Money NO enough2

Yes I know I seemed to have disappeared off the face of earth but the truth is I've just been too bogged down to blog, nor can be bothered to. But today, I shall take control over my unwilling body with my determined mind and say a word or two about the latest movie I've watched. It's none other than Jack Neo's sequel, Money NO Enough 2.

Before I stepped into the cinema, I was thinking "alright, it's gonna make you split your sides and after that you'll forget about your problems for a while". The first 10 minutes was purely slapstick, hokien jokes revolving around the 'Singaporean kia-see' (scaredy-cat) mentality. As the plot thickens, I see an analogy of the typical 3 classes of Singaporeans - the lower-income , the middle-income with no kids (they used to be called DINKS in Japan - Double Income No kids) and the high-income whose lives are incomplete without modern luxuries and branded goods. Each of these classes have their own share of problems. So who says the rich will always remain rich? What I really appreciated about the movie was the bit on filial piety (or rather how practicality overcomes filial piety) and how the mother sacrificed her own life for the sake of her children and grandchildren. That really had me on the verge of tears. Very touching.

So, to end this very short blog, I'd say I'm glad I watched the movie - not only was it funny, it had summarised all the 'practical problems' that we Singaporeans faced. I shall be getting the DVD when it's out.

oh Gosh! I lost my water bottle

I am so unhappy when I was at JUSCO [at Malacca] because I was so careless that I did not remind my daddy to take my water bottle in the taxi when we almost reached JUSCO. If I did reminded my dad to take my water bottle then I will not lose my water bottle. It was useless that I remembered that the taxi starts with MAX...I should remember the number not the three starting words. Now I do not know where my water bottle is now.
Rabbit princess.

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!