(2003) Calling all 2003 babies

Hi Ky,

ya, same as Apricot, i m interested to know oso. u mentioned the school that B gone to has that kind of test, what school is that ? : )
 


hi jan and catherine!

Yeah... third lang is a whole lot of commitment. How wish that parents can understand this.
You think it's "in" to do third lang then? Well, if there's "in-er", that's the word for the situation right now.

And travelling is thousand times worse I find... At least Newton was a central location for those in the east.

But CCA commitment - I always tell my students it's a matter of time management. I had house practice for 1st quarter of the year, tennis, another performing group ECA that met twice a week, still I told my students I could mange to pack my third lang and ECAs on my long days and still have two afternoons off early to go home for my nap!!! Yeah, I am such a nap person, even then! But can't blame me when I left home as early as 6.45am and reached home only at 7.30pm on my long days!

So why did I work so hard then? actually truth be told, we were fortunate to have a really fun and committed third lang teacher. In fact, third lang classes were always more fun than those in school! Hee... if you knew which school I came from, you'd know the teachers never taught in classes! How we topped national scores for public exams almost always happened miraculously! haha!!!

Then I just thought... oh boring classes, boring teachers! But when I went through NIE, the truth dawned on me when an Irish prof asked the class to focus on how our teachers taught us reading comprehension. I was like, Huh??? WHat? She only came into class and handed out the passage. When two periods were over, she collected the papers and left. What teaching was there???

However, when I learned third lang, I studied languages. Not only did I learn German, I studied English, re-thought about my mother tongue. I learned to appreciate literature, I acquired an inquisitive mind to science and mathmatics... all thanks to our inspiring third lang teacher!!! If I hadn't met such an interesting teacher, I would have given up on my third lang long time ago! Just like you said... it's just so d*** far to travel to Newton and back to home twice a week!
 
Hi Catherine!!!

Holland V's my kampung, my playground, my childhood! Till this day, if i had to go swimming in a public pool, I'd go back to Buona Vista Swimming Complex.

Then Lim's Art and Craft wasn't even located inside the HollandV Shopping Centre yet. There was no Cold Storage. It was a supermarket called Fritzpatrick! Yeah, I know, it was like a tongue-twister for a toddler me then!

And of course, the Gai-Si-Mien (shredded chicken noodle with dark sauce) was already very famous then, with only one stall in operation. And my, was it a long wait for my plate of noodle!

The last time I was back, I was reminiscing with my mom when we were there at Sushi Tei for dinner. How I wish I could still find the dessert stall in the old wet market, the one where my grandma used to get me special weekend treats like dao-suan from.

I grew up in holland v until of course, i left Sg for my studies and then got married and moved to the central area... am still missing the place dearly...
 
Hi ky!

Maybe I'll go for Henry Park..

Don't know yet...
Spent lots of my childhood time in Jelita too... would be fun when my son could attend school there too.
 
k's mom
haha u r rt it needs a great tr to inspire the students!
I remember my jc tutor... he was an american, almost 2m tall. he read sir walter scotts poem and stood on the table and really "fell like a thunderbolt" in the poem!
he called us delinquents affectionately. once we saw him buying beer at jelita and he happily complained to us the the humidity etc. he's such a grandfather figure.
when he returned to states he wrote us letters n they were v heartwarming n personal.

inspiring tr he was!
 
k's mom
well some sch's need 2yrs of volunteer work.
i was thinking Henry Park's good...
but Nanyang's rather ok too... Ning's in the kindy and she seems to like the environment there
 
Hi!

Can't remember who last mentioned about teeth-grinding issues.

My ds has this problem too. I spoke with my dentist friend and she says it's ok. No need to wear a guard. In fact, if anyone should, then it should be his dad! Yeah, my husband is a teeth-grinder at night, sometimes. So with my son - hmmm hereditary?

Sometimes he does it during the day to iritate me too... but such incidents are usually ignored coz I don't want to make a big deal out of it.

We didn't know for how long he started having bruxism. Only realised it when we were all sleeping together in the same room last year, when we were back in Sg on vacation. Over here, he sleeps alone in his room.

Here are some links to more info. And the guard is very ex, huh??? Hope you won't need it for the little one.

http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/general/teeth/bruxism.html
http://www.minti.com/parenting-advice/159/Teeth-Grinding-in-Children-Bruxism/

BTW, I was told to look out for permanent teeth coming out soon to replace the milk teeth during the recent dental checkup in July. I remember my first set of permanent teeth came out with I was about 6, though I've also seen some 5 year-olds in ds's kindergarten sprouting permanent teeth already.
 
hi serenade
ya nanyang kindy n pri has no connection.
but ning gets to see the pri students and she wants to go to the sch with the white uniform.
i think the tr will look out for the potential ones to recommend...
 
I heard this from a Chinese High boy many many years ago. They loved to watch the Nanyang girls during the rain esp when the girls were in the rain.....soaking wet......
 
hi k's mom
yes he was. Mr Rowe. This was the answer i gave when my nie tutor asked.
just came back from dinner with my ex student n family.
well... i taught himwhen he was in primary 1.
he just got back fr uk.
we click real well.
then i figured he shouldn't be in my class. talk to my p and with lots of pushing we managed to get him tested.
his reading age was that of a 16yr old. so we managed to let him skip a grade. he was offered a place in rosyth.just as he was abt to transfer, he loked downcast.
so i spoke to himand he asked me for my opinion.
i told him i would miss him. he went back, told his mom he's decided to stay on. he didn't go to p2 that yr. but the following he went p3. but everyone treated him differently. they kept asking if he's talented, etc.
finally his mom took him out to home school him...
 
hi serenade

yes he is a very special child.
he's also blessed with parents who r very low key.
they just want they kids to be happy n normal.
he won a writing competition last yr.
 
Sarah, Apricot
Electric repellent doesn't work in my area. West side mozzies are really "hard to chase". Last nite before sleep, I close all my windows in living room and kitchen and sprayed almost half bottle of insectides and hide in my room for the rest of the night.. seems like it's working as we're stung free for today..

May I know how marigold plant looks like? Will like to buy two, one for outdoor and another for indoor.

Moshi
I don't have aircon installed in my living room. Even thou we turn it on in bedroom during night time at 23 degrees, we still got bitten. that's y I always have the "killer mosquito light" on 24hrs.
 
hi catherine!

So sad for that kid!
sad.gif
I'm sure he'd give anything to go to school and be normal and have friends to play with. If I were him, I'd act stupid and fail a few tests just to stay in his grade! ;)

I once had a student - brilliant in mind unfortunately lacking in social finesse; couldn't gel with the rest of the class. Kind of sad, coz he's always sitting alone and nobody laughed at his jokes.

That's the reason why I hesitate to do too much learning at home. Already I realise B is causing some rifts in class coz he's simply too restless during the in-between task time. I always fear that when a child knows too much, going to school will lose its novelty. And he might even start challenging the teacher's authority in class by his smart-aleck questions...

Yeah... we'll certainly be stunned once in a while by brilliant statements/questions they make at this age now, but believe me, I don't think a P1 teacher won't find it so funny and brilliant anymore, esp when the teacher struggles to work with the rest of 30odd students, who are also working real hard to follow.

Yet, then again, I'm caught in a dilemma: To teach or not to teach is the question, haha!!!

ANyway, that's why I'm choosing to do things really slowly, at a pace that the lazy me is comfortable in. As it is, i think my small little boy has accomplished more things than I ever had at his age. As long as he's within the developmental range for his age, I think I should be quite happy already.
 
Hi CAtherine!

NOw I thought of another of my student who skipped grade too...
at 12+ she went to a sec 2 class... while the standard was probably more suitable, again she didn't have friends. Her friends were all in the Sec 1 classes.
And finally, in Sec 4 she had to repeat what she did the year before ocz she couldn't sit for an O Level subject first in Sec 3. Never really had friends in her FL class at all... sad, huh?
 
Hi jpooh!

Ewwwwwww... sick CHS boys!!!

You know why my mom didn't put me in Nanyang then? Because of the white uniform! I thought her reason was so banal then. Now I think my mom was protecting me from these psychopaths!
 
i am very upset these few days, i got a friend who passed on while she is about to go into labour for her second kid. she has embolism to the lungs and the drs couldn't revive her. her son was taken out thru emergency caeserian. Her son is still in ICU and her elder daughter is only 4 this yr.
 
Hi mummies, Not posted anything for a while.

Wow! Emily that's sad. Actually, death during childbirth is quite rare these days unlike the olden times when medical wasn't so advanced.

KY, I heard you have to register with the school of your choice first and pay a sum even if alumni. Is that true?

Sarah, was it one gift under $5 for me? Sorry lazy to backdate the thread. Remember my maps, ok?

Kristin's mom, Was around Jelita area too. Raffles girls used to be just next to Henry Park. I remembered how our canteen food sucks. I told my friend from Raffles girls to buy for me Kacang Puteh. I was so envious of their food in Raffles girls!
 
Jpooh, ha...didn't know those CHS BOYS so sick! To be fair, maybe not all just those few.

Talk about uniforms, these days most of the uniforms are tailored. you can choose all the nice fabric to make. Cotton, linen, very different from our times.
 
hi K's mom

Right, we are at Dover n he is in Fairfield.

Jelita.. ah... Cold Storage is still my favourite place.
 
wow... so many discussions here.. take me a long time to read!

Kristin's mum: sorry for late response..

well, for me, I don't like to give my girl any med if i can *haha * usually if she is coughing abit, or runny nose for a few days, i will leave it and observe. If the symptoms get worse and really affect her "quality of life" then i will start med.

Again, these med are useful as symptomatic , if it's viral infection, it will still take time to heal you see. But of course if it's bacterial infection, then we will start her on antibiotic.

For cough, we will see if it's dry or wet cough, most of the time, they will have wet cough. I usually give fluimicil 100mg sachet, two to three times a day. Her paeds used to recommend Silomet which was recently recalled for safety reason * anyone who has Silomet in fridge, please throw away hor... * Another doc friend also recommends Dimetapp recently but I don't like it. So far i prefer to use Fluimicil because i find it useful. Of course you can try Bisolvon for wet cough, but it will make them cough more to get rid of the phelgm.

for the nose, usually I prefer to use the oxymethazoline nasal spray instead of Promethazine, because Promethazine can make them sleepy. But for nasal spray, you can use for about 5 days then should stop otherwise can cause rebound. Alternatively you can use non drowsy antihistamine eg clarityn or Zyrtec.

For me I like to increase their vit C intake when they are sick. I think tat helps!
 
Hi 4ChongChong,
In case I read wrongly, can Flumicil clear the wet cough with plelgm ?
Did u come across Sambucol in your pharmacy ?
 
Hi 4chongchong!

Thanks for the info!

Yeah... nose drops/spray, I think I'd better start on that instead of medicating them too much.

I find that ever since I discovered Dimetapp, I've been giving my kids once they show symptoms of a cold.

Ok... will remember the vit c part. In fact, I think that's how Bryan got better faster this time. Coz instead of one vit c tablet, he asked for two (chewy ones).
 
HI Serena!

DIdn't know that we were neighbours in primary schools, also didn't know that our school had good kachang! Hmmm, but come to think about it, yeah, I think I did have kachang pretty often!
 
Hi jpooh!

Yep... Jelita's still a place I won't lose my way in (how to? It's so small!), even though most of the shops are different now.

Actually, the bookstore on the second level was my favourite haunt. The names have changed a few times and the store had moved from one corner to the other.
happy.gif
 
hi kristin's mom,
thanks for the info on bruxism. i noticed that chloe grinds her teeth occasionally at night. i was kinda worried that it might be stress induced. perhaps like what you say, it may just be hereditary (cos dh does it sometimes as well).

i think i would prefer my children to be of average iq but of high eq (that is if i can choose). it's better to be surrounded by good friends
happy.gif


hi emily,
so sad for your friend
sad.gif
hope the family copes well.

i remembered 4 yrs ago when i told my mom that i was going to give birth, she asked me to call back to tell her if mother & child were ok, it suddenly dawned to me that childbirth could actually be dangerous (it really didnt cross my mind before that!). but of course, in today's society, the fatality should be really low. your friend's really unfortunate, sigh

hi mommies who studied in the west,
ha ha so jelita/cold storage equivalent to parkway parade in the east huh?!
 
hi Chloe

I would prefer to have high eq children as ds has 0 eq and avg iq. Having a hard time getting along with his peers.

Jelita is only a mole hill compared to parkway parade. he he hee, better than nothing.


hi emily
Hope they would cope well too.
 
hi emily
sorry to hear abt your friend, it must be heatbreaking for the family.

hi chloe
luvvvvv your cupcakes! Chloe is so blessed!

hi meilan
lemme know when u will be at your mom;s, i will pass u the books.


a few questions i gathered over the weekend:
1. how do i make KFC-like whipped potato?
2. do u steam sweet potato with the skin on?
3. anyone uses marmite or vegemite? which do u prefer?
4. what do u call those light brown broad beans that u put in soup?
5. instant Miso soup, what brand? no MSG?

Arigato!
 
Hi Emily,
Oh dear! Hope the baby is well. God bless your friend's family.

Hi Moshi,
1. KFC's whipped potato - I cannot never get similar gravy, or close to it. Perhaps Priscilla can share her 'kungfu'?

2. Just like how you steam potato. I would wash the skin before steaming.

3. Yikes! Tried once, and both H and I cannot swallow 2nd mouth. Nieces love Vegemite though.

4&5 - Dont take any of these. Pris?
 
hi moshi,
thanks for the compliments. mel's very blessed too with all your art & craft ideas!
happy.gif


i put marmite on dd's porridge to mask the fishy taste. the girls are ok with it. i dont like it personally though ha ha. no comments on the other questions cos i cant cook. oops!
 
Hi moshi2!

1) Whipped potato like that of KFC... no foolproof recipe, but try adding some evaporated milk and a bit of butter to get the nice smooth whipped potato. Sauce like that of KFC's? No idea! Add msg?

2) Yes, with the skin on. Just like how Sarah described it! Keep the skin on to avoid loss of vitamins!!!

3) Marmite? Yikes for my kids. They couldn't stand the yeast-y smell. But Bovril - they love it!

4) What beans again??? No idea...
sad.gif


5) No instant soup base here and I don't live next to the Asian grocers. Hee... only drink miso when we're in a Jap restaurant.
 
Hi Chloe!

Oh no... Jelita is no Parkway Parade in the West! Just like jpooh said, it's really tiny! It's just a small neighbourhood mall... like errmmm, Serene Centre??? Really teeny weeny!

Go check it out yourself! I find it pretty kids friendly though. Hee... small enough that your kids won't get lost! Haha!
 
Wow so many posts in 1 weekend! I don't know what I've missed out but am logging in to share some info. JK has "folliculitis" for the past 2 weeks which I could not define till now. It started with something like a pimple on one of his wrists and then spreaded to his tummy and now his neck has one furious-looking "pimple" filled with pus. He has been complaining of pain tho resistent to see the Dr. I feel so bad not bringing him to the Dr sooner as I also did not want to leave JC alone with my helper nor do I want to have to drag everyone along. Hubby as usual, just brushed it off as a small matter and now her regrets cos if the pus does not burst naturally in 2 days, I have to bring JK back to let the Dr burst it with a needle! I can imagine some pain there so just praying that it won't be neccessary.

Lesson learnt here abt not taking small symptoms too lightly even though as a mum with more than 1 kid, I have become so much less uptight abt things thesedays.

More abt folliculitis - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000823.htm
 
Moshi, I think you are referring to soybeans? The biege beans commonly found in yong tau fu soup? Someone told me to soak them in advance of brewing soup as it takes a long time to brew till soft.

I grew up with Bovril in my porridge but thesedays, I can't find any beef flavour anymore. Only chicken or vegetarian. So have not tried any on my kids tho on my lazy days, I always think of cooking plain porridge and just adding that.
 
Hi Meilan!

Sounds like a lot of pain and discomfort for JK to go through. Hope the inflammations on skin will subside soon. It must have been tough on you to look after a whiny kid.

Heee... you are not lazy! I was thinking of serving my kids plain white porridge for a while since they like it so much without anything! Can't bring myself to coz that will give them more reasons to pick out food.
 
Hi Meilan,
Dun feel bad anymore. It must be tough for you and JK. Weather now is very hot and he must be feeling very itchy. Take care !
 
hi all

R's school, Maris Stella Kindergarten is having a family day with stalls on 29 Sept, Sat. Do come by if you have time, 9am to 4pm. It is along holland rd, next to dempsey.

Cheers
 
Hi Apricot, Hi Blurblur_Pooh, the school's E&P, in Delfi Orchard. Apicot, if u think Aston is gifted, not sure if you wish to get him assessed, but then u can manage better if you know he's gifted ... read to see K's mom & Catherine's discussion, I do tend to agree and this point was also brought up by the teacher.

K's mom, u seemed to enjoy your schooldays alot.... I didn't have that much fun.

marmite or vegemite, what's the goodness in that? I've never used that, pardon me.

Serena, not sure how alumni works, but heard some "good" schools does require money contribution ...

.ky.
 
Apricot,

Can I chk with you in proper, what kind of tank is required for the guppies. I am thinking of at least 4 of them.

Can it be those plastic tank with a "roof" that looks like a house on the whole ? How much is the tank and the appropriate size to house 4 guppies? Can I really go without air pump ? I would also like to add little stones and plastic water plants. Possible?

Please advise.
 
Meilan,

Hope JK is better , or perhaps recovered now.

Not to take small symptoms lightly ? but it is really difficult to keep running to the doc all the time leh. Not only waste time but also money at times cos the doc will give the same old medicine that would make me think "i might as well self medicate".
 
Hi moshimoshi,

Marmite's my favourite. My kids like it too but I only allow them a bit occassionally.

ky, marmite is something like soy sauce but thicker and tastier but less salty. It makes plain porridge tastier.
 


Hi Meilan,

Hope JK's pimple has burst on its own. Yes, agree with Sheryln. Sometimes it's difficult to determine if it calls for immediate medical attention.
 

Back
Top