It's Kakak's fault!

Can you believe that at this young age... not even 3yo, Master William already knows how to shift the blame?

This is the 2nd occurrence when I highlight to him that he's holding the fork and spoon on the wrong hands.

But William insist that, "It's Kakak's fault. Kakak put wwwrrrrooonnnggg!!!" (Emphasis belongs to William)

Hearing her name, the Maid came out from the kitchen, and asked, "What is it, William?"

William told her off, "You put my fork and spoon wrong. Not me!"

Ya right.

Getting stressed over music

This week during JMC class, Vic's teacher announced that the children will be facing their first music examination in June, in conjuntion with the end of the two year course. Although this examination is optional, but she hopes all the students will sit for it. As a parent, I'd like to see my daughter sit for this exam too so we can know her progress and decide how to move on from then.

Her examination will comprise of a few parts - namely, singing, playing, chords and notes identification and solfege singing. There will also be the fun part, which is the group presentation.
I tell you, Vic's love for music is like a yo-yo. Sometimes she plays well, sometimes she doesn't. Sometimes it's like making music with a stone and she clowns around in class. I cannot describe how annoyed I get because when she clowns around, she doesn't listen to what the teacher is saying.

After 18 months, Vic is still struggling with her theory. I keep emphasizing to her to read her notes, and if she doesn't know them, count them from Middle C. But this girl prefers to play by memory. Hhhmm...

On hindsight, maybe I can't fault her for her lack of performance during the last lesson after the holidays. Like most of us, she must have gone rusty. So a couple of days back I was determined to get her back on track.

On one practice session, she couldn't read her notes despite the singing that teacher taught. Her Fa can become a So, and So can become a Mi and everything became a mumbo jumbo to her.

As a repercussion, I wrote random notes on her manuscript book and told her to identify the notes by writing down the names.

Here's the result...

I'm pleasantly surprised. Mostly correct, only a couple wrong. So how come she can't identify them when she's playing? This Queen really has her moods... can annoy me so much one minute, and another minute she impresses me so!

On another note, she came home the other day with an all-correct ting-xia (err, I suppose that means chinese dictation/spelling?) and teacher gave her a sticker. Today she strategically told me that her teacher said her parents should reward her as well... in reply, I told her I will discuss with Daddy on her reward.

CNY Random pictures

CNY Day Two: William with his young pretty aunties

Behind the scene: Victoria helping little brother do the last touch-up... combing his mohawk hairstyle and William checking out himself in the mirror to make sure jie jie does it just perfectly
The other part of Singapore
Enjoying her eggless orange cookies. Very fresh and very precious.

Housewife or SAHM??

A few nights ago, I was asked during a CNY gathering of some new friends and a lady asked me who took care of my kids when hubs and I go to work. She had, of course, assumed that I was a salaried employee like most ladies my age.

When I answered her that it was me, myself and I... she looked bewildered and shot me a question, "Oh, so you're a HOUSEWIFE?"

*****

Now, let me just say that I despise this term because once when I was like most uninitiated folks who used this term, I thought nothing of it, until I became one. The core of the mistake is this is at the most a politically incorrect title and at the least a demeaning term.

Are we married to the house? Do we NOT have a social life like most working women? Well, maybe not quite as glamourous, and we don't dress up when we work (err... yes, we do work.. I'll get to this part shortly) but I'm sure the general population of "housewives" do have friends, even though they may not have glitzy titles or they may be just other housewives down the road or shopowners.

Sure, we don't have to endure the headache of choosing what to wear, which shoe to match (I was like this) etc, but here's what our work entails us to do (note down some similarity):

Chaffeur
For those sending kids to school in the morning, we go through the peak hour jam as well. Having said this, we also have to wake up nearly the same time, if not earlier, than most salaried peers. Oh, and don't forget we have to ferry them back after school and to/fro tuition classes.

Customer Service Executive
We have clients too what... our kids and hubby not our clients meh? Their satisfaction is our aim, and the household is our work place. And they are only our internal clients, what about external clients? We deal with them too!

Finance Manager
We manage finance as well, from what to buy, where to buy, who are the chosen panel of "suppliers", paying creditors (eg school).

Hygiene Supervisor aka Cleaner Lady
With or without a domestic helper, we are in charge of keeping the household, oopss, workplace I mean, clean and tidy and devoid of any unsafe objects.

All the above and probably more!! Having said all these, so, is SAHM even a correct term? We should be called Work At Home Moms (WAHMs)!

*****

So what was my answer to the housewife question??

I just said "No, I'm a Stay-At-Home-Mom."

Who's the big fat hen?!!!

Over breakfast yesterday, I was going through the "number of limbs" game with William, testing him on how many hands an octopus has, how many legs a horse has, chicken, duck, so on so forth, and after going through most of the animals, I asked him, "How about William? How many eyes do you have? Ears? Nose? Mouth? Hair?"

He said he has only one hair. Hehehehe... : )
(to which I answered that only God knows the number of hairs on his head, even Mummy don't know)

Then I asked him an easier question. "How many fingers do you have?"

I thought he'd answer "Ten" and I'd have to crack my head for another question, but he started singing, "One two buckle my shoe, three four, shut the door, five six, pick up sticks, seven eight, lay them straight, nine ten... a big fat hen!!!"

Cheeky mummy asked him, "Who's the big fat hen?" and seriously seriously, folks, I was thinking of either he or me, but without hesitation, William answered...

"DADDY!!!"

:))))))))

(Sorry darling, you're always the one the kids like to poke fun at, I don't know why)

Reunion Dinner and CNY Day One

Reunion

This year we had reunion at Lian Eng Hwa Restaurant, instead of the yearly celebration at 6th Ee's home.

6th Ee had booked in advance for the first dinner slot at 530pm (yes, business is so good that restaurants in Singapore practice two dinner slots to maximise revenue, but this I consider smart. The second slot starts 730pm and whether or not we finish our dinner, we have to vacate the place by then).

We had two tables - which, btw is NOT the full scale of hubby's Singaporean relatives - comprising of 6th Ee, 6th Ee Jiong, 7th Ee and family, Mama Yeh Yeh, Yee Sok and family and our family.

I had an agreement for Vic to dress up in her cheongsam bought by Yee Yee. William donned his new long sleeve bought from UK last year and believe it or not, Vic helped change her little brother all by herself, from putting on his diapers to buttoning his shirt and tucking his shirt in. Again, she has her moods lar.

CNY Day One

Had our breakfast in the hotel and enjoyed the spread. Vic had quite a variety - milk, juice, bacon, sausages, grilled tomato, cereals, fruits, yogurt... oh and I forgot to mention that William came down with slight flu yesterday, so this morning he was still nursing his cold. I downed him with Vit C drink.

Lion Dance was scheduled at 10am at the hotel lobby, just like the previous year. The kids soooo looked forward. And quietly I am one lion-dance sucker too, coz I love the sound of the energetic drum beats, the prancing around and every breath of culture and tradition in it.

This is our first lion dance "caught" this year.

Hubs and I had a strategy to split directions with the kids. He'd take William, and me with Victoria, he headed to one end and me the other. But the moment we split, Vic went running after Daddy in tears and I had to pull her back. She was, as previous years, still scared of close contact with the lion, and took time to overcome her fear.

Mummy Daddy and baby lion
William like to touch the lion.. hoping to get some gold coin chocolates or mandarin orange
In action...

After pai nin with Mama Yeh Yeh in the hotel room, we headed to Tai Po's place in Bedok...

Happy snapshots

William is pretending to be a lion troupe drummer




Left Singapore at 3pm, arrived Seremban for dinner, and continued our journey home to PJ after dinner.

This is the little taukeh in the car who now refuses to sit in his car seat

Pre-CNY celebrations in Seremban & Singapore

On Saturday 29th January, we locked up our house, and left for Seremban to begin our CNY "pai nin". I went for my facial in the same evening and thank God after 2.5hours, I didn't looked like a bashed up lobster face (a calculated risk I took).

On Sunday 30th January night, we had our little reunion with Popo Gong Gong, Yee Yee, Yee Jiong, cousins Grace and Andrew with a warm, home cooked dinner comprising of Popo's signature Pig Stomach Pork Ribs Soup (pre-requested by Victoria), steamed chinese sausage with arrowheads, steam white promfret with soya sauce, chicken stew with lotus (and a separate version with mussels), tapau-ed salty duck egg fried calamari, yam basket with chicken and stirfry celery-cauliflower-capsicum. Quite a feat as Popo haven't cooked for a long time, and all these done without the help of a maid. I sure miss Popo's cooking!

And to wrap up our sumptuous dinner, Gong Gong opened a bottle of 1998 Verdelet Icewine bought from Canada before Victoria was born but never found its opportunity to be opened.

Our second "lou sang" for this year
Steamed chinese sausage with arrowheads
Steamed white promfret with soya sauce
Salty duck egg fried calamari
Chicken stew with lotus and mussels
Stirfry assorted vege

Look who's the "thorn" among the roses?

Receiving their angpows from Popo Gong Gong

William insisted to comb his signature mohawk hairstyle

Getting a kiss from cousin Grace... so sweet


Monday 31st January

As with previous years, we make our "pilgrimage" down south to the island of Singapore, where we celebrate the Chinese New Year with Tai Po and all the Yee Pors. This year however, though, we travelled down pre-CNY on Monday 31st January, and stayed two nights at the Aloha Loyang bungalows in Changi, and the 3rd night at Holiday Inn Atrium where we also stayed last year.

It rained the whole weekend non stop and the kids' laundry couldn't dry in time. We ironed some to dry it before packing it into our luggage as I had purposely underpacked hoping that we could bring some of the laundry to Singapore.

The rain continued, albeit less heavy but still pouring like a sobbing child. Traffic was good and we stopped at Tuas for a KFC lunch, and pork porridge for the kids.

Taukey sleeping


Checked into Aloha Loyang at 3pm when we arrived Singapore, a little delayed because of the heavy traffic on a working day in the island.

Weather cleared a little, but still no sunshine. However, the kids wasted no time and together with Yeh Yeh and armed with all their water guns and watering cans (yes, you read me right - that's for washing hair) they headed straight to the pool. : )




Tuesday 1st February

Window shopping at the new ION along Orchard Road - I like the variety of shops there from super high end to middle range shops and the quality and variety of food at the Food Opera (food court) is above expectation. Price is also very reasonable.



next... Reunion Dinner & CNY Day One