Beach Boy

We had quite a few people coming up to us asking for permission to take a picture of you buried up to your neck in sand. Next time, I shall stick a sign in one of your buckets welcoming contributions to your "Preschool Fund" or "$5 a picture" for the conservation of one cute toddler / future tax payer (in low supply, according to our government) ...

YY shirt where? Sentosa Cove & "Organic" schools

Sentosa Cove
Had dinner with some friends who had an apartment at The Berth. I didn't know that Sentosa island can be that big. Took me more than 10mins to drive from the Sentosa gateway to the cove. Your Papa, who came later by cab said the fare from Vivo city costs him $6+. We spent a total of $12+ just to get from the entrance of the island to the house. ($2 car, $6 taxi, $2 entrance fee X 2) Quite ridiculous! Anyway, we had a wonderful dinner and you had a wonderful time playing with their children's toys and I had a pleasant flashback because the place reminds me of Hyatt Regency Sanctuary Cove in Brisbane - a place your dad and I visited in 2003, before you came along.

"Organic" School
Was introduced to the Steiner school system. Another friend of mine calls it the "Organic" school which, is not far from the truth. Because the toys they have there are all handmade with natural materials like wood & shells etc and kids draw using rectangular shaped crayons (for better grip) made of beeswax! They believe in nurturing creativity so there is lots of arts & craft activities. Kids even learn how to make their own soup, bake and they serve only organic food! There is no emphasis at all on academics i.e kids are not taught how to read or write (apparently these are not natural activities for preschoolers*) Instead, they are encouraged to experience the rhythms of the year, including seasonal festivals and feel the rhythmic course of each day. Quite impressed. Fee? $600+ a month. *faint* Quickly recovered and asked about subsidies...but apparently not recognized by MOE so not subsidized!!???!!!!!!!!!!

Sticker Fun

Had some fun today with your loot from your cousins' christmas party at Safra Toa Payoh. The party last night was a blast. You were so happy throughout. Being the shortest and youngest kid there, you had the privilege of having the 1st go at the pinata. Swung pretty well with the plastic bat and managed to hit it twice. Am really very proud of you. When the thing finally broke, all the kids went for the sweets and stickers in a frenzy. It took you about 15 seconds to make out what was happening and when you did, most of the sweets were already snatched up but you were still quite happy with just stickers and went round shouting "Stickers! Stickers! Stickers!" excitedly, picking them up from the floor and then handling them over to us for safekeeping.

Loss

I'm told your great grandmother had 8 sons, 5 of whom died while she was still alive. Your Ah Gong remembers 2 of them and one only just vaguely as a boy who very ill and coughed a lot. Tuberculosis maybe?

The other, died during a riot in the 1950s. There was a commotion outside the house. He went outside to look and was hit by 2 stray bullets whilst standing at the doorway. He was 16.

Out of fear that she will lose yet another child, your Ah Gong was taught never ever to called her "Mother".

This 16-year-old Granduncle of yours was credited to have kept his family alive during the Japanese occupation. He must have only been no more than 8-11 years old during that period. He picked up Japanese. Nobody knew how or who taught him. But with this ability, he managed to keep the family safe and fed with extra food rations from the soldiers, sometimes trading things like cigarettes with them.

Your Ah Gong said that when he died, your great grandmother tried to bite her own tongue off. I can imagine... how does anyone cope with such grief? Over and over and over and over again?

Panic

...still looking for a school for you next year.
**********What if you go missing ????***************somehow ran out of school and disappeared?????????? What if you are bullied???????? What if you got hurt?????????What if the food is unhealthy??????????? What if ..........ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ah Lian doing research

Researching which school to put you in next year. Came across one named "Pu Hui Kindergarten".....Couldn't stop laughing! It means 'SEETHING FIRE' in Hokkien. Can totally imagine. A roomful of preschoolers. Wha-leow-eh!

找媽媽!

(looking at something intently on the wall)
Y~找媽媽!找媽媽!
PP~誰在找媽媽?
Y~The ants 在找媽媽!
PP~Orh, the ants 沒有 hold hands hor?
Y~hm
PP~the ants 沒有hold hands 沒有 stop 沒有听話,乱乱跑hor?
Y~hm

Stiff Neck

You've been holding your neck at a strange position since yesterday. Brought you to a doctor in Telok Blangah today and he said 3 of your neck tendons were off position and set them back in place for you.

A check on the web threw up a few possibilities...

(1) Meningitis (WHAT??????)
"It's an inflammation of the meninges, the membranes that line the brain and the spinal cord. Meningitis is usually caused either by a virus ("aseptic meningitis") or by bacteria...the symptoms of meningitis aren't always the same for everyone, and they don't appear in any particular order. But these are hallmark signs: a fever, stiff neck, headache, and sensitivity to light."

(2) Torticollis (WHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT?????????)
"...a rare condition that causes a child's head and neck to tilt to one side. Acquired torticollis can be caused by a swollen throat due to an upper respiratory infection, a sore throat, or even a sports-related accident. The swelling loosens the tissue surrounding the upper spine, which causes the bones to move out of their normal position. This causes the neck muscles to go into spasm and the head to tilt to one side. The condition can also be caused by swollen lymph nodes, pneumonia, or a vision problem. In very rare cases, a brain or spinal cord tumor is to blame."

(3) Strain (.....phew!!!)
"When your child strains or "pulls" a muscle, she has stretched or torn the muscle tissue or the tendon that connects it to a nearby bone. The neck, back, thigh, and calf muscles are the ones most often strained. These strains are frequently the result of overuse, as in the case of a Little League pitcher who develops a sore arm."

Now I recall....we played football yesterday. You insisted on throwing it like a shot put, spinning 180 degrees to the left and then tossing the ball across the hall! Must have strained your neck then.

*Wha piang* Only 2 years 3 months 3 weeks old and you already have sports injuries!

Daddy's home!

Lots of travelling these couple of weeks. You saw more of your Papa than I did. *Counting...* 2 days in 3 weeks!

Saturday
Brought you to Cold Storage @ Jelita. They have mini shopping trolleys there. Mistake. I hadn't prepared you for such excitement. So, we went round the supermarket at least 6-7 times before we got what we needed.




Patiently waiting for Papa @ the airport. There was a little girl standing next to you with huge dark eyes and lovely thick black hair. I asked her how old she was. She held up 3 fingers and said "Three". I turned to ask you how old you were. You said "FIVE!" Hahhahaaa!! You win lah!




Sunday
Cancelled our Crepes & Ice-Cream party this morning. Both you and I were sneezing our heads off! Gave you 8 drops of Zyrtec. Myself, loads of very hot coffee. Felt much better in the afternoon so we went off to punch in @ Kuan's Christmas Party.

Here with Santa (Uncle Erik)

Call you back later...

If you have 2 incoming calls, who do you say "Call you back later" to?
The Family?
The Friend?
or...The Colleague?

Undoubtedly, it would be 'The Family'.
Hard luck being 'The Family' don't you think?

9 drinks in 1 dinner

Had a night out with some colleagues to wrap up the year at Saint Pierre. We had the degustation with wine accompaniment. By the 5th glass, I was happily toasting to some x-rated stuff...

MOMOTARO TOMATO
sauvignon blanc 2005 montana vineyards *Hmm...
granite of green shiso with momotaro tomato and fresh sea urchin

HOMARD EN TOFU
riesling gueberschwihr 2001domaine zind humbrecht *Not really
home made tofu scented with lobster consommé,
cucumber noodle and ikura dressing

VENTRÈCHE DE THON AUX LENTILLES
mâcon villages 2003 maison joulie *Nice!
flamed japanese toro with warm salad of green lentils, tomato-fumet dressing, imperial soy sauce and grated fresh wasabi

ROYALE DE CÈPES
bourgogne blanc cuvée gerard 2003 nicolas potel *Not bad too
braised leek with winter truffle, royale of porcini mushroom
and caramelised hokkaido scallop

TERRINE AUX TRUFFES
bourgogne rouge vieilles vignes 2002 nicolas potel *A red!
homemade foie gras terrine layered with black truffle served with raisin
and poached pear compote with coal toasted brioche

SORBET
sorbet of armagnac marinated plum with white chocolate mendiant

OMBLE CHEVALIER EN GRENOBLOISE
cote de nuits villages 2002 maison joulie *Yummy!!!
fillet of steamed artic char with yuzu and caper sauce with savora espuma, pan-fried brioche crumbs and parsley purée scented with oba leaf

JOUE DE VEAU EN GIBELOTTE
la grave pomerol 2000 *Eh?..So-So
slow braised veal cheek with crispy bacon, caramelised shallot
and mushroom petit farci

CRÈME BRULÉE AU SAKÉ
late harvest riesling 2002 cloudy bay *Slurp! like choya...except nicer! Any more??
sake scented cream brulée with cinnamon infused rice pudding
and chocolate maki

CLAFOUTI AUX POMMES ET CHATAIGNES
chateau doisy dubrocca 1998 *Yet Another??..Why not? *hic
caramelised winter apple clafouti with home made candied chestnut
and marron glacé ice-cream

Tang Poems, Gingerbread Man & Orangutan tails

Ah Mah has been trying to teach you this Tang poem for a couple of days now.

静夜思 - 李白
床前明月光 ，
疑是地上霜 。
举头望明月 ，
低头思故乡 。

She was quite successful in getting you to recite this other one...

春眠 - 孟浩然
春眠不觉晓，
处处闻啼鸟。
夜来风雨声，
花落知多少。

albeit with some help in between. But with Li Bai's 'Thought at night', you'd only go "hm" after each phrase. On one occasion, you asked her, "What 举头,低头?" and then went "hm" again when she explained it to you.

After yet another one of her failed attempts, I asked you, "YY, 床什么?" Much to our surprise, you started reciting the poem, word for word, without any prompts in between.

Arh! So, you were listening huh?

Did this quiz on learning styles a while ago and the results indicated that you were a strong auditory learner. Pretty true.

Gingerbread Man

Read you the story of the Gingerbread Man a few times now. Bought you one from the supermarket yesterday. He was wrapped in a plastic bag tied with a nice checked ribbon. Had a nice smiley white frosted face & three colorful chocolate buttons.

"Mummy open!"
~"YY want to eat the Gingerbread man?"
"NO!!!"
~"Mummy eat?"
"NO!!!"
~" Then don't open it. The ants will eat him up!"
"???"

The Gingerbread man stayed in the plastic bag. Safe.

Tails

"O-ang-u-tan!"
"Huh?"
"O-an-utan!"
"Orh, Orangutans!"
"hm"
"YY saw Orangutans in the zoo right?"
"hm"
"YY, Orangutans got tails?"
"Yes"
"YY got tail?"
"No"
"hmmmm.... Birds got tails?"
"Yes"
"Fish got tails?"
"Yes"
"Polar bears got tails?"
"No"
"Ants got tails?"
"No"

Pretty impressive and then....

"Snakes got tails?"
"No"
"Yes, Snakes got tails.... Butterflies got tails?"
"Yes"
"No, butterflies got no tails...."

It went downhill from here...but the one that you got consistently correct was the fact that you didn't have a tail. Hhahhahhahaa!!!

Itchy Rash

Received a call from your Ah Mah at 6pm yesterday, telling me your rashes hasn't gone away. Rushed home to find a little boy covered all over with red patches and scratching madly. Immediately packed you up and took you to the doctor. The one, near our house was closed for renovation. Darn! So, drove you to your regular PD.

On the way there, you fell asleep but woke up suddenly to continue scratching. At one point, it was so irritating, you started screaming from anger, frustration and discomfort. All I could do was drive faster. Got there, dumped the car with the valet and carried you to the clinic. The nurse at your PD commented that you have not been there for a while but added quickly that it was a good thing. *scowl*

The doctor gave you Zyrtec, ...*something prednisolone 1:1*... and some Calamine lotion.

Bill. $76.30

Fed you the medication before we left the clinic. Almost immediately, the itch went away and you calmed down immensely.

The sleep last night was peaceful.

This morning, you woke me up by saying "Good Morning! Good Morning!"

So happy.

Lapland in January

Arggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just been booked into a teambuilding session located in Kuusamo where mean temperature is -15degrees. MINUS 15 degrees! HELPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Polar Bears, Haircuts, Night shifts & Wagyu beef

Brought you to the zoo today. Alone. Which was a good idea because we move at our...your pace instead. We saw some stingrays, a otters, tigers, kois, polar bears, lamas, a tree full of gibbons, lots of flamingoes, some playful orangutans and 3 colorful parrots. The tigers were interesting to watch today. They were all very active - surprisingly active during such a hot and humid afternoon -and attracted quite a huge crowd to the pavilion.

Haircuts
Gave you a hair cut last Thursday. Fringe is a tat short this time round but I think I'm getting better at it. Been your hairdresser since birth. (",) Quite like the result I'm getting so I don't think I'd be bringing you to the barber shop anytime soon.

Night shifts
You've been sleeping through the night for the last couple of months. Say from 10pm to 7 or 8am in the morning. I thought that our night shifts has ended. I was dreaming. Two nights ago, you started waking me up. (Me only because your Papa is away) It goes like this... "BY wants to Shee Shee!!!" Tried hard to ignore you but the decibels climbs up twofolds with every repetition. By the 3rd rendition, I'm up! Half carrying you, half dragging myself to the toilet. When I try to put you back in your diapers. You protest and we fall asleep before it happens. 3 or 4 hours later, an encore! Somehow, I'd remember that you are not wearing diapers and bolt right up! Again, we'd stumble to the toilet together. This is really exhausting. *sigh*

Wagyu beef buffet
Had a 3-day training session at the Hilton last week. This also equates to 3 days of buffet lunches at Checkers Brasserie's and 6 teabreaks with all-you-can-drink coffee or tea. My nervous system is reeling from an overdose of caffeine. Anyway, on Thursday, they had a Wagyu beef themed buffet. It was the best! I have never ever eaten so many different kinds of beef dishes in one day in my entire life! The young lad at the carvery station was a bit "ngiow" with the cut but it was still good. I really like their beef consomme which tastes like essence of chicken - with beef. (arh-but-then?) Had 2 servings but will help myself to the entire pot the next time.

Mind Games

Went swimming today. I haven't swam for more than a month. Used to swim 3 times a week when I was in uni, then this slowly dropped to once every week when you were in my tummy. I remember I could still do 8 - 12 laps @ 39 weeks. Nowadays, it would be an achievement to swim 8 laps once a month!

I decided it was high time I picked it up again, before I have to buy myself a new swimsuit. Again. At my age, I shouldn't be buying myself new suits every year. I.e I shouldn't be growing anymore! So, 20 laps was my target but I didn't think I could do it.

Then I had an idea. Instead of counting each lap I swam, I'm going to count down instead. So the more I swam, the less I had to swim. It's bizarre. Somehow, my brain liked the idea of only 6 more laps left rather than 14 done, 6 more to go. It's like the half glass of water - Is it half empty or half full? Quite nincompoopish.

Took me so many years to figure this one out. But it got me there. I finished the 20 laps in 25 minutes and did another 4 more to cool down. Was amazed and in high spirits! The 2 white strands (never found 2 at one go before) discovered while blow drying my hair didn't even bother me later.

Anyway, lesson to learn. Good to set targets. Better if you can figure out how get there before taking the first plunge and even more better if you can stick to it.

Psst...the twin antagonists have been eliminated!

Let's go!

Brought you to the doctor today again. 3rd time in a week. Am starting to wonder if your illness is a physiological reaction to my travels. It's happening often enough for me to notice.

Doctor's diagnosis: Exanthem subitum. No medication required. Will go away in 2-3 days.

What is Exanthem subitum?

Information culled from the web " A sudden onset of high fever of 103° to 106° F with few or minor symptoms. Most children appear inappropriately well for the degree of temperature elevation, but they may experience slight anorexia or one or two episodes of vomiting, running nose, cough, and hepatomegaly. Seizures (but more frequently general cerebral irritability) may occur before the eruptive phase. The rash begins as the fever goes away. The term exanthem subitum describes the sudden "surprise" appearance of the rash after the fall of the fever. Numerous pale pink, almond-shaped macules appear on the trunk and neck. They become confluent, and then fade in a few hours to 2 days without scaling or pigmentation."

Fee: $0

What? Free? This versus your regular PD who once charged us a $45 consultation fee for examining the lump on your thigh caused by the injection she gave you. Nice!