child, making her the STAR parent, haha. i like her too, a very generous woman who patiently waits for her 2 girls to finish up the dance!
talk about independence, i recalled during claire's debut hip hop concert in 2008 (p2 then), i had to worry about her being a fussy eater. dinner pack was provided but knowing her, i had to specially prepare sushi and other snacks for her, and leaving words with a a parent support mom to watch over her...yes, iwas very protective over claire then, more becoz i didn't want her to have gastric discomfort!
in fact, i even went to the backstage to look for her, in the midst of the stuffy claustrophic atmosphere, to ensure that everything was alrite with her.
since p4 however, i reminded her that she's grown up and has to learn to buy food from canteen instead of creating inconvenience for me and helper to deliver food on certain days, when she needs to stay back......today, she's more mature although joy thinks that she still has room for improvement when it comes to taking public transport to school, instead of relying on us to fetch us to and fro each day!
slow learning?
a friend shared with me about her kindergarten daughter, who's an adorable child in many's eyes.
one day, her class teacher told my friend,"ur kid is slow in grasping math concepts."
well, how should the mother react? paying so much for a branded kindergarten and only to be told straight onto the face how her child's weakness in grasping math concepts!
she politely told the teacher,"just tell me which are the areas that she's weak in and i will revise with her at home!"
well, when she shared this with me, my first reaction was whether the teacher had used the proper teaching method to prepare the class for p1 next yr.
i'm one who believes that 'no one method fits all'!
she went on to tell me that her child came back home and really impressed her of how the gravitational force, the solar system and the ability for spacemen to float in air, all explained in pictorial form.
well, that hit the nail on the head.
i told her,"ur child works in pictorial form. she's visual and kinesthetic, not one who listens to method of what's 3 plus 9.'
she decided to check it out with the daughter's private math tutor about the child's learning ability in math.
true enough, that teacher commented,"no, i never find her slow. she's a visual learner, so we teach her by ...." it was such a relief for my friend to hear that from the pte tutor.
i highlighted to her that while method of teaching matters, it's also impt for parents to recognise that different kids have different aptitudes..some kids just grasp concepts faster than the other. while others need more practice and are not very alert when question changes its form.
claire is one good example of one who grasps concepts well. i like to discuss creative questions with her, not joy though, haha. for instance, at p5, % is a topic that many kids fail to have full comprehension. but claire apparently has no problem with dealing with this topic and i seriously think she's got a good mind for it. i always compliment her for that and even address her as 'math professor' and she will in turn ask me,"does a professor earn a lot of money?"
in fact, i was teaching the p6 stdts last week and one exclaimed,"hmm..this question looks familiar. i think my sch has given it to us before, but the teacher explained it in very complicated way!" tada, when i told him just to pay attention to how linking the 3 figures to proportion concept will ease all the working, he thot it was one of the coolest way of solution! me too!
ultimately, my friend and i believe that giving kids the necessary exposure to life and outside world does help them to piece up things well.....so, parents should never be over-protective over the kids as it clearly robs the kids of the learning experience!
one day, her class teacher told my friend,"ur kid is slow in grasping math concepts."
well, how should the mother react? paying so much for a branded kindergarten and only to be told straight onto the face how her child's weakness in grasping math concepts!
she politely told the teacher,"just tell me which are the areas that she's weak in and i will revise with her at home!"
well, when she shared this with me, my first reaction was whether the teacher had used the proper teaching method to prepare the class for p1 next yr.
i'm one who believes that 'no one method fits all'!
she went on to tell me that her child came back home and really impressed her of how the gravitational force, the solar system and the ability for spacemen to float in air, all explained in pictorial form.
well, that hit the nail on the head.
i told her,"ur child works in pictorial form. she's visual and kinesthetic, not one who listens to method of what's 3 plus 9.'
she decided to check it out with the daughter's private math tutor about the child's learning ability in math.
true enough, that teacher commented,"no, i never find her slow. she's a visual learner, so we teach her by ...." it was such a relief for my friend to hear that from the pte tutor.
i highlighted to her that while method of teaching matters, it's also impt for parents to recognise that different kids have different aptitudes..some kids just grasp concepts faster than the other. while others need more practice and are not very alert when question changes its form.
claire is one good example of one who grasps concepts well. i like to discuss creative questions with her, not joy though, haha. for instance, at p5, % is a topic that many kids fail to have full comprehension. but claire apparently has no problem with dealing with this topic and i seriously think she's got a good mind for it. i always compliment her for that and even address her as 'math professor' and she will in turn ask me,"does a professor earn a lot of money?"
in fact, i was teaching the p6 stdts last week and one exclaimed,"hmm..this question looks familiar. i think my sch has given it to us before, but the teacher explained it in very complicated way!" tada, when i told him just to pay attention to how linking the 3 figures to proportion concept will ease all the working, he thot it was one of the coolest way of solution! me too!
ultimately, my friend and i believe that giving kids the necessary exposure to life and outside world does help them to piece up things well.....so, parents should never be over-protective over the kids as it clearly robs the kids of the learning experience!
Friday, August 26, 2011
teaching values from young
one 50ish father shared that teaching our kids is so impt, particularly from young age. not teaching a kid = hating a kid. ha, what a good way to put it. when u love someone, u will discipline and teach him, rite?
he has only 1 daughter, a pretty and educated one.
in his own words,'from young, we believe in teaching her. we set down conditions for her to be aware when her punishment will be meted. for instance, show disrespect for elders/ grandparents, nvr greet, lying, lazy, rude ....'
he continued,'now that she's much older, i can't beat her anymore, rite? so, i'll call her into the room and scold her!' he said it with such sense of humour that made me laugh.
but behind it all, i am all for disciplining a child. indeed, the basis of our kids' human/ humane behaviour is gravitated on the values we hv imparted to them since young. it's like a building block made up of many cells. only with the foundation cells, the mature theme cells can be further stacked up and strengthened....without it, there's no common understanding of the importance of any value discussion.
say, a person with extravagant habit talk to one with 'thrift' value, it's not going to end up anywhere.
similarly, a well-loved person to talk to another whose family is broken and he growing up on his own merits, there will not be a common ground of understanding what 'family love' is all about!
in theory, spare the road and spoil the child. 子不教，父（母）之过！
hv i ever spared the rod? well, truthfully, i dun use the rod coz' i recalled how my mom, when we were young, would use the cane so hard on my siblings, that she will cry while applying ointment for them, after seeing the bruises on their limbs.
所谓，打在儿身上，痛在娘身上！
so, my method is more direct. if a kid abuses her mouth with wrong words or stares hard with rudeness, her mouth will end up being slapped and her eyes will end up being 捏。if she stomps her feet, her thighs will receive a thunderous 'applause'.
isn't it more direct that way, haha? sometimes, the kids might think we are nagging at them, but what needs to be imparted cannot be spared....that's my perspective. nobody can change it!
he has only 1 daughter, a pretty and educated one.
in his own words,'from young, we believe in teaching her. we set down conditions for her to be aware when her punishment will be meted. for instance, show disrespect for elders/ grandparents, nvr greet, lying, lazy, rude ....'
he continued,'now that she's much older, i can't beat her anymore, rite? so, i'll call her into the room and scold her!' he said it with such sense of humour that made me laugh.
but behind it all, i am all for disciplining a child. indeed, the basis of our kids' human/ humane behaviour is gravitated on the values we hv imparted to them since young. it's like a building block made up of many cells. only with the foundation cells, the mature theme cells can be further stacked up and strengthened....without it, there's no common understanding of the importance of any value discussion.
say, a person with extravagant habit talk to one with 'thrift' value, it's not going to end up anywhere.
similarly, a well-loved person to talk to another whose family is broken and he growing up on his own merits, there will not be a common ground of understanding what 'family love' is all about!
in theory, spare the road and spoil the child. 子不教，父（母）之过！
hv i ever spared the rod? well, truthfully, i dun use the rod coz' i recalled how my mom, when we were young, would use the cane so hard on my siblings, that she will cry while applying ointment for them, after seeing the bruises on their limbs.
所谓，打在儿身上，痛在娘身上！
so, my method is more direct. if a kid abuses her mouth with wrong words or stares hard with rudeness, her mouth will end up being slapped and her eyes will end up being 捏。if she stomps her feet, her thighs will receive a thunderous 'applause'.
isn't it more direct that way, haha? sometimes, the kids might think we are nagging at them, but what needs to be imparted cannot be spared....that's my perspective. nobody can change it!
favoritism
claire told me about how her sch teacher showed favoritism....
while returning the math papers to the stdts, the teacher remarked to her pet stdt who's in drama and cute looking,"28/40, hv to work harder, ling."
next came jan with 34/40, the teacher commented,"horrible, jan. u better buck up!" the poor, timid and petite-sized girl was all confused about receiving such treatment.
to claire, she merely said with no feeling,"39/40, ok, claire!" not a word of encouragement. or did she already knw that claire is capable of such result? AH Q spirit here, haha. humoring oneself is a way to release stress, i always tell myself.
the girls have been talking about her showing favour ie. biased. it does piss the stdts off, ain't it?
well, i told claire,'well, she adores girls who are very expressive and talented in speech. u just need to work well and do well in her 2 subjects, and shut her up!'
hah, did i sound too aggressive?
well, in fact, i shared with claire that this is just life. u simply can't win everybody's liking for you. some like u while some are neutral twds u. as long as they dun hate u and do nasty things to u, u r on safe ground.
that's why, in life, we need to learn how not to be distracted by such 'irritants' or 'pollutants' who might disturb our minds. afterall, humans are imperfect!
claire will learn more about human behaviours.....but i certainly understand why she loves her previous form teacher so much, coz' she's so dedicated and true to her teaching passion, and on top of it all, never shows favouritism!
while returning the math papers to the stdts, the teacher remarked to her pet stdt who's in drama and cute looking,"28/40, hv to work harder, ling."
next came jan with 34/40, the teacher commented,"horrible, jan. u better buck up!" the poor, timid and petite-sized girl was all confused about receiving such treatment.
to claire, she merely said with no feeling,"39/40, ok, claire!" not a word of encouragement. or did she already knw that claire is capable of such result? AH Q spirit here, haha. humoring oneself is a way to release stress, i always tell myself.
the girls have been talking about her showing favour ie. biased. it does piss the stdts off, ain't it?
well, i told claire,'well, she adores girls who are very expressive and talented in speech. u just need to work well and do well in her 2 subjects, and shut her up!'
hah, did i sound too aggressive?
well, in fact, i shared with claire that this is just life. u simply can't win everybody's liking for you. some like u while some are neutral twds u. as long as they dun hate u and do nasty things to u, u r on safe ground.
that's why, in life, we need to learn how not to be distracted by such 'irritants' or 'pollutants' who might disturb our minds. afterall, humans are imperfect!
claire will learn more about human behaviours.....but i certainly understand why she loves her previous form teacher so much, coz' she's so dedicated and true to her teaching passion, and on top of it all, never shows favouritism!
exam fever is over!
wow, it's over. everything is over....no more fever, no more excitment, no more blood pressure raise....
the body cells are receiving more energy and multiplying better. damaged and anger cells are being replaced and renewed....i can certainly feel the charge of energy in
me!
claire had a wonderful time baking cookies (for teacher's day) with her friend, j at home, making card and folding stars! such is the sweet thought that i would really appreciate of a stdt, if i were the sch teacher.
this is a relaxing moment....with presidential election coming up today, is the fever going to shoot up again?
akan datang.
the body cells are receiving more energy and multiplying better. damaged and anger cells are being replaced and renewed....i can certainly feel the charge of energy in
me!
claire had a wonderful time baking cookies (for teacher's day) with her friend, j at home, making card and folding stars! such is the sweet thought that i would really appreciate of a stdt, if i were the sch teacher.
this is a relaxing moment....with presidential election coming up today, is the fever going to shoot up again?
akan datang.
putting GOD first...
some days ago, joy told me about her dance friend, m, now 16 yrs, was seriously taken ill. another suspect of dengue case with high fever.
then, the news of her hospitalisation came.
last night, when i got home, she told me,"mom, m's condition seems bad. she's in emerrgency with pneumonia (aka lung infection) and the doc said that her body has radiation.'
i was just thinking, m is a christian girl who faithfully prays before she goes up the competition stage. she's a pleasant girl who's actively involved in sports, besides dance. to top it all, she's in top-notch sch and is well-liked by many, given that she exudes such great confidence at young age.
how would she feel about her condition? indeed, joy said,"she mentioned that her faith is wavering!"
at that moment, the first thot that came to my mind was 'god has his plans. among other things, HE is probably trying using m to show my daughter the importance of putting HIM first in her life'
it was such coincidence that a discussion broke out just half an hour ago in the cell meeting about how parents would feel about their kids skipping church sessions, when the exam fever is on......
i was the first to offer my view (just felt that the question was 'targeted' at me). i told the members that my approach is not to FORCE, but discuss with the child about 'GOOD TIME MGT' and 'PRIORITIES'. frankly, if u put everything else above GOD and still says that u have HIM in ur heart, things might just frall apart!
another church member, leong requested that the cell group pray for his friend (40 yrs), who just got into an accident and had fortunately woken up from a comatose situation after some days. but, it seemed that his left brain has a blood clot and there's pain in his body....and he's due for a thorough examination in days to come. this friend, who's father is a christian, has requested that leong pray for him.
another thot crossed my mind. humans are such that we often take so much delight in our comfort zones, in denial of many relationships and priorities that are impt in lives, until things turn awry and situations get desperate.
i went home to share with joy about such thots and reminded her that in her midst of bz schedule, she got to learn about weighing her priorities right. she promised,'mom, i understand what u mean. i will go to church after my exams and competiton. u t hink i dun want to go, huh? i also pray every night before i sleep, what!'
in a nutshell, i did feel GOD talking to me last night through the cell members and joy's friend's health condition. at least, it opened up the way for me to think about joy's life and reminding about her priorities.....he surely has his plans carried out at the appropriate time!
then, the news of her hospitalisation came.
last night, when i got home, she told me,"mom, m's condition seems bad. she's in emerrgency with pneumonia (aka lung infection) and the doc said that her body has radiation.'
i was just thinking, m is a christian girl who faithfully prays before she goes up the competition stage. she's a pleasant girl who's actively involved in sports, besides dance. to top it all, she's in top-notch sch and is well-liked by many, given that she exudes such great confidence at young age.
how would she feel about her condition? indeed, joy said,"she mentioned that her faith is wavering!"
at that moment, the first thot that came to my mind was 'god has his plans. among other things, HE is probably trying using m to show my daughter the importance of putting HIM first in her life'
it was such coincidence that a discussion broke out just half an hour ago in the cell meeting about how parents would feel about their kids skipping church sessions, when the exam fever is on......
i was the first to offer my view (just felt that the question was 'targeted' at me). i told the members that my approach is not to FORCE, but discuss with the child about 'GOOD TIME MGT' and 'PRIORITIES'. frankly, if u put everything else above GOD and still says that u have HIM in ur heart, things might just frall apart!
another church member, leong requested that the cell group pray for his friend (40 yrs), who just got into an accident and had fortunately woken up from a comatose situation after some days. but, it seemed that his left brain has a blood clot and there's pain in his body....and he's due for a thorough examination in days to come. this friend, who's father is a christian, has requested that leong pray for him.
another thot crossed my mind. humans are such that we often take so much delight in our comfort zones, in denial of many relationships and priorities that are impt in lives, until things turn awry and situations get desperate.
i went home to share with joy about such thots and reminded her that in her midst of bz schedule, she got to learn about weighing her priorities right. she promised,'mom, i understand what u mean. i will go to church after my exams and competiton. u t hink i dun want to go, huh? i also pray every night before i sleep, what!'
in a nutshell, i did feel GOD talking to me last night through the cell members and joy's friend's health condition. at least, it opened up the way for me to think about joy's life and reminding about her priorities.....he surely has his plans carried out at the appropriate time!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
durians' intolerance
a friend, with her 2 sons, bought some durians from chinatown, packed them in a box, and went on board a bus to get home to the east.
while boarding, she had an embarassing encounter.
a caucasian with his family, apparently with acute sense of smell, started frowing, cursing and swearing,"what a shit smell! shit.." they did recognise that it was durians' odour, i reckoned.
they asked my friend,"is that durian that u r holding?"
she nodded feeling embarassed and not knowing where to bury her ostrich's head.
throughout, the caucasian and her family members kept turning their heads behind to her seat, and continuing to stare and curse about the smell. she apologised to them about the 'pungent' smell and was almost too stunned and afraid to say anything else.
well, she asked what i would have done?
to me, is it a law that durians are not allowed on the bus? i hv long forgotten about bus rules coz' i hardly go on this public transport.
she said,"yes, there's a signboard that prohibits durian on the bus. but, the sign doesn't mention that packing them in boxes isnt allowed too!"
well, her case brought me to the recent curry incident between a china family (plaintiff) and the local indian family (charged). indeed, tolerance limit for another person's culture is declining, but surely this is the first time that i heard a foreign immigrant griping about our indian culture food. i totally think that the china family must learn to live with our indian curry smell....or they can always close their doors or windows. but, what right have the chinese mainlanders to stop our indian fellow citizens from cooking their staple curry food.? 哎哟，天理何在？
on the same basis, i recalled a friend telling me that while she was living in australia, the asians who fried the garlic would receive complaints from the australian neighbours complaining about the smell....to the extent of involving a police case. can u even beat that?
so, what's the conclusion?
durian smell is heavenly to some, but pungent to another. so, it's better not to bring on board the public transport. especially nowadays, we have all kinds of weird nationalities in singapore, who are expressive, loud and bold (??)
tolerance level is becoming lower, so why get yourself into problem if u knw that we are no longer living in kampong village, where all neighbours love one another and 和睦相处！ 我还真怀念童年的日子，邻居都相亲相爱，从不为小事而闹别扭！
while boarding, she had an embarassing encounter.
a caucasian with his family, apparently with acute sense of smell, started frowing, cursing and swearing,"what a shit smell! shit.." they did recognise that it was durians' odour, i reckoned.
they asked my friend,"is that durian that u r holding?"
she nodded feeling embarassed and not knowing where to bury her ostrich's head.
throughout, the caucasian and her family members kept turning their heads behind to her seat, and continuing to stare and curse about the smell. she apologised to them about the 'pungent' smell and was almost too stunned and afraid to say anything else.
well, she asked what i would have done?
to me, is it a law that durians are not allowed on the bus? i hv long forgotten about bus rules coz' i hardly go on this public transport.
she said,"yes, there's a signboard that prohibits durian on the bus. but, the sign doesn't mention that packing them in boxes isnt allowed too!"
well, her case brought me to the recent curry incident between a china family (plaintiff) and the local indian family (charged). indeed, tolerance limit for another person's culture is declining, but surely this is the first time that i heard a foreign immigrant griping about our indian culture food. i totally think that the china family must learn to live with our indian curry smell....or they can always close their doors or windows. but, what right have the chinese mainlanders to stop our indian fellow citizens from cooking their staple curry food.? 哎哟，天理何在？
on the same basis, i recalled a friend telling me that while she was living in australia, the asians who fried the garlic would receive complaints from the australian neighbours complaining about the smell....to the extent of involving a police case. can u even beat that?
so, what's the conclusion?
durian smell is heavenly to some, but pungent to another. so, it's better not to bring on board the public transport. especially nowadays, we have all kinds of weird nationalities in singapore, who are expressive, loud and bold (??)
tolerance level is becoming lower, so why get yourself into problem if u knw that we are no longer living in kampong village, where all neighbours love one another and 和睦相处！ 我还真怀念童年的日子，邻居都相亲相爱，从不为小事而闹别扭！
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
conversation with a stdt
"wow, dun u think we are productive and efficent?" i exclaimed.
"hmm...i dun think i'm productive!" my stdt, g, retorted politely.
"huh, u knw u r one of my best stdts, doing things really fast and able to keep up with the learning phase!" i explained my viewpoint.
"actually, i'm not that productive anymore. i used to be...but not now. i find the subjects so heavy, esp science, that requires so much memory work!" she provided her view too about herself.
seriously, this stdt of mine is a top A stdt. i wonder where she gets the impression that she's not hardworking, she's not efficient and she's not as productive as i thought.
well, she told me all feelings start this yr, p5 level. to me, it oculd be too much work and tuition weighing upon her, although she nvr complains about her life being packed with tuition classes (every single subject).
i reckon it's just a passing phase for kids as they are growing up. or maybe, she's comparing herself with her previous excellent self.
as tutors, it's even more impt for me to 'affirm' her by telling her positive things.
when one feels positive and good, one will definitely stay afloat no matter what!
dun let the ms negative naughty sneak into your life, distorting ing your heart and adding pollutants to your mind.
take a breather and tell yourself,"i am improving!" but of coz, actions speak louder than words.
"hmm...i dun think i'm productive!" my stdt, g, retorted politely.
"huh, u knw u r one of my best stdts, doing things really fast and able to keep up with the learning phase!" i explained my viewpoint.
"actually, i'm not that productive anymore. i used to be...but not now. i find the subjects so heavy, esp science, that requires so much memory work!" she provided her view too about herself.
seriously, this stdt of mine is a top A stdt. i wonder where she gets the impression that she's not hardworking, she's not efficient and she's not as productive as i thought.
well, she told me all feelings start this yr, p5 level. to me, it oculd be too much work and tuition weighing upon her, although she nvr complains about her life being packed with tuition classes (every single subject).
i reckon it's just a passing phase for kids as they are growing up. or maybe, she's comparing herself with her previous excellent self.
as tutors, it's even more impt for me to 'affirm' her by telling her positive things.
when one feels positive and good, one will definitely stay afloat no matter what!
dun let the ms negative naughty sneak into your life, distorting ing your heart and adding pollutants to your mind.
take a breather and tell yourself,"i am improving!" but of coz, actions speak louder than words.
teacher's day
claire suggested to invite her friend, j back home on fri to make cookies for her teachers, on the special teacher's day, in a wk's time.
she's all excited. now, i hv to get the stuff ready for her baking and leaving it to my helper, ju to assist the 2 kids in the kitchen.
fri is a good time coz' claire will be done with her last paper. i'm sure she will have many plans in her head, including,"mommy, when will u bring me to popo's house to join them for bfst?"
haha, that's just one of the reasons. she probably is more keen to play with all the 4cousins over there. indeed, time passes so fast when the kid play behind closed-door, with activities ranging from modelling parade to blind mice (in light switch-off condition)to monkey games.......i always tell mom that that room which the kids always play in will remain a fond memory when they grow up!
indeed, it's that lil space that allows the kids to bond and understand one another better. true enough, there's fights, there's quarrels, there's tears behind the room, but not forgetting that there's more laughter and fun that accompany the kids!
well, i hope claire's cookies baking will be successful and that the teachers who receive the hearty gifts will like the thoughts!
she's all excited. now, i hv to get the stuff ready for her baking and leaving it to my helper, ju to assist the 2 kids in the kitchen.
fri is a good time coz' claire will be done with her last paper. i'm sure she will have many plans in her head, including,"mommy, when will u bring me to popo's house to join them for bfst?"
haha, that's just one of the reasons. she probably is more keen to play with all the 4cousins over there. indeed, time passes so fast when the kid play behind closed-door, with activities ranging from modelling parade to blind mice (in light switch-off condition)to monkey games.......i always tell mom that that room which the kids always play in will remain a fond memory when they grow up!
indeed, it's that lil space that allows the kids to bond and understand one another better. true enough, there's fights, there's quarrels, there's tears behind the room, but not forgetting that there's more laughter and fun that accompany the kids!
well, i hope claire's cookies baking will be successful and that the teachers who receive the hearty gifts will like the thoughts!
mom's legs have recovered!
ystday, the phone rang at 2 plus afternoon, just before i was leaving home to teach.
it was mom's excited voice at the other end.
'leng, 星期五早上，不用去育国了。我完全好了，脚已经不痛了！‘
wow, only 2 electro-treatments and she deemed herself healed. she sounded pleasantly happy.
she recounted that after completing her 2nd round of tcm medicine to relax her muscles and ligaments, her legs were still feeling 酸疼, smart mom decided to take her western medication and she remarked,"it's completely recovered now!"
so, i gathered that 'east meets west' is still the best therapy. i reckon, relying on tcm alone might take a long while, but it will eventually (hopefully) eradicate the root problem
well, it's good news to hear that from mom. legs are so impt to human beings. imagine one walks limpy, how can one enjoy the feeling of a healthy brisk walk?
esp for someone like my mom who has many children who like to bring her out to eat and shop, haha.
anyway, GOD bless.
it was mom's excited voice at the other end.
'leng, 星期五早上，不用去育国了。我完全好了，脚已经不痛了！‘
wow, only 2 electro-treatments and she deemed herself healed. she sounded pleasantly happy.
she recounted that after completing her 2nd round of tcm medicine to relax her muscles and ligaments, her legs were still feeling 酸疼, smart mom decided to take her western medication and she remarked,"it's completely recovered now!"
so, i gathered that 'east meets west' is still the best therapy. i reckon, relying on tcm alone might take a long while, but it will eventually (hopefully) eradicate the root problem
well, it's good news to hear that from mom. legs are so impt to human beings. imagine one walks limpy, how can one enjoy the feeling of a healthy brisk walk?
esp for someone like my mom who has many children who like to bring her out to eat and shop, haha.
anyway, GOD bless.
Monday, August 22, 2011
裸婚
有听过裸婚吗？
没房，没摆喜酒，没车，什么都没，就只有一个爱你的人，你愿意以身相许吗？
in tdy's society, this is a rare situation unless the girl is young and innocent, or is caught in a 'bearing a child out of wedlock' situation. i reckon.
i was watching the morning news program and 3 pple were being interviewed. i was fairly impressed with a 30-sth old guy who said that, his lavish wedding ceremony was conducted for the sole purpose of pleasing his wife, coz' he knew how valuable an experience it would be for a woman, looking her best on the wedding day, to walk down the red carpet! it's like a girl's fantasy dream come true!
another cited that owing to the sky-rocketing housing prices, he has been staying with his parents since he wedded his wife, both in entertainment industry. to him, extended family living brings with it lots of learning and compromises, but domestic harmony breeds love.
truly, he mentioned that marriage is not about the couples themselves. it's a whole family affair, and it will be delightful for the parents to knw that they are involved in the overall prep work, rather than being cast out of the whole affair.
my aunty has been kept bz from wkend to wkend buying stuff for the daughter (who's getting married in nov), herself and hubby's, as well as giving a minor makeover to the home for the impending big event.
i was told that the daughter (bride) is marrying into a traditional family, who intends that she wears a 'kwa' during tea ceremony, plus holding another wedding event in china, to share the joy of marriage with these distant relatives. the bride might find it cumbersome but she is not griping about it!
well, marriage's a once-in-a-lifetime event. so, being able to hold it and making sure every one stays happy, isn't too much to ask for. afterall, the parents hv spent so much effort raising the children, so there's no issue, i believe, in children making compromises at their end, to see the twinkle in the parents' eyes and a smile on their faces.
i hv to start educating my 2 girls from young about our little expectations, when it comes to the "BIG" day ..... in fact, i think my other half did it so well and made my parents so pleased, that until today, they are still full of praises for him, about his 处世待人的态度！
没房，没摆喜酒，没车，什么都没，就只有一个爱你的人，你愿意以身相许吗？
in tdy's society, this is a rare situation unless the girl is young and innocent, or is caught in a 'bearing a child out of wedlock' situation. i reckon.
i was watching the morning news program and 3 pple were being interviewed. i was fairly impressed with a 30-sth old guy who said that, his lavish wedding ceremony was conducted for the sole purpose of pleasing his wife, coz' he knew how valuable an experience it would be for a woman, looking her best on the wedding day, to walk down the red carpet! it's like a girl's fantasy dream come true!
another cited that owing to the sky-rocketing housing prices, he has been staying with his parents since he wedded his wife, both in entertainment industry. to him, extended family living brings with it lots of learning and compromises, but domestic harmony breeds love.
truly, he mentioned that marriage is not about the couples themselves. it's a whole family affair, and it will be delightful for the parents to knw that they are involved in the overall prep work, rather than being cast out of the whole affair.
my aunty has been kept bz from wkend to wkend buying stuff for the daughter (who's getting married in nov), herself and hubby's, as well as giving a minor makeover to the home for the impending big event.
i was told that the daughter (bride) is marrying into a traditional family, who intends that she wears a 'kwa' during tea ceremony, plus holding another wedding event in china, to share the joy of marriage with these distant relatives. the bride might find it cumbersome but she is not griping about it!
well, marriage's a once-in-a-lifetime event. so, being able to hold it and making sure every one stays happy, isn't too much to ask for. afterall, the parents hv spent so much effort raising the children, so there's no issue, i believe, in children making compromises at their end, to see the twinkle in the parents' eyes and a smile on their faces.
i hv to start educating my 2 girls from young about our little expectations, when it comes to the "BIG" day ..... in fact, i think my other half did it so well and made my parents so pleased, that until today, they are still full of praises for him, about his 处世待人的态度！
a handshake reveals it all....
a handshake is a great body language.
it signifies a person's sincerity to knw u, besides eye contact.
so, i was really 'thrilled' to see a video of one of the president-elects, who was making his rounds to garner support...and he sure chose a wrong venue....shaking hands with fish-mongers and grocers. yes, marketplace.
well, it was an immediate turn-off to see hw he kept his palms straight and open when shaking hands with the commoners....terribly insincere, and totally betrayed the seemingly friendly broad smiles on his face!
for this handshake that he's given, it appears that netizens are now reading his sincerity to lead the president's tole otherwise....that's the power of social media coverage!
so, i gather that a politician now has so much to 'fear' and 'sweat' simply becos their actions are easily captured on the screen, and circulated widely for commoners' judgement.
maybe that's why nicole seah won the heart of heartlanders...i saw the way she shook the commoners' hands, all ages inclusive, with a firm hold and a smiling face. she's now campaigning for tan jee say, i wonder if that will help add to tan's votes!
it signifies a person's sincerity to knw u, besides eye contact.
so, i was really 'thrilled' to see a video of one of the president-elects, who was making his rounds to garner support...and he sure chose a wrong venue....shaking hands with fish-mongers and grocers. yes, marketplace.
well, it was an immediate turn-off to see hw he kept his palms straight and open when shaking hands with the commoners....terribly insincere, and totally betrayed the seemingly friendly broad smiles on his face!
for this handshake that he's given, it appears that netizens are now reading his sincerity to lead the president's tole otherwise....that's the power of social media coverage!
so, i gather that a politician now has so much to 'fear' and 'sweat' simply becos their actions are easily captured on the screen, and circulated widely for commoners' judgement.
maybe that's why nicole seah won the heart of heartlanders...i saw the way she shook the commoners' hands, all ages inclusive, with a firm hold and a smiling face. she's now campaigning for tan jee say, i wonder if that will help add to tan's votes!
claire's fall
back home at 8 plus pm last nite, claire eagerly said,"mom, come and watch the video of how i fell!"
omg, i watched the screen and saw a graceful dancer doing contemporary moves...suddenly, with a loud thud on the floor, the dancer fell flat on her front pelvic bones! i could feel the pain from the pain...watching on, it was a whining and yelling girl on the floor!
aiya, what an unexpected fall for claire which innocently started from a performance for her sister, joy.
after dinner, she told me,"i'm afraid i can't straighten my legs that well now...so how, mommy? i hv concert rehearsal this sat!"
i applied some 'zam buk' on her 'bruised' knees and noticed the bones lil swollen or protruding, for that matter.
hopefully, she will recover by fri......meanwhile, i'm hoping her morning wakeup hours will not give her bad blood circulation or stiff joints!
this is claire, very accident-prone.
i told her to put this video on the blog but she warned,"u can't do it without my permission!"
yes, i acknowledge that. individual privacy is what we respect at home, yeah.
omg, i watched the screen and saw a graceful dancer doing contemporary moves...suddenly, with a loud thud on the floor, the dancer fell flat on her front pelvic bones! i could feel the pain from the pain...watching on, it was a whining and yelling girl on the floor!
aiya, what an unexpected fall for claire which innocently started from a performance for her sister, joy.
after dinner, she told me,"i'm afraid i can't straighten my legs that well now...so how, mommy? i hv concert rehearsal this sat!"
i applied some 'zam buk' on her 'bruised' knees and noticed the bones lil swollen or protruding, for that matter.
hopefully, she will recover by fri......meanwhile, i'm hoping her morning wakeup hours will not give her bad blood circulation or stiff joints!
this is claire, very accident-prone.
i told her to put this video on the blog but she warned,"u can't do it without my permission!"
yes, i acknowledge that. individual privacy is what we respect at home, yeah.
mom's leg condition
i talked to mom ystday, briefly checking with her about her 'walk-ability' condition after the 2nd electro-therapy treatment at yuguo tcm last fri.
she replied, "真的好很多！但还是会酸痛，我知道这是药的作用，再帮我通胫骨！“
haha, mom is always a good citizen, dutifully following the medication intake and explaining about her improved condition.
i was happy when she suggested to visit a 3rd time. that showed that she didn't find the session a waste of time, but truly trust that it will be beneficial for her general condition.
so, this fri morn timing has been fixed between the 2 of us.
truly, each time that i visit mom, it's for doing mktg tgther. even claire loves going mktg and bfst with us, esp with the accompaniment of the cuzzies' entourage.
but, to be able to meet her for tcm visit is even more meaningful. coz, she needs the attention, after all the yrs of hardwork and dedication for us and grandchildren.
whether we meet her often or not, she knows we all hv her interests at heart.
p/s: in fact, when i was driving her home last fri after 2nd tcm visit, brother's phone call came and was caringly checking with her on her leg condition. mom, in her usual positive chirpy tone, assured him that she was better. well, aging in a manner like mom is good, coz' she sees things in positive light, despite her old bones and less-energetic body.....that's the first key to happiness!
she replied, "真的好很多！但还是会酸痛，我知道这是药的作用，再帮我通胫骨！“
haha, mom is always a good citizen, dutifully following the medication intake and explaining about her improved condition.
i was happy when she suggested to visit a 3rd time. that showed that she didn't find the session a waste of time, but truly trust that it will be beneficial for her general condition.
so, this fri morn timing has been fixed between the 2 of us.
truly, each time that i visit mom, it's for doing mktg tgther. even claire loves going mktg and bfst with us, esp with the accompaniment of the cuzzies' entourage.
but, to be able to meet her for tcm visit is even more meaningful. coz, she needs the attention, after all the yrs of hardwork and dedication for us and grandchildren.
whether we meet her often or not, she knows we all hv her interests at heart.
p/s: in fact, when i was driving her home last fri after 2nd tcm visit, brother's phone call came and was caringly checking with her on her leg condition. mom, in her usual positive chirpy tone, assured him that she was better. well, aging in a manner like mom is good, coz' she sees things in positive light, despite her old bones and less-energetic body.....that's the first key to happiness!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
lucas' cuteness
we went to roland restaurant on fri afternoon for dimsum lunch.
a big group of 3 adults and 5 kids.
lucas requested to sit beside me. how sweet!
when he tasted the crispy 'cornflaky' stuff that accompanied the porridge, he told me,"this is very nice!" next, he surprised me by offering me 2 of the flakes and wanted to put it in my mouth! i thanked him profusely, haha. his generosity and willingness to share was clearly demonstrated.
then when the crispy fish was served, i casually served each kid one. he tried it and told me,'the fish is very nice!' then, i offered him another piece lah, which he ate happily.
i also introduced him to a crispy fishcake dish. again, he took it whole-heartedly.
trisha, on the other hand, was trying hard to chew the crispy fishcake and grimaced her distorted face, telling us,'it is nice. but very hard to bite!' haha, looking at the way she ate, we would probably not find the food so appetising!
N&N sisters sure had good time trying their salted custard buns or 流沙包，probably their first encounter. after an aggressive start, both loved the buns and claimed that they have had their fill and couldn't consume any more.
dad exclaimed,"很久没有吃得这么丰富的大餐!" haha, my parents and i really stuffed ourselves with the last remaining bit of yeefu noodles, glutinous rice and chee cheong fun, until we were all done. the kids abandoned us to go watch the fish swim in the tank.
back home, dad and mom were so exhausted with too much carbo-laden food that they took a nap sitting on the sofa.....i also rested on the floor before getting ready to leave home to teach!
the kids went downstairs to play for a short while but lucas was lost in the transit...haha, my helper ju 'smuggled' him to the playground and he was having wonderful time playing there!
each time i spent time with lucas, i found him very adorable. claire just updated me today that when the kids were around on fri, she actually sacrificed her 5-min i-touch time for lucas, ie. lucas gets 10-min of playtime while the rest only got 5 min. well, a little favouritism practised by claire, but she claimed,"lucas is
really very chin-chye, never makes noise over small things. so, i just want to pamper him that way!"
moral of the story : be more chin chye with people and u get more attention. haha, isn't it?
a big group of 3 adults and 5 kids.
lucas requested to sit beside me. how sweet!
when he tasted the crispy 'cornflaky' stuff that accompanied the porridge, he told me,"this is very nice!" next, he surprised me by offering me 2 of the flakes and wanted to put it in my mouth! i thanked him profusely, haha. his generosity and willingness to share was clearly demonstrated.
then when the crispy fish was served, i casually served each kid one. he tried it and told me,'the fish is very nice!' then, i offered him another piece lah, which he ate happily.
i also introduced him to a crispy fishcake dish. again, he took it whole-heartedly.
trisha, on the other hand, was trying hard to chew the crispy fishcake and grimaced her distorted face, telling us,'it is nice. but very hard to bite!' haha, looking at the way she ate, we would probably not find the food so appetising!
N&N sisters sure had good time trying their salted custard buns or 流沙包，probably their first encounter. after an aggressive start, both loved the buns and claimed that they have had their fill and couldn't consume any more.
dad exclaimed,"很久没有吃得这么丰富的大餐!" haha, my parents and i really stuffed ourselves with the last remaining bit of yeefu noodles, glutinous rice and chee cheong fun, until we were all done. the kids abandoned us to go watch the fish swim in the tank.
back home, dad and mom were so exhausted with too much carbo-laden food that they took a nap sitting on the sofa.....i also rested on the floor before getting ready to leave home to teach!
the kids went downstairs to play for a short while but lucas was lost in the transit...haha, my helper ju 'smuggled' him to the playground and he was having wonderful time playing there!
each time i spent time with lucas, i found him very adorable. claire just updated me today that when the kids were around on fri, she actually sacrificed her 5-min i-touch time for lucas, ie. lucas gets 10-min of playtime while the rest only got 5 min. well, a little favouritism practised by claire, but she claimed,"lucas is
really very chin-chye, never makes noise over small things. so, i just want to pamper him that way!"
moral of the story : be more chin chye with people and u get more attention. haha, isn't it?
joy is stressed!
stress! stress! stress!
more hrs in a day, please!
this is the cries of the 17-yr old teenager at home.
joy's promo exam for jc1 is coming up on 12 sep. she's not finding enough time to revise her work. her dance rehearsal re concert perfce in sep is far taking up too much time!
we were having a chat the other day. she asked,'mom, do u think i should drop one h2 subject to h1?'
'yup, why not? i did 3 h2 subjects only! afterall, the impact is minimal unless u want to do for research or overseas scholarship prog!' i responded.
'ya lor, mom, u get a distinction for an h2 subject, but the point awarded will be halved, equivalent to a distinction in h1 subject. and mind u, it's easier to get a distinction for h1 than h2 syllabus!' analysed joy's little birdie brain.
well, h2 is akin to 'A' level std while h1 is 'AO' std.
after some brief discussion what she's likely to downgrade to h1 level, she continued her revision.
that was fri.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
sat nite. after her concert rehearsal that ended close to 11.30 pm at jurong.
joy was totally bushed. once she hopped into the car, she whined that she hadnt got the chance to even revise the notes that she brought to the concert hall.
once home, after a fresh shower, she was checking her iphone msgs and facebook comments, her usual routine.
suddenly, she turned emotional and said,"mom, actually i'm glad to hv parents like u and daddy."
i was puzzled and asked her,"why do u say that?"
she replied, "one of my dance friends just told me that you are both so supportive. when i told my frd, zy that i am only aiming for a pass in the promo exams, she asked me how my mom would feel. i told her that mom felt it was alrite, since i'm juggling between dance and sch activities. she said that u r so understanding..'
wow, that's a big hat for me to wear. but that's the truth. vjc's std is so high. the kids are no longer talking about a distinction grade. everyone just hopes to breach the passing 50 mark, i'm not kidding here!
well, but joy fails to qualify to her frd, zy, who's a diligent undergraduate pupil dabbling well between dance, piano and sch, that i actually meant,'ok to just pass for jc1 promo exams, but for next yr 'A' level, more effort has to be put in!'
well, i wouldnt like to have a nerdy daughter who spends her time mugging at home and fails to find joy in doing any other stuff. like how joy puts it,"i'm enjoying my life so much now...the thot of being able to take part in dance competition and go on stage just made me want to push myself harder in my study...it's a motivation for me!'
加油啦，小乐乐！
'
more hrs in a day, please!
this is the cries of the 17-yr old teenager at home.
joy's promo exam for jc1 is coming up on 12 sep. she's not finding enough time to revise her work. her dance rehearsal re concert perfce in sep is far taking up too much time!
we were having a chat the other day. she asked,'mom, do u think i should drop one h2 subject to h1?'
'yup, why not? i did 3 h2 subjects only! afterall, the impact is minimal unless u want to do for research or overseas scholarship prog!' i responded.
'ya lor, mom, u get a distinction for an h2 subject, but the point awarded will be halved, equivalent to a distinction in h1 subject. and mind u, it's easier to get a distinction for h1 than h2 syllabus!' analysed joy's little birdie brain.
well, h2 is akin to 'A' level std while h1 is 'AO' std.
after some brief discussion what she's likely to downgrade to h1 level, she continued her revision.
that was fri.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
sat nite. after her concert rehearsal that ended close to 11.30 pm at jurong.
joy was totally bushed. once she hopped into the car, she whined that she hadnt got the chance to even revise the notes that she brought to the concert hall.
once home, after a fresh shower, she was checking her iphone msgs and facebook comments, her usual routine.
suddenly, she turned emotional and said,"mom, actually i'm glad to hv parents like u and daddy."
i was puzzled and asked her,"why do u say that?"
she replied, "one of my dance friends just told me that you are both so supportive. when i told my frd, zy that i am only aiming for a pass in the promo exams, she asked me how my mom would feel. i told her that mom felt it was alrite, since i'm juggling between dance and sch activities. she said that u r so understanding..'
wow, that's a big hat for me to wear. but that's the truth. vjc's std is so high. the kids are no longer talking about a distinction grade. everyone just hopes to breach the passing 50 mark, i'm not kidding here!
well, but joy fails to qualify to her frd, zy, who's a diligent undergraduate pupil dabbling well between dance, piano and sch, that i actually meant,'ok to just pass for jc1 promo exams, but for next yr 'A' level, more effort has to be put in!'
well, i wouldnt like to have a nerdy daughter who spends her time mugging at home and fails to find joy in doing any other stuff. like how joy puts it,"i'm enjoying my life so much now...the thot of being able to take part in dance competition and go on stage just made me want to push myself harder in my study...it's a motivation for me!'
加油啦，小乐乐！
'
blog extract " parenting for the long-term"
this is an extract of a blog entry from wendy wand, a professional counsellor. i have heard her speak in a girl's school once, and found her likeable in her approach. so, here's sharing her thoughts with you and hope that u will benefit from learning about LT parenting tips......and not micro-manage your kids too much!
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On 21 May 2011, I was invited to speak to parents at a girls’ school, on “Developing Gracious Leadership”.
I asked the parents in the class, “if you had a magic wand, what would your daughter be like in the future?”
Think about 10 years from now, when your child is 17, or 27, how would you like your child to be?
I also, asked them, “in 10 or 20 years from now, how would you want your relationship with your child?”
My observation is that how we are with our children when they are below 12 years, will contribute to how this parent-child relationship will be after they turn 12.
Most parents, unconsciously, parent for the short-term. If their child is in Primary 1, they teach basic math and language, and make sure homework is completed. If their child is in Primary 6, and facing the major national examinations that will determine which secondary school they will be, parents focus on making sure they are studying A LOT, and their conversations is around grades, tuition and grades.
I would like to encourage parents to parent for the long-term. Keep the vision of who you want your children to be in the future in mind. Picture yourself having dinner with them ten years from now, and you are all having a great conversation, laughing and sharing openly and intimately.
When I mentioned this idea to the parents in my session last Saturday, most of them looked surprised, like they have not thought of parenting for the long-term before.
What does parenting for the long-term means?
Be aware that what you say to your children sinks into their minds and programmes how they see themselves and you.
For example, I saw a mother in a mall a few weeks ago, and she told her 4-year-old son who was carrying a big bag, “how come you cannot carry the bag properly? Even carrying a bag is difficult for you.” She was speaking in a shrill, loud and fierce voice and her face was tight with tension and criticism.
I felt sorry for the son. I noticed that his little shoulders stiffen up and I felt the fear from him. I felt like giving the mother my name card and offer her coaching.
The son is having the message “you cannot do anything right” implanted into his memory and self-efficacy. He is going to remember his mother as critical and insulting when he is 14. He fear of his mother will turn into disregard for her when he is 16.
I parent for the long-term because in my training in Psychology, I read a lot of longitudinal research on the influence of delayed gratification, parenting styles, independence training etc during childhood, on their future success, relationships and happiness. My studies influence how I parent my children.
I know about the psychological changes that they would go through in the future. Therefore, starting from when they were 3, I was already preparing myself, them and our relationship for those developmental changes.
Teens will want more freedom, and they will do through identity crisis. With this expectation, I am mindful that how I relate to them, discipline them, talk to them, and engage them when they are 7 and at 10 would influence how much they would open up to me and listen to my advice when they are 15.
Therefore, be present with your children when you interact with them – focus on their well-being beyond grades – with the vision of their loving future with you as your guide.
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indeed, when our young kids turn into teenies and then teenagers, we will lose the stronghold over their lives. they become bz with stuff and will hardly have time to talk to us and understand our feelings.
however, it is not impossible for a mature relationship to evolve between the young adults and their parents. such basis of relationship depends on the intimate bonds fostered in their growing up years, having fond memories of their parents' support and trust.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On 21 May 2011, I was invited to speak to parents at a girls’ school, on “Developing Gracious Leadership”.
I asked the parents in the class, “if you had a magic wand, what would your daughter be like in the future?”
Think about 10 years from now, when your child is 17, or 27, how would you like your child to be?
I also, asked them, “in 10 or 20 years from now, how would you want your relationship with your child?”
My observation is that how we are with our children when they are below 12 years, will contribute to how this parent-child relationship will be after they turn 12.
Most parents, unconsciously, parent for the short-term. If their child is in Primary 1, they teach basic math and language, and make sure homework is completed. If their child is in Primary 6, and facing the major national examinations that will determine which secondary school they will be, parents focus on making sure they are studying A LOT, and their conversations is around grades, tuition and grades.
I would like to encourage parents to parent for the long-term. Keep the vision of who you want your children to be in the future in mind. Picture yourself having dinner with them ten years from now, and you are all having a great conversation, laughing and sharing openly and intimately.
When I mentioned this idea to the parents in my session last Saturday, most of them looked surprised, like they have not thought of parenting for the long-term before.
What does parenting for the long-term means?
Be aware that what you say to your children sinks into their minds and programmes how they see themselves and you.
For example, I saw a mother in a mall a few weeks ago, and she told her 4-year-old son who was carrying a big bag, “how come you cannot carry the bag properly? Even carrying a bag is difficult for you.” She was speaking in a shrill, loud and fierce voice and her face was tight with tension and criticism.
I felt sorry for the son. I noticed that his little shoulders stiffen up and I felt the fear from him. I felt like giving the mother my name card and offer her coaching.
The son is having the message “you cannot do anything right” implanted into his memory and self-efficacy. He is going to remember his mother as critical and insulting when he is 14. He fear of his mother will turn into disregard for her when he is 16.
I parent for the long-term because in my training in Psychology, I read a lot of longitudinal research on the influence of delayed gratification, parenting styles, independence training etc during childhood, on their future success, relationships and happiness. My studies influence how I parent my children.
I know about the psychological changes that they would go through in the future. Therefore, starting from when they were 3, I was already preparing myself, them and our relationship for those developmental changes.
Teens will want more freedom, and they will do through identity crisis. With this expectation, I am mindful that how I relate to them, discipline them, talk to them, and engage them when they are 7 and at 10 would influence how much they would open up to me and listen to my advice when they are 15.
Therefore, be present with your children when you interact with them – focus on their well-being beyond grades – with the vision of their loving future with you as your guide.
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indeed, when our young kids turn into teenies and then teenagers, we will lose the stronghold over their lives. they become bz with stuff and will hardly have time to talk to us and understand our feelings.
however, it is not impossible for a mature relationship to evolve between the young adults and their parents. such basis of relationship depends on the intimate bonds fostered in their growing up years, having fond memories of their parents' support and trust.
Friday, August 19, 2011
another person's blog posting - titled 'a mother's love'
i came across a blog posting which i like tremendously.
here is is for your pleasure reading, esp for those who can appreciate what it means by having a doting mom who cares, supports and loves....
I sent my mother off at the airport at the crack of dawn this morning. After two weeks of visiting she headed back home to the UK and it will be several months before I get to see her again.
In between my work engagements and her hectic schedule calling on family and friends we managed to squeeze in a whole afternoon of one-on-one time yesterday. Just us two, mother and son.
We went to a restaurant to have one of her favourites – Japanese food. We ate to our hearts’ content. We drank copious amounts of green tea. And then we talked. Just talked.
We gossiped about others. We spoke about our difficult moments. We laughed at ourselves. We shared our fears. We nagged each other. We discussed our future plans. We affirmed our love for each other.
My mum’s a special mum. She constantly tells me she loves me. She regularly reminds me how proud she is of me. She indulgently hears me out when I have a problem. She earnestly proofreads my writing. She patiently bites her tongue to let me get over my petulant outbursts. She effusively speaks highly of me. She generously offers her help. She lovingly sends me things she thinks I will need. She gently directs me onto the right path. She tenderly teaches me – humility, forgiveness, love. She devotedly prays for me.
My mum is uncompromising in her love for me. She is resolute in her support of what I do. She is unwavering in her trust of me. She is everything anyone could ever ask for in a mum.
Mum, just as you are fond of reminding me that regardless of whether I am 8 or 38 or 78, I will always be your baby; well, regardless of whether you are here in Singapore or in the UK, you will always be in my heart. You will always be my mummy. I love you mum.
here is is for your pleasure reading, esp for those who can appreciate what it means by having a doting mom who cares, supports and loves....
I sent my mother off at the airport at the crack of dawn this morning. After two weeks of visiting she headed back home to the UK and it will be several months before I get to see her again.
In between my work engagements and her hectic schedule calling on family and friends we managed to squeeze in a whole afternoon of one-on-one time yesterday. Just us two, mother and son.
We went to a restaurant to have one of her favourites – Japanese food. We ate to our hearts’ content. We drank copious amounts of green tea. And then we talked. Just talked.
We gossiped about others. We spoke about our difficult moments. We laughed at ourselves. We shared our fears. We nagged each other. We discussed our future plans. We affirmed our love for each other.
My mum’s a special mum. She constantly tells me she loves me. She regularly reminds me how proud she is of me. She indulgently hears me out when I have a problem. She earnestly proofreads my writing. She patiently bites her tongue to let me get over my petulant outbursts. She effusively speaks highly of me. She generously offers her help. She lovingly sends me things she thinks I will need. She gently directs me onto the right path. She tenderly teaches me – humility, forgiveness, love. She devotedly prays for me.
My mum is uncompromising in her love for me. She is resolute in her support of what I do. She is unwavering in her trust of me. She is everything anyone could ever ask for in a mum.
Mum, just as you are fond of reminding me that regardless of whether I am 8 or 38 or 78, I will always be your baby; well, regardless of whether you are here in Singapore or in the UK, you will always be in my heart. You will always be my mummy. I love you mum.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
mom's fall at carpark
my dear mom had a fall not too long ago. red, who was with her, witnessed it, and was fairly worried about her limping consequences.
i was fairly concerned too when i saw her last fri nite.
knowing my mom, she will keep all discomfort to herself and not want us to worry about her health. since her physical walking revealed it all, there was nowhere for her to hide.
fancy her still doing marketing, cleaning up the house and taking care of cooking plus looking after 4 kids at home......her superwoman traits are always evident when it comes to being a nanny.
i told her,"let's go see yuguo tcm. u better treat ur legs before u go hk with the kids in dec!'
well, that was one good way to motivate her to take better care of herself.
my mom has always been selfless. she will rattle on and on about all her kids being so bz at work, that she has no time to visit a doc till wkend. so, i offered to take her to tcm on sat, the next day.
well, after the electro-therapy treatment, she was feeling better in walking. but, her 3 days of chinese medication which was supposed to 通筋骨caused her legs to feel 酸疼. she always feels worse when she wakes first thing in the morning.
anyway, i'm due to bring her to yuguo tcm this morn. hpefully, after this 2nd treatment, she will see better progress in walking.
my mom is clearly aging. with so many years of hard work and child-bearing experiences, her whole body is tearing apart. luckily, she has 5 good children (as quoted by her) who always hv her interests at heart, and will be happy to be at her disposal!
所谓，父母对我们的恩情是多少金钱也买不到的，我们要时时刻刻记得对他们好，让他们活得更开心和有意义！
i was fairly concerned too when i saw her last fri nite.
knowing my mom, she will keep all discomfort to herself and not want us to worry about her health. since her physical walking revealed it all, there was nowhere for her to hide.
fancy her still doing marketing, cleaning up the house and taking care of cooking plus looking after 4 kids at home......her superwoman traits are always evident when it comes to being a nanny.
i told her,"let's go see yuguo tcm. u better treat ur legs before u go hk with the kids in dec!'
well, that was one good way to motivate her to take better care of herself.
my mom has always been selfless. she will rattle on and on about all her kids being so bz at work, that she has no time to visit a doc till wkend. so, i offered to take her to tcm on sat, the next day.
well, after the electro-therapy treatment, she was feeling better in walking. but, her 3 days of chinese medication which was supposed to 通筋骨caused her legs to feel 酸疼. she always feels worse when she wakes first thing in the morning.
anyway, i'm due to bring her to yuguo tcm this morn. hpefully, after this 2nd treatment, she will see better progress in walking.
my mom is clearly aging. with so many years of hard work and child-bearing experiences, her whole body is tearing apart. luckily, she has 5 good children (as quoted by her) who always hv her interests at heart, and will be happy to be at her disposal!
所谓，父母对我们的恩情是多少金钱也买不到的，我们要时时刻刻记得对他们好，让他们活得更开心和有意义！
growing kangkang at home
claire favours having a small garden at home, in our small balcony.
her daddy was so sweet to buy 2 packets of good soil plus a packet of fertilisers to aid her in the project. her 1st project was planting chives and kangkong.
well, the results are fast for kangkong. they are already growing, though small like babies lah. the chives growth is nowhere in sight!
the MAN seems to be the one who's checking on his plant growth. he even suggested,'let's go buy a landed property with a big garden to start planting for our own intake!'
well, i hv heard this umpteenth times. his interest in this area if clearly a great influence from my late mom-in-law who loved cactus plants. i heard she used to own her own farm and crops too!
well, let the project start small....claire and her daddy have to prove that they hv green fingers before i can 'approve' of having a bigger garden, haha. just kidding. a big garden will mean more work in clearing out weeds and other bothersome jobs!
well, i await the taste of my kangkong...few more weeks, i reckon. the feelings to eat the harvest planted by your own hands should be fabulous.
p/s: too bad, i hv yellow fingers, by virtue of my surname 黄. so, the garden plot is an untouchable area for me, haha.
her daddy was so sweet to buy 2 packets of good soil plus a packet of fertilisers to aid her in the project. her 1st project was planting chives and kangkong.
well, the results are fast for kangkong. they are already growing, though small like babies lah. the chives growth is nowhere in sight!
the MAN seems to be the one who's checking on his plant growth. he even suggested,'let's go buy a landed property with a big garden to start planting for our own intake!'
well, i hv heard this umpteenth times. his interest in this area if clearly a great influence from my late mom-in-law who loved cactus plants. i heard she used to own her own farm and crops too!
well, let the project start small....claire and her daddy have to prove that they hv green fingers before i can 'approve' of having a bigger garden, haha. just kidding. a big garden will mean more work in clearing out weeds and other bothersome jobs!
well, i await the taste of my kangkong...few more weeks, i reckon. the feelings to eat the harvest planted by your own hands should be fabulous.
p/s: too bad, i hv yellow fingers, by virtue of my surname 黄. so, the garden plot is an untouchable area for me, haha.
conversation with claire
'claire, would u like ur future boyfriend/ hubby to express his love to you openly?' i asked.
'i dun want leh!' she said.
'u mean u prefer someone who's quiet about his feelings and not be expressive about his love for u?' i probed.
'i think...not too expressive nor too dull lah! like somewhere in betwmomeen." she went on.
'why? dun u like someone who's open about his feelings about u?' asked the curious cat in me.
'mommy, if he's always sweet-talking me, i'm sure he will also do that to other girls outside! how can the words be 100% trusted? i will prefer someone who tells me once in a while lah!' she explained her position.
well, after this conversation, at least i knw claire is not someone who will be swarmed by honeyed words. at this tender age, she already rejects boys who are 油枪滑调! or maybe having a daddy who's prim and proper with reticent nature, she doesn't fancy boys who vary too much from daddy's nature, haha.
no wonder, the children's inclination twds men in their growing up years will tend to model after their own fathers....as such, joy and claire are likely to get quiet and steady personalities as their other halves! (though joy thinks that she prefers sunshine boys at this stage)
'i dun want leh!' she said.
'u mean u prefer someone who's quiet about his feelings and not be expressive about his love for u?' i probed.
'i think...not too expressive nor too dull lah! like somewhere in betwmomeen." she went on.
'why? dun u like someone who's open about his feelings about u?' asked the curious cat in me.
'mommy, if he's always sweet-talking me, i'm sure he will also do that to other girls outside! how can the words be 100% trusted? i will prefer someone who tells me once in a while lah!' she explained her position.
well, after this conversation, at least i knw claire is not someone who will be swarmed by honeyed words. at this tender age, she already rejects boys who are 油枪滑调! or maybe having a daddy who's prim and proper with reticent nature, she doesn't fancy boys who vary too much from daddy's nature, haha.
no wonder, the children's inclination twds men in their growing up years will tend to model after their own fathers....as such, joy and claire are likely to get quiet and steady personalities as their other halves! (though joy thinks that she prefers sunshine boys at this stage)
quotations
in her midst of study, joy was bz browsing through her i-phone twitter page for beautiful english quotations.
she uttered,'mom, u knw this friendship verse ....is so meaningful. it really makes me feel a lot better knowing that i hv great friendship!'
'how do u get old of those quotations? i was once into such thing, u knw?' i answered.
indeed, quotations bring lots of enlightenment to our lives, if we have the wisdom to receive, understand and apply into our daily lives.
my sister quoted one recently, having read from her friend's msg attachment,"树多必有枯枝，人多必有白痴！‘
haha, indeed, how could one avoid withered branches on a big tree? in similar context, how can there not be 'morons' around us when there are so many pple walking past our daily routine?
so, i reckon, it's the state of mind. like what i always tell my kids, while it's right to exert our say on things/ people that are inappropriately done/ with misbehaviours, it's meaningless if our action results in strained relationship with people we love.....
i was talking to a friend the other day. she lamented that she's someone who will speak up when sth is not seen to be rite...and she felt that she might go to the extent of being 'tactless', hence being offensive to others. i reckon this mean souring relationship and making herself confused and upset.
well, 有江湖气概固然是件好事，但为了讨回公道而糟蹋干系，那就有点说不过去了！
joy and i were teaching claire about this principle....but the younger princess is still groping and learning. she thinks that we should address an issue, if we think it's not right, but too bad, her 'strong counterpart' in a concerned affair thinks that she's over-reacting. poor her...i can understand when her feelings and opinions are not being understood, simply becoz her 'counterpart' simply chooses not to see her views!
that's the process of learning, one baby step at at time!
lastly, my fav quote is 知足常乐！冰冻三尺，非一日之寒！话不投机，半句多！大事化小，小事化无！
she uttered,'mom, u knw this friendship verse ....is so meaningful. it really makes me feel a lot better knowing that i hv great friendship!'
'how do u get old of those quotations? i was once into such thing, u knw?' i answered.
indeed, quotations bring lots of enlightenment to our lives, if we have the wisdom to receive, understand and apply into our daily lives.
my sister quoted one recently, having read from her friend's msg attachment,"树多必有枯枝，人多必有白痴！‘
haha, indeed, how could one avoid withered branches on a big tree? in similar context, how can there not be 'morons' around us when there are so many pple walking past our daily routine?
so, i reckon, it's the state of mind. like what i always tell my kids, while it's right to exert our say on things/ people that are inappropriately done/ with misbehaviours, it's meaningless if our action results in strained relationship with people we love.....
i was talking to a friend the other day. she lamented that she's someone who will speak up when sth is not seen to be rite...and she felt that she might go to the extent of being 'tactless', hence being offensive to others. i reckon this mean souring relationship and making herself confused and upset.
well, 有江湖气概固然是件好事，但为了讨回公道而糟蹋干系，那就有点说不过去了！
joy and i were teaching claire about this principle....but the younger princess is still groping and learning. she thinks that we should address an issue, if we think it's not right, but too bad, her 'strong counterpart' in a concerned affair thinks that she's over-reacting. poor her...i can understand when her feelings and opinions are not being understood, simply becoz her 'counterpart' simply chooses not to see her views!
that's the process of learning, one baby step at at time!
lastly, my fav quote is 知足常乐！冰冻三尺，非一日之寒！话不投机，半句多！大事化小，小事化无！
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
charity work
my bestie told me that she accompanied her 13-yr old daughter to do charity work last week. 7 other guys joined in the team, and the group happily helped out a poor family at telok blangah to clean up the house.
well, i am touched and amazed by bestie's daughter, j, who is matured and compassionate, despite her tender age. this girl hardly lifts her fingers to do dirty housework, but she had no one word of complaints sitting on the dusty floor of that household, cleaning the shelves and packing the cd rack.
my friend was appalled to tell me,"there's no broom at home. the lady owner has not swept the floor for many yrs. the 50-ish owner has a hubby with stroke, a mentally disabled daughter and a 30 plus son who's a bad egg..."
poor lady...coming to this earth to repay her 'debts' to these members, reckoned my friend.
i salute her for being so supportive of her daughter's charity inclination. i wouldn't dare dream of my 2 girls doing such 'charity' work; it takes a lot of compassion to get down to that level.
claire's opinion was,"aiya, give them some money lah! they should need it more!"
well, i told her pple help in different ways. sometimes, it's not just the money benefits. it's showing love and kindness to a family who's probably long forgotten by neighbours and society.
parenting is all about rendering help and support to your children all the way....so, joy, go all out for your dance movements and excel in it! as for claire, continue to perfect ur chinese dance stunts and one day, surprise us with your skills!
well, i am touched and amazed by bestie's daughter, j, who is matured and compassionate, despite her tender age. this girl hardly lifts her fingers to do dirty housework, but she had no one word of complaints sitting on the dusty floor of that household, cleaning the shelves and packing the cd rack.
my friend was appalled to tell me,"there's no broom at home. the lady owner has not swept the floor for many yrs. the 50-ish owner has a hubby with stroke, a mentally disabled daughter and a 30 plus son who's a bad egg..."
poor lady...coming to this earth to repay her 'debts' to these members, reckoned my friend.
i salute her for being so supportive of her daughter's charity inclination. i wouldn't dare dream of my 2 girls doing such 'charity' work; it takes a lot of compassion to get down to that level.
claire's opinion was,"aiya, give them some money lah! they should need it more!"
well, i told her pple help in different ways. sometimes, it's not just the money benefits. it's showing love and kindness to a family who's probably long forgotten by neighbours and society.
parenting is all about rendering help and support to your children all the way....so, joy, go all out for your dance movements and excel in it! as for claire, continue to perfect ur chinese dance stunts and one day, surprise us with your skills!
the fart that started it all....
claire was upset over daddy's playful (inconsiderate) act tnte, farting into her craft figure made in her art class this afternoon. this figure has been left to dry and shall be painted for nxt wk's lesson.
she cried badly citing that daddy was rude in the act and not even apologetic about his misbehaviour.
joy was 'disturbed' in her study (but with un-containable laughter over the squabbles) and i was puzzled at how she could get so over-reactive with a non-living item experiencing the 'chemical warfare'....
'there arent many joy(s) in this world, dad! (i mean, to take his seemingly funny actions, but can be nonsensical sometimes!) you started sth so plse do listen to how claire feels!' i reminded the funny MAN.
he reluctantly stood in front of claire, let her blow her emotions out and then, shaking his head, indicating that he didnt understand how she could hv cried and over-reacted in that manner. well, a case of communication not being compromised. then, off he whizzed off hid into the bedroom comfort, leaving claire still in tearful shape....
i told claire to stop crying and communicate properly with the MAN, but also reminding her that it was no big matter, coz he only meant if for fun and surely wouldnt condescend to giving a sincere apology! (knowing his nature)
claire, in the same blood group as daddy, marched into the room (leaving joy and me in the living room laughing our heads off), saying,"i DEMAND u to make a new one for me!" but with no response at the other end lah, coz the counterpart just pretended to sleep!
well, this is how a family issue can break out....unintentional action by one party, reluctance to properly address with the 'victimised' party, and needing me to clear the 'debris'....poor me, but it sort of train up my skills as an 'arbitrator'.
so, my advice to claire was simply to stop crying, get down to doing her nightly devotions and seeking wisdom in resolving the matter....she even said,"i dun think daddy can sleep well after doing such thing. he's just pretending to sleep!" yes, GOD gives each of us a conscience that can prick, i reckon same way too!
she thot he was rude in treating her craft doll that way, notwithstanding that it's a plain non-living thing. she claimed,"i put in a lot of effort to make the doll, u knw? hw can he treat my doll this way?" maybe she felt her doll being trampled upon (糟蹋）, haha.
well, i told her,"if u believe that u need to put a msg across to him, plse do so tmrw. think he's quite tired tnte with a headache from work, let's just forgive him!"
devotion done, prayer closed, now the girls are asleep in bed. i am here updating, after all the night turmoil....aiya, 大事化小，小事化无咯，要不，秀才遇到兵，有理说不清！
she cried badly citing that daddy was rude in the act and not even apologetic about his misbehaviour.
joy was 'disturbed' in her study (but with un-containable laughter over the squabbles) and i was puzzled at how she could get so over-reactive with a non-living item experiencing the 'chemical warfare'....
'there arent many joy(s) in this world, dad! (i mean, to take his seemingly funny actions, but can be nonsensical sometimes!) you started sth so plse do listen to how claire feels!' i reminded the funny MAN.
he reluctantly stood in front of claire, let her blow her emotions out and then, shaking his head, indicating that he didnt understand how she could hv cried and over-reacted in that manner. well, a case of communication not being compromised. then, off he whizzed off hid into the bedroom comfort, leaving claire still in tearful shape....
i told claire to stop crying and communicate properly with the MAN, but also reminding her that it was no big matter, coz he only meant if for fun and surely wouldnt condescend to giving a sincere apology! (knowing his nature)
claire, in the same blood group as daddy, marched into the room (leaving joy and me in the living room laughing our heads off), saying,"i DEMAND u to make a new one for me!" but with no response at the other end lah, coz the counterpart just pretended to sleep!
well, this is how a family issue can break out....unintentional action by one party, reluctance to properly address with the 'victimised' party, and needing me to clear the 'debris'....poor me, but it sort of train up my skills as an 'arbitrator'.
so, my advice to claire was simply to stop crying, get down to doing her nightly devotions and seeking wisdom in resolving the matter....she even said,"i dun think daddy can sleep well after doing such thing. he's just pretending to sleep!" yes, GOD gives each of us a conscience that can prick, i reckon same way too!
she thot he was rude in treating her craft doll that way, notwithstanding that it's a plain non-living thing. she claimed,"i put in a lot of effort to make the doll, u knw? hw can he treat my doll this way?" maybe she felt her doll being trampled upon (糟蹋）, haha.
well, i told her,"if u believe that u need to put a msg across to him, plse do so tmrw. think he's quite tired tnte with a headache from work, let's just forgive him!"
devotion done, prayer closed, now the girls are asleep in bed. i am here updating, after all the night turmoil....aiya, 大事化小，小事化无咯，要不，秀才遇到兵，有理说不清！
Monday, August 15, 2011
100-year old man
i was at my stdt's place ystday and was introduced to a relative of his.
a 100-year old man, but looking excellent and young. seriously, to me, he passed off as someone who's in the 70s. hardly any wrinkles and still able to walk, albeit with a stick.
i was told that his memory remains fantastic and is enjoying life per se.
how fortunate.
ask me if i would like to live so long...haha, i doubt so!
what's impt to me is to maintain a pinky health, having companionship of my other half and with my grown-up children still spendng time with us, is enough. no need to live so long .
aging into the octogenarian category will bring with it too many ailments, i reckon.
when we look at young kids, the amount of energy that they possess, the way they sprint....the old folks really can't mathc up. no wonder my other half has been telling me,'Old olready!'
certainly, age leaves no compassion for people, but it's the heart and mind that must remain youthful and positive, so as to maximise the wellness of one's living.
like what jean said, take the first step to exercise....and i'm glad the other half finally found his right pair of sports shoes and we took a walk round the condo premises on late sun nite....it's nvr too late to start if one's willing. i'm the (diplomatic) pusher and he's the contender, haha.
a 100-year old man, but looking excellent and young. seriously, to me, he passed off as someone who's in the 70s. hardly any wrinkles and still able to walk, albeit with a stick.
i was told that his memory remains fantastic and is enjoying life per se.
how fortunate.
ask me if i would like to live so long...haha, i doubt so!
what's impt to me is to maintain a pinky health, having companionship of my other half and with my grown-up children still spendng time with us, is enough. no need to live so long .
aging into the octogenarian category will bring with it too many ailments, i reckon.
when we look at young kids, the amount of energy that they possess, the way they sprint....the old folks really can't mathc up. no wonder my other half has been telling me,'Old olready!'
certainly, age leaves no compassion for people, but it's the heart and mind that must remain youthful and positive, so as to maximise the wellness of one's living.
like what jean said, take the first step to exercise....and i'm glad the other half finally found his right pair of sports shoes and we took a walk round the condo premises on late sun nite....it's nvr too late to start if one's willing. i'm the (diplomatic) pusher and he's the contender, haha.
teenage mag sep issue
joy texted me excitedly requesting that i helped her buy the sep issue of teenage mag.
i did so right after class, in light drizzle weather. but the small 7-11 store attendant told me that the issue will be delivered to the shelf only next week.
一场空，真没意思！
well, why was joy so 'gan cheong' about the issue? she used to be an avid reader of this magazine but has long past the age now. she's now a fanatic surfer of dance videos in youtube and is probably 'obssessed' with anything that's to do with dance movements.
haha, she just wanted to see the coverage of her hip hop dance team (tgther with the rest)in the mag, complete with pic(s) taken. the team had apparently passed the audition test in july and is now geared up for the sep semi-final round, and would be featured in the mag. sounds like a great and wonderful thing that the young girls are doing, but i doubt the feature page will be a large one.
still, we shall see! won't be surprised she will harp me within the next one week,'mom, plse go check for me if the sep issue is out!"
i'm an ardent supporter of joy and her group. just hoping that she will manage her time well between this extra activities and schoolwork. promo exam is coming up and she's still faced with all the weird-looking terminologies in biology, though i was happy to hear her announce last night,'dun worry, mom. i hv rekindled my interest in chemistry!'
wish her best. maybe the other half will be a 星爸？ 还是经理人？just kidding. given his reticent and unassuming character, he will be happy to take the back-seater.
i did so right after class, in light drizzle weather. but the small 7-11 store attendant told me that the issue will be delivered to the shelf only next week.
一场空，真没意思！
well, why was joy so 'gan cheong' about the issue? she used to be an avid reader of this magazine but has long past the age now. she's now a fanatic surfer of dance videos in youtube and is probably 'obssessed' with anything that's to do with dance movements.
haha, she just wanted to see the coverage of her hip hop dance team (tgther with the rest)in the mag, complete with pic(s) taken. the team had apparently passed the audition test in july and is now geared up for the sep semi-final round, and would be featured in the mag. sounds like a great and wonderful thing that the young girls are doing, but i doubt the feature page will be a large one.
still, we shall see! won't be surprised she will harp me within the next one week,'mom, plse go check for me if the sep issue is out!"
i'm an ardent supporter of joy and her group. just hoping that she will manage her time well between this extra activities and schoolwork. promo exam is coming up and she's still faced with all the weird-looking terminologies in biology, though i was happy to hear her announce last night,'dun worry, mom. i hv rekindled my interest in chemistry!'
wish her best. maybe the other half will be a 星爸？ 还是经理人？just kidding. given his reticent and unassuming character, he will be happy to take the back-seater.
complete vs finished
an english test for all.
is there any difference between the 2 words 'COMPLETE' and 'FINISHED'?
well, of coz!
'complete' is defined best as follow. if a woman marries the right man, she is made 'COMPLETE'.
however, if a woman marries the wrong man, her life is 'FINISHED'.
well then, how about if a woman is seen with a wrong man by the right man, the result will be.......
she will be 'COMPLETELY FINISHED'.
isn't english beautiful?
i love the distinction of these 2 words. how aptly defined.
is there any difference between the 2 words 'COMPLETE' and 'FINISHED'?
well, of coz!
'complete' is defined best as follow. if a woman marries the right man, she is made 'COMPLETE'.
however, if a woman marries the wrong man, her life is 'FINISHED'.
well then, how about if a woman is seen with a wrong man by the right man, the result will be.......
she will be 'COMPLETELY FINISHED'.
isn't english beautiful?
i love the distinction of these 2 words. how aptly defined.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
joy's concert prep
well, early sep, joy and claire have a hip hop concert coming up. they are both excited, esp joy. it's her 3rd round with dance pointe and this time round, she's assuming a more impt role with choreo and coordination!
ystday, almost 6 - 7 hours were taken up for full run rehearsal. on sat, it was time locked up too at jurong side.
i'm sure she's tired, but yet not a word of complaint was heard from her. passion produces perseverance, i told hubby.
hubby reiterated,"that's why i just want them to choose their path rite. no point slogging for the rest of ur lives and not really loving what u do!"
same for claire. she has her own intimate group of young girls too....about 5 of them. ystdy for the first time, i learnt that she went to macs with them and sat down for a burger. when her fillet burger was mistakenly served with mayo, she actually sought her 'right' with the counter attendant, much to the amazement of joy!
well, i can now leave them on their own to settle their own lunch and hang around with friends till the whole rehearsal end. unlike the past, claire would make special arrangements with me to pick her up right after her practice, while joy continues to stay on.....this is good news coz it leaves more time for me and hubby to spend time tgther.
in fact, we chanced upon a sensory park at toa payoh area, which is actually a very old park with hidden hawker centre and many grocery shops run by the residents in the area. old folks were seen pushing carts for a mean income and hubby commented,"this is probably the only place that is not intruded by 'foreign talents'!"
many places in singapore are yet to be explored...hope the two of us will find time and interest to do it tgther. esp while we are still healthy and able to move around. time and tide waits for no man, as the true saying goes.
ystday, almost 6 - 7 hours were taken up for full run rehearsal. on sat, it was time locked up too at jurong side.
i'm sure she's tired, but yet not a word of complaint was heard from her. passion produces perseverance, i told hubby.
hubby reiterated,"that's why i just want them to choose their path rite. no point slogging for the rest of ur lives and not really loving what u do!"
same for claire. she has her own intimate group of young girls too....about 5 of them. ystdy for the first time, i learnt that she went to macs with them and sat down for a burger. when her fillet burger was mistakenly served with mayo, she actually sought her 'right' with the counter attendant, much to the amazement of joy!
well, i can now leave them on their own to settle their own lunch and hang around with friends till the whole rehearsal end. unlike the past, claire would make special arrangements with me to pick her up right after her practice, while joy continues to stay on.....this is good news coz it leaves more time for me and hubby to spend time tgther.
in fact, we chanced upon a sensory park at toa payoh area, which is actually a very old park with hidden hawker centre and many grocery shops run by the residents in the area. old folks were seen pushing carts for a mean income and hubby commented,"this is probably the only place that is not intruded by 'foreign talents'!"
many places in singapore are yet to be explored...hope the two of us will find time and interest to do it tgther. esp while we are still healthy and able to move around. time and tide waits for no man, as the true saying goes.
zookeeper
well, 'zookeeper'. that's just the title of the movie.
well, review seemed good but it was certainy not to our expectation, compared to the 'ape' movie the weekend before.
an honest middle-age man, a loving zookeeper, talking animals with sense of humour, tricks imparted by the animals to the human on how to win his ex-gf back for marriage.
that's the gist of the show.
the ending depicted the man switching his career to an auto salesman, but realised he had lost his true passion in life. so, he walked out of the ex-gf and found his true love in his higher-ranked colleague, a vet, who reciprocated his love.
slapstick comedy, that's what i thought.
no satisfaction from the show. will take a break from movie for a while.
well, review seemed good but it was certainy not to our expectation, compared to the 'ape' movie the weekend before.
an honest middle-age man, a loving zookeeper, talking animals with sense of humour, tricks imparted by the animals to the human on how to win his ex-gf back for marriage.
that's the gist of the show.
the ending depicted the man switching his career to an auto salesman, but realised he had lost his true passion in life. so, he walked out of the ex-gf and found his true love in his higher-ranked colleague, a vet, who reciprocated his love.
slapstick comedy, that's what i thought.
no satisfaction from the show. will take a break from movie for a while.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
unexpected gastric pain again!
after my morn lesson and a rush lunch, i felt the tinge of pain on my back again. then, the lil bloated feeling in my stomach began to 'surface'....what the heck, i thot. praying hard that it wasnt the gastric juice attacking me again!
after the lessons lasting till 7 pm, i was miserable as i knew that the pain was getting more unbearable. claire was very sweet to attend to me, helping me 'gua sa' and applying the ointment on my back, like a trained professional nurse! joy also came in trying to help, but claire alone was doing the job so fine!
hubby rushed back after receiving my phone call and took me to the clinic. the doc tried to convince me to go for scope test or be put on the 'nexium' treatment, to which i gave my polite refusal.
so, it was a jab that cured it all!
i was back to normal almost immediately!
just hope that the body will keep to an equilibrium position and i will not be greedy for food....i hv apparently over-fed myself from sun's wedding dinner at park hotel to the desaru holiday!
after the lessons lasting till 7 pm, i was miserable as i knew that the pain was getting more unbearable. claire was very sweet to attend to me, helping me 'gua sa' and applying the ointment on my back, like a trained professional nurse! joy also came in trying to help, but claire alone was doing the job so fine!
hubby rushed back after receiving my phone call and took me to the clinic. the doc tried to convince me to go for scope test or be put on the 'nexium' treatment, to which i gave my polite refusal.
so, it was a jab that cured it all!
i was back to normal almost immediately!
just hope that the body will keep to an equilibrium position and i will not be greedy for food....i hv apparently over-fed myself from sun's wedding dinner at park hotel to the desaru holiday!
desaru trip - 8th and 9th aug
a short trip to desaru on 8th aug sure brightened our holiday mood.
the only drawback was the jam at causeway. however, it was made up by the shorter time taken on the new expressway E22.
arrived at desaru pantai resort at about 4 pm. it was surely crowded with many singapore cars dotting the carpark area. as usual, we hit the seaside for a wave massage before playing some telematch racing games on the beach...omg, it was sure a reflection of our aging era, hubby and i were so short of breath after a short race with the 2 girls.
then, we headed back to the pool and the girls went for their usual slide. i was enjoying myself lying in the hammock...some new refurbishment had taken place in the resort, the hammock being one of them.
halfway, joy alerted me about a young looking man who seemed to hover around the edge of the pool, looking at a girl in bikini, with face lying down. she called him 'chee ko pek'.
then, i had a good laugh when the mystery unfolded....it turned out that the girl that he was setting his eyes on, was his girlfriend! he was just admiring her in the resting position, haha.
we took a quiet drive along the stretch of greenery path to hit the fireflies place. hoqwever, we were informed that the 1.5-hour tour would only start past 8 pm, much to our disappointment (wrong info given by hotel staff). we decided to give it a miss and proceeded for our seafood instead.
wow, it was cheese lobster again! this time round, hubby and i gave it a miss, as we saw that the 2 girls were tearing the lobster flesh like 'hungry ghosts'! for the first time, we tried the crab bee hoon (dried style). the crab was not as fleshy as the live lobster though!
we had a great fill in our stomach. in fact, hubby was asking if there was a need to order another lobster (going so cheap at 1 kg = sgs 130, live)! we told him,"too much of it will not make us appreciate so much and 回味无穷“!
the drive back to the resort was along a dark stretch of road with hardly any bright lampposts. it was a cheap thrill for us all! maybe,the other half was imagining himself doing nite racing, haha
we played carrom in the nite, then jim rummy in the room.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------======
nxt day, we gave the sunrise view a miss. hubby claimed that it was quite cloudy at 6 am so, there was nothing to miss afterall!
after bfst, we drove to the ostrich farm. for the first time, i carried an ostrich egg, which was chilled from the fridge. an ostrich egg is believably, able to feed 15 to 20 pple. claire also took pic with a day-old ostrich just hatched from the egg. joy was the scaredy cat running away from such sight....she claims that her new-found phobia is ostrich, owing to its small head, long neck and maybe ugly backside.
for the first time, i realised that ostriches are rather tame. well, we were moving around the farm premises feeding them, and some were even allowed to move out of the fenced area.
from initial fear, we soon became more at ease with the envt. pics with ostriches were snapped for memories sake.
next, we hit tesco and jusco shopping malls and had fun buying lots of stuff...sch bag, tees, tubes, eyeliner, shorts, blouses, hair accessories.
but what really wrapped up the day was a delicious satisfying meal at jusco mall. a soupy chinese restaurant which serves herbal dishes. we were totally glad with our choices, instead of the usual kinsahi jap food....at the end of it, hubby said maybe one day, he could take half a day leave and just bring me in to enjoy the food again. such sweet thought.
back home, hubby was exhausted from the drive, owing to the heavy jam at causeway. we even joked that many locals prefer to be out of singapore during national day period, showing the little patriotism that each has in his heart. our family included, haha.
the only drawback was the jam at causeway. however, it was made up by the shorter time taken on the new expressway E22.
arrived at desaru pantai resort at about 4 pm. it was surely crowded with many singapore cars dotting the carpark area. as usual, we hit the seaside for a wave massage before playing some telematch racing games on the beach...omg, it was sure a reflection of our aging era, hubby and i were so short of breath after a short race with the 2 girls.
then, we headed back to the pool and the girls went for their usual slide. i was enjoying myself lying in the hammock...some new refurbishment had taken place in the resort, the hammock being one of them.
halfway, joy alerted me about a young looking man who seemed to hover around the edge of the pool, looking at a girl in bikini, with face lying down. she called him 'chee ko pek'.
then, i had a good laugh when the mystery unfolded....it turned out that the girl that he was setting his eyes on, was his girlfriend! he was just admiring her in the resting position, haha.
we took a quiet drive along the stretch of greenery path to hit the fireflies place. hoqwever, we were informed that the 1.5-hour tour would only start past 8 pm, much to our disappointment (wrong info given by hotel staff). we decided to give it a miss and proceeded for our seafood instead.
wow, it was cheese lobster again! this time round, hubby and i gave it a miss, as we saw that the 2 girls were tearing the lobster flesh like 'hungry ghosts'! for the first time, we tried the crab bee hoon (dried style). the crab was not as fleshy as the live lobster though!
we had a great fill in our stomach. in fact, hubby was asking if there was a need to order another lobster (going so cheap at 1 kg = sgs 130, live)! we told him,"too much of it will not make us appreciate so much and 回味无穷“!
the drive back to the resort was along a dark stretch of road with hardly any bright lampposts. it was a cheap thrill for us all! maybe,the other half was imagining himself doing nite racing, haha
we played carrom in the nite, then jim rummy in the room.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------======
nxt day, we gave the sunrise view a miss. hubby claimed that it was quite cloudy at 6 am so, there was nothing to miss afterall!
after bfst, we drove to the ostrich farm. for the first time, i carried an ostrich egg, which was chilled from the fridge. an ostrich egg is believably, able to feed 15 to 20 pple. claire also took pic with a day-old ostrich just hatched from the egg. joy was the scaredy cat running away from such sight....she claims that her new-found phobia is ostrich, owing to its small head, long neck and maybe ugly backside.
for the first time, i realised that ostriches are rather tame. well, we were moving around the farm premises feeding them, and some were even allowed to move out of the fenced area.
from initial fear, we soon became more at ease with the envt. pics with ostriches were snapped for memories sake.
next, we hit tesco and jusco shopping malls and had fun buying lots of stuff...sch bag, tees, tubes, eyeliner, shorts, blouses, hair accessories.
but what really wrapped up the day was a delicious satisfying meal at jusco mall. a soupy chinese restaurant which serves herbal dishes. we were totally glad with our choices, instead of the usual kinsahi jap food....at the end of it, hubby said maybe one day, he could take half a day leave and just bring me in to enjoy the food again. such sweet thought.
back home, hubby was exhausted from the drive, owing to the heavy jam at causeway. we even joked that many locals prefer to be out of singapore during national day period, showing the little patriotism that each has in his heart. our family included, haha.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
sensual-rated?
well, joy's fri night dance at hwa chong was over. on the phone, she dropped a msg, "it went on well but there were some hiccups..tell u when i get home!"
so, we were all in expectant mood.
so, it turned out to be ....
j : while doing our rehearsal, the teacher-in-charge saw our choreo steps and told us that it was too sensual, and we had to modify our steps, else we couldnt' go up stage to perform!
me : "well, frankly, i think the steps are a lil too matured for sch envt too!
j: so, we amended twice or more and finally went up. but my heely boots and the slippery stage floor nearly made me fall..but what made them glad was they received some compliments about their perfce from some audience at the show, who walked up to them and told them,"it was nice. good job!"
SENSUAL-rated? what a terminology. haha, probably.
just that i got used to her showing me such moves!
that was fri's event...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
sat nite...in the car, after her concert rehearsal from jurong.
j: mom, u knw, there's really a difference between pple who dance and those who do not.
mom: certainly!
j: i'm glad i joined dance. it sort of made me more open-minded and extrovert in nature. u knw, my friend from hwa chong told me that when we were dancing on stage
the boys were feeling AWKWARD..and didnt knw how to respond with an applause!
mom:ha, why? u were expecting them to be AWED, but instead turned out be be AWKWARD! aiyo, hwa chong envt what, all the nerds! u lucky that their nose didn't bleed!
j: i was asking xiao yue ( male dance friend) if our show was so much..he said, 'ok what, that's hot!'
i supposed it's the tolerance/ receptivity level when it comes to the above issue. truly, i'm glad that joy and her dfu...tron girls found a meaning in dance performance and clearly work twds the objective of doing it better, not fearing to even try new ground...
haha, if they had performed their show at the pub/ bar, i'm sure the boss will say,"more S-moves, plse!"
but of cos, the best that joy can get to would be teaching in a studio, not bar top dancing or its equivalent!
so, we were all in expectant mood.
so, it turned out to be ....
j : while doing our rehearsal, the teacher-in-charge saw our choreo steps and told us that it was too sensual, and we had to modify our steps, else we couldnt' go up stage to perform!
me : "well, frankly, i think the steps are a lil too matured for sch envt too!
j: so, we amended twice or more and finally went up. but my heely boots and the slippery stage floor nearly made me fall..but what made them glad was they received some compliments about their perfce from some audience at the show, who walked up to them and told them,"it was nice. good job!"
SENSUAL-rated? what a terminology. haha, probably.
just that i got used to her showing me such moves!
that was fri's event...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
sat nite...in the car, after her concert rehearsal from jurong.
j: mom, u knw, there's really a difference between pple who dance and those who do not.
mom: certainly!
j: i'm glad i joined dance. it sort of made me more open-minded and extrovert in nature. u knw, my friend from hwa chong told me that when we were dancing on stage
the boys were feeling AWKWARD..and didnt knw how to respond with an applause!
mom:ha, why? u were expecting them to be AWED, but instead turned out be be AWKWARD! aiyo, hwa chong envt what, all the nerds! u lucky that their nose didn't bleed!
j: i was asking xiao yue ( male dance friend) if our show was so much..he said, 'ok what, that's hot!'
i supposed it's the tolerance/ receptivity level when it comes to the above issue. truly, i'm glad that joy and her dfu...tron girls found a meaning in dance performance and clearly work twds the objective of doing it better, not fearing to even try new ground...
haha, if they had performed their show at the pub/ bar, i'm sure the boss will say,"more S-moves, plse!"
but of cos, the best that joy can get to would be teaching in a studio, not bar top dancing or its equivalent!
a nice movie at jurong mall
these days, hubby and my weekend life are centred over the kids' schedule.
jurong mall, a place that i will never fancy. but i was there for 2 wkends, simply becos of the kids' concert mass rehearsal being held there.
while waiting for joy till 10 plus pm, hubby made a great suggestion that we (claire inclusive) could catch a show. well, all these yrs, i hv been watching movies on my own during his office hours. he's not a fanatic movie fan, so i quietly indulged in my hobby once in a blue moon.
every movie was almost fully taken, given that the movie theatre is like a bird cage size nowadays.
anyway, it was 'rise of the planet of the apes', despite being left with just the
2nd row seat from the side wall. well, it would anytime be better than loitering at jurong mall with the overwhelming presence of indian and chinese workers.
10 mins into the show, i already knew it would be a delightful one! throughout, i had to explain the contents to claire, but she apparently enjoyed it as much i did!
well, a true 4* rating!
basically, it started with a lab conducting experiments on apes, seeking to find new drugs that will rock the human world. a scientific engineer made a great invention that has proven successful in increasing the IQ of apes, but not without some side effects. so, the whole bunch of apes were 'destroyed', but leaving one little newborn ape which the lab could bear to kill, so it ended with the engineer taking it home for rearing.
relationship grew between him and the baby ape, CAESAR! the latter received all the intelligent genetic benefits from the late mom (ape), and was able to do many fantastic things at young age. he's really such a darling in the show!
when CAESAR was 5 yrs old or so, and one day was locked behind the cage owing to one assault case (which had him trying to save his owner's dementia-struck father from a neighbour's attack), that's where the tragedy began! in the lockup place, he was bullied by the other apes, abused by the caretaker and ...it turned his mood sour!
he found a way to escape, went home to steal the improvised drug of S113, released the apes from the caged environment and became the leader of all....they strategised and invaded the street and took to killing people...in fact, CAESAR became so smart that he was able to mutter few human words.
the owner finally tracked him down and wanted to bring him home, to which CAESAR rejected. over time, he had already integrated into the apes' fellowship. there was also much rejected feelings in his heart, at the time that he was sent away from home.
the last part saw CAESAR and his bunch of ape followers being released into the nature, he put his head to the owner's ears and muttered,"CAESAR is back home!" it was a heart-warming scene....animals have their own natural habitats which made it cruel for humans to poach them and confine them for scientific research.
i loved the show, it was beyond my expectation. CAESAR is so adorable at young age, so nimble as he grew up and was able to relate to human beings like a child. but his change of character after the middle part was the climax of all....worth watching!
after the movie, claire asked,'daddy, can we make it our family tradition to watch a movie monthly?'
'sure, if it's a good show,' he answered.
i was smiling away.....doing sth different and having a good surprise out of it really made my day!
jurong mall, a place that i will never fancy. but i was there for 2 wkends, simply becos of the kids' concert mass rehearsal being held there.
while waiting for joy till 10 plus pm, hubby made a great suggestion that we (claire inclusive) could catch a show. well, all these yrs, i hv been watching movies on my own during his office hours. he's not a fanatic movie fan, so i quietly indulged in my hobby once in a blue moon.
every movie was almost fully taken, given that the movie theatre is like a bird cage size nowadays.
anyway, it was 'rise of the planet of the apes', despite being left with just the
2nd row seat from the side wall. well, it would anytime be better than loitering at jurong mall with the overwhelming presence of indian and chinese workers.
10 mins into the show, i already knew it would be a delightful one! throughout, i had to explain the contents to claire, but she apparently enjoyed it as much i did!
well, a true 4* rating!
basically, it started with a lab conducting experiments on apes, seeking to find new drugs that will rock the human world. a scientific engineer made a great invention that has proven successful in increasing the IQ of apes, but not without some side effects. so, the whole bunch of apes were 'destroyed', but leaving one little newborn ape which the lab could bear to kill, so it ended with the engineer taking it home for rearing.
relationship grew between him and the baby ape, CAESAR! the latter received all the intelligent genetic benefits from the late mom (ape), and was able to do many fantastic things at young age. he's really such a darling in the show!
when CAESAR was 5 yrs old or so, and one day was locked behind the cage owing to one assault case (which had him trying to save his owner's dementia-struck father from a neighbour's attack), that's where the tragedy began! in the lockup place, he was bullied by the other apes, abused by the caretaker and ...it turned his mood sour!
he found a way to escape, went home to steal the improvised drug of S113, released the apes from the caged environment and became the leader of all....they strategised and invaded the street and took to killing people...in fact, CAESAR became so smart that he was able to mutter few human words.
the owner finally tracked him down and wanted to bring him home, to which CAESAR rejected. over time, he had already integrated into the apes' fellowship. there was also much rejected feelings in his heart, at the time that he was sent away from home.
the last part saw CAESAR and his bunch of ape followers being released into the nature, he put his head to the owner's ears and muttered,"CAESAR is back home!" it was a heart-warming scene....animals have their own natural habitats which made it cruel for humans to poach them and confine them for scientific research.
i loved the show, it was beyond my expectation. CAESAR is so adorable at young age, so nimble as he grew up and was able to relate to human beings like a child. but his change of character after the middle part was the climax of all....worth watching!
after the movie, claire asked,'daddy, can we make it our family tradition to watch a movie monthly?'
'sure, if it's a good show,' he answered.
i was smiling away.....doing sth different and having a good surprise out of it really made my day!
Friday, August 5, 2011
human anatomy
claire told me that trisha has an interesting book where she could do lots of activities. supposedly a gift from her doting daddy.
claire was amused to see a pic of a girl with 'nipples' drawn by trisha (hope i get the fact right) and a boy with 'lil bird' attached in between the legs.
out of curiosity, she asked trisha,"how do you knw how to draw this pen _ _?" well, claire hasnt the privilege to view such an 'image' from home ground...the man is too shy. she's only familiar with female anatomy, courtesy of the open-minded women at home.
trisha's reply was innocent,"aiya, i hv my di-di what! so, i hv seen it before lor!"
truly, it's the state of mind of the beholder....kids are generally innocent at young age. only when they start to reach puberty will they take more interest in the opposite gender.
claire was amused to see a pic of a girl with 'nipples' drawn by trisha (hope i get the fact right) and a boy with 'lil bird' attached in between the legs.
out of curiosity, she asked trisha,"how do you knw how to draw this pen _ _?" well, claire hasnt the privilege to view such an 'image' from home ground...the man is too shy. she's only familiar with female anatomy, courtesy of the open-minded women at home.
trisha's reply was innocent,"aiya, i hv my di-di what! so, i hv seen it before lor!"
truly, it's the state of mind of the beholder....kids are generally innocent at young age. only when they start to reach puberty will they take more interest in the opposite gender.
inviation to sch's lantern festival
well, guess who's the one inviting gong gong by saying,"公公，你要去我学校的中秋节吗？“
”好啊，好啊！“ gonggong happily replied.
"aunty verlyn, claire can also come, u knw? u want to come or not?" the little concerned tone rang in my ear.
"oh, i think claire also has her own celebration in sch!" i informed.
haha, it was trisha asking the question. i thought her spoken mandarin was much better than claire's, when the latter was 7. why did red always says that trisha 'jia gan dang'?
this is her first yr in sch and she's definitely excited about being part of the sch event/ celebration. in her usual warm-hearted tone, she has extended invitation to 3 pple already...well, she will at least hv the companionship of cousin n&n for that night!
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the kids had fun playing in mom's room. claire refused to leave even when the clock reached 9.30 pm.
suddenly, al the female cousins knelt down asking for permission to let claire stay later. that was the 2nd time they did that to me and i was still amused. the best thing was when lucas followed suit with a cheeky smile on his face.
i replied,"10 more minutes only! dun let daddy be alone at home!"
trisha came running after me and begged me to let claire play till 10 pm...all the 'please please ...'
i had to tell her,"u better go back and play, start counting down ur 10 mins...instead of wasting time begging me for more!" of coz, my tone was not that of a commander lah! i am always kind to trisha coz' she's my ms sunshine.
white's kids are always showing their adorable side....and ms nini is also a darling, giving me a hug before she left. she was so kind to lend me her ipad too! throughout at mom's place, i saw her sexy butt shaking from left to rite, and her thighs really looked cute! (absolutely like red) i think red's ownership trait of nini is really that pair of legs, haha.
well, at least, nini no longer cries in my presence. i'm always so sweet to kids. wonder why she cried in the first place, haha....
mom's place is ever so nice with us (the kids) and grandchildren. no wonder, she wins so much love and praise from everybody around her! she's always taking the effort to prepare dinner to suit the children's and adults' taste. i m proud to hv her as my mom.
”好啊，好啊！“ gonggong happily replied.
"aunty verlyn, claire can also come, u knw? u want to come or not?" the little concerned tone rang in my ear.
"oh, i think claire also has her own celebration in sch!" i informed.
haha, it was trisha asking the question. i thought her spoken mandarin was much better than claire's, when the latter was 7. why did red always says that trisha 'jia gan dang'?
this is her first yr in sch and she's definitely excited about being part of the sch event/ celebration. in her usual warm-hearted tone, she has extended invitation to 3 pple already...well, she will at least hv the companionship of cousin n&n for that night!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
the kids had fun playing in mom's room. claire refused to leave even when the clock reached 9.30 pm.
suddenly, al the female cousins knelt down asking for permission to let claire stay later. that was the 2nd time they did that to me and i was still amused. the best thing was when lucas followed suit with a cheeky smile on his face.
i replied,"10 more minutes only! dun let daddy be alone at home!"
trisha came running after me and begged me to let claire play till 10 pm...all the 'please please ...'
i had to tell her,"u better go back and play, start counting down ur 10 mins...instead of wasting time begging me for more!" of coz, my tone was not that of a commander lah! i am always kind to trisha coz' she's my ms sunshine.
white's kids are always showing their adorable side....and ms nini is also a darling, giving me a hug before she left. she was so kind to lend me her ipad too! throughout at mom's place, i saw her sexy butt shaking from left to rite, and her thighs really looked cute! (absolutely like red) i think red's ownership trait of nini is really that pair of legs, haha.
well, at least, nini no longer cries in my presence. i'm always so sweet to kids. wonder why she cried in the first place, haha....
mom's place is ever so nice with us (the kids) and grandchildren. no wonder, she wins so much love and praise from everybody around her! she's always taking the effort to prepare dinner to suit the children's and adults' taste. i m proud to hv her as my mom.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
cherries?
finally, claire had her p5 science lesson on 'reproduction of animals'.
it was talk about sperms, eggs, testes, penis, ovary....
she came back home ystday telling me that the boys were so attentive esp Q, who's notorious for visting the porn website. even the teacher knew about it and had called him up for counselling (with parental knwledge and consent!)
the boys were sniggering away, according to her.
in the night, we were eating cherries. suddenly, she asked,"mommy, what's so bad about cherries?"
"it's just a fruit!" i pretended to be in ignorance.
"but the boys in my class talked about cherries and eek eek all the times! they even used the term 'u r cherry-less!' " she responded.
"look at daddy. he has his raisins too what!" i digressed a little.
boys are really mischievous and curious lots of 'animals' (i didn't say 'beasts' here), esp at this age. their conversation, sneering and behaviours sure puzzle the girls in the class.
soon, we were off the topic when claire suddenly told me about jacky's bdae last week, of the fruity song that they sang as penalty.
it was 'water melon, cherry, banana..' aye, she sure was disturbed by all these terminologies. well, jacky's birthday was targeted at invitees from 11 to 20-something, so it's a more matured theme.
i guess it was for the fun. great that claire is still checking out things with me, so i'm sure she will not be misled and confused at this age, haha.
that's the fun part of parenting. can white and red imagine how trisha and nini would start broaching on this subject with you mommies?
it was talk about sperms, eggs, testes, penis, ovary....
she came back home ystday telling me that the boys were so attentive esp Q, who's notorious for visting the porn website. even the teacher knew about it and had called him up for counselling (with parental knwledge and consent!)
the boys were sniggering away, according to her.
in the night, we were eating cherries. suddenly, she asked,"mommy, what's so bad about cherries?"
"it's just a fruit!" i pretended to be in ignorance.
"but the boys in my class talked about cherries and eek eek all the times! they even used the term 'u r cherry-less!' " she responded.
"look at daddy. he has his raisins too what!" i digressed a little.
boys are really mischievous and curious lots of 'animals' (i didn't say 'beasts' here), esp at this age. their conversation, sneering and behaviours sure puzzle the girls in the class.
soon, we were off the topic when claire suddenly told me about jacky's bdae last week, of the fruity song that they sang as penalty.
it was 'water melon, cherry, banana..' aye, she sure was disturbed by all these terminologies. well, jacky's birthday was targeted at invitees from 11 to 20-something, so it's a more matured theme.
i guess it was for the fun. great that claire is still checking out things with me, so i'm sure she will not be misled and confused at this age, haha.
that's the fun part of parenting. can white and red imagine how trisha and nini would start broaching on this subject with you mommies?
joy's woes
"mom, tell me why i'm going thru such chores of learning in my life! what has these biology terms gotta do with my future? why do i ..." 小乐乐苦着脸问我道.
"it's just part of growing up, joy! actually, u should find an anchor point for learning. i dun believe these biology terms are simply for your memory..there's a limitation in such learning!" i responded.
she chucked the lame biology notes to me and continued,"just look at all these terms...what biological clock...why i need to study all these? dun even knw what it means!"
frankly, junior college's subjects are atrocious and uninteresting. u r either in science or arts faculty. of coz, there's the hybrid choice these days. still, joy is not one with a flair in writing and humanity subjects (though she aced them all at 'o' level), her mind is more engineered twds sci/ math. so, it's bio, chem, math and econs as her major choices. project work is a burdensome task too!
another day, she griped,"i should really hv chosen poly path. life would hv been much more interesting and the subjects more practical!"
well, she is absolutely right! jc is not for all breeds. in fact, only those who can persevere through the 'hardship' will survive! i believe that she could...that's so much faith i hv in JOY! 加油哦！
when joy told me that she could spend one whole day just to surf the net and source for a good product for her blogshop, i really understood the meaning of passion and inspiration, when it comes to performing a task!
with passion, the fire burns longest and last till the energy is exhausted, and yet with no complaint!
without passion, it's just a pain in the neck and soon, the fuel will exhaust and there's no more life.
(story continued...)
she came back ystday and told me,"mom, u knw, today in GP class, we were asked to write freely. i chose the topic on 'how passion is impt when it comes to our future path'...and i had so much to express!"
可能是在吐心声吧！she needs an outlet, anyway!
in the night, she came looking dejected,"i think i'm giving up on the test. i still hv many pages to go, but i've clean forgotten about those that i hv learnt in the last few days..." poor her!
my last advice to her read,"plse approach ur friends to find out the way to learn this 'alien' topic. the last resort would be for u to approach your teachers...coz' i seriously think it's not plain memorising the lecture notes! there must be an anchor point for relating to sth else...."
"okay, i guess i hv to seek help!" she finished off her sentence before sitting there relaxed.
till today, she's still adamant about working on her own without the help of tuition. that's sth i'm proud of....to me, just give her an outlet to burst out her feelings and soon, she will find her way.
ask and u shall receive, seek and u shall find, knock and the door shall be open unto u.
she has a long way to go.....we have been there, right?
"it's just part of growing up, joy! actually, u should find an anchor point for learning. i dun believe these biology terms are simply for your memory..there's a limitation in such learning!" i responded.
she chucked the lame biology notes to me and continued,"just look at all these terms...what biological clock...why i need to study all these? dun even knw what it means!"
frankly, junior college's subjects are atrocious and uninteresting. u r either in science or arts faculty. of coz, there's the hybrid choice these days. still, joy is not one with a flair in writing and humanity subjects (though she aced them all at 'o' level), her mind is more engineered twds sci/ math. so, it's bio, chem, math and econs as her major choices. project work is a burdensome task too!
another day, she griped,"i should really hv chosen poly path. life would hv been much more interesting and the subjects more practical!"
well, she is absolutely right! jc is not for all breeds. in fact, only those who can persevere through the 'hardship' will survive! i believe that she could...that's so much faith i hv in JOY! 加油哦！
when joy told me that she could spend one whole day just to surf the net and source for a good product for her blogshop, i really understood the meaning of passion and inspiration, when it comes to performing a task!
with passion, the fire burns longest and last till the energy is exhausted, and yet with no complaint!
without passion, it's just a pain in the neck and soon, the fuel will exhaust and there's no more life.
(story continued...)
she came back ystday and told me,"mom, u knw, today in GP class, we were asked to write freely. i chose the topic on 'how passion is impt when it comes to our future path'...and i had so much to express!"
可能是在吐心声吧！she needs an outlet, anyway!
in the night, she came looking dejected,"i think i'm giving up on the test. i still hv many pages to go, but i've clean forgotten about those that i hv learnt in the last few days..." poor her!
my last advice to her read,"plse approach ur friends to find out the way to learn this 'alien' topic. the last resort would be for u to approach your teachers...coz' i seriously think it's not plain memorising the lecture notes! there must be an anchor point for relating to sth else...."
"okay, i guess i hv to seek help!" she finished off her sentence before sitting there relaxed.
till today, she's still adamant about working on her own without the help of tuition. that's sth i'm proud of....to me, just give her an outlet to burst out her feelings and soon, she will find her way.
ask and u shall receive, seek and u shall find, knock and the door shall be open unto u.
she has a long way to go.....we have been there, right?
i was tricked!
a good stdt showed me a candy jar.
"hey verlyn, i just bought this candy jar. try opening it!" she acted innocently.
"ok!" i did.
"ouch, omg!" i yelped and jumped off a short distance. not a very respectful 体态，in fact, it was a little 狼狈, haha！
she gave me a smile, probably feeling little sorry for my plight. ):)
"where did u get this? i'm most fearful of electric current!" yes, i was electrocuted.
that was such a mean trick, i thought, but surely i couldn't throw my tantrum fits, right? haha.
before i left, i told her,"u should use it on ur enemies!"
she nodded, giving a look of 'repentance'!
well, i left with a very uncomfortable feeling in my hand. i couldnt imagine the dealth penalty of electrocution chair for some inmates.
sometimes, when i start to think of what's the best way to leave the world, i can't help but think that it's going in sleep, with a peaceful smile, no struggle, no pain!
the business entrepreneurs sure have a way to invent new products to attract the young teenies!
"hey verlyn, i just bought this candy jar. try opening it!" she acted innocently.
"ok!" i did.
"ouch, omg!" i yelped and jumped off a short distance. not a very respectful 体态，in fact, it was a little 狼狈, haha！
she gave me a smile, probably feeling little sorry for my plight. ):)
"where did u get this? i'm most fearful of electric current!" yes, i was electrocuted.
that was such a mean trick, i thought, but surely i couldn't throw my tantrum fits, right? haha.
before i left, i told her,"u should use it on ur enemies!"
she nodded, giving a look of 'repentance'!
well, i left with a very uncomfortable feeling in my hand. i couldnt imagine the dealth penalty of electrocution chair for some inmates.
sometimes, when i start to think of what's the best way to leave the world, i can't help but think that it's going in sleep, with a peaceful smile, no struggle, no pain!
the business entrepreneurs sure have a way to invent new products to attract the young teenies!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
kids' lives
i was at the gym talking to j, a retiree grandfather.
his daughter and son-in-law are both lawyers, so i would think they hv smart genes.
their p3 son, who's in a top school, apparently has to be put to many tuition classes, which made him more withdrawn in learning.
apparently, the boy is already failing chinese language. other subjects are also not in the top grade category.
the puzzled grandfather (retiree j) was recalling how his 2 girls used to ace their results, without any tutors' guidance, and wondered why the kids of today's generation need so much assistance from external tutors, and yet not doing well.
simply, i told him it's 'attitude' issue.
like how how put it, the grandson is not stupid and yet, he will commit a lot of careless mistakes in his math work and doesn't take much pride in his learning journey.
seriously, that's the problem.
of coz, the sch teacher and the home envt plays a part too!
how many times hv i heard of children who performed well up to psle (under stringent and eagle eyes of the parents) but the moment they enter into teenie age in sec schs, they will let loose and find their new freedom!
some became so rebellious that their parents could only cry behind the curtains and scratching their heads what to do about the kids' behaviours.
the learning envt is becoming too challenging. study is becoming a chore.
seriously, ask any kids around if they enjoy study. 'no' will be the flat answer.
i'm awaiting to see how the new education minister, heng swee kiat, will introduce major measures in the education scene to revive the interest of kids and the passion of the teachers....tough tough job! well, let's see!
his daughter and son-in-law are both lawyers, so i would think they hv smart genes.
their p3 son, who's in a top school, apparently has to be put to many tuition classes, which made him more withdrawn in learning.
apparently, the boy is already failing chinese language. other subjects are also not in the top grade category.
the puzzled grandfather (retiree j) was recalling how his 2 girls used to ace their results, without any tutors' guidance, and wondered why the kids of today's generation need so much assistance from external tutors, and yet not doing well.
simply, i told him it's 'attitude' issue.
like how how put it, the grandson is not stupid and yet, he will commit a lot of careless mistakes in his math work and doesn't take much pride in his learning journey.
seriously, that's the problem.
of coz, the sch teacher and the home envt plays a part too!
how many times hv i heard of children who performed well up to psle (under stringent and eagle eyes of the parents) but the moment they enter into teenie age in sec schs, they will let loose and find their new freedom!
some became so rebellious that their parents could only cry behind the curtains and scratching their heads what to do about the kids' behaviours.
the learning envt is becoming too challenging. study is becoming a chore.
seriously, ask any kids around if they enjoy study. 'no' will be the flat answer.
i'm awaiting to see how the new education minister, heng swee kiat, will introduce major measures in the education scene to revive the interest of kids and the passion of the teachers....tough tough job! well, let's see!
whose ownership?
a friend went for facial at chinatown and came back telling me that the lady boss related to them that, many young china stdts are her regular patrons too!
she disclosed that these students from late teens to 20s, arent just simply leading a life of study here. they blatantly announced to every body that they enjoy pocket allowances from their 'sugar daddies' while leading the life of a 'kept' woman!
afterall, they claimed that they are in the 'hot wanted' list coz' they needed no commitment from the men (mostly married). it's a win-win situation. they got extra money while the men enjoyed companionship of the young sweet nothings with taut skins.
it's a sick picture in the local context today.
i wish such girls will just go away. their presence has tainted the image of singapore and ruined many a good healthy life of couples. of coz, it takes 2 hands to clap.....i'm not saying that the men are without faults.
i just couldn't fathom how an elderly man can seek companionship/ comfort in a girl as young as his own daughter's. like in the case of jack neo. such a shame.
she disclosed that these students from late teens to 20s, arent just simply leading a life of study here. they blatantly announced to every body that they enjoy pocket allowances from their 'sugar daddies' while leading the life of a 'kept' woman!
afterall, they claimed that they are in the 'hot wanted' list coz' they needed no commitment from the men (mostly married). it's a win-win situation. they got extra money while the men enjoyed companionship of the young sweet nothings with taut skins.
it's a sick picture in the local context today.
i wish such girls will just go away. their presence has tainted the image of singapore and ruined many a good healthy life of couples. of coz, it takes 2 hands to clap.....i'm not saying that the men are without faults.
i just couldn't fathom how an elderly man can seek companionship/ comfort in a girl as young as his own daughter's. like in the case of jack neo. such a shame.
influx of foreigners
my sister and her family were at sentosa last wkend.
at the fountain area, she witnessed 2 china workers relaxing at the parapet area, with one of them actually removing his shoes and enjoying a 'feet spa'! she was disgusted and as she passed them, actually told them,"脚不能放进去！“
the culprit's friend signalled to him,”听到没？"
my sister in turned continued,“拜托！”
truly, it was a pain to see their behaviour in public.
i was at jurong mall with hubby on sun night. it was an appalling sight to see many dark-skinned foreign workers moving around and the whole section at the electronics store was so filled with their odour. many of them also had their eyes roving at girls who passed by, as if to 'swallow' them up with the bionic eyes!
then, a china man walked twds me. guess what he was doing? omg, he was vehemently scratcing his 'cock'. the whole palm was grabbing it and scratching it hard. i wondered if he hadnt bathed for days....it was such an ugly sight.
when he noticed that i was looking at his distasteful act, he just stopped his action and feigned ignorance!
even in my condo premises, there's been an influx of foreign residents/ tenants, who's one world of themselves! or maybe to be fair, it might be just cultural differences that draw the line of our closeness!
who's to answer for the plight of foreign immigrants in today's singapore?
at the fountain area, she witnessed 2 china workers relaxing at the parapet area, with one of them actually removing his shoes and enjoying a 'feet spa'! she was disgusted and as she passed them, actually told them,"脚不能放进去！“
the culprit's friend signalled to him,”听到没？"
my sister in turned continued,“拜托！”
truly, it was a pain to see their behaviour in public.
i was at jurong mall with hubby on sun night. it was an appalling sight to see many dark-skinned foreign workers moving around and the whole section at the electronics store was so filled with their odour. many of them also had their eyes roving at girls who passed by, as if to 'swallow' them up with the bionic eyes!
then, a china man walked twds me. guess what he was doing? omg, he was vehemently scratcing his 'cock'. the whole palm was grabbing it and scratching it hard. i wondered if he hadnt bathed for days....it was such an ugly sight.
when he noticed that i was looking at his distasteful act, he just stopped his action and feigned ignorance!
even in my condo premises, there's been an influx of foreign residents/ tenants, who's one world of themselves! or maybe to be fair, it might be just cultural differences that draw the line of our closeness!
who's to answer for the plight of foreign immigrants in today's singapore?
Monday, August 1, 2011
bad service
i was with lf at thai-pan over lunch.
the staff, mostly foreigners (either malaysians or filipinos) practically served without a smile.
when we asked for dessert recommendation, a list was rattled from this waitress' mouth, of coz sounding with bad english pronunciation and stone-faced.
it doesn't bother me, anyway. lf was more concerned with svc till i reminded her,"hey, there's no svc charge in this restaurant!"
when the food came, we had to specially request for chilli padi and belachan chilli. another stone-faced young girl who kept her 2 lip buds sealed, as if she has had a bad quarrel with boyfriend.
when the chilli saucers were served, lf was quite pissed off that the saucers were roughly thrown onto the table, that some soya sauce spilled onto her hands.
ok, lunch was fine. dessert time? the first came. i was innocently distributing the portion into 2 halves, not noticing that the order was wrongly served, till lf's enlightenment.
"we wanted sea coconut, rite? but here we are served almond jelly!" lf reminded.
"oh ya, let's change it!"i said.
when we alerted the staff, she reacted,"你们说要almond jelly 的嘛！" she insisted. totally, no concept of 'customer is rite'!
of coz, we denied (truthfully). i'm nvr one for almond jelly, my heart knows it well and through.
“你们吃过了吗？”she questioned without any service quality.
“没有。只是把分量分开罢了！" i replied.
so, off she took the dessert bowl in a rough manner and went behind the bar counter, complaining to a staff. i wish the boss, paul was around, so that we could give some little feedback about the attitude of his new batch of staff.
anyway, when the 2nd dessert, yam paste arrived, i was splitting the portion again. the staff who served us chilli just crossed her hands over mine, to help clear the dishes. i was really appalled at such bad service manner, totally untrained on the proper decorum.
finally, it was billing time. i paid at the counter and reminded the staff of a 'takeaway' hokkien noodles that lf has ordered for her child. (well yes, they nearly forgot the hand the packet over, while leaving it at the counter!). at our reminder, the staff told me to pay her the extra....lf told her,"plse check ur bill. i think it's been billed in!"
lf was right! we could hv been over-charged, had we not checked.
when we left the restaurant, lf was quite disillusioned with the svc though she liked the noodles there! she said such restaurants should be boycott. well to me, why take it so hard? i will still go there to eat a simple meal fare. afterall, it's in the premises of my condo, convenient and affordable!
but, i make sure i hv a chance to feed back to the boss, paul.
(conclusion: i think the foreigners are not happy working in singpaore, haha! and maybe they dun like singaporeans too!"
the staff, mostly foreigners (either malaysians or filipinos) practically served without a smile.
when we asked for dessert recommendation, a list was rattled from this waitress' mouth, of coz sounding with bad english pronunciation and stone-faced.
it doesn't bother me, anyway. lf was more concerned with svc till i reminded her,"hey, there's no svc charge in this restaurant!"
when the food came, we had to specially request for chilli padi and belachan chilli. another stone-faced young girl who kept her 2 lip buds sealed, as if she has had a bad quarrel with boyfriend.
when the chilli saucers were served, lf was quite pissed off that the saucers were roughly thrown onto the table, that some soya sauce spilled onto her hands.
ok, lunch was fine. dessert time? the first came. i was innocently distributing the portion into 2 halves, not noticing that the order was wrongly served, till lf's enlightenment.
"we wanted sea coconut, rite? but here we are served almond jelly!" lf reminded.
"oh ya, let's change it!"i said.
when we alerted the staff, she reacted,"你们说要almond jelly 的嘛！" she insisted. totally, no concept of 'customer is rite'!
of coz, we denied (truthfully). i'm nvr one for almond jelly, my heart knows it well and through.
“你们吃过了吗？”she questioned without any service quality.
“没有。只是把分量分开罢了！" i replied.
so, off she took the dessert bowl in a rough manner and went behind the bar counter, complaining to a staff. i wish the boss, paul was around, so that we could give some little feedback about the attitude of his new batch of staff.
anyway, when the 2nd dessert, yam paste arrived, i was splitting the portion again. the staff who served us chilli just crossed her hands over mine, to help clear the dishes. i was really appalled at such bad service manner, totally untrained on the proper decorum.
finally, it was billing time. i paid at the counter and reminded the staff of a 'takeaway' hokkien noodles that lf has ordered for her child. (well yes, they nearly forgot the hand the packet over, while leaving it at the counter!). at our reminder, the staff told me to pay her the extra....lf told her,"plse check ur bill. i think it's been billed in!"
lf was right! we could hv been over-charged, had we not checked.
when we left the restaurant, lf was quite disillusioned with the svc though she liked the noodles there! she said such restaurants should be boycott. well to me, why take it so hard? i will still go there to eat a simple meal fare. afterall, it's in the premises of my condo, convenient and affordable!
but, i make sure i hv a chance to feed back to the boss, paul.
(conclusion: i think the foreigners are not happy working in singpaore, haha! and maybe they dun like singaporeans too!"
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