Lettering Surprises

Big Bee became very interested in calligraphic lettering last year, and self-taught herself which I thought was pretty impressive. I tried emulating her very delicate strokes, and failed miserably everytime, so I know that it is very challenging! She indulged in this hobby quietly and happily, using this as an outlet for de-stressing and for unleashing her hidden creativity.

Her lettering journey started off as a leisurely hobby which brought her much fulfillment and many surprises. Somehow, her school got to know about her hobby and commissioned her to letter 12 pieces which are now featured in her school diary which is given to every student. She ploughed many hours of blood and sweat into this project, oftentimes working late into the night. It was a good test of her resilience and perseverance, especially when her teachers requested for multiple amendments.

In the process, she even conducted a workshop for 20 over teachers, which she found rather unnerving at first. She was also given several paid "job" opportunities to letter for some teachers on separate occasions.

Here are some samples of her artwork which was featured in her school diary (sadly, the printing from school was not very good).

The Beauty of Expressing Yourself

Communication skills are very fundamental to one’s character development, but sadly, the local school system is one that quells the freedom of expression and the confidence to articulate your opinions in class. Which is why I am always advocating for open communications with the Bees, even if their opinions differ drastically from us. I am also thankful that the Bees are enjoying communicative, expressive types of activities in school and outside of school.

Debate

Big Bee is a prolific debater. She used to be quite an introverted girl in primary school, with teachers telling me how quiet she could be in class. So, I am thankful that she decided to break out of her comfort zone in secondary 1 when she tried out for debate as a CCA. She has since represented her school multiple times in national debate competitions, and her team had even emerged as champions in an important national debate competition. 

Getting kids to get out of their comfort zones is so fundamental in nurturing them. Because our world is a crazy world – a world where constant changes beckon. A world that is so volatile and unpredictable. And if our children are used to adaptability and operating out of their comfort zones, I think they will be able to cope better in this madness whirling all around them.

And debate allows Big Bee to understand so much more of this insane world. Through debate, she had to work on so much independent research on world issues. These days, her knowledge of current affairs has surpassed that of me and my hubby. From the intricacies of the electoral college system in the USA elections, to the plight of the Rohingya refugees, to the debt crisis in Greece, to more general discussions on political systems, global warming, public healthcare etc.

So, I am thankful that her knowledge of the world has expanded, her courage to speak in front of an audience has multiplied, and more importantly, she is able to weigh multiple perspectives on different issues.

Drama

Of course, not everyone is suited for debate. Little Bee will not enjoy researching relentlessly on current affairs and world issues. But she has an expressive soul, and she loves to perform in front of large audiences. She is the type of extrovert who will blossom in front of huge audiences, who will shine the brightest if surrounded by people whom she must interact at length with. Recently, she discovered her love for drama, theatre and performing, and she had never been happier.

She is now part of a very active show performing group for children, and had enjoyed herself tremendously these past 4 months. She would skip and hop to the plethora of practices required before a major concert. And is perfectly happy with the numerous hours needed to perfect that few moments on stage. 

And that is what performing arts is all about, isn't it? The manifold hours of sweat and effort, of repeating one’s lines a thousand times, of performing those same steps a million times, of even more work of memorizing scripts and lyrics at home. For this is what true showmanship is all about – grit, effort and guts. And I am so grateful that freedom-loving Little Bee has embraced all the muck and mirth that comes with it.

Recently, she took part in an audition for a talent showcase in USA, and was selected out of thousands who had auditioned. Those were nerve-wrecking days for the introverts in the family (all of us, except her!) but she breezed through her auditions with such an immense sense of enjoyment and joy! More on this in another blog post!

The Magic of England (Part 4): Walking in the footsteps of historical giants

The South of England is heart-achingly beautiful and idyllic, yet steeped in romantic history and dangerous battles. We spent a full day exploring Leeds Castle, the cliffs of Dover and the ancient city of Canterbury – and emerged with heads full of generous duchesses, resilient soldiers and bishops of yore.

Leeds Castle

Touted as the most beautiful castle in England, the beauty of Leeds Castle was mainly due to the halcyon moat surrounding it, and its breathtaking lake and grounds – complete with myriad variety of flowers, trees and forest animals, as well as a pretty labyrinth! There were also mysterious underground dungeons that the Bees were creeped out by, as well as cool, dark wine cellars, and knights in shining armour everywhere!

What I really remembered fondly of Leeds Castle was not its lavish interiors befitting a queen, but our languid strolls outside the blooms-infested castle grounds. It was invigorating to amble at leisure in the cool summer breeze, amidst the stunning array of gorgeous summer blooms in their gardens, admiring the very tame and relaxed ducks and birds ubiquitous on the castle grounds, enjoying the relative solitude and silence in different corners of the castle. The skies were clear brilliant blue, with only miniscule wisps of white, snowy Cirrus clouds tainting it – a perfect day for a walk on the grounds of an old castle!

Canterbury

I love the happy bustle in this ancient city of 2,000 years. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. We were awed by all the quaint, rickety buildings, sometimes in odd shapes and sizes! I find ancient architecture so much quirkier than modern buildings with standardised skyscrapers. We were privileged to have lunch in an old pub, complete with thick-panelled ceilings and walls, medieval-looking chairs, as well as the good old English fish and chips! 

As we trundled around the busy town, we even spotted an inn in which Charles Dickens stayed in! We ventured into the 1,400-year-old Canterbury Cathedral and were delved immediately into deep peace and tranquillity. A service was ongoing, and the hushed ambience of the antiquated cathedral was captivating. The beauty of the architecture was inexplicably exquisite – towering arched and domed ceilings, sanctified stain glasses with murals of saints and Jesus, and intricately carved majestic doorways. 

The resplendent Canterbury Cathedral, one of the oldest and most prominent churches in England

With the girls being fanatic bibliophiles, a visit to the bookshop was inevitable, and we were struck by the huge variety of books there. As we strolled around town, we were struck with the ubiquity of quaint specialty shops and pretty window displays – beautifully rolled-up fabrics in a sewing shop, splashes of colours from fresh fruits in a fruit shop, old books peeping out from a rickety old house. We giggled at cute street names (like Duck Lane!), and marvelled at creative doorways of timid houses nestled in hidden alleys. 

The Cliffs Of Dover

For World War 2 history buffs like my hubby, arriving at Dover with its incessant reminders of battle strategies and turbulent days of yore brought shots of excitement into the usually blasé him. 

The white cliffs of Dover

Dover is a sleepy town, characterised mainly by its history and towering, pure-white cliffs. Gazing across the English Channel towards the European continent, we could understand how England was fearful for its security and safety in times of war. We stared hard into bunks hidden in the white cliffs where Winston Churchill reportedly hid inside to analyse his battle strategies. We caught glimpses of the majestic yet fragile Dover Castle where it served as the guardian of the UK for over nine centuries.

We laughed aplenty on the magnificently pebbled beach of Dover – picking huge palm-sized pebbles polished to smooth, sparkling treasures by the tempestuous waves in the Straits of England. Little Bee had the greatest fun, lying on the pebbled beach, spreading herself out into a “pebble angel”. Our hair was tousled and messy, made wild by the capricious wind that rose and fell intermittently. The tranquillity and rustic quietness of Dover town was truly alluring and captivating.

Greenwich and River Thames

We did the typical London tourist activity by taking a cruise along the River Thames, from Greenwich Pier to the city centre of London. I am never a fan of cruises along major rivers, likening them to tourist traps on dirty brown waters. However, a cruise on the Thames allowed us peeks into the lives of the British, some of whom used the boat as a form of transport from work to home along the river. 

Big Bee was ecstatic over the Blackfriar’s Bridge because it was featured prominently in one of her favourite young adult series (“The Clockwork Prince” series). We saw major landmarks briefly on this cruise – Tower of London, the London Bridge, the Shard – and it was rather relaxing just sitting back and enjoying the views and the plethora of accents around us.

It was such a rejuvenating day, being away from the crowds of London, immersed in glorious sunlight and invigorating breezes. I could imagine travelling around the South of England for a protracted period of time, exploring its little villages and old, ancient towns! 

Life In A Nutshell

Life had been super busy! I had been sort of neglecting the blog because I had been spending more time with my handwritten journal which I scribble in every night. So, that had sort of taken over my writing bug nightly. It was a wonderful way to slow down at the end of a hectic day, allowing me to collect my thoughts and think back to what the day looked like. Journal writing is an excellent way to detoxify my mind, and I had been indulging in this habit since age 11, so I am thankful for the sustained interest in it! That being said, I do miss blogging, so will try to inhabit this space more often! 

Here's a quick peek at our lives at this point of time! 

Big Bee is a mature 14-year-old teenager and Little Bee is now well into her tweens at 10 years old. How time flies! I am glad I really cherished every moment of their childhood with them when they were much younger, despite all the fatigue of looking after little children. Before I could blink my eyes (figuratively!), they are growing fast into little adults! I must thank God that He had nurtured my 2 girls in ways that are very much blessed. I did not have to deal with any major teenage angst from Big Bee, nor any major meltdowns with Little Bee as she inched deeper into her tweenhood. Of course, there were the inevitable outbursts of independence and frustrations, but those were nothing I could not handle, and those little storms blew over quickly.

Big Bee had a very smooth transition into secondary school life (she is now in secondary 2). She got into the school of her choice through the Direct Schools Admissions scheme (DSA) before the PSLE, but still did well for her PSLE to justify her entrance into her school (which was what she wanted to prove!). Her school is an integrated programme school, which means that she would not need to take the O-levels, which is really a blessing! I am never a fan of too many national examinations, so the more we can cut down on examinations, the better! She also did well enough to earn a very nice scholarship from her primary school, which recognised her achievements in academics and extra-curricular activities. She is also on an MOE scholarship in her secondary school, which helps us cut down on school fees significantly. Secondary school can be quite costly compared to primary school! Hence, she eased into secondary school with the gratitude and confidence that she was recognised for her efforts, and I am thankful for that.

Little Bee is her usual nonchalant and mischievous self. She is exploring the world through more mature lenses now, but her sense of wonder and child-likeness is still prevalent....and I am grateful that she had not become cynical yet. She had a bit of a rocky year in terms of academics. She was in a high-ability class last year, and I constantly had to deal with pesky teacher calls about how she could not catch up with the rest of her superpower peers. I constantly told the teacher that she should not be comparing peers in the classroom. Thankfully, she was put in a mixed-ability class this year. I secretly rejoiced because she is now doing much better in terms of "coping" in class, and I hope this helps a little with her self esteem, although she had always been a very confident girl, no matter what. I also realise how relevant streaming can be, especially for kids to be put with like-minded peers, and I appreciate the system for this. Calls from teachers had also ceased, so I am truly grateful! 

Every child has his or her different strengths and weaknesses. My 2 girls are testaments to that! Not everyone is suited for our harsh and rigid education system. However, we are living in Singapore, so instead of complaining and not being able to change the system, I think we as parents should be focusing on the strengths of our individual children and adjusting the system to fit them. For Little Bee, her strengths lie in creative and performing arts, so we had been doing a lot more for her in these areas. More to come in future blog posts! 

The Magic Of England (Part 3): 1000-Year-Old…

...and that is the approximate age of the oldest university in the English speaking world – Oxford University. We ventured by train into the city of Oxford one beautiful day with clear, azure skies and white, cotton-puff clouds. We were struck by the antiquity of myriad buildings in Oxford, the intellectual and academic ambience of the town (so many university buildings around the train station!), and the fluidity in which Oxford University is integrated into the whole city. 

Bodleian Library

A thousand-year-old building in Oxford

We were also slightly flustered by the crowds of tourists milling around town. I hope Oxford students are still able to gain a little privacy and tranquillity behind those high walls of the many gorgeous residential colleges!

We were most impressed by the sprawling meadows near Christ Church College. With the girls being such huge Harry Potter fans, it was just natural for them to imagine the signature, honey-coloured stone spires and gothic, arched windows of Christ Church College hailing straight from Hogwarts! 

As we were strolling along the meandering paths of the various residential colleges in Oxford, we kept hearing Singaporean accents! Turned out that a group of Singaporean students had gathered for a Singaporean food festival in one of the meadows. Just like Singaporeans to celebrate our local culinary delights anywhere in the world!

It was really easy to amble lazily all around Oxford, visiting courtyards of old colleges where well-known alumni like Oscar Wilde, Lewis Carroll, Margaret Thatcher, Rupert Murdoch and more, once roamed the same courtyards and dusty libraries. We loved the indelible and dense atmosphere of knowledge, curiosity and intellect all around us. We were struck by the consistent beauty of all the residential colleges, although it disturbed me a little when we could secretly sneak into one of the courtyards of a residential college, where only students should wander. 

We sneaked into a cathedral, and it was so peaceful and tranquil after madly mingling with tourists outside

I started to dream about the what-ifs of an overseas education, something that was financially out of my family’s reach back then. And wondered if my children should indulge in an overseas education, for the sheer freedom and opportunity to live an independent life away from home - although I will always be a huge advocate of our local universities. 

At the end of a wonderful day of getting lost in narrow, cobblestoned alleys and wide boulevards framed by stoic, gothic buildings, we accidentally slipped into one of Jamie Oliver’s restaurants, and had the most delicious pasta dinner ever! The train ride back was a continuation of knowledge seeking, with all of us respectively reading our books on the 1-hour train ride. Reading on trains is so therapeutic and restful! 

{100 Places}: Labrador Park

The light was ephemeral yet celestial - with the setting sun sending its last burst of arresting, sublime rays up to the heavens. The expansive sea to our left was calm and placid, its serene waves reaching the shores which led to mysteriously lush rainforest.

And we were ambling on a beautiful boardwalk, situated right in the middle of the sea and rainforest, with the dazzling golden light above us. What a sight to behold.

Welcome to Labrador Park, a little-known sanctuary that our family has taken to visiting more often lately. We love everything about Labrador Park - from the fun play stations scattered around the park (which included a "maze" made purely out of vertical logs!) to the rustic BBQ pits by the sea which I used to visit with my own family and cousins when I was a teenager.

We love to amble along the board walk, just letting it guide us to wherever it wants to lead us. We love discovering little nooks and crannies that only Labrador Park can provide - old, historical war monuments dating back to World War 2 buried deep in the rainforest, the juxtaposition of a see-saw beside a gun fortress and a tall cliff, a small cafe in the middle of nowhere, with an amazing view of the surroundings (not sure if it is still there!)...so many surprises!

The beauty of Labrador Park is that it is not permeated by crowds of people, so we get our space to explore and be carefree!

Previous posts about Labrador Park:
Close To Nature

The Magic Of England (Part 2): The Cotswolds

If you are nestled in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by lush countryside, senescent minuscule towns, antiquated thatched cottages and medieval parish churches, you might just think that you are living in a fairy tale. 

A true-blue, real living tiny village filled completely with thatched-roof cottages nestled deep in the Cotswolds!

You may wander along the meandering country lanes, or down quaint cobblestoned paths in honey-coloured towns, wondering if time had stood still. You may be cramped in a small thatched cottage with low ceilings and diminutive rooms, suspicious that you had inadvertently entered a dwarf's home, right out of the pages of a Snow White story.

And that was exactly how we felt every second of the 4 days that we spent deep in the Cotswolds. We stayed in a beautiful cottage in a tiny town called Moreton-in-Marsh, whose shops are all closed by 4.30pm! A sleepy, quiet but exceedingly tranquil town, draped in a delicious golden shade of the famous Cotswold stone.

Our little cottage in Moreton-in-Marsh

Time slowed to a grinding halt in Moreton-in-Marsh, where we sat around in our cottage playing card games all evening, where we spent quiet afternoons reading, where we spent many hours in the kitchen cooking and dining together.

It is a charming 2-level cottage with 2 bedrooms upstairs, and the living and kitchen areas downstairs

Such quaint finishing inside!

Moreton-in-Marsh is a lovely old town situated right in the middle of the Cotswolds, a magnificent pastoral area of outstanding beauty and historic significance. One of the most memorable experiences in the Cotswolds was the privilege of meeting 2 of the friendliest natives who brought us on a tour off the beaten paths in the countryside.

Imagine a good friend bringing you around her village, showing you all the nooks and crannies of the region. Imagine her bringing you home to her warm, cosy cottage - numerous times - where you sat around the fireplace, chatting with a group of equally contented friends, sipping on tea and gorging on some of the best English food we had ever tasted. Imagine leaving her company at the end of the day, totally contented and reluctant to part with the beauties of the Cotswolds. 

The "secret cottage" of Becky and Robin. The interior of their home is so cosy and magical, complete with a warm fireplace, low ceilings and amazing nooks and crannies!

And that was exactly how we spent the day with Becky and Robin, a husband-and-wife team who founded The Secret Cottage tours. Despite the drizzle on our day out, the beauty of the Cotswolds - with all the secret thatched cottages, tiny villages and beautiful rolling meadows - was showcased to perfection by Becky, who has an amazing knowledge of the most beautiful places to show us!

One of the houses in the villages around Cotswolds - doesn't this look like Snow White's house?

It is hard to believe that real families really live inside such resplendently beautiful houses!

Magnificent English countryside filled with animals just roaming around - curious horses, stubborn bulls who refused to give way to traffic, hippy sheep (see below!) and even hedgehogs!

Robin, her husband, was so hospitable and prepared multiple feasts for us back in their home. We would drive and walk around different villages in the Cotswolds, before returning to their home numerous times for morning tea, lunch and tea! This is, by far, one of the most intimate and cosy tours I had been on! The hosts were warm, friendly and put all of us at ease. The company of the other 8 guests was excellent, and we all chatted around the fireplace like good friends. 

Lunch - what a spread!

The Bees were thrilled by the underground wine cellar of Becky and Robin because there was a magic trapdoor which led them downstairs!

We were brought to quaint villages, majestically old country manors and archaic, serene parish churches in Becky's comfortable SUV. We went on charming country walks in the gentle drizzle and mist, feeling almost like we were characters in a Jane Austen novel!

Smelling and picking flowers along quiet, bucolic country paths

A pretty pub with beer mugs hanging all over their low ceiling!

Chastleton House - which has been around since 1612!

Oooh, I want to live in this house! So charming!

An old mill in Great Tew, one of the villages we traipsed through

A lovely, tranquil parish church with a small cemetary on its grounds. We looked around the tombstones that dated back centuries ago, and remembered a time long gone...

The Bees were delighted with the food and found everything to be so fetching and memorable. That day provided us with the most indelible experience indeed!

We simply love their tea spread! What alluring tableware and the most scrumptious of English scones and tea cakes!

If anything can fascinate picky Little Bee in terms of food, it must be superb!

Other than our very captivating day off, we took long country walks on our own, stopping to literally smell the flowers and just to admire our enchanting surroundings.

We had numerous meals in delightful, whimsical restaurants, cafes and pubs, indulging in some very delicious English food! Here are some excerpts from a selection of restaurants we visited...

Lunch inside "The Marshmallow Cafe" - a very small and winsome cafe with excellent English food

Breakfast in "Mrs Potts Tea Room" - what a delightful tea room indeed!

Winsome finishings in the tea room

A traditional English breakfast which all of us love!

We browsed in quiet, alluring antique shops, and waved to friendly locals in their homes. It was an invigorating change for typical city souls like us to stroll down perfectly empty streets after 4.30pm and the whole of Sunday, revelling in a slower pace of life, understanding that life is so much richer beyond the silly frantic things we futilely chased after every day.

This is a community farm plot at the edge of Moreton-in-Marsh! We were captivated by the different types of vegetation, crops and flowers in various plots.

Most of all, we spend so much time with each other, laughing, eating, ambling and chatting ....  far far from the madding crowds :)

A splendid field of gold (likely to be rapeseed plants) just a 20-minute walk from our little cottage!