Time Slows Down in Middle Earth

At Mount Victoria in the little quaint village of Devonport. The volcanic mountain behind is Rangitoto Island, the newest volcano in the world at just 500 to 600 years old.

We are back from 12 days of immersing in the splendid outdoors and resplendent nature of New Zealand's North Island. It was a trip where time slowed down tremendously, allowing us to truly savour the richness of every single moment. It was true escapism in New Zealand, away from the madding crowds, seeing more sheep and cattle than humans! We were in tune with Mother Nature and the true magic of a land discovered almost a thousand years ago by the Maori people. We experienced the true respect and understanding of New Zealand's residents with the indigenous Maori and the legends of the land - something that many countries did not practise.

We spent days holed up on a remote farm, in a tiny little cottage, with nothing but the companionship of wary sheep, friendly dogs, nonchalant alpacas, glorious horses, passive cows, and magnificent views of undulating emerald-green hills. We went horseback riding as a family with views of stunning hills and gorgeous countryside, looking over sublime vistas of the Pacific Ocean. We trekked and walked (or in Kiwi terms, tramped!) over hectares of wild countryside and bush, summitted 3 volcanic mounts, climbed down a deep volcanic crater (just the Hubby!), climbed up trees and read our favourite books in the middle of vast meadows.

Living Earth - Middle Earth - Under Earth 

New Zealand is a land of stark contrasts. We were able to appreciate peaceful jade-green pasture fields, but were also privy to a land of active volcanic activity, with livid geysers, hot springs and scorching mud pools - testaments to a true Living Earth.

We went to Middle Earth and surrounded ourselves with the beauty of the Shire in the Hobbiton movie set. For The Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit fans like us, this is a dream come true - to visit the Shire and immerse ourselves in the lives of Bilbo, Frodo, Sam and the rest of the hobbits (as well as Gandalf!). We revelled in stories of film magic and met fellow LOTR and Hobbit fans. The Shire was set in resplendent, rolling countryside with 44 beautiful hobbit holes. Gorgeous indeed. We did not want to leave The Shire!

We submerged into the pitch dark, mysterious caves of New Zealand, where we were awed spectators to thousands of electric blue glow worms. They dotted the ceilings of the cavernous caves like brilliant stars on a dark winter night. Totally magical and a truly enchanting Under Earth. 

It was a truly rejuvenating 12 days, where we appreciated the beauty of Mother Earth once again and embraced the true meaning of a sustainable, living Earth in the land of the long white cloud (Aotearoa - the Maori name for New Zealand). 

More to come in detailed blog posts!

Smells Like Singapore Spirit...

Rousing cheers. Rambunctious jeers. 

Packed, sweaty bodies violently gesticulating away. 

Massive crowds standing and stomping on their feet.

Banners. Whistles. Horns. Drums. 

A whole kaleidoscope of cacophony, elation, chaos, disappointment. 

And no - I am not talking about a rock concert (although the whole ambience felt like one!). Instead, the girls and us were at a Singapore versus Malaysia AFF Suzuki Cup match. Crowds were boisterous and all decked out in red. The atmosphere was electrifying. And the girls were shocked at how rude and rowdy football fans were, especially when they started chanting "boo" when players from Malaysia doubled over in pain during more aggressive tackles. Haha, not the best place to inculcate sportsmanship to the girls! 

The girls decked out in their father's favourite soccer team shirts!

Hubby and I thought it would be a good experience to bring the Bees to a roaring football match - and we knew the Singapore versus Malaysia match would be raucous enough! 

It was an excellent experience, and brought me back to those days in the early 1990s when we were all attending football matches with the Singapore "dream team" soccer team. Best of all, the match was played in the new National Stadium, and I was impressed by the huge infrastructure of a stylish, state-of-the-art stadium! 

The entire stadium was almost filled, and everyone did the Kallang Wave deliriously, much to the Bees' amusement. The Kallang Roar was loud and clear. And the spirit was high. Everyone smiled at each other, and much encouragement was shown to the small but zealous supporters of the Malaysian team. 

Little Bee brought along her pom-poms to cheer for the Lions!

Alas, we did not win, but I thought this was a wonderful experience for the girls (although they started reading their books halfway through the match!). We will be back for more matches! 

Oops, the girls started reading out of boredom halfway through the match!

We took the MRT to avoid traffic jams, and the entire MRT station was filled with red shirts! 

Playing Games The Old-Fashioned Way

Now that we are full-swing into the year-end holidays, the girls literally have a lot of time on their hands after a very busy and intense school year. They did not have any holiday programmes this time round, and they spent their long days luxuriously, without any schedules or objectives.

And that was how I remember my own school holidays as a kid too. There were no tuition in the holidays back in those days, not a lot of play dates and definitely no holiday enrichment programmes! So, I would spend my long days with my brother, cooking up ideas to play with - ranging from us being pretend DJs and recording countless radio programmes (on cassette tapes!) to playing restaurant or clinic. All I remember of those days was our unfettered happiness and carefree spirit. And I want the Bees to remember their school holidays in the same way too - unshackled and free!

So, they spent their days doing what they want. This is also an especially busy time at work for me, so they were literally left to their own devices the whole day. I am glad my mother is a great help though. She always believes in healthy, robust activities conducted in the great outdoors which do not involve paying, so she would bring them for walks in the park and badminton games.

And every night when I am back from work, we would try to play board games as a family. Every sort of board games from Scrabble to Blokus to Game Of Life to Monopoly to UNO!

The girls always enjoy strategizing against me in Blokus, which always resulted in me being the last! 

We are board game junkies from eons back, and have a good collection of board games at home. We will usually bring these out during the holidays to play games the good old-fashioned way. Compared to the instant, one-to-one and anti-social gratifications of iPad and mobile phone apps which I never approve of, playing board games slows time down, allowing for turn-taking, enforcing understanding, patience and empathy. Most importantly, we laughed together, jeered together, poked fun at one another together. What a wonderful way to bond!

Their all-time favourite - Game Of Life! I guess the reality depicted in this game appeals to them. 

Dancing Queen

Life had been very busy once school was out a fortnight ago. What with working full time and juggling the girls' social programmes, it had been pretty overwhelming indeed!

Little Bee ended the school year with a big bang, being involved in a huge charity concert that was organised by the school. She had been very busy after her exams with lots of practices and rehearsals for this concert. She was part of the modern jazz dance group, which exemplifies her bubbly and exuberant personality.

I love how their school constantly organises such events, allowing students to understand that there is so much more than academic achievements, celebrating extracurricular participation and welcoming a whole diversity of different strengths and talents. More importantly, it is really heartwarming to see the performers interacting with the beneficiaries of the event.

This year, the concert was organised for Club Rainbow's special needs children, and all the CCA groups came together for a huge array of different performances. The showcase of the different CCAs highlighted the emphasis that the Bees' school places on extracurricular activities, and I am constantly thankful that I put them in a school which looks at the students holistically.

The concert ended with a touching finale where the whole auditorium of audience was singing with the performing students and the special needs children on stage. This reinforced the amazing school spirit and bond that enveloped the entire school all year round.

Little Bee loves her school and really enjoyed performing and being part of a larger celebration of love and life. I love how they learned about teamwork, resilience, diligent practice and team encouragement through such major performances. The sight of the dancers running through multiple rehearsals, being disciplined by their dance instructors and spending time with each other in between performances was uplifting. I felt very assured that Little Bee is undergoing a very holistic education in an environment that she cherishes and loves.

She is now in the throes of rehearsals and practices for another major dance concert for her ballet group outside of school, and I see the same enthusiasm and zeal from her for performing on stage. I am glad she got to experience stage performances, the hard work behind a few minutes' worth of entertainment, and what it means to exude a whole different stage persona when performing!

To DSA Or Not To DSA

The DSA Scheme

For students taking the PSLE, there was an option for students to apply early to the schools of their choices under the Direct Schools Admissions (DSA) scheme. Students under the DSA scheme will have to be assessed as a whole individual, rather than through numerical PSLE scores. Schools will look at a student's talent in different arenas (sports, visual or performing arts, music, leadership, etc) as well as regular school work, personal statements and an interview. They would usually have to sit through an assessment given by the school as well.

To DSA or not to DSA

We struggled with the decision to put Big Bee through the DSA because it is very time-consuming, and we heard from so many parents before us to just focus on the PSLE and not be distracted by the DSA. Many parents also cautioned me about the negative effects of failing to get into the DSA, thereby potentially affecting the child's morale before the PSLE. 

However, the holistic assessment of the DSA really appeals to me. I want schools to look at Big Bee as a person, and not just as a cold, impersonal 3-digit PSLE score. More importantly, we spoke about this with Big Bee, and she told us about her strong interest to apply through DSA. She wanted to experience the process and have fun writing her personal statement and creating her personal portfolio. Her interest helped us to decide on the DSA, and she applied to 2 schools, one of which is her "dream school", and the other is a "safe" option that most people would probably send their children to. 

Before selecting the schools, it is always a good idea to visit the schools through the many Open Houses that are available, so that the child gets a good idea of the school culture and spirit. 

The Personal Essay

She started working on the various personal essays that these 2 schools required. One school asked for an open-ended personal essay, and the other school asked for a personal essay highlighting her biggest achievement and the challenges she had to overcome in attaining it. 

It is virtually impossible for parents to help in any way to craft out the personal essays because by 12, these tweens are absolutely independent and have their own ideas of what constitutes their lives and achievements. So, after discussing what she intended to write, she was on her own in crafting out 2 very different personal essays for each of the schools. 

It is fundamental to plan in advance for the personal essays as these are reflections about what they had done thus far, involving at times a soul searching process of who they are. Big Bee spent about a week thinking about what she wanted to write and drafting out these 2 essays. 

The School Assessment Test

Each of the schools required different assessment tests to be taken, so she had to take 2 separate tests in different sittings. According to Big Bee, these 2 tests were somewhat different in nature. One essential thing to note is that the child does not need to prepare for these tests because they are very abstract reasoning in nature, with a non-composition writing component thrown in for one of the tests. So, plenty of sleep and rest before the test is sufficient! 

Some schools may have more than one assessment test. One of the schools she DSA for is a highly competitive one, and invited Big Bee back for a second round of assessments. Again, no preparation needed except for plenty of rest!

The Personal Portfolio

There was a lot of debate about the creation of a personal portfolio, and many of Big Bee's peers did not submit any personal portfolio. In fact, one of the schools actually returned the personal portfolio to me, highlighting that they only required the relevant application forms. So, this is an optional item. For me, the biggest advantage in building her personal portfolio is for her to rethink about her past experiences in school, and how each of these experiences shaped her. Even without the DSA process, the personal portfolio or reflection experience is wonderful for our children to be retrospective about their life experiences and how these had impacted them. 

There is also a section in the application for students to list down their achievements and experiences in school, so that the DSA assessors can further understand your child as a person. It was interesting to note the different approaches and priorities that each of the schools undertook. Many times, the schools' approaches and requirements reinforced in Big Bee what she wanted and where she thought she would belong to. 

The Interview

Big Bee was invited to one of the schools' interviews. The interview stage is usually the last stage of the DSA process, and is typically a nerve-racking one for many students because it is probably the first important interview that they had to go through in life! 

Big Bee was surprisingly calm before the interview, probably because she was notified of the interview at the eleventh hour. My only advice for her before the interview was to be authentic, relaxed and natural. 

Big Bee had a great time at the interview and told me about the interesting conversation that she had with her 2 interviewers. Some tips from Big Bee about the interview:

1. Smile, be yourself and be funny

2. Try to think through the answers in a more intellectual manner

3. Talk about your specific experiences

Talking About the Outcome

Throughout the whole DSA process, we kept reinforcing the concept of failure to Big Bee - that it is very competitive to get into either one of the schools she was opting into, that many others would not get in, that it is perfectly fine not to be selected, that there is a second opportunity through the PSLE. Highlighting the possibility of failure is more important for us than underlining the importance of success - for us, at least. It is all the more important because results would spread fast in school, and it is very easy for young tweens to be easily demoralised in the face of many stronger peers. 

The Outcome

DSA results typically come out at the end of August. One sweltering afternoon before the Science preliminary exams, Big Bee opened the letterbox and called me excitedly after minutes of jumping around the house in a flurry of elation. She was accepted into her "dream school"! She was also turned away from the other "safe" option school which she was not very keen on - so things really worked out well for her. 

In all, I thought this was a most fulfilling experience for her, and I am really glad we put her through this time-consuming but enriching experience. 

Her First Book (Part 4)

This is the final installment of Big Bee's first book, Another World, Another Time, which she wrote when she was 11. The other parts could be found here:

Her First Book (Part 1)
Her First Book (Part 2)
Her First Book (Part 3)

Another World, Another Time

Written by: Big Bee

Chapter 7: No More Choices

Everything seemed to be going very well until I asked Jennifer a question about this future earth.

I asked her, “Everyone in this future world uses so much electricity now, so doesn’t it pollute the earth? Wouldn’t the earth die?”

“Yes,” Jennifer replied. “The earth’s ozone layer is already gone. Thankfully, the robots were able to recreate the gases that formed the ozone layer and everyone on earth could still survive. However, the robots have predicted that the earth was going to crumble into nothingness within these two years. And robots are never wrong.”

“Isn’t there anything we can do to stop the earth from dying? Can’t the robots, like, make something to support the earth and prevent it from crumbling?” 

I had been living in this future world for only two months, yet I felt like I was part of it, because of Jennifer.

“Sadly, no. People have already asked the robots to do that but to no avail. There is no hope of saving the world now. In the past, the earth was polluted too much. There was too much littering and too much use of electricity. We have nothing that we can do to save the earth now. And that’s why we just expect the world to crumble and die.”

Did that mean that if I stay here I would die because the earth was going to crumble? What about Jennifer? And David and Selena? What would happen to each one of them? Suddenly, an idea dawned on Jennifer.

“Aren’t you from the past, Alison?!” She exclaimed, almost shouting. I was surprised to see her so exhilarated. I mean, the fact that I was from the past was obvious.

“Yes, I am. Why?” I did not feel like going back to the past at all. Living here in the future was like a dream come true.

Chapter 8: The Solution

Jennifer rattled on like a gun, “You still have time to fix that time machine and go back to your time and tell everyone to save the earth! There is only one future of the earth! The future when no one in the past bothered to stop pollution and everything. You’re a famous scientist, right? Then surely everybody will listen to what you say! You can change the entire future of your earth, Alison!”

Immediately, an avalanche of thoughts flashed through my mind. Go back to the past? The boring old past when I was a loner? Without Jennifer? No way! Didn’t Jennifer enjoy my company? Doesn’t she want me to stay with her in the future?

However, this was my chance to change the entire future of the whole wide world. If anyone would really listen to me, I really, really could save the earth. I knew that I had to sacrifice my wonderful life here in the future with Jennifer to do the right thing. It would be the last time I would be able to see robots. The last time I could ever see such tall skyscrapers, all of them at least 500 levels tall. And worst of all, it was the last time I would ever be seeing Jennifer….

A light bulb appeared in my head. I could bring Jennifer, her step brother and step sister back to the past with me! They would surely enjoy it there! Jennifer would finally be able to see all those beautiful animals and plants! No one would mind them going back to the old earth with me as they were orphans and had no parents to care about them in this future earth!

“Jennifer! You could take David and Selena, and we could all go back to the past earth with me! You can live with me in my house and I’ll take you to see all the animals that you’ve been longing to admire!” I said, flushing with excitement. “It’s the perfect idea!”

Chapter 9: Fixing the Machine

Jennifer’s eyes lit up, but within a second, she looked down and the light in her eyes seemed to disappear.

“No, Alison. I’m sorry, I can’t go with you.”

My eyes widened in shock and I could not help myself but feel immensely betrayed. “Why wouldn’t you come with me?" I could not believe what Jennifer had just said. She said no?

“Messing with time, going to the future, it’s just…complicated. It isn’t right. If we do go back to the past with you, we may not be used to the climate there and everything, and I don’t think we can survive there. I’m sorry, Alison, I can’t go.” Her eyes were downcast and it was clear that she was way more upset than I was.

“It’s okay…I was just disappointed that I would be leaving you.” My voice broke and I held back tears.

“Let’s get going then. I need to finish fixing that time machine of mine, before this future earth crumbles and I die along with it,” I said, determined.

I clenched my fists and thought hard. Making my way to the backyard of Jennifer’s house, I promised myself that I would cherish every moment with Jennifer, and I would not let her down by trying to change the future of this earth.

I worked on the time machine for a very long time. I forgot about time or food and the only two things I did not forgot was Jennifer and of course, making the machine.

She was behind me all the time, giving me tips on this and that, and how to improve my machine. We treasured every single last moment we had together. Once in a while, the ground would start to tremble. It was like an earthquake, except for the fact that the trembles were way longer, way more vigorous and way more often than any earthquake 200 years ago. Jennifer had explained to me that it was because the earth’s core was weak and going to give way.

Chapter 10: Leaving Jennifer

A month flew by. It was a whole month on fixing that time machine of mine and it was finally working again. I knew that I had to go back real soon - the sooner I went back, the better.

Before going back to my time, Jennifer had brought me around the city to buy souvenirs for me to bring back to the past. She bought me a device that could make me invisible. I gave her a pen that I had with me. She had never seen one before and in the future, there was no such thing as a pen - robots just wrote everything out for you.

Every day, I checked on my time machine to see if it was still working and before long, the day when I had to leave arrived.

I made my way to the backyard where my time machine was. There was an aura of grey around me. It was a mist that refused to rise. This was my last time I would ever be seeing Jennifer… and I could not communicate with her ever again.

A lone tear slid down my cheek. I felt like my heart was being ripped out, shattered into a million pieces, like what was going to happen to this future earth. The last time I would be staying here in Jennifer’s house. The last time I would be talking to her. The last time I would be enjoying the future earth with Jennifer. The last time I would ever be seeing her… I bit my lips, trying to stop myself from sobbing out loud.

I hugged each one of them - Jennifer, David and Selena. Jennifer and I shed some tears, then I got into my time machine, preparing to go back to my own time, away from Jennifer.

Jennifer had said right before I went into the time machine, “I won’t forgot you, Alison. I’ll keep your pen with me, goodbye. I’ll miss you.”

I waved back and screamed loudly, over the deafening whirring of my time machine, “I’ll miss you too!! Goodbye! I won’t forgot you too!” My voice cracked and I stifled a sob. I looked out the window of my time machine and I could see Jennifer, burying her head in one of her hands, whilst she used the other hand to wave back at me.

She raised her head and mouthed the word “Bye!” Looking at her tear-stained face made me understand how much she missed me too.

I pushed the button that would enable me to travel through time and then BANG! With a final wave and a last look at my first best (and my last) friend, the bright lights in my time machine blinded me and I could not see her ever again.

Alone yet again, I whispered to Jennifer, knowing that she would never hear this, how grateful and how thankful I am to her. I wanted her to know how much I cherished our friendship. I wanted her to know how much I missed her and how I felt that that there was a huge hole in my heart now, without her. But I could never tell her all these things again, as I would never be seeing her.

Chapter 11: Changing the Future

I arrived back in my backyard in my own time. It was 14^th December 2013 yet again. Miraculously, my time machine had not caught fire like what it did the last time when I landed in the…. I was too heartbroken to think about my time in the future.

My mind was filled with happy memories with Jennifer, but I could not help but smile at the lush greenery now. The tall trees, the pretty and vibrantly coloured flowers. And all the animals… the birds flying high in the cerulean blue sky were sights that people in the future world just know about in history books.

I got back into my house and displayed the invisibility device. It was shaped like a ball. Just a push of a button and I could turn invisible immediately. Aidan licked my face the moment I got into the house. I felt immensely ecstatic being reunited with my precious dog. I petted him and played “fetch” with him. I even told him about my adventure in the future, even though I knew that he would not understand what I was talking about. That gave me inspiration for my next invention. I could create a device that could enable humans to talk to animals! Maybe humans can then communicate with animals and learn about their problems. Just like that, humans could finally understand animals and stop destroying their homes and poaching. Before long, animals will stop getting killed and they would not get extinct. People in the future would be able to admire the adorable animals we once admired and loved.

I took immediate action. I created a long speech on how I had invented a time machine and travelled to the future. Everyone believed me, seeing that I had brought back a device that could make you invisible, from the future. 

I told the world about my friend, Jennifer, who told me that the world was going to die and that she wanted me to tell everyone to stop polluting the world and destroying everything. If every single person in the world really played a small part and helped to save the world, there was a chance that the world could be saved.

I could not let Jennifer down. There was even a law imposed that everyone had to play at least one small part to save the earth. Hopefully, the future of this earth would be changed and the generations after us would be able to enjoy the same earth that we had once lived on.

~ The End ~

  

The Little Doodler

Little Bee loves to doodle. All kinds of notes. Different types of sketches. But she does it ALL.THE.TIME. On textbooks. On assessment books. On spelling lists. On hundreds of scrap papers. On newspapers. Everywhere.

She will scribble little expressions of love for our little family. Her interpretation of spelling words. Lots of different campaigns - charity signboards, party invitations, royal propositions. Plenty of sketches depicting her moods - mountainous landscapes, villages, gardens, palaces. Once, she even attempted to replicate a quarter of the cityscape that Stephen Wiltshire drew of Singapore.

And I really love coming home, seeing different pieces of scrap papers that she will leave behind at all times. Like what Big Bee told me today, "Sometimes, I just cannot bear to throw away a messy scrap piece of paper with a touching note from mei-mei, like 'I love you, jie-jie' or 'Thank you for teaching me, jie-jie', decorated with lots of hearts!"

And it is true. Although Little Bee's random doodles and sketches are not on huge canvas boards, and many of them are scribbled quickly, in her signature rapid style, the messages are often heartfelt, authentic, witty, personal and touching. And they just represent who she is and how good she is with people. So we ended up hoarding loads of her cute little scribbles all over our house!

Now, can anyone suggest a good place to keep all these small little notes?!

This was something she drew for Auntie Jeanne's birthday card

Yes, she doodled on test papers as well

One of her many "happy family" and "love makes the world goes round" types of campaign drawings :) 

This was doodled on a school assignment, probably during lesson time, because I saw the teacher writing cheekily to her to ask if she had been paying attention in class :P

Her First Book (Part 3)

This is a continuation of Big Bee's book which she wrote last year, with the first 4 chapters featured here and here.

Another World; Another Time

Written by: Big Bee

Chapter 5: A New Friend

I followed my new found friend, Jennifer, to her house. We chatted nineteen-to-the-dozen, strolling down the road to her tiny cottage at the end of the road. I tried to keep up with her incessant chattering. Jennifer really was talkative and friendly. With her hospitality and friendliness, I could keep my problem out of my mind thankfully. We walked on the touchscreen roads, because there were no cars at all. Hovercrafts just travelled high above our heads. There was no animals or plants in sight at all. I made an assumption that they were all extinct by now.

Her personal robot, whose name I found out later was Rose, carried my time machine that was at least a thousand kilograms. The way she carried it made it look like it was as light as a feather.

Her little cottage had only two storeys, and she lived with her stepbrother, David and her stepsister, Selena. Rose left my time machine in her backyard, as instructed by Jennifer. I hoped to start fixing it as soon as possible.

My new found friend, Jennifer, had golden hair, with curls that looked like strands of noodles. She was slim, unlike all the other people in this future world. She was also fair and kind of pretty. Jennifer was clever and I found out that she too excelled at Science - another similarity between both of us. That made me feel less agitated. Maybe she could even help me repair my time machine.

She let me stay in the attic and set up a little bed for me. I found out that she was also an orphan, like me. We had meals with David and Selena, and there were robots which served and cooked the meals. We barely even had to lift a finger as all the usual household chores were all done for us.

As the days passed, I just stayed in the backyard to fix my machine. Thankfully, I knew that there was a solution to fix my machine and I had a chance to go back home. I grew closer and closer to Jennifer. With her intelligence and skills, she helped me fix the time machine. Rose was helpful too, and she provided materials I needed to use to fix my time machine. I was very grateful to Jennifer for helping me and providing a roof over my head whereas I did nothing to help her.

Before long, I stopped fussing over all my problems. After all, what was the use of crying over spilt milk? I was in a different world with my first friend.

In the mornings, David and Selena both went off to work and Jennifer was the only one who stayed at home every day. Now, with me, she had company and enjoyed chatting with me, finding out about the past, two hundred years ago.

Chapter 6: The Past and The Future

In my time in the future, I stayed mostly in Jennifer’s house, but I did go shopping with her every now and then. The shops there were all run by robots. Rose kept all of Jennifer’s money and paid for everything that she bought.

We visited the museum one day and it was then when Jennifer showed me how to teleport. She had instructed me to click my fingers and say where I wanted to teleport to and in a second, I would be there. I teleported to the museum and it was an extremely memorable experience for someone who once lived in the past. She explained that most people used hovercrafts to travel around instead of teleporting because it was safer. If something goes wrong while you were teleporting, you would lose a few of your body parts, or even be left with only half your body. Thankfully, Jennifer and I did not lose any body parts.

The museum was enormous, way bigger than the Louvre Museum in Paris. The Louvre would just seem tiny, compared to this museum in the future. There were amazing items in the museum, like portals to different planets, a device that could make you stay underwater for as long as you wanted without an oxygen tank, etc.

An ant in a gigantic cage was considered to be one of the most treasured exhibits. It was known to be the last animal ever alive. I furrowed my eyebrows upon reading it and stifled a chuckle. In 2013, ants were everywhere! People squashed them, hated them and even put ant baits to kill them! Now, this little ant had a home about the same size as Jennifer’s, and had a dozen robots taking care of it.

 

I even forgot about going back home to my time. After all, in my past, I lived alone and never had any friends. I just buried my head in a book all day long. Now, in this future earth, Jennifer was my first friend. My first friend in 16 long years. And the technology here was superb, the weather was awesome and robots did everything for you.

Robots controlled the weather here. You could program a robot to make the weather sunny that day, or to make the weather stormy.

Even fixing the time machine was easy. I could easily have ordered a robot to fix my machine for me and it could be finished in less than an hour. However, I trusted my own capabilities of fixing the machine, thus I wanted to do it by myself. Besides, I could spend a longer time here in the future with Jennifer.

Jennifer was just like me too. She had no friends, except for David and Selena. There was one robot for each of the people in Jennifer’s house. Therefore, she owned three robots - a typical, common number for most households in the future.

Jennifer asked me about the past too. She asked me curiously, as robots could not see the past, but only the future, how it was like back 200 years ago when there were forests, reservoirs, zoos and jungles. 

The first thing I told her about was Aidan, my sweet little dog. I told her how he entertained me every day and how I looked after him. I also explained to her about how the birds flew around freely in the vast, azure blue sky. The sky in year 2213 was anything but a shade of blue. You could not even see what colour the sky was, because of all the smoke and pollution that filled the air. The animals were the best things of all to Jennifer. The only living things now in the future was just humans and robots. No cute, furry little animals for people to admire in zoos and forests any more.

Two months had already passed, and I had completely forgotten about my time machine, although I missed Aidan a lot. It was put under a shelter in the backyard, untouched. I forgot about the fact that I wanted to go back home to my time. With the technology and cool weather here, who would want to go back to a world where it was sweltering hot and you had to do everything by yourself?

To be continued...

Travelling Back In Time (Part 8): Paris, The City Of Love

Paris - the City of Love, the City of Lights. It is a city rife with opulence and grandeur, steeped in age-old glamour. For centuries, Paris had been a gem of a city - glittering, ostentatious, yet bohemian in some quarters. It is like a beacon of light, enigmatically attracting lots of talented artists, fashionistas, politicians, scientists and its fair share of notorious business people.

The view from our hotel room

Paris is a city where we thought we knew lots about, way before we stepped foot into it. But, oh, how wrong were we in some aspects. Beyond the glittering facade lies a city of tired glory and petty crime. We read about the prevalent pickpockets and kept our guards up. Yet, we were accosted a number of times by potential swindlers, and I even found the hand of one young Romanian girl in my handbag when her counterpart pretended to tap me on the shoulder to ask for directions. So, yes, being in Paris may mean immersing in a grand old dame of culture and beauty, but it also means that we had to be on our guard all the time. It was also exceedingly crowded, attracting tourists from all over the world. So it could get tiring at times for me.

We chanced upon a standing protest at a street corner one evening! 

Yet, there were plenty of instances where we were mesmerised by the rich history and culture of Paris, and it was really surreal to see world-famous monuments that we read so much about.

Our Parisian adventure was leisurely and unfettered. We ambled languidly around the cobblestoned streets, indulged in long lunches and tea breaks in the famous sidewalk cafes, spent hours in museums and took things really easy.

Old, beautiful architecture amidst a backdrop of brilliant skies in Paris

When in Paris, do as the Parisians do - we let the Bees sample some red wine. Needless to say, they were not fans! 

Some of the highlights of our Paris vacation are:

1) Train travel

We took the train from Munich to Paris, which was a relaxing and unhurried 6-hour journey. Very much like travellers of yore, we ate breakfast on the train, played chess, read books, indulged in idle chatter and napped!

Rail travel had always been hailed as romantic, and I could understand why. Sitting back, listening to the repetitive chugging of the train, while admiring the pastoral landscape outside the window - that was a truly beautiful and memorable experience for us.

2) The Eiffel Tower

We spent a placid, lazy afternoon lying on the big meadow just in front of the Eiffel Tower. We just sat around, lazily chatting with each other, eating hot dogs and drinking coffee. With the golden rays of the early evening dusk raining on us, against a resplendent backdrop of the Eiffel Tower, life seemed pretty glorious and carefree!

3) Open-Top bus tours
We took the very reasonably-priced open-top bus all around Paris, just sitting back and soaking in the grand sights, smells and sounds of this old city, while enjoying the cool summer breeze.

4) The Seine River
We strolled along the Seine river, admiring the copious love locks on the Pont de l'Archeveche, realising that this river had been throbbing with life and commercial activities since centuries ago.

5) Notre-Dame Cathedral

We were dazzled by the intricate and brilliant carvings of saints and angels on Notre-Dame Cathedral. Sadly, the crowds milling all around this archaic cathedral hurt our eyes too!

Urgh - the crowds!

6) Parisian shopping
We milled with Parisian residents in a weekend flea market, browsing through old trinkets and cheap clothes (yes! It was possible to buy cheap clothes in Paris!).

And we were shocked by the exorbitant admission fee to visit the luxurious toilets in Printemps - all of S$3!! We also sauntered along the entire length of Champs Elysees, which was 1.9 km long

7) The Louvre

We spent long, luxurious hours in The Louvre, exploring galleries of antique paintings by the greatest masters in the art world - Van Gogh, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelango, Raphael, and so many more! It was such a mind-altering experience to see relics from civilisations as old as time, and to admire legendary paintings like the Mona Lisa.

We were fascinated by the artists painting replicas of the great masters in the museum

8) Montmartre
We lingered in the bohemian, cobblestoned neighbourhood of Montmartre for almost a full day, sitting at sidewalk cafes in narrow alleys with pretty cupcakes, peeping at the facade of Van Gogh's old home, and marvelling at the infamous Moulin Rouge.

We ambled up to the grandiose Sacre-Coeur Basilica at the top of Montmartre, and immersed in the magnificent view of the whole of Paris from this vantage.

It was such a beautiful, leisurely day where we could stroll around leisurely, watching random streetside performances by bands, letting Little Bee take some carnival rides, browsing through super-fresh fruits in a fruit stall, and just resting, gazing into blank space beside large fountains. Montmartre is definitely my favourite Parisian hangout place!

9) Choco-Story
We spent a morning in Choco-Story, a chocolate museum! We watched how the chocolate chef make delicious chocolate and ate loads of samples!

We also learned about the history of chocolate, and hauled a whole load of scrumptious chocolates back.

In all, Paris was an experience of highs and lows, of acquainting ourselves with the great masters of the past, while coming to an understanding that all great lords may degenerate into modern-day debauchery. I confess I am not a fan of the crowds in Paris, but I admit I was fascinated by the celebrated historical monuments of this magnificent city of lights.

'Twas The Night Before PSLE...

...and it was a stormy, rainy night. Just the perfect ambience for the start of the tumultuous PSLE (Primary School Leaving Exams), which is the national exams that all Singapore students take when they are 12 years old.

To many parents and schools, this is the culmination of 6 years of primary education, and signifies everything that primary school students had been working for.

Yet, I usually beg to differ when statements like these are mentioned to me because examinations - while an inescapable part of Singapore's education system - are never the be-all and end-all for our children. And I made this very clear to the Bees. So, when Big Bee lamented about how the PSLE will shape her life, she would most probably get a reprimand from me. I would usually tell her all the other things she could do in life if she could not fare well for the PSLE. I had seen a number of cases where young children were despaired and depressed over academic work, which ultimately led to unspeakable consequences. To me, my children's happiness is the most fundamental - and I would never wish to link their happiness to academic outcomes.

Regardless, this post is about the PSLE. I thought I should write a little about coping with the arduous journey of woeful 12-year-old children preparing for a major examination which, in many cases, takes up a significant portion of one of the most amazing milestones in a child's life - tweenhood. To place a major examination right in the middle of a year when our children are gradually growing up, discovering new sensations, emotions and feelings, understanding new perspectives....well, that is somewhat brutal. But this is what it is - we live in Singapore and we should just stop complaining.

Instead, it is so essential to show our children that we are not bothered by the PSLE, that there is life after PSLE (even if you score really badly), and that life still goes on in the PSLE year.

I thought of putting together a list of 3 philosophical approaches that we used to prepare Big Bee for the PSLE year, just as a reminder for me when it is Little Bee's turn!

Big Bee throwing her cap high up in exuberance in a trip to Cambodia in June

1) Maintain status quo in your social life
Do not stop CCAs, outings, gatherings with friends, or vacations, just because it is the big ol' PSLE year. Big Bee was even more committed in her CCA in school this year, and she went through two major exams for her piano and ballet lessons, which she truly enjoyed. We had more gatherings with her friends than before (because the kids just bonded so well as they grow older!), and she hosted her very first sleepover with her closest friends in May this year. We still went ahead with vacations, of which one staycation happened right before the mid-year exams! She also read so many more books than previous years (probably escapism at work here!).

As we inched closer to the PSLE, we had movie and bookshop gatherings with her friends and their parents, and we savoured their friendships even more, knowing that all of their classmates would not be together next year.

2) Communicate incessantly with your child
Kids are highly stressed out in the PSLE year because of the pressure given by school teachers. The amount of homework is fairly astounding....and distressing. The pep talks given by teachers - while helpful - can be taxing on their spirits as well. So at home, while it is important to talk about revision and studies, try to indulge in other topics as well.

Big Bee and I have nightly chats about the books that both of us read and love, the characters and plots in these books, as well as movies and music. When I sneaked into her room at night when she was studying, I tended to distract and lure her from her bookish concentration, and instead yakked about anything under the sun.

Of course I did nag at her to revise her work when I caught her using the mobile phone way too much. But more often than not, I was the main culprit who lured her into escapism...just so she could think about other things beyond the big exams. So much so that she ever commented to me sardonically, "Which mum would keep nagging me to stop revising and go to sleep?" or "Why are you always distracting me? Shhh!!"

Constant communication will also allow us to detect shifts of moods, tension or stress in our children, and we should try to talk it out with them. Just 2 hours ago, Big Bee was feeling the stress of the final D-Day tomorrow. Being a natural pessimist, she kept asking lots of "what-if" questions - what if I fail the PSLE? What if I have a mental block? What if the paper is super hard?

I just tried addressing all these in a light-hearted manner, although it can be alarming to the parents to hear some very pessimistic thoughts coming from our usually-cheery child!

3) Discuss options in worst-case scenarios
This is an issue that my mother and I had conflicts over. She believed in informing the child that a good education is the best option in life, and without it, life will cave in on you. While this advice is truly valuable (it shaped my entire life!), it also gives undue stress to a child, especially one with high expectations.

On the contrary, for me, I had always been telling Big Bee about the alternatives she could explore if she really could not do well for the PSLE. So much so that I decided to test her last week by asking, "What if you fail the PSLE?"....of which she quipped thoughtfully, "Well, I would retake the PSLE next year, and study even harder!" I was really happy to hear her response because it was such an improvement from her earlier, stressful thoughts of "PSLE determines my entire life!!!"

Finally, every child is different. These approaches tend to work for Big Bee, who is self-motivated but easily discouraged, and who is rather pessimistic, having a tendency to think unduly of worst-case scenarios. With Little Bee, our approaches might be very different! This is why parenting different children is such a joy - it is a roller-coaster ride of diverse styles for different children!