Her First Performance

Last Friday, Little Bee had her first performance in her school assembly. I prepared the ritual of videography and photography excitedly - just like the days of Big Bee's performances! Unfortunately, unlike the old times, only one parent was allowed, due to post-H1N1 precautions, much to the disappointment of Hubby. 

Watching Little Bee standing in front of the crowd brought back misty-eyed nostalgia of Big Bee's first performance 4 years ago. Time is really a slippery eel that slips through our hands unknowingly. The only way to behold time is to truly revel and rejoice in every single moment, otherwise that instance will vanish from our waking cognizance forever. 

Little Bee is a natural on stage, smiling and relaxed. Her teacher was rather nervous and apprehensive about her performance as she just started school officially for 2 weeks. Another new boy who was a week older than her in school was bawling incessantly and had to be carried off-stage by his parent. 

However, Little Bee stood bravely and nonchalantly at the front of the assembly area, meandering to my side blithely for a brief second when she saw me, and obediently trooping back to stage after I greeted her. 

Smiling and singing with fingerplay the first English song about 5 little ducks

They sang 2 English songs and 2 Chinese songs and performed a couple of dances. I thought all the little ones performed beautifully and were so coordinated and well-behaved! Kudos to the teachers. Little Bee followed through every act with confident aplomb, singing and gestulating, smiling and dancing enthusiastically! 

Check out the over-enthusiastic performer who danced out of the boundaries of the "stage". Do I see a potential breaker of OB markers? 

The look of quiet pride on her face as she received her certificate of encouragement was a sight to behold, especially how she pored over the certificate in a corner thereafter, trying her best to comprehend those words on the paper! 

Receiving the certificate with pride and glee

I am certainly looking forward to more performances by Little Bee, and hope Big Bee can be next to watch her little sister perform! 

The Great Outback Adventure

Two Sundays ago, our family trooped down to the Singapore Zoo. I love it when we are Friends of the Zoo. It means we could take a long leisurely breakfast and then whisk into the zoo to see an exhibit or two, and then return another day to complete different parts of the zoo in small little steps. The sum of all parts of the zoo! 

So Hubby and I thought hard about the exhibits that the Bees had not visited - and we realised that they had not ventured into the great outback adventure! 

To test Big Bee's navigational and map reading skills, we gave her the formidable challenge of finding the outback exhibit. Plucky her took up the task, of course, and was very serious in searching for the exhibit in the shortest possible time! Other than a couple of crossroads where she needed a wee bit of guidance, she was able to navigate independently to the great outback! Little Bee tried to contribute by poring over the map, and we were pleasantly surprised that she would exclaim and point out the animals that we had visited before, although it was definitely too onerous for her to help us find the way!

 

The busy map readers!

In the outback exhibit, the Bees waited with much anticipation for the kangaroo feeding session. Once in the exhibit with those lovely furry tame creatures, Big Bee started stroking the friendly kangaroos incessantly, whereas Little Bee squealed with pleasure when the kangaroos started nibbling the roo food off her hand, telling us, "Ticklish! Ticklish!" 

Things went on well until a particular kangaroo with a huge appetite and an over-active salivating gland stumbled onto their waiting hands and started dumping plenty of saliva while eating off their hands. Hubby and Big Bee were overwhelmed by the amount of saliva on their hands and quickly passed this kangaroo most of their food! 

It was indeed fun to be so near these animals, almost like when we were in the kangaroo farm in Perth with Big Bee so many years back! It was really sweet to see the Bees busy petting the kangaroos, some of whom towered over Little Bee! 

We then went on to spend some time in one of our favourite exhibits, the Hamadryas Baboons. Hubby and I read about their lifestyles in fascination - about their highly dominant males and large harem in each family! Yet, in the previous cassowary exhibit, we read that the male cassowary incubates the eggs and cares for the chicks for 9 months after birth. The mind-boggling array of gender dominance in the animal kingdom is intriguing indeed. 

Hubby and Big Bee did a naughty thing of teasing the Hamadryas Baboons by putting on a sing and dance show for them - much to the amusement of some baboons, especially the younger ones, who were staring at them like they were some sort of human loonies!

We are now planning for our next zoo trip and wondering which exhibit we should be aiming for...elephants the next time? 

Secret Messages

I was a bit surprised when I logged into Facebook to find a series of status that I had not even performed - whipping up a bacon cheeseburger in Cafe World, buying a farm plot in Farmville, getting mysterious replies on Country Story from friends whom I did not send any messages to! 

On closer investigation, I realised Big Bee was behind all these! Since the exams were over, she had been tinkering more with the computer when I was at work, playing games on Facebook! She started sending games-related messages to my friends and inadvertently posting messages online! 

So my dear friends, if you receive any messages from me on any Facebook games, the message is most likely from my darling Big Bee!

I am restricting her computer access to 1 hour a day, and my mother had several additional grey hair trying to help me control Big Bee, who usually is more obedient with me around. As she does not have school this whole week, and with the LONG holidays approaching, I really need to create some meaningful holiday programmes for her fast!  

My Little One Has Grown Up

Little Bee had been going to school for the past 1.5 weeks, after a hiatus of 3 weeks since her stomach flu. On the second day of school, she was whisked into class amidst much wailing and crying, as the teachers refused to let my mum into the classroom to accompany Little Bee. My mum told me she felt like tearing when she heard how Little Bee was crying inside the classroom. 

1.5 weeks later, she is now coping very well in class. She will walk smilingly into class these days, and recently started looking forward to going school in the mornings. Last week, she was rather moody in the mornings before school, but I am glad she had transformed fairly quickly. She has also gotten used to not taking naps in the afternoon as her session in school is in the afternoon, and I am very thankful for this swift adjustment. 

On the first day of school last Monday when my mum was still accompanying her in class, the teacher asked the class about the types of transportation the children's parents take to work. Most of the class replied "Car", whereas Little Bee uttered excitedly "Airplane!" My mum told me the teacher looked at Little Bee and then my mum hesitantly, probably wondering if Little Bee understood what was being asked, and she was only reassured when my mum told her that I indeed went to work on an airplane that very morning on a business trip. 

She is learning more from school, coming home and singing songs that she learned in school. She is beginning to repeat what she learned in school to me. For example, last night, when I was reading Eric Carle's "Brown Bear, What Do You See?" to her, she was able to anticipate what I was reading to her, uttering the last parts of the sentences on every page, and even re-enacted how the teacher read the book to the class. Incidentally, this book is excellent for teaching colours to young children. 

It is wonderful that Little Bee is now like a little adult - picking up our conversations at home, fully comprehending our activities and the social world around her. She is also a great conversationalist, always chatting chirpily with jie jie now. They make fabulous companions, although there are the regular sibling fights, of course. 

2 Fridays ago, she plucked a little assortment of flowers for me from the shrubs in my estate, and presented me that bunch of flowers with a sweet smile saying, "For Mummy!" It certainly melted my heart and made coming home from a tough day at work so much more glorious :) 

Sweet flowers as presents for Mummy :) 

Basic Math: Sorting. During free time at home, I will let her sort out brightly coloured beads into different containers, and she would be able to sort them out by colours independently. 

Singapore's Palace

We went to the Istana Open House during Deepavali, amidst much excitement, because we had never been inside the Istana before! Incidentally, Istana means "palace" in Malay, hence my title above.

We invited my mum and cousin Irene along, so the Bees can play with Chloe too!

It was a day of gorgeous, dazzling sunshine and cloudless cerulean skies - emphasizing the emerald green of the abundant verdant foliage in Istana. What a brilliant contrast of breathtaking colours! 

We were awed by the Istana's immense size and the seemingly boundless green fields. The children ran carefree about in the wide open spaces, the wind in their hair, their excited voices muted by the ubiquitous rustling of the many leaves on the old trees. 

The Bees and Chloe, grinning gleefully amidst the gorgeous greenery.

My mum was happy to be there as well, and was reminiscing about how she used to come to the Istana when she was a young lady. Nostalgia brought us closer to history, where historical monuments are usually preserved in the same likeness as when history was first solidified in that very same place. And we can feel many past generations of citizens traipsing across the extensive lawns of the Istana, all harbouring the same hopes and same dreams as us now. 

Granny with the brood of merry children against a backdrop of stunningly vibrant flowers. 

Endless verdurous lawns

Because of the capacious green spaces, the large number of visitors were well spread out, so we did not feel claustrophobic at all. There were thoughtful areas of rented playground equipment, marquees, school bands playing and stalls selling much-desired ice-cream and cold drinks on a scorching day. So the atmosphere was rather festive. 

We brought ice-cream for the whole group and sat under the cool canopy of several majestic rain trees, indulging in some relief and chilling out on the grass. It was certainly very relaxing and pleasing. 

Mum, Irene and the 2 little girls who were fascinated by the ice cream cones! 

We walked a fair bit in the heat, as the main building was nicely ensconced in the sprawling grounds with only sporadically shaded lanes. It took us more than an hour to slowly meander around the grounds till the flag of the main building waved invitingly at us, and we finally took some perfunctory photos in front of the building under the burning noon sun. 

Finally, the walk out was treacherous, with us having to carry the Bees as everyone was tired from the heat. Little Chloe was walking much of the way herself, though, which was so admirable! The collective sigh of relief and welcome when we reached the main entrance was almost comical, and Big Bee had to top off the comic element by posing beside the guard in the exact same position he was standing! 

I truly enjoyed this family outing, and I am sure the Bees will have as much fun with their cousins in future as I did with mine :) 

Secret Rendezvous

Last Saturday night, Papa and Big Bee made a date to sleep in our master bedroom instead of squeezing into one room with Little Bee and me (yes! we're still sleeping with the kids and loving it!). So we each had some quality pre-snooze time with the Bees. 

The next morning, bright and early at 8am, sleepyheads Little Bee and me were roused by 2 excitable souls who seemed to be bursting with some secrets. After some prodding, Big Bee finally burst out, "Papa and I went to watch the sunrise at East Coast!" 

HUH!?!? It was only 8am, and they had gone to faraway East Coast and back!?

I looked at Hubby incredulously, who grinned a Cheshire-happy grin of utmost satisfaction and confirmation. 

Realisation dawned on me (pun not intended). 

"O-HO! You and Papa went off on a secret date! Without Mummy and Little Bee!!!" I was pouting. Big Bee was gleeful beyond description. Little Bee was, fortunately, in blissful ignorance and only uttered a sweet "Huh? Sunrise?"

Apparently, Big Bee woke Hubby up at 5.45am, and they both set off to East Coast for some romantic sun-gazing! I wasn't there to describe the wondrous feeling they both felt, seeing the evolving vibrant colours of a brand new day. But Hubby told me the air was crisp, the breeze was refreshing, and the sunrise was spectacularly brilliant.

I am pretty much convinced by the photos. 

Isolated beach, gentle waves, magnificent sun with blazing new colours - life is gorgeous!

Well done, Hubby, for spending one-to-one time with Big Bee right after her exams. 

See how elated Big Bee was, against a stunning backdrop of spellbinding hues - I heard she was clambering over sand mountains that she built, spying on crab tracks and crab holes, and bird watching with Papa! 

I think it is really important to make an effort to spend some time each with one child on a regular basis, to make them feel like they are the centre of your world. So, I am planning separate dates with Big Bee and Little Bee as well :) 

Travel Memoirs: A Miniscule World

In our lifetime, we had truly witnessed the evolution of technology. I am currently sitting in one of (too many) Starbucks' airport cafes in the Jakarta airport, waiting for my flight home (yeah!), sipping that signature frothy Starbucks latte that is ubiquitous and uniform around the world, and my eyes wandered to the other business travellers.

A decade ago, lone business travellers were often seen browsing through high-powered magazines like Time or Economist, or immersing themselves in thick novels. Those were the constant companions of typical airport loungers. Very one-sided in interaction with the written word, but you looked around more, observing the people around you, enjoying the often similar scenery of runways.

Today, as with all other days when I decided to sit down instead of shop at the prevalent airport duty-free shops, almost 60% of the lone business travellers have a very interactive machine in the form of a laptop (like me!) where we bury our noses deep into online conversations or work emails. A second contender comes in the form of Blackberry, with a rotund businessman in front of me gazing and caressing the keypad like how he may serenade his girlfriend or wife. A few young girls lazily browsed through magazines before turning their attention to their trusty mobile phones, either whispering gleefully into the mouthpiece or sms-ing with a slight smile.

The world is indeed much smaller now. While sitting at the airport, I can have multiple online conversations with my friends, chat with Big Bee on the phone, sms Hubby, call my Mum's mobile phone for updates on Little Bee in school, reply my work emails and blog!

I guess we are living in an age where we are constantly near the ones we love - through a virtual network. But I wonder how we can connect with our very own selves if we are constantly busy with the multifarious channels of communication with family and friends? How do we get in touch with our inner, peaceful self? How can we reflect in quiet contemplation?

It sometimes worries me to think about my children who will grow up to be fantastic multi-taskers, but with fears of being alone, without needing to do anything, just observing the world going by. Again, could and should this attribute be nurtured in them? The idea of our children embracing tranquil solitude, with no other companionable instruments but their thoughts hidden in their minds...

A Sigh Of Relief

Looking cool in West Coast Park 2 weeks before the exams...

This week had been rather hectic for Big Bee and myself as it was the week of the harrowing final year exams! Remember how we used to slog and slave towards it when we were students? Well, this semester, I was determined not to let Big Bee be stressed over the finals, so I started a slow-paced and consistent revision programme since August. And it had shown to work for Big Bee who is generally a steady learner rather than cramming everything in the last minute (like the Mummy!). 

Hence, this week, her mood was relatively placid and collected - we even had a couple of hours of playground and strolling time every day, which really helped to soothe and cheer her. 

But it was still with a sigh of relief when Friday afternoon arrived - it means the inauguration of almost 3 months of play and relaxation! 

Big Bee is not one who likes toys these days so for her, it will mean more free time to indulge in her favourite activities like the following: 

1) READING: I am elated that she is very much in love with Enid Blyton books, following the footsteps of Hubby and me last time! However, it saddens me that the libraries here do not stock up many of her books, particularly the fascinating Faraway Tree series, so she has to turn to other alternatives. 

2) She completed this Roald Dahl book right after her exams. I found this edition very amazing - the cover is blank for children to depict their own covers from their imagination! What a wonderful idea to see how different each child's depiction is! 

3) PLAYING INTERNET GAMES :( She is somewhat (too) bewitched by these Playfish games on Facebook, particularly Country Story where she can farm crops and rear animals. The only good learning objective I got from this is to learn how to calculate profits and to set goals for herself in the farm! 

4) Drawing and writing stories: the above is herself with her current pet fish and imaginary pet bunny! 

Because of Big Bee's exam revisions, poor Little Bee did not get to do much home learning with me. I am glad that I now have 3 months to focus on Little Bee's development before she starts school for good next year!

Name Writing

"Sexy girl" Little Bee with her array of Barbie dolls. Big Bee and me always wonder where she got her Barbie Doll preference from, as we both detest playing with dolls! 

Little Bee is full of witty repartees these days. Teased by her sister that her short hairdo makes her resembles a boy, she will retort with a significant amount of indignance, "(Little Bee) not boy! (Little Bee) sexy girl!"

And she will sometimes comb her hair in front of the mirror, then turning around to tell me delightedly and in absolute innocence, "(Little Bee) sexy girl!" 

I get the feeling that she naively thinks that "sexy girl" means "beautiful girl". And trust me, I had never used the word "sexy" on her before! 

Whenever she watches Hi5, she will insist on changing into a flouncy skirt and bounce along to the happening music, showing off her prolific dance moves! 

About a month back, Big Bee did a fantastic job of coaching her little sister to write her name. She drew tracing lines for Little Bee to write down her name, even with cute little icons around the name to encourage her to work on this project. 

Thereafter, she was able to just follow my writing without needing any tracing lines, therefore writing out her name independently. I am thankful to Big Bee for always being able to motivate Little Bee positively, whereas I seem to have some problems sometimes! 

She followed me by writing letter by letter and wrote out her name, although she can only write her name in a GIGANTIC format now. 

Self portrait. I guess the "A" on her mouth indicates her name...

Because of their enthusiasm, I had decided on this month's homelearning theme - "All About Me", much to Big Bee's approval. Now that her exams are over, I will need to plan for 2 separate sets of homelearning activities to cater to each child. Lots of fun planning ahead! 

The Elusive Moon

During mid-autumn, the moon is reputed to be at its most enchanting, roundest and biggest. Yet, on mid-autumn's day this year, the sky was sullen, gloomy and leaden with a dense blanket of unfriendly grey clouds. At the most crucial bewitching hour where the sun finally bade farewell and the sky darkened in readiness for thousands of mortals to admire the glorious moon, the weather decided to weep a little with some light rain. 

It could be nature's way of bestowing an atmosphere of refreshing coolness for the moon stalkers and lantern bearers. Or it could be her way of shrouding the shy moon who, for some reason, did not wish to make any grand appearance at all this year. 

For what it was worth, at 8pm, we decided to trudge down to Botanic Gardens to join the ranks of the lantern bearers. The nippy nocturnal air embraced us as we strolled along the magically lit paths of the grand old gardens. Big Bee was very fond of the traditional paper lanterns that glowed with spellbinding luminosity, carrying one with careful balancing. 

Little Bee eyeing Big Bee's traditional lantern while her battery-operated one sang a tune merrily

PF and family joined us shortly after, and the 3 big kids turned a bit crazy, rambling on cheekily about spooky things and ghostly sightings. Guess they are at an age where they are curious about the mystical unknown. They were dashing across the large grassy grounds in darkness, borrowing bravado from strength in numbers. 

Bravely playing with sparklers with Eugene, Claire and Uncle Andrew, and creating a dense cloud of smoke!

Little Bee did not relish walking about with dim lanterns in a gigantic dark park, so she kept nestling beside me. I ended up carrying an enormous (and heavy!) lantern in the form of Little Bee and her battery-operated lantern! 

Hubby and I are always enchanted by these little lambent emblems of light - and we reiterated to each other that we must make it a point to create an annual celebration of this beautiful traditional festival with the children. 

Pastoral Sanctuary

Big Bee beginning to show a strong preference for coffee these days!

We chanced upon a new and relatively secluded breakfast place last weekend. We were very charmed by the rustic and idyllic ambience, away from all the hustle and crowds of popular breakfast places in Singapore. 

The Bees had a wonderful time traipsing around this hideout, listening to the sweet chirpings of birds, admiring the ubiquitous verdant foliage, relaxing on a bucolic swing and immersing in the tranquil and quixotic atmosphere that borders on agrarian countryside that is so rare in Singapore. 

Happy Bees!

We had a satisfying and quiet breakfast, amidst the 70s music that brought Hubby and I back in memory lane. 

They loved the country-style swing so much!

We also happened to meet a wonderful dog in a pets' boarding home, Summer. She was found in a playground with clean shaven fur, nicely bathed and with a metallic chain around her neck. Abandoned by the owner, who had the decency to prune her just before final desertion. The wonderful boarding house owner, Bell, is now keeping Summer in her small premises, but she laments that she cannot keep Summer because of the lack of space. 

Look at how charming and pretty Summer is. Big Bee is so in love with her, patting her non-stop!

Summer seems to be a cross breed between a Labrador and Golden Retriever, and she is about 2-3 years old (evidence lies in the gorgeous set of white teeth that she has!). Her temperament is so sweet and patient, yet she has a watchful eye for intruders. When the Bees first went into the shop, she was alert enough to bark at them. Upon familiarising herself with them, she became so contented to just let Big Bee stroke and pat her incessantly. Little Bee, who is smaller-sized than Summer, kept hovering at a distance, a wee bit frightened of Summer's size!

Hubby, Big Bee and I felt really connected to Summer, and were soooo tempted to bring Summer home, but our apartment will have no space for Summer to bound about in carefree joy. It will not be fair for her. 

If any one reading this blog entry will like to adopt her, please let me know by adding your comments and I will forward you the contact details of Bell, the owner of the boarding house. 

Again, I must stress that pets should not be bought and traded like commodities. There are so many abandoned pets out there - do go to some shelters and adopt them! Having "mothered" 2 stray dogs (and 1 stray hamster!) to their old age (and sadly, beyond), adopted pets are fiercely loyal and loving. 

Here's a wonderful site for those of you looking to adopt pets. It is an alternative to SPCA and these animals will never be put down. So do take a look at these adorable abandoned pets before thinking of even stepping into a pet shop to purchase any animals.  

Playmates

During the one-week September holidays, 2 of my best friends and I had a little gathering in my house for a session of play for the kids and tea/dinner for the adults. We had known each other for more than 2 decades (Oops, shows how old we are!) - we grew up and shared so many momentous memories together, and it was really fun to see our kids playing together. I am very sure our kids will grow up with each other and be firm friends thereafter!

Happy kids!

The Bees with Aurelius striking a fabulous pose. Check out Little Bee's shy pose. Aurelius played so well with Big Bee that he was really reluctant to go home!

Little Bee squeezing into a car with pretty Sophie. Naughty Little Bee was over-protective of her toys this time :(