Holidays Mean "Out Of Town"!

Right after the Penang Hill trip, we had 2 consecutive nights of dinner gathering with family and friends. Which also means, I didn't have to cook dinner for 2 nights *big grin* but I made a chocolate swirl frozen cheesecake and another cheddar cheese cake for each of the occasion and the guests loved it!

We headed for Seremban on Saturday morning, the car boot was already 95% full when we leave the house, can you imagine how overloaded was it when we came home? Anyway, we met up with family members, had a nice hotel stay, good food, great catch up, everybody just had a lot of fun.

We brought along Charlotte's scooter and she had a big show-off at the park on the first evening there at Seremban.

Then we saw there was a big field where a lot of people were flying kites there. Charlotte had been asking for kite flying for the longest time but because we couldn't really find the right moment to make it happen for her it was still on the to-do list. So we thought that was just the great timing to make it happen and we went ahead to get her another kite (we didn't bring along one) and one for her cousin Christopher. It was daddy's job to make it "fly" but it wasn't that easy, some more Charlotte chose a big kite! Daddy was sweating just trying to get it up in the sky...

We had to catch the wind and only after several attempts and finally her kite flew up in the sky! But the wind only lasted for a short while and soon the sky turned dark. We had to call it off and head out for dinner. Lucky thing was Charlotte had her kite flew high but not Christopher. She was quite contented and willing to leave the park but poor Christopher was crying and throwing quite a big tantrum at that (the boy in this picture is Christopher).

Charlotte actually did a great job in keeping her kite flying up high...

I don't know what happened on the way to the restaurant as we went in different cars, Christopher was back to his normal self again when we met again at the restaurant, phew! We called it a night after a that big great dinner, it was almost 11pm when we returned to the hotel rooms.

I was surprised that everybody came to this trip very well prepared. I secretly prepared Charlotte’s swim suits thought just in case there will be a swimming session at the hotel but to my surprise others also brought along tennis rackets and stuffs. The next morning, before checking out the hotel younger children (mainly Charlotte and Christopher la) were going to swim at the hotel pool, Charlotte’s other cousins and uncles were playing a tennis game while the rest of the adults continued to chit chat at their convenience.

Charlotte shows her improvement in swimming, she was able to move or "swim" quite quickly across the pool when we put her on the float! Once again, Christopher was throwing tantrum at the pool side, he wanted to get into the water and swim like Charlotte but he was afraid of water! We tried to hoax him, gave him the float but still he was afraid and yet frustrated because he couldn't play in the pool like Charlotte. We had to leave him sitting by the poolside with his mommy. We checked out the hotel after a good shower.

Next stop, KL!!!

When Holiday Started...

Movie was just a warming up, we had a lot of planned agenda ahead. First, it was a visit to Penang Hill with Ching Ern and Yan. Charlotte's first trip to Penang Hill was in Aug 2007 (how time flies), I didn't think she would forget about it until I asked her when we were at the foot hill. I should have shown her the pictures before we left for the trip but because I was worried about what if the plan didn't turn out (raining or some other reasons) I didn't tell her about it until we were about to leave the house that morning.

I am always amazed how kids get connected almost instantly and they are so sincere to their friends. Ern and Charlotte hit it off almost instantly, it took a little time for Yan to warm up but very soon they are like good friends for ages! They played together, sang together, ran about together, making funny pose together...

We had light lunch at the David Brown's Restaurant and Tea Terrace, by the time we left it was almost 2.30pm! It was way past Charlotte's nap time and she just snoozed off while we were still taking the cable car down. She slept all the way home, I purposely took a longer route and drove at slower speed so that she could catch up with her nap before reaching home.

It was a fun adventure, thanks to Auntie Wooi Sin and Auntie Cheah Wei for making it happened! Check out what Ching Ern says about this trip here...

Movie Time!

I received a surprise call from Ann (Chloe's mother) last Friday that they are inviting us for a movie on Friday night! Of course it's GO and I was hoping that Pat would join us too (he usually has business dinner on Friday nights). Then Pat said OK! Yippee!!!

We took Charlotte for her first movie at the cinema back in Nov last year. Last Friday, we watched...

photo credit

She absolutely loved it! She loved the movie, loved the company, and guess what? We met a lot more friends there at the cinema! I think kids movie makes good money, 1 person wants to watch but have to buy at least 2 or 3 tickets... :D

Anyway, thanks Chloe for a nice movie treat! Next round will be our treat :)

New Experience With Cheese Cake!

What is your experience with cheesecake? What come to your mind when someone mentioned about cheesecake? It is cheesy, rich, heavy, and you cannot eat much as the guilt builds up as you bite? Well, at least I feel that way every time I have cheese cake...but not any more!!

It is a whole new experience with the cheddar cheese cake! The ingredients are very light, the texture is soft and spongy, the cake melts in your mouth almost instantly! It does not taste as cheesy (surprisingly) and heavy as the ordinarty cheese cake. It is so soft and fine that you will want to eat another piece!

A friend of mine gave 4 pieces to me last week and I told her that I am not much a cake person. I like to bake but I don't like to eat. But I thank her anyway and put the 4 pieces untouched. Until that late evening, I was so hungry and I thought let's just settle the hunger with those cakes instead of have to run out and get something to eat or to cook. I took one, and another one, and another one, without knowing it I finished them all! I sms my friend and asked what that was and she said that's the cheddar cheese cake that she mentioned to me earlier.

I baked it myself and share it with with my in laws and friends, they all loved it!

Thanks Ann!

Thanks For Sharing

I started blogging in year 2006 when I met a group of dedicated mothers at work and we decided to start a play group for our little ones as they are all about the same age. Most of them have started blog for their child and I learnt from them how to start one, and here I am! I am thankful to the people I met as I learn directly or indirectly from all of you and I am even more thankful to the blogging world that the sharing of experiences, knowledge and encounters seem never end. Of course, one will have to be able to differentiate and choose what is right from wrong as there are also many junks out in the worldwide web (www).

Recently I picked up baking again, and it seems therapeutic although I am already multi-tasking to a great extend! Thanks to Angie sharing this very interesting cookies recipe and lead me to another new site that I will never missed it again!

This was my 2nd time baking it. I did the first time a week before and both Charlotte and I were all excited. She helped me making the doggie dough and surprisingly she helped through the entire portion! She even sat in front of the oven waiting for it to be ready! Got too excited and I forgot to snap a picture. Last week, we did it again. Charlotte’s 姐姐 gave her a card last Friday and she held it so dearly to her. I asked her what did she wants to give to her 姐姐 and she said the “doggie cookies”! So here we did it again!

I put them in 2 small airtight containers, one for her 姐姐 and another for her 哥哥. I put a princess sticker on her 姐姐’s container and Charlotte chose a tigger sticker for her哥哥. Off she went to school with one container on each hand. I can see and even feel her excitement that day!

Charlotte dear, you are such a darling! Thanks for sharing!

Priceless!

If you have a picky eater at home like me you will know how I feel and what I'm going to say is true. It is priceless to hear the picky eater ask for food, or seeing he/she eats! Eating, may seem like a normal and natural way of life but it is not the case for the picky eater of mine.

Having said that, Charlotte has been showing good eating habit lately. In fact, her eating habit improves significantly when she started school this year. She asked for cake as desert for 4 consecutive nights last week. If you must know, she had never eat any cake for more than 2 bites, even her very beautiful and yummy birthday cake that she requested last year. I was very skeptical when she asked for cake. Then again, I never reject her food demand since she is such a picky eater and whenever she asks for it I will be more than happy to give.

I drove her to a nearby bakery and she picked a Germany Chocolate cake. I kept telling her that she must not waste the food, and the money of course as that piece cost me RM5.50! She said "yes" without any hesitation. That night, she finished almost 3 quarter of the cake! I was really really happy to see that of course. She asked for it again the next day, the day after next and another day. She did not finish the entire cake for all the 4 nights, but it was all with about 1/4 left and that was way exceeded my expectation.

It is priceless (to me) to see her enjoy her food...

She Cares

I am very pleased to see my little girl is growing up as a kind and generous person. Although she has her temper tantrum once in awhile but overall she is behaving rather well. She is willing to share her toys and belongings with others, she thinks of others and she is showing her sensitivity toward other's feeling lately. Like when I told her that Simba (our golden retriever) was sad because he is always staying home while she gets to play outside, she "talked" to Simba a lot lately. She told Simba to be good and she will bring him out to the beach again, she greets him everyday after school and etc. I'm glad to see that she takes our pet so dearly.

Last week, she told me her good friend Chloe had a cut on her finger at school. She told me that she wants to give her the "princess plaster". I said ok and told her to remember to bring along to school tomorrow. That evening, Chloe came knocking at my door. She returned the stamp that Charlotte lend her earlier and then she said "Auntie, Charlotte said want to give me princess plaster!". Oh, I didn't know that Charlotte made a promise to Chloe! Charlotte then looked at me and said "Yes, mommy I told you! Come let's go get the princess plaster" and we rushed to our room and she picked a "Sleeping Beauty" plaster for Chloe! She was very happy and kept on shouting out to Chloe "Chloe, wait ah!", "Chloe, I'm coming!". They both very happy, with one giving out "love" and another receiving what was promised :)

A few days ago I had a small cut on my thumb and when she noticed it she kept asking "Mommy, pain or not?", "Mommy, I sayang you ya, don't cry". She held my hand all day long, making sure that that cut will not get any more hurt.

Every time we have the opportunity to bake or cook something special she would think of sharing it with her friends in school, grandparents or her cousins...

I am pleased to see that Charlotte has developed her sense of empathy and caring for others as I think it is important to live "humanly". Another lesson that she learns indirectly is to keep her promise! Actually, both Charlotte and I made a lot of promises to each other everyday. Small deal like do her homework before TV time, eat her fruits/meal before she gets to play, clean-up after play and etc. She always keep her promise when she made one and I am so proud of her!

Gratefulness

There are many fundamental yet important values in life that people likely to forget or simply take for granted these days. These values do not required high education background to understand it nor to be wealthy enough to own it. They are the simplest thoughts, most fundamental attitudes that even a child has it but it is easy to be forgotten as they grow, as the external influence gets stronger in their life.

As much as possible, I'd like to remind Charlotte and myself to be grateful, especially to people who helped us, guided us, advised us, coached us in one way or another. We thank God every night that we are so blessed in every way and help us not taking things or people for granted but learn to be grateful.

It was Mother's Day last week, every school and teacher put in their best and biggest effort to educate and teach our child to be grateful to their mother (parents). A friend of mine reminded me that it is Teacher's Day this week and we both planned something for the school/teachers as a token of appreciation.

A simple card is what I prepared, I explained to Charlotte the reason and the meaning of giving this card to her teachers and I asked Charlotte to write the word "I Love You" by herself. We do it because we want to remember and be grateful for what we have received from the school/teachers, not because we are hoping for more or better/special attention for Charlotte.

Happy Teachers Day!

Homemade Sugar Donut

I have this donut recipe sitting in my book shelf for a long long time. Recently I got into mood for baking again and the book is now on the kitchen table. As Charlotte flipped through the book one day she pointed at the donuts and asked me to make for her.

I gathered the ingredients a few days before and was just waiting for the right timing to do it. It requires a lot of "waiting" time as for the dough to rise and such I couldn't afford to multi-tasks, as I tend to forget about it.

So here it is...you see 2 different colors? Well, the darker ones were the first batch and the oil was too hot! Then I turned down the fire and the rest of the donuts came out well.

Charlotte ate one that night and she asked to bring 2 to school the next morning. She wanted to share with her good friend, Chloe. I was hesitant because it really wasn't that good and by the way, Chloe's mother is a pro in baking. Then I thought, doesn't matter, it was Charlotte's good thought about her friend. I shouldn't discourage her, so I let her bring anyway.

It looked like donut, tasted like donut but only not soft enough. I wonder what could have been wrong or what is it there to improvise? Any expert want to help out here?

Happy Mother's Day!

Like every other schools, Charlotte's school made some special arrangements last Friday for the kids and mothers were asked to pick up their child personally on that day if possible. The children were asked to bring along one adult t-shirt on Friday as there were activities for the kids to pretend as pregnant women.

They children were asked to carry their school bag in front just like how pregnant women carry their big tummy. It was for the whole of Friday, they wore like that during the class lessons, meal time, nap time, and activity time. The teachers then asked them what did they realize, or how it felt like carrying a big tummy around. Some said it was difficult, couldn't reach when they want to eat, couldn't reach when they need to brush their teeth, couldn't sleep properly, heavy, couldn't run and etc. Then the lesson of appreciation was explained and taught to the children.

There were chairs arranged at the front porch during the pick up time, each parent (mother) was asked to sit down while the teacher will bring out the child, with a cupcake (the school helped the children in baking it) and handmade carnation flower and a card in hand. Charlotte said "Happy Mother's Day mommy! I love you!" when she was brought to me. It was such a warm feeling hearing that. I was trying very hard holding back those happy tears *silly me*

The card was also for daddy as they were not only celebrating Mother's Day but more of "Parents' Day".

I also got a very BIG present from Pat this year. No, not a diamond jewelry although I did get one from my mom. I've always wanted to have a treadmill at home, save me a lot of time traveling to a gym and make no more excuses to fitness. A home use Kettler treadmill is what I got from Pat *grin*

It's not a matter of what or how expensive the gifts are, it's the thought that count! These are all surprises for me this year! Thanks darling, thanks Charlotte and thanks mommy!

We then met with my parents on Sunday evening for a simple Mother's Day dinner (we had an earlier round last week with MIL). My mom actually thought of skipping it as she thought it was not necessary to beat the crowd that day. My eldest brother insisted it and we had no regret with that dinner! All of us had a very good laugh talking about nonsense all night long, children were happy to see each other and the food...what you see in this picture was just half of what we ordered *oops*! (Luckily treadmill is on the way)

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers, and especially to my mom! May the good Lord bless you always!

Buddy System

Charlotte's school started the "buddy system" about one month back, they call it "小天使家族" where the elder student will be the younger student's buddy.

This is the picture of Charlotte's buddy. I'm not sure about the boy in the picture, but the big 姐姐 in the picture is someone Charlotte mentioned frequently ever since the buddy system started. Sometimes she told me her 姐姐 feed her lunch, sometimes she told me her 姐姐 helped her with the afternoon wash-up and stuff like that.

Several occasions recently, I found this 姐姐 really takes good care of Charlotte. Once I was waiting at the front porch waiting to pick up Charlotte. I saw Charlotte walking out from her class and when she saw her 姐姐 they both stopped and chat a little. Her 姐姐 also gave her a big hug after that. It happened so naturally, and I could tell they bond so well. The school has done a good job in teaching them to love one another, and I'm sure the girl's family had taught her well too.

That day I found this drawing in Charlotte's school bag...

I asked her who gave her this and she said "my cheh cheh (姐姐) la!". Charlotte also ask me to make a quick bento fix for her 姐姐 and I promised her that I will do that in the coming Monday.

I took this picture during the 2nd Field Trip they had last week. The 6year old had different program and agenda then the 4year old, they first met during lunch. I saw her 姐姐 running towards Charlotte when she saw her and gave her a big hug, then they talked a little bit before they were sitted at different table. This picture was taken during another agenda and they bumped to each other again and again the 姐姐 quickly came towards Charlotte when she saw her and guided her to sit down. They were with another 4years old girl which was about to broke into tears. When Charlotte saw her 姐姐 comforting the little girl, she (her back facing camera)also "kei poh" (busy body) and do the same. I had a warm feeling seeing it and I quickly took out my camera, that's why the picture was taken from a bad angle.

Charlotte told me after coming back from the field trip that she slept in the bus on the way back to school. She said she slept on her 姐姐's shoulder! Isn't that sweet?

Conincidentally, 靖雅姐姐's mother was my buddy when I started my first job :)

I Think I Did It Alright!

I took 2 extra days off from work last week just right before May 1st holiday just so I could have a loooong weekend. No, no where to go, no planned trip, no special agenda…so what was I up to?

I had been waiting for the off days since I got this recipe from Jessie a couple of weeks back and I couldn't’t wait to get my hands dirty! I had been planning (in my head) of what to do, how to do and a very silly habit that I have is I never make note to the list of things that I need to buy. So, I will surely forget one or two every time but I never learn :p So, I took 3 days (3 trips) to buy the complete ingredients needed for fondant.

I followed the instruction carefully and prepare the fondant a night before an invitation that we received to celebrate a 12-day-after-birth gathering from a coupled friends of ours. I already had the idea of what to design when we received this invitation but being a first timer I was less adventures. I choose a simple creation, with only 2 different color fondants, and the result…

It was to celebrate their first new born baby girl, Isabel. So, I made the fondant cutouts with her name and little cute hello kitty. Unfortunately, the baby was admitted to the hospital a day before the celebration due to jaundice.

I prepared just enough for the number of guests. The gang finished the cupcakes in a zippy (there was only 1 cupcake to each guest anyway). I didn't think that they will eat the fondant, because it was really sweet and I was mentally prepared that they fondants were going to be left untouched since the guests were all adults (ya, no children that day. Charlotte was not there with us too because she was sick). But to my surprise everything was gone! They didn't think the fondant was too sweet but rather it went well together with the cupcake (the usual cranberry orange cupcake that I made, I was trying to use up my dried cranberries before they got expired actually) and the feedback was good! *ahem*

Thanks Jessie for the advise and sharing, I think I did it alright as a first timer ya :)

A Visit To 静思堂

Charlotte's school organized another field trip last Wednesday. It was to visit to a place called 静思堂. Not really a temple, well maybe part of it. The intention was to introduce the history of this building, how it was build and the meaning of each structures of the building, appreciations, and some the history of Master Cheng Yen and etc.

At first I didn't think I want to participate even though I was off from work that day but then a friend of mine (also our neighbor), her daughter is in the same class as Charlotte mentioned that she will be joining the trip but only for the first half as she needed to be back at work after lunch. So I changed my mind and joined her instead.

It was a great morning and everybody gotten ready speedily however, it started to rain when we were just about 1km away from the destination. It was a heavy down pour but luckily there were quite many volunteers (mostly parents) participating that event, all taking umbrellas and helping the children to get off from the bus without getting wet. For once, I felt like I was back at the youth fellowship at the church again. That kind of sharing and volunteering without self interest and distinguishing each other was always warm and nice.

The children then settled down and gathered at the hall before the first introduction started.

They were then separated in different groups, according to the individual class and the trip agenda began. Charlotte' s class was first introduced to the hand washed pebbles that are found one section's floor and wall. The children were told to trace the pebbles onto the set of activity worksheet the form teacher had prepared.

I managed to take the class picture while they were listening to the teacher's instruction. See, the stairs, the pillars are all build with those pebbles?

Then they explored the tiles, the recycling station before they were called for lunch. I left soon after lunch so I do not have further update what happened after that.

I do not deny that there was quite a lot of Buddhism elements during the trip. Of course, they were visiting to a temple (sort of) right? I was a little disturbed to see Charlotte did all those praying gestures although I knew she learn that from school as she did show some of those actions to me sometimes. I told Pat that night, he wasn't really concern about it because he said as long as we don't practise all those she will forget about it eventually (when she graduated from this school eventually).

Oh, did I forget to mention that the school is not moving anymore? Well, at least for another year. So, yes Auntie Angie, Charlotte's prayer is answered!

Beautiful Teeth Baby

Remember Charlotte's first field trip to the dentist clinic? The school organized a mini event after that as a continuation of what the children learn from that field trip. It was a 3 weeks competition and the school will crown one boy and one girl from each class (4yr old, 5yr old and 6yr old) as "漂亮牙齿宝宝" (Beatiful Teeth Baby).

The criteria are:
1. You must not have cavity from the dental's record
2. Brush teeth the correct way
3. Always smile and with good manners, greeted elderly and teachers all the time

Charlotte was crowned as the first's week winner from the 4yr old class. Although she had teeth filling before and the dentist was aware of it when he did the check-up, she still won the title as she is always such an angel in school *bleah* and she is already a pro in teeth brushing since we started her early.

It Was A Nice Day Off

No, not off from work...but from the kitchen! It was those very rare day that Pat agreed to cook *grin*. We bought 3 pieces of fine cut rib eye and a bottle of red wine from Cold Storage last Saturday night and we decided to have a nice home cook steak on Sunday evening. It was a nice day off for both me and Brenda (yes, Pat cooked for Brenda too) and the little Charlotte enjoyed her Domino's thin crust pizza and her favorite cinnastix.

Looking back, it was like a special day for us. We had a pretty occupied day last Sunday, nothing planned but all turned out well. Charlotte and Simba (our golden retriever) had a nice play at the beach in the morning, we had a very peaceful brunch (peaceful means Charlotte ate well, ok?) after that. Then a short bicycle ride in the evening before daddy took over the kitchen :) No pictures on the steak, we were all too hungry but I gave it a 2 thumbs up!

I told Charlotte a few days before that Simba is very sad because he always stays at home. She then told Simba that morning "Hey Simba, I bring you to the beach ok? You don't sad ya!"

They played very well together. Simba is very tame and gentle, unfortunately we couldn't let him ran freely on the beach because there were quite a lot of Malays around that day.

Friends

I am very proud to say that Charlotte is very sociable, she mixes very well with friends, she is willing to share her belongings with others, and friends like her very much too. Her teacher even told me that she will automatically go comfort her friends if they are crying.

A friend came back from Singapore last week and it was their first trip back home with their new born baby girl. We were invited to their house for a gathering and we took Charlotte along as usual. Before we went, we stopped by baby Gap and gotten a nice baby dress for the new born. We gave it to Charlotte and told her that it's a present from her to the baby. She was very proud and couldn't wait any longer to go to the baby's house.

When we arrived, Charlotte greeted the host and gave the present to the baby. Split seconds later, we were surprised to see that she was already mingling around with several new found friends. They played very well together and I noticed that they took very good care of Charlotte since she was the youngest and smallest in size.

Here are the little angels:

Actually the boy, Isaac is just 2 days older than Charlotte. What a coincidence! He displayed fine lil gentleman quality throughout the entire night, not only took care of Charlotte but the other girls too. The girl in the picture, her name is Ru Yi, a very gentle little girl too.

Just last week, I was told by another friend who met-up with Isaac and his parents for lunch that Isaac was disappointed when he didn't see Charlotte. His mommy then wrote to me:

"...Yes embarrassingly, my son is displaying signs of being a casanova....We were looking at the photos yesterday and when he saw Charlotte's photo, his face lit up and he shouted her name" LOL!

I am just glad to know that Charlotte is much more independent now :)

What A Night!

I had a very bad migraine attack on Thursday night. I thought I felt the trauma starting around 9pm and I decided to quickly swallow a couple of pain killers as usual to stop it from getting worse. I always have pain killers in my medicine drawer but it must be a very unlucky day for me that night that it ran out! I thought I could probably endure the pain while hoping it doesn't get any worse I tucked Charlotte to bed as usual.

Unfortunately, the pain level kept increasing and I was really on my knees and I text Pat to quickly come home and get me some panadols. He was in town when I contacted him and it took him 45min to reach home at his fastest speed possible. I thought I will be alright once the medicine had taken effect but I was wrong! The pain had traveled from my head to my neck by then I knew that was not a good sign. I usually will throw up once it hits my neck and that was what happened. It didn't relieved me after the vomiting however and the pain was almost unbearable. Pat then decided to send me to the nearest hospital.

I was sent to the A&E as it was already past midnight. I was first examined by a GP and then blood sample was taken for some blood tests. I was then asked to be admitted and they ran a CT test while contacted a neurologist to come in immediately. I threw up another time after they transferred me to the room. I have to say that I was only half conscious the whole time at the hospital but I was worried. I knew how often I have migraine and I was really worried if they found something unwanted from the scan. I started to think about who will look after Charlotte if I'm gone, who can I trust to hand over this responsibility...

Finally, the neurologist came in and examined me again, with a whole bunch of questions. I tried my best to answer although I wasn't really sure if I gave the correct answer. Pat then asked "So what is the result from the scan?". I think he must have ran out of his patience, and it was a good thing that he asked. The answer was "it is normal". Phew! Thank God! Then I thought, ok Charlotte is still mine, for a long long time :)

I was not allowed to go home as they claimed that they need to monitor me. I then asked Pat to go home and took care of Charlotte, get her ready for school the next morning, told him what she should wear to school on Friday as they have recycling activity on Fridays, and her school bag, and her water bottle...

It was my first time admitted to the hospital except giving birth to Charlotte 4 years back. I was alone and I was worried if Charlotte would cry when she wakes up without me. As I was thinking of all that I fell asleep and the next thing I know a nurse came in to check my temperature, that was 6am.

I was discharged on Friday afternoon. The first question I asked when Pat came in the morning was "how was Charlotte?". Pat assured me that she was doing fine the whole night and this morning. Both Pat and Brenda got her ready for school and she was happily involved in the recycling activity that the school had put together. We waited the whole morning for the doctor's consent to discharge me and getting the medicine. It was very unproductive I have to say even though they claimed that we will have special service for executive room. Anyway, I am just happy to know that I am alright and I am home with my family.

Charlotte on the other hand stuck to me like a super glue the whole evening :)

我的爸爸咧? (Where Is My Daddy?)

Pat's work is very demanding and so the time he spends at home on the weekdays are very limited. He usually only home after everybody has gone to bed, at least 2 or 3 nights on the weekdays but he makes sure he is home on the weekends (if not on business travel). Charlotte is missing her daddy more now as she is getting more matured.

Last night, we went to bed early and I noticed that Charlotte was tossing and turning for quite awhile and I asked her why.

Me: Charlotte, why aren't you sleeping yet?
Charlotte: 我的爸爸没有来 (my daddy didn't come)
Me: No, you should say 我的爸爸还没有回来 (my daddy is not home yet) not 没有来 (didn't come)
Charlotte: Why 我的爸爸还没有回来 (why my daddy is not home yet)?
Me: Because daddy is still at work
Charlotte: Why work so long?

She fell asleep not long after that conversation. This morning when I walked her to school, suddenly she turned to me and asked "我的爸爸咧?" (where is my daddy). I told her daddy is still sleeping as he came back late from work last night.

Poor darling, she must be missing her daddy very much.

A Meaningful Event

Charlotte's school sent out an invitation to all parents of the 4yr old to attend a short 1.5hr event last Saturday. We were told to bring the child and they were asked to be in their uniform with tidy hair and clean socks. I was wondering why when I read the invitation because it was on a non-school day but then some parents told me that they will be presenting a little performance, that's why. Luckily it was a holiday replacement for her ballet class, otherwise I will be struggling which event should I send her to.

So everybody woke up on Saturday morning just like any other weekday morning instead of the usual lay back, sleep-in Saturday. Charlotte was very excited about the performance and was happily getting ready for school. We were greeted with warm welcome and respect when we arrived and once we got ourselves seated we read the agenda of the event projected on the screen, and yes the first agenda was a performance by the 4yr old! Then a series of updates by the teachers and principal. I thought I was "kiasu" as I made sure my camera was charged and memory card was not fully loaded before I left the house, but when I was at the school I noticed that almost all parents were prepared with cameras and even video cam! Of course, we were talking about our kids! So I guess no "kiasu" is too "kiasu" anyway :)

They presented a very nice song named "感谢" (Grateful) with sign language:

感谢亲爱的爸妈，给我挡风遮雨的家，
为我做香喷喷饭菜，陪伴我长大。
感谢亲爱的老师，教导我无穷尽知识，
指引人生迷惘方向，陪伴我长大。

感谢亲爱的朋友，分享生活苦辣酸甜，
一起探索这浩瀚世界，陪伴我长大。
感谢路边的小花小草，妆点风景诗篇，
感谢经过的大风大雨，增加我勇气。
感谢流动的水，伟大的高山，
感谢上天和大地，
我们拥有平安的每一天。

After the song, the children returned to their classroom while the parents received a full update from the school principal and teachers about their daily activities in the school since the semester started in Jan. There were video clips of what the children did in the school from the moment they arrived in the morning, the classroom activity, lunch, afternoon nap, lessons and other fun activities. I was very pleased with this type of update as we usually don't get to know or see what happened to them once we said goodbye at the gate. Although the teachers were always very kind to answer us when we have any concern or question about our children's well-being at school, nothing compared to a short video clip that you get see for yourself!

We were then presented with another surprise when we told that the children were going to serve us (parents) with snacks that they prepared. The kids were lining up with a tray on their little hands and they walked very gracefully towards their parents and served with great pride! It was not about showing off how well they present the food, it was all about gratefulness. They were taught to give thanks and appreciate the effort of people who helped them. I tell you, so many of us had tears of happiness in our eyes that moment!

Oh ya, the children had their snacks before they serve us. I didn't know it until we were home and was asking Charlotte if she was hungry. She told me "I eat triangle bread (sandwich) already in the school". Thank you very much to the teachers for being so thoughtful!

One thing that I am most pleased with the teaching is the values, the disciplines and the character building that they coach, and everyone in the school lives the teaching including the teachers, principal, and even helpers. The children are the reflection of ourselves and it is very important to live as example for the little ones. I am also not objecting the basic independent skills of life that the school is including it as part of the teaching. Things such as they are encouraged to make their bed themselves (for the afternoon nap), fold their laundry (the dirty uniform after lunch), clean up their own utensils after meals and etc. To me, these are important discipline in life besides academic achievements. Some may think "Doesn't matter! We have maid at home, why should my children do all this thing?" or "Why the school is wasting time teaching that while they are suppose to teach all the ABC and 123?". This was why the school took the effort to visit the new students before the academic year started, to ensure the parents understood the difference between this school and those commercial kindies and the expectations are calibrated. They do have academic focus and the teaching syllabus are according to the government's requirements, it's just that the balance is different. We appreciate the basic discipline, values and independent skills very much and we are committed to reemphasize the school's teaching at home too. We think that these are some of the very important "human" values that money cannot buy.

Towards the end of the session, there was a video clip sharing by the Master Cheng Yen and one of the many elements shared which I couldn't agree more was when she mentioned that it will be a waste if the smartness of someone is not guided with wisdom and goodness. We saw many high tech and highly sophisticated crime cases at this century, aren't they all smart people? A fundamental of goodness and wisdom is an important seed to plant in young children.

Some of you know that I am a Christian and you probably are surprised by my description in this post. I am still a Christian, but I am not against Buddhism and I am not against good elements of living for sure. Religion is something that someone realized for themselves but it is not something that encourages you to go against the others.

Moving

No, no, I'm not talking about us moving to new house. It's Charlotte's school, sadly to say.

The school is just within the walking distance from our house currently and it is VERY convenient for us. Charlotte loves to walk to school every morning. In fact, she prefers to walk to school instead of us driving her when we are also living for work. Unfortunately, bad news came last few weeks that the school is considering of moving. One of the many reasons behind this decision is that they are unable to get the license from government as one of the requirement is that the nursery has to been either a semidetached house or a corner unit of terrace houses. They are occupying 2 intermediate terrace units at the moment and this is the 6th years they have yet to obtain the license. There are many other reasons too.

The new location is very far and it is out of the way for both my husband and I. Although we are trying very hard to influence the decision, it is pretty much confirmed that they are going to move. My biggest headache now is how to get Charlotte to and from the school. Luckily the school recommended someone who is willing to fetch the children from the area that I am staying and she is also currently helping a few other parents to send the children to this school. Although I have secured a place for Charlotte, I am still trying if there are other options to consider.

Preferably not to change school. I am very happy with this school and the teachers. I expected the worst when Charlotte was starting full day school here but it turned out to be the best ever experience. I also try not to have someone to send Charlotte, considering safety issues and such. I will have to workout the work schedules with my manger if necessary.

We are also thinking that if the arrangement didn't workout somehow, we will need to send Charlotte to the one we considered before. Both Pat and I think she is ready now and this is definitely one of our options to consider.

Last night, Charlotte said a prayer before bed. She said "Jesus, please help me don't move my school!". I knew what she meant but I just couldn't help laugh out loud when I heard it.

Well, we'll see how it turns out.