Monday, May 30, 2011

Passports & the Passing of Time

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We received a reminder in the mail a month back that Anthony’s passport would be expiring soon. We applied for a new one and it took just over a week for the application to be processed. 

We collected his spanking new passport today and I couldn’t help but compare the two passport photos. Four years ago and now.

He doesn’t even recognise himself in his earlier photo – “That’s ME? No… I don’t think so.”. *LOL*.

How time flies!

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Sunday, May 29, 2011

Thankful Hearts (May 23-29)

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Our highlights from this past week (May 23-29)… “So what are you thankful for today?”I

  • Last week of Term 2 school!
  • P2 Swimming PE comes to a close for Audrey …option to join swimming in school?
  • P2 Speech & Drama.. Audrey is in the Chorus!
  • Anthony’s super-fun St James Kinders K1/K2 Nature Camp
  • Lost-and-found tap/school shoes for Audrey… phew!
  • Grand-auntie Irene – thank you for sponsoring tickets to Kungfu Panda 2 @ Vivo GV !
  • Audrey overcame her fears and sat through her first-ever full-length movie   
  • Sentosa boardwalk & crane show
  • Sentosa surprise fireworks!
  • Sunday Fun @ Philatelic Museum  
  • Venetia gelato… lick-your-lips-yummy!
  • Pizza.. mozarella is the best!
  • Sakae Sushi sushi, udon, ramen…
  • We learnt about dogs from a mega-book we found at home!

 

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Saturday, May 21, 2011

Thankful Hearts (May 16-22)

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Our highlights from this past week (May 16-22)… “So what are you thankful for today?”I

  • Happy Vesak Day!
  • ANOTHER short week at school 
  • Wild time @ MGS Zany Brainy Games 2011
  • We learnt how to make Friendship bands
  • Tried taekwondo & self-defense…haaiiiyaakkk!
  • More swimming PE for Audrey!
  • Housewarming & early happy birthday celebrations for Cheeze! 
  • Anthony said his fruits in Chinese
  • Happy birthday, Gong-gong Grandpa!
  • We did it - Cold Storage Kids Run 2011!
  • Lunch get-together at Out of the Pan
  • Chop chop chop Fruit Ninja
  • Thank God Isaac Ng is recovering well from his broken arm
  • New library books, yippee
  • Best friends

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Thursday, May 19, 2011

From Zombie… to CC Ninja

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“I-P”.. that’s short for iPhone… can be extended to refer to iPad. And no, it has nothing to do with Intellectual Property.

This code name was coined by our friends’ child and it rolls off the tongues of the little ones whenever we meet up with this group of friends, which is most Sundays. That’s when Anthony & Audrey and their friends get together to swop and play iPhone/iPad games.

So Anthony’s very active imagination continues to project I-P virtual reality to the real world. First it was Plants vs Zombies.

More recently, he decided that there’s more use for his green dinousaur belt than just to hold up his favourite jeans. The belt holds – unbeknownst to most of us especially adults - the secret power to transform its wearer into CC Ninja. That’s short for Chop Chop Ninja. I was given a quick introduction to this interesting character - yup, that’s him on the right. Ant is the green version, for most part because he loves green but also because of this green belt. 

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………………What will he think of next, we wonder!!!!

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Saturday, May 14, 2011

Thankful Hearts (May 9-15)

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Our highlights from this past week (May 9-15)… “So what are you thankful for today?”I

  • Yet ANOTHER short week at school – thank you Polling Day!
  • Tremendous tractors, Tough Trucks & Flashing Fire Engines!
  • Last week of Term 2 tests… yahooo!
  • Swimming PE for Audrey!
  • Extra early arrival at MGS
  • Recovering from election fever
  • Parent-Teacher meet with Rainbow 3 teachers at St James Kinders
  • Sensitive, patient, funny, God-loving kindergarten teachers
  • Thunderstorms & lightning!!! 
  • Gym, walk, jog…no, no running…  
  • French fries
  • Nai-Nai’s home-made Kentucky Fried Chicken… finger lickin’ good!
  • Cold Storage Kids Run 2011 goodie packs!
  • Abraham & Sarah… bible lesson on parents & patience!

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Princess Jewellery Collection: A game the whole family can play!

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When you have a 7yo daughter and a 4yo son, there are many moments when they don’t play together. It’s usually just a matter of preference and interest. There are of course a few common ‘spaces’, like Lego – though she tends to want to make gardens and houses while he prefers trucks and construction sites. Playing ‘masak-masak’ or restaurant/kitchen/home is another – again, she’s older and prefers more structured play from providing menus and customer service to cooking elaborate dishes, while he just wants to stack cups and plates and potter around the kitchen doing stuff randomly. You can imagine the bossing around that happens with these scenario. And then, of course, there are board games – which isn’t always ideal since the 3+ year age gap creates some chaos that game rules do not cater for. 

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That’s why today was extra special. After dinner, when I suggested to them to pick out something they could play together, for some inexplicable reason, they decided to settle for this: Audrey’s Princess Jewellery Collection game!

It’s a simple little game. Players spin the wheel and move their tokens around the board and collect the specified piece of jewellery in their own colour. There are some penalties as with any game. The winner is the one who completes their set first.

 

They must have played at least 10 rounds, having a good laugh with each and adding variations to the game to keep it roaringly funny. And they each had their turns winning. They were game to put everything on… and let me take pictures!!! Here are their Crowning Victory photos with the works: crown, earrings, bracelet, necklace, ring… I think I got them all?

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It was just precious seeing them have such a fun together over such an unlikely game!

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Saturday, May 7, 2011

Thankful Hearts (May 2-8)

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Our highlights from this past week (May 2-8)… “So what are you thankful for today?”I

  • Another short week at school :D
  • No more watching TV to sleep (Anthony)
  • Term 2 tests… they’re good for us to remember all the things we learnt! 
  • More Star Wars
  • More election fever
  • Getting to vote in GE2011- May 7!
  • Mangosteens (but only sweet ones)
  • More durians! 
  • Fish & chips @ 19th hole SICC 
  • Swimming at 3 different pools in 3 days!
  • Happy Mother’s Day!
  • Wonderful bunch of parent volunteers
  • Cranking things up at the Gym
  • Housewarming at Sock & Guan’s – long overdue C3 gathering!

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Happy Mother’s Day!

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The traditions of celebrating Mother’s Day and the role of a mother vary so widely because of individual circumstance and from family to family, place to place. But it seems the universal message is the almost same: for most part, we are who we are because of our mothers (yes, fathers have a big role too – more about that on Father’s Day!)

My Mom and maternal grandma especially taught us many extraordinary life lessons – love, compassion, charity, selflessness, faith, determination, optimism, hope, fulfillment. They have always been firm in their belief that true beauty is seen by the heart and in the quiet elegance visible in simple details. Likewise, true wealth consists not of what one possesses but in the sharing of what one has and in the togetherness of family and loved ones.

This Mother’s Day, I’m reminded of the God’s amazing blessings in my life. I’m grateful that these perspectives and lessons have shaped my own worldview. And I’m grateful for my loving family – wonderful husband and 2 beautiful children – and for the opportunity to celebrate being a mother and to do the things that I love and enjoy with them, every single day.

Here’s a toast to true beauty and wealth to all mothers – Happy Mother’s Day!

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Sunday, May 1, 2011

Thankful Hearts (April 25 - May 1)

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Our highlights from this past week (April 25 - May 1)… “So what are you thankful for today?”I

  • Dr Suess
  • Fairies books
  • Audrey’s first ever English Oral exam
  • Election fever
  • Crazy Movie week
  • Funny movies - Toy Story 3, Kung Fu Panda
  • Scary movies - Jurassic Park, The Mummy (Egyptian, not our Mommy)
  • Star Wars revisited
  • Ewoks & stormtroopers – still amazing after all this time. Anthony’s a fan too.
  • Typewriters – the passing of an era 
  • Durians & jackfruit
  • Milo Balls & Honey Stars
  • Extra playground time!
  • Happy birthday Rachel!
  • Long weekend with gym party, get togethers & playdates
  • Nai-Nai went to Shanghai !

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