A Unique Conversation

Nat: Mummy, can I tell u something?

Me: yes darling..

Nat: Next time can u don't give birth to me first?

Me: ..... why, don't u like to be first?

Nat: next time u let didi come out from your stomach first ok, then after that I come out.

Me: darling.. I can't do that anymore.. I can't decide. Only God can. But why don't u like to be the first child?

Nat: cos I want didi to be first

Me: why? Is it cos didi always make u angry? or you have to keep letting him do things?

Nat: ..yah... sometimes I love him, sometimes I don't. cos he make me SOOOO angry when he don't listen to me.

Me: it's ok darling.. it's good to be the eldest child.. mummy and daddy are the eldest child too.. see.. u are like mummy! isn't it good? and when u are the first child, u get to enjoy alot of things before didi u know.. u wear new clothes, play with new toys, new books.. didi always get hand me downs.. so u hv to learn to love and sayang didi okie? cos u only have 1 didi.. and next time when mummy and daddy's not around anymore.. the 2 of u hv to take care of each other. No matter what happens.

Finally.. a break at last!

After a month of planning, we've finally decided to take a short break in Siem Reap next week.

Many people asked.. why of all places.. Cambodia? Cos it's a great historical place, cos it has one of the 7 wonders of the world.. cos I just want to... getaway.

I am not keen in shopping.. and squeezing through hordes of crowds and bargain for stuff.

We thought since we seldom travel to 3rd world country.. why not give it a try. I believe it will be an eye opener. Going up the temples of Angkor wat to catch the spectacular sunrise/sunset, Quad Adventure ride through the padi fields and villages, taking Tut Tut around town.. these are just some of the activities that we will be doing. Without the 2 kids around, we are free to do such rare activities. Else, I simply can't imagine luggin them around in that kind of condition.

Will they miss mummy and daddy? Maybe.. maybe not.. told them they will be staying at mamas house next week and they sounded so excited. As if they are going on a holiday too!

Can't wait for my trip! I just pray that the mosquitoes will be kind on us. :p

Come Wat May

Our wedding march song on 29th Nov 2003 .... a reminder to the existence of our marriage


Never knew I could feel like this
Like I've never seen the sky before
Want to vanish inside your kiss
Everyday I love you more and more
Listen to my heart, can you hear it sings
Telling me to give you everything
Seasons may change winter to spring
But I love you until the end of time

Come what may, come what may
I will love you until my dying day

Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place
Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace
Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste
It all revolves around you

And there's no mountain too high no river too wide
Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side
Storm clouds may gather and stars may collide
But I love you until the end of time

Come what may, come what may
I will love you until my dying day
Oh come what may, come what may
I will love you

Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place...

Come what may, come what may
I will love you until my dying day

Getaway, Short Break, Family Break

2 main goals for the rest of the year:

1) A short getaway with Nick

2) A family getaway with the kids and if possible, with friends

So I am shortlisting a few places:
- Bangkok
- Penang
- Hong Kong
- Perth
- Tokyo

???? Any suggestions? I want cheap and good packages! :D

It's racing time!

Nat and Matt had their Sports Day recently in Sept. It's funny to see the small kids running in races and half the time I think most of them don't even know what they are running for.

This is a video of a race between Matthias' N1 class - Hope and anther N1 class - Joy. The kids are just following the teachers' instructions and what other kids are doing. Guess it's a fun and interactive way for them to learn how to listen and follow instructions. Amidst the smothering early sun, the kids actually ran and completed their activities.. Kudos to them, esp the 3 yr olds!

As for Nat, her race involves alittle bit more hands and eye co-ordinations. She had to run to a point, roll the ball in her hand and try to knock down the cans that are placed a distance away.
Pls ignore the later part of the video.. which was due to a small commotion from Matthias (he had a fright when he realised I wasn't around him).

It was a fun day.. but as the weather was pretty hot that day, i tried to keep the kids under the shade most of the time. Even though they had other races that invites parents and even had a 'sibilings' race, we did not participate. A reason was because I was there alone with the 2 kids. Well, not exactly alone with the teachers around.. but you know..the kids will stick to me if I am there even when their class is around. To top it all, Nick was down with a nasty flu bug that day.. so despite the fun, it was also tiring rushing around like a mad dog.

Cos after the morning sports day, I got to rush off to bring Nick to the clinic, then rush off to another appointment in the afternoon. In short, a tiring off day!

Sleeping Beauty zzz....

Matt fall asleep while he was watching tv in the afternoon. It's a funny sight. One minute he was watching.. the next few minutes, he was fast asleep! Don't u find my boy is so cute? :p

I can't wait.. for Christmas 2009

Yes. I suddenly can't wait for Christmas to arrive this year. I miss the festive season. I miss catching up with frens and family. I love the holiday season and mood on Christmas eve, day and many days after. ;)

O holy night...

Power of Love

Fooling around

Nat and Matt's usual activity..... fooling around in their room.
So i decided to take down the evidence and show them their cheeky faces

Happy National Day!

Happy National Day Singapore!

We started off the day at our fav breakfast place - Macs! ;) The kids love having bf there cos of the toys and pancakes and we find it pretty family friendly, so you'll often find us at one of the outlets in the island. After breakfast that day, we had an outing to Pasir Ris park and the kids had a whale of a time playing at the playground. Its a pity.. didn't take any photos of @ playground. But its just a prelude to our stay at the PA Bunglow the next few days...

Nat Dress Up day!

Managed to persuade Nat to dress up with some accessories one day.. and ta-da....
She most willingly took photos with her dear bro, who looked 'forced' in some of the pics. haha..

Doesn't she look adorably like her dear mummy? Muahahaha...

Life after Marriage

Do you realise life after marriage.. is so different from when you are just dating?

Life after having kids.. is even more different, and distracting. You don't even have time for each other anymore. Even if you have, all you talk about is the kids.

How then, do we sustain the love in each other as we grow old together? It's a question which I've been asking myself time and again.

Living together requires tremendous amount of patience and giving in to your partner.. even though he/she may drive you up the wall at times. At the end of the day, he/she is still your companion till death. That's if you chose to walk the journey of life with him/her.

Question is, how do you grow the feeling which you called "love", and make sure that the flame doesn't stop burning?

I think little actions like these help:
~ Asking how his day had been
~ Calling him to check if he's had his meal
~ Be considerate to his feelings always (try your best)
~ Big hug every day
~ Tell him you love him

What happens then, if the actions are not reciprocated? Do u stop loving him?

To be continued...

Parent's Week

When the teachers in Ascension Kindercare asked if any parents wanted to spend 1 - 2 hours in the school in June with their children's class and do some activities, I volunteered immediately. :P

One reason for the spontaneous reaction was to find out how how Nat and Matt are doing in school. Since they are spending 8 hours everyday, 5 days a week in the school, I think I should ensure that they are happy in the environment and like their friends and teachers. Another one was getting to know their classmates... and I also wanted take a look at the school's overall learning environment and whether it is conducive for the kids.

It was fine.. and the children seem to enjoy themselves.

An a scale of 10, I would rate the center - 7. Their schedule is pretty all rounded, including both languages, maths and music. They do hv time to watch TV, walkabouts in the neighbourhoods as well as little excursions to zoo and parks. At the same time, they also manage to instill some independence to the kids and taught them to do things for themselves.

However, there were a couple of times we noticed that Matthias' pants were soiled with dried feces when we brought him back home. And the teachers actually threw away the underwear before consulting us. Only after we highlighted that they may need to ask him conscientiously whether he need to poo, then it became better. Of cos, in a full day childcare, with a teacher ratio of 2 to 16 kids, I can't expect them to be attentive to all the details and be there for the kids for all their whims and fancy. But for kids at 2+ to 3 yrs of age, they should help them to verbalize their basic needs instead of leaving the kids to inform them. In any case, the experience is getting better in general.

Did story-telling in Matthias class, followed by some games which I gave out sweets as incentives. Matthias' teacher was so thoughtful to make this card for me the week after. She even got the children to put their finger prints on the cards. It was really nice of her, don't you think?

Rasa Sentosa Getaway!

We had a grreat time at Rasa Sentosa last weekend.. brought the kids there for a 3D2N stay and they loved the experience. Especially since we went together with our close friends and their families. Some photos to share here.. :)

Fear of losing sight

Have you ever felt a sudden fear of losing the ability to see?

If you do not have perfect eyesight, you may have had this feeling some time in your life. Actually I have not really felt the fear till recently.

I hope I am not trying to scare myself.. but i've encountered some moments of 'blindness' recently. U know, when you suddenly off the lights in a brightly lighted room, you will feel a momentarily darkness before your eyes get accustomed to the dark.

Recently, when i do that, I somehow felt that the darkness seem to have prolonged. I have to wait several minutes before I could make out anything that's in front of me. Somehow.. it felt... different. It felt a bit too long. It felt... unusual. And I am starting to feel more tired recently even though I sleep pretty much with the kids... and have not stayed up late for the past week.

I suddenly realised... that it will be terrible if I could not see both my children growing up, if I can't see the changes we are going to do to our home, the pictures of Mother Nature which we have often missed in our daily life, and every single thing that is happening in front of me.

Hopefully it's just my mind playing tricks on me.

Passion Vs Pay

Here I am at 130am in the morning.. peering and yawning at the laptop screen while the rest of the family are fast asleep. Looking at numbers and trying to obtain a meaningful analysis from them so that I can report it in this morning's ops meeting.

I hate this feeling.. and am increasingly feeling resentful working so late in the nite.

Why can't I sleep together with my children like other mummies?

Why must I drag myself up everytime just to finish off my work. My work is like my 2nd life.. i spend close to 90% of my waking hours thinking, breathing and talking about work.

If my work was my passion.. I would feel differently, I believe.
If my work is just about getting that pay every month... then why am I working so hard???

SMILE

Brought Nat and Matt to the dentist yesterday as we've been wanting to have their milk teeth checked. We noticed Nat has a huge cavity in her molar tooth and were pretty concerned. Didn't even realized it till MIL told us.

As for Matt, his 'stained' teeth has always been bothering us. Whenever he smile, we can't help but noticed the bottom row of 'black' teeth. So, I finally found a dental that does consultation for children and made an appointment. Didn't want to delay it too long in case the children teeth get worse and I definitely don't want them to go through any kind of extractions! It's traumatizing enough having your tooth being pulled out. And it's another seeing the huge amount of blood dripping out from your gum!

I hated visiting the dentist myself as I do not have a healthy set of teeth. I remember the horror of being called up to the school dentist when I was in Primary Sch.. it was like a death sentence being passed whenever the nurse comes up and call up the student's name. It was supposed to be a routine check-up but still, it was pretty unnerving whenever it came to my turn.

So I've always tried to avoid visiting one myself after leaving school.. which to my dismay, worsened the experience as the teeth gets cleaned only once every few years. SO you can imagine the amount of plaques and bacteria that's formed!

Anyway, back to the kids.. yes, they were... surprisingly.. Very well behaved at the dentist! Matthias went in first and the dentist spent half an hour polishing and scaling his teeth. Though it was his first experience, he was surprisingly calm about it. I carried him on the chair and held him as the dentist cleaned his mouth.. I guess it also helped that she talked to him about it first and let him feel and touch the machine before putting it in his mouth. She also kept talking to him during the entire process, letting him know what to expect next.

Nat had similar experience.. and she was in fact waiting eagerly to go inside the room (she was doing some coloring outside). But to our horror, the dentist discovered 10 cavities in her teeth! And 1 or 2 of them are pretty huge and require fillings! Gosh.. didn't realise that Nat's teeth were so bad. They looked fine from exterior but they are actually not.

Understand from the dentist that it could be due to a combination of accumulated bacteria, frequent snacking, and irregular brushing. We have to really help her brush her teeth now and ensure she do not snack on too much sweets and biscuits which are bad for her teeth. Even if she eat them, she has to rinse or brush her teeth everytime. And before she sleeps at nite, we must ensure her teeth are bruched. Another important point to note is to stop her from drinking milk from the bottle. It's also another way that speeds up the formulation of bacteria in the mouth as compared to drinking from the cup.

Guess these are basic habits which are important to the kids and we have to instill in them the need to keep their teeth clean and healthy, just like why they must bathe and wash their hands clean.

New School for Matthias!

Matthias started his full day childcare lessons at Ascension Kindercare yesterday.

The teachers in the centre advised us to slowly adjust him to full day care. So we were intending to start by bringing him after 3hours.. if he cries v badly, we will bring him back earlier. If not, we shall play by ear... and probably let him stay on alittle longer.


~~~~ 1st day in sch ~~~~

He was surprisingly enthusiastic and was pretty happy to join his new frens in their lessons and play. He listened to his teachers and followed instructions. During break time, he sat down and joined them for snacks, finished up his biscuit and cup of water and washed his hands dutifully. When prompted to pass urine, he also followed the teacher into the toilet, and washed his hands thereafter.

I brought him home after lunch and bath around 1pm. Surprisingly he wanted to stay back and play with the trucks and fire engines. After much prompting from myself and the teachers, we finally managed to convinced him to leave. However, not before putting up the fuss of not wearing shoes and refusing to walk. Guess he was feeling pretty cranky and tired.. afterall, it's nap time for all the children and they were all preparing for their afternoon sleep. So it was time for Matt's nap too... and true enough, soon after reaching home, he drifted off to sleep while sucking on his milk bottle.

Overall, the 1st day seems better than we expected. And we were pretty relieved that he welcomed the new environment and people. :-)


~~~ 2nd day in sch (today) ~~~

He went in happily and joined his class for breakfast, which include a bowl of cornflake and cup of milk. After that he proceeded to his free play of toys that were displayed on the shelves. Soon after, i left for work while po po stayed on to watch over him. However, the teacher later asked her to go back, as Matt seems to be pretty independent and didn't look for her.

Thought it was a good sign.. and probably today he could stay till after nap time.

Lo and behold.. the teacher called me at 1230, and said he kept asking for me.. and no matter how she tried to pacify him he still asked for me. So eventually po po went down and picked him up. Turned out that he was actually tired and wanted to sleep. But he needed his usual milk before he can sleep.. and after the teachers made the milk for him, he drank on the way home and eventually fell asleep in the pram! Soo... it's just a matter of understanding his needs and wants. But it's a 2-way process.. guess it'll take some time for the teachers and even Matthias to understand one another.

Nevetheless, it was still a good 2nd day.

And..

I look forward to the next few days ...

And..

The weeks ahead ...

;)

Nathania's 4th Birthday

Celebrated Nat's birthday in her school on the day of her birthday - 27 Mar. She chose her favourite character of the year - Power Ranger. She looked abit overwhelmed by the attention in the pics, even though we've been talking about it for a long time.

Gallop Stable

We brought the kids to Gallop Stable @ Pasir Ris Green 2 weeks back. They had a whale of a time there, feeding the ponies, playing on the swing, riding the ponies. My sis and family joined us there too.






Nat & Matt @ the beginning









Matt & Petra on the swing.. Petra shielding her eyes from the sun... even tho it wasn't THAT sunny.

Nat posing happily with her favourite cousin.











Rian & Matt Matt!

Nat's 1st riding experience!

Rain Rain, Go Away..

Pictures taken from my balcony..courtesy of my trusty ole Nokia E71.

Rain approaching from far. Fantaaaastic view!How often have u witnessed such nature phenomenon in your wall garden?

Sisterly love

This video shows that Nat does try to show her brother some 'sisterly love'.. :) As Matthias needs to start his neubuliser again due to some cough virus, there arises some opportunities for Nathania to display her affection.

Whenever we start preparing the medication, Nat can't wait to help him administer it. She did a pretty good job though, and managed to hold the mask throughout the whole process. Next time I should show her how good she is to encourage her good behavior.

Cheeky & dirty

Matthias Loves to watch videos.. especially Thomas Train! Took these photos while he was having lunch and engrossed with the video. Look at his dirty mouth... and his super cheeky face.

Rebonded

Today, i finally managed to take my long awaited leave. For once, I have a day away from the hectic work and office environment. Desperately need a breather from the every-day stress. Work at this new company has not been easy for the past 6 months (o yes, i just received my confirmation letter!). I finally realised how different it is working for a 'startup' versus a big structured company.

Anyway.. enough about work. Just wana tell u guys that I've just rebonded my hair... after years of procrastinating. I had always felt there is no need for me to straighten my hair since it's already pretty straight. Furthermore, i heard it damages your hair, etc ,etc. However, I decided I will just try this out once and for all as i wana change my image alittle.

Am usually not one to try out new hairdo cos i dont have the courage to move out of my 'comfort' zone. Do u realise as you grow older, you tend not to venture out of your zone? I do realise this for myself.. and found that i have to conscientiously remind myself that I'll not be able to learn if i dont push myself out of my boundaries. How would I know if I look good in it if I dont try? Well.. so much debate for a just new hairdo (:P)

So back to my rebonded hair.. I LOVE It. I feel so 'neat' and clean after the entire treatment. In fact i tthink it's pretty well done. Kudos to my stylist! Now i dont have to comb my hair and make sure it's neat everytime i leave the house. Even blow drying the hair is effortless.. dont need a comb! (Sound like a mountain tortise right?)

Told Nick that I like this hair so much that I'll prob stay with this hairstyle for the entire 2009.. and he was like.. "U sure? It's only Feb now leh". Even my hair stylist echoed similar sentiments.. "women ah..even though they say won't do, in the end if they are in the mood, they'll still do it. " How come they know us so well?

I thought they always say Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus?

CNY 2009!

The kids had a fantastic time during CNY this year. Look at how they enjoy making faces with the oranges! It was terribly tiring bringing the kids around visiting. Not only were their daily schedule interrupted, we have to bring barangs of stuff out to make sure they are comfortable wherever they go. But it was well worth the effort. Just gota make sure we are well prepared!

Anyway, CNY is a time to pay respect to all our elders and spending time with families, relatives and friends. Hope all of you enjoyed your CNY as well! GONG XI FA CAI!

Wild time in Candy house

Nat had a pretty fun time grabbing all the candies in the house. This was @ T3 during Xmas 2008. They really did a good job with the wonderful decos and fun activities for families.

Inauguration of First Black Presidentfor United States - Barack Obama

Watched the inauguration ceremony last nite (or rather this morning) and was in awe of the magnitude of the event. More than 2  million people turn up in Washington just to attend this historical event. With the live telecast to hundred over TV netword worldwide, the numbers who tuned in are un-imaginable.

People watch in anticipation of every step and decision that President Obama would make.. i can only imagine the level of stress he has to handle everyday. It really would require someone of special capabilities to command that position. 

Sloggin..

I've been working late in the nite these days.. Yes, it's already 0135 in the morning and i am still doing my work. Actually i just started around 1130pm.. after the kids went to dreamland. But still.. think it's a bad habit to stay up just for work. Well, at least I don't do this everyday.. and i dont return back to office over weekends!

Sometimes i wonder if i am too committed to work. I dont see hubby doing that even though we bring back almost the same dollar every month. Maybe he's just good at drawing the line between work and family. SHould try to learn from him yah.

My first mobile posting! A Picture from somewhere in my new house. I like these lights esp in the still of the night.. cos i chose them! :D

A brand new BLOG!

Hi there to whoever's reading my blog now.

Yes, this is a BRAND new blog which i plan to start, as a continuation from my previous blog in moblog (dove.moblog.com). Why do i wana move on from moblog? Well, a reason is bcos i am pretty impressed by the number of cool features blogger has... so much more than moblog! (Sorry moblog folks!) I also realised most of my friends are using blogger as well. Guess if it's really good, the bees just find their way to the good stuff.. :p

Well.. Okie.. I'm doing this cos it's the start of 2009. And since it's only the 4th day of the brand new year... i decided I should start something new. Just to give myself a brand new interest in life. Hopefully my interest continues.. and i really hope to pen my thoughts down despite my busy schedule. You might say everybody's busy right? Yes.. it's just how we make the time and effort.

Another of my New Year resolution is to LOOSE weight and be healthy. Yes.. I am planning to hit the gym at least 2X a week. Since my work place has a gym, i should make full use of it. So.. I am really looking forward to a BRAND new me. :D

Tata...*and i am not looking forward to work tomorrow*