Army letter

(Scream………) Kai received his first army letter. Aiyo, so fast. My son will soon be enlisted in a twinkle of an eye.

That little Miss Perfect

I am beginning to realise that Ann is the little Miss Perfect. She came home with 49/53 for her 听写 (Chinese spelling) and she said she was sad. I told her it was a superb job done. Stressed to her that it is not about the marks but about doing her very best. Period.

Beautiful

Kai came home with his first poem done in class for the year. Very beautifully written.

Windows tell stories of the world outside.
Windows give freedom to those trapped inside.
Windows are square. Windows are round.
Windows are black. Windows are brown.   

Windows can let in the light and keep out the dark things of the night.
Windows allow in enchanting moonlight.
Windows let robbers jump out and take flight.  
And although humans of blood, flesh and bone,
along with windows made of stone and glass
may meet their fate,
memories of time spent in the sun will always last,
never to fade. (copyright 2013 SHIA Kai)

It is an open topic and he chose to write about 'windows'. I mean what is there to wrote about? I would be clueless. He did such a great job in describing something so simple and so poetic. Great job my son!

The sun is out…

After days of rain, the sun is finally out which means time for some good old traditional ice-cream!


Girls just want to eat ice-cream

Ok, now that my clothes are dry and ice-cream eaten, tonight can rain already and maybe ponding…*smile*

Who is the culprit?

So much have been said about our education system giving so much stress to our children but I think it is the parents giving the stress because of the FEAR factor. Where does the FEAR factor come from? Yes, teachers and parents.

I attended a ‘teacher meet parents’ session last week. Not one of the teachers present said anything about helping children to enjoy school, to have fun at learning. They talked about helping the children to get to the top class when they move on to the next standard. Parents were asking about the Gifted programme, the Math Olympiad, doing the Higher Mother Tongue…I wonder do they even consult their children for their views after all, the kids are the ones who will be studying and not the parents.

Ann was placed in the highest level of her Chinese class. The spouse and I wanted to give her lesser stress. We  spoke to the Chinese teacher that we would prefer Ann to start at a more manageable level. Her response was, would Ann feel inferior going to a “lower” class. Wrong, so very wrong. Children should never be made to feel this way and teachers must show an example.
We have put across to the teachers a very strong and clear message…that we are not their typical parents who are result-oriented. That’s why I said right from the beginning, I will do my darnest to keep my children away from the pressure cooker.

You know who are the happiest group of people? Yes, tutors and all tuition centers.

The meeting with the teachers was held at a P6 classroom and on my table, these words were scribbled…”Life is tough”. Very sad, this coming from just a 12 year old. Parents and teachers, I hope you hear their cries!

When friends gather...

Nothing is more fun than celebrating an old friend’s birthday…all of us have known each other for more than 3 decades. It is hard to find a friend, even harder to find one and still remain as friends 30 years later.
 

She is capable of doing a lot more

These were sewn by Ann. The spouse only showed her once how to do it and she did all these herself.

 
Done by a little girl, I think this is an excellent effort.

My first cooking class since coming home

Nian gao, a different kind. Ann came along.

 

 

Children must always love going to school 

Yes, they must. It is when they love going to school, they will love learning. There is this saying “Do what you LOVE and you will never work a day in your life.” It is good that we have been away. Being away made me care less about the paper chase, the pressure cooker education system. You see, when you stay overseas you miss school sometimes because of heavy snow days, typhoon and a whole lot of other reasons. The kids didn’t learn less and they were not in any way more stupid. In fact, school or no school, everyday is a learning day.

This is their second week of school and I was initially worried that Kai and Ann will not enjoy school in Singapore. Well, little Ann seems to know what I am thinking. Daughter and mama have telepathic power. She came out from school and said, “mama, I love going to school.” “I love Singapore school, I just miss my SSIS friends.” So happy indeed to hear that. I told her, we will arrange to meet her Shanghai friends.

Over dinner, I asked Kai. “Can you use one word to describe your secondary school life?”.

Son : Interesting

Me : Even more interesting than SSIS?

Son : Yes, there are more interesting things to do.

Kai is definitely an advance learner. He enjoys hands on subjects. Design and Technology is fast becoming his favourite subject. Science experiments are more exciting now. Because of his reading habits, he enjoys Literature, Geography, History. The three years in Shanghai has helped him improve his Mother Tongue. It is no longer a chore, he can breeze through it now.

Last weekend, we went to school for the Tea with Principal session. Met the principal for the very first time and I love her. She is a no nonsense lady. Very disciplined and regards values as an important aspect of life. You can see what kind of principal the school has by looking at the kind of students they produced. Very well mannered, very disciplined. Kai thoroughly enjoys his time in school. In life, when a door is shut, it may not be a bad thing. It could mean a window of opportunities.

It is definitely the right choice to be home.

Looking back…


Seeing Ann walking out from school brought back so much memories…Time has changed. I was always looking out for Kai walking out from school. I have looked after him since he turned one and I have always been the one sending and fetching him from school. Only when he was in P2 that I decided to let him take the school bus cos’ it was really impossible to send two kids to different schools at the same time. After taking the school bus for just one term, we were off to USA and then Shanghai. I continued to be their main caregiver, seeing them to school and seeing them home even when we were overseas.

Felt strange just seeing one child walking out from school. Kai is now in sec 1 and he is completely capable of taking care of himself. Soon, Ann will also not need me as much. Then, it will really be an empty nest. Age is catching up too. Since school started, I am so exhausted, completely, thoroughly exhausted. The day starts at 5.15am. I tried sleeping early but I am such a light sleeper and because of that, I could hardly have a restful sleep. Like the other day, I slept at 10.30pm, woke up at 11.30pm and then 2.30am and finally 5.15am…sigh. They say, old people sleep lesser. Is that true?

Another Election

This era must be the era that saw the highest number of elections. It is very interesting to read some of the analysis, it is like playing the game of chess!

One more year and it will be two decades


It has been 19 years. 19 years has been a long time. We have been together for that long, been through the valleys and the mountains. Standing side by side, hand in hand. There were challenging times, there were good times. What kept us strong is having the same focus – Christ.

The signs are showing, always 25! *wink*

Stay wise

I have always wanted Kai to be independent. Before we came back, I have already told him many times that once he gets to secondary school, he must learn to take the public transport on his own. Well, he did it the other day and today will be his second time doing it. But…

The son was lost today and the mama was like the ant on the hot pan. It was 3.15pm and he was still not home. Oh Lord, please protect my son. He has been away for a good couple of years so doesn't really know his way. Called up the school and they said that all sec 1s have been dismissed....aiyo, where is my son? Called him on his handphone, no reply. Finally, he came home at 3.30pm.

son: I took the bus from the wrong side of the road.
me : Where were you?
son: I think Funan, Bras Basah area
me : (Eyes big big) Why you didn't call me?
son : Left my phone at home, on silent mode
me : How did you manage to come home?
son : Cross the road and take 33
me : Very good!
me : Scared? Did you cry?
son : No, through out the journey, I could recognise all the places
me : Well done

I am thankful for the opportunity to raise up my two kids on my own. Every opportunity I have, I bring them out, using the public transport. I kept reminding the kids to observe their surroundings and stay alert. It pays off. Sometimes, as parents, we tend to do everything and give the best for our kids. We tend to always keep them on the safe mode without realising that it may not be the best for them. Exposing them to challenges in life at a younger age will make them a David at a later age.

Straight As is one thing, being street wise is another. It's survival!

Good job, my son!

What art thou?

Kai came home late that day as he was being introduced to the various activities in school. I opened the door when he came back and I was surprised…

 

He is happy, I am happy

Just Pictures…

Food…

Seafood stew

 
My not-so-new toy. First home-made waffle

 
Japanese beef curry rice. Home-made. Easy, should give it a try. Just buy curry cube and short-grain rice, add any meat and vegetable you like.

 
Pandan chiffon cake for breakfast. The kids favourite. "We only eat mama's chiffon cake."

Finally…

my signature dish…

Fun…

Christmas with families

 
 
Skate-boarding and skate-scootering at the park with cousins.

Many roads lead to a destination

Yesterday Kai came home on his own by public bus…the very first time. Nervous, finger biting, not him but the mama. Gave him a handphone, at least I could know where he was and he could call home if he was lost.

At 1.25pm, he texted to say he was on the bus. ETA should be about 2.00pm. Waited and waited, he arrived home one hour later. He told me that the direct bus didn’t come after waiting for some time, so he took another bus, brought him to a bus stop where he could change a bus which brought him home. It took half an hour longer to reach home but he

Well done, my boy. The brain must always be flexible to face different situations in life. Must always be able to think of the best way to solve a problem. It wasn’t a big problem but at least it showed that he was wise enough to know how to react to a situation. It showed that he was thinking. That’s being street smart and it is one of the most crucial trait for survival.

A good first day

Ann had a good day in school. Spoke to the class teacher, giving her a background of Ann, a traveller and not able to fully appreciate the Singapore education culture yet. She was a nice lady, seems to have experience handling LOA kids. The best thing, her class size … 33 kids only!

Kai thoroughly enjoyed secondary school. He was most happy to find out that one of his Sunday School friends whom he has known since P1, is in the same class.

However, school starts really early…7.30am. In US of A, it was 8am. In SH, 8.30am. However, the kids like the earlier hours as they could have more free time in the afternoon.

 

Super like

Alls well that ends well

Today is the first day of 2013. Marks a new beginning of a settled life and the end of the nomadic life for the family. Five years wasn’t a very long time away compared to some who have been away for a decade or more. However, these five years were not spent on living in just one place. It was flying from the west to the east and to the equator. It was a challenging journey. Many have envied my kind of life, able to see the world and having new experiences. Looking back, it was indeed full of excitement and adventure however it was not all smooth sailing. I think it is hard for others to understand unless and until they have been there and done that.

There is only one person to thank…GOD! If not for Him, it would have been impossible to scale the mountain from the deepest valley especially the last few months of 2012. It is difficult to describe His reality unless one has experienced Him. Just like eating durians. How do you convince someone that durians are nice and therefore should be eaten? No amount of words even from a Wordsmith, can convince a person that the king of fruits is fabulous unless he is willing to give it a bite.

Many times, it is as simple as a still small voice whispering in the still dark night. I remember that night when all were asleep and I was just sitting in darkness, praying for a miracle to take place for Kai to be accepted by a good school. There was a gentle wave of comfort sweeping across me.

You won’t believe this. When people tell me that it is very difficult for things to change, things change. Not just one school called, all three schools which we appealed to, called up. It was truly overwhelming.

“and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…” Eph 3: 19, 20

Truly, what cannot break us only make us stronger.

Tomorrow marks a new chapter in Kai’s life, my miracle #1. He begins a new journey in his life, the start of secondary school life, the beginning of a teenage life. Oh God, give me wisdom to guide him. And for Ann, her very first official school day in a Singapore school. I will do all I can to keep her unique self. I will not allow her to be pushed to the pressure cooker. She will flourish and she must flourish in her own way, growing not in mere knowledge but also in loads of wisdom.

As for me, I will move on to the next half of my life, hopefully, a life of significance. I must not allow the mundane to suck away the zeal in my life. Life is too short to not do anything. In 2012, I have seen a couple of friends who have passed on just like that. Yes, literally, here today, gone tomorrow. Another friend of ours, known him for ten years, discovered he has throat cancer stage four. He has just started a promising business and is fully on track. Another friend, rich man. You name it, he has it. He lacks nothing. Holiday to him is to fly by business class, stay in no less than five stars hotel. He suffers from retina tear and is almost blind…Do I still want to allow society to squeeze me and shove me around like a puppet? No, there can only be one life and this life must be lived to the fullest.

“in God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me?” Ps 56:11

Thank you for being with me for these while. Here’s wishing you a very Happy and Blessed year ahead. Don’t make New Year resolutions. Just go out and do it. The time is now!