this week the nation wept...

Dear Prime Minister,

This week has been a dark week for the nation, with the news of the passing of our founding father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

In all honesty, I never thought that I would be this affected by the demise of Mr Lee Kuan Yew. I have never encountered him personally, never really interested in politics, and do not fully know the many policies that he had started. My deepest impression of late Mr Lee would probably be the footage of him shouting 'Merdeka' and another of him shedding tears on the day that Singapore became independent. These are footages we watch every year, on television and in school. But these were only one of the many many many contributions that he made for Singapore throughout his lifetime as a politician.

Yet as I read the articles and watched the videos about him this week, I began to understand late Mr Lee a little more. I am deeply grateful for his contributions that made Singapore what she is today. I could never understand the tumultuous period of nation building, but I am surely grateful for the prosperous and stable nation today. I can walk in the streets early in the morning and late at night, knowing that I can be safe. My husband and I have jobs, have a roof over our heads and are able to provide for our children and parents. We may not be exceedingly wealthy, but we know we are able to provide for our children.

Besides his tremendous contributions and accolades in nation-building, I am also deeply touched by Mr Lee's deep love and devotion for late Mrs Lee. I watched the video on Mrs Lee's funeral again and was once again deeply touched to see Mr Lee kissing Mrs Lee goodbye in 2010. I do not know how to describe in words, but I could sense his sorrow and grief in bidding goodbye to his soul mate and confidant. His love and devotion for Mrs Lee is a virtue that many young people like us need to emulate - to love the woman (man) you marry and to stay together all your life. And I believe with all my heart too, that the structure and environment that Mr and Mrs Lee had created in your family had played an important part in shaping who you and your siblings are today. He had been a good husband and a good father. I thank him for being the role model for us.

This week, my husband and I brought our 2-year-old toddler to pay respect at the Parliament House and pay tribute at 2 of the community tribute sites. We thought it would only be apt for us to bring our little girl along, as she is definitely one of those who has benefited, and will continue to, from the policies made by late Mr Lee. We got her to wave and say goodbye and to send a flying kiss, and she gladly did so. Both my husband and I will ensure that our little girl, and future children in time to come, will learn both Mandarin and English, and learn them well.

This week, many Singaporeans have wept for the loss of our founding father, in private and in public. I, too, have teared many times while reading reports and articles on Mr Lee Kuan Yew. I cannot imagine how much more pain and grief you have to experience as his son. Many times, you had to put up a strong front and hold back your tears because you are the Prime Minister and you had to stay strong before your people. How would we ever know the amount of tears that you have shed and extent of your heartbreak in private? We feel for you, and I think that it is OK even if you are not OK in front of the camera, because this is only normal. Perhaps at the private cremation later, you could be free to express your grief and sorrow as the son of Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

Parting is never easy. Even though the funeral is over, the sadness and emptiness in our hearts will linger for a while more, perhaps much more longer for you. I pray that God will comfort you and your family and may you find peace and solace in the midst of grief. Please do take good care of yourself and of your health as well.


Yours sincerely,
A Singapore daughter

悼念李光耀 #2

Photo credit: https://sharealcommunicates.wordpress.com/

提起李光耀先生，多数的人会赞他是个有勇有谋的领袖。对我来说，除了是个优秀的领袖，他更是一个对妻子从一而终的好丈夫。2010年，他在妻子的追思会上温柔地献出离别之吻，可以感受到他对妻子的思念和不舍。他爱得很深，所以妻子的离去也伤得他很重。或许，他对妻子的爱是我们现代人应该学习和效仿的。
Many applaud him as the wonderful leader and founding father of the nation. I applaud him as the devoted and loving husband. I am especially touched to see him kissing his wife goodbye during her funeral in 2010. His love for his wife is so deep that it is probably beyond what words can describe. This man, tough as he may look, also has such a tender side. His love for his spouse is probably something we, the younger generation especially, would like to emulate.

悼念李光耀 #1

Because this man gave his life to Singapore, we could enjoy what we have today, and we could have this place which we call our home. He might not have done all things right, but he has done what he deemed as the best at that point. Let us never take the stability and prosperity for granted, and let us always remember this man who gave his all for Singapore. For there can never be another Lee Kuan Yew.

他一生的奉献造就了一个繁荣、安稳的新加坡。所谓“有国才有家”，他建立了国，让我们能够建立我们的家。感谢李光耀先生的贡献，让我能在这里建立我的家，让我能够身为新加坡人而感到自豪。愿您安息。

婚礼不等同于婚姻

从昨天到今天，社交媒体的页面上都是周董与昆凌的婚礼的报道。有的称之为梦幻般的浪漫婚礼，有的称之为文艺爱情电影，羡煞旁人，甜蜜指数破表。
婚礼虽美，但这也只不过是当下的浪漫甜美感觉罢了。完美的婚礼结束后，还需要用心经营婚姻。Wedding is for a day, marriage is forever.
就看看这段婚姻能否长长久久吧。

PJ moves on to pre-nursery!

I've had Parent-Teacher Meetings many times as a teacher. 2 weeks ago, I had my first Parent-Teacher Meeting as a parent. Happy to hear that little PJ is generally a good girl and enjoys playing in school. Also appreciate the photos of her in her personal portfolio.

The portfolio is like her "report book"

Come tomorrow, she will be moving on to the pre-nursery class. And she will wear school uniform too! Feels like it's another first day of school!

Trying on her uniform!

I pray that she will warm up to the teachers quickly, be able to follow the new routines, nap as much as she can, make new friends and enjoy herself in school. Hope she learns to speak soon too!

our little helper!

This little girl likes to kaypoh around whenever we are doing the household chores. So we decided to go with her interest - join in the chores!

This was when we were still staying at my parents' place. There were more ferrying services that she could do.

Then when we shifted, she moved on from keeping the laundry to doing the laundry. 

Now, she helps with vacuuming the floor too. Initially, she was afraid of the noise from the vacuum cleaner and would run away from it. But I guess her curiosity overpowered her fear, so here she is, vacuuming the floor!

Many friends thought she was really a great helper at home, but please, do know that these videos 纯粹做效果而已。She is really just playing. But I do hope that she will continue to keep this helpful spirit and continue to do the household chores forever and ever!

fun day @ Polliwogs

We wanted to bring little PJ for a swim on Christmas Day but the weather was no good. So we quickly googled about indoor playgrounds and decided on Polliwogs at Suntec City. It is still fine to bring little PJ to indoor playgrounds because she still pays the price of a below 2 years old. Priced at $13 for 2 hours, inclusive of the entry of the toddler and 2 adults, I think this very reasonable. So we stayed inside for 2 hours (out of which 40min was spent on lunch) and little PJ had fun with slides! (There were no balls there - PJ's favourites - so she could try out new things!)

LED slide!

WHEEEEE~!

She is rather proficient at climbing up stairs/structures and getting into the slide off position. Good training in school and at the playground below our house.

Then, she decided to try out a new way of sliding off. Haha!

Overall, I think that this trip to Polliwogs was good. Age-appropriate play areas, clean, not too many screaming and crazy kids, and mostly importantly, little PJ had fun.

pattern 多过 badminton!

Little PJ's bed is the pink one and the mattress beside is the one that we would lie on if we were to sleep with her. I found her in these positions on 3 occasions and I really can't help but to snap some photos.

Rotated 180 degrees

Looks like a crime scene huh?

One bed is not enough

This girl, seriously laugh die me.

little PJ goes to Gkidz!

Little PJ has started attending Gkidz on Sundays. (Gkidz is like "sunday school") Currently, I am there with her throughout the sessions, as recommended by the Gkidz leaders. Most of the time, she will be ok playing with the toys  when she arrives. But as soon as the programme starts, she will stick to me like superglue and refuse to sit with other children. I can succeed in pushing her forward only occasionally.

Craft work - crown

Finally got her to stand on her own!

Hello let's be friends.

In Gkidz, little PJ needs to learn to follow instructions and participate in the programme. Of course, she cannot. Not because she doesn't want to, but because she is still transiting in and trying to make sense of what's happening. One thing that she is familiar with though, is the pack-up song that they sing everytime they need to pack up the toys. Because we have been singing this at home too!
After 3 weeks at Gkidz, little PJ has kind of learnt the "fold your arms, cross your legs" instruction. We've tested it out a few times at home and she does fold her arms and cross her legs. Pray that she will do the same at Gkidz too!

I certainly hope that she can fully transit it and I can attend service at the main auditorium soon!

we're going to the zoo zoo zoo

This is little PJ's second trip to the zoo. First time was when she was 9 months old and she spent most of the time in the pram and giving a blur look. Haha.
This time, she saw polar bears, dogs, monkeys, seals, giraffes and penguins.

Of course, not forgetting her favorite water play! (Which she spent most of the time standing at the same position because she was afraid of the water structures...zzZzz)

守机碍情 Like me. I Like

手机，究竟是人们联络感情的工具还是阻碍？

今天观赏了《守机碍情》这部舞台剧。刚听闻舞台剧的名称时，还以为是“手机爱情”。看清楚后才发现原来是“守机碍情”。如此巧妙地利用同音字，我喜欢。

这部舞台剧打着“马炎庆从政后首次演舞台剧”的名堂，引起了注意。我也是好奇国会议员参与舞台剧到底会是怎样一回事，于是买票了。

说实在的，这部剧并没有高潮迭起的情节，一些揶揄英文缩写的部分 [如 MP (marketing partner), NMP (No Mobile Phones), NSP (No Selfies Please)] 显得有些多此一举，灯光和影像的投射也有些失误，但无可厚非的是，它描绘了现代人如何在守住手机时，阻碍了情感的交流，忽略了现实生活中的人际关系，让我有许多感触。更重要的是，我感受到了演员们的诚意。如何感受到诚意，说实在的，我也说不上来。就像是剧中人物文耀所说的，是种说不出的感觉，但心里真的感受到了。

很高兴我看了这部舞台剧，因为我真的被感动了。

a new beginning!

And so, we have officially moved to our new home!

children's day celebrationS

With Children's Day on Friday and Hari Raya Haji holiday on Monday, it seems like we had a long weekend to celebrate Children's Day.
Firstly, little PJ's school organized a Children's Day outing for the whole centre on Children's Day itself and so off to Fidgets World we go... again. Yes yes yes, just as I said that we won't be back at Fidgets World for a long time.. I know right.

And so we went, this time knowing what to anticipate at the play area. So here's little PJ and her favourite ball balls.

This time round, she wasn't too interested in any other toys, but just ball balls. Check out the video below. She didn't let go of the 2 balls in her hands, even when she needed her hands to climb the structure! So funny can..

My conclusion at the end of the day is, all she needs is 2 ball balls (1 for each hand) and a large area to run around in, and that will make her very happy already. 

And because it is Children's Day, I decided that she could have something special for dinner, so I made chicken-and-broccoli pancakes for her. 

om nom nom nom...

Thinking that since she has a huge appetite, I made 4 pieces for her, but lo and behold, she didn't want to continue eating after just 1 piece. So well, I think pancakes are still best eaten as breakfast.

On Saturday, we had intended to bring her for a swim, together with Yu Jie and Yu Le. But unfortunately, it rained! So we changed our destination to the airport indoor playground instead. Again, she had fun running around the playground, this time with Yu Jie. 

骑马马

And on Monday, we went for a swim at Toa Payoh Safra together with Yu Jie, Yu Le (yes, again), Colly and Joel! I was pretty excited for this because I think it is my first 'playdate' with other mummies. Thank God for the good weather on Monday morning. PJ and I spent an hour in the pool. 

Just want to end off with Psalm 127:3 "Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him". Thank God for such a precious, cheeky little girl!

off to Fidgets we go!

Little PJ had a play date with SKT and SKY on 5 Sep (where both their childcare centres were closed for Teachers' Day). We went to Fidgets World @ The Grandstand at Turf Club. (This is the cheapest we can find for toddlers below 2 years old)

While the 2 cousins went crazy the moment they stepped in, little PJ was apprehensive and didn't want to let go of whoever was carrying her. We deduced that it could be due to the noise and dark play areas (we started off at the area for older kids, which we realised only after a while). She stayed at one little corner playing with balls and didn't want to move. 

finding security in the balls

After a while, we then realised that there is another play area for toddlers below 3 years old. And so we brought her there and she was apparently happier there. (Oops, Papa Mama didn't mean to bring you to the wrong area!)

 Vehicles to ride on in the toddlers' area

 Obviously she didn't quite like this

Swimming in the sea of ball balls!

She was playing on her own most of the time, hence you don't see photos of her and her cousins together. I think the kids had great fun (they played for an hour plus), so much fun that all 3 of them were too tired for lunch. All 3 ate much less than what they would usually eat. When we left, SKT was already sleeping in her daddy's arms while little PJ fell asleep before the car turned out of Turf Club.

It was little PJ's first time at such indoor playground, and I guess it will be a long time before we would bring her to an indoor playground again. Some older kids run around and play like there is no tomorrow (read: scream and shout and reckless), and some unsupervised toddlers snatch toys like they are the king. And I'm not really comfortable with it. So well, we had fun, Fidgets, but we won't be back till a long time later. 

little PJ goes to school!

Little PJ enrolled into the infant care on 1 Sep. Her mama had been having separation anxiety since don't know when and had wished that the day wouldn't come come quickly. But when the time came, I still had to let her go.


                                             Happy to go to school

When we reached the school, she was quickly distracted by the big play area, many toys and little friends and immediately walked off to play. I stayed aside to watch her and I was pretty glad that she didn't have any separation anxiety.

Waiting to be fed

One more scoop please!

Teacher said she got into this toy on her own

She didn't have any problems playing and eating, nor with the teachers whom she saw for the first time. But napping was a huge struggle. She cried and cried and walked around in the room, refusing to lie down on the mattress. The teachers couldn't do anything and had to go on to making other kids nap. So I stayed in the room with her. When she finally relented, tears and mucus was all over her face. After that, I left the infant care to do some shopping. When I returned to the infant care at 4+pm, she was already awake and when she saw me, she wailed.

Mama, carry me!!

She only napped for 45min, which explains her cranky mode. Well, other than the napping struggle, I guess she was not too bad for the first day. She warmed up to the teachers quickly, had many toys to play and little friends to be with.

So for the second day, I just dropped her in school and left. When I went back to check at 1+pm (that's the napping time), teacher was trying to make her nap. So I quickly exited before she saw me. She didn't nap for long, just 45min again.

For the third day, she didn't nap at all!! I don't know what happened, but I do understand the difficulty of making this curious little girl nap. Just got to make do with it. She was so so so tired that she zonked out while on the way back home.

zzZzzZz...

Now is the second week that she is there. The Hubs will drop her off and pick her up every day. I hope the napping for my little girl will get better, and she will remain strong and healthy. (Heard too many horror stories about kids falling sick in childcare).

little PJ walks!

It's been almost a month and a half since the last post. Little PJ was only taking her first steps then. Now, little PJ goes wherever her legs can bring her to! You can see how she progressed in the following videos.

This video was taken on 18 July. She was still unsteady and falling after a few steps.

This following video was taken on National Day itself and you can see that she was rather steady already. Happily playing with her the little flag too.

Finally, this is a video of her dancing and and twisting her bum bum to the 建国一代 song. I had to take from the back because she is very conscious of the camera now. I really like the part where she almost lost her balance when she saw me while turning around (~00:13). Can't help but to laugh every time I watch this video. Haha!

little PJ takes her first steps!!!

OMG THIS IS SO EXCITING~~~!!!

just a few updates of little PJ (cuteness guaranteed!)

Playing peek-a-boo by herself

Playing with her own mouth

Lastly, being a proficient climber. Not sure whether to frown or to smile. Please pardon her though, for not wearing pants in the second video. Hehe!

i can't stop ogling at this little girl

Took a candid shot of the little girl on Saturday while we were at the Hearts for Animals event at Lot 1. And I have been mesmerized by it since then.

I could tell that she was so happy and cheery when she was there playing. I am so totally captivated by her smile. In the words of the Hubs, I can't stop ogling at my little dottie. 
Many friends have commented that she is a smiley/happy/cheery girl. And yes, I do agree. (But having said that, it doesn't mean she doesn't cry! She smiles hard and cries hard too!)
I pray that she will always remain cheerful and joyful, and bring about joy to others. Hope she brings a smile to your heart whenever you see her too! :)

cry, cry, cry!

We just ended a 2.5-hour ordeal with the little one. She had been crying since 9pm. Refusing to sleep, refusing to be in her room, refusing to be put down even. We are not sure why.
Maybe she had too much nap today (Popo made her nap 3 times!).
Maybe she is still adjusting back to SG weather and environment.
Maybe she had gotten used to co-sleeping in Perth.
Maybe she had too much fun with her cousins earlier on.
Maybe she is recovering from her fever.
Or maybe, today is just one of those lousy days.

Whatever it is, I am just very glad that she is asleep now, even though she went to sleep sobbing. Let's pray that she remains asleep till day break and not wake up wailing in the middle of the night, which she usually does.

I am thankful for the Hubs who carried and pacified her for the past 2.5 hours. He is always so patient with her. If she was with me, she would have gotten some spanking for sure.

Didn't expect this post-trip adjustment to be like this. Let's pray that little PJ gets back to normal soon!