Rabbit Princess's first own blog entry

I'm sad because I am sick, I can't go out either because I'm having a flu. I feel very bored because there's nothing to do at home, there's only one choice - it is to watch tv. I watch TV every time when I'm bored. I don't feel like going back to school because I am scared I will meet my friend Mellisa. she always bullies me. I wish to go to CHIJ Girl's School but I can't go in because my result is very bad. English is Band 1, Math is Band 1 but chinese is Band 2. I am ranked 9th in class n 3rd in class for Maths.

The Parent Trap

The June holidays seemed to have just whizzed by so suddenly ... As Quick as Lightning ... and school term begins... sigh... no more lazy mornings tossing and turning in bed and no more late breakfasts. Rabbitprincess returns to Term 3 starting with a new Form Teacher, Ms Charmaine Goh as her most beloved ex-Form teacher enters NIE for teacher training in her Diploma in General Education. Initially, she lamented about the change in teachers but since Ms Goh started 'bribing' them with fancy stickers and all, she's become more 'resigned to her fate'. ***Small little neat trick I must admit.*** And it works well with 6 year olds. In addition, she also has a new bunch of group mates now as she learns to interact and socialise with different personalities in the group of "Integrity".

On my part, the ever-conscious parent, I have also become one of those 'kiasu' parents who will say things like "So girl, where's the new spelling list? How come the Chinese ting xie (spelling in Chinese) list is not out yet? Will there be enough time to revise? Now do you bring textbook B instead of A? What about the maths workbook? Has the teacher finished every page?" bombarding my poor rabbit with a whole list of questions she hardly has the answers for, giving me that "But mummy, I just went back to school today!" helpless facial expression.

In conclusion, it's tough not to be 'kiasu' as a parent - the rat race is very real, too real to ignore. Reality bites! ***Ouch!***

Mood eater

I've come to realise from the past few months of cooking for rabbitprincess that she's very much a 'mood-eater' which roughly translates into "she eats depending on her moods". During the first week of school holidays, she came down with a severe viral infection that had made her lose her appetite. As she was on path to recovery, I kept explaining to her that when she's well again, she must not be so fussy about eating only a small selection of food which makes her nutritionally imbalanced and more susceptible to viruses when her immune system is weak and she can't enjoy her school holidays like other kids. Now that she's much better at end of week 2 and beginning of week 3, I can tell she's trying very hard to consume a wider variety of food - eggs cooked in various styles, minced pork steamed with carrot bits and finely chopped water chestnuts, stir-fried vegetables of various sorts, steamed fish, sliced shitake mushrooms etc aside from her usual repertoire of toast, milk, cakes, cereals, eggs and foods familiar to her. I was elated to see her chomp down freshly made pancakes, scrambled eggs with cheese bits and a mini pastry during a buffet breakfast last week.

However, on days when she's unhappy (for whatever reasons) or disappointed or upset, she'll not eat well. Instead, she will tend to throw up the food she ate. That's when it gets really frustrating cos as parents, we naturally start to worry if she'll get gastritis if she goes to bed with her stomach half-empty.

Well, I do hope her moods remain good for the next few months and hopefully, she'll gain some weight soon!

First PTM

Just on Wednesday, I attended the first PTM (Parent-Teacher meeting) .... my my, what an experience! Most parents turned up at 130pm in full swing - fathers and mothers, some mums with their maids and younger kid(s) in tow, some grandparents etc. Other than the school's official open house, this is the second time I have walked into ah girl's classroom and admire their classroom setting. Unlike the days of past, their tables and chairs look so adorably cute and their group sitting arrangement helps facilitate project work and group discussion. The small class enrolment of 26 students is also a contributory factor to enhanced learning. There were many group photos and their work proudly displayed on the walls, the cabinets, hanging down from the ceiling etc. Being a very concerned parent, I couldn't help but notice that my daughter's colouring pieces stood out among the others. That explains why she spends hours on each piece of colouring assignment so that it would be picked to be displayed in class.

The form teacher spent a good 20-30 minutes with each set of parents and showed me a breakdown of the SA1 (first semestral exam) marks for Nicole. She gave me feedback regarding her behaviour in class, group work behaviour, academic performance etc. which I found very useful. Thankfully, I did not receive comments like "Your child is very hyperactive, running around the class, inattentive etc." Instead, I was gleefully delighted that the comment was "She is among one of the best behaved students in class".

Academically wise, Nicole is only average (which means not being in the top 20% of the class) which I guess is something that my husband and I will have to learn to grapple with. We certainly dun have a genius on hand but our consolation is that she is very well-behaved and earns compliments from observers/neighbours/teachers/acquaintances/old grannies hanging around void decks and also she has assured us that she has tried her best (remember that famous quotation from that nerdy chap who dropped out of American Idol?) Nevertheless, I am glad to know that my daughter has one talent which sets her apart from her peers - her colouring skills. So maybe I should seriously consider enrolling her in some art enrichment class??? NAFA??? LaSalle???

Coming back to reality though (just like the bulk of educated parents with high expectations caught in this never-ending paper-chase), we will continue to drill her with more practice so that she is secure in Band 1 across her subjects. Her sustained fever during the exam period also made it difficult for her to concentrate and focus compared to days she's feeling well and fit. Needless to say, this translates into the June holidays being utilised to revise her work and do more worksheets (I am very sure Popular Bookstore is all stocked up with assessments and drill worksheets for this very same reason and parents will flock to their franchises like wild bees to honey) in between playtime.

Ambition & Plans for the Future

Now that mid-year examinations are over and Rabbit princess gets a breather from her schedule, she's decided to make some future plans for herself. Just during lunch today with Mummy and a sleep-deprived Daddy (who's only taken 4 precious hours of sleep between knocking off at work and waking up at 6am to drive Rabbit Princess to school), she reveals her future plans:

1. She intends to set up a kindergarten of her own
2. Employ her trusted best friend to be the Principal
3. Open up 4 classes - 2 classes of Nursery 1 and 2 classes of Nursery 2
4. Each child pays S$90 for the Nursery 1 and S$100 for Nursery 2 respectively
5. Maximum enrolment per class is set at 20 students.
6. She pays a fixed salary to her friend (aka the Principal)
7. The rest of the profits go to her

Not too bad an entrepreneurial idea from a 6 year old huh?

Caveat: This is her ambition for now. Just barely a month ago, she wanted to be an Art teacher teaching creative art to young children. And a month prior to that, she wanted to be like Ms Ling, her form teacher, specialising in Mathematics. Hee2.

The advantage of having a daughter

Since ah-girl started schooling, I have observed that she has matured quite a fair bit in these 9 weeks and has grown closer to my heart. At times, she may fret and whine and throw tantrums (especially in the presence of her ever-doting, 24/7 on-call daddy who never loses his temper with her no matter how unreasonable she can get, hence the term 'Daddy's little girl') yet at other times, she seems to empathise with mummy and offer her comforting presence and express my opinions aloud (call it telepathy but she seems to know what is going on in my mind).

A recent encounter of this telepathic ability of hers would be the situation which arose during the weekend. We were in the car, stuck on the wonderful traffic jam on the CTE (which is always there, 24/7, be it weekdays or weekends and I'm always glad that I dun have to use the CTE), when I said that I needed to work on the laptop for the next few days. Daddy, who is holding onto the only workable laptop, kept quiet cos he didn't seem to get what I was implying. I kept my thoughts silent, not even mouthing them, when ah-girl, said to her Daddy "Mummy wants you to leave the laptop at home when you go to work so that she can finish her work."

Strange isn't it? It was exactly what was going on in my mind yet ah-girl could tell. I doubt even scientists or academics can explain this strange phenomenon of telepathy. Mummies will assure you that it's called the bond between mums and daughters. Whatever it is, I'm glad that ah-girl is sensitive to my feelings and thoughts and be my 'spokesperson' whenever necessary because I know that she has her Daddy twined around her tiny little fingers and one pull (whine) or a tug (scream) could mean I get my way. *evil thoughts* One of my girlfrens was telling me how daughters are closer to their hearts whilst sons are just easy to raise - rumble tumble and grow up. O well, I guess the best would be having one of each then - a son and a daughter.

Korean skincare products: tried n tested

It is highly recommended that you read the article featuring Korean skincare products in page 4 of The Straits Times URBAN of February 22 2007 before going through my reviews.

Lately, I've been immersing myself into yet another wave of Korean culture (or K-wave as it is commonly termed) - that of using their skincare products. A once loyal fan of classic European brands and still a long-term, die-hard, hard core fan of Japanese skincare, I am now impressed by the Korean skincare products that can be found islandwide. Indeed these Korean products stand out from their European / Japanese counterparts with their nifty packaging and value-for-money quality. There are now 3 Korean skincare products in my extensive toiletries range, fighting for shelf space with the others. The Vital Red Soil foamy cleanser, the fruit mix cleansing cream (smells like mixed fruits yoghurt and has the texture of one too) and my latest buy which is the Rice Sebum control toner from the Face Shop.

Here are my reviews on each of these products:

1. The Vital Red Soil foamy cleanser - it lathers well and you can feel that it deep cleanses without stripping off essential oil from the epidermis, I love its sturdy packaging and unlike gooey cleansing gels in tubes, it doesn't flow out and leave a mess. It also keeps my cheeks hydrated unlike some cleansing mousse which leaves them flaky and red --- highly recommended for combination skin (oily T-zone, dry cheeks). *Hubby also tried this foam and loved it*

2. The Fruit Mix cleansing cream - the salesgirl told me it comes in either emulsion or cream form, the former being too mild to remove liquid foundation. I am usually not a fan of thick rich creams but this one has definitely changed my mind. As you rub it into the skin, it becomes a lighter fluff and removes all traces of liquid foundation plus loose powder. Plus its heavenly fruity fragance makes you crave for more. A good alternative to cleansing milks which I had been using up to now.

As for the toner, I shall update my blog when I have used it for a 2 weeks trial period. I read with interest that there is another Korean store called Beauty Credit which is now available in Vivocity. Well, I know it won't be too long before I do hop down and grab another item from them soon. Considering the exorbitant prices of European skincare and the even more exorbitant prices of Japanese brands, I may consider switching altogther to Korean products which costs a fraction of their European/Japanese counterparts and does its job just as well.

Try checking out their range of skincare and makeup at www.thefaceshop.com and yesterday i came across www.skinfood.com as well.

Wishes for the Year of the Pig

In ushering the New Year of the Pig, these are my wishes for my beloved ones in the year ahead:

1. Good health
2. A smooth career
3. More quality time spent with spouse/children/family
4. A chance to do something which you've always wanted to but never had the chance to
5. Good grades for those who are still schooling

Oink! Oink! Cheers to a New Blessed Year ahead!

Teacher's good helper

Rabbit princess returned from school grinning from ear to ear. I asked her why and she said that her form teacher complimented her for being a good helper. On further probing, she revealed that it was because the teacher asked for volunteers to work out the sums on the model answer sheet (placed on the visualizer) to reflect onto the whiteboard and she did just that. I praised her for her courage and her willingness to share her knowledge with her classmates. Since her entry into primary school, I have observed with joy that she has matured a fair bit and has learnt how to get along and work with others. During her kindergarten years, it seemed she was a rather lone figure. But now, she has progressed onto being more independent as well as being less timid, which is a very important milestone in her development as her pre-school teachers used to grade her B for independence. This is indeed a very encouraging scenario and I'm sure her ex pre-school teachers, especially her Chinese teacher Ms Ang, would be so proud of her as I am.

Another Quick Recipe

This is another one of my novel creations borne out of sheer desperation to cook just one dish and have everything inside instead of 3 separate dishes. It goes well with porridge or just steamed rice. For carnivores, you can add in marinated chicken breast cubes or sliced lean pork to replace the tau kwar. I read in a recipe book that bean products are the best vegetarian protein that can be found so consume at least one serving of bean products (beancurd, toufu, bean cakes) a day if you're not a meat lover.

Mixed Vegetables with Tau Kwar (Beancurd)


Ingredients

1 medium sized piece of tau kwar cut into rectangular cubes
1 packet of french beans cut into 3cm lengths
1 packet of baby corn (fresh, not the canned versions)
4-5 fresh white button mushrooms (or fresh shitake)
1 carrot cut into 3cm lengths
finely chopped garlic
a dash of olive oil/canola oil


Method

1. Heat up the skillet over a hot fire, then add olive or canola oil & some fine salt
2. Add in the tau kwar cubes to fry till slightly golden on one side then flip over to the other side to repeat
3. Remove from pan and drain over paper towel
4. Add the finely chopped garlic and stir
5. Add in the french beans, carrot, mushroom and baby corn
6. Stir and then add some water
7. Cover the skillet, add additional salt if necessary (remember that there is some leftover salt in the pan after frying the tau kwar)
8. Add in the fried tau kwar cubes
9. Keep the cover on and leave for about 8 minutes
10. Serve hot

A Quick Recipe

This is a recipe blog to share with mummies who have little time to cook in between minding the kids and household chores but prefer to eat in than out.

Teriyaki Salmon

1. Cut Salmon fillet into chunks with skin intact (use the bonelesstail portion)
2. Heat some oil in a skillet pan (preferably olive oil or canola oil for health consideration)
3. Sear the salmon chunks on one side for 2 minutes, then turn over and repeat for 2 mins
4. Remove from pan & drain on paper towel
5. Stir fry chopped garlic (I'm a garlic freak, so half a small cup is just nice for me) and onion ringlets, adding water to soften it, a dash of soya sauce (I personally recommend Japanese quality soya sauce for that added oomph of taste), mirin (alternative: Chinese cooking wine / Hua Tiao Jiou) & cover pan
6. When onion ringlets are softened, add in the salmon chunks and stir in
7. Let the mixture braise over slow fire for 3-5 minutes (over a medium or small fire so that the teriyaki sauce will not dry up too fast)
8. Serve hot with steamed rice (optional: you can garnish with ginger shreds, sliced chilli n cilantro)

Note:

Some young children may develop a reaction (rash) to mirin or chinese cooking wine, so in that case, scoop out their portion before you add to yours. That way, you can enjoy authentic teriyaki salmon without the kids scratching away like Monkey God. Hee3. Try it!

The Pros n Cons of Shopping Together

This must be deja vu for most mothers who shop with their child/children in tow--- the Verdict: Can't shop with them, less efficient shoppers slowed down by their continuous demands.

My shopping list included: 1) two pairs of shoes 2) a facial cleanser and make-up remover 3) a long tee top to match with hipster belt 4) some groceries from the supermart. Instead of buying all items 1-4, I only managed to get a facial cleanser, cleansing cream and groceries (including a salmon steak for dinner, cooked teriyaki style...yummy) Why? Let me relate this familiar tale:

Girl comes back from school, eats her lunch, finishes her math worksheet, eats her beancurd, bathes and it's almost 3pm. We literally run out of the house with cardigan and wallet. Reached the mall at close to 4pm. Girl says "Mummy, I want to have a hot Milo and 2 slices of kaya butter toast". That wasted about 20 minutes (waiting for order to be served, waiting for her to finish her food). Then rushed into the toiletries & beauty products shop to buy item 2. Proceeded to Level 2 to scout for shoes. Each time I selected a pair, Girl says "Mummy, why you always buy black shoes? So boring... pick pink shoes la..." and starts to select what was nice in her opinion (meaning it must be pink or have pink details, ribbons and girlie details), shoving it to me to try. *Mummy makes a face* Mummy says "Let's go to another shop" and again the same thing repeats itself. *Mummy gives up* "Mummy, it's 5pm, time for my evening tea". "Okay, okay, let's find somewhere to eat. Why are you hungry so soon?" *Mummy exasperated* finally found a sandwich bar to have some salad n a soup, Mummy watches anxiously as clock ticks away.

Finally at 5.35pm, Mummy abandons all hope of ever having time to grab a tee top, runs off to the supermarket, gets her groceries and hits the train station ready to get home in time to cook dinner. "Mummy, I'm hungry... can I eat the yoghurt you bought from the supermart?" "Darling, you're on the train, you can't eat on the train. Besides, i have no spoon." "Why? Why cannot eat on the train? Why? Why didn't you take a spoon?" *Fellow passengers look in sympathy at dumbstruck Mummy, at this point in time ready to pull out tuffs of hair from her scalp

Wider Circle of Friends

Now that a full month's gone by (in a whizz) with Nic starting her primary one school term, it seems that she has settled down well in her new environment. She also seems more familiar with her classmates and is able to relate to me about any interesting incidents that occur in the classroom. Her form teacher has divided all 28 of them into 5 groups - Gracious, Integrity, Responsibility, Respect and Resilience (the 5 values of the school). Nic belongs to the group Integrity and in this group, each of them is assigned a role. Hers would be the social studies leader whilst her groupmates are each made leader for other subjects - English, Maths, Music, Civics & Moral Education (CME). Her circle of friends have widened to include pupils from other neighbouring classes as they are banded into different classes for Mother Tongue lessons. In our latest conversation, she mentions some new male friends like Ron (who is in the same group for her Mother Tongue lesson), Fabian, Timothy, Jun Xi and Nick. New girl classmates include Alvernia, Melissa (her queue partner), Dion, Janelle, Sheares, Putri, Akida, Vivien and Yu Jing.

Mummy is definitely glad and relieved that she has settled down well and enjoys her Primary One class. Her favourite subjects are Maths, Music and Art & Craft. Meanwhile, she will do a trial Show & Tell in class tomorrow with her rag doll as part of practicing for the SEED project presentation. Let's hope she will have lots to say about it when she gets back.

SEED Program Briefing

All I can say is that life ain't going to get better for parents when it comes to changes in assessment modes. During the SEED briefing today, parents gasped when it was announced that instead of the usual methodology of paper testing for SA1 (Semestral Assessment 1 - meaning mid-year exam), there would be a project work component which will take up 60% of the SA1. This component would be broken down into written (40marks) and an oral presentation (20 marks). For the oral presentation, parents are advised to do a Show & Tell, guide their child to talk about a topic (E.g. what I want to be, my favourite foods etc) and videotape the child to point out any errors etc. Pre-preparation strategies also include reading a variety of books, building up vocabulary, reinforce intonation (high or low pitch whilst reading) and ensuring accuracy in reading. No kidding... little wonder why parents of school-going children find it very tough to juggle career, family and the demands of the education system and which probably explains the sprouting of tuition/enrichment centres island wide. A simple solution - pay the experts to guide their child whilst they concentrate on their career. I learnt from a girlfriend who works as a tutor that some parents who have no time for their children get a private tutor to guide one-to-one on work that has been assigned by the enrichment centres, in other words, double dosage of tuition. Poor kids!

What I am glad about though, despite the greater demands placed on the parents, is that creativity and oral skills are emphasized now that new strategies like SEED are introduced. I am also excited that there will be two learning journeys in this year as part of experiential hands-on learning - Singapore Zoological Garden and Supermarket. (I remembered that Nic went to the Yakult factory, Sentosa Underwater World, NTUC Fairprice supermarket in her K2 years and enjoyed them tremendously).

To summarise my thoughts after the briefing, being a primary one child these days is no simple task. The expectations are rising and every child is competing against another. I can only hope that mine copes well and doesn't cave in to too much pressure.

A good read

Mummies out there struggling with spelling, do hop down to the library and pick up this book entitled "How to help your child with homework." In it, there are chapters on how to help your child with math, spelling, phonics, reading & comprehension and lots more. Each chapter contains Q&A and useful tips/solutions on how to cope with the child's homework as a parent- cum-homework facilitator. I found the tip on how to give spelling rather useful and applicable. It says to split the spelling list into three parts and revise each part separately. For instance, if spelling falls on Friday, it'll be good to start with the first 3 words on Mon, another 3 words on Tue, the last 3 on Wed and for Thursday to just give the full list of words (assuming it's a list of 9 words) and then revise only words that the child still has difficulty spelling. Sounds easy? It also recommends parents to motivate the child through praises and compliments to boost their self-esteem, then they'll be more willing to persevere and spelling will become a more enjoyable activity to both the child and parent (and less of a torturing task for the parent).

Considering that ours is a bilingual society, that means we have to give 2 types of spelling weekly- English and Chinese/Han Yu Pin Yin. So mummies, work out a roster to spread out pre-spelling activities and in between make sure you are generous with compliments and praises when the child gets her words correct, just like how teachers paste loads of star stickers and winnie pooh stickers onto the workbooks for perfect answers. Extrinsic motivation (compliments, stickers, a treat etc) will thus lead to intrinsic motivation.

A Girl's Favourite Things/People

It is always interesting to note the criterion which any six year old uses to pass judgement. Just this afternoon, I asked Nic which is her favourite lesson and why. "Music lesson, I like Music" quipped Nic, bursting with enthusiasm. "Who is your favourite teacher and why?" I continued. "Mrs Koh, the Music teacher. Because she is very pretty, she's the prettiest of all the teachers. She has long straight hair and big eyes." So you see? The criterion which Nic uses is the criterion of physical appearance. To qualify to be a "favourite teacher", one must be pretty and outshine the others in this aspect. "Do you like your Chinese language teacher?" I tried to ask further. "Not really, she looks like a boy" came Nic's frank answer. I have just affirmed that physical beauty is an important pre-requisite to be a teacher and that delivery of lessons is second in importance, if at all. Hmmm....

Although this sounds rather judgemental, I think it's true that physical beauty does help in one's career. This doesn't just apply to beauty contestants in Ms Universe pageants but to everyone too, including mummies as well. So mums out there who are reading my blog, take note... remember that pretty mums are "favourite mums". Now now, where's my anti-ageing, anti-oxidant face cream and anti-wrinkles, anti-puffiness eye cream....***panic***

Rabbit Princess's assigned responsibilities

Nic takes home assignments to colour on an almost daily basis. First, there was the Lifeskills worksheet, then English and now a Calendar pullout for her class notice board. So despite her injured elbow (and she claims it makes writing difficult due to the position of the bruises), she finished colouring her month of June with fervour, telling me very proudly how she and a few other classmates were hand-picked by their form teacher for this very 'Special exclusive task'. She also proudly proclaimed that due to her 'good girl' behaviour, she's been chosen to be the Social Studies leader for her group (named Integrity). What does being a leader mean? It means that she is responsible for collecting the Social Studies workbook after each lesson and collate them for the teacher. Child labour! Ha ha ha...

Sometimes I wonder how long this phase will last before she starts to question the authority of the teacher instead of worshipping the ground he/she steps on. Right now, the teacher is the equivalent of a god-like figure to be obeyed at all costs. Perhaps it is also due to the nature of the child to want to be praised and be assigned roles to boost their self-esteem. Hence, whatever assignments she's been given, no matter how minute a task, she has to complete it.

Casualty

Today started off as a relatively uneventful day until my mobile phone rang... "Mummy, I fell down..." "Huh? Where?" I enquired. "At the basketball court..." Nic replied. "During PE lesson?" I probed. The phone was then passed to a lady who told me "Your daughter fell down in school, we're just calling to inform you." "Is there any bleeding or injuries? Can she still walk?" I asked and then I decided since she could still walk, perhaps she should return to class and resume her lessons.

The moment I saw Nic, I realised the extent of her 'injuries' - a bruised elbow, skin on her knee cap rubbed off, a blue-black patch on the side of the knee cap and scratches on her nose bridge... Geez! Disfigured! Sigh! She started to relate how it happened during her PE lesson when her classmate who was over-anxious pushed her and she fell flat on the basketball court grounds, sending her into wails of tears.

I sent a quick sms to Daddy who responded in lightning speed - "Serious?" "Need to see a doctor?" "Check her injuries". I guess fathers respond differently from mummies about sustained injuries. Daddies worry about the extent of the injuries whilst Mummies worry about being scarred [Again this confirms the Men are from Mars and Women from Venus philosophy]

Considering CNY is just around the corner, this is one bad time to look 'disfigured'. I guess instead of the skirt and polo tee combination, she'll have to wear long pants instead to conceal her scars on the knee cap. Bad timing indeed!

SEED Alive!

Nic came back with a letter to parents from school informing us that this Sat morning is the briefing for parents for the SEED Alive! Program. What does the acronym SEED stands for?Strategies for Effective Engagement and Development. Oh gosh! Another hazy and confusing term for Mummy to cope with. On careful examination of the contents of the letter, it says "the briefing session aims to update the parents on the P1 SEED curriculum, new assessment mode for Semestral Examination (SA1 - or commonly termed Mid-year exam) and Strategies that parents can use to prepare their child at home for the project based assessment." Ah hah! Now that translates into "project work" instead of the purely 100% written assessment for the mid-year exam.

I think my parents should thank their lucky stars that when I was still schooling yonks ago, the word 'project work' had yet to come into existence. Otherwise, they'd be racking their brains trying to get the necessary groundwork done each time there was a project work assignment. I recalled a long-time friend of mine years back whose children's projects were all proudly placed in the back of his car - there was the bus terminal model, the airport model and the farm model. He said his wife and him spent hours every weekend hunting for miniature buses, bus stands, glueing ice-cream sticks together laboriously, painting the miniature model trees and trying to get hold of plastic cows, pigs, horses and other farm animals. Now his children have all grown up and the eldest is awaiting admission into a polytechnic.

Indeed, that I predict, would be my upcoming fate once the briefing is over. I shall be hunting down suitable miniatures that Nic would use for her SEED project and spend my weekends hunched over, painting each tiny tree or shrub with oil-based paint.... the joys of parenthood eh?

When Kids Wan Things Their Own Way

Every mummy will soon realise with time how their child/children look at things and want things their own way. In fact, this applies to how they interact with peers of their own age. Nic is no exception to this 'rule'. On Friday afternoon, she was pleading with me to permit her to invite her best pal/buddy/classmate/bus partner Jaz to come over and play after she finished her homework. Initially, everything went well. Both were taking out toys to play with and they were building Lego blocks, playing with Polly Pocket sets and Nic was showing Jaz her Christmas present - a Magic Illusion set which comes with trick cards and other paraphernalia for performing magic tricks. Jaz was giving Nic her 3D stickers and showing her the colouring book she just bought. The incessant chatter would not stop.

Thereafter, I came into the study room and checked on them a couple of times to see if things were fine. Jaz hadn't started on her homework so I asked Nic to stop playing and give Jaz some time to finish up her worksheets. Now that's when the trouble started. Nic was adamant that Jaz couldn't draw her lines straight and was shoving a ruler into Jaz's hands. Jaz, on the other hand, was adamant that she wouldn't need a ruler and could draw the lines free hand. Nic started to raise her voice and Jaz retorted that Nic was sounding 'like a teacher' and 'asking me to do this and that...'. Nic was extremely unhappy with her comment and started to cross her arms and let out a frustrating heave. Jaz looked unhappy and equally frustrated. The cold war ended abruptly when Jaz had to return home for her dinner.

So I guess that'll be the first and the last time that both girls would do their homework together cos Nic was saying "I dun wanna invite Jaz over ever again, I'm angry with her" ....perhaps it'll be better if they just stuck to playing with dolls and kitchen sets. Then again, children cool down quickly and make friends just as easily as well.

Quick Morning Breakfast Bites

This is a tip-blog specially for mums, mums-to-be, mums of school-going children who need an idea or two for breakfast/what to pack for recess within a 25 minute time frame:

1. If your child hates the oats you cook, dun ever try cooking it again (cos it is just NOT the same as Dad's, dun ask me why) -- instead, use the extra 10 mins to snooze ***ha ha ha***

2. Make an egg mayonaise sandwich instead using milk toast bread slices (Hi-5 brand isn't too bad and so is Sunshine but I personally find Gardenia too hard)

3. Get the kid involved by asking him/her to stir in the mayonaise (Japanese mayo is the best, you can buy it from any NTUC fairprice supermarts) whilst you do a quick check on the school bags' contents

4. Half a cup of Milo or any hot beverage will do if you have a small eater like mine (any more and I guarantee that you'll be eating n drinking leftovers AGAIN)

5. Pack a margarine/kaya or margarine/strawberry jam (or any other fruit jam) toast for recess

6. Wrap up their recess toast in either foil or clingwrap so that they dun risk getting stomach poisoning if they forget to wash their hands before eating

7. A very cute looking lunchbox matters more than the quality of the packed food --- so indulge in a Disney Princess or Thomas the Train or Winnie the Pooh lunchbox to make them finish their meal

Voila! If you accomplish steps 1-7 within a 25 minute frame, you would have saved 10-15 more minutes than if you laboriously cooked maggi noodles or oats for them. Mummies must work smart to save time!

The Correct Way to Give HYPY spelling?

Hi mummies out there, this is an SOS blog... can anyone tell me what is the PROPER way to give Han Yu Pin Yin spelling to a 6 year old? Remember that I have this wonderful task to complete each Wednesday and Thursday evening? *** feeling faint***

Do we give the breakdown of the combined sounds or just pronounce the word? To give a clearer example, take the chinese character for nest (yes, as in bird's nest niao wo). Do we pronounce it as WO (combining the sounds of W and O) or do we break it up and say W... O...WO?

I was really struggling with this yesterday whilst preparing Nic for the 4th time so that she could manage at least to get a decent score today cos the first HYPY spelling was 5 out of 6. And guess what? I resorted to even telling her in English the equivalent of the Chinese character!!! [yes, i know, chinese teachers from the traditionalist school of thought would love to strangle me for this translation method of teaching HYPY] No matter how hard I tried to recall, I simply can't remember how it was given during my school days. So if anyone of you out there can remember, puhhhleeese give me a clue.... Mucho gracias!

What Mums Dread Most

Apologies to all my ardent blog readers for the delay in updating my blog as the laptop has been experiencing some rather strange problems lately... this is a blog entry which was meant to be updated last Friday but wasn't due to 'technical difficulties'...gee, isn't technology supposed to make our lives simpler?

On Friday, Nic came back with this look that spelt disaster. The minute she stepped off the school bus, there was this crestfallen tone. "Mummy, teacher just gave us a spelling list" her voiced trailed off to a mere whisper as she made this statement. I tried to perk up her moods by telling her that she's a natural speller and so it shouldn't be that tough. Oh boy, was I in for a suprise! On closer inspection of the spelling list, I found to my horror that the given weekly spelling list consisted of 10 words.

10 words? Not 5 or 6 just like in the kindergarten? A quick check via SMS with a girl friend confirmed my fears. "And it's a yearly thing" she quipped. Gee... 10 words each week huh? Plus Han Yu Pin Yin spelling as well. A good thing Nic doesn't attend any additional tuition class or there'll be more spelling on top of what she's expected to handle in school.

That translates into a clockwork routine for Mummy. Saturday afternoons and Sundays are block booked for Music theory homework, Monday and Tuesday evenings for English spelling and Wednesday and Thursday evenings for Chinese spelling. So is there any time left for childhood exploits like board games, card games, watching Sesame Street/Hi-5/Strawberry Shortcakes/My Little Pony or just chilling out? Barely....poor kid and poor Mummy

Kids Say the Darnest Things

I believe all mums, just like myself, share a 'love-hate' relationship with their child/children. Sometimes, kids are too frank for their own good. Recently, I had to wake up at the ungodly hour of 6am to cook the daily breakfast of oats with egg for the little one. When she tried her first spoonful, she showed total disdain for it. With tightly knitted brows and pursed lips, she let out an extremely blunt statement - 'Yucks, who cooked this? You? Not daddy? Not nice!' I had to goad a very reluctant child into finishing the bowl of oats and then soothe my bruised ego with a good hearty bowl of mee pok dry with lots of chilli sans the liver flushed down with a cup of hot Milo.

On another occasion, we slept late and had to wake up early the next morning. When I exclaimed casually that she had eyebags and dark circles, she retorted "You also have eye bags and dark circles Mummy, except yours are worse than mine". Now how's that for a morning wake-up compliment???

Why on earth do kids have to be so darn frank with their opinions? Could they not sugar-coat their words like all adults do? Do they not feel that Mummy had tried her best to cook the oats porridge just like Daddy would? Couldn't they show more sympathy for Mummy who had slept late and thus had dark eye circles?

Just like the American TV show with the same title.... Kids Say the Darnest Things.... It's true, trust me!

Mums and the things that they do

I was watching a small segment of blogtv yesterday and it featured mums who blog and explored the reasons why. There was this lady, a full-time stay-home mum, who blogs about alternative treatments for her child - I must say she has my admiration - to be able to cope with taking care of a disabled child and to be so generous as to share her alternative treatment methods via her blog.

Whilst fetching Nic back from the pick-up point after school ended, Nic's classmate's mum asked to exchange our mobile numbers so that in future, we can contact each other and check on school work etc as both our children are such 'blur sotongs' when it comes to homework. I guess all mums share the same worry - is our kid able to cope, happy at school/childcare centre etc, did the teacher issue locker keys, is there early dismissal and the list goes on...

Last weekend, whilst shopping around for a suitable reading book for Nic at Popular bookstore, I chanced upon a mum who also wanted a similar title - we split the bill as both of us just wanted to purchase only 1 book at the offer price (for 2 titles and above). Spontaneously, we both started a short conversation about our kids - what school, which level, their homework, the school activities, is silent reading effective etc. Perhaps that's what pulls mums together - discussion about their kids.

Fathers, on the other hand, rarely engage in such conversation topics, reeling mostly around work, career opportunities, latest stock market prices, new electronic gadgets, hobbies etc. Anything but kids. Mums chat about enrichment programs, where to buy reading books at a discount, what foods their kids prefer, which tuition centre has good teachers etc...

Like they say, Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus...

Ms Blur Sotong

Just when things were getting settled down in school and Nic's adapted to the "sleep @ 0930 -wake up @ 0630" routine, she fell prey to viral fever infection (sending her body temperature rising in the wee hours of the morning) and that started her wheezing chesty cough again ***Big huge sigh***... so I decided to let her stay home and rest instead of heading for school. The PD says to let her refrain from any vigorous activity for the time being and kept assuring me that all will be well in a week's time. I do hope so too cos the sleep deprivation will soon drain me of all my energies. [When severely sleep-deprived, I instantly metamorphosize into this blood-thirsty, easily-irrate, grouchy grump of a monster].

Today she's back in school but excused from PE (physical education class) for a week. I thought she would bring back loads of homework from yesterday but surprisingly no. I checked her notebook for notes from the teacher but found none. I asked her over dinner if she checked with her teacher...her reply was 'No'. Then I probed further and asked her if she checked with her good fren-buddy-cum-neighbour J.O. and again she gave me this quizzical "No" and "what for?" look.

Worry worry worry....should I email the form teacher to ask? Would that be adding more pressure to the poor lady? She sounded rather pressurized when I rang her on Monday to explain Nic's medical condition. I wonder when this incessant worrying will stop (or will it never?). The daily question is "Am I giving her too much stress?" and "Is she enjoying her primary school life?" I suppose all parents are in the same dilemma as I am, constantly asking and wondering if we've done what we can possibly for our child/children. So it would really help if Ms Blur Sotong did ask her classmates what had happened in school the day she wasn't around.

Tasty Food finds

For lovers of authentic hawker fare, do drop into the Chinatown Complex food centre @ its makeshift location (a walking distance in the open field from the Outram MRT station). Just this weekend, I had the rare chance of making a trip down and found an entire 'treasury' of hawker fare.

Spoilt for choice, I settled for a stall which sold fried hokkien prawn noodle wrapped in orh pek hiok (kinda like a big dried leaf which supposedly 'seals in the flavours'). For S$5, you get a generous serving of big fat juicy prawns (with the head intact, extremely fresh and not the 'headless' kind which is already pre-cooked and staslatehed in the fridge) --- I counted 5 prawplate. And the noodles were soaked in a flavourful broth of simmered chicken/prawn stock garnished with a big dollop of spicy sambal chilli. A very satisfying meal indeed!

I would have washed that down with Er Gu Tian Pin's (which literally translates into 'desserts from Er Gu or Second Aunt) famous sesame paste (zhi ma hu) or almond paste (xing ren hu) if the lady hadn't said "sorry, all sold out, come again lah!" Gee! That uppped my determination to die-die must try it the next time I have an opportunity.

A couple of tips from a foodie: bring along a big umbrella to 'chope' your seats whilst you place your order. Also, be prepared to spend time to queue up for the stall of your choice: I would safely estimate 20-25 minutes for popular stalls like the 'Ikan Bilis Yong Tau Foo' and the Cantonese zhi-char stall that sells Teochew steamed fish.

One big minus would be the queuing up to enter the carpark and to exit from it. The barrier is extremely autistic. But the quality of the meal would make up for this one single flaw... till the next blog, chow chow...

Inflation is severe...

I usually dun blog twice in a day but this I must say, is a serious matter...after fetching Nic from piano class, we zipped into the Lorong Ah Soo market cum food centre for a quick lunch. As Nic has the habit of taking her "own sweet time" to finish her bowl of duck rice, I quickly popped into the wet market below to grab a couple of vegetables (multi-tasking is every Mummy's innate 'talent').

I was very suprised to see that at 1pm, there were still a lot of vegetables being displayed and hardly anyone bought anything. Not sensing anything wrong, I selected two medium-sized brocolli florets and one medium-sized old melon (suitable for double-boiled soups). Guess what? The bill came up to a whooping S$7.60!!!!!! The reason? It's been flooding in Malaysia and vegetables are costly. Inflation is the technical term. The stall owner says that one kilo of long beans is now S$10!!! Arrrhhhh!!! *** hair dropping out *** Good luck to vegetarians...I think this week, we'll survive on potatoes and frozen peas... and more meat/eggs/dairy products...or pasta with sausages...just no vegetables....

Lunch was a nifty affair as we tucked into two plates of duck rice. This stall which we chanced upon is really value-for-$. Two plates of yam rice (very soft and moist with garlic bulbs in it and chunks of yam), one plate of duck meat with braised eggs and duck liver and a bowl of herbal soup (you can really smell the herbs) came up to a mere S$6.60... I love Singapore for its cheap and good food....btw, the stall's name is Seletar Yong Ji chicken & duck rice... I would award it 4 stars rating (out of a total of 5) for its good taste, value and most of all, excellent service. No grouchy hawker assistant barking out your orders but prompt, efficient and polite service. Thumbs up....

Hanyu Pinyin lessons

Hi mummies out there, ever thought how tough hanyu pinyin lessons might be? I remembered vaguely when it was introduced into the MOE syllabus (then as a primary 4 or 5 kid), it was like a god-send to me. Why? Cos firstly, my chinese foundation (if any) was really really weak coming from a non-Chinese speaking family background. Plus I used to scribble in English equivalent the pronunciation of the chinese word e.g. the word for prawn or 'xia' (in Hanyu Pinyin) --- i spelt it as 'seah' **ha ha**... so that I can read it into a tape recorder and use it for my own spelling practise. Needless to say, I really hated the Chinese language (scoring not more than a B4 ever) and boy was I relieved when I no longer had to learn to read or write in Chinese in the varsity.

Now I look at my own kiddo and wonder if she'll be as glad about hanyu pinyin as I was? She seems to be very amazed by the four intonations and I think her teacher taught her body signs to go with it as she was demonstrating to me last night *** I'm dumbfounded by the 'cuteness' of these signs***

Next Friday is the start of her hanyu pinyin spelling and chinese characters spelling. During her Kindergarten years, her then Chinese teacher Ms Ang gave them really tough characters to write (tough as in the complexity of the strokes) and Nic seemed to just handle them in her stride [of course, Daddy was there to drill and 'grill' the strokes to perfection, Mummy's still rather hopeless where written chinese is concerned]. As I heard from most mummies, their kids hate Chinese spelling. So I must be mentally prepared for this ordeal.... wish me luck!

Rabbit Princess & Frenz

Well, it has been almost 7 days since school started and Rabbit Princess seems to have found herself a couple of frens in class. There's neighbour plus sitting partner Ms J.O. who takes the same bus back from school. (they hold hands once they get off the bus all the way till they reach home). There's Ms P, whom I heard sneezes a lot and will happily rub the mucus onto her PE tee (eeks!) and with each day, Rabbit Princess seems to be able to make more acquaintances. It certainly helps to have frens and they can help remind each other of the day's homework and make school more exciting too.

Recess fare has been varied - from homemade egg mayonaise with cucumber sandwiches, to kaya and margarine toast to strawberry jam sponge cake. Once in a while, Mummy urges Rabbit Princess to eat from the canteen so as to make her adapt to the routine of queuing up for food etc.

Meanwhile, 3 continuous days of PE has taken its toll -- Rabbit Princess whines away this morning, complaining of muscle aches in her legs. She walks extremely slowly and limps around the house so Mummy starts to worry if she'll be able to cope with all the walking and stairs climbing in school. Yet when she's dropped off at the school foyer, she walks with ease towards the school hall....Kids!!!!!

Picky eater

I'm not sure if I'm just a very easily contented person with no tastebuds but I seem to find quality food rather easily. On the contrary, Nic seems to be the exact opposite. Few things seem to find a perfect fit to her fastidious tastebuds and only a few dishes 'pass up to expectation' -- the list includes mui fan (rice soaked in thick hor fun gravy with fish cake slices, fish, lean meat or chicken, two prawns and loads of MSG), chicken rice (must be boneless chicken), fried rice (rice mustn't be too hard or sticky soft), nasi lemak (not the $1.50 pre-wrapped types but the ones that the macik serves piping hot from the rice pot in Changi Village with the crispy chicken wing deep fried to perfection), prata with and without egg dipped in vegetable curry and mustn't be too spicy, hor fun (especially the kind with the special orh pek hiok) and her ever popular choice of popiah.

Aside from the abovementioned, only sweet foods (desserts) are able to make it to her list of edible foods. Her favourite of course is the Ah Ball-ling in almond paste and soya bean curd from Selegie Soya Bean stall (which thankfully is a franchise and can be found islandwide). And the latest to make it into her list is Cheng Terng from Teck Ghee market (which I was told by an ex-colleague that it is definitely a stall with a long history and has many loyal fans).

Hence, cooking a meal for such a picky eater can cause a migraine of richter scale 7. Five conditions prevail:

1) It must not be too hard or too soft
2) It must contain egg in some form (fried, stir-fried, steamed)
3) It must not have too much meat
4) Variety in colours and textures must exist side-by-side
5) It must have some form of gravy (or chaph-chaph as coined by Mummy)

As such, canteen fare must really be the pits for her extra-selective tastebuds. Needless to say, getting her to put on weight takes a lot of effort, perhaps more than necessary. Sigh...when will she start gorging on fastfoods???

Homework, Homework and More Homework...the Rat Race begins

As any Singaporean parent would soon come to realise, school's all about homework, assignments and more worksheets. ** poor parent *** Childhood memories come to a screeching halt [just imagine the sound of the Emergency brake] whenever the dreaded word 'homework' arises in conversations between any two parents of school-going children.

And just like any other primary student in our mainstream schools, Rabbit Princess has just started to realise that other than fun n more fun activities, school's about homework as well.
There's mathematics workbook, handwriting worksheets, mathematics textbook examples to work on which means no extra time for TV programmes except the essential 30 minutes of Hi-5 on Kids Central each evening. Then of course, there's also Piano theory workbook, piano technical exercises, piano pieces to practise and manuscript homework. And all these to be squeezed into a time frame of about 2.5 hours.

Geez, now is school plus enrichment still that fun afterall? Now now, relax, this is just the beginning to a LONG LONG journey of achieving the ultimate prize... a Degree! So Rabbit Princess, stop fretting and frowning and take it all in your stride!

Oh Oh Jungo...

Rabbit princess comes back more excited than before with a flushed face. Apparently she had PE lessons at 1200-1230 and was raving with hunger the moment she got down from the school bus. In between her spoons of bee tai mak, she was describing her PE lessons with Mr Gregory Tan and her four Mother Tongue teachers etc. Apparently, blur Mummy had forgotten to pack in her Chinese textbook & workbook & also the CME (Civics and Moral Education) textbook so she didn't have them during the MT lessons. Oh Oh jungo...

During dinner, she was busy humming to the tune of Majulah Singapura and reciting the pledge. Oh my...National education huh? Ha ha...

Let's hope tomorrow will bring her more surprises. For a 6 year old, primary school seems very exciting doesn't it? Meanwhile I do hope the traffic condition at her school will improve. Every day, I seem to have to queue up to drop her off at the foyer and this morning I saw that big flashy blue Jaguar again.

Chaos in class

It's merely Day 3 in school and rabbit princess comes back to describe something dramatic that happened at school...a fight broke out between the boys in class (i would think a scuffle would be more appropriate cos how can primary 1 pupils fight?) whilst there was no teacher in the classroom...so I probed her for details and she says a girl ran out to call the attention of a teacher in the next class to restore order in the classroom... No kidding... is this how 6 year olds behave in school these days?

Needless to say, I was dumbfounded by this. Kids seem to rule the world these days, I think. Back in the good ol' days, if anyone was caught fighting or picking a fighting, both parties would be caned in public. These days, I doubt so the same capital punishment would be carried out given the 'consumer power' of the parents and the 'soft' approach to discipline. Spare the rod and spoil the child, I'll say. Sadly, not everyone feels the same way. Sigh....

The 30minutes duration of school recess seems to be doing Nic good. At least now, she eats faster than before, eats more and is less choosy about the different ingredients in her dish. Her orders for the last 3 days were - chicken rice, fried rice and fried rice. I asked her why didn't she order something else - her reply is always the same - 'all sold out'... [pondering thought: can parents totally believe 100% without doubt what their kid always tells them?]

Meanwhile, I have packed in all the textbooks/workbooks/activity booklets/files/stationery and they weigh a tonne... so I really wonder how she's going to cope with the load given her petite frame... anyway, i'm sure things will just 'go their natural course' given time. Till the 2nd week of school...

Rabbit Princess' First Day at School

Times flies...it really does when you have a kid who suddenly seemed to have grown up in a wink...all parents look forward to their child's first day at school so naturally was I. In fact, considering she has already been to playgroup, then nursery followed by two years of kindergarten, this is the FIRST time I've played the role of a mummy accompanying her kiddo to school.***guilty***

Daddy hadn't slept a wink through the night, probably anxious over how his darling baby girl was going to cope with the new school. Nevertheless, he wakes up promptly to cook oats with egg for his precious as breakfast then Mummy washes her and gets her ready to go... zooom...we zip down to her school where many anxious parents hang around (literally) just to be there for their child...

Officially we had to leave the school grounds once we settled our kids down into their class seating queue but of course, which parent listens to instructions where their kid is concerned? The Principal then took over the mic and urged parents to leave the school hall, adding that the children were 'suffocating in the heat' thanks to the crowds of parents encircling the kids. Reluctantly, the parent crowd dispersed. I heard mumbles and grumbles from the grandmas, granddads, mummies and daddies with maids in tow.

I zipped down at 0930 to catch my kiddo in the midst of her recess. She was busy stuffing herself with chicken rice from the canteen stall. Cameras were clicked and kids waved and videocams went arolling.... it was like a scene from 'Singapore Idol'... except the kids were the idols in the eyes of the parents. (Parents were not allowed to buy food or bring food for their kids, they just stood behind the red tape and watch their kids eat. Honestly, I was like a fugitive, spying on my kid...)

Finally just before school was released, I zipped down again to check that kiddo was in the right bus queue. Ah ha... I found her in the Bus No. 2 queue (going to Hougang!) instead of the Bus No. 4 queue thanks to the inefficiency and improperly organised school bus transport company. Super mummy quickly solves the problem by pulling out kiddo and speaking with the chief bus attendant. Problem solved, Super Mummy zips off home to wait for kiddo at designated drop-off point.

Then came the super long wait...kiddo jumps down bus complaining of extreme hunger (never heard her ever say that before) and noise level in the bus... Super Mummy whips up fried rice and a soup for her...

The rest of the evening kiddo couldn't stop describing what happened in school. She was so excited that the description ended around midnight, with her parents dozing off to deep slumber out of sheer exhaustion....zzzzzzzzzz

Trip down to Villa'ge Restaurant

Considering it's a long long weekend and that I have to drag myself up at an ungodly hour of 630am tomorrow, today's a great day for hanging out @ Orchard just to eat, shop and people-watch. So, I happily dragged a rather reluctant hubby with kiddo in tow to d'Village at the Heeren (previously known as Marche) and also hubby's fren's teenage son who's here to study at ACS(I) on a scholarship along. For starters, kiddo and I shared a thick flavourful rich mushroom soup before venturing onto Rosti with pork sausage and for dessert, we happily chomped down crepes with custard served with a scoop of strawberry ice-cream. Hubby ordered his grilled salmon and forgot to add his dash of lemon juice before shoving it down his throat (and then complained about how bland his salmon was) and washing it down with a cuppa. Our carnivorous teenage guest had his favourite grilled beef with mashed potatoes and a tiramisu (with hubby nagging at him to eat his veggies). Would have gone for the rich chocolate cake if I still had space in my stomach.

After a long delightfully satisfying lunch, we marched onto Takashimaya for some shopping. Considering it's a public holiday, it really wasn't very crowded in town much to my surprise. Perhaps the crowd is at Vivocity [thank God for megamalls]?

Singapore truly is very boring a place. Other than restaurants and malls, there isn't much to see or do. Would be nice if we had more parks and nature reserves. I think we may end up even hanging out at the airport if we really run out of places to be at.