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.