P1 Preparatory Class: Is it Really Necessary??

I was looking though the papers this morn and came upon an article that writes about how some parents are preparing their kids for P1. It does make me shudder at the thought of the level of stress my kids (as well as me, myself) are going to face in the days to come.

There are parents who send their 6 yr olds to Chinese, English and Mental Arithmetic Classes. Nowadays Preschools and Enrichment Centres are also providing P1 Preparatory Classes to better equip the kids. Academic standards of the Primary Schools have indeed gone up by leaps and bounds for the past 10 yrs, as what some educators have feedbacked. There was a list of curriculum mentioned in the article that preschools used to prep their students for P1, and it was interesting to know that kids are expected to know all these, even before entering P1:

English:

Grammar rules: Singular VS Plural, Punctuation rules, Similes (e.g. ‘As quiet as a mouse’), Past tense, Present tense, Future tense (e.g. ‘He ate, eats, has eaten’…), Pronouns, Prepositions.

Maths:

How to count money, Multiplication: Up to 3 times table, simple fractions, drawing simple graphs (eh… I used to learn this when I was in P2, I think…?), Symmetry, Identifying patterns (for e.g. if a square + a triangle = 6, what is 2 squares + 2 triangles?)

Science:

Observation Skills, Experimenting, Speed…

Chinese:

Hanyu Pinyin, rearranging scrambled sentences of up to 5 words or phrases…

It is always our intention to let George enjoy the process of learning and not enter himself into this race of studying for the sake of pursuing academic results. However, I guess in this part of the world where we live in, academic excellence does play a big part in getting that institution/corporation that you want to study or work at. Just the other day, my sis was telling me how the system works for the school my nephew studies at. They would send the best teachers to the best class (so as to lift up the standard of the elites) and the worst class (to assist students who are struggling). Therefore, that means the average students will have to stay average? I guess, this is where their attitude, personality and character would have to be the X-factor for the average student to outshine the rest in the society one day.

Like what I’d always tell my friends, I never once thought for a moment that I would belong to the group of ‘kiasu parents’. However, the recent search for the ‘right’ Primary school for George have made me consider parent volunteering, even to the extent of re-locating…

I think it’s time for me to take a step back, take a deep breath, sip my cuppa coffee and look at the blue skies… (Ohmmm)…..

Rest & Relax @ Liang Court

My favourite pastime over the weekend is always to go Liang Court, have my dessert fix at Tampopo Deli and bring the kids to MacDonald’s for their french fries treat.

It really has been quite a long while since I can have a quiet dinner, enjoying a meal. Last Sun, my kids were taking their late afternoon nap, and I quickly grabbed the chance to have a nice meal, with my hubby alone.

The Ramen at Tampopo was really up to standard. I tried this spicy Tonkatsu Ramen (Chef recommended)! While my hubby ordered the Shabu Shabu Ramen. 

 

We then went to Medi-Ya Supermarket to take a walk. There’s always something interesting to find in a Japanese Supermarket. The gadgets they came up with, household appliances and accessories, mops, brooms, pegs, stick-ons….are so innovative! However, it make us feel like illiterates… trying to figure out what was written on the labels the food items.

We chanced upon this section of the supermarket and were surprised to find that the fruits on display were so international. Dragonfruits from Vietnam, Grapefruits from South Africa, Oranges from U.S., Pineapples from Thailand, Papaya from India, Green Apples from New Zealand…

And of course, the infamous Melon Shizuoka from Japan… S$119 each!!

*Can’t seem to rotate the pic for some reasons…

Both are melons, but they have such a different destiny! 

Javier, My Little Nephew

My nephew, Javier was always the doted one in the family. He was the first-born grandchild of the Fong family, and boy! I still remembered how everyone of us had our portion of spending time alone with him when he was still a baby. Personally, I had even baby-sat him for several times.

But you know how little boys would grow up one day too? And because we meet so often (almost every weekend), sometimes we do forget that our little Javier has grown up and his likes and dislikes have changed. He doesn’t like to mingle around with the rest of the little kiddos.

Just last Sat, when we were at my mum’s place for the usual gathering, Javier was surprisingly ‘boycotted’ by the 3-yr olds (and it’s none other than Jewel and George). The 2 chatter-boxes were busy building their ‘pirate ship’, using blankets and pillows and bolsters and were having a whirl of fun, when the big Ja-Gor Gor (as they would have called Javier now) came and interupted. Javier was trying to pretend to be a big sea monster who would come and destroy their ‘pirate ship’. And you would have imagined the amount of complaints the 2 mousies (Jewel & George were born in the yr of the Mouse) came up with.

‘Yee Yee, ask Gor Gor to go away!!’ Jewel tried to protest. George added in and said, ‘This is for small children, not for big children!!’ Javier was feeling a bit ‘rejected’, though not for long. I told him, ‘Come Yee Yee give you a hug! It’s been a long time since I’ve last hugged you…’ And he ok-ed… Much to my surprise! Ok, he’s still that sentimental boy that we know. And after that, I started asking him about his school, his CCA, and also discussed about he being in the band, what instruments he want to play etc…

He is still that doted grandchild of the Fong family. And of course, Gong Gong and Po Po contnued feeding him with milo, snacks, biscuits and small treats.

 Javier at 2 Yrs Old…. Such a cutie!

 Javier @ 3 Yrs Old…

Now, Javier @ 9 Yrs Old…

George, Welcome to the World. The Real World…

It was such an interesting way to end the day.

Brought George to Vivocity, and we bought him a deck of ‘Angry Bird’ game cards. He was super happy, even though it cost barely 10 bucks. Because that was his favourite ‘Angry Birds’ printed on the cards. He wouldn’t want us to put it in the carrier, and insisted holding it himself.

I was queuing to pay for the groceries at Giant Supermarket, while he and Audrey went to enjoy the kid’s rides with the helper. When we were about to leave, he realised that he had lost the game cards, probably left it somewhere at the rides, and were most probably taken by some other kid, because we couldn’t find it no matter where we searched.

And then the drama came, he started crying and sobbing, stopped, cried again, sobbed again, stopped, and cried again, all the while leaning on my chest, feeling sorry for himself, from the mall’s carpark, throughout the car-ride home, till we reached home, up the lift, back home, and even on the bed, while he had his pyjamas changed. George finally had his 1st experience of losing something himself, and not getting it back. Haha, I was amused when I saw how heart-broken he was.

My boy, I hope you’ll know how to get over disappointments in future everytime you get heart-broken… (Lol)….

My 3 Little Pigs

I guess it was just one of those boring nights before sleep……..

Clueless Audrey still doesn't know what's happening...

George was getting bored....

Gor gor decided to trigger Audrey's response...

Finally a smile from the camera-shy girl...

Camera-shy girl warming up!

Out of Control!

Everyone Needs a Break!

Yes, everyone needs a break! And we shouldn’t feel bad about it.

There’s always this bad feeling that some people have when they leave their kids with the parents and go away for short getaways. There’s always another side of the coin. And I choose to believe that having quality time with your spouse is as important as devoting your time to the kids. There are also many opportunities to be filial to your parents too.

Just beginning of this month, me and hubby decided to go ahead with our much needed rest. He had worked hard and I have waited hard enough for our long-awaited getaway. Therefore, we decided to give Phuket a chance, though we still love Bali the most. Yup, after our trip, we still love Bali the most.

Nonetheless, we were blessed by a friend with a 4 day, 3 nights stay at his resort residence. And the place was fantastic. It was located at Karon Beach, away from the very crowded Patong Beach. It was a stretch of sandy beaches and it really felt like Miami. Not that I have gone to Miami, but I supposed it was close to it. Except that the waves were not strong enough. We have to remember that the beach was facing the Malacca Straits, it can’t compare to the rest of the beaches that are suitable for wake-boarding.

March was the peak season for many tourists to come. Especially the Russians and the Scandanavians. We were considered the minority. Many european visitors were dominating the place, stylishly clad in their bikinis. I guess they were there to catch the tropical sun, since it would have been the cold season in their countries.

Went for a 1-day tour to Phi Phi Island. I finally did snorkelling. And it really stirred my interest to plan for more snorkelling trips in future. The corals were damaged by the Tsunami, as what the tour guide said. But nonetheless, it was still a great experience to swim among the fishes and explore the sea beneath.

At where we stayed, there were 3 swimming pools. And throughout our stay, our swimwear were never dry. We swam at least once a day, sometimes 2. There was a jacuzzi pool facing the beach. And on our last day, we decided to spend the evening soaking in the water and watching the Sun set.

You know how people usually dread going back home after their vacation? We felt the opposite! Couldn’t wait to board the plane back home to see our 2 darlings!!

‘Mummy, don’t peek ok!’

I had just finished replying my backlog of emails before starting on this much-delayed blog update. My mind is so alert now, that I just had to download some info into another ‘CPU’.

I was browsing through some photos of my kids when they were in their toddler stage. Time really flies and seriously, there were times that I hope I can have another infant/toddler to play with. But then again, reality struck almost immediately, and I quickly came back to my senses. I think at this time and age, 2 is really a good number. And I thank God that I’m able to experience motherhood to a boy and a girl. They are really 2 different experiences all in all.

George is growing up very quickly, in his height, speech, behaviour and thinking. There are times when I could really stike a decent and sensical conversation with him. He’s curious of signboards and people nowadays. For e.g. there are many encounters whereby I tried explaining the ‘No Smoking’ sign, ‘No food and drinks’ sign, ‘GIve up your seat to elderly and children’ sign, ‘Do not turn left/right’ sign for vehicles, ‘Dead-end’ road sign… just to mention a few. And he’ll always end with a big ‘Why?’ I mean, how do you explain what’s smoking to a mere coming to 4 yrs old kid? Will he or will he not understand what’s nicotine, what’s cigarette and stuff?

He’s also becoming more conscious of the boundary between a boy and a girl. We’ve also tried explaining that boys and girls have differences, and there are times whereby they can’t do certain things tog. For e.g., there are several times when he wants to bathe with me, and I have to say no. Therefore, recently, he began to be very against the idea of me accompanying him to the toilet. I remembered there’s one time he quickly ran to the toilet and locked the door when he had to pee. Being the anxious mum, worrying that he may trip over something in the loo, or perhaps wet his pants, I stood at the door and kept asking him to open, nagging at him to unlock the door, reminding him to flush the toilet bowl, asking him to ‘aim’ properly, and making sure he washed his hands. All I remembered is he kept saying, ‘Mummy, don’t come in! Girl girl cannot see boy boy shh shh… You don’t peek ok!’

Frankly speaking, I do feel a bit ‘rejected’… The boy who once needed your help to do everything, can now finally do something without your interference. He has indeed grown up… and I hope one of these days when he has entered into adolescence and is spending most of his time in front of the laptop, surfing the net, chatting with  his friends, he won’t shoo me away with ‘Mummy, don’t peek ok!’

I know I’m just being sentimental here. After all, that will be 10-20 yrs down the road. It must be the night breeze… Time to go to sleep..

 

Spring Cleaning….

Spring Cleaning is always difficult to begin with. But once you start on it, there just seems to be an adrenaline rush….. to throw stuff away.

Chanced upon a few stuff that brings back some nostalgia and great memories. And yes, it took a while before we wrapped them up in big garbage bags and prepare them for the dump.

Yohandi's 1st Laptop... I think it is a Fujitsu..

Once again, this reminds me that children grow up real fast. The pair with Teddy Bear was his 1st shoe gift from a dear friend. The white sneakers were his favorite after he took his 1st walk. The Pooh sandals were his 1st pair of 'Sotong' sandals (as my parents called it) from Gong Gong. Oh yes, and his 1st pair of Crocs from Yee Yee... Can you spot which is it? Coz there's a pair of fake crocs in the pic...

G's 1st Car-Seat. He went, 'Mummy, don't throw!' when we wrapped it with a garbage bag... Had to wait till he took a nap b4 carrying it out of the house.

G's 'Bob the Builder' Helmet

G's Favourite Fireman Hat... Decided not to throw these in the end. They are still his favorurites!

Audrey’s ‘Dear Diary’….

‘Dear Diary,

I have just turned 17 months (yippee!)… It’s just a matter of time before I grow up to be as big as gor gor and follow daddy and mummy for shopping more often. Now that I have been walking for almost more than 3 months, I realize that if I make my steps quicker and lighter, I would be almost running….

Recently, my silly gor gor tried imitating the way I talk and blabber…. (Da da…. – which means Daddy, mum mum…. – which mean food). And so, I also learnt how to say, ‘Ball’ and ‘Star’. Oh boy, I have so much things that I want to say….

My favorite TV show is ‘Boogie BB’ on Cbeebies. I like the way they shake their bum bums and I learn a hand movement that makes mummy and daddy really amazed and happy. It’s actually the rubbing of my 2 hands together, with palms on each other. And I realize that it means washing hands…. I love to wash hands!

I love to play with Daddy… He would give me whatever I want… In this area, I think I win over my gor for hands down. Mummy is more fierce. Although she loves to smell my hair and kiss me before going to work, when she says ‘No’, normally it’ll follow with a smack on my hand if I didn’t listen.

Just yesterday, my Jie Jie gave me a snack to nibble on. Mummy was so amazed to know that I have started to snack. Little did I know that it was one of the favorite crackers that came from my daddy’s hometown. Hee hee mummy, there’s lots more ‘mum mum’ which I’ve tried that you didn’t know of…

Recently, I overheard my mummy telling daddy that they want to bring us to Disneyland. Not sure where that place is, but I’m certain it is going to be a fun place. For sure, gor gor was all excited whenever they mentioned ‘Disneyland’. I’m going to make sure that they bring me along this time. I’m thinking of packing myself into one of their luggages if they’re going to leave me behind!’

The Crackers that I love to Nibble....

Singapore’s A Harder Place To Live In?

George’s school was closed this wk for the teachers to do planning for next year. So everyday, we’ll have to send and fetch him from my mum’s place. There was this night where I’ve had to take a cab home with him as hubby was having meetings till late. I finally felt the pinch of the cab price hike.

For a few days, the media has been reporting on the negative responses from different pple due to the recent cab price hike. Seriously, not that I’m not concerned about things happening around me. But everyday has been a wake up-go work-fetch kid-come home- sleep routine that I really don’t have much time to find out how much increment is the cab price exactly.

Found out from the cab driver:

– Flag-down price has increased from $2.80 to $3 (for old comfort cabs)

– Peak period surcharge has been changed to 5-6 pm (30%), 6pm-12am (25%)

– Every km charge has increased from $0.20 to $0.22

– Advanced booking fee has increased from $5.50 to $8

– CBD surcharge has increased to $3.50

The above info is based on recalling on what the cab driver shared. May not be exact figures. Nonetheless, from Tampines to Cantonment (after 8pm) which used to cost me $14-16, I had spent $22.50 instead.

Seriously, with all the complaints and negative feedback through facebook and the papers, it does seems that S’pore’s living costs has gone up. However, guess that instead of spending time complaining, it’s time to find out how to find more channels to increase income, time to have a more prudent lifestyle, and time to do wise investments.

Trusting God for greater financial breakthroughs.