Admirer

Yan has an admirer in school. That boy will get very distracted, esp when she wears pretty dresses to school. He will look at her all the time the teacher had to tell him to stop it.

She is going to be a heartbreaker this Yan.

Self Control

I just found out from the childcare centre's newsletter that Yan has won the monthly character award for Self Control.

I find that amusing because Yan has absolutely no self-control when it comes to 3 things - her circle biscuit, her blue bolster which she affectionately names "friend friend" and her iced drinks. She will kick up a fuss if she doesn't get her way with these 3.

The Hero

I found a very interesting clip. It's a must see.

Click here to view. You need flash player.

Very interesting! Must watch!

Counting Down...

There are quite a few things that I am counting down to...

1. My coming 6-week vacation, which means no 8am class, no marking of assignments and setting of exams and tests. Sure, there's still work to be done but we can do those at our own pace.

2. Going to Ipoh this weekend to celebrate CNY with Ben's family. It's always a simple affair, with some visiting and lots of eating. My girls are looking forward to the road trip. Rui esp loves her grandma's cooking. I guess they don't know it might be a 14-hour daunting affair.

3. Trip to Taiwan in March. We have been planning this for a long time and it is finally happening soon! I am looking forward to all the night markets, shopping, farm stay, minsu stay (overlooking the Pacific Ocean!) and going hotspring hopping.

Family Education on race, culture and ethinicity

Ben had the idea that we will bring the girls on trips to the different places of worship to get a better idea of the various races, cultures and religions in our country. This will teach our kids to be more aware of the differences between people of different cultures and to be more tolerant of the differences.

Our first stop was the Sultan Mosque in North Bridge Road. It is the most famous mosque in Singapore simply due to its long history.

We went for a meal of nasi padang at Sabah Menanti restaurant. Sadly, the standard has dropped. The chicken and ikan bakar used to be our favourites but now they were just cold and unflavourful.

As we had still 30 min to spare before the mosque opened to visitors, we checked out the fashion stores at Haji Lane. The girls had ice cream at this cafe cum boutique named Pluck.

When we were allowed into the mosque, Ben and I had to wear a baju as our pants were not long enough. We took some pictures and walked around the place. The mosque was serene and quiet. People were seen kneeling down to pray. Ben asked Auntie Yayu, who's Muslim, if they prayed to any statue or just in the general direction towards Mecca, which is the holy ground of Islam.

Our next stop will be Sri Mariamman Temple at South Bridge Road. Anyone cares to join us?

To N2, To N2 (Part II)

To those who wondered how Yan did for her first independent enrichment class - She cried a little when I was leaving and the teacher had to sit her on her lap and pacify her. After that, she was apprehensive for the first part of the class. She was anxious and told the teacher that she didn't know how to do her writing exercise. However, she settled down after the teacher gave her proper instructions and finished her work quickly and without fuss. I peeked in through the window and saw that she was participating and answering the teacher's questions.

The best part was, she nodded when I asked if she wanted to do it again the following week.

Good Job!