Letters From Across Thousands Of Miles

Has any one of you grown up with lots of penpals? Well, I had. And it was the most enriching experience I ever had, especially in an era where there were no emails, no Facebook, no Whatsapp, no text messages, no mobile phones! (And now everyone knows just how ancient I am!)

I used to spend my days writing to my penpals from all over the world. There were Catherine from London, Ly from San Diego, Merey and Cindi from Singapore, and a whole lot of others from Argentina, Italy, etc. Till this day, I am still in touch with Merey, one of my first Singaporean penpals - albeit via Facebook!

In a realm where there was no internet, entire vistas and worlds opened up to me via letters from these distant shores. Different voices. Different cultures. Different personalities. All with one common love - writing.

So, when Big Bee started corresponding with her very first penpal from the United States, I was elated. Thanks to my dear friend, Jeanne, who made the initial introduction between the daughter of her very close penpal and Big Bee.

The journey had begun. The pathways had opened. They had exchanged 2 letters thus far, and Big Bee is now intrigued by another little girl in a faraway land, learning about different yet similar lifestyles, writing about her daily experiences with fresh perspectives.

For me, I am a mere bystander, observing with silent contentment that spark of expectation in Big Bee's eyes when I went to collect the mail, that sprightly spring in her gait as she jaunted up to receive that attractive letter in my hand, that glimmer in her eyes and that flash of brilliance in her smile as she opened up the envelope to read her letter. Oh, how well I remember that anticipation, that expectation! Snail mail is much more thrilling and scintillating than emails anytime!

And I hope this will be a lifelong voyage for her.

South Korea From The Eyes Of A Little Girl

It is ironical how the Bees are now much faster than me in completing their travel journals. I need to buck up!

This is a little account about our South Korean winter holiday in December last year - from Little Bee's perspective. She constructed all the sentences herself (which was why there was a strange little sentence about how her Mummy and Papa were shocked, hmm). You can also sense her typical exuberant, expressive self in her writing. She seemed to mention that every place is her favourite or the best place ever!

Of course, I helped with the spelling of almost all the words, except for some simple words like "is", "my", "to", "the", "and", etc. I also helped her out with the tenses, as I wanted her to get her grammar right from a young age.

Enjoy! (Big Bee will be posting her version on her own blog very soon too)

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

12/2/2012 (date of writing)

I went to South Korea from 22 to 29 December 2011. South Korea is my favourite place because it was so fun! I saw snow and my mummy and papa were shocked. Then we were so happy!!

Little Bee with a big snowball that she created!

I went to Everland. It was the funnest place I ever went because there were some super nice games! And I am super duper happy to go there!

I went to a ski resort. It was the best place I ever went. I did snow sledding. It was really fun!

 This was the best holiday I ever went!

A Servant Leader

Big Bee was chosen by her ballet teachers in school to be the leader of her ballet CCA group. Her school practises this interesting concept of "Servant Leadership" where student leaders are supposed to serve their community humbly, taking care of everyone's needs, listening and supporting their fellow schoolmates.

There is also an interesting hierarchy of student leadership, as seen below:

I could tell she was secretly pleased, especially with her love for ballet. Yet, I am happy that level-headed Big Bee took everything in her own stride, claiming that some of her best friends in school were also nominated as fellow student leaders, so she is not all that unique. 

But still, I am proud of her and I made known that this is an achievement of sorts - to be nominated by the teacher to serve her fellow CCA mates. 

Big Bee was a little skeptical about overseeing some of the older P5 and P6 students in her ballet group though, but I reassured her that leadership is not about age, rather, it is about connecting with people, irregardless of age. 

As a ballet CCA leader, she has to assist the teachers in scheduling, attendance and student matters. She is also now put in charge of creating an attractive notice board for the ballet CCA. She has to motivate and encourage her peers in the CCA group and ensure they come for practice, and be the main bridge between the ballet teachers and the students.  

As part of the orientation, she attended a half-day leadership training workshop, and part of the training involved organising a party for her entire class - all by herself, from invites to collecting rsvps to organising party venue, games and food. And she is definitely looking forward to it! Looks like I will not have to plan most of the Bees' parties from now on ;) 

A Garden Wedding

*Back-dated post

The first day of 2012 was spent amidst much love, joy and happiness - with the Bees being flower girls for one of Hubby's cousins.

It was a beautifully romantic wedding, held in a magnificently pristine glass pavilion on Sentosa, surrounded by lush, verdant foliage. The Bees were part of a lovely wedding party comprising of 6 bridesmaids decked out in vibrant yellow and one little page boy who was Little Bee's age. Big Bee was the flower girl in charge of sprinkling velvety rose petals down the aisle, ambling primly behind Little Bee who was shyly (and embarrassingly!) leading the whole entourage, whilst holding the hand of the little page boy! Oh, the blushes and flustered expressions from Little Bee were a sight to behold!

The glass pavilion for the wedding ceremony, set amidst lush greenery!

The embarrassed couple!

The cheery flower girl with her basket of rose petals

In the evening, only Little Bee and the page boy were required to walk down the aisle as harbingers of the bride and groom. Little Bee was grinning all throughout the rehearsal, fooling around with all of us. However, during the actual walk-in, she looked cheekily uncomfortable and shy!

Hubby said he finally understood how it felt like to see a daughter walking down the aisle, haha.

The bride and groom were rather innovative in preparing snippets of entertainment for the guests, and one of the Bees' favourites was a dress-up photoshoot where the girls could don on crazy wigs, glasses and props, take photos and then getting the photos laminated and delivered to them halfway during the dinner! Check out some of their guises that night:

What a beautiful day - heartwarming and touching, filled with so much love and felicity!

My Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

There is a very valid reason for disappearing for more than 10 days from my blog － for the first time in years! Here's the reason below, sigh.

I was never one who watched lengthy drama series, as I know I would get addicted easily, and with my impatient nature, I would probably sit right through dozens of episodes all at once. Hence, I had practised good self-restraint all these while.

Until I heard so many of my friends watching (and getting crazy over) 步步惊心。Furthermore, I have a deep fondness for the Forbidden City and had spent manifold moments with Hubby (and occasionally, by myself) in this historical landmark, falling in love time and again, intrigued by China's complex history over and over again.

So, for the past fortnight, I fell into this deep dark abyss of addiction - hook, line and sinker - immersing myself in the beautiful love story and mellifluous Chinese language of this series.

And after completing the last episode last Saturday, I felt the clouds clearing from my muddled head. Whilst having a foot and half a mind still doused in the fantasy of Qing dynasty.

So - no social life, no late night work emails (good!), no dating life with Hubby and sadly, no homelearning with the Bees!

But I will move on soon...

This silly, ridiculous obsessive compulsive disorder will appear once in a while in my life. For example, the latter half of last year saw me utterly captivated in America's civil war with Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With The Wind, with Edward Rochester and his wild passion for Jane Eyre, and with restrained Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice.

I relished the novels, TV series, movies (I even went to watch Jane Eyre the movie twice!), forum discussons, etc. Obsessive behaviour, really. Until the compulsion slowly died down.

Meanwhile, I need to reach for 桐华的小说，步步惊心。想跟大家分享纤美兰章的其中一句：

“从爱生忧患，从爱生怖畏；离爱无忧患，何处有怖畏？是故莫爱着，爱别离为苦。若无爱与憎，彼即无羁缚。”

太凄美了。

Friday Humour: Here Comes The Soldiers

I have a love-hate relationship with China, having gone there countless times for work in more than 18 cities across the vast country - seeing the nature (both good and bad) of the locals, understanding the culture and being intrigued by thousands of years of their complex history.

One of my favourite places in the whole of China is the Forbidden City. I had been there many times but each time, I could linger for hours on end, finding new places within the palace, losing myself in the little alleys of the concubines' residences, or strolling in the magnificent space of the parade square, or peering into the Emperor's throne room, fascinated by the ostentatious life of the Son of Heaven.

I was also very captivated by the revolutionary evolution of China's political history as I stood at Tiananmen Square, remembering the past struggles that had gone through this poignant place. 

But I digress.

I thought it would be funny to parade the Bees in the Communist-era hats bought by Hubby and I in the Forbidden City 2 years ago. These hats were bought during winter and were so warm. But to the Bees, they are another piece of accessory for imaginary play. And here they are, 2 revolutionary soldiers in the 1930s Red Army era ;) Don't they look the part - so serious and earnest?!

瑞龙送福

The Year of the Water Dragon blasted in swiftly but surely. The long weekend of continuous enjoyment, festive feasting, family bonding and incessant chatting created a post-holiday shroud of moodiness when everyone started school and work in the middle of the week!

For us, the fun started on Saturday, as written in a previous posting. To be followed by even more conviviality the next few days...

Sunday (除夕)
Being the early birds in the family, Big Bee and I sneaked off to Holland Village in the morning for a little mother-daughter date, and to shop around for Big Bee's Chinese New Year clothes (Little Bee already had aplenty). With Big Bee in her tweens, she prefers to select and choose her clothes, so this was a wonderful shopping outing for both of us to spend some quiet, quality time together! We had fantastic bonding time over breakfast and shopping, before Hubby and Little Bee joined us much later.

We then went to the plant nursery to immerse ourselves in the dense festive ambience amidst an opulence of vividly psychedelic blooms! We bought 2 big pots of orchids and tangerines (橘子) for my parents as well as 2 big bunches of ethereal pussy willows and a small pot of 橘子 for ourselves.

The Bees love decorating pussy willows, so we spent a good part of the early afternoon beautifying and sprucing up our pussy willow and other plants - adorning them in auspicious red and gold trinkets and angpows!

Eventually, after embellishing the whole house with festive decor, we set off early for our reunion dinner with my in-laws at Teochew City in Centrepoint. We arrived at 6pm, and it was surreal to see almost the whole of Orchard Road in darkness, with most shops and large department stores closed!

Dinner was meaningful and scrumptious. The Bees got to spend time with 2 of their adoring great-grandmothers. How rare can that be!?

At night, after the Bees slept, Hubby and I once again - like so many years before - snuggled in front of the TV, watching the Channel 8 Lunar New Year TV festivities and revelled in our Chinese traditions.

Monday (初一）
The day dawned balmy and sunshiny. The mood at home was cheery and jaunty. We set off in our brand new clothes for a whole day of family visits - from my parents' home in the morning to my maternal uncle's house where all our maternal relatives had gathered for decades, and where we cousins had so much fun bonding once again. Followed by Hubby's parents' place and a couple more of Hubby's aunts' before we called it a long day past 10pm!

As I grow older, I love the fact that we have so many relatives to visit, and simply appreciate that having strong family ties are gloriously blissful. And I think the Bees had enjoyed all these varied visits to different relatives' homes too!

Tuesday (初二）
We spent the morning making fluffy pancakes with blueberries. The Bees were helping me to sift the flour, pour in the ingredients and mix the dough. They are becoming the able little chefs that their Mummy never was!

After a leisurely early afternoon, we received our first visitors at home - our immediate families! The Bees were really excited as they love visitors at home, and I could relax a little while they were entertained by all their doting grandparents, uncle and aunts. We then set forth to my brother's house where we chilled out in his cosy apartment, before settling for the dinner (and the rest of the evening) at my paternal uncle's house, together with all my cousins and relatives. Had such a wonderful time chatting with them!

2 days, 7 families - this Chinese New Year was too brief and fleeting, swirling out of our lives before we can yell out "pause"!

But, for now, I am thankful that we have all 15 days in the lunar calendar to continue our merry celebrations, joyous feasting and mirthful bonding!

More Conversations...

As the girls grow older, we are beginning to enjoy more of their conversations with us. Here are a couple of snippets from our recent chats:

Setting: A restaurant, where Hubby and I were discussing about Saw Phaik Hwa's resignation from SMRT and its implications...while Big Bee was listening intently. Suddenly, she turned to her Papa and asked him seriously....
Big Bee: So, do you pity or scorn her?
Hubby: (a little stunned) Wow. So do you sympathise and empathise with her??
Big Bee: Hmm....not really....

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

On the eve of Chinese New Year, as we are decorating our pussy willow with festive trinkets, I told the girls that legend says that the God of Fortune will come to everyone's house at the stroke of midnight.

Little Bee said with a knowing nod and much sagacity: "Ohhhh....now I know. So, God of Fortune is the Chinese Santa Claus. And these pussy willows are like Christmas trees! So...will he bring presents???"
Me: >_<

Preparing For The Dragon's Roar

I had been working 12 consecutive days without any rest - throughout the entire weekend last week too. Which is why I started off this Saturday a little edgy, tense and a wee bit tired, unable to shake off that clingy irritant called Work.

However, I gradually got into the mood of the imminent Dragon year this morning when I had the opportunity to shop around for new clothes, pyjamas and other Chinese New Year trinkets for our home.

Traditions and rituals have a funny way to slither unknowingly into our memories - enticing us to travel back in time to those wonderful days when we were young, when life was carefree, when our parents planned elaborate lunar new year celebrations. By replicating some of these age-old rituals, we are perpetuating not just traditions to pass on to future generations, but also social constructs of self and society for our children.

For me - these familiar rituals, these proverbial practices act as a powerful life buoy for me, imbuing a sense of calm, the significance of stability and a stalwart anchor that reassures and sustains me. The world around us might change, but such familiarity ensures me deep down in my soul that so long our essence, our awareness of what truly matters and our love for our closest family and friends remain the same - everything else is irrelevant.

I also hope to create this bubble of familiarity, tradition and reassurance for the Bees so that they can look back at their childhood fondly in future.

Which was why Hubby and I were invigoratingly packing the Bees' room this whole afternoon, although it can get tiring at times! And since Chinese New Year this year has a weekend before 初一, I was delighted to be able to indulge in a reunion dinner with my family. This year, we had dinner at Guilin Restaurant with my entire maternal family as well as Uncle Pat and Auntie Rose - and it was so heartwarming catching up with everyone despite all our hectic schedules.

I am certainly looking forward to more family bondings in the next few days! Happy Dragon Year, everyone! 

White Christmas in South Korea Part 1

*Photos will be added later - too busy to process all those photos!* 

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We spent Christmas in freezing Seoul and its surrounding outskirts this year - all thanks to Hubby who was there for work and who persuaded me to join him in frosty winter with the Bees. I was hesitant at first, as I wasn't very keen to spend a cold chilly holiday in yet another Asian capital city. Furthermore, Big Bee and I were there with Hubby just 3 years ago. However, after reading up a little on small towns and ski resorts, I decided to book super last-minute tickets so we could all indulge in a little wintery holiday! 

Here are some of the highlights of our dreamy escapism from 22 to 29 December 2011. 

1. Firsts

This trip encompassed many firsts for us:

a) First time I travelled with the 2 Bees alone, dragging a gigantic luggage, 2 smaller bags and a stroller. Thank goodness Big Bee is really Mummy's little helper by now, assisting me to hold Little Bee's hand and keeping an eye on Little Bee. It was heartwarming when I saw them ahead of me, pacing the large busy airport, holding hands and chatting mirthfully together. 

Little Bee is also a big sensible girl now, so it was rather easy to navigate around the customs alone with them. Things may get done a little slower, eg when the girls needed help to take off their cumbersome winter boots at the customs checks; when they took turns dashing to the toilet upon arrival in Seoul, which also meant that we were one of the last passengers on the flight to slowly collect our gigantic luggage from the belt; when they needed help to layer up their winter sweaters, jackets, gloves and hats when we reached the Seoul airport, and finally, when I had to slowly shepherd 2 excited girls (in sub-zero temperature!) into the Seoul airport shuttle bus when they would rather prance around in the glacial cold! 

But it was exhilarating to spend quality time with them on the plane, both of them on each side of me - yakking and giggling away, in strong anticipation of a wintery holiday. And it was all worth it when we saw Hubby waiting eagerly for us at the hotel's bus bay even though we arrived on one of his busier working days. 

b) First time that the Bees experienced a snowfall! 

Little Bee was the one with the sharp eye who saw snow falling outside as we adjourned back to the hotel after dinner on 23 December. She exclaimed loudly, "IT'S SNOWING!", and we all thought it was a figment of her imagination - until we saw the flurries rapidly pelting down outside! 

The Bees dashed outside to enjoy the soft falling snow, opening their mouths wide and extending their warm tongues to taste the cold snowflakes in delight. The snowfall was so heavy that the pavements and cars were all turning white rapidly and our hair, faces and clothes were literally covered with a misty white covering of flurries - which made the whole experience so wonderfully magical! 

They were squealing in pure excitement, and hopping up and down like little bunnies. I had never seen them so ecstatic in a while. 

The Bees went back to the hotel room to don on waterproof gloves so that they could play with the swiftly accumulating snow on the pavement. We threw snowballs at each other, much to the Bees' immense delight. We also tried using our bare fingers to touch the snow - freshly fallen snow is so beautifully dry, powdery and soft! 

Surprisingly, the cold is usually a lot more bearable when it is snowing, because it actually gets warmer when it snows (the warmth causes snowfall, amazing!) - so we could play a little longer outside at 10.30pm in temperatures of -5 to -9 degrees Celsius. 

It was a truly enchanting moment. 

We also had a few captivating moments watching the snow falling from our room in the dark, seeing how the brilliant white snowflakes illuminate the entire night sky.

The morning after, it was even more alluring to see the whole city bathed in a thin cloak of magnificently white fairy dust. 

c) First time that the family visited a ski resort, and the first time that Hubby and Big Bee tried skiing. On our final day in Seoul, we made a day trip to the nearest ski resort (as all the rooms were fully booked due to the festive period), which was around an hour's drive from Seoul. I selected a ski resort that was more child-friendly with sledding slopes, a few beginners' ski slopes and fun facilities like playrooms and bowling alleys in case the weather turns overly glacial on us! 

It was teeming with school children on field trips which explained why no rooms were available. But it was bewitching to be surrounded by dazzling white ski slopes and resplendent rolling hills all covered with a light sprinkling of white snow, thanks to the recent snowfall. It was certainly therapeutic to escape the dense crowds of downtown Seoul to this serene slice of tranquillity. 

We warmed up with an enlivening sledding session - with Big Bee sledding around 10 times down the slope! Little Bee loved sledding as well, although she was nicely ensconced with Hubby in a small sled. In fact, she loved it so much that she lay down on the sled on the 4th round with Hubby behind her. The momentum of 2 persons on a sled when they stopped was so strong that supine Little Bee was covered with snow from head to toe when she emerged from the sled, resulting in a wet and very cold little girl!  

Which was when I quickly bundled her up and herded her to a nearby restaurant to dry and warm up, while Big Bee and Hubby continued with their sledding fun. 

Lunch was in a restaurant with architecture that was redolent of European alpine resorts. Menu choices were limited but anything steamy hot was welcomed in a cold environment! We sat by the large windows and immersed ourselves in the stunning vistas of forested woods on gently rolling hills, lightly frosted with snow.  

Hubby and Big Bee took ski lessons with a ski instructor for about an hour, and was able to take a ski lift up a gentle beginners' slope for an exalting run down the slope! It was invigorating just to see their happily lit-up faces as they ski-ed past Little Bee and us. Big Bee told me she loved the experience of skiing and it was apparent that a short afternoon of skiing wasn't enough for her. 

Meanwhile, Little Bee was busy trying to make snowmen, little snowcastles and frosty hills as well as snowballs. Her affinity to snow is almost like her affinity to sand - she could squat and play with the powdery magic for ages. I asked her whether she prefer sandy beach resorts or snowy ski resorts, and she told me she likes the latter because she could make snowmen. I think I better start her on building sandmen when we are back in Singapore! 

Being cold also meant we craved for warm snacks regularly - the Bees were ravishing warm hot dog sticks, piping hot corn sticks and rice balls! However, I must say we deliberately chose a warmer day to be at the ski resort, so that it would be a lot more comfortable for us to indulge in a full day outdoors. 

....to be continued...Part 2... 

White Christmas in South Korea Part 2

...continued from Part 1...

2. A magical white Christmas


Christmas Eve

All the main hotels in Seoul were fully booked on Christmas Eve for the festivities. So, I was searching online for a hotel a little further from Seoul to spend a nice Christmas Eve. I chanced upon this small, 2-star hotel of only 37 rooms and minimal facilities. But the photos of the rooms looked good and homely online, so I booked it. 

The hotel is Q Hotel in Yongin, a city about 45 minutes' drive from the heart of Seoul, and home to Everland, the biggest, dreamiest theme park in South Korea. It is located in Cheoin-Gu, which is the rural district of Yongin - and I would like to spend a quiet Christmas away from the madding crowds, so this looked promising. 

Besides, Q Hotel is just about 1.3 km from Everland, which was highly convenient as we planned to visit Everland yet again, this time with Little Bee. 

We had a nice long breakfast in Seoul, admiring the moderate layer of snow on barren tree branches and sidewalk pavements from the previous night's snowfall. We then took a taxi to Q Hotel with sparing luggage for one night, and it was truly therapeutic to observe the gradua, subtle transformation of the landscape from that of an overcrowded, typical urban jungle to one of peace, serenity and isolation, filled with expansive hilly vistas, little villages and white, voluminous meadows. 

I loved how the sides of the roads were piled up with uneven dunes of snow, with no one in the rural district shovelling this fairy dust away, unlike the efficient overnight workers in the capital city. I revelled in the boundless expanse of pure white fields and lucid azure skies, unblighted and immaculate. And as the taxi drove higher up the mountains, the exquisite frosted valleys nestled in the cradle of infinite hills was a resplendent visual feast for our deprived urban eyes. 

I am not sure if the Bees derived as much pleasure of being in the countryside as me, but I was busy pointing out interesting landmarks and sights to them. After all, this was a snowy landscape that was unfamiliar to them, and I hope their city-bred eyes would open up to another dimension. 

Hubby and I were filled with excitement as the taxi drove past smaller and smaller towns, whilst the kids were zealously looking at Everland as we drove past it. 

Soon, the taxi stopped at a small, dingy-looking hotel with no signboard and no grand entrance, just a nondescript glass door that was dark and opaque, so we could not even peer into the lobby. 

As we emerged from the taxi, the first feeling that hit us was the cold. It was much much colder than in Seoul, probably because we were higher up in altitude plus we were in a rural area. Christmas Eve was forecasted as one of the coldest days in the week in Seoul - with highest temperatures at -2 degrees and lowest temperatures at -12 degrees, so Cheoin-Gu would be even colder. 

The arctic cold hit us like a slap in the chest and took our breaths away. I just had enough time to quickly bunch up the kids' hoods on their heads before huddling them straight into the hotel (or motel, haha). 

What greeted us was a very small space that was used for a reception or lobby. There was a female innkeeper who didn't know English at all. Fortunately, her son, who just arrived to help her in this family-run inn, was able to communicate with us in slightly American-accented English. 

We were given a good old-fashioned key instead of those awful, insipid card keys in swanky 5-star hotels. And we rolled our small luggage into a tiny lift - without a concierge. 

The interior decor of the room was quaint - it resembled a log cabin with a traditional heated ondol floor which was truly blissful in this wintry weather! I booked a junior suite, so the room was rather spacious, with a cosy sitting area and a snuggly bed.

The Bees were ecstatically peeling off their many layers of clothes and exploring the nicely heated room. Before long, Hubby was excitedly telling us to layer up (again!) so we could head towards South Korea's biggest theme park, Everland.

Hours later, after a terribly freezing day in an open theme park, we returned to the hotel, loving the much welcomed warmth of the ondol floor. We snuggled together on the small queen-sized bed, in the chilly darkness, and listened to neighbouring rooms celebrate the onset of Christmas as we slowly drifted off to Neverland...

Christmas Day


We woke up to a dazzling landscape of white beauty and a blanket of clear cerulean sky. Merry Christmas! It was truly challenging to get out of bed on a cold winter's morning, so we were only at the breakfast cafe around 9.30am, and we were the last ones to eat breakfast - all the guests were out!

Breakfast was in a small, quaint underground den, with beautiful fusion decor from the African safari theme to a famous sonnet "How Do I Love Thee?" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. The girls (mainly Big Bee) was fascinated by the poem, and I was wondering when would be the best time to introduce these much-loved poems to the Bees. It was truly ironical that we would be learning about a 19th century English poem deep in the suburbs of South Korea!

One of the younger inn owners cooked breakfast for us on the spot. Hubby and I had the yummiest mashed pumpkin toast with scrambled eggs, while the girls had muffins and milk. We had such a cosy time being the only family in the cafe, enjoying our breakfast and yakking loads.

After breakfast, we took a little walk around a quiet, halcyon small suburban neighbourhood. The Bees played with piles of snow in the backyards of peaceful, unassuming low blocks of apartments.

The colours of winter are resplendent. Everything - a maple leaf, an orange peel, the gravel road - looked vivid against the background of pure, white, powdery snow.

The entire neighbourhood was hushed though. Not a sound from neighbours. Not a vehicle moving. And the only people ambling past were old, elderly folks. I couldn't help but think that this is one of the neighbourhoods experiencing brain drain - or youth drain - in South Korea, where the young and able ventured out to nearby Seoul in search of more glamorous riches and glory.

We would have loved to stay out longer, but the temperature was utterly freezing (it felt like -10 degrees Celsius!), so we all scooted into the welcoming warmth of the hotel. All of us were breathless from the cold. I finally understood how frostbite could occur because my ears were absolutely painful from being in the cold for too long - despite warm ear mufflers. My ears truly felt that they were about to drop off anytime!

We packed up and headed back to Seoul in time for a late lunch, with me silently bidding farewell to the agrarian beauty of the countryside for yet another dip in the crowded urban sprawl of Seoul...

Their Favourite Memories of 2011

These first 15 days of 2012 had been nothing short of spectacular - filled with beautiful parties and wonderful gatherings in the first week, and immense assiduity at work right from day 3! 

Work had been inexplicably hectic, and I have had difficulty doing consistent homelearning with the Bees. Also, school work had been mounting up for the Bees, so we cannot really do a lot of fun, home-based learning, much to my chagrin. 

But we managed one short night last Sunday to indulge in our new homelearning theme - which is "My Body" - so that we can integrate better with both the Bees' school themes this term. 

We also completed our lapbooks on Lifecycles. Much more could be done as usual, but I always need to learn to make a decision to stop so that the Bees can move on to more general knowledge! 

One of the activities we did on the first 2 days of 2012 was for the Bees to think about the entire year of 2011, and write down what their best memories were. It was definitely challenging for Little Bee, who couldn't really remember what happened in the early months of 2011, so she was rattling on about everything that happened in December! So, it took me a little reminding and summarising of what we had roughly done in each quarter of 2011 before she wrote down her favourite memories. 

Big Bee also needed a little prodding and reminding before she could will her mind to the early days of 2011 - otherwise, she kept reliving our recent South Korea trip and nothing else!

I thought this was a neat way to get them to relive some of the more positive memories, and hopefully, encourage them to start cherishing some of the more special moments in their lives - and learning to record only the positive memories so we could always be happy! Much easier said than done, as usual - especially when I am beginning to feel so fatigued with juggling home and work this month! 

Anyway, here are their little notes. 

Big Bee

1. Seeing snow for the first time and skiing.

2. Having a new, wonderful sticker book with lots of marvellous stickers.

3. It was a lovely family holiday in South Korea. 

4. Riding a horse on a beach against the backdrop of a sunset in Penang.

Little Bee

1. I made new friends in K1!

2. I saw a horse pee on the beach in Penang!!!!? (don't ask me why she added all the exclamation and question marks in!)

3. I went to a snowy place called S Korea and I played with snow!!!!

The Real Oz

Our family loves musicals, so we headed out to Wicked the musical last Sunday with much anticipation. And we were not disappointed!

The Bees were bewitched right from the beginning with the excellent cast and their enthralling, crystal-clear singing voices. Big Bee especially loved the story line and plot, which I found very meaningful too - about friendship, looking beyond the surface, being different yet getting accepted. These are values that resonate very well with a tween like her. As for Little Bee, well, little naive her still loved sparkling Glinda versus emerald Elphaba!

Big Bee told me she prefers Wicked to The Lion King because the plot is a lot more substantial, whereas Little Bee - being in a completely different age group - still prefers The Lion King because she found parts of Wicked a wee bit scary, according to her.

Both Hubby and I prefer Wicked to The Lion King as well - due mainly to the sterling performance and singing by the lead actresses (although Phantom of the Opera remains as both our all-time favourite!).

We came out of the musical into the ethereal, golden sunshine of a brilliant sunset - what a perfect ending to a wonderful afternoon!

The Bees now have a renewed interest in the Wizard of Oz story - so I guess it is time to read that to them!

Mummy Art School

I tend to sneak in some painting sessions on Fridays or over the weekends, as the Bees are enthusiastic about painting. As I have had a good number of years of formal art training before, I usually attempted teaching them, and it was always good fun. 

However, one fine night as the Bees were painting with me, they suggested that I send them for art classes instead! I was flabbergasted. Is it not better learning from your own mummy? Isn't it more comfortable painting at home? Don't you guys have enough enrichment classes?

Then it dawned on me that the Bees wanted to work on more challenging art pieces - which I can't possibly teach with my amateur skills (look what I had done to Van Gogh with them, haha!). 

So I decided to let them attend a couple of art workshops only during the holidays, and get them to continue painting at home during school term. 

Here were what they produced at one of the art workshops. The art piece of the lavender mountains below was what I encouraged Big Bee to copy-paint at home without any instructions. I could see the vast difference, of course - so I will definitely be sending them for more art workshops during the next holidays! 

Big Bee's painting from art workshop: Sunset with verdant giants

Little Bee's painting from art workshop: Sunset and a little fox

Big Bee's painting done at home, with some guidance from me: Rolling Lavender Mountains

Painting also works wonders for the girls' patience and sense of permanence in life. One windy afternoon, the Bees were working on their paintings, and Little Bee completed her painting of a golden field of sunflowers that we had been working on for a few nights. She was proud of her painting, and so was I. It was bright, bold and sunny - just like her. 

I left the painting in the balcony to dry - and went outside with the girls to collect our mail. In a split second, the skies opened and rain lashed down on earth furiously. By the time we ran back home, much of the living room floor was wet! And I was stupefied to see Little Bee's painting that was drying outside just moments ago wet, crushed and destroyed. Little Bee was devastated. So was I. We remained dazed and Little Bee sobbed for a while. It was rather heartbreaking. 

But I turned around and told her it was alright - that we can always paint again, together. She sobbed and nodded, saying, "Yes, I will try harder again. Never mind, Mummy, it is ok - I will try harder and paint another better one." 

What sweet, brave words from a little, dejected girl. But what a wonderful opportunity to teach a little one the perfect lesson of impermanence too. 

Here are a couple more of their sketches: 

Farmhouse by Little Bee

A Great Big Farm by Big Bee

The Sunshine Moments of 2011

We spent a very quiet New Year's Eve, busying ourselves with re-doing the girls' bedroom to a brand new theme and spending the evening looking at photos of our recent holiday. Warm, snuggly and intimate. 

As 2012 looms ahead of me, I read through some old blog posts (and were amazed at how fast time slithered past as always) and reflected about some momentous instances in the past year. 

Here are my top favourites:

1) We went a little overdose on holidays this year, probably in a bid to escape from hectic working life in Singapore! But these holidays sealed our close family bonds and allowed us to spend unfettered, unobstructed time with the Bees. 

We had a languorous time with ourselves in Penang, doing nothing but chilling out, eating and soldering our nuclear family ties. 

We decided to bring the entire extended family on a longer trip to Taiwan (which I had yet to publish my post!). It was so gratifying to see the 4 grandparents' eyes lighting up every morning to see their beloved Bees. And we managed to spend 7 days of precious time with all our parents in a stunning and beautiful country with breathtaking natural scenery.

And we loved our latest holiday to South Korea where we spent a very quiet but memorable Christmas, away from everyone we know, only to hole up in a rural small town.  

I am never really very good at travel blogging, but will try to publish posts on the last 2 holidays soon!

2) I am thankful that Big Bee got into a special performance class for next year, whilst maintaining my usual level-headedness that this is but her first step in a long odyssey. And more importantly, as her parent, I need to inculcate the values of working hard and expecting the best, yet, if the best is unreachable due to whatever reasons, it is perfectly fine so long as your family loves you and you are healthy and happy. Strange, juxtaposed lessons to impart...but challenges are synonymous with parenting! 

3) Little Bee had just turned 5, and had grown and grown in K1- much to both Hubby's and my chagrin. Nothing wrong with her becoming more self-reliant, more worldly-wise, of course. But...we will miss her little baby self, her chubby cheeks and her pure immaculate innocence as she stepped onwards to K2 next year. She is a lot more independent now and somewhat cynical at times (just like her big sister), albeit with frequent dazzling sessions of absolute charm and baby naivete. She is popular in her K1 class and has many best friends. Her teachers adore her and had also discovered her love for performing, so we shall see how they nurture her in school. She had also commenced her ballet classes last year...and is enjoying every bit of her classes. 

4) Meanwhile, Big Bee has matured beyond description, and is now deep in tweenhood as she turned 9 this year. She is now like my friend, and sometimes even my mentor. I look to her for advice on some issues and she never failed to dish out sensible advice. When I go crazy with Little Bee, dancing and singing around the house, sensible and no-nonsense her would shake her head as if barely tolerating these 2 mad childish females! She stopped bringing my home-prepared lunch boxes to school, which was a little sore point for me, preferring instead to buy food with her friends in the canteen during recess. Yet, at times, her enthusiasm, excitement and love for adventure shines through - and I never fail to cherish these 2 sides of her personality. 

5) Hubby and I managed to meet another time in Beijing for one night in April during both our work trips for a little couple time. And we also managed to escape to Bintan during our anniversary for a night. There were also a few occasions when we requested my Mum to stay the night in our house, just so we could indulge in a little supper and movie, and even a happening concert, to regain our connection and solidify our emotions without distractions. I definitely love these moments. 

6) Work-wise, I am grateful for an exciting and new portfolio at work, which is something that I had always wanted. Yet, I am even more thankful that I am travelling much lesser for work now. As my frequent flyer status dwindled down the tiers year on year, I rejoice in the fact that this is a powerful indication that I am with my darling Bees most nights of the year, instead of some cold, impersonal hotel bed. 

7) On the homelearning front, we had covered the themes of Space, Solar System, Planet Earth and Lifecycles this year. I hope to continue to work regularly with the Bees on fun homelearning, whilst balancing the dry, more academic aspects of homework and assessment books (urgh). We are also doing more painting at home, with me as art teacher and the Bees attending art workshops for the first time this holiday (they love it!). Being all-rounded individuals is so important for character development and ultimate experience of everything in life. The Bees also became flower girls for the first time, and would be flower girls the second time on the first day of 2012 :) 

8) Gatherings with close friends are getting lesser with everyone's busy schedules as our kids enter primary school. But yet, I am thankful for holiday breaks to catch up with friends and for all the random occasions throughout the year when my cousins and the Bees' cousins would meet and have fun! 

9) Hubby had acquired a new hobby - marine fishes! So, this past year had seen a slew of new pets from octopuses to starfishes to seahorses to all sorts of colourful marine fishes! He had become quite an expert, and had imparted quite a lot of knowledge to the Bees as well! Thanks to him, we now have an teeming and lively aquarium with marine life to admire every day.

10) I still love all those simple outings in Singapore when we would traipsed to the myriad parks around our sunny little island, indulged in alfresco picnics, immersed ourselves in performances and museums, or simply relaxing at home with breakfasts and homecooked meals. 

2011 had been a lovely year...but I am still reeling from the feeling that it had soared past us way too rapidly! 

Posing with lionesses in one of our many zoo trips

What were your most significant moments in 2011? 

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

We are back from a magical, white Christmas in South Korea. It was snowing and freezing, but our little family of four spent a quiet, warm-hearted Christmas in a desolate but quaint little town. Love it! Merry belated Christmas and a joyful countdown to the new year!

As The Year Winds Down

Today is the last day of 2011. So much had happened this year, but yet so little had changed. The year seemed to throttle past us in such a swift manner that I seemed to be stumbling along, making poor attempts to catch up with time. 

It felt like it was only yesterday that we were busy with festivities celebrating the arrival of 2011. And now we are making preparations to bade farewell to that very same year. Where had all the time gone to? 

And sadly, when I look at my children now, I am sometimes jolted with surprise. I mean, they both look so big now, even when their images in my mind are those of them as little babies. And they will forever be my little babies to me, no matter how old they are.

Sometimes, I have this uninhibited urge to rub my eyes furiously and relook at them again. Just to make sure those years of growing up in such a rapid pace were not figments of my imagination. 

I will not take stock of 2011 yet. For there is still one more glorious final day of the year left for me and my family to enjoy. 

The only way to battle rapidly trundling time is only to enjoy every second of the present, to indulge in the now and the current - and not to let our minds be distracted in any way. Easy thoughts to utter, a whole load of effort to implement, of course. 

But just for now, I would like to let my mind be transported pleasantly back to a week and a half ago, when I was on leave from work and being truly able to enjoy the sheer joys of spending extended and luxurious days with Hubby, the Bees, my parents and my closest friends in many different ways. Days spent like this were longer and more beautiful. 

This year, we decided not to put up our Christmas tree, so Hubby had this brilliant idea of chasing these triangular emblems of peace and joy all around town and encapsulating these Christmas trees in myriad shapes and sizes in photos with the Bees. 

Truly on a blazing trail of twinkling enchanting trees. 

The Bees were able to appreciate the different embellishments of the diverse trees and we did a little craft on Christmas trees. But most of all, they learned about the true spirit of Christmas, which was not what all these rampant commercialism of gift exchanges and crazy shopping was about. 

Which was why, for the first time in years, the Bees did not receive any Christmas presents from us this year (only one from Santa for being good little girls - haha - and another from a gift exchange at a gathering with good friends). 

We are also spending a quieter New Year's Eve this year, just to wind down from a wintry holiday - so I am still thinking of what to do with our little family of four to ring in the new year! Pure simplicity, simple pure pleasures. 

Happy New Year, everyone :) 

Sylvanian Delights

We were ambling a lot around town last week, as Hubby and I were both on leave, and happened to chance upon the huge Sylvanian Families toy display section, complete with a huge house, in Raffles City. 

Just as we were ooohing and aaaahing over all the cute little animals and accessories, Little Bee almost choked on her next words and kept pointing behind us, being able to only utter "LOOK BEHIND YOU!" 

And what do you know...we had one colossal Sylvanian rabbit walking towards us, waving her hands, much to the thrill for all of us. 

The Warmth Of Christmas

Christmas came a little early for us last weekend with a couple of celebrations and gatherings. On Friday, we attended our estate's annual Christmas party, and the Bees were excitedly wondering if Santa Claus would think they are good little girls and give them presents. Of course, Big Bee is a cynical girl by now, and kept insisting we parents gave the "fake" Santa Claus our presents, but we kept telling her we did not interfere with Santa's choice, preferring to keep the fairy tale alive :) 

It was a fun party from 6.30pm to 9plus pm, complete with a nice dinner and lots of games and shows. I kind of like such camaraderie between neighbours and this was a good way to infuse the elusive holiday mood into everyone. 

And most importantly, the Bees had proven that they were good girls this year, and got their presents from Santa! 

On Sunday, our group of secondary school good friends gathered for yet another annual Christmas lunch, this time at LP's house. We feasted on mouth-watering pizzas and ambrosial nasi lemak. More importantly, we had plenty of chances to catch up and yak with each other! Given everyone's busy schedules during the rest of the year, the year end holiday season is a beautiful period for all of us to slow our paces, take a look around us and appreciate the myriad bonding with family and friends.  

The kids were playing with each other, and we had a simple gift exchange for them, much to their happiness. It was amazing to see how fast kids transform year after year...soon they will all tower over us! 

We are definitely looking forward to more festivities in these last 2 weeks of a very eventful 2011! 

Blue Christmas

I wanted to do some easy Christmas crafts to get the Bees into the mood of feliz navidad, and chanced upon this intriguing art piece after some googling. According to conscientious Big Bee, this was the hardest piece of art and craft she had done, which I wonder why! Little Bee just went with the flow in her usual free-spirited way. 

Hubby loves it, and declared that we should frame these up. I thought we might improve further with subsequent attempts, but I was heartened that this was so easy and fun!

Step 1: Draw and cut out 3 Christmas trees from construction paper. Ideally thick construction paper. I used normal paper and the effect was not good in the end - as you can see why below. Arrange the trees around a piece of art paper to resemble a fir tree forest. 

Big Bee's cut-outs

Little Bee's cut-outs

Step 2: Use white chalk and trace the trees as well as the forest floor, which could be hilly or flat. Good to use thick crayons for a more striking effect. Draw in dots for snowflakes and a nice round or crescent moon hanging in the sky. It can be challenging to use white crayon to draw on white paper, but this is part of the fun! 

Step 3: This is the fun part! Take out the construction paper of the 2 trees at the sides, leaving the construction paper for the little tree in the centre. The Bees then painted a layer of light blue watercolour painting over the whole paper, except for the ground and the moon. They were awe-struck by the fact that their paint glided smoothly over their crayon outlines of their earlier sketches. It was brilliant seeing them swish their watercolour brushes over the snowflakes and giggling that their sketches came to life with a light blue background! It is essential to use watercolour for its translucent and layering effect. 

Big Bee's crayon outlines!

Little Bee's crayon outlines! 

Step 4: Put back the construction paper of the 2 trees by the sides if you wish. Otherwise, use darker blue paint and paint the sky, avoiding painting into the trees. The Bees put the thin pieces of paper back and made the mistakes of painting over the thin paper, so the paint seeped through the paper, hence losing a significant portion of the final effect. 

Step 5: Take out the paper for the little Christmas tree (and all the rest of the construction paper) and tadah - we have a nice, chilly-looking winter scene, set in the thick of twilight! 

Big Bee's blue fir tree forest :) 

Little Bee's blue fir tree forest :) 

Once again, this was done in under an hour - and the Bees really loved this, especially how the white crayon outline "shone through" the blue paint! 

Merry Christmas, everyone!