M e t a c o g n i t i o n

Christmas with the family

2012-01-29T18:00:00.000+08:00

Christmas is a great time spent with loved ones as the whole world celebrates Jesus' birthday.

Woke up on Christmas morning to a nice breakfast made by my new helper, Wina. She made Min Jian Kueh (Peanut Pancake)

Every Christmas morning, we would have a good breakfast together as a family, open up our presents under the Christmas tree and have a family time of sharing. This year was no exception.

Wina sat down with us for our sharing as we talked about how God has been good to us..it was a time of thanksgiving.The next day, Wina again cooked for us a fabulous breakfast since it was a holiday! She prepared Mee Goreng.

Then CT brought us to MacRitchie Reservoir for a nice morning walk..

The kids were having a great time!

I always enjoy the nature and outdoors...something which I love to instil into my children so that they will learn to appreciate it as well and not always go to shopping malls where it is so crowded and noisy.

After our morning stroll at the reservoir, we went to the Singapore Flyer where we had lunch and we sat brought the children up to the flyer for their first time..(it was my third time!)

We had lunch at the flyer ground floor where they serve street hawker famous food from all over Singapore. It was more expensive but I love the ambience and the old, nostalgic feel to it.

Being my third time to the flyer, I thought it would be the same old thing. But glad it wasnt. There was an exhibition before we boarded the flyer. Quite interesting as it was fun and interactive for the children to play.

This time round, I didnt feel as bored in the flyer..probably because I had to take care of my children and the capsule was quite crowded. So, the whole atmosphere was one of excitement while the other two times I went, me and my friends seemed to own the whole capsule. So empty.

Now with more things being built around the area, there was also more things to see..

I was quite bored after a while..so decided to take picture of Caleb's soft toy penguin which I bought for him from Australia

Danielle also started taking my camera to take pictures. I must say, she is quite a good photographer!

Glad the kids had fun in the flyer.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T18:25:00.000+08:00

Since my 2 children wake up early in the morning, I decided to bring them to the Punggol Waterway for some outdoor fun and exercise taking advantage of also the nice and cool weather.

Because of the rain, the ground was quite wet and the water was disgusting..

Danielle brought her Strider while Caleb brought his penguin soft toy. What an interesting thing to bring to the park. Nevertheless, Caleb had fun or rather, the penguin had fun playing with the 'slide'..

After that, Caleb had a go in the Strider Bike as Danielle shared. I am so glad 2 of them get along quite well as I never believe in buying 2 of every kind just so that they do not fight. I believe in teaching them how to share and handle whatever problems that come their way. In fact, the more problems they face now, I feel it will be better just so they can learn. I do not wish to give them such a rosy life, if not, they will take things for granted and expect life to be like that..Here's Caleb having fun with the bike as he glides down with it on the slope

Had a wonderful time together!

In the evening, we went to check out the new mall at Expo called Changi City Point

Its a nice mall with lots of greenery which I like..

I even like the carpet in the mall which has artificial grass..

Very pleasant place and beautiful design...

Inside the mall, you also have access to outdoor ponds

A very kids friendly place too as they have a big playground for them to enjoy.

Since it was Christmas season, they had a big Christmas tree at the entrance as well as snow for the kids to play!

All of us had such an enjoyable time at the mall! Cant wait to go back there again to explore the shops!

Danielle's 1st drawing

2011-12-19T22:29:00.000+08:00

Today, Danielle drew her FIRST recognisable drawing! So proud of her. Previously, she would just use the pencil and make a mess on the paper.Here's a picture of her first masterpiece

As for her brother, he loves to draw. Getting him to go to bed or brush his teeth would prove a challenge if he was drawing before that. He just wont stop drawing once he starts..

Very proud of both my children...

Trip to Gold Coast (23 Nov-1 Dec 2011)

2011-12-13T21:50:00.000+08:00

During the long vacation, I went on a trip for the first time together with my family, parents, as well as in-laws. It was also our first time flying with Etihad Airways, supposedly the world's leading airlines for few years consecutive. What I liked about the airlines is that the TV was touch screen and you could even view what the pilot is seeing from our TV.

The children were given 2 bags filled with children's activity sets for them to be occupied, ranging from card games, to colouring and activity books.We stayed in "The Meriton on Main Beach" Apartment which was just 5 mins walk from the beach, and 2 mins away from restaurants and quaint little shops.

We got 2 units of apartment- 1 was 3 bedroom, while the other was 2 bedroom which my parents stayed in. Our 3 bedroom apartment was huge! It was probably about 2000-3000 sq feet big, with a million dollar view.

Almost every morning and evening, the kids would gather out here for their breakfast and dinner. The family would also gather together to catch the sunset...

The next day after arriving in Gold Coast, we went to the Sea World which is just a 5 mins drive from our place.

It was probably an eye-opening experience for the children to see the sea animals and learn more about them.

When the kids were tired, me, hubby and my sis-in-law, Linda went to sit the rollercoaster. It was fun being away from the kids for a while. After that, we ended the day with the extreme stunt show.

For most of our dinners, we did our cooking at home. It was fun as we would go to the supermarket like Woolsworth or Coles and prepare food for the family. My mum, mum-in-law and myself would cook about a dish or two each. To be able to cook for the whole family is always a privilege and no matter how tired I was, the thought of the whole family gathering together for a meal, just pushes and motivates me to cook a good meal for them...from the heart.

My mum was made in charge of the rice and from the first day to the last day in Australia, her skill for cooking the rice improved tremendously. It started off like porridge but then it gradually became like Japanese rice! Impressive job especially when we do not have a rice cooker!

I also cooked kangaroo meat for the family to try..goes well with rice!

Here's what we only had for our cooking..

After Sea World, the next day, we visited the Tropical Fruit World. There were so many fruits which I have never seen before. We sat through a presentation on the fruits as well as a fruit buffet after that which we all looked forward to!

The children ate rounds of ice cream with the chocolate fruit!

We also had a tour of the whole plantation in a tram..Made a number of stops along the way- to crack our own macadamia nuts, sit on a train which was probably the most fun ride ever!

As well as a boat ride where we could feed the ducks with the bread given to us.

The kids had loads of fun feeding the farm animals as well.

After that, we dropped by a Pacific Fair Shopping Mall for some shopping before we headed back home.The next day, we went to Carrara Markets to shop. Its an open air market with fresh produce as well as stalls selling goods...like pasar malam.

After that, we had a fantastic Chinese lunch at Conrad Jupiter Casino Hotel.

The next day, we went to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary where the kids had fun playing with the animals.

Caleb is a very inquisitive young boy and he would touch anything he sees interesting..without any fear.

He has so much fun playing and running about..

that he feel asleep after a while..in a very strange position.

The whole family had lots of fun playing with the animals..

CT got scratched by the Parakeets while feeding as Caleb went to pull the tail of the bird. Poor CT..The next day, we went to Harbour Town Shopping Centre. Its a factory outlet branded shopping mall.

I did quite a bit of shopping there. Caleb went with my parents while Danielle stayed with me. She had fun sitting on the kiddy rides.

After a great time shopping, we went to Southport Yacht Club for lunch. Great food, ambience and view!

At night, went on a date with hubby down at our apartment to Basket Robbins for ice cream! Woo hoo!

Our next day at Gold Coast was at Tambourine National Park. I love nature as its free and natural. Dont have to pay a cent to enjoy the wonders of God's creation.

And one thing I love about parks is that it is a good place for picnics! So we went to a small little seafood cum burger shop to take away lots of food.

We ordered a whole spring chicken, fish and chips, and burgers..not forgetting, chocolate milk shakes! My kind of picnic!! Too bad it was raining. So we had to eat in the shelter. Freezing...

Food was awesome!

Our drive back to our apartment was nice and scenic despite the rain.

Back at our apartment, we got changed and brought the children to the beach nearby.

I went into the ocean for a dip with the huge waves! Love the waters..The waves were so strong that I felt it was whacking me on my back when it came crashing on me!

Caleb seemed to have lots of fun too!

After that, we went back to our apartment outdoor swimming pool for a dip. Our apartment has 2 swimming pools- one indoor, and one outdoor.

Our last dinner at Gold Coast was spent in Hog's Breath Restaurant. Went there as its an Australian Restaurant and I wanted to tell the difference and compare it with the one in Singapore.Of course, I took the steak...plain old steak with no frills. My kind of steak..

Danielle had pasta and she loved it! Danielle prefers Western while Caleb prefers Chinese food.

Here's a photo of my family with Jonathan, who kindly ferried my dad to and from the airport. He studies in Brisbane and was from my youth group in church where I was leading the youths in Bible Study. Used to teach him when he was Sec One and now, all big and grown up..

I was so happy to see him and more importantly, to see him have the love for others by sacrificing his time to help chauffeur my dad to our apartment and back to the airport which was quite a long drive from where he stays..Our flight home was great despite the 8 hours flight as the children were entertained by the wide range of cartoons and computer games provided in the aircraft.

I have to admit that throughout the trip, I was exhausted from taking care of the children, doing laundry, preparing their stuff every day before we go out, bathe them, feed them etc etc..But it was the kind of tiredness that makes it all worth it when you simply see the smiles on their faces..and to see the family come together and do things together.I will definitely look forward to more of such family trips where we can all have quality time together, away from the computers and TVs..if possible! How about a cruise next, dear?

Danielle turns 3

2011-12-12T18:48:00.000+08:00

Each time I celebrate my children's birthday, its always a wake up call to the realisation that time passes quickly. To me, time is very precious and I would always try to make use of every minute of my life to do something...and that is probably why I do not sleep as much as I need. For example, if I sleep at about midnight or even 2am in the morning, I will still wake up at about 7am in the morning. That's me and after waking up, I would be spending time with my children as they wake up at about 630-645am. If it is a public holiday or weekend, we would be out of the house by 8am already either doing my weekly supermarketing or going to the park.

Then when I come back at about 9-10am, I would feel so accomplished as most people would only wake up at around that time or even later, and while they are sleeping, I would have already done so many things...I always live with the idea that I may die anytime and if I were to die today, I would be dancing all the way to heaven as I have done my best and I have no regrets. That is why, I try to instill to my students the importance of time and how they should always make use of it to do something useful and meaningful. I hate it when they act as if they have lots of time in their hands...and start wasting their life away.

Anyway, back to Danielle's birthday...well, she turns 3 this year on the 12th of Dec. I intentionally chose this date to give birth as it is easy to remember. Danielle was very comfortable in my stomach that she didnt want to come out even though she was quite big already. So the gynae told me to choose a date where she would induce and bring her out of my womb.

Now, she is a big baby who still cries and fusses but has also matured a lot. She is a very loving, caring girl who loves to snack and cycle. At times, I would put my head on her chest as she lies on my bed and she will start to pat my head in a very motherly way and she would say, " It's ok..everything is ok.." Whenever I leave home, she would request for a big hug and kiss. Very sweet girl.

Here's Danielle eating with Caleb and Keelia..

Danielle seems to take interest in music as well as sports. So for her birthday, I bought her a training bike. Purposely chose orange so that both Caleb and Danielle can share...even though I know Danielle would love pink!For a hefty sum of $160, I figured its worth it since Caleb can also play with it and it can save me the money from buying them a tricycle since from this bike, hopefully, they can start transiting to the 2-wheel one already.

After assembling it all by myself, I gave Danielle a surprise after her afternoon nap by asking her to open my room door to take a look at her present as I hid the bicycle in my room.She loved it. Even Caleb played with it! Glad they didnt fight over it!

Even in the house, they started playing with it together...and role playing as if they were going around places to the shopping centre, to school etc etc.

I celebrated Danielle's birthday on 10th December, 2 days before her actual date as we celebrated on a Saturday. So on her actual birthday, we took out the leftover cake and put candles on it for her to blow again. It was all fun for the children, though the cake looks kind of sad..haha.

Happy Birthday my dear Danielle. Both me and papa are really happy to have you as our daughter and we will always be very proud of you and love you with all our heart! God bless you dear...

My new helper, Wina

2011-12-09T15:36:00.000+08:00

Having a very good helper previously made it more difficult to accept a new one as we all tend to compare and I have to say, the new one would have huge shoes to fill as she takes over where Vicky left off.

Wina was recommended to me by my agent as she has experience in Singapore, a very good cook and can speak Chinese and Hokkien. Therefore, we accepted her as we needed someone who was familiar with the workload and with the environment. Also we didnt want to deal with language barrier as she needs to be able to communicate with the kids and others.

So far she has been doing a good job. She is much cleaner than my previous helper and in terms of cooking, she knows more cuisine as well. Here's what she has cooked so far for us..

And for weekends or public holidays, she has cooked this for us for our breakfast.

She also cooks very nice chicken rice (with homemade chilli sauce) and mee siam (all from scratch..no premix!), which taste better than what I eat outside

Even during Danielle's celebration where we had BBQ, she made curry vegetables, chicken satay and otah which tasted so good..

When I tell my friends what a great cook and helper I have now, they commented how lucky I was in having good helpers one after another..but all I can say is that its God's grace and provision for us as we have been praying for a good helper and one that I can trust to leave my children alone with her. Thank God, she has been very diligent and making effort to forge good relationships with my children, being very patient and understanding as initially it wasn't easy especially when they were quite close to my previous helper, Vicky.

Anyway, I continue to pray that she will enjoy staying with us, taking good care of the household as well as teaching the children right values whenever she spends time with them. More importantly, I pray she will come to know the Lord and experience His love and goodness.

Thanks Wina for being a part of our family..

Bye Vicky

2011-11-21T09:49:00.000+08:00

My helper, Vicky has been around since the birth of Caleb. It has been 4 years and it felt like 6...I felt like she has been with us for a long time as she has established an amazing bond with the children, my family, in-laws, friends and even my neighbours! She has this amazing ability to make friends. Even the lady who cleans my block knows her and tells me how good a helper she is. She has received praise from my neighbours as well..

Frankly speaking, I am thankful to God for her. I still remember the first time when I got her and we sat down and shared about our fears of getting our first maid. She also shared and said she felt it was God's arrangement as she was praying for a good Christian employer when she was stuck in Philippines with almost no money left. We are also thankful for her Christian faith in God and how she brings her friends to church as well and how she teachers my children writing, reading as well as praying.

Without her abilities, I wouldn't be so comfortable to leave her alone with the kids and go out to work. Her heart is also full of compassion and love whenever I see her communicating with my dad for example and always ask about how he is as well as how she would initiate boiling barley or some herbal tea for the family when we are sick.

Most of the time, CT and I would comment why she always make so much noise (as she talks and exclaims quite loudly most of the time) and we also felt she was more worried about our children's safety than us...But on the other hand, these are positive qualities that we failed to see when it takes place.

Her cooking is also amazing.From her popular sweet and sour pork,

to also her filipino dish- macaroni salad which I insisted for her to teach me before she leaves.

Here's the ingredients needed to make the salad.One whole can of Nestle cream, about 2 tablespoons of condensed milk and mayonaise as well as a can of fruits. I also added fresh apples to it for a nice crunch.

I knew I had to take pictures of it, if not I would surely forget.Here's more pictures of her food.

She has to go back this time as she is not getting any younger. Moreover, she needs to get married and start thinking of her own life and family. It wasnt hard to let her go as towards the past few months, we could see her a little more carefree already and we knew that she was too comfortable.

However, once she left, it started to kick in that she is gone and the thought of not getting to see her again does pain me....I hate goodbyes and I will definitely miss her presence and the friendship that we have forged.At the mean time, I will continue to pray for her well-being and her family. Thanks Vicky for your love and help to our family!

Picture taken by Danielle

Gardens by the Bay Preview

2011-11-19T15:58:00.000+08:00

One advice I would give people is to always grab whatever opportunity that comes your way. Don't miss it or downplay it as if it will come knocking at your door again.Anyway, being an opportunist, CT suggested bringing the whole family to go for the preview of Gardens by the Bay, which is next to Marina Barrage.

The landscaping of the place is very nice

And huge place for the kids to run about.

There were different racial-themed gardens in the area. Here's the Chinese Garden.

Construction was still ongoing...

The kids had a great time admiring the statues and flowers.

Here's more pictures of the beautiful surroundings..

We crossed the bridge that linked the Gardens to the Marina Bay Sands.

We felt under dressed. But who cares..We walked around for a bit and to also make use of the air con to cool down..Here's the orchid named after Sir Elton John being displayed in Marina Bay Sands.

Went into LG shop to catch 3D show together and have some fun in there..

Saw this sign just next to the escalator which I thought it was interesting..for you to ponder..and hopefully, cheer up!

We were all so tired and hungry after all that walking. Had cravings for chicken rice. So we went Maxwell Food Centre for lunch! We were all gobbling down our food..

Had an awesome day!

Cooking Time

2011-11-18T12:27:00.000+08:00

Having been away for a week without my family, I miss home and cooking for them! So, immediately when I returned, I decided to cook for my family the very next day!Here's what I prepared for them...spread over 2 meals.Stewed pork with radish and carrots

Sweet and Sour prawns

French Beans with salted egg

Red Fermented Chicken Wings with taupok (Bought the red fermented paste from the Taipei Wet Market)

My hubby was definitely happy to be fed by me as he was getting sick of my helper's cooking...I do get sense of satisfaction from watching my loved ones enjoy their food.

My first trip...

2011-11-16T21:52:00.000+08:00

Started our Robotics training for Asia Pac Robotics Championship in September.

Training during school: 3pm - 9pm.

Training during weekends and public holidays: 9am - 5pm.

2 weeks break for the students for their final year exams

Continued training right after it ended

Had mostly packet rice for meals in school-bought from coffee shop.

Was I actually prepared for this? A little but it was made even tougher as I had to balance training with my Sec 4 students who were sitting for their Math papers. So most of the time, I had to ask them to come to the robotic room for consultation.

So with all this busyness, plus having to plan for the Taipei trip and handling all the administrative matters regarding the trip, I was overwhelmed...so much so that I wasn't even thinking about the trip. Even on the day itself as I was leaving for the competition, it didnt really sink in that I was actually going for it...All that I have been working hard for has finally arrived but when its here..you are just too tired to think.

Anyway, I was happy to be able to be on my first trip with students for competition. Glad this time round, I am not the one competing. However, I still get nervous as I feel for my students as well. (On the side note, because we didnt have enough students coming along, I had to be in the game as well and assist during the matches. So it was kind of cool to be competing as well together with my students)

For the competition, we won 8 awards in total. No team won so many awards in a competition except ours. So I was really proud of my students. Here's what we got..

#1. The Excellence Award (highest honour for the competition)

#2. The Tournament Finalist (2nd Place)

#3. The Middle School Division Finalist (2nd Place).

#4. Robot Skills Challenge Overall Champion (Overall in Middle school and High School)

#5. Robot Skills Challenge 1st in Middle School

#6. Robot Skills Challenge 2nd in Middle School

#7. Robot Skills Challenge 3rd in Middle School

#8. Programming Skills Challenge 2nd in Middle School

The highlight of this trip was not only being able to compete in the matches but also the amazing bond I had with my students.

I think they all wanted to spend time with me as we had suppers, playing together and watching movie in the hotel room after our competition. It was fun...Reminds me a lot of my swimming days when I went overseas for competition except now, I am playing a different role but I still feel young at heart and thus enjoy, playing and spending time with my students.

One thing that I learnt during this trip about students nowadays are that they are hooked on to IT. They need to feel connected. I know all of this but to actually witness it with my own eyes on it, is different.During our meals, most of them would be playing with their handphones or psp.

Of course, I am also guilty of it for also trying to be connected as I go down to the hotel lobby and dining area by 630am to serve the wireless connection.

Another thing I learnt is that students nowadays enjoy eating fast food or basically western food. They have really become westernised. They crave for pizzas and macdonalds!

After the competition, we had 2 days of sightseeing. Took the public transport (train and bus)to various places like the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall,

Taipei 101..the tallest building in the world

We also ate a lot for every meal till I feel like puking!!

You will never go hungry in Taiwan as they have lots of 7 Eleven stores all over. We had one next to our hotel and in there, they have so much variety of instant food and noodles that taste SO NICE!/

Street stalls are also a common sight in Taiwan...

Taiwan has been quite 'Japanised'...a lot of recycling efforts going on (got to pay for your plastic bags, and segregate your left over food and plastic in different bins etc). Even the public transport was quite good, clean and efficient. They had all the timings and info you need for the oncoming bus or train!

I will definitely go back to Taiwan with my family and enjoy the food and the surroundings!

Life with kids

2011-11-05T11:03:00.000+08:00

To be a parent is not easy...You must definitely be willing to sacrifice and be robbed of your own personal time and space. Today was the day for the children as I attended their school concert in the morning and attended my god son's birthday party during lunch. I felt excited to attend the school concert, especially since I get to see both my children perform this year. It's Danielle's first time performing and last year, Caleb didnt really perform as he had stage fright. So, I was quite eager and a little doubtful as to whether Caleb will repeat history.Putting on Danielle's dress was a hassle as she loves to choose what to wear, but this time round, she really doesnt have a choice.

I can totally understand and sympathise with her as the dress she was wearing was so uncomfortable and rough, that includes the stockings!As for Caleb, his costume was very nice and more natural.

I have to say, there is definitely something special when you see children performing. They bring about such innocence that tugs my heart and makes me tear.I was very proud of Caleb and Danielle for dancing very well during the performance.

Caleb was even put right in the centre in front to perform. So proud of them!

Here's Danielle during the finale performance.

Here's my darlings after their performance.

As for Asher's birthday party, it was enjoyable and very well planned. Check out the delicious looking food Marianne prepared!The children have their own personalised bento lunch boxes!

And here's what the adults had!

A very enjoyable party which I am sure Asher will remember!

My Waterway @ Punggol

2011-10-29T18:38:00.000+08:00

I have always been very proud of where I stay as I love the surroundings and estate very much especially when new things start to sprout out. It gives me a sense of humility and I just feel blessed to be able to stay where I am as we started off with nothing much.Now, I feel like we have everything that I look for in an estate...great scenery, lush greenery

many activities to do and see..

And of course, great food!

With the opening ceremony of the waterway just over, I can't wait for more things to be built- the driving range, the horse stables and more restaurants and eateries along the Punggol Beach...

For now, I am still enjoying the peace and tranquility of the area, as the crowd hasn't set in yet. Definitely a great place especially for the kids to grow up in!

My darling students...

2011-10-29T17:04:00.000+08:00

Just recently, my mum commented that she is very proud of me. That really made my day...She said that she is proud of what I have achieved and what I am doing now for my students and my family. I feel humbled and touched as at least, there's someone who recognises and supports my effort in the things I do and love doing.Personally, I try my very best in what I am given- my role as a teacher, a wife, a mother and a daughter. I try my best to be involved in all that I do and not neglect my roles and responsibilities. But of course, it has not been easy especially when this year, for the first time, I have been given a Sec 3 and a Sec 4 math class to teach. Usually, its only one level per year. I have been spending a lot of time with my Sec 4s by giving them a Math camp during the March Holidays, many night classes till 9 pm, Sat classes etc..I enjoy being with them and though I have only started teaching my Sec 4s this year(which is another rare case as most of the time, the Sec 3 teachers would follow them up to Sec 4 which I didnt teach them last year...and for the record, I have been teaching Sec 4 consecutively from 2008 to 2011. My last Sec 3 class I taught was in 2007), I have grown so close to these group of students.During this time, was a very busy period for me as I have been very busy with my robotics training, in preparation for their Asia Pacific Vex Robotics Championship in Taipei which is in Nov and on top of that, I have to prepare my Sec 4s for their O levels.I even had to arrange my students to come my house for extra lessons if they need just to squeeze out time..

Another interesting occasion I had with one of my students was to bring him for a haircut. He is my Robotics student, Benedict and he recently had a brush with the discipline master for his hair. And because we have been training so much from 7am till 9pm, he didnt really have time to have his hair cut. So today, we manage to squeeze some time off during training and I drove him all the way to his barber for a hair cut! (And by the way, I have become like his godma)

One of my students commented that teaching is in my blood and I really hope that is true as I do enjoy teaching and I really hope I will not have to quit teaching because of any unforeseen circumstances...My students also commented that if I dont become a teacher, I can always be a motivational speaker..I am always amused and grateful by all the interesting comments that my students make about me as it makes me think about how I am doing and how I can improve as a teacher or as a person.Anyway, whatever happens, I will continue to do my best and hopefully, inspire my students in some ways and to mold the future of Singapore! Whoo hoo!

My one-of-a-kind darling..

2011-10-22T17:18:00.000+08:00

My daughter is a very unique girl...or rather, she chooses to be different, independent and has a mind of her own. Every time I see her, its like a reflection of myself as I like to do things my way and we are both quite stubborn in character.Here's Danielle getting ready for dinner. She chooses her own clothes and the way she wants to dress. If you choose for her, she would fuss and cry. She likes things HER way! I don't usually give in to her as I do not want her to think that crying or fussing can be used as a weapon against me. (though I was like that when I was young and I enjoyed crying for attention and love)

Had dinner at Jumbo to celebrate one of the China boy's birthday (whom my mum volunteered to take care of them in Singapore). Danielle, being Danielle...she is quite easy to take care in the sense that she feeds herself since as young as 11 months old.

Here's what Danielle would do at home..

And here's catching her sleeping in a strange position at home...

Though she is stubborn and can be quite a handful at times, I choose to see the positive side of her and with a character like that, she will not be so easily influenced in future. Anyway, I will just treat her the way I would like to be treated since she is so much like me. ;)

Artist in the house

2011-10-16T17:07:00.000+08:00

My son loves art. As and when he is free, he would take his pen and paper to start drawing, regardless of the time. It could be as early as 7am in the morning..Here's some of his recent drawings at age 4 years old...His drawings are inspired by the cartoon movie, Cars and Cars 2.

Recently, I had to do an art project with him for his school on transportation. I asked Caleb what he wanted to make. He has always been nagging at me to buy him a bus. So instead of wasting money, I told him, "why don't we make one instead?" So I got him to choose his favourite colour for his bus and to start making one for his school project.

Though it was a forced effort on my part to do such art and craft, the result is rewarding whenever you see the smile and satisfaction on your child's face.Every effort is worth it..

My students are graduating...

2011-10-14T17:27:00.000+08:00

This year has been an exceptionally good year for me in terms of bonding with my students. Whenever students ask me why I become a teacher, one of the reasons I usually give is.."because I enjoy talking to youths and bonding with them..."This year, I taught 2 Sec 4 classes combined which comprised of only 18 students. Despite only teaching them for less than a year, the bond that we established is quite amazing. My 18 students even came up with a Math class T-shirt which says, "Dawn's Army" in front.I felt as if we have been through so much together. Maybe because of the late nights I spent with them giving them night classes, having lessons even in Ikea, my house as well as overnight camp during the March Holidays...

Truthfully, I will miss them very much.Another class that I took for only one year was this CPA (Computer Applications)class which I took last year when they were Sec 3s. Most of them complained to me that I should have taught them in Sec 4 as well but I had to explain to them that this is the school's arrangement and there is a quota of graduating classes a teacher can take. Nevertheless, despite the short time I spent with this class, we still keep in touch constantly through facebook and I just feel I want to always be there for them and with them.

To all my Sec 4 students, hope your Secondary School life has been memorable and fruitful. Here's wishing you all the best in your future endeavours and I will constantly pray for your well-being as you embark in your next phase in your life. Love you..

my new love...

2011-10-14T17:02:00.000+08:00

Besides love for food, family and friends, I discovered one more..that is, robotics. I volunteered to join my school Robotics CCA and since then, my interest for it grew. I have to say, it has been tough juggling all my responsibilities, trying my best not to neglect my family, friends and teaching at the same time.Robotics has taken up a lot of my time but no complains. In fact the ones complaining are the people closest to me as they sense my absence. Time spent learning with my students and being with them makes me happy and to see their robots come alive after spending days building it, excites me. An exhilarating feeling that I cant describe..

This picture above was taken one of the nights where I stayed back alone with the students to work on our robots for the Asia Pacific Competition till 930pm. Seeing how dedicated the students are inspires me! They have unknowingly taught me a lot in terms of technicalities of the robots but also life lessons.So far, I feel that there is still so much to learn about robotics and I just wish I could find someone to teach me patiently. Nevertheless, at the mean time, I will continue to do my best as I learn from my students and through other means..Here are some pictures of the building phase of our robots..

Now, my wish is to build one all by myself..and to see it come alive. ;)

One of our favourite haunts..

2011-10-01T10:08:00.000+08:00

One of the places I enjoy bringing the children is to Changi Beach. The reason is because they not only have good food right at the doorstep in Changi Village, not as crowded as East Coast Park but also the bicycle kiosk has the right bicycle size and colour for Danielle!However, when we went there today, the bicycles were all rented out. So we made do with it by allowing the kids to play with sand. They were fine and contented...

After that, we went to the nearby Seafood Restaurant for a great dinner! It was our first time trying it and I would definitely go back again as the oyster omelet is so yummy! Its not the starchy kind that you find in hawker centers. Its just egg and oyster which I love!

Right after dinner, as we walked back to the beach to the carpark, we bought ice cream from the cart. See how clean Caleb was after eating his ice cream!

Also chanced upon this while walking back to the car..

All of us had a great time!

Celebrate Mid-Autumn

2011-09-11T20:35:00.000+08:00

In a year, our RC would organise many events and activities for us to participate. The Mid-Autumn Festival was one of them. We brought the children down to join in the atmosphere and fun.They gave out free lanterns and mooncake.

Then they organised group walks through the estate as we carried our lanterns.

There were also games..

All of us had a great time just by being there and soaking in the atmosphere..

Picnic at Botanical Gardens

2011-09-10T20:26:00.000+08:00

Our cell group organised a picnic at Botanical Gardens. As usual, we had lots of food. There were hotdogs with long sausages. I prepared konnayaku jelly as well as potato salad. Also had fried rice, fried chicken wings, potato chips, fruits.

The kids had lots of fun as Liping brought fish food to feed the fishes in the pond.

Ended up, the birds and terrapins also came along and joined in the food party

Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Seminar

2011-09-08T19:24:00.000+08:00

From end of last year, I have been leading a team of 2 other Math teachers in the implementation of the Mathematics Syllabus in 2013. We tried out the new syllabus in our school by identifying one class and teaching the curriculum to them. The focus that MOE wants is more on learning experience rather than just chalk and board.It hasnt been easy as we had numerous meetings in Teachers' Network, Grange Road as well as meetings in school to discuss on what interesting lessons we can come up with. Nevertheless, slowly but surely, we managed to pull through and complete our project by documenting all our lessons in a CD.And because of the hard work my team has put in, I accepted the invitation to share our experience with the Secondary Math Teachers in Singapore through a seminar at NUS High. I thought, "might as well since we have already all the resources..."

Surprisingly, the guest of honour was my ex-principal from Greenview, Mr Sin.

During the break, I had a chance to catch up with him and talk about the past and present.Our keynote speaker for the seminar was Prof Lee Peng Yee. For those of you who remember, Prof Lee Peng Yee's name appear in many of our Mathematics Textbooks. After my morning session sharing with the teachers, I had a chance to speak with him and talk to him more about what he mentioned during his speech and how we can adopt that into our present day education.

I had a great time learning from him through our conversation. To be honest, I was amazed by my own guts to approach such 'big' shots and talk to them. But my desire to learn more from people was so strong that I didnt really bother about my 'face' or whatever. I just had to grab the opportunity to learn as such opportunities do not come by often. The other amazing thing I noticed was how Mr Sin and Prof Lee came early for the morning session and stayed throughout by waiting for the next afternoon session, considering how senior they were in the education circle. Most 'VIP' would usually come late and go off early as they need to rush off somewhere, someplace...but they were different and that amazes me to see such great humility and dedication from them.During this whole day seminar, we had morning session from the west and south zone schools while the afternoon sessions were from the north and east zone schools. So in between, me and my colleagues had lots of time to spend at NUS High so much so that I brought along my marking of prelim papers. We probably had about 5 hours!

Our session in the afternoon was not as good...as we were all tired already. But still, we did what we could and shared.

Nevertheless, I was proud of my colleagues and was glad to be able to do this with them.

Arofanatics Carnival 2011

2011-09-04T16:21:00.000+08:00

Today, CT brought the family to a carnival organised by a group of arowana fish lovers. He knew of this carnival as his colleague is part of the club. So anyway, it was held in Pasir Ris Farmway and since it was so near our place, we dropped by with the children. It was held in OTF- the usual fish shop which I always frequent to buy my fishes, plants and fish food.

The place was crowded with cars all parked along the road..massive jam. Nevertheless, we managed to find a lot along some grass patch.

There was free popcorn, italian gelato with various flavours like green tea...Also had free cotton candy which surprisingly, the kids didnt enjoy. There was also free balloon sculpturing for the children. I love looking at fishes but still do not understand why people would pay so much for an arowana or luo han fish.

There were various competitions going on during the carnival and when I saw the fish or sting rays that were the top 3 positions, I just cant understand what makes them so good.

Oh well..anyway, I am just happy with my ornamental fishes in my small fish tank.Anyway, after the visit, we went for dinner nearby at a coffee shop in Elias where the kids had a go at a retro playground which is probably not a common sight anymore since most playgrounds now have nice soft padded and colourful floor, with colourful plastic structure.

Though the newer playgrounds seem all so fun and attractive but there's just the feel of the old which will somehow make me feel that simplicity is the best!

Keelia's birthday

2011-09-03T20:28:00.000+08:00

My sister-in-law's daughter, Keelia had her birthday celebration at Pasir Ris Costa Sands Resort.

It was an enjoyable time as all the kids came together to play.

Caleb and Danielle loves drawing in the sand. Simple things like that make them happy. The adults could certainly learn a thing or two from kids.

After spending some time playing with the sand, we went back to the chalet as it was getting dark. It was also time for cake cutting!

Danielle was quite enthusiastic about celebrating Keelia's birthday.

All of us had a great time. May Keelia grow up to be a beautiful and good girl!

Exposure

2011-08-27T19:32:00.000+08:00

I always believe in giving as many opportunities and exposure to my children so that they have a taste of every little thing...It can be in terms of food, culture, arts etc..That is why I try to engage them in meaningful activities whenever I can.Recently, I brought them to Tampines to support my colleague, Shu Feng who was playing in the SPH Gift of Music Philharmonic Wind Orchestra. I enjoy music since being exposed from by my aunt and parents who bring me to free SSO concerts at a young age.

So this was one opportunity which I didnt want my kids to miss. The worse thing that I want to prevent is to stifle my children's potential. So, I try my best to cultivate interests in as many areas as possible so that in future, they can choose which path they want to take and explore.Here's Danielle playing with my old camera.

There was one morning when I chanced upon this fruit in Sheng Shiong. I quickly bought it to try. I am basically an adventurous person and would dare to try anything new, especially when it comes to food!This fruit is called Buah Pulasan. It tastes like Rambutan but its much sweeter and easier to eat! It has soft torns, and is supposed to be a mix between lychee and rambutan. My children loved it!

After dinner, Caleb would usually draw or write. He does it automatically and enjoys it very much. He is a very imaginative boy. He was proud to show me what he has learnt in class.

Very proud of my children and will always be because I choose to see only the positive side of things and people...

A day at the museums

2011-08-09T18:23:00.000+08:00

Taking advantage of the free entry to museums during this National Day period, we left the house early in the morning to start our day off first at the Singapore Philatelic Museum.

When I was young, I used to collect stamps with my brother as my dad had his own collection of stamps and first day covers. I remembered very vividly how my dad would always show me suitcases of first day covers which he got. I still like stamps but do not really intentionally collect them. I just like to admire the pictures and design of the stamp.In the museum, there were quite a lot to see especially for the kids. They had fun exploring interactive exhibits.

Its quite nostalgic for me as I see things I used to see when I was growing up...like this post office motorbike.

Look how much fun the kids were having..this reminds me of me and my brother as we used to have this at home where we also do the lion dance.

Anyway, after the philatelic museum, we walked down towards SIM and dropped by at the Peranakan Museum. I love Peranakan food by the way because of its spice. Each time I visit Malacca, I will never fail to drop by popular Peranakan Restaurants to satisfy my craving.The kids didnt seem to interested with this one..oh well. Look at what Caleb is doing..

I love their costumes..very intricate.

Along the way to the Singapore Art Museum(SAM), the kids were distracted by the sculptures and water..

There was a huge rabbit at the entrance of SAM.

I have to say, I enjoyed this museum the most because of how they use art to design the wall and there were a lot of creative stuff going on in there.

There was also a film for the kids to watch and it was quite meaningful. So we rested our legs by catching the movie. Interestingly, Danielle went up all the way in front to catch the show while Caleb preferred to sit at the back.Anyway, after the show, there was a room for the kids to play. Caleb was of course more interested in the toy trains while Danielle was busy colouring. Typical boy and girl.

After that, the kids were all tired. Danielle was sleeping in my helper's arms during lunch. Hope the kids enjoyed themselves and learnt something!

National Day Long Weekend

2011-08-08T21:31:00.000+08:00

Because of my wedding anniversary, I managed to take child care leave on Monday so that I can have a longer weekend spent with the family. I booked a chalet in Changi that faces the sea and invited my in-laws to stay together.We had a wonderful time. Checked in on Sunday, after lunch...The single storey bungalow simply reminds me exactly of my dream house. My dream house is actually a single storey bungalow with a big garden for me to grow my vegetables and herbs for my cooking. I like single storey because next time when I am old, I do not have to worry about climbing the stairs. If my house has a swimming pool, it will be best. If not, I am also fine. I remember attending the Adam Khoo course with my students in our school and the speaker mentioned about having a dream and being specific about what you exactly want. For me, this is my dream but whether it will come to pass or not, I will just do my best in what I do now and if it happens, it would be great. If not, I would still choose to be happy and be contented with what I have!

The seaview from our chalet

The view was breathtaking..

After checking in, we brought the children for cycling at Changi Beach. Danielle and Caleb both had a great time. I was pleasantly surprised at Danielle's maneuvering skills in her bike. She has great psycho-motor skills! She was even cycling way ahead of Caleb..I had trouble keeping up with her even by running along with her!The kids also spent time at the playground.

You can see Danielle enjoying the thrill of swinging up high. She's definitely more daring than Caleb.

She really amazes me especially when she actually steered all by herself right back into the bicycle kiosk and even parking the bicycle all on her own without stopping and adjusting her bike, in the middle of the row of bicycles which were neatly parked in a row.After cycling, we went to my club for a swim before dinner.

After dinner, Danielle was holding hands with Keane (my sister in law's son) on the way back to the car. How cute..

When we went back to the chalet, the kids changed into their PJs and played together on the bed and in the living room.

The next morning, CT and I woke up early to catch the sunrise just outside our chalet. It was romantic as we used to do this during our honeymoon or on holidays with the family.

Caleb also woke up early and joined us in admiring the scenery..

After that, we had breakfast together. We steamed the char siew pau and da pau which we bought last night. The children bathed and wore their Red and White clothes to prepare for National Day Celebration in school this morning. I figured that no matter what, I will make sure my kids go to school, enjoy themselves and hopefully learn something there.

After dropping the kids off to school, we dropped our helper, Vicky home before CT and I head out to M Hotel for a buffet lunch to celebrate our wedding anniversary which is today..the actual day.After getting married for 7 years, I felt CT and I really have come a long way. Definitely, it was not all smooth sailing..but throughout these years, we managed to work hard at our relationship and to learn to cherish and love each other. More importantly, we have 2 wonderful kids who has given us much joy and has taught us a lot as well..Thank You God for my husband, Chee Tiong and for my 2 babies- Caleb and Danielle who each has their own unique character which I appreciate and am thankful for.

Anniversary date with Lion King

2011-08-06T21:11:00.000+08:00

On 8 Aug 2003, my THEN boyfriend waited outside my school gate to pick me up after our National Day celebration, brought me to his house and went down on his knees with a bouquet of sunflowers (my favourite flower by the way) and asked me to be his girlfriend.One year later, 8 Aug 2004, I got married to him...It has been 7 years of marriage and I find that I am loving Chee Tiong more and more...Anyway, for our anniversary date, CT brought me to go watch Lion King as he knew I have always wanted to watch it AGAIN. Yes, the last time I caught it was probably about 10 years ago when I was in London with my family as we went there for holiday cum visit as my brother was studying in Imperial College for an exchange programme during his NUS days then. I enjoyed it so much that when I knew it would be coming to Singapore, I kept telling CT that he had to catch it!Before the show, we went to Raffles City for lunch. I am not one who craves after expensive food. It really doesnt matter to me. Company is definitely more important to me. So anyway, we had Macdonalds for lunch as there was a promotion for the new burgers! It was 2 for the price of 1! After Macs, we went to "The Handburger" Restaurant in Raffles City basement for a dessert burger which we was also a 1-for-1 promotion as well! How cool! We are definitely a sucker for promotions as you can tell!

I would definitely go back to this place to try their beef burgers! Yum yum..After lunch, we walked over to Marina Bay Sands for the Lion King show.

We bought the 2nd most expensive tickets as were sitting about 7th row from the stage. So, it was pretty near.

The theatre is pretty nice. However, I was slightly disappointed with the stage as I was comparing with what the one I saw in London and the stage in Singapore seemed smaller. Moreover, they added local flair into the show like Chinese or singlish...so it felt kind of strange.Nevertheless, I enjoyed myself especially when I was sitting by the aisle and got close brush with the crew as they came down from the aisle quite a number of times. I even reached my hand and touched the elephant!Thanks dear for the date! May we continue to have many more good years ahead with each other...

Bukit Timah Hike

2011-07-30T20:03:00.000+08:00

Have always wanted to bring the children to Bukit Timah ever since my ex-colleague introduced me to the place. We finally went and the kids enjoyed themselves.

It was a good way to drain our children's energy as they are very active, especially Caleb who was walking and running very fast. He was way ahead of me..But being a good brother, he stopped once in a while to wait for Danielle.

After walking the steep slope, the children had to face big, huge steps that even their legs had trouble reaching. It was cute especially to see Danielle really lifting up her legs to go up the steps.

Anyway, after the tiring climb up the steps, we were rewarded by the sight of monkeys which the kids were excited about.

On the way back down the steep slope, Caleb was walking backwards as it wont strain his knees. I was amazed how he could walk backwards the whole time. I couldnt even do that as I am just not used to walking backwards.

After our hike, as our car was heading out, we noticed the dead train tracks. So we immediately parked our car to the side of the road, got down and walked along the tracks just for the fun of it! Caleb was pretending he was a train..

It was a great adventure just walking along the tracks, sitting on it ..

and even lying on it!

After that, went for a good dinner at Boon Tong Kee Chicken Rice Restaurant just opposite Beauty World.

I would definitely love to do it again with the family....

My boy..

2011-07-25T18:06:00.000+08:00

Caleb is quite focus when it comes to writing or drawing. He would be able to sit down and do that for quite a while. Anyway, here's what he does..He would practice writing his Chinese and English name.

Then here's what he draws..

I have to say, Caleb has a lot of imagination. He could play with his blu tack for hours and making all sorts of sound effects with it. He would sleep with the blu tack and when he wakes up and finds the blu tack missing, he would cry for it.May he continue to be focused in whatever he does..and allow that mind of his to be creative and imaginative.

"Crowded classrooms and half-day sessions are a tragic waste of our greatest national resource - the minds of our children."-Walt Disney

Thoh's papa birthday

2011-07-22T19:55:00.001+08:00

My colleague, Mr Thoh's birthday falls exactly one week after Caleb. That is why I would not forget. Initiated a lunch for him together with other colleagues at Pu Tien, Tampines. Mr Thoh has retired for almost a year already and we all missed him. But thank God, we still meet once in a while to catch up.

Actually watching Mr Thoh today made me a little sad as he was limping. Among all of us, he is the fittest as he climbs Bukit Timah every week, effortlessly. However, he recently has a back problem which affects his leg.

Nevertheless, I pray he will be healed as soon so that he can continue his weekly climb with his friends and be as fit and young forever!

Caleb turns 4!

2011-07-17T20:48:00.001+08:00

As usual, simple birthday celebrations for my children with in laws in the afternoon, and my side, at night..

There's Caleb and my sister-in-law, Linda who has the same birthday!

Linda with the kids!

At night, my side of the family plus Marianne's family came over to my place for dinner. I cooked vegetable curry to go with my mum's bee hoon, as well as grilled chicken wings. Also ordered pizza.

It was a dinosaur themed party..Well, I just wanted to do a little something for Caleb.

So here's the goodie pack for the kids and his birthday cake!

Here's Caleb ,together with his new presents bought by godma..Cars 2 lego!

After dinner and cake cutting, we went down to the kids' playground at the roof top garden to play.

Was glad Caleb had an enjoyable time. Like to take this opportunity to thank God for watching over him and pray Caleb will continue to grow up into a loving and joyful person.

Pre-celebration with family

2011-07-16T16:21:00.001+08:00

Today, my family had a pre-celebration birthday for Caleb because on his birthday itself, my parents, brother and in-laws would be celebrating for him.

My birthday present for Caleb this year is simply to bring him to East Coast Park for cycling and sandcastle building. I actually gave him a few options as to what he wants to do and he chose cycling. I feel this is the best birthday present by far as its meaningful and I do not want my children to grow up expecting presents or think that money solves everything.

Anyway, here's the children cycling in East Coast Park.

Danielle's legs were still too short but she insisted on riding.

After an hour, we went to build sandcastles.

Everyone chipped into the building of it and it was definitely great bonding for the family.

All of us, though tired, had a really enjoyable time as we saw the fruits of our labour at the end of it all

After that, we had dinner at East Coast Lagoon Food Centre which definitely brings back memories of my good old days where my parents used to bring me there after my swimming training at night.

We used to eat duck rice or porridge there and so I ordered that for my children to also enjoy what I used to enjoy in the past.

As for myself and CT, we ordered the beef tribe noodles and also ordered satay which the kids love!

Great activities in the beach plus great food and company..what more can I ask for? I feel so blessed..Happy Birthday Caleb! Hope you enjoyed yourself!

Date with hubby

2011-07-04T14:57:00.000+08:00

Always look forward to dates with my hubby as we have similar interests--food and movies. Typical Singaporean stuff. Anyway,because its youth day holiday, we went to Suntec to watch Transformers which I absolutely loved!

I am not sure if its my brother's influence..but since young, I always enjoy guys' stuff like playing computer games, cars, robots, action, super heroes etc.

Anyway, after the show, we went to have lunch at Aston Specialties. I ordered my usual sirloin steak while CT ordered a super burger which was DISGUSTINGLY OILY and FATTENING!

The burger had deep fried onion rings in it. I felt this dish would cause an immediate heart attack after eating it.

Anyway, after lunch, we had dessert at Andersen's of Denmark.

I was stuffed and bloated. Wanted to go home already but CT insisted on getting his free Latte at Spinelli's which I still have no idea why people would pay about $6 for this?!!! It was bitter and yucky! I hate coffee...

Nevertheless, we had a great time together and taking the train home!

Night at City Square Mall

2011-07-02T15:29:00.001+08:00

Usually we would go out as a family on Saturday evenings. So we decided to bring the family to City Square Mall. Been there a couple of times and parking there is quite alright if you are early.

We had early dinner at a Japanese marketplace/food court. I had mixed steamboat while the rest had rice set and ramen.

After dinner, we walked around and settled at the ground floor where there were performances. Danielle enjoyed herself as she clapped along. She was simply glued to the dancers and singers.

Then the kids went to the playground right outside the mall for some fun before we headed home.

They enjoyed themselves so much that it was tough getting them out of the playground.

Anyway, glad the kids enjoyed themselves.

Family Day Pictures out!

2011-06-26T21:40:00.006+08:00

CT managed to bring back his company's Family Day pictures from his colleagues. We had a really great time building the sandcastles at East Coast Park during the event. Check out the sandcastle we built!

Learnt a lot from making sandcastles...its a lot about life and how we should always strive for perfection. If it crumbles, its ok. We just need to clear the sand and redo again. There is really no shortcut to success.

The kids had a great time there.

I have to say, it was all well worth the effort of waking up at 6 plus am to go to the beach with 2 young kids and braving the drizzle and strong winds.

Our reward was to see how amazing our sandcastle could end up looking. Simply unimaginable.

Another group also did an amazing job! Never knew we could do so much with sand!

Besides a tiring, but fulfilling time building the sandcastle, we had lunch at a bistro nearby. We had a private place all by ourselves and the best thing was that we could order anything from the ala-carte menu..FOR FREE! Thanks to CT's company who footed the bill. So we had fried chicken wings, calamari, cheese fries, fruit juices, mocktails, sirloin steak, BBQ ribs, grilled fish, pizza as well as chocolate brownies for dessert with ice cream! Not only did we have free lunch, there were also presents for all of us-angry bird keychain collection as well as pails and rubber ball for the kids.

We really had a blast!

Fun starts at home

2011-06-26T11:40:00.000+08:00

Who says kids only have fun when you bring them out?

As for my 2 kids, Caleb and Danielle, they seemed happy at home as well as they are now of age to play together. For starters, they love jumping and playing on my bed.

If I have time, I would also do craft work with them. Here's both of them playing with play dough- something which I seldom play with as its messy to clean up after that. But then again, it can be really fun. So what the heck!

The kids had also inherited my skate scooter which I used to have when I was schooling. And they have been playing with it everyday. Now, Caleb is an expert on it!

As for Danielle, she is still trying. I am sure one day she would be whizzing past me with that!

Another activity I played with the kids at home was a DIY version of Angry Birds. We got the various Angry Bird keychain from CT's Company who gave out to us as we attended the Family Day in East Coast Park, building sandcastles. However, the photos were all in my hp which I trade in recently. So, I lost all of the pretty photos I took of that day when we built amazing sandcastles with the children and CT's colleagues.

Anyway,because of all those Angry Bird keychains that I've got from the event, I had to make use of that to do something fun with my children. So here's Caleb having fun at home!

So the whole idea is to build his own structure with Lego and place the pig on it, Then he would take the angry birds to throw and aim at the pig.

The structures gets more and more complicated as he 'levels up'...and the thing is he constructs them himself. I just guide him and suggest to him to make it more complicated.

Here's some of his structures built by him.

As for myself, I looked at my angry bird in my ipad and tried to build a replica.

Caleb really had a great time!

Cooking during the holidays

2011-06-19T21:13:00.000+08:00

I do miss cooking during normal work days as my helper would cook instead since I come home late almost everyday or I would be too tired to. So I would usually either cook weekends (which has been more rare now) or during school holidays.

Here's what I made..

Pork short ribs stew with pumpkin, onions, carrots, tomatoes. My first time cooking this and it was purely my own recipe and concoction. Very nice! Would def cook this easy one pot meal again!

Linguine with lemon, garlic thyme mushrooms (all thanks to Nigella Lawson's cookbook given to me by my students.

And Country Beef stew (using beef shin)

Cooked these on separate occasions. After each cooking, I always have this sense of satisfaction from watching my hubby and children dig into it and finish it all up. My cooking also helps break the monotony of my helper's cooking as she keeps cooking the same old stuff. After a while, I purposely arrange to eat out.

But nevertheless, I do wish for myself to put in more effort in preparing meals for the family so that eventually, my kids could join me in cooking together! That's really my dream.

Peekaboo

2011-06-17T07:10:00.001+08:00

Whatever time I have during the June Holidays, I will try to spend it with my family and today,making use of the car at home, I decided to bring them to Peekaboo, Kallang Leisure Park to play. Decided to go there as I have the 1-for-1 Jumbo card promotion.

So for both of my children, I only paid $14! Worth it!

The indoor playground is quite small as compared to the ones I have been to- Polliwogs and GogoBambini. But it was definitely good enough to keep the children satisfied.

Caleb was taking good care of Danielle when she first tried out the obstacles by waiting for her and at times, holding her hand.

The children also ended up playing and talking to other kids. More sociable than us,parents..Something I can learn from my kids.

My Unforgettable Birthday Celebrations!!

2011-06-09T17:42:00.000+08:00

This year has been an exceptional year for me. I feel that I have been so blessed. This year for my birthday, I had the most wonderful gifts that I could ever receive and birthday celebrations too!

I invited my parents and brothers' family over to my house for dinner as I feel what better place to celebrate than at the comfort of my own home. Also feel that birthday is not about me, but its about serving people and making others feel happy.

So prepared a scrumptious meal for my family. After dinner, we headed to the Punggol Promenade for a walk since my parents and brothers' family has not been there. The kids had lots of fun running around and playing.

Another celebration I had was with my colleagues. My colleague, Thoh "Papa" and good friend, Sarah went to the Japanese Restaurant at Changi Village Hotel for lunch. Great authentic Japanese food! I ordered all that I like as Thoh "Papa" treats me and Sarah as his own daughters..

Just looking at the pictures again, makes me salivate and crave to go back there again for the food!

Everything was good! Think it costs us $150 for the 3 of us!

Anyway, my next birthday celebration was with my Sec 4 Math students. I only started teaching them this year and I am amazed at how close I have bonded with this class.

On my birthday, they came with a cake filled with 31 candles that cannot be blown! It was those trick candles that will always have the fire.

The funny thing was that all of us freaked out as we thought we would be setting the whole class on fire since 31 candles cannot be blown out! We needed the fire extinguisher!

My students gave me a recipe book as well as a weekly planner to plan the meals I would cook. So sweet of them. They also made for me a huge birthday card with all their thoughts in it. I really appreciate it and was very touched.

Guys, if you are reading this..thanks so much for making this birthday such a special one!

Then for lunch on my birthday, I met up with my good friend, Marianne. She treated me to yong tau food at Siglap...one of my favourite place to eat Yong Tau foo! Met in Siglap as I have been putting up at my old house since my parents went for church camp to Malaysia. So wanted to do a staycation there and help them to look after their fishes and my lovely dog, Ashley!

Was looking forward to dinner with the family. Actually planned to eat at LemonGrass Thai Restaurant but CT last minute said he cant come back to join us for dinner..so I just walked out with the kids to have a meal at the food centre. Slightly disappointed to be honest but was still happy as at least, I still get to be with my children.

Life will always spring disappointments but I just choose to focus on the positives and move on!

After dinner, we took the longer route home as I wanted to buy some stuff to make me happy :) Went to Royals Cafe to buy food for tomorrow's breakfast and the kids ended up having fun there!

Also dropped by at Udders Ice Cream place to buy myself a treat!

Not only was it the unforgettable different birthday celebrations that I had with various people, but it was also the wonderful gifts I received.

Here's what I got..
1) Ipad 2 and Diesel watch(dearest hubby)

2) cluedo and life adventures card games (Bro and Pam)

3) Challenger Voucher (parents)
4) nice bag which I love (sis in law)
5) Hush Puppies polo tee (mum in law)
6) Boogle card Game and jelly beans (Sabrina, my colleague)
7) Gifts from taiwan (Sarah, my colleague)
8) stylus for my ipad (Serene, my colleague)

9) Fun gifts like USB port, US dollar toilet roll, cup cover (Shu Xian, my colleague)
10) Recipe book and meal planner (students)

Feel so loved..and blessed.

One of my students asked me a very valid question- what if no one celebrated my birthday. How would I feel? I did tell him honestly speaking, I would be sad but I would not blame them. Instead, I would reflect on myself and ask myself what's wrong with me? But then again, I must also remind myself that with or without celebrations or presents, I should still choose to be happy!

Precious times

2011-05-31T21:02:00.001+08:00

Times spent with my children are very precious to me as I know I have my commitment to my students and school too which take up a lot of my time..Its definitely not easy juggling work and family so that's why all the more, I appreciate and treasure the times spent with my kids.

Today, I took them out to Serangoon NEX shopping centre by taking the train which the kids love.

First up, I brought them to the playground right at the top of the shopping centre.

Leaving them there with Vicky, I hurry off to do my shopping at Challenger. Bought a light bag to put my ipad and other valuables when I go out. Thanks to my mum who gave me a voucher for my upcoming birthday.

Then, we had lunch at the food court and after that, visited the new library there. Quite a good selection of children's books! Loved it!

Overall had a great time with the children. Thank God they were pretty well-behaved except for the last part when Caleb ran in the almost-empty-train just to sit down all by himself.

Busy Saturday

2011-05-28T16:50:00.004+08:00

This morning, went to airport at about 630am to send off my students and colleagues to Hefei, China. Gave some of them a surprise as they didnt expect me to be there. Love giving and receiving surprises..(pleasant ones)

Then I decided to buy Macdonalds breakfast home for the family. After that, at about 9am, went to my mum-in-law's place to learn how to make rice dumplings from my mum-in-law. I wanted so much to learn so that I can make it in future for my family and friends.

It was tough wrapping the dumpling into a pyramid shape. I know CT tried to take a video of me making one rice dumpling and he gave up waiting for me to tie it correctly!

I managed to do about 3 dumplings. Good enough! It was hard work...My mum-in-law commented that next year, I will take over her job to do..oh gosh.

Then an hour later, went to Caleb and Danielle's school for exhibition as we viewed their art work as well as performance.

Here's Danielle's class artwork...

Here's Caleb's class..

As for the rest of the classes, there was one class which amazed me by their project on bats. So amazing!

Danielle didnt manage to perform as we went a minute too late. When we reached, her classmates were up on stage already. As for Caleb, he had stage fright and stood still amongst his friends during the performance.

I really have no idea why he does not perform on stage. Last year during the concert, he too stand still while the rest of his classmates were dancing. At home, he would always perform for us and down at the block, he would greet strangers and say hello to them..so why is he so shy on stage??

I did ask him and he said he was scared. His teachers will look into it and let me know how best to help him. In the meantime, I am not worried as I know he would grow out of it eventually!

After the exhibition in school, went back to mum-in-law's place to eat the rice dumpling which I made!

Success!! Cant wait to try making rice dumplings all by myself.

Went home feeling very tired after a fun, but long morning! But its all worth it..after all, its time spent with my loved ones.

Love picnics

2011-05-21T16:35:00.000+08:00

As a kid growing up, I always enjoy picnics at the park or beach. My ideal picnic food would actually be bee hoon with chicken curry but of course, my kids do not like eating that for now since its spicy.

Anyway, it was the enjoyment of food and fun at the same time. So with that in mind, picnics has been a regular activity in our family.

Today, we brought the family to a nearby park for a picnic. I prepared homemade beef and chicken burger. Had to make chicken as my helper doesnt really eat beef.

I marinated the beef with Worcestershire sauce, salt, herbs, egg and biscuit crumbs (crushed cream crackers) to bind it all together and make it slightly crispy.

Also prepared fried bacon strips, grilled portabello mushroom to add it into the burger.

Initially, I was afraid the kids would not eat it as that was my only food! But I needed to try and I just knew I couldnt always give in to what they want. My kids need to learn to adapt and be flexible.

Glad they ate and seemed to enjoy it. Phew!

However, it started to drizzle. So we moved to the shelter to carry on our picnic.

Despite the light rain, we still had a great time bonding together as a family!

Looking forward to my next picnic with the family!

Just waiting..

2011-05-17T22:58:00.001+08:00

Think most of my friends or family would expect my children to know how to swim (since at the age of 3, I started swimming). But to their surprise, I hardly bring my children swimming..maybe once every 2-3 months if I remember correctly.

The reason is probably I want them to enjoy what they are doing, and I am afraid for them to go down the road where I ended up hating swimming. The other reason is that they do not like the water when its cold. So, bringing them for a swim depends on the weather and the time.

When I used to swim at 530am in the morning for trainings, the weather was so cold that I kept sneezing and catching a cold. That probably led to my permanent nose block now which caused me to breathe through my mouth. So, I am really afraid of my kids catching a cold from their swim.

But nevertheless, I do bring them for a swim when I see the opportunity to just play and have confidence in it.

Danielle seemed to enjoy swimming and when the time comes, I will surely teach them or put them into swimming classes.

But for now, I will just wait...

Great malay food in Ang Mo Kio

2011-05-17T14:09:00.002+08:00

One day,my colleague excitedly recommended me to try Mee Soto at Ang Mo Kio. She swears its the best she has tried so far. So I decided to go with my family to try since AMK is not that far from my place.

Its in a newly renovated food centre right at the first row of stalls. I ordered gado gado, mee soto drumstick as well as mee rubus.

The gado gado is so-so. Not something I would order again. The Mee Rebus is quite nice and the gravy is thick and tasty!

But the best is the Mee Soto. It must be the specialty of the shop since they sell so many versions of mee soto which was set to confuse a non-Malay like me...They also have Mee Soto Dinosaur which simply means mee soto with chicken carcass...

Initially when I tasted the mee soto, I didnt find it special. But it kinds of grow on you and the more mouth you take, especially with the special chilli provided, it taste more rich...and best of all, the soup is not oily!

I will definitely be back for more mee soto. Next time round, I will try their satay especially beef tribe satay!

Here's info of the shop! Do drop by if you are around that area.
YUNUS & Family
Block 724, #01-54
Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6
Opening hours 11am - 10pm, closed on Sundays

Free preview to the ArtScience Museum

2011-05-16T16:36:00.003+08:00

Managed to register for the free educators preview to the newly opened ArtScience Museum at the Marina Bay Sands. Its exciting since you know you will be one of the first ones there.

I went with my colleague and we were given free tour of the place. There was a choice between Salvador Dali or Van gogh. I let my friend choose since she was the Art Teacher. She chose Dali...which ended up a great choice as there were so many more exhibits in Dali's exhibition than Van Gogh's.

It was quite interesting as I learnt something from Dali's Artwork. There was this sculpture called Space Venus - a melted clock on the neck which tells us that beauty is finite, the body split at the midriff representing death and the egg, the symbol of life representing renewal in death.

And then, there was also this..

Anthropomorphic Cabinet with drawers again ... this time on a female form that perhaps deceives us into seeing a masculine one who appears almost as if she is writhing in pain

The above sculpture has some sexual connotations. Possibly influenced by Sigmund Freud's interpretation of images in dreams and their hidden sexual meanings. Woman losing her virginity

Here's more information about the pricing

All in all, I had a great time but for me to pay for this, I don't think I will..

Kids' first visit to SPCA

2011-05-09T22:11:00.002+08:00

It was my first time bringing my kids to SPCA and all along, I wanted to take them there to teach them how to care for the animals.

Caleb's personality shone through as he enjoyed himself tremendously and tried making friends with the dogs, while Danielle found the barking too loud for her that she preferred to stay outside.

Here's Caleb taking pictures with some of his favourite dogs.

Glad Caleb enjoyed himself!

Tomato Bruschetta

2011-05-09T18:07:00.001+08:00

My favourite frozen pizza brand is Dr Oetker and a couple of weeks back, I ate the pizza mozzarella flavour and I was very surprised by the simplicity of the ingredients and yet, it tasted so good!

There was just basil pesto, tomato, tomato paste and mozarella cheese on top.

So with that in mind, I have all along wanted to make that for breakfast for my family by adding the same exact ingredients on a baguette.

And I did that today, given the opportunity...since it was a holiday (right after the general election on Sat).

Also cooked cream of mushroom soup to go along with it for breakfast!

Having bread with creamed soup was actually an idea given to me by my church. Every week, free breakfast is served to all those who serves on that particular Sunday and at times, we have wholemeal bread with fried luncheon meat and sausage as well as cream of mushroom soup! So yummy! Bread with soup simply warms me up and starts my day right somehow! ;p

Sunset at the park

2011-05-07T22:31:00.001+08:00

Went to a nearby park at our place. There's a fruit island that links the park and the sports complex.

The view was very nice..

The kids had fun running around and taking pictures with the 'fruits'.

The sun set was very beautiful as it was especially orange tonight.

At the park, we had a good view of the sunset and the colours were just amazing!

If only Singapore had less high rise buildings and construction around..

The bubble tea battle

2011-05-07T18:09:00.000+08:00

For quite a while, I have been quite curious as to why they have been a revival of bubble tea shops. Many many years back, there was a bubble tea craze all over Singapore and now, though it is not as crazy as before, it still baffles me as to why the craze is back and why people are buying them at 3 times the selling price as the earliest ones. People are also prepared to wait for almost 30 mins for their bubble tea even though there are cheaper options nearby.

So instead of asking all those 'why' questions, I might as well be more proactive and discover it myself!

As I was waiting for my bubble tea patiently, CT decided to go to a nearby expensive bubble tea shop with no queue to see the difference.

Initially, I was rather skeptical as to whether I can tell the difference between the normal bubble tea ones that cost about $1.20 and the expensive ones that I am getting for the price of $3 bucks.

Here's what I got with 50% sweetness (by the way, you can choose the level of sugar for the expensive ones)

I got the Alisan Milk Tea with pearls and the verdict was: There's actually a difference! The tea is so much more fragrant and I love the milky taste! It feels so much healthier drinking this as compared to the artificial taste that you get from the $1.20 ones you get.

As for CT, he paid more than $3 for his bubble tea and it tasted also very nice.

So, I have to admit that it is worth the queue and the price...once in a while!

Tampines Eco Green Park

2011-05-02T18:07:00.001+08:00

Today, CT suggested bringing us to the fairly new park in Tampines. It is a great place for bird watchers and nature lovers. A notable feature of Tampines Eco Green is that it is eco-friendly in design. All park furniture such as the signage, benches, bird hides, earth mound, and hedges, were made using recycled materials and environmentally-friendly labelled products were used in the development of the park.

From the signage, there was actually a dinosaur picture just in front of the "Eco" word and because of that, Caleb was pretty excited. Maybe he was thinking there would be dinosaurs in the park.

It was a nice cool morning..

Lots of space for the kids to roam.

Lots of nice, interesting plants and flowers.

As you can see, the kids were still wearing their pyjamas as we were there at about 7 plus am.

Quite an enjoyable morning except that it was a long walk back to the entrance. The weather also didnt do much justice was it started drizzling as we were walking back.

As we were walking out, Caleb commented, "Where are the dinosaurs?" Think he was rather disappointed.

Anyway, when we reached home, the kids bathed and straight after that, Danielle fell asleep!

Cute!

Projects

2011-04-26T22:51:00.002+08:00

I have been wanting to do this Science Project with the kids for a long time. Didnt get down to it because I needed white flowers and just few days ago, I managed to pass by the florist where I just bought one stalk of white flowers which can be broken into few pieces with tiny flowers on it.

I added colouring to the water and place the flowers in it so that eventually, the children will get to see how the white flower changes colour because of how the water travels from the stem to the leaves.

Also did art project with the kids few days ago as Danielle needed to submit a recycled transport vehicle for her school. I assigned this task to my hubby to do as I did one art project recently with Caleb already. So now it was his turn. So he decided to make a boat with milk carton.

And of course, with 2 kids, you've got to prepare double the materials as the other child would also like to get involved.

Danielle's sail was crumpled because after she coloured a little, she immediately crushed it.

Anyway, had a great time spending time with them as we all saw the rewards after all that hard work!

Faces of Danielle..

2011-04-26T17:01:00.001+08:00

Danielle has been a wonderful girl. She has grown to be sweet looking, joyful and independent.

She likes to choose what to wear and she can be very choosy!! Here's her shirt which she insisted on wearing even though its too small.

And there's Danielle in the potty doing her big business at the age of 2 years, 4 months. She was also donning on my swimming cap which she insisted on wearing.

I've got to say, Danielle has character! Love her a lot and I will always be very proud of her!

Won contest

2011-04-25T18:00:00.001+08:00

My hubby's company organised a photo contest on their childhood and he submitted this!

My hubby actually won the hunk category!

So he brought home his prize which was this! The whole family attacked the snacks and we all had a great time eating. For me, it was a reminiscent of the past as most were my childhood snacks!

Family workout

2011-04-23T14:42:00.001+08:00

Just the night before, we went to check out the latest developments around my area- huge snooker place with many tables as well as an indoor football court

There will also be prawn fishing as well as more restaurants coming up. At present, we have a Japanese Restaurant-Shin Nichi, Popeyes Fast Food, Xian Seafood Restaurant and Frienzie Bistro and Bar Restaurant.

The next morning, we brought the kids for jogging.

The kids loved it!

After the workout, we went to KFC for breakfast where the kids had waffles and pancake which they were chomping down!

Truly enjoyed time spent with the kids doing meaningful activities like this, rather than staying at home, watching TV or playing with the computer.

CT returns..

2011-04-16T13:37:00.001+08:00

CT has been away for almost 2 weeks and it felt like ages. But thankfully, I was so busy with work that time flies by quickly. Went to airport to pick CT up and I was so touched when my cell group leader, Daniel and Rachel also went along to welcome CT home. That was a very sweet gesture!

Initially, CT thought of coming home by himself since I have swimming meet the next morning. But I insisted since I knew I would also be at home waiting for him to come home and thus not being able to sleep. So, I might as well, go to the airport to welcome him!

Anyway, the next day, went for my Public Service swimming meet by taxi at Civil Service Club. The same, usual place every year...

They renovated the kids' pool and its nicer with the slide and waterfall.

The reason why I make sure I attend this every year is because I feel competition is in my blood..I will feel something is missing if I do not compete. I also enjoy meeting up with my old swimming friends and making new ones.

And lastly, I have to admit, its the goodies that I get that is the main attraction. Every year, I get new swimming costumes, 2 -3 shirts, one shorts, bag, swimming goggles, swimming cap etc. The list goes on. Thanks to our sponsors like Arena! We would also get extra from last years' prize money from our winnings. This year, Li Ning also sponsored us. So we have extra Li Ning bag and water bottle! Yay!

This year, I swam 50m back, 50m free, and 2 relays. Irritating thing was that I was up against a Filipino female Olympic Swimmer who just joined this year and she was in every event I was down. My results: 3 events- 4th position and 1 event- gold. Oh well..at least I have one gold. ;)

My family came down to support me in the later part of the morning. Danielle and Caleb swam in the children's pool. After the meet, we bought lunch back home to eat as it was quite late and the kids were tired.

After reaching home, CT surprised me with his biggest buy in US. I actually went to check my email and he sent me a apple ipad website and just said, "Surprise" in the mail. I was thinking what is the surprise since its just a website. I really didnt expect anything since he has already gotten me a new Diesel watch from US that costs US$100! So I questioned him about what surprise and he just refused to say anything but smile. So I went to search my drawers and found this!!

I was shocked and speechless..also very happy!! For those who know my hubby, he is not one who would spend extravagantly and for him to buy that for me, it is amazing! Very touched. Thanks CT!! You're the best!

Danielle coping well

2011-04-15T13:30:00.000+08:00

My helper, Vicky would go down to pick up my 2 children when they come back in the school bus. When both end up sleeping, she has to put one in the pram, while she carries the other one. So as not to wake Danielle up, she leaves Danielle in the pram.

This is the best way as if Danielle does wake up, she wouldnt want to sleep again and she would end up feeling very tired when evening comes. So, its best to leave her sleeping like that.

I'm glad Danielle seemed to be coping well in school and enjoying herself. She always comes back happy. Even at home, she would be stuffing things in her school bag, and carrying it around.

My prayer for Danielle is that she would continue to enjoy going to school even when she grows up!

Steamed Cabbage wrapped with minced pork

2011-04-12T21:06:00.001+08:00

Cooked this really simple, great tasting and nutritious dish.

The chinese cabbage made the difference! Basically, I used minced pork. Seasoned it with the basic stuff like salt, soya sauce, sesame oil, pepper. If you have water chestnuts and spring onions, you can add it too!

Then just wrap it with cabbage and steam it. After steaming, you will have some 'juice' from the pork and cabbage. I retained all those for my sauce. I basically added the 'juice' to the pan and added abalone sauce and oyster sauce. Then thicken it with corn flour. If you want to add another dimension to the sauce, you can throw in dried scallops as well! I can imagine it will taste really good.

The most important thing about this dish is that you should not overcook the minced meat inside. You would not want the meat to end up tough and dry. Everything should be sweet, tasty and juicy!

You can substitute minced pork with minced chicken as well!

Enjoy!

Visit to SPCA

2011-04-12T19:41:00.000+08:00

The last time I visited the SPCA was about almost 10 years ago when I had my current dog, Ashley. Went today to bring my students there to expose them and to teach them how to care for their pets.

There was a volunteer who gave us a lecture on pet abuse and many of my girls cringed at the sight of those gory pictures.

After that, we went to the cages to take a look at the dogs and cats. There were two dogs which I liked very much.

Here's the other one

From today's activity, I saw a different side of some of my students who were not afraid to enter the cages of the dogs to be with them and pet them.

Some of the dogs, I would even hesitate to enter the cages because of their sheer size but I was really impressed with the love of animals my students displayed during this excursion.

We all had a great time!

having fun together

2011-04-10T16:45:00.002+08:00

I think ever since Danielle has started going to school,taking the school bus with korkor, she seemed to have matured and grown closer to Caleb.

Here's Danielle still trying to get used to the school hours as she fell asleep at the sofa while watching TV in the evening at about 6pm.

Then after dinner, she and korkor were playing with the pram. Danielle sits on it while Caleb would be pulling her around. How cute.

The next day, there's Danielle and Caleb playing together again..as I got out my old Singapore Airlines Mastermind game. The kids had fun putting in the pins into the holes.

Another night, both of them started playing "doctor" to each other by taking Vicky's earphones as the stethoscope. The funny thing was how Danielle used the 'stethoscope' to hear Caleb's feet! haha.

And there's Caleb playing injured and showing his hand to the doctor. Then Danielle used the 'stethoscope' to hear his hand. So funny. I really wonder where they learn this.

There's Dr Danielle.

On one Sunday, I did art and craft with the children. It was actually for Caleb's school work. His teacher required the parents to do art with the child and submit the
work. The theme was underwater creatures, using recycled materials. So I decided to make a turtle with him. I also had to teach him a line or two about the sea creature that I made so that he could go to school and present his artwork to the class. I was actually a little stress as I thought about what to do.

I knew I couldn't be doing the artwork without Danielle's participation. I was sure she wanted to join in too. So I had to prepare the materials just for this. Quite an effort I would say since its not natural for me to do such things with my kids.

However, I have to say that I do appreciate the school for asking the parent to do this art work with the child as it is a great time for bonding and at the end of it all, I'm sure the kids had fun and they would be filled with joy and pride just looking at their finished work!

So instead of fighting and struggling with what we do not like to do, its better to just bear with it,embrace it and learn to enjoy! Something good will definitely come out of it!

Leaving on a Jet Plane

2011-04-04T17:23:00.003+08:00

My hubby will be going off to US for almost 2 weeks. So just the night before, I cooked a special dinner for him and the family.

We had Lo Hei (Salad toss) which I used corn flakes, green apple, radish, carrots and jellyfish. Nice and healthy. Also made creamed corn chicken soup as well as braised pork with sze chuan vegetables and beancurd.

CT's flight the next morning was at 6am. So we had to go to the airport at 4am. Here's both of us at the airport during the wee hours of the morning.

After having Macdonald's breakfast together at the airport and sending CT off, I could have gone home to sleep about an hour plus. However, I didnt as I was quite awake already and moreover, I might be even more tired after going back to sleep. So I stayed in the airport to set my exam paper before heading to school for work!

By the way,during breakfast, I went into the internet to facebook my status and my colleague actually messaged me to get her Macdonald breakfast! The power of facebook and technology!!

Have a great trip CT! Will definitely miss you.

Birthday Celebration at CSC

2011-04-02T21:46:00.001+08:00

Went CSC today to celebrate a friend's birthday. My parents are host parents to 2 China University students and it was one of the student's birthday. So my parents suggested taking them for a swim, bowling and dinner to celebrate.

After the swim, we had 2 games of bowling. Caleb also had a go at bowling for his first time.

The Man Zhu Restaurant at CSC has been revamped and it looks really nice. The children were also given colouring paper and crayons to keep them occupied.

The food as usual is good and reasonable priced. CT had Hainanese chicken rice

My mum had the Hock Lam Beef Noodles while I had the fried beef kway teow.

As for the children, I ordered a dinner set for 2 for them and for my helper, Vicky. It comes with soup, 3 dishes and dessert.

Danielle loved the soup!

We had a really enjoyable time celebrating the China student's birthday. Nothing means more to me than to see my children enjoying themselves too!

Danielle's first day in school

2011-04-01T17:54:00.001+08:00

It was Danielle's first day in school today at a young age of slightly less than 2 years, 4 months old. Of course, I was excited. Not nervous but just curious as to how she would cope. I knew deep inside me that my girl would do well as she has been adjusting well to Sunday school in church and I trust God to take care of her.

Moreover, each time when she goes down with my helper to see her big brother, Caleb off to the school bus, she would cry as she wants to join him. Few days ago, she was also wearing her school uniform with pride and joy so much so that she did not want to remove it!

So finally, today was the day when she could finally join Caleb in the school bus and go to school together. I had work that day. But I managed to come out during lunch to just drop by to see her in school.

Initially, I was still wondering if I should go to school to see Danielle as I was afraid if she saw me, she would start crying and start sticking to me. But I finally went as I just knew I had to be there, given it's my daughter's first day!

And I am glad I did as the teacher came by and whispered to me that she was doing well and my heart just melted seeing my daughter all dressed up in the school uniform and having her hair neatly tied up. Funny thing was that Danielle didnt even notice me. She was busy looking around and holding the teacher's hands to go back to the classroom from her lunch area.

That was the only shot I got of her. (She's right in front holding the teacher's hand)

Though I only saw Danielle for less than 2 mins, I was glad I went just to take a look at her. It meant so much to see my daughter in her school on the 1st day and I thank God for allowing her to cope so well! (Prayers answered!)

After school, I waited for her and Caleb down at my block. Pretty exciting to wait in anticipation for their arrival...

Here's what both of them were doing when we picked them up from the school bus

After carrying them out, they woke up and there and then, I knew I had to take a picture with Danielle! So proud of her for doing well on her first day!

Back at home, she also started to do everything all by herself. Then I thought, my daughter has grown up..

She was also starving when she got home.

Welcome home Caleb and Danielle. Its nice to see you guys all grown up, taking the bus together and going to school together. I pray that God will keep you close together and that you will grow up loving and enjoying each others company.

Mummy's garden

2011-03-27T16:59:00.001+08:00

Love my parent's place rooftop garden especially when the weather is cool in the evenings

There are a couple of fruit trees and flowery plants...

The latest plant that my mum has been growing in her roof top garden is pineapple.
Here's what it looked like BEFORE..

And about 3 weeks later, it looked like this

Cant wait to eat it!

Fun in the water

2011-03-26T16:51:00.000+08:00

Swimming with the children has always been fun. I guess it would be more so if they learn how to swim. But nevertheless, I am glad they love the water.

After the swim, we went to take away Ayam Penyet from the market. Love it!

Also bought char kway teow which the kids also had.

The kids were so hungry after the swim. Guess, that's the positive thing about bringing the kids for a swim. They enjoy it and at the end of it all,you do not have to worry that they do not finish their food.

Last day in Penang

2011-03-19T15:22:00.019+08:00

Our last morning spent in Penang was at the beach right after breakfast.

I took Danielle on a horse ride along the beach. I love riding on horses and to ride with my daughter is def a plus point as its her first time on it! Moreover, its not a fawn or pony...and I'm glad she wasnt scared at all.

As for Caleb, he didnt want to sit on the horse at all.

So he ended up playing with the sand. After the horse ride, it was CT's turn. He did parasailing for the first time. I didnt want to go as I did it before at Phuket when I was maybe about 9 years old.

When CT first flew off, I was shocked as nobody was with him at all. How was he going to land? I was actually praying for him and felt so nervous for him.

The boat took him a big round

Here's a video of CT landing all by himself! So proud of him!

After a morning of fun-filled activities, we went back to take a shower and get changed to go to the airport.

Caleb and Danielle were wearing their new clothes which I got for them yesterday at the shopping centre.

Before checking out, the kids wanted to visit the kids club first.

Caleb was busy playing with this boy in the club, while Danielle wanted to build a house.

The hotel ordered a limousine for us to bring us to the airport. It was nice..

After checking in at the airport, we had Macdonalds for lunch. The kids each had a kid's meal which they enjoyed! Caleb seemed to enjoy the cheeseburger for his first time but he still doesnt like french fries. As for Danielle, she eats anything and everything.

It was a great flight home as the kids were busy drawing and reading during that short journey.

There is just so much to thank God for throughout this trip as before this,I was praying that the kids could enjoy themselves and not fuss during the plane flight. Thank God they both enjoyed sitting in the plane and that they ate and slept well.

Cant wait for our next family trip abroad!

Sightseeing in Penang-Day 2 and 3

2011-03-18T19:31:00.008+08:00

Had international buffet breakfast at hotel before setting out to the butterfly farm. We took a cab there and the taxi driver had to wait there for us as it would be difficult to get the cab after that.

We were the first visitors to arrive at the park. It cost us $27 ringgit each adult and the children did not need to pay since Caleb is still below 4 years old.

Its a very nice place for the children to roam about and enjoy the sights. There were so many butterflies all over.

Aside from butterflies, there were also many other animals like ducks, turtles,

fishes,

monitor lizards, oriental water dragon..

The surroundings were quite nice..

There is also a nice indoor gallery with lots of interesting insects and reptiles which I have not seen before.

There were so many different species of butterflies. So amazing

We also had the opportunity to touch the giant millipede. Only Danielle was scared.

We all had a wonderful time.

After that, we went to Gurney Plaza for shopping and dining. Went to a Hong Kong Cafe for lunch. Ordered wanton mee, beef noodles and beef rice (for the children) as well as egg tarts which was delicious.

At night, CT and I played pool while the kids were busy playing with the arcade machines. And for the record, I beat CT by just one ball!

We had dinner at the nearby seafood place. Didnt expect the fish to be so big. So in the end, we were struggling to finish. Just 2 adults and 2 toddlers for 4 dishes- steamed fish, butter prawns, stir fry clams and vegetables.

After a very filling dinner, we went to our hotel beach for a stroll to see the sunset.

The next day, we went to two shopping malls. Initially planned to go Penang Hill but because the tram that brings us up the hill was under construction, we couldnt go. We took the kids on a bus ride to town! The bus is very new and nice. Moreover, its very cheap to travel. We should have considered this the first place, instead of taking taxi.

This is the view from one of the new shopping mall.

Our last dinner at Penang was spent eating street hawker food. There were so many different stalls! Were spoilt for choice.

Though the weather looked threatening, we thank God that He held it up for us as we were eating.

We had fried oyster omelette, penang assam laksa which I loved, Chee Cheong fun which Danielle loved, fried rice, fried char kway teow

The kids seemed to enjoy the food too!

After dinner, we did more shopping at the mall.
The kids had fun playing hide and seek in the shops. Sigh

After our shopping, we took the public bus back to our hotel. It was drizzling.

Back at our hotel, we had rojak as well as mua chee which we bought from the dinner place.

The kids enjoyed eating that too!

Cant believe this would be our last night in Penang..just when I was beginning to enjoy myself here..

Holiday in Penang-Day 1

2011-03-16T17:00:00.002+08:00

During the March Holidays, we decided to go on a short trip to Penang as I told CT that I needed a much deserved break and we also had some points in our Krisflyer card that was expiring.

It was Danielle's first time taking the aeroplane. Was thinking how she would react in the plane. I guess my fears were unfounded. Both Caleb and Danielle slept throughout the whole trip! (even skipping their meals on board)

Both CT and I had peace in the plane flight which was good. The flight time was only about an hour plus. So we arrived sooner than we thought..

Taking a cab at the airport was a hassle. I am still wondering- there must be a better way to get to our hotel. But nevertheless, we did the touristy way and paid $70 ringgit for the cab fare to our hotel-Holiday Inn.

Upon reaching the hotel, the kids went straight to the Kids Club Room.

After checking in, we brought the kids to the beach, then for a swim at the pool.

I dont know why but for some strange reason, I didnt take any pictures of the swimming pool.

After taking a nice warm bubble bath, we went for dinner at the nearby food court, Long Beach.

It was only about 5 mins walk from our hotel.

We ordered lots of food..

1) Fried Mee Sua for the Kids.

2) Beef and Chicken Satay which the kids loved very much!

3)Fried Oyster Omelette

4) Penang Char Kway Teow

Also had a huge steamed pork bun with hard boiled egg.

The kids did some drawing while waiting for us to finish our dinner.

After dinner, we walked down the streets through the night market

Saw a horse crossing the road as well. It must have been from the beach as they offer horse riding there.

Anyway, we dropped by a small mini mart to buy some tidbits before heading back to our hotel. All along the whole stretch of road, were small shops selling handbags, wallets, t-shirts, toys etc etc. Very similar to our pasar malam (night market) in Singapore, minus the food stalls which we have in Singapore.

When reaching back to our hotel, the kids wanted to go into the Kids Club Room. So they spent some time there playing and reading.

Cant wait for our sightseeing tomorrow!

Pizza and Hot Dog night

2011-03-13T21:52:00.001+08:00

Since my maid is on leave today, I would always scramble the fridge to decide what to cook for dinner. Saw my favourite Dr Oetker brand of frozen pizza in the fridge and lots of sausages and fishballs left from yesterday's picnic in Botanical Gardens...

So of course, I decided on pizza and hot dogs! I actually love to eat such food once in a while.

Frozen pizzas are great to store in the fridge for such a time like this..when you just feel tired and lazy to cook.

As for my hotdogs, I added sweet relish, tomato ketchup and mustard. Yes, I am more of a ketchup fan than chilli one.

I am just glad the kids went along with us and enjoyed the pizza too!

Picnic at Botanical Gardens

2011-03-12T17:18:00.001+08:00

Went to Botanical Gardens for a nice cell group picnic in the evening. Was supposed to be there to watch the US Navy Concert too at the same time, but last minute, the concert was cancelled as the Navy Band went to help at the Japan Earthquake.

Anyway, we still had fun as there were lots of yummy food and kids!

I prepared potato egg salad, which includes mayo, sweet relish, mustard, sour cream, spring onions, red onions and pepper.

You just mash the potatoes and hard boiled eggs. Very simple and tasty recipe so much so that many of my friends asked for the recipe. My own concoction that came from the Texas BBQ party which my hubby's American colleague organised. The made the mashed potatoes which I absolutely loved and so the taste got stuck in my head.

Definitely a great place for the kids to run around.

Thank God for giving us wonderful weather as the skies did look threatening when we first arrived. Was praying so hard that the dark clouds went away! Amazing weather- shady and cooling. I was lying down on the picnic mat and enjoying the moon.

There was food leftovers..so even when we reached home, we continued eating!

Punggol Promenade Riverside Walk

2011-03-06T16:52:00.001+08:00

It was raining earlier today. However, we still decided to make our way to the new Punggol Promenade near our place in the evening. Though it was still drizzling very slightly, it was still perfect for a walk along the waterway.

We then crossed the bridge over to Lorong Halus Wetland.

The view was nice..very serene.

What's unique about Lorong Halus Wetland is how they transformed the river to a reservoir by some water treatment method. The amazing thing is how Lorong Halus used to be a land for dumping waste in Singapore.

It was a pleasant walk around the wetland.

And because it just rained, it was really a wetland literally!

After walking one round, we saw many people crowding around the bridge area and staring. I then realised our Minister Mentor, Lee Kuan Yew was making his rounds in the area. The guy, one of the most influential political figures in South East Asia, whom Singaporeans respect a lot as we wont be where we are today if not for this man.

At 88 years old, he is still persistent in serving his country and his people.

Had a nice walk back across the bridge but as for Caleb and CT, they were running all the way.

CT said that he would surely bring Caleb for jogging in future as he has potential!

We took away fried chicken meals from Popeye's fast food for dinner before heading back home!

HSC Sports Carnival 2011

2011-03-04T15:33:00.007+08:00

For the first time, my school having the sports carnival at Pasir Ris Park. Years back, we had it in Tampines Stadium where there would be track and field events. This year seemed more interesting with various sports and games in the park.

I was on girl guides duty that day as I had to get the girls to set up the stall, to organise our refreshments for the individual classes as well as to make drinks for the students. Definitely wasnt easy...

There were games like Tchoukball, skipping, inline skating, soccer, tightrope walk etc.

Some competitions were counted into getting points for their houses. Last of all, there was the tug-of-war match.

The kids all seemed to enjoy themselves but it was definitely messy as it was hard to track the students. They could be wandering off and going home in the middle of it all..who knows?

As for myself, I was very tired after the carnival as I was standing up the whole time and we were trying so hard to give away the food as there were boxes and boxes of buns left.

After the event, I quickly went home to have a shower and rested in bed...exhausted.

Here's a picture with my Sec 4 students (Lycia, Si Ying and Eliasha)