This is the day – 23 March 2015 at 3.18am
I woke up at 4.30am because of my back pain and saw the news. The passing of the great man, Mr Lee Kuan Yew. As a little girl, I knew him through my father. My father never misses his great appetite for news. English, Chinese, Malay, Tamil, he watches them all. Don’t know whether he understands the Tamil news but he still watches them. Then there is the National Day rallies. My father never misses them too.
I do not deny that this was a great man. I admire his courage to fight for what he believed in but sadly, he didn’t quite rub that on the citizens. Most Singaporeans have the herd mentality. Just follow, if the ship ain’t broken, why fixed it. That is why, sometimes, I feel that I am a loner. I don’t know how to function under red tapes and bureaucracies, systems and policies. Perhaps, he was too great a man. Would Singapore be much better if he had allowed more great men to work with him? I will never know, we will never know.
While everyone was praying for speedy recovery, I said my short prayer of letting him go in peace. I prayed for God’s mercy on him. He never did believe in God but he said this in Dec 2005… “I believe a man or a woman who has a deep faith in God has an enormous strength facing crises, an advantage in life." So, even a great man like him knew that basic truth. Not sure if he changed his mind later in life.
At age 91, he has lived a good life. I believe he ate well, we all knew that he exercised a lot and faithfully. He had the best medical care. I mean, who could afford having a mechanical ventilator since February? I think if they love him, pray and let him go in peace and he did today. All the great words about this great man. All the wonderful thank yous and gratitude uttered, why wait till the man’s final hours. Tell him while he was strong and alive. That’s why I always think eulogy should be done before the person passes on. I shall not mourn his death but instead will celebrate his life. Be grateful that I am around to witness the changes he made – the good and the bad. I lived through the 60s to the 90s and until today. The 80s were the best. It would have been better if he had kept some history for the younger generation to enjoy.
No one is perfect as long as he calls himself human.
Yes, I am a mum. This is a place where I write about this and that.
What a promotion!
We received this letter from Ann’s dance school. We are delighted and we knew that Ann is meant for the dance floor. She has skipped grade 3 to move on to grade 4 and now this. The amount of hard work she needs to put into this will be no issue for her because this is her passion but would she still have stamina for her studies? I am no kiasu mum but I think a good basic academic grounding is still a must. Decision time.
We received this letter from Ann’s dance school. We are delighted and we knew that Ann is meant for the dance floor. She has skipped grade 3 to move on to grade 4 and now this. The amount of hard work she needs to put into this will be no issue for her because this is her passion but would she still have stamina for her studies? I am no kiasu mum but I think a good basic academic grounding is still a must. Decision time.
Kai is 15
If you haven't been spending with your kids, please do so because you really don't have much time with them. I am glad I gave up my job to raise my own children. I think I have done the best I could.
This is the second year that Kai is away for his birthday. The annual school camp just happen to fall on his birthday for the past two years, his teenage life has been really busy. The only school day that ends early is Friday. How he has turned out today was how I have taught him when he was younger. The foundation must be laid then not now. There isn’t any more time now.
The other day, I asked him to use a word to describe his mum and this was what he said, "respect".
Thank you, son.
Kai at 5
Kai at 15
If you haven't been spending with your kids, please do so because you really don't have much time with them. I am glad I gave up my job to raise my own children. I think I have done the best I could.
This is the second year that Kai is away for his birthday. The annual school camp just happen to fall on his birthday for the past two years, his teenage life has been really busy. The only school day that ends early is Friday. How he has turned out today was how I have taught him when he was younger. The foundation must be laid then not now. There isn’t any more time now.
The other day, I asked him to use a word to describe his mum and this was what he said, "respect".
Thank you, son.
Kai at 5
Kai at 15
...and it is a 'D'
25 Feb was D-day. By 8pm if I did not get a call from the school, it meant I have cleared my paper and no retake required. 25 Feb, 8pm, came and gone. Phew...I made it. I did not have to go through the agonising 3hrs 45mins to be exact.
The letter finally came yesterday. It is a D - distinction! Woohoo......more than I ever imagine, more than I could ever ask for!!! :)
25 Feb was D-day. By 8pm if I did not get a call from the school, it meant I have cleared my paper and no retake required. 25 Feb, 8pm, came and gone. Phew...I made it. I did not have to go through the agonising 3hrs 45mins to be exact.
The letter finally came yesterday. It is a D - distinction! Woohoo......more than I ever imagine, more than I could ever ask for!!! :)
Blessed Lunar New Year
It has been a super long weekend. Didn't do much except for the visitation and staying up watching TV and waking up late. Here's the annual family photo-taking. Wishing all of us a great year ahead. Always making time for families and friends. You know why Kai has to be seated? He is just too tall. If he stands, all of us will look like people from Liliput!
It has been a super long weekend. Didn't do much except for the visitation and staying up watching TV and waking up late. Here's the annual family photo-taking. Wishing all of us a great year ahead. Always making time for families and friends. You know why Kai has to be seated? He is just too tall. If he stands, all of us will look like people from Liliput!
"Brain Dead"
After a long break of 15 years, I was back at the examination hall yesterday. 3hrs and 45mins non-stop writing. As one ages, toilet break becomes a must. No time to write still need to rush to the toilet. I now fully empathise with all school children who have to sit for essay exams, two in a day, over two to three weeks. If you think it is easy, go try doing one.
Not just the bladder giving problem, the eyes also. You know, 'lao hua'. Wear my classes, head went dizzy, can't wear it for too long. Then there were the wrist and fingers, no longer write fast. If I push them too hard, they punish me, the writings become alien to me. So much to write. Case studies on a man who wanted to call it quits and a young child who has just been abandoned by mum. Demanding!!! How do you tell how you want to help them in 225 minutes! Brain went dead! I hope the markers are kind and could empathise.
After that, it was back to the role of being a mum. Frustrations and stress but I guess Ms Pol was right. We mums, who stay at home, tend to do too much, give too, care too much, love too much. So much so that we are often taken for granted. It is a thankless job, it is a job we choose to do and so have to accept whatever that comes with it but it is also a job where we can put an end to it. Time to back off. Time to release the string. Time to move on to the next chapter.
After a long break of 15 years, I was back at the examination hall yesterday. 3hrs and 45mins non-stop writing. As one ages, toilet break becomes a must. No time to write still need to rush to the toilet. I now fully empathise with all school children who have to sit for essay exams, two in a day, over two to three weeks. If you think it is easy, go try doing one.
Not just the bladder giving problem, the eyes also. You know, 'lao hua'. Wear my classes, head went dizzy, can't wear it for too long. Then there were the wrist and fingers, no longer write fast. If I push them too hard, they punish me, the writings become alien to me. So much to write. Case studies on a man who wanted to call it quits and a young child who has just been abandoned by mum. Demanding!!! How do you tell how you want to help them in 225 minutes! Brain went dead! I hope the markers are kind and could empathise.
After that, it was back to the role of being a mum. Frustrations and stress but I guess Ms Pol was right. We mums, who stay at home, tend to do too much, give too, care too much, love too much. So much so that we are often taken for granted. It is a thankless job, it is a job we choose to do and so have to accept whatever that comes with it but it is also a job where we can put an end to it. Time to back off. Time to release the string. Time to move on to the next chapter.
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