Random Chitter Chatter

Here are some excerpts of conversations with the Bees that were indelible in my mind which always make me smile...

Big Bee: Mummy, can you and Papa don't stay and look at me during assembly? Not even a peep!

Me (in mock dismay): Why?

Big Bee: Because I feel like crying when I see both of you walking away.

Me: Why do you feel like crying?

Big Bee: Because I am sad to see you leave me...(awwww....sob!)

********************************

Me: Little Bee, who do you like more? Shey or Ni Lao Shi? (her teachers from her weekend playschool)

Little Bee (after a long pause and much considering, with a bashful smile): Ni Lao Shi

Me: Then who do you love more? Mummy or Papa?

Little Bee (without hesitation): PAPA!!!!

*Groan* Toddlers are such honest angels - to the brink of brutal honesty! She is truly a Daddy's girl indeed...

Striding Towards Independence...

Speeding on her favourite scooter

We had settled down into a comfortable and contented school routine with Big Bee. A couple of evenings in the first week of school, I remember asking Big Bee "How's your school?" the moment I stepped through the door. One night, she snapped at me grouchily and said "Why must you know everything about my school?" and refused to tell me what went on in school that day.

My heart was pierced with inexplicable hurt. Is my little girl shutting me out so soon in her life? Am I becoming an obsolete, typical mother whom she cannot relate to? My heart was clutched in the throes of dejected agony the whole night until my Mum gave me the best advice that only a mother can give: "Give her some space."

I was tremendously grateful for Mum's words. That was how she brought both my brother and I up - by giving us immense love and lots of space...whenever we asked for either.

So, at bedtime, I chatted with Big Bee and she bared her feelings. She felt utterly sorry for hurting Mummy, but requested: "Can you not ask me about school the moment you are home?" The exact reflections of my Mum! She is the wisest of mothers indeed!

A month down the road, and here we are - cheery, happy, with Big Bee sharing everything about her school with me everyday. Her friends. The funny incidents she encountered in school. The conflicts. Her deepest worries. We laughed, we gossiped, we brainstormed on tactics to ward off girls who are naughty to her. More importantly, I listen and empathise...without criticism, without judgement, without too much "I know it all" attitude.

It works well. Every night these days, at 8.30pm, she will drag me to her bed and giggled:"Mummy, let's have our chit-chat time now!" And she will tell me all her little secrets.

Motherhood is a learning odyssey indeed.

My poor attempts at bento breakfasts for Big Bee. I usually pack shaped bread with butter for her, who is a fussy eater. The marshmellows are mainly for her friends, who always fight to grab a piece!

Delightful Mornings

Waking up before the first light of morning is wondrous indeed. I used to languish on bed in the mornings, hating to wake up and go to work. These days, I prance eagerly out of bed at 6am everyday, looking forward to that 10-minute walk with Big Bee to school, followed by the brief bonding session with Little Bee before I head off to work! Makes the whole morning so fruitful.

The most gratifying thing is to be able to take a leisurely morning stroll with Hubby after we drop Big Bee in school, amidst the morning traffic bustle...and head towards a scrumptious breakfast, spending some refreshing couple time at daybreak. This morning, we took a 25-minute walk to eat our favourite local noodles before hopping on a bus back home to find Little Bee awake and waiting for us to play, and then heading to work!

Sure makes my day :)

Yoga Nights

The Bees were kind of addicted to yoga these days. I bought 2 kids yoga DVDs last year, and started re-introducing to them last week after some violent bouts of sibling conflicts, hoping to quell their anger. And I think it kind of worked, especially for Big Bee!

For almost every night last week, Big Bee would ask me "Can we do yoga tonight?". And Little Bee would overhear and echo "Yoga! YOGAAAA!"

Big Bee would then be diligently doing every pose of the 30-minute videos, whereas Little Bee would follow whatever her sister was doing for a few poses, then wandered away, and sauntered back in for some of the cuter poses.

One evening, my parents happened to be at my place and they even chipped in to do some poses with the Bees! It was really hilarious.

Big Bee diligently performing the one-legged dog pose

Little Bee loves the easy cobra pose

I find the yoga routine to be pretty calming and soothing for my active Bees. They usually do it right before their bedtime, and I find that it is a wonderful shutdown routine for them, winding them down, getting them ready for bed. And they always slept much faster after these sessions, which was a huge bonus for me!

Chitter Chatter

Beaming with joy over 3 french fries at Claire's birthday party last month

I realised very little had been written about Little Bee's progress, so here goes. Little Bee is now communicating with us effortlessly, though my Mum told me only Big Bee or me could understand her gabblings! She is still not very articulate, but her cheery, ubiquitous yaks filled the house incessantly. She mixes English with Mandarin, so it takes a sharp ear to decipher what she says!

This morning, as she was drinking milk on her bed, I went in to say bye before I went to work. She clambered up, stretched out her arms and uttered "hug hug!" My heart melted and I went to hug her with the fullest of hearts.

On Monday morning, after I came back from walking Big Bee to school, she woke up and told me "Little Bee (sic) wake up. School bell." I asked her "Oh, you mean the school bell woke you up?" She then did her signature grin and nodded while uttering her trademark "uhhh".

She likes to refer to small things as "Baby...", eg "Baby ball" for a small ball or "Baby am" for a small ant (yes, that's how she pronounce "ant" now!). A few months back, she used to refer to bigger things as "Papa...", eg "Papa ball" or "Papa am", thanks to Hubby's teaching. Now, she refers to them as "Big big ball". And she usually uses this term when bargaining for bigger morsels of food, eg "I want big bread!" or "I want big apple!"

Her favourite fruit is dragonfruit. She adores chewing thoughtfully on the seeds. At dinnertime just now, I asked her "Do you want to eat apple?". She shook her head forcefully. Then I asked "Do you want dragonfruit?" A flash of her wide toothy grin and she started chasing me through the whole house asking for "dragfruit! dragfruiiiiiitttt! Peaaasee!!"

This week, her favourite terms are "Go away!" and "Throw away!" Hmph, sounds pretty rude!

Sharing a private joke with her teacher in school!

And she never understands why we can leave food on the table without wanting to eat them. So, her favourite activity every mealtime is to usher us in urgent tones to quickly sit down and eat. Like she will urge her Papa impatiently "PAPA!!! EAAATTTT! COME!" Then she will run to him and fuss around him like a little mother, gesturing non-stop towards the dining table, saying "Sit! COME! EAAATTTT!"

She has a teasing sense of humour since young. When she was 18 months old, when we asked her where's Papa, she will point to the big elephant motif beside her bed, grinning cheekily at us, knowing we will exclaim that Papa is definitely not an elephant. And she will point at Papa after we exclaimed in mock exasperation.

Every night when I hand her the milk bottle, I will ask her "What must you say?" And once she accidentally uttered, in her eagerness to consume her milk, "(Th)Ank you, milk milk". I expressed mock horror at what she said, after which she grinned and said "(Th)Ank you, Mama". So these days, she will pretend to say "(Th)Ank you, milk milk" after she thanked me -just to gauge my shock.

And whenever she hurts Big Bee, I will angrily tell her "What must you say to Jie Jie?" She will utter "Hoary (Sorry), Jie Jie" in a real remorseful but adorable tone with an equally forlorn expression.

That's my chatty and bubbly Little Bee.

Picnic Perfect

Best friends forever, always together: Best pal Claire (in white) and buddy Elsie

Last Saturday, Big Bee's primary school organised a picnic for all the primary one parents. We had a wonderful time getting to know other parents and meeting Big Bee's new pals too! The Bees enjoyed themselves thoroughly. We also sat through a fairly stressful briefing by the principal on the rigours of primary one academic life - the exams she will have to undergo, the assessments she will have to take! Brr...

Anyway, instead of me writing about the picnic, I decided to steal a couple of pages from her diary where she wrote about the picnic. Saves me some writing! It is unedited, so pardon the grammar and syntax mistakes.

********************************

From Big Bee's Diary (she wrote it on Sunday)

Yesterday was my primary 1 picnic. It is at the bamboo courtyard. We played pass the animals and feed the lion games. Our class won 1st prize. Our points for feed the lion was 305 and our points for pass the animals was 20. Pass the animals was quite hard to play.

A bunch of jubilant and victorious little girls!

After that we had the picnic. We were sitting next to my best friends, Claire Khoo and Elsie. Our prize was a small teddy bear for girls in my class. I gave out gingerbread man to all my friends. Secondary school girls gave out stickers to paste on our boats. Elsie and Claire Khoo shared food with me. I also shared food with them. I shared animal biscuits. Then, we went home. My primary 1 picnic was very fun.

Little Bee familiarising herself with her future school...4 years later!

With Claire, Teri and the 2 secondary school jie-jies who were their teamleaders during the picnic

New Addition To The Family

This morning, my Mum spotted a ball of grey fur in our balcony. Upon closer examination, we realised that a hamster, or some rodent-looking animal, had encroached into our balcony! Poor little animal was shivering, and it wasn't walking properly. I suspect it had somewhat injured its 2 hind legs.

Fearing that the owner might be looking for it, my helper brought hammie out to a safe yet conspicuous corner near the lifts. We also sprinkled some hamster food, courtesy of our hamster Galaxy, near this grey rodent. It devoured the food immediately. It must be ravenous, poor little soul! Little Bee was exclaiming non-stop at this cute little furball, but she was too young to understand much.

I went to work, fast forgetting this little episode amidst the flurry of work. After work, I realised that Big Bee, upon hearing news that there was a lost hamster outside her house after school, insisted on keeping this little rodent! And she was yelping angrily at my Mum whenever she prodded at the hamster to see if it was still alive. Guess her protective instincts were pretty strong for hapless little creatures!

So, here we are...with another new hamster...a stray hamster! It is uncanny how I ended up picking up strays. I used to own 2 stray dogs who were real beauties - Vicki, a Shih-Tzu/terrier cross and Boy-Boy, a Pom. They both lived to a ripe old age.

We kept little greyster in a separate cage from Galaxy, the reigning Hamster Empress, whom we suspected killed our previous hamster, her housemate. Big Bee was so excited, telling me the news the moment I stepped into the house. Little Bee just followed whatever her jie jie was doing, prancing around the hamster cage chirpily when I examined the still-quivering creature.

I asked Big Bee what she will name this hamster. She said Pebbles, after our previous dead hamster. What a sweet gesture indeed.

And Here Cometh The Ox...

The Bees' favourite: LO HEI!

The Ox trampled into the new lunar year yesterday amidst much fanfare and customs - resonant with traditions well-loved by millions of Chinese across the world. Traditions of family togetherness and bonding.

In a small corner of Singapore, we celebrated Chinese New Year in a rather big way. Visiting 7 families in 2 days. Plus juggling 2 very active girls with a strong penchant for heaty and junk-food tidbits. At the end of each day, Hubby and I were drenched in fatigue.

Yet, it was lovely meeting up great-grandparents, grandparents, aunties, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews, some of whom we sometimes only meet once a year. Catching up eagerly with them, feeling the invisible yet stalwart strength of our family ties that lasted through many generations before us, bonded by a similar surname and common ancestors. And anticipating the following year when the same gathering will occur in the same mien. This annual ritual is so comforting, heartwarming and reassuring in its enduring predictability.

The Bees enjoyed themselves tremendously, munching non-stop on the goodies to my dismay, and charming all the older relatives. I hope they will grow to love Chinese New Year as much as Hubby and I do.

'Twas The Night Before The Ox Year

Chinese New Year's Eve is rife with centuries-old rituals, traditional merry-making and convivial family bonding. On the morning of the Eve, we decided to embark into Chinatown to immerse in the boisterous festivities and soak in the mood yet avoiding the overpowering night crowds.

The Bees were excitedly looking through pasar malam clothes and trinkets, and Hubby bought his favourite bak-kwa, all ready for feasting throughout the 15 days of Lunar New Year! I love the narrow, hot, quaint pasar malam stalls, although Big Bee was not too thrilled by the heat. Little Bee was smart - incessantly extending her arms out and calling out to me to "bao bao" her, so Hubby and I had quite a load to carry!

As the Eve fell on a Sunday, I could adjourn to my Mum's place for a reunion lunch. It was heartwarming to see Mum's dining table laid out with a cheery tablecloth and an impressive New Year's feast. It was one of those rare Kodak moments, and I so enjoyed spending time with my family, which brought a whiff of nostalgia back to my childhood.

The reunion dinner was spent with Hubby's family in a simple, fuss-free steamboat style. Lo-hei followed shortly after, and it never failed to bring megawatt smiles to all our faces. Big Bee and Little Bee were also excitedly tossing the lo-hei goodies. Big Bee was yelling out wishes cheerfully, though they were ostensibly different from the usual adults' wishes of prosperity and health. Hers revolved around the present moment like "I wish the lo-hei will not fall to my hands!". I need to educate her next year on what to say during these sessions.

Little Bee was just delighted she could hold on to a pair of chopsticks and tossing FOOD. Her favourite moment came after the session, when we sat down and she could feast on the lo-hei goodies. She was the last to leave the table, no doubt. She also tried lugging a big box of bak-kwa from the in-laws' place when we were leaving, much to my embarrassment!

We went back home in high spirits, filled with the usual jubilation that imbue us every Chinese New Year's Eve. The most sentimental ritual for the night was really the packing of ang-pows, ready for full blown festivities the following day.

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Back To School!

Life has settled into a comfortable and familiar routine as January blew its blustery and swift winds in.

Little Bee's weekend playgroup has started after a long hiatus since November, and Hubby and I took turns to accompany her. Last Saturday was my turn. It was such a joy spending time with her alone, one of those very rare moments as she is the second child.

She has settled very well into her playgroup this term, prompting comments from the teachers that range from "She's so expressive this term!" to "She has transformed so much! Compared to last term when she was so clingy!"

Playground time, YAY!!

Her favourite activities in school are the mass singing session, playground and snack time....in ascending order ;) She is more of a foodie than ever, demonstrating her bottomless pit ability to highest capacity. When the teacher asked her cheekily to share her food, she kept shaking her head, guarded her bowl of food protectively and then pointed to another girl, asking the teacher to take food from others instead! I sure hope she will not develop fat genes now!

Singing is one of her greatest pleasures. She sings all day long. When she is playing. When she is bathing. When she is sauntering about the house. Although the words are incoherent (as she cannot really articulate well yet), the melodies that she belts out are clear and mellifluous! Her favourite songs these days are "Old MacDonald" (favourite animal sounds would be "neigh neigh" and "oink oink" and nothing else!), "Twinkle Little Star", "Happy Birthday", "Row row row the boat", "Mr Sun", "Let's Say Hello" song from her school, and most recently "I Love You" from Barney. It is a comical sight when she sings, her brows furrowing, her lips pouting, her arms gesticulating.

In the playgroup's library after school. I disguised Big Bee's bob into a ballerina bun for her ballet class, much to her delight ;)

I am glad Little Bee is enjoying school, and I hope she is equally confident when she starts her daily school in time to come this year!

Little Bee's latest creation - Mr Jolly Roly Poly

Regal Royal Majesties

We are staying at home more often in the evenings as we have to turn in early to rise and shine equally early. So, the Bees made use of the leisurely, idyllic time at night for plenty of imaginative and creative fooling around.

Last Monday, they decided to be queens from another world. My mum tied blankets to act as majestic cloaks around the girls' shoulders, and I decked their heads with different crowns of sorts. They were thrilled, especially Little Bee, who dashed about the whole house, alternating in her imagination between being a superhero and queen! Big Bee could not stop twirling around with her fanciful ballerina pirouettes.

The results....voila! Presenting the Monarch of Pink Fairies and the Queen of Reindeers!

Speaking of reindeers, Little Bee always associates them with flying Santa's helpers! Every time we read a book with reindeers, she will point at them excitedly and said "fly fly fly!", flapping her arms in a flying motion, and uttering "Ho ho ho" for Santa Claus. Guess she had never quite gotten over the Christmas mood yet!

A New Daily Grind

They have catfights everyday, yet they can't live without each other :)

Drowsy. Vivified. Frazzled. Elated. Diligent. Contented.

These are the usual 6 emotions running through me in a typical weekday now. They corresponded with the different segments of the day below:

Drowsy: Waking up with difficulty at 6am daily in the cool, crisp air, just before the sky starts blushing its rosy dawn cheeks. Vivified: Walking with Big Bee to school, hand in hand, giggling and chatting in the awakening morning sky, our souls permeated with the rejuvenating breath of the fresh morning air. Then coming home to spend some rare solo bonding time with cheeky Little Bee. Frazzled: Spending a day in the office, underneath a mountain load of work. Elated: Exhilaration and eager anticipation on the way home, to be greeted by 2 sweetest girls in the world, oft with squealing hugs and blithe grins. Diligent: Hard at work with Big Bee, doing her homework and revising the basic foundation of academic knowledge, while reading cheerfully with Little Bee. Contented: Sinking into bed at 9.15pm, taking turns with Mum between giving Big Bee a full body massage, her typical nightly routine, or patting Little Bee to sleep, with Papa whispering sweet goodnights to the girls...ensconced in a dark room filled with love and joy. And finally, plenty of me-time until 1am!

Our family had developed a brand new routine in these infant days of the new year. With Big Bee embarking into primary one, many of our old habits had to be smothered or altered. Though tiring, I am enjoying this daily cycle that is becoming more and more familiar and endearing to us.

Walking back from school on the 2nd day

Metamorphosis

Little Bee...from then till now...

Children grow up too fast. Especially in the first 5 years of their lives. As parents, we all witness their transformation from a helpless infant highly dependent on you for just food and milk to a gregarious and curious toddler who is always mimicking us and learning about social norms, then to a sensible and responsible big kid in school who is a little adult yet still want us to smother them with baby love at home.

I look at Little Bee and remember that it seemed like just yesterday when she was active in my stomach, giving me contractions and suckling for milk the whole night long. Now, her own personality is shining through her toddler inquisitiveness, creating her own territories by marking everything with a petulant "MINE!" and a forceful snatch, laughing along with us when we share a joke, squealing alongside us when we all got excited, teasing us with her playful big grins and generous hugs/kisses.

Her favourite term now is "I want! I want!" and she loves food more than ever, willingly dropping everything (including her favourite toys) just so she can munch on some delectable delicacies in her mouth. She is a bottomless pit, always asking for food 24/7, irregardless of whether she had just finished her meals.

She enjoys reading now, especially those pop-up and flap books. She recently became fascinated with anemones after seeing a pop-up anemone in one book. She will then flip through the whole book searching for anemones, exclaiming in her breathy sweet voice "Ay-neh-monn-neee!" Big Bee and I were really tickled by her.

She can recognize and utter about 3/4 of alphabets, but tend to be stubborn at times, insisting that W is M, and pronouncing S as "ssssss". She can also recognize and count from 1 to 10, and sometimes, it warms my heart to see Big Bee teaching Little Bee in such an animated and enthusiastic mien, with both sisters chatting excitedly. Big Bee claims that I am a boring teacher compared to her, and it is true indeed that Little Bee very much prefers her jie-jie to teach, compared to her boring old Mummy.

Everyday I treasure spending wondrous moments with them, cherishing every precious time together before they grow up.

Primary School Debut

The BIG DAY had arrived. Day one in primary school! I woke up excitedly at 7am and prepared Big Bee's uniforms, bags, watch (yes! she will need a watch to check the time now!) and the pocket money for her brand new wallet. The school advised that we should only give $2 per day to the little kids, which is good advice to prevent flaunting and wasteful spending of pocket money.

Big Bee dawdled a little when I woke her up at 7.30am, having slept so late the night before. But she was obedient and well behaved when preparing herself for school, wearing her uniform for the first time excitedly, putting on her school socks pro-actively and delighted when she took her matching "My Little Pony" wallet, pencil case and water bottle cover! Style, indeed, in a little girly way.

Her "Powerful Puff Girls" trolley school bag was a recycled item from her travel luggage, as I did not buy her a new school bag, thinking it was big enough to contain her many books. It was really heavy though!

So, there we were, at 8am, literally on the threshold of our living room door, and figuratively on the brink of a new phase in her life. Papa hoisted a sleeping Little Bee from her bed, and we prammed her together with her sister, wanting to share this special morning together as a whole family. The walk to school took about 12 minutes, with me perspiring loads due to the heavy school bag!

The parents were allowed into the classroom this morning as the form teacher explained the procedures of primary school. This time, I found Mrs Tay, her form teacher, very nice yet firm, highly experienced (she had more than 25 years of teaching!) yet caring and empathetic towards the kids. Wonderful combination.

Mrs Tay advised us on all sorts of primary school issues - from number of CCAs to take, to recommended sleeping time (she highlighted that the kids should be sleeping at 8pm to 8.30pm! I don't think I can accomplish that for Big Bee at all!), to the types of foods to avoid during the first year at recess (no boiling bowls of noodles for the little ones, please, as they can hardly carry hot bowls of soup and jostle with crowds at the same time!). Very sound advice in all.

We watched how she interacted with the kids, which was very understanding and personal, and as they gathered together to sing songs, I saw the class slowly warming up to her. Big Bee was quickly making friends, giggling and whispering with her new queue partner already!

Each primary one girl was allocated a primary five buddy for 2 weeks, who will bring them around the school, acquainting them with the ways of primary school. Big Bee's buddy is Melissa, a studious-looking yet chatty eleven-year-old girl. She brought her down to the canteen during recess, and as Big Bee munched on a Hello Kitty moulded sandwich that I prepared at home, Melissa chomped down a big plate of creamy pasta! The canteen was like a battlefield of hungry kids, with long queues at the stalls, yakking girls and minimal space at the benches and tables. Big Bee shared with me that she preferred to pack food from home, I guess most of the primary one kids are certainly overwhelmed by the long queues and the fact that they have to scramble and find their own food from now on, rather than being served on a platter!

We left Big Bee with Melissa to explore the school grounds while we spend some time with Little Bee, who, not surprisingly, kept pointing at the canteen stalls, telling us "I want, I want!" So, we bought her a tuna and egg sandwich, which she wolfed down happily!

At 10am, after the half-hour recess, we watched as Big Bee settled into her class, and we waved goodbye to her. She seemed comfortable and confident, unlike her clingy and teary pre-school days. I am relieved that she had transformed into this mature, adaptable, sociable girl.

At home, for the first time in a long while, I can spend a couple of quality hours with Little Bee, playing solo games with her, chatting quietly with her and bonding loads together.

At 12pm, I set off to fetch Big Bee from school. Parents were not allowed into the classrooms anymore. We can only fetch the kids at a gathering point on the ground level. As I watched my little girl walk down the stairs cheerfully, my heart expanded with the hopes that the start of her academic journey in life may be smooth, momentous and transformative after all. My heart aches to see my little girl growing up independently of us, having a life of her own, secrets of her own, yet my head simmers with pride to see her handling the vicissitudes of life so well thus far. Good luck, Big Bee!

Consternation

I just put Big Bee to bed - at a grand time of 11.45pm, despite the fact that tomorrow will be her first day in primary one (although thank goodness the school hours for the P1 kids in the first 3 days will be 8.30am to 12.30pm, just for adjustment's sake, whew!).

I prepared the 2 Bees to sleep at 9.30pm, one of the earliest in a long long time. Little Bee slept almost immediately, probably because she skipped her afternoon nap. Big Bee tossed and turned in bed, until I was quite mad at her, and went out of her bedroom for a cool-my-temper-down shower! She was very affected by this, and I felt pretty bad after my shower.

So, I plucked her out from her bedroom, sat her in the living room sofa, offered her a glass of warm water and a spoonful of rich, soothing, mellow honey, then proceeded to ask her why she could not sleep. (Normally, Big Bee will knock out to sleepy paradise less than 5 minutes after her head touches the pillow, so this is way malfunctional indeed!)

It seemed like this question from me was a mere catalyst for a floodgate of tears and frankness to flow out. With big drops of crystalline saltiness emanating from her eyes, she told me truthfully that she was very excited about tomorrow's first day in a primary school. She emptied her heart to me and shared her 3 biggest worries about tomorrow:
1) She is frightened of the form teacher whom we heard is rather fierce
- I assured her that form teachers, like her Selena in K2, are all firm and strict, but I heard from my friend who had been taught by the same teacher that she cares a lot for her students and is very good. She seemed comforted by this remark.

2) What if her P5 buddy is fierce?
- I giggled and made light of this worry, highlighting to her that her P5 buddy in another primary school during a K2 field trip was so super nice to her. I also related some stories from other girls who had been through P1 in the same school that the P5 buddy will be really nice and helpful. I asked her if she will be fierce to her P1 ward next time in P5...and she seemed tickled by this reversal of roles.

3) What if she has no friends?
- This is a very universal and understandable worry, something that Mummy always worried about when I was young too! How Big Bee resembles me! So, I told her that she usually had no problems socialising with new friends...assuring her that she already has a lot of friends, proof that she had been well-liked by peers usually.

Sigh. It pains my heart that my little girl had this whole burden on her shoulder as she steps across the threshold to a new chapter in her life. But I am confident that she is highly resilient and adaptable, and will be able to hold her head high amongst her peers and teachers.

I just hope she will not be too sleepy in school tomorrow!

Splashing In The New Year

We ushered in the new year of 2009 with a pool and BBQ party at PF's. The Bees arrived early in the gorgeous golden lights of early evening for some splashing fun with Eugene and Claire. Big Bee had immense fun fooling around with them as usual, whereas Little Bee was paddling on the sidelines near me. 

Big Bee will be embarking on swimming lessons next month so that she can be more adroit in the water, and can have more pool parties in future! 

We then started preparing the BBQ food around 7pm, with the guys starting a merry BBQ fire and fanning some really delicious food! Our old JC classmate, Tracy and her family, joined us for the food party and we all had a wonderful time catching up on old times. How time flies, and I am constantly amazed by this understatement every New Year's Eve! 

The kids having a splashing good time! 

With the adults enjoying good food, rich wine and merry company, the kids turned all sweaty and sticky with their own version of New Year's Eve fun and games! I am glad to see Little Bee interacting a lot more freely with them now that she is older. 

Sweaty kids and yummy food! 

We ended the party around 10pm, and put the Bees to bed before Hubby and I caught up with the countdown parties on TV. We cannot wait to countdown future new years with the Bees when they are older to stay up the night! 

Happy New Year, everyone :) 

Winter Wonderland

Hubby was in Seoul for a business trip since 9 Dec, and persuaded us to join him there for a holiday. Unfortunately, temperatures in wintry Seoul dipped below zero degree celsius, so my mum advised me not to bring Little Bee there, boohoo! Hence, last Tuesday, 16 Dec, Big Bee and me headed towards Changi Airport for a winter holiday via a midnight flight, to be back on Sunday, 21 Dec. Both of us left on a somewhat solemn note because we knew that we will miss Little Bee, and had to sneak out of the house so that she will not see us leaving!

Some highlights of this trip:

Day 1-2, 16-17 Dec (Tuesday to Wednesday)

1) Spending quality me-time with Big Bee in the airport, eating a sumptuous supper of waffles piled high with whipped cream and a steaming cup of frothy milk. We chatted, giggled and laughed like 2 girlfriends going for our holiday. She is a big girl now, her behaviour is so different from our previous trips last year to Japan and Mauritius. She is highly curious and excited, and stayed awake till midnight when the plane took off! She woke up in the plane at the slightest disturbance, unlike last year, when she could sleep like a log, prodding me awake at 3am, uttering "Breakfast!" excitedly when the aircrew switched on the lights.

Her new boots fit for arctic temperatures!

Grinning with elation - way past her bedtime! - in Changi Airport

2) Taking an airport shuttle bus with just the 2 of us, yakking and snoozing in the bus...catching the first glimpses of a city that was awakening in the chilly morning light. Reaching the hotel to find Papa waiting for us in the cold hotel porch, waiting to snatch a few moments with us just before he headed for work.

3) Both Big Bee and me falling into a deep and dark slumber from 11am to 3pm, hugging each other on the warm hotel bed. I sure wished Little Bee was snuggling with us too!

4) Scouting the gargantuan mall below our hotel for food when we woke up finally, like Sleeping Beauty emerging from her long yet satisfactory sleep! Finally settling for a Chinese fusion restaurant (Mummy here is not a fan of Korean food) with both of us gobbling down a big bowl of delicious crispy noodles, YUM!

5) Going to the COEX Aquarium with zero expectations, only to be amazed by the scale of the aquarium that was filled with so many more creatures than mere fishes! Big Bee's eyes nearly popped out when she saw creatures that she had never seen before, upclose and personal! Tarantula, scorpion, beaver, otters, a friendly seal and ALL kinds of gigantic, fearsome sharks with the sharpest of teeth (that Big Bee said resembled the criss-crossed patterns of a weaved basket!)

We were doubling over with laughter at the array of funny mirrors on display! Check out how Big Bee has now become Little Bee!

Sealife Galore!

6) Meeting Papa for a heavenly BBQ dinner of sinful yet delectable beef and hot steaming soup, sitting on an ondol floor in an old-fashioned, traditional Korean restaurant that the locals frequent. A perfect recipe for a cold, freezing night!

7) Traipsing to Dongdaemun, the pinnacle of shopping glory, with rows and rows of shops opened till 5am! Of course, with a grumpy and sleepy girl in tow, it was almost impossible to focus on getting cheap and good buys from the plethora of winter wear!

Starring at the plethora of nail polish bottles in Skin Food...at 11pm!

8) Snuggling in the soft, warm bed, all 3 of us - with the biting cold outside! How we all missed Little Bee though!

Day 3, 18 Dec (Thursday)

It's Lotte World day!! Big Bee was excitedly looking forward to it. It was a superabundance of rides after rides, with us shivering in the Magic Island, Lotte World's outdoor park complete with a Disneyland castle that enthralled all 3 of us, and grinning in the comfortable warmth of their adjacent indoor park with a domed glass roof that allowed the sunlight to seep in.

We played all sorts of games and rides, with Big Bee playing the Bumper Car for the first time and enjoying it thoroughly and dark thrilling rides that got timid Mummy screaming, Papa laughing at silly Mummy, and Big Bee hiding her face throughout much of the rides.

Big Bee's favourite bumper car!

We stayed there from 11am to 9.30pm, and witnessed the closing light show with pyrotechnics, fire and laser, much to Big Bee's open-mouthed amazement!

Day 4, 19 Dec (Friday)

It was Papa's and Mummy's turn to see the soul of Seoul, much to Big Bee's chagrin, whose mind was still wandering amidst the rides in Lotte World.

1) We went to Insadong, the old quarter of Seoul, filled with little shops and quaint restaurants that seemed forgotten by modernity. Cobble-stoned pavements and wooden walls filled our tactile sensations with glee. Antiquated architecture filled our visual senses with wonder.

The rustic, narrow and charming streets of Insadong

We relished the freedom of just walking about, deciding on what restaurants to go into, peering into dark touristy shops and buying local snacks along the streets. Big Bee braved the harsh cold courageously, trudging alongside us in temperatures hovering around 1 to 3 degrees.

2) Our lunch was taken in another small restaurant frequented by locals, where we had to use sign language with the friendly matron to order our food. Seeing our food cooked and stir-fried on 2 portable gas-cookers, away from the harsh cold, made us feel so contented and at home!

3) Papa played baseball in a make-shift baseball range in a dank building, very much like a golf driving range, only much smaller.

4) Having nice warm tea in a cosy, small, charming teahouse atop the Insadong streets, where we people-watched and bonded big-time, chatting with Big Bee, being entertained by her constant invention of funny songs and rhymes, and laughing till our stomachs ached!

5) Heading towards Myeungdong, the posh shopping district, where we were dazzled by the bright neon lights from all the shops!

6) Seeing Big Bee eating heartily from the street side hawker stalls, latching onto any small bit of warm food just to heat up our cold bodies.

Day 5, 20 Dec (Saturday)

Big Bee's day again (though Mummy and Papa were equally excited too!) to Everland, the supposed Disneyland of South Korea.

We searched on the internet the night before for ways to get there, and finally made our way through a shrewd combination of subway and a rickety public bus that went up into the hills, 50 minutes away from the heart of Seoul.

Everland was magical. It was like a mini Disneyland minus all the beautiful Disney characters. It was the coldest day since the day we arrived (highest temperature at 1 degree, lowest at -12 degrees!), having rained the night before, hence, there were minimal crowds - which suited us fine!

We took lots of rides and watched parades there, in the midst of subzero temperatures. What was thoughtful in Everland were the ubiquitous heating stations with kerosene-like lamps where many cold souls huddled together to warm our chilly bodies in between rides.

Big Bee's favourite was the toboggan slide down a long gentle slope of pure white sparkling snow! She made us slide down 4 times, with Mummy screaming her way down, deafening steady and calm Big Bee. But it was certainly bewitching to be up on the snowy slope, feeling the arctic wind biting on our bare faces.

Her next favourite was her first time on a roller coaster, albeit a big kids one, and she took 3 rides, with Papa not liking the twirly rushing sensation one bit, and Mummy taking it twice with her. Despite the fact that it was a big kids coaster, it was certainly thrilling, minus the 360 degrees twirl! We were screaming away in the coaster!

We finally made our way back in the same rickety bus and rapidly descending temperatures with Big Bee snoozing all the way from the Everland hills down to the city centre. Had room service in the hotel, which was something that Big Bee had been bugging us to do for the past 3 nights! This girl really knows what pampering is about!

Day 6, 21 Dec (Sunday)

Homebound! We had a lazy Sunday morning breakfast at Dunkin Donuts and Big Bee proceeded for her manicure, a tradition that persisted since our Japan holidays, where Big Bee never failed to have manicures during our holidays in different countries. The high life indeed!

Happily doing her manicure!

We finally reached home on late Sunday night to find Little cute Bee sleeping soundly, no doubt missing us loads...and us missing her tremendously too. All of us rushed into the dark room just to feel her soft skin and little hands, and I told them that we will not go on another holiday without Little Bee!

Overall, it had been a wonderful holiday, experiencing the cold subzero temperatures, relaxing in the streets of Seoul, immersing in the excitement of the different theme parks, not thinking of work and just focusing on what to enjoy! A fabulous break indeed!

Makeover For A New Year

A new year, a new chapter, a new hairstyle to match! This evening, we brought Big Bee to chop off her long, luscious hair that was almost reaching her waist...to a short sassy and spirited bob that was merely touching the nape of her neck! With her full permission, of course.

Courageous her did not feel any regret at getting her long straight hair cut off, despite the hairdressers' exclamations that it was a pity to have her hair shortened significantly. I like this attitude of hers - just look straight ahead and not regret the past!

She was rapturous after her hair was transformed, and thrilled at her new self. The first thing she did was to shake her head crazily, overjoyed that her head felt so light, and that her hair will not mess up with her vigorous shaking.

I wanted her to cut her hair so that I will not need to plait her long beautiful hair in the cold, murky early morning hours before her morning session this coming Friday.

YES! She is going to primary one this coming Friday. I can't imagine! Time really passes SO fast. So, here we are. All ready for primary school, after intensive buying of boring white shoes, stern blue/black hairclips, and all sorts of practical stationery. I can't wait :)

Sweetness

As I patted Little Bee to sleep tonight, in the Bees' air-conditioned room, I can see her slowly drifting to sleep. Suddenly, her eyes opened wide and she uttered "Mama, cold cold!" And she inched towards me, touched my shoulders and pointed to my usual lavender blanket on Big Bee's bed. Asking me to cover myself with a warm blanket just like Big Bee and her on this cold December night. After I took down the blanket for myself, she patted me with a satisfied expression and settled down to sleep.

How sweet indeed that she is slowly transforming into a little knowing adult!

A Homey Christmas

Our Christmas tree

The culmination of chasing blazing trails of Christmas trees and fairy lights, of exuberant anticipation, of a laid-back holiday mood spanning 1.5 months is finally here. This is the best time of the year. And the most uplifting season of all.

We spent a very rainy Christmas Eve in a most quiet and peaceful mien, befitting its synonym of "Silent Night". Plenty of bonding with the Bees, with a profusion of cuddling and tranquil reading, as well as informal singing of Christmas carols with lyrics found online. Big Bee managed to memorise 2 full Christmas songs - "Jingle Bells" and "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer".

Christmas Day was spent with friends over a cheery lunch gathering at our place. PF, Eliz and LP came with the kids, arms full of presents for every kid. The present exchange at the end of the party was every kid's favourite moment. All their eyes lighted up like the twinkly lights on Christmas trees. Something about colourfully wrapped up presents imbued a certain exhilaration and pure excitement in kids...even adults! The mystery and enthrallment of what lies beneath those thin wrapping papers.

We had the usual delectable potluck - PF brought a succulent roast turkey, LP lugged 2 big boxes of mouth-watering and divine chicken pies, Eliz cooked a whole tub of juicy fish nuggets and I simply contributed practical fried rice to fill our stomachs and a dessert wine to awaken our senses! A gathering of close friends is never complete without huddling around the dining table, gossiping and chatting over scrumptious food and sweet wine!

The kids had a funner time catching up, chasing each other, playing quietly alongside each other over toys and Wii games.

All the kids hanging out together, entranced by Wii...


...except for foodie Little Bee who sat apart from them, tending to her bowl of grapes!


LP's boys jostling over Big Bee's scooter during outdoor play

After the party had dispersed, the Bees busied themselves unwrapping all the presents. Big Bee was highly expressive, exclaiming over every single present and declaring "Christmas is WONDERFUL!". She was ecstatic that she received 2 presents from Santa Claus, whereas Little Bee only had 1 present from him, claiming Santa was probably frowning on Little Bee's Terrible Twos' tantrums, with difficulty in learning to share. Little Bee had started showing signs of understanding the beautiful concept of presents, and busied her little tender hands tearing open her presents and examining with a furrowed brow every present in full detail right after opening it.

Very busy Bees in a sea of wrapping paper and presents!

Merry Christmas to all :)