(2003) Calling all 2003 babies

Hi Worrymum,
Am on leave today cos A's CC closed for its anniversary day & stay at home to take care him Wanted/thinking to go out jalan jalan to catch some breath. Today and tomorrow very busy in work & I tell myself so daring on leave today. Kinda of regret now cos April is appraisal mth. Oh oh...
 


Hi Apricot,
Yeah, that idea is interesting indeed.

Hi Worrymom,
That's good. The boys in C's class were not very interested initially. As a matter of fact, 1 has dropped off after just 1 term.

Are you getting a keyboard for him to practise at home? We bought a 61keys casio keyboard for $199 recently, with stand & adapter. Good deal.
 
Hi Moshi,

Yeah, let's get started. And I mayb able to pick you up since we are near to each other. Depends on timing as I need to fetch DH to work in morn. Or maybe we take the MRT? Let's get in touch to work out the visit. I need to apply leave in advance.
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Pris, not that i dun start the ball rolling .. but whenever I am free to sit down, he is already half way using his "squares" so i will be interrupting him .. sometimes i really wish he would sit in the kitchen and not at the sofa so that I can talk to him while i wash the dishes or hang the laundry.
 
Apricot, a pity not his mother helping .. else I he will be a filial son and take over some jobs too. So nice hor, he come home after work just sit, while other hubbies come home after work still must "work"
 
hello Moshi,

flyer no way, so expensive.

Museum .. ok, lets see. It really has been a long long time since we all meet up. Gathering during the June holidays, anyone?
 
Moshi,

there are so many interesting activities in museum, you sure 26th alone is enough? I am targetting 1st or 24th as well since it is saturday (provided dh is keen enough)

btw, is it that adults must pay admission of $10? Some of the program says free admission, but not sure it only refers to the kids or both adults and kids. Never been to any museum in SG.
 
hey apricot, how do get those chinese words out har?

hi chloe
yes, haven;t seen u since the party at sarah's? plang to take leave in june?
going to london in oct right? i always rem who goes where cos' i am going nowhere (as of now, haha, never say never and always have hope hope hope keke)


hi sher
gather mana? wana go bird park? near u right? ;)
 
good question, sher, will call to find out but i reckon free means no add'l charges after the the admission charge.
 
philetic musuem is the other one that i am looking at, rats stamps on display, not as happpening as children's season, but mel likes those squeakies so i may do that also.
 
hi moshi,

oh, so there will be a admission charge of $10. means i go two days to complete more programs means i pay 2 times. *sigh* tough times.

ya birdpark is near me, but kids not so interested in bird park and zoo. They only want play play and more play. Boy recently asking me to go ikea ball pit! Maybe we should rent a bouncy castle and let the kids jump the whole day then the mummies just eat and chat at some function room ? hehe
 
Hi Sher,
Don't just wish, tell dh that you would really like his company while you wash dishes or whatever. Most guys can't read our mind!

The national museum is really nice. We went during weekend evenings, admission is free
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Hi Moshi,
Yeah, it's that looonnnnggg! Will try to take leave in June, though I don't have that many leave sob sob. Oh yes, London in Aug. It'll be a sightseeing trip, shopping too expensive.
 
hi chloe!

Think we're gonna miss you. We're planning a trip to London in mid-July. Business for daddy but leisure for mommy and kids!
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Any chance of you guys arriving earlier?
 
Hey K's mom,

Dh's having his mba class, so the dates are fixed. Try asking your dh to postpone his trip. It'll be so fun if we can go around together!!
 
Hi chloe!

DH is going for his mid year review. Not so mid year anymore if it's any later for him...
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Maybe you and the gals can drop by Frankfurt then if your dh wants some peace! ;)
 
Aha!! Moshi, you're back!! Good to hear from you.
Phuket is so terribly hot and expensive.

Btw, if boys play lego, bionnicles, then what do your little girls play. Anyone care to share? How about Bionic Barbie?? What do you reckon? Did I get the spelling correct? Maybe I should read the WISE guide too!!
 
Moshi, we might head down south to Sydney if everything comes true in 4-5weeks time we will know. Then there will be a month for us to look for accommodation, book air-tickets, source for Kai's preschool and getting workbooks and revision books for Kai before we head down south.

We are keeping our finger cross that God will open the door for us to head down South and also a good time for us to go visit our friends in Brisbane too.

Maybe I can join all of you for the programme on 26 May if dh does not have any plan for the day.
 
Hi Chloe,

understand that man must be told but i really dun hv the habit of telling. Sometimes feel like defeat (is that the right spelling?) the purpose and to tell him to walk out just cos i want to tell him something i just happen to think abt ? Think he would rather i remember it and tell him later after the dishes (but fact is I will usually forget, very short memory hor)
 
Pris, wow sydney ... my best friend is there permanently .. how i wish i can go there too. Maybe I shd start asking dh to take up MBA or research work that require frequent travelling like your dh's.
 
K's mom,

Are your kids into lego? I understand that in UK, lego retail store has this "pick your own tub" thing where you can pick your lego parts (be it all wheels, or mixture of bricks and others into a tub. You hv that in germany too?
 
Hi Pris!
You and Kai are really lucky... envious!
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But one word of caution:
If you do head down south, you gotta homeschool Kai with a serious agenda. I often notice kids coming back from Australia having problems integrating back into our system. I do get alot of such students because they are usually given an European language to replace their MT since there's no way they can catch up with the normal MT standard in schools anymore.

Hi Sherlyn!
Yes, we can buy Lego in tubs, by weight, whichever pieces you fancy. The range is even wider in Legoland, while the normal huge departmental store carry a more limited selection.

Hi alcovelet!
Think RK will go ga-ga in Legoland! There's a section designed to experience the thrills of a bionicle. We weren't in there last year. Think the kids were still too young then, they couldn't even survive roller coaster rides yet.
 
K's mum, I do envy you too, would travel around Europe. We were supposed to go to either Cambridge or Wales, dh was offered places there after all the interviews but due to unforeseen circumstances, he decided we should head south which is nearer home.

The problem will always be there if the family needs to relocate and like one of my very close childhood friend and fellow educator told me, the chances of us staying there for children's education are very high and so far we have witnessed that alot of our close friends who need to relocate, end up with children studying overseas. And there are also cases where the children are doing fine when they are back to Singapore Systems, my mentor in church, the family was in Australia for many years but their four children are able to fit into our education system well and doing higher chinese, both parents do not speak chinese. I think it is important to instill in the child the important of education, the fun of learning and also making sure the child follows a schedule and of course lots of playtime too for him.

Sher, but relocating can be really tiring and at time depressing if one do not go out, mix around and make new friends. I know of friends who could not adjust, staying in a foreign land make me bolder and more adventureous.

The reward is you would visit many places but will also need to adjust to the culture in the foreign land fast. I am also looking forward to visiting friends in Brisbane and also those of my childhood church friends who are permanently in Melbourne and Perth if we do go.

We also look forward to more trekking, camping there as well as making a trip down to NZ if we could, to bring Kai to all the places there that we have been too.

Well, there is many chances for your dh to do that.
 
Hi K's mom, yeah i have to seriously think of Legoland soon. RK's been tugging at us to go for some time now. How are the rides there? Is it ok for a sensitive 5yo? He can't survive the roller coasters for sure, but something less thrilling (and I mean a lot less!) may be ok - kind of like the easy rides at Disneyland?

Hi Pris,
Good luck to your new life!! It must be challenging to up and go every few years (?), but it's also loads of fun too. I can see that you have a positive can-do outlook in life which must make it easier for you to adapt. That;s probably very infectious on Kai and your husband! As for coming back to the Singapore system, perhaps if you can instill the value of hard work and a must-try attitude, Kai will surely be able to adapt when he's back. Sometimes, you just gotta do what you gotta do and let the rest take care of itself!
 
thanks worrymum! added to my favourites ;)

pris
i am sure u will hv no problem resettling, such opportunties are hard to come by, a bit of here, a bit of there, immersing yourselves in a new culture and enjoying the graciousness of its people (and remembering the traffic lights incident, haha).

hi serena
phuket too hot to handle? i welcome any break from routine man! got a tan? post pix soon!
 
what's a quick fix for headaches? (besides panadol) i sure sound like a granny these days, always grousing abt aches
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moshi2,
np
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but too bad.. seem not able to find for other subjects.. hehe
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mummies, if you come across, please assist to post here.. and let mummies here to enjoy.
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yeah
 
Hi Pris!

With your positive attitude towards life and challenges, Kai will adapt well.

But these kids coming back from the Australian system do suffer quite a bit. It's not my personal observation, but that of my colleagues too. The more well to do parents manage to find a backdoor with international schools, otherwise those kids really struggle through the daily routine. As alcovelet rightfully pointed out, we must never let our kids forget about "hard work" and "must try" attitude.

Your mentor's family sounds more like an exception than the norm to me.

In contrast, the returning families from the European and American systems don't fair too badly. Yep, even the much criticised American system. Strange. Anyhow, there's been no official studies done. But it would have been interesting to have one conducted. Maybe you're the best person to do one.
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Hi alcovelet!
We've only been to the one in Germany, Guenzburg. The kids had a great time, even a better time than they had in Disneyland Paris.
A couple of reasons: Rides in Disneyland often have long queues. (So they didn't have that many.) Not so many rides in Disneyland are appropriate for younger kids. (In Legoland, even K who wasn't even 2 yet, got onto almost everything!)

Gee, he doesn't like roller coaster rides? The bionicles in Legoland look pretty hardcore to me. It would probably empty my guts. You can check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN8xCnuTltU
These Dutch boys apparently think it's fun!

Here's another video footage on Legoland Deutschland. about 10 min. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD1AZyVGoqM

I realise I only wrote one blog entry last year on Legoland. Never recovered from the many trips we took. You can check it out under the "vacation" tag. O yes, the pirate thingy was fun. B and his dad went on it 3 times. Was it 4 times? Anyway, K and I only got to watch... sigh, she didn't want to go up the ship.

Hi Sarah!
I don't know what to do with my extras... Speaking of which I might wanna sell off some of my bake wares. You interested? I got brandnew silicon ones from Wilton.
Right now, we have an area of 8 sqm in the basement for storage in addition to our utility room in our apartment. I wonder what we'll do when we go back to Sg. Running out of space for sure!

Hi moshi2!
You gotta find out if your headache is related to your stiff neck and shoulders. Mine definitely is. So a hot bath soak with eucalyptus oil works wonder for me.
 
K's mum, so far, I did not have problem with students returning from overseas. I should just have to keep Kai doing all our Singapore assessments, work on the textbooks and workbooks which should be already.

Anyway, we will need the official letter before everything is confirmed so now we are still waiting for the decision being make.

Alcovelet, we are hoping that through all the relocating and all the trips we make in the different countries we are in, Kai will be adventureous, have that die-die I can do it altitude and of course being diligent.

Moshi, we agreed opportunities are hard to come by and we felt that it is a good opportunity for the family as we are even closer since we are alone in a foreign land with no other extended family to fall back on and also it taught Kai to be independent, help in all the household chores.
 
Hi K's mom, tks for the recommendation on Legoland. looks really interesting! I don't dare show the son the second video or he might stage a sit-in :). The first one's a screamer though. My food would have come out on the 1st move!
 
And k's mom, do a bakeware sale when you come back!! I'll be there to support! My cake pan is rusting and i'm in dire need of a replacement.
 
Hi Pris!

Wow... which school did you say you were teaching in, again? I gotta send my kids there to get them back on track with learning. The la-dolce-vita-attitude from Europe has got to stop now.
You are someone the teaching profession will surely miss.

Hi alcovelet!
Plan one soon with RK, I strongly urge. Maybe for this summer, we could go together! I think once the kid hits primary school, the thrill of Legoland isn't that real anymore. There are always bigger theme parks then. Anyway, you've got a flexi-schedule now that you are homeschooling.
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Bakeware sale? Count you in, sure!
 
K's mum, my first sch was Fairfield Primary which has a fair bit of students returning from abroad and then I went to Jurong Primary when I got married and moved into my own place and there we also have a couple of cases of students coming back from overseas.

A couple of these students also do higher chinese and they have done well to move on to the top 10 schools in Singapore.

My tail-end class in FMPS with a couple of students from overseas are doing very well too, in fact, I am still in contact with them. A huge group of them are in the University with a few boy still serving the army.

What I have noticed about all these kids are they have very supportive parents who are very involved in their learning. In fact, the parents would make appointments to come down and discuss with me way to help their children fit into the system again and they volunteered in the school till their children graduated. So again, it is alot of parental involved and not on teachers alone.

And of course, the kids themselves are working on lots of assessment books and also carrying out the experiments I have done with them in school. Parents are a very good feedback to let me know how well my lessons have been received by my pupils and I am thankful that so far, I have very supportive parents who are of great help when it comes to life cycle that they are able to help provide mealworms, caterpillars, tadpoles and alot of water plants which we cannot find in the ecogarden in our own school and they might to find them for us which we could shown all the classes in the level that working on the topics. And of course, alot the children lots of play and lots of books in class.
I have alot of games sets in class and my own collections of storybooks too for the class to read or play when they complete their work while I am helping the weaker pupils.



Alcovelet & K's mum, when the boys are bigger instead of the Lego building blocks, they can move to Lego Robotics inventions which required programming. This is fun, I personally have a set at home as I was teaching my students then for the yearly robotics competition in Science Centre.
 
Hello ladies,

It really has been a long time since we last gather.

Anyone know that there is a mickey mouse restaurant in anchor point ? Anyone been there? I know its kind of west .. but would the mummies here want a gathering there before Pris leaves? (hope Pris will be able to join cos I know she is real busy)
 
Hi Sherlyn,

Yes!! the restaurant name is Mickey Naturally, u can just do a search and from other's blog u roughy can get the restaurant's "look".
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BTW, maybe going tomorrow.. anyone????
 
Hi Pris!

Those are elite primary schools, aren't they!

Gee... supportive parents? That must be our missing link!
Sometimes I wish we had programmes in the Centre that requires parental involvement. Being a centre and NOT a school does have certain restrictions on how far we could go to get parents' attention, e.g. disciplinary issues will always be a problem coz we have no one in charge there.

Unlike schools where students come in fresh every morning, we get the sluggish ones in the hot afternoons, the last class ends as late as 6.30pm! So imagine a child waking up as early as 6 or 5am and pull through the whole day and be expected to learn till 6.30pm with no rest in between. Most adults don't even do that! It's pure exhaustion!

SOmetimes, we adults ought to rethink what kind of childhood we're imposing on our children...
 
Hey Pris, Legp Mindstorms sounds fun! RK has been bugging me to buy it, but no way for the time being! I don't want to end up being the progammer so our friend can sit back and press that remote control button ... Maybe you'll be back by then and can help run the club?? Do say when your last day in Singapore will be. Would like to meet up to wish you well.

Hi K's mom, don't get me started on over-scheduling. I see so much of it and am scared stiff I'll get sucked in "for the good of my child".
 


Yeah... I was just telling my dh what terrible two years I had when I was in JC. A typical day started with me leaving home at 6.45am, and getting home at 7.45pm. I was home for less than 12 hours a day, and for that time I had to shower, eat, sleep and do tutorials - gee, and I wasn't even doing it for MONEY! What was I thinking??? Anyway, no prizes for guessing what's not being done on the list.

No wonder I started skipping lectures when I went to uni - ha, that made life easier! :p
 
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