Au Revoir, May

Sun, 21 December 2008

Today's May last day in Singapore. We got up early in the morning to send her off at the airport. The 4-year old and May spent their last hour playing together and taking some photos together. When it was time for May to enter the boarding gate, the 4-year old broke into tears and hugged May tightly. I can't help but shed tears as well. She has afterall been a part of our family life for the past two years. We enjoyed a peaceful, a well-balanced family & work life as she has helped us a great deal with childcare. It's a shame we can't retain her.

Fortunately I'm on leave for the next two weeks to spend time with the 4-year old. It's quite a drastic change from a career woman to a full-time mother. How do I spend my days at home?

7.30am - Prepare & enjoy breakfast with the little one
8.30am - Help her change & get dressed for school
9.00am - Walk her to school
9.00am-12.30pm - Run errands
12.30pm - evening - Housechores, washing, ironing, packing, playing...

I never imagine that time flies so quickly when I am home. Unfortunately, part of this time does not include time for rest & nap. But I do not mind working extra for our family and taking care of my little one full-time during this period when she needs me most after biding May farewell.

We do not know when the new helper will arrive. But I think we are coping very well as a family as Moth also plays his part to help as well. This is a wonderful experience.

We are looking forward to our Christmas holiday in Hanoi and our cruise in Halong Bay. Can't wait to post our family pictures on this blog.

With the new year, we begin with a new helper, a new school for the little one, and a new career for me.

French Singing Competition

28 November 2008:

We took part in a FRENCH SINGING COMPETITION!

Singing 'Place Des Grands Hommes' by Patrick Bruel...

It was nerve racking but we survived and won nothing except experience and good fun.

We worked very hard to practise the song, imagine 3 pages long of french text... hmm, it's enough to cause a big, huge migraine. Yes, you are right. That's my 4-year old pulling my jeans. She is a very brave girl and made a dash to be on stage. She sang along during the chorus and it's wonderful!

To view the video clips, visit: http://www.apfs.sg/french_students%27_singing_contest_2008.htm

A little disney magic

Despite the gloomy economic outlook and daily bad news, we took our 4 year old to the Disney Live, 3 Classical Fairy Tales performance at the Kallang Indoor Stadium. Boy, we were wooed by the performance, beautiful stage, special effects, wonderful musicals, ... and of course, the all time favourites Snow White, Cinderella & Beauty & the Beast. The tickets were reasonably priced and we compared this performance with Barney. Barney show was a let down, dull & boring. Nothing special yet pricey.

To spice up the outing, I had surprised the 4 year old with a princess gown. She was so happy and excited to don and dress up as a princess.

No goodbyes???

My 4-year old will leave her school end of this year. She will begin Kindergarten 1 in a new school with new teachers and new friends.

She has been attending this school since she's around 2.5 years old. She likes to give her friends goodbye cards and likes to bake her friends cupcakes. But her school doesn't allow it! Her school management thinks that such farewell will affect other children and will stir emotions.

I don't agree with the management's views and I think it is inappropriate for my 4-year old to leave without saying goodbye.

I question the school and asked how the teacher will answer the children when my 4-year old does not return to school. Eventually the topic of "goodbye" will pop up and the teacher has to address this. I ask the management if the children will suddenly become mature to accept the goodbye (when Emelia is gone!).

It's normal to say goodbye to people. To view the exchanges between the school & me, visit:
http://preschool.sg/?p=404#comment-2289

What's wrong with these?

Can anyone tell me what's wrong with these cuff links?

I bought something like these for SOMEONE for our anniversary.
(Something similar, except it's round-shaped, in more vibrant colour).

I kept the receipt and told him that if he's displeased with the present he can bring it to the shop for an exchange (as he's normally unhappy with the presents I buy him and he will recall them even after 5 years), And our friend pretended that he's "delighted" with the present, absolutely love it...

Tonight, 2 months after our anniversary, he said he hates it! Coz the cuff links are too brightly coloured. My gosh, this guy is completely, absolutely screwed up. He can't make up his mind about his preference, he's completely insincere about his comments. Only God + his mother can figure what he really wants.

Fine, I will dispose of these in the recycling bin for metal products. It's a waste of my precious time & money to get him a present for any occasions. Our friend is earning 3 times more than me so he has extra income to dispose while poor me have to squeeze and squeeze my budget to get a decent gift.

For Christmas, he can pray & wish for Santa Claus to bring him a present or better still, call his mother to express his wish for his prefect present. BoF!

Someone's reading my blog

I took the opportunity to chat with an old pal of mine this morning because I wanted to tell her how stressful my interview went and how I felt as if I was going to evaporate.

Let me recall... I knew her when I was 17. We were both students then in the famous secretarial school (now disappeared from our island). I used to play traunt or skip class whenever I overslept and she would dutifully ring me non-stop to ensure that I drag my butt out from bed.

My pal told me that she's been reading my blog and it made her laugh.

I was very flattered. My blog actually made my pal laughed! : )
For 15 years of our friendship, I believe I gave her more troubles and headaches than laughters. But this is a real good start.

Friendships do not last 4ever

When I was a teenager, my mom said to me "No friendships will last forever. No one will stay best friends forever".

I replied saying "I don't believe you! This is not true".

In turn, my mom said "You will know what I mean when you grow older."

I recalled having a feeling that my mom is such a horrible person.

Reflecting back on this tiny conversation we had, I had to recognise that my mom said made sense. I now agree that no one can remain best friends or friends forever. During stages of my life, I made friends along the way. As I grew, mature, change my perspective about life in general, so did my friends. Sometimes we grew apart as we no longer share the same opinions or thoughts or interests. Some friends are good at being mean & putting each other down through mean words.

Therefore, we cannot maintain that friendship we used to share. Over time, the friendship stales.
I remember reading a self-inspiration book and the author mentioned that friendship is like a relationship. When the relationship has gone bad and staled, you need to divorce yourself from the friendship to move on with your life.

I must share my views with my mom over a coffee so we can both have a good laugh over the conversation we had when I was a teenager.

Neighbour from Hell 2

We thought our neighbour has shifted out. But we heard noises again in the morning and sometimes in the night. As we got home late tonight, we decided to spy on the neighbour.

Apparently, there was a group of weird people... can't make out their profession... but certainly unprofessional movers removing bits & pieces of furniture, old mattresses, etc. The part-time moving out activity ended at 10pm.

You see, this neighbour from hell, is strange. They cannot even coordinate the move to be done during normal hours. The move has to be done in bits and pieces and in the night.

So don't you think they deserve this title?

Neighbour from HELL

We have been putting up with our neighbour from hell for nearly 3 years.
Every night, we can't sleep well as the children are up and running till past midnight. The noise included the bouncing of balls (not 1 but 2 or 3 simultaneously), dragging of furniture, loud stamping, children running the Olympics marathon.

You may ask how bad can the noise be? It's so bad till it caused vibration on our ceiling in our bedroom & to our window frames. So get the picture now. The adults (oh-la-la)... instead of advising their children to keep it down, play ball outdoors, you can see in one of the pictures that the adult was holding a drinking bottle for the boy while he continues bouncing his ball. Headache.

We complained non-stop to the Police, the Town Council & the HDB. Guess what, no government authorities wish to take action or be responsible for noise nuisance. I really think that there should be a noise nuisance division set up in Singapore to deal with such grievances. Eg: have proper sound measuring gadgets to gauge if the noise level is intolerable to the residents involved, have the ability to issue stern warnings to inconsiderate neighbours, educate ill-informed residents that noise nuisance is a no-no in high-rise living.

For the past 3 nights, the neighbour was up and about packing from 12 AM till 3 AM!!!!!!!!!!! They were literally throwing things about in the kitchen, slamming drawers, utensils, etc. Directly below their kitchen, are our bedrooms and toilets. I congratulate the smart HDB architect who designed the maisonette without giving consideration to noise & soundproofing issues.

The HDB officer in charge of my case said that the NEW HDB flats are much better in soundproofing and that he has certification in noise nuisance and engineering. I was so mad. I told him that we are now stuck with an OLD HDB so we can't move to a NEW flat to escape from this noise problem. I added that since he's engineering trained, he should speak with my MOTH who is an Engineer about this matter. But he didn't even ring my husband. Ha!!!

We receive news that the neighbour is due to move. Yesterday evening, I noticed that the windows are drawn shut. In the night when we returned from cycling, the windows were still shut and all was DARK. Yipppppeeeeee. The bloody neighbour from HELL has MOVED!!!!!!!!!!

I slept so well last night. Ah... at least, we experienced peace & quietness.

I pray that the next neighbour who moved in will be a quiet family.
I can't understand how the children can have energy to stay up till past midnight and the adults don't even supervise their bedtime. My 4-year old will usually turn in before 900pm regular nights, a little later during the weekend.

The Geography of Bliss

One Grump's Search for the Happiest Place in the World... by Eric Weiner...

MOTH spotted this book while we were out for our rendezvous. He encouraged me to get a copy of it. I read the content's page & its review. Instantly, I was drawn to the book but I also felt guilty.

Did MOTH read my mind? Did he guess that I harbour constant thoughts to travel around the world for months to fill some empty gaps, feel some happiness and thrill of exploration?

Such thoughts are evil as it will make me completely bankrupt, utterly & bloody broke.

Photos - Macau

Photos - HK, Stanley

The 4-year old

The 4-year old has been repeatedly asking for art class. Before she was colouring so badly (that her teacher had to alert me), her excuse was that she hated colouring. I told her that if she really wanted to go for art class & become an artist, she needs to start from the basics... from drawing to colouring to experiencing various mediums. She took my advise and she put in effort in her daily colouring tasks. I am very proud of her for showing her determination and perseverance. She has convinced me of her genuine interest.

I managed to enrol her in one near our home. She started class last Sunday. We had fun cycling there (in our tandem bike fitted with a child seat). The entire journey from our home to Siglap was only 15 mins! ^^

We felt good as cycling is green, cost & time efficient! The 4-year old had fun on the bike too.

Knock! Knock!

So where the hell did I disappear to?

From 15-18 June, I managed a very successful seminar in Hong Kong, conquered my stage fright of speaking in front of 60 persons, laughed, had fun, enjoyed the meals & shopped. Though the weather was bad, raining throughout the entire days, I enjoyed myself. This is the first seminar that I let my hair down. When I receive negative comments, I smiled and relaxed. I told myself "well, I can't please everyone!" The seminar was held at the Le Meridien Cyberport. Though it was located far from the city central, I loved its insolation. It's surrounded by a moutain & the sea. Every day, I get to enjoy the view of a pair of eagles soaring by. The room was fantastic - large, spacious with a beautiful bathroom.

I missed MOTH & my little one a lot. But I was motivated as he came to join me in HK on the 18 June. I shook hands with all the delegates, thanking them for their attendance and off I went to the ferry terminal to wait for my darling. I was so relieved to see him FINALLY. Hugs, Kisses... and off we went to Macau. It was a 1-hr ferry ride. As it was Wednesday evening, it was quiet, peaceful, and fantastic.

I love Macau. I brand it the "City of Circus" with bright laser lights, overwhelming neon signages, water fountains,... The city brought me a sense of happiness & joy. We checked in Hotel Lisboa. Very traditional hotel but with fantastic view of the city. We love the super shower features - came with steam bath, radio, auto lights, massaging shower sprouts. It was heavenly to step in for a steam bath, followed by a shower. My skin felt so smooth & clean! Sightseeing was fantastic as the weather had cleared up and we were blessed with slight passing shower & sun. The architecture in Macau... hmm... densely populated public housing in the midst of the centuries old architectures of houses, churches, city square of Portugese origins.

We returned to HK on 20 June and spent another 2 days there. Again, blessed with good weather. The tram ride up the Peak was fantastic. The view of HK city was breathtaking. I was lucky to have experienced 2 sights (one with a clear view & the other was foggy, low clouds with rain during the seminar). Don't ask me about shopping. I am ashamed to say that I'm bad with it. We couldn't find any "Lo-Po-Bing" shop. We didn't buy any apparels. So what did we buy? You might laugh. Lots of postcards, & magnets & an entire bag of chewing gums... This trip, we dined, we relaxed, we took afternoon naps, lots of walking... & experiencing the public transport via train & star ferry. I don't know about MOTH but this is one of my best Holiday ever! I love HK & Macau.

As my little one has hit 4 years old, I took this opportunity to mail her postcards from Macau & HK.

Ps. Pardon me, I'm too lazy to upload the images.

MSN Video

MSN Video

Tri-Scooter

Once a upon a time, she was a tiny baby. Now she's a young girl with a mind of her own, eager to explore and experiment new adventures. Here she is on her tri-scooter. She loves scooting up and down... the faster it goes, the more thrilled she is.

Travel Bug

Another 27 days to go... I will take a flight to Hong Kong.

My thoughts are jumbled. I have yet to complete the collateral required for the seminar and I have to be the emcee to address over 60 delegates every morning. Stage Fright? Definitely! I laugh at myself for I used to be such an active actress during my school days. How did the little actress developed stage fright over the years?

MOTH will fly in to meet me on the last day of the seminar. We will meet at the Ferry Terminal and spend 2 days in Macau. Another 2 days in Hong Kong.

I'm excited as this will be our first trips to the cities. Especially excited about visiting Macau filled with the Portuguese historical sites. I can smell the different aromas of food, the bustling life of the casinos, the lights... the actions.

Well, well, don't let the travel bug get into me. I have to seriously focus on completing the financial paperwork for the recruitment event plus the collateral required for the coming seminar.

Like a swan in a lake,
She glides by gracefully,
Surrounding her, an air of mystery,
She continues her journey & crosses the bridge,
There, Will she finally be greeted by future?

Appeal for Contribution

I started a donation drive in my department last week. It's the call for contribution for the survivors from Cyclone Nargis, Myanmar and the quake in Sichuan, China.

At first, the contribution flowed in slowly. We collected less than $50 (considering we are a department of 30 persons, I found that quite pathetic). I suppose to each his own. Though we can't help everyone but everyone can help someone.

This week, I managed an event with colleagues from Paris visiting us. I brought the box to the convention centre and had them contribute. They were very supportive of this drive.

One of them was very thoughtful. I left the box in the meeting room untended for. At the end of the day, he kept the box away for me and in the morning, hunted for it to hand the box over to me. Silly me.

Thank gosh, the contribution went up to $400. Phew.

The other great news was that my company in China is matching dollar-for-dollar. Since we collected $400, $200 would go to Myanmar & the other $200 would go to China. But in this instance, the survivors in China would receive $400 instead. I was really happy to have doubled this amount. The money was handed to the Embassy of China in Singapore on Friday morning.

My heart goes to them. I hope all will be well! & I hope for God to end natural disasters.

My 1st pair of Ferragamo

I have always wondered how it feels to don on a pair of Ferragamo shoes on my huge wide feet. I have pondered for many years now. My curiousity was again aroused when I saw a lady wearing them yesterday. I kept staring at her shoes that she must be thinking I am a shoe-manic.

Hehe ... MOTH bought me a pair online this afternoon. I will receive the shipment around mid June. I'm dying, I can't wait.

The founder is a renowned shoemaker. Every pair shoes are handcrafted. For a person like me with flat feet, I really hope that this pair of shoes would give me the much needed comfortable. So when I walk, I feel as if I'm flying...

HiPPy

Hippy, MOTH'll finally be home tomorrow. I miss him so much.

Especially so tonight when I have a craving for a slice of thick chocolate mud cake but I've no one else to share it with.

So what have we gals been up (life without a MAN)?
We went out makaning alot... some bits of shopping... catching up with family... & sleeping closely together... Today, we went out cycling in the park. My gosh, the 4-year old landed up flying into the drain and smashing into the barriades as she was peddling fast while I was not able to catch. Thankfully, she was not injured in 2 accidents.

I asked her if she would tell her daddy tomorrow about the cycling adventures we had. She laughed and replied that Daddy would say "blur blur!"...

I gotta go now to bed. Gotta work tomorrow due to an event. But look forward to welcoming MOTH.

Ps. MOTH - you see we need you so much. The gals can't go cycling without you.

1 Big, 1 Small

the 4 year old vs the 1 year old @ T3, 17 May 08, Sat