August Break Part Two: Homework and A Funeral

Homework Challenge

Did I mention that my little girl got third placing in the recent (or not so recent, since it was held in May) and her first term examination in primary school?  I was totally distracted by the marks and did not have any expectation on her ranking in class or school.  So this was a truly pleasant surprise for all of us, and we only found out on the day the report card was given out. 

I have been asked a few times by various people on how my daughter is faring in a chinese school, we being banana-parents in particular.  My only answer is she's ok.  I can't say she's excelling, despite the favourable results in her mid term examination with only a week of revision.  I can't say she's struggling either because she doesn't come home crying nor does she dread to go to school. 

Vic has mostly good days, and some bad days.  Lately, I seem to find a lot of "bad days" because I found a homework not completed when it was supposed to have been, as she has told me that she has done it.  That's not exactly honest and I felt cheated.  On the same day that I discovered the uncompleted homework, she showed me her TingXie book with her latest marks - ZERO!  Now that is a collection of 4 zeros altogether since the beginning of this year.  I got angry because she did not even copy her TingXie down in her message book so she can revise at home, and I will be in the know.  But if it's not even copied down, how would any of us know that she has a TingXie test? 

The subject here is effort.  There was no effort.  So that got me really upset.  If she had copied them, revised for them and yet came back with a ZERO (which never happened actually) then it'd be a different story. 

A few incidence of her not knowing what she's doing in her Chinese work, and yet she did not ask her friends or teacher, despite our repeated advice.  A couple more incidence where she "forgot" to ask Mama, Popo or Yee Sam on her Chinese school work when she had the chance. 

I don't know if this is the general case for all 7 yos.  But I'm sure if I let her take her studies lightly and not inculcate the right attitude towards her studies during the first few years, then I'm not doing her justice nor being a good parent. 

Passing On...

On the last Sunday of the school holiday, we made a day trip back to Seremban to pay our last respect to Pastor Sally Foo, a dear pastor who served in Agape Gospel Assembly Church and fought the good fight against cancer. 

Hubby is closer to her as he knew her longer, but I remembered Pastor Sally as a very kind and always jovial lady who has a big heart.  She loved God and loved people and never complained.  As death is not a normal subject one would broach on, I took this opportunity to talk about it with Hubby.  Apart from some serious stuff, we also joked about what we'd do after one of us leaves.  I made him promise to let me go first, because I'm emotionally weak and eremophobic (fear of loneliness).  I even joked to hubby that he should bury me under a cherry tree or saga seed tree.  Of course, we both know that's impossible. Speaking of which, when was the last time you saw a saga seed tree anyway? 

I used to collect these seeds near my paternal Grandma's house when I was a child.  Sadly, after moving a few times, I've misplaced them.

Rest in peace, Pastor Sally.  We will always remember you for the great woman that you are. 

Life is so precious, so fragile and so sudden.  I'm not going to talk about the box of chocolate, but I guess when we lose someone, we start to think how we should start appreciating the simple things in life, and more importantly, the people that we love, before we lose them.