I never cry in sad movies or musicals. When everyone is sniffling around me, I would look around, dry-eyed, and sometimes tried squeezing out a tear or two just to blend in with the crowds or with my friends. But no tears rolled out, usually. During our ROM vows, tears welled up in Hubby's eyes, and he choked on his vows. But I remained calm and dry-eyed, and I remembered looking at Hubby in horror and thinking to myself, "Oh no, please don't cry in front of this crowd (we had many friends and family with us that day)!"
In fact, Hubby sometimes commented I resemble a man in the sense that I am not very emotional and I don't express a lot of typical feminine traits. And I do agree with him.
However, when a friend sent me this video this afternoon, I started tearing rather profusely in my office.
This is a poignant reminder for all of us not to forget who we are and where we came from. Our conversations with friends are rife with the topics of our children and how wonderful they are. Have we ever spoken blatantly about how much we love our parents and the sacrifices they had made in order to mould us into who we are today?
Granted, I believe we spoke about our parents - but perhaps more of complaints and grumblings - about how they nagged at us, how they used to be Tiger Mums and Dads to us, but seldom of appreciation and endless love. I am one of those guilty of that!
For me, I am thankful that my parents are always there whenever I need them. I am thankful that my Mum gives up her precious time to care for my children while I work. I am thankful that my Dad loves the Bees a lot. And I am thankful that they used to be a pair of Tiger Mum and Dad, despite much hardships, to sculpt me into who I am today.
I am wondering if I should show my mum this video. She is a very typical lady who will cry at the drop of a pin...and I am not very good at comforting crying folks! :)
Or perhaps I should show my Bees. To remind them to appreciate their grandparents...and eventually, us, when we are older and not as strong or agile. Will we then become the burdens they will loathe? Or will we be taken for granted and ignored? Points to ponder indeed.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
An Outdoorsy Sunday
What better way to enjoy a carefree Sunday than to lie on the grass, feel its glorious texture, soak in the sun and smell the ubiquitous flowers!
Last Sunday, we went on a rampage of activities that lasted the entire day from morning till evening. At the end of the day, each of us were highly gratified, glad that everything had been fulfilled and elated that we had such a brilliant day bonding together in the outdoors.
The day started with brunch in one of our favourite alfresco restaurants. Eating there never failed to make us feel like we are on a holiday! The Bees loved the blustery morning ambience that was the signature weather these 2 months, and the wide open spaces to run about.
Photos taken by Big Bee - she seems to be exploring different angles and perspectives of photography now!
Photos taken by Little Bee. It is such a joy to see her perspectives, eg the close-up flowers and the clouds in the sky!
Recently, they had started to usurp our camera and snapping photos of scenes around them. This is great for Hubby and I, as we now have 2 more pairs of hands to take photos. In fact, Big Bee was such an enthusiast (and I thought, natural talent at photography!) that we gave her a camera she could call her own. She was thrilled, and had started bringing it along with her for parties with friends.
It is interesting and amusing to see photos taken from their perspectives, as if we are peeping into the folds of their minds and understanding the external stimuli that excite them.
We also took a short walk along the Forest Walk of the Southern Ridges. The view from the top was beautiful, but more importantly, we loved the diversity and abundance of foliage and creepy-crawlies at the different canopy levels. We saw a huge spider, and the Bees were fascinated by it, staring at this beauty perched on a magnificent web. This walk is a wonderful way for the kids to experience firsthand the various forest canopy levels and different creatures in each canopy level.
Photos courtesy of Big Bee! Hubby and I humbly acknowledged that we would not be able to shoot the types of photos that she took!
We then had a short char kway teow break in Holland V, where the girls were gobbling the yummy plate of noodles, before proceeding to a nearby nursery to immerse ourselves in some Chinese New Year cheer. Hubby and I love looking at the bountiful and dazzling flowers and plants around this festive period, and the Bees are fast catching on as well!
Photos courtesy of Big Bee again!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Planet Earth
We just started our new homelearning theme, which should probably take us through this quarter, what with all the academic-based typical-curriculum work that the Bees need to undertake.
Planet Earth :) One of my favourite topics, and the most breathtaking planet in this solar system.
With Little Bee in K1, she is also able to grasp the geographical wonders more significantly. She is now very fascinated with deserts for some reason, and kept borrowing books on deserts! I guess she is amazed that such vast capacious land areas could be filled with nothing but sand - her favourite!
Big Bee is intrigued by volcanoes and natural disasters (just like me!). We are currently studying the intricacies of volcanoes and earthquakes, understanding the fault lines around the world, and I will be attempting to make a home-made volcano with them soon.
Little Bee, on the other, is terrified of volcanoes. She had been bugging me to bring her to faraway Hawaii for a long time, but after reading a book with a map indicating that Hawaii is rife with active volcanoes, she told me she doesn't want to go to Hawaii anymore! Haha!
Big Bee is also very curious to know if there is life on other planets in the solar system or in other parts of this infinite universe. I have no scientific answers for her, but with this latest report, perhaps I might have something to tell her tomorrow.
In the meantime, Little Bee worked on a super simple craft to launch our new theme.
This craft is excellent for her to understand the different parts of the earth and to discover first hand that oceans occupy almost 70% of Earth. She is also very eager to identify different countries on a globe, and understanding where tiny Singapore is, in relation to the rest of the world.
I think I should be the person benefiting most from this learning process this time :)
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Sand Angels
Last December, on the 17th, Fio and I brought the kids to Sentosa, together with our mums. We had the most fantastic time from 10am till almost 6pm! We started our day by relaxing at the Palawan beach, making sandcastles and sand angels, just like what my cousins and I used to do in Sentosa as kids.
Can you spot the sand angels?
I really cherish the bonding lunch at the adjacent foodcourt. To see 3 generations of grandmothers (who are sisters) and cousins sitting together, munching on scrumptious food at our old haunt (our mothers used to bring us to Sentosa very frequently too) - this is truly priceless.
We ambled around Sentosa before we chanced upon a story-telling session for "The Gingerbread Man" at the Images of Singapore area. That was when I discovered Little Bee's flair and passion for showmanship! When the story teller asked for volunteers on stage, she was waving her arms so desperately! Eventually, she was selected to sing "Jingle Bells" and she did it with much gusto and bravado, with everyone clapping in rhythm to her singing! Bravo, Little Bee!
Big Bee is the brainy one. After much persuasion from me, she participated in a quiz on stage - and won a prize as well. So, we have 2 happy girls with early Christmas presents from Sentosa!
Big Bee went to the Butterfly Park with Fio as I have this irrational (and ridiculous) fear of butterflies and moths. She had a great time with Yiyi Fio, taking photos of the gigantic butterflies and screeching whenever any behemoth butterfly fluttered past her! Meanwhile, the rest of us had a great time resting languidly at the cafe outside, slurping ice-cream and sipping coffee!
We ended the long but wonderful day with a stroll around Resorts World, awed by their colossal Christmas tree and soaked with relish in the overall joyous holiday mood!
Monday, January 24, 2011
北京恋爱
Hubby and I spent an unforgettable weekend in Beijing early last December, both coincidentally in the wintry city for work at the same time. It was a romantic and carefree weekend which ended too swiftly. We felt we were transported back to our core essence, away from the assiduous strains of daily life, hence slowing our internal clocks.
I also thought it would be a lot more appropriate and apt to jot down my thoughts in Mandarin.
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我们绮丽的周末在星期五晚上开始。我的会议刚好在繁忙时间结束，因此我从老远的五环匆匆忙忙地感到建国附近。北京的交通近年来实在糟透 － 我在出租车堵了两个小时才到建国地区。可是，见了老公后，满肚里的烦冤也转化成兴奋。我们精神抖擞地在附近的一间火锅餐厅吃了一顿美味的晚餐，也体验了一个舒心的足疗。刚好那晚在北京极为大风，首都机场甚至因为起大风，在下午关闭了一两个小时。所以，那晚特别冷。可是在一个昼短夜长的冬天，冬令严寒，但我们的内心却暖烘烘。太美妙了！
第二天，在酒店吃了早餐后，我们到达我最有兴趣的故宫。这是我第三次参观故宫，可是每次来到威武巨大的故宫都会有新发现，太可观了！我们在故宫走了四个小时，直到故宫要关了，我们才依依不舍地走出气宇轩昂的大门。我们在故宫里特别开心，手拉手，眉开眼笑，真是太难忘了。
那天，北京平时灰蒙蒙的天空突然十分灿烂，晴空万里，真的是明月清风。在零下几度的气候，我们还好穿上足够的防寒服，所以感觉得特别温暖舒服。
在故宫观赏太阳下山是个警辟的经验。看到火红的太阳从故宫一个金黄的屋顶往下降，是一个没齿不忘的感受。
我们从故宫慢慢散步到王府井，走过了一个封河期的湖，感到十分好奇。
在王府井，老公和我充满了酸甜的怀旧感，回忆老公从2003到2004在北京住，我们俩在那两年也因此过了个异地恋，真不容易。
第二天，我们心旷神怡地缓步北京，欣赏北京快速的发展。我们徐行到一些以前经常逛的老地方，复兴往年在北京优游的日子。
不知不觉，时间一霎眼就过了，到了傍晚老公就得去见老板, 我也得回国看孩子们了！虽然我们知道我们会在新加坡重逢，我们带着恋恋不舍的心态暂且离别。
我觉得夫妻应该尽量久久一次找机会度过二人世界，重温旧梦，振兴夫妻俩的恋爱。在平时繁忙的生活，又加了孩子们的不辍要求，我们经常不经意间疏略了夫妻之间的感受与感情，有时也忘了俩人婚姻的主因。俗语说：春生，夏长，秋收，冬藏。婚姻也应该向着这俗语发展 － 在夏天的婚姻需要丰水来栽培感情，以便我们进入秋天的阶段能有持久的丰登。
Friday, January 21, 2011
Disciplined Math!
I worked a little later this evening, thus ended up at home around 7.30pm, harried and anticipating a mad rush after dinner to learn with the girls.
The moment I opened the door, both Bees rushed to me excitedly, both clambering over each other to show me a page from Little Bee's K1 Math activity book. Big Bee chattered with much zeal, "You know, Mummy, Little Bee finished a whole page of addition by herself!" I was incredulous - because Little Bee was usually not very disciplined unless she has me around to encourage her on. I looked at Little Bee and she was bursting with pride, uttering, "Yes, I did it myself! No one to help! I can do Math!"
A look at the activity book in my hand revealed a whole page of neatly completed work, comprising 2 rows of addition sums.
I had been working with her on a Math addition activity when we were on the "Farm" homelearning theme last month, using hens and eggs, and briefly taught her the concept of addition, but it was really a game instead of an exercise, so I am happy she retained that knowledge and applied it!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Capricious Spontaneity
Early last December, we went kite-flying on a whim and fancy at the wide expanse of meadow around Tanjong Rhu. The skies were brilliantly beautiful, painted in stunning hues of ultramarine and splotched with beguiling rounded masses of altocumulus clouds, always a favourite cloud type of mine. The meadow was lightly tinted by the resplendent amber setting sunlight.
The Bees immersing themselves in the gorgeous surroundings.
Hubby and Big Bee had a grand time trying to get 2 of their kites high up in the air, whereas Little Bee and I strolled around, admiring the breathtaking bay and enveloping ourselves in the rejuvenating riverside breeze.
The Bees also ambled around the expansive field, trying to spot mimosa leaves, and making them curl up in docile shyness. Little Bee had been fascinated by the mimosa plant ever since I showed her how the leaves close up with humble quiescence when we prod them gently.
From an unexpected turn on the road to visit the riverside on a whim to an extended 2 hours of kite-flying and relaxation on an enchanting Sunday evening. I love spontaneous moments like these :)
Making Corn
We made a simple corn craft out of cut handprints from yellow paper and 2 strips of green paper for the leaves.
Big Bee's corn
Little Bee's corn
Then the Bees decorated their respective corns with multi-hued finger paints of red, orange and brown to symbolise the little bits of corn. It was an immensely fuss-free craft yet they enjoyed themselves to the max!
Big Bee's corn
Little Bee's corn
Monday, January 17, 2011
The Last Frontier
Our homelearning "Farm" theme culminated with a farm stay in D'Kranji Farm Resort, right in the midst of the Kranji countryside. I thought this would be a gentle introduction to the Bees on the rigours and characteristics of farm life, since they had been brought up as creatures of comfort in an urban environment, despite our regular jaunts to the great outdoors.
We set off with much excitement on 20 December towards Singapore's wild North. It was a Monday, hence we noticed vehicles gradually dwindling in numbers as we approached Kranji. We heard the Kranji countryside could be rather crowded on weekends, so we deliberately selected 2 weekdays to spend in Kranji.
For 2 days, we immersed ourselves in the luxuriant greenery and last frontier of Singapore's rural countryside. We did not feel like we were in Singapore at all! The eloquent silence of the lush virgin rainforests, the regular sightings of wild animals (including a wild boar galloping at top speed into a wide expanse of field!), the rare notion of driving along empty roads without cars for almost an hour or of driving leisurely along meandering country roads with dense vegetation around us - these were poetic moments for me.
For the Bees, let's just say it was an initiation of fire. For the first time, as they were showering in an open-air bathroom, they had a few millipedes and worms for company, much to their hysterical chagrin. Big Bee has an irrational fear of worms (much like my similar fear of butterflies and moths!) so she was terrified half the time in the countryside. But the Bees loved to chase chickens around, visited dairy farms and witnessed birds of all species doing funny things around us (including one small woodpecker pecking Hubby's car one morning!).
All in all, it was a staycation that rejuvenated our tired urban souls, that invigorated our jaded cosmopolitan minds. A breath of salubrious, sylvan air to renew our beliefs that life consists of so many multidimensional facets!
Some highlights of our staycation that I love:
Day 1
1) Driving with dense anticipation along the immensely expansive boulevard (aka reserved military runway) of Lim Chu Kang road, and along unknown meandering roads with nothing but the trees, birds and blue mottled skies as company.
2) Entering into a villa of D'Kranji Farm Resort to be stunned by the extremely small room, despite the illusion of physical space from the gate! Yet, we were aptly impressed by the automatic gate, the private car porch right inside our villa and the roomy balcony that allowed us to sit and admire the primeval forest right in front of us.
Granted, the service, cleanliness and facilities within D'Kranji left much to be desired, but we were not expecting a five-star resort, and I think these were positive ways to introduce the Bees to the (dis)comforts of living in the countryside! Such traits of the resort slowly grew on us, and Hubby and I grew to enjoy the idyllic but sparse restaurants, scanty farming facilities and sleepy service.
3) Hubby and I loved the open-air bathroom with dense verdant vegetation, although the Bees were not that thrilled with the prevalence of millipedes and worms around the shower cubicle!
4) Running after a big fat chicken and observing its every move in the almost-empty farm site of the resort, and witnessing shrubs of plump, purple brinjal growing in the resort. The Bees also observed how farmers toiled on the farm land - watering crops, weeding and harvesting ripe plants.
5) Hubby and Big Bee indulged in prawning for the first time! Seeing Hubby cut a chicken heart into tiny pieces as bait for the prawns made my hair stand, but it was gratifying to see Big Bee sitting patiently with a fishing rod, excitedly calling out whenever she thought a prawn had been hooked. Sadly, we only caught one prawn!
6) Walking around the resort's farmland in the setting sun, hearing nothing but the incessant yet soothing calls of cicadas, inhaling the sweet smells of plants and forests and seeing the workers on the farmlands ambling back after a long day at the farm.
7) Driving around the Kranji countryside in the descending lavender dusk, and crossing the Kranji bridge with a clear view of both the Malaysian and Singaporean waters and coastal skylines. Utterly charming.
The Singapore coastline
The Malaysia coastline
8) Indulging in a dinner at a cosy cafe at the Turf Club Riding Centre, where Big Bee's perpetual interest in horse-riding was enlivened again. Despite her constant requests to resume her riding lessons, we are still very hesitant after what happened in a riding accident in 2009.
9) Sitting in a short session of deafening getai singing at the beer garden in the resort, with Hokkien and Chinese singers dancing to a revolving disco ball on stage. So retro! The Bees were so thrilled that they were dancing and running crazily in front of the stage - probably the most ardent audiences these getai singers had seen in a while!
Day 2
1) Waking up to a heartachingly gorgeous azure sky speckled with feathery and fluffy white clouds. And upon hearing a mysterious pecking sound from the porch, only to find a mini blue-yellow woodpecker pecking with much perseverence on Hubby's car!
2) Taking our breakfast at a cosy Malay restaurant, reminiscent of kampong days. We were particularly impressed by the friendly Malay female boss who gave us a last, complimentary plate of nasi-lemak after they heard us lamenting that they ran out of nasi-lemak! Such warm and affable service, just like in kampong days!
3) Adjourning to Hay Dairies, where the Bees understood how goats are milked for our consumption. They got to see bounteous udders in full, close-up view, as well as learned the repercussion of milking - a shrivelled udder! So we went around identifying those goats that had been milked or not milked, haha!
We walked around the goats' pens, observing their behaviour at close range, and ended the visit with drinking chocolate goat's milk, which tasted immensely muttony to me. Big Bee liked the drink though, whereas Hubby and Little Bee could not stand it.
4) Driving around the deserted Kranji countryside with no end in mind, and eventually ended up in a certain university in the West where Hubby and I first met! How nice! So we strolled around that exact venue a bit, telling our girls excitedly about that fateful first night way back in 1992 :) The Bees were rather nonchalant about it, though!
5) Visiting the Lim Chu Kang jetty in high noon, thus seeing the waters in high tide, and looking at fishermen working. We explained briefly to the Bees how these fishermen worked with the distant kelongs to catch fish, and then trucking these fish to the markets.
6) Hunting around Kranji for several cow farms that I heard exist in Singapore. Sadly, none of them are open for public visitors, and we were even shoo-ed (albeit very politely of course) by one proprietor when he saw us snooping around his dairy farm! However, I was very adamant to show the Bees that big dairy cows exist in Singapore, so we sneaked around the boundary of one dairy farm, hiding behind bushes and ankle deep in rural grasses, and we caught glimpses of the colossal cows in its compound! In full glory - of cows with black-and-white patches and even a pristine white cow! Big Bee was thrilled!
7) After we checked out, we proceeded to Farm Art for lunch, and we all loved this quaint zichar restaurant that serves the most divine coffee-flavoured pork ribs! The Bees and us devoured our lunch in ravenous speed. We then sauntered around the somnolent Farm Art and fed some poor caged-up farm animals (goats, rabbits, hamsters, frogs, tortoises, etc). The Bees enjoyed the feeding session immensely, though I still think there was a certain amount of cruelty to these animals.
What a memorable holiday - it is possible to escape into the great farmland in Singapore and be lost amongst all the meandering roads and little nooks and crannies of our last remaining rural scape.
I thought it was eye-opening for the Bees to see for themselves how certain farm products originated (milk, crops, fish, etc). They enjoyed themselves, albeit not liking the ubiquitous creepy-crawly inhabitants in the agrarian countryside.
Back home, the urban girls were quickly back to their favourite activity of conquering metropolitan plots of land though - through a game of Monopoly!
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