Primary School Blues

The short, one-week school holidays are over!  Little Guy has to wake up at six in the morning again, and so do we.  One week of sleeping-in a little later is sure not enough! 

Sigh!  But that’s life isn’t it?

I haven’t been taking well to primary school… yes, and I’m not even the one who’s attending school, Little Guy is!

Going to primary school is serious business, you know.  Attending to a pre-schooler is so much easier – there were no pressures (well, at least for me) about what they were doing in school, how well they were doing, etc, etc.  It was all done in less proper, official ways.  Pre-schools are all fun, colourful and merciful (hmm… can’t find a better word).  Kids were not penalized outright (treated gently) and they are rather sheltered and coddled.

Primary school has been rather stressful (yes, for me again) so far, although Little Guy claims he enjoys it.  But it’s a place where there are lots of rules, from the stuffy uniforms, to the seating arrangement in the classrooms.  Then there are the tests every week – Chinese test on Mondays, English Spelling test on Thursdays, and a surprise test now and then.  

So what if the school does not have examinations for the Primary Ones and Twos?  These weekly tests are enough to stress out the kids and neurotic parents (more on this in my next post!) like me!

No room for mistakes here… 

Somehow I feel that Little Guy and his other little friends are now ‘thrown’ into the open, to struggle and fend for themselves.  Yes, I know that is how they’ll grow and build character.  But I’m sure many mummies out there feel the same ‘heart pain’ as I do for their ‘babies’.

So far, Little Guy has not really complained about his school work.  The problem lies with me.  I have been away from the school system from so long.  Teaching methods have changed, so have the things that they have included in the same subjects that I used to learn, namely, English, Mathematics and Chinese.

I suppose one thing that has not changed much is those teachers who were there since the ‘old system’.  They are as stuffy as ever, and Little Guy has the ‘good fortune’ to land one as his form teacher L.  No ‘new age’ sensitivity from his teacher, let’s call her Mrs S.  She’s the tigress type that most students dread to have as a teacher.  I suppose I’ll have more to say about her in entries to come.

Now back to primary school… It has been difficult for me so far, as watching Little Guy learn everything from scratch is a painful experience.  Grammar, spelling, reading and writing (especially in Chinese) – all from scratch… Urgh!  Painful, for people like me, who have been taking all these for granted, for decades!

And I have to plod along with him too… makes me wish that he remained a pre-schooler forever! 

Gone are the days when he has no homework; and we can just zip off for holidays anytime we want.  Now it’s a routine of checking if he has any homework, chatting about school (if he wants to say anything at all!), checking his worksheets (extra work assigned by me, to keep him occupied at the after-school care centre) and then it’s early to bed. 

The time I get to spend with him is so much shorter these days, worse, when I have to cook dinner as well…

I used to think that it’s only Little Guy who will be affected by his going to a new school and starting on the next level of his education.  But now, while he seems to be lapping it all up, I, the neurotic one, am the one who hate school!

I need to snap out of this! 

But I miss the school holidays already!

Sob!

 

The Art of War

I’ve recently decided to start finishing my many ‘half-read’ books.  One of which is War At Work Applying SUN TZU’S ART of WAR in Today’s Business World.  Quite a mouthful, isn’t it?

I bought this book a few years back when Big Guy was facing a whole lot of politicking at work.  Well, I must admit this book would not have been of much help then.  But it’s interesting to read about Sun Tzu’s strategies and the genius of his philosophy. 

One of my favourite quote is

‘All warfare is based on deception.  Therefore, when capable, pretend to be incapable; when active, inactive; when near, make the enemy believe that you are far away; when far away, that you are near.  Hold out baits to lure the enemy; feign disorder and strike him.  When he has the advantageous position, prepare against him; when he is strong, avoid him.  If he is prone to choleric temper, irritate him.  Pretend weakness so that he may become arrogant.  If he is at ease, put him under a strain to wear him down.  When his forces are united, divide them.  Attack where he is unprepared; appear where you are not expected.’

I think this is most appropriate in the dog-eat-dog world of business.

I certainly hope I won’t need to strategize this way, to get through my day at work!

(blog entry count 2/40)

  

 

Giving up is hard to do…

Hey, it’s been a year since I was here!

Well the title of this post does not refer to me giving up this blog.  Rather, it refers to today, Ash Wednesday, a day of fast and abstinence.  I usually do not practise fasting and abstinence.

The first time that I had tried fasting, I ended up at the doctor’s with severe gastric pains.  I hadn’t tried fasting again since then.  But today, I’ve decided to try ‘modified fasting’ – having two pieces of plain bread and a cup of tea for lunch.  I hope my gastric juices will have mercy this time.

Now for the abstinence part.  I had explained to Little Guy (now seven years old), what Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent is all about.  We then discussed what each of us, Big Guy included, should give up during this season.

He suggested that his daddy should give up ‘farming’.  You see, Big Guy is a fan of Farmville!  And I was to give up ‘putting on makeup’!  But as Big Guy probably can’t stand for his ‘crops’ dying, I suggested that Little Guy tell him to stop berating other drivers whenever he drives.  Big Guy is one noisy driver, much to us passengers’ annoyance.

As for my ‘giving up makeup’, I couldn’t risk looking like a scary ghost when I go to work.  So that was a no-no.

So what should I give up?  It’s hard isn’t it?  To give up something that you like to do, for forty days (that’s our target).  I’m still thinking about it…

As for Little Guy, he has decided to give up throwing tantrums for ten days.  This was against his giving up a boxful of his favourite toys.  I doubt he can survive ten days without a tantrum, so Plan B is for him to give up playing games on the iPad!

Well I guess for me, I can give up some time, to write entries for this blog again.  Let’s see if I can do a post everyday, for the next forty days!

Here’s counting… 1…

 

Sticking around

I can’t believe that it’s been half a year since I last posted anything here.

 Yes, I’ve been lazy, not busy.  I need that kick in the butt to get the rust off my writing machinery.  Well, come to think of it, laziness isn’t the only reason why I haven’t been writing.  Juggling work, home and family duties (ok, and Farmville!!) have left me sapped.   The inspiration to write is just not there any more.  The frequency and quality of my posts when I was still enjoying my early retirement, just prove that my job is bad for my blog!

Yep, my job is really boring.  So why am I still sticking to it?

Well…

• Would you complain about earning good money from a boring and rather stress-free job?
• How many of you have a boss who is located far away in Europe, and who only starts work two hours before you end your day?
• Would you gripe about having an office big enough for twelve, but that has only three occupants?
• With Nespresso coffee to boot?
• And how would you like listening to music of your choice all day long, while you work?
• What about not having to be all dressed up in formal work clothes every day?
• How often can you find a work location just five minutes away from home?

With so many good reasons, I think I’m going to stick here a while longer…

If they let me, that is…

 

A Mother’s Wish

 

Little Guy celebrated his fifth birthday a couple of days ago.  I sort of took a step back to observe and reflect, on how much he has grown.  Five years – it feels like such a long time ago but also like not so long ago that he was just this tiny, gurgling, baby.  But yes, oh how he has grown, and how warm and happy I’m feeling inside (it’s an indescribable, fuzzy feeling), that yes, we did it, we made it through, all three of us – five years of grappling, worries, sweat, tears, and the trillion other things that parenthood, babyhood, whateverhood – brought upon us.

 I just feel so glad and proud that we have come so far.  What’s next for us?  What do mothers wish for in their children?

 Looking at Little Guy, I wish all these for him – that he’ll

•  be forever happy;
• be healthy;
• be safe;
• grow into a sensible, independent,  responsible and honest young man;
• always be surrounded by good friends;
• keep the faith;
• always have peace and love in his heart.

Of course there’re many other things that I would wish for him.  But these are the ones that I feel are most important.  These are the ones that will form the ‘foundation’ of how his life will turn out.

 Happy 5^th Birthday, Little Guy, we’re just so glad to have you in our lives!

 

Michael In My Head

I thought I would leave this blog for dead, but instead, it’s getting resurrected because of the dead – the late great Michael Jackson.  He is so great, that just by mentioning his first name, most people will instantly know who you are referring to – much like Elvis, but Elvis isn’t as common a name as Michael.

I must confess to be a hypocrite for Michael – like millions of you out there, he was just someone at the back of my mind.  How many of us actually thought about him before his sudden death?  Would we have waxed lyrical about him if he was still alive today?  I was not excited when he announced his concerts in UK – as we here in Asia seem always to get slighted whenever concerts are concerned.  I did, however, hope that they will mark a comeback of sorts – a new album perhaps, a new sound?

But alas, all was not to be…

I sat through hours of Michael’s MTV Top 40 Videos, hosted by his good friend David Gest.  And now it seems that Michael is stuck in my mind.  I walk with Black or White ringing in my head.  I go to sleep lulled by You Are Not Alone.  I hear Give In To Me as the day wears on.

I’m writing this to get Michael out of my head.

These are three of my favourite Michael songs:

1.  Rock With You

I don’t care that Michael looked like a disco ball, but that was the disco era, wasn’t it?  This song is timeless and makes me feel all good, each time I listen to it.  And I love the way he looked – full cheeks, wonderful, truly happy smile, and those smiling eyes – Michael, pure and simple.

2.  You Are Not Alone

 

I couldn’t bear to watch the original video that came with this single.  Michael had already changed form – maybe I’ve watched too many alien cartoons with Little Guy, where aliens can change from one form to another.  But yes, Michael had changed so much physically, to something I found difficult to accept.  This ‘live’ recording did not have those scary close-ups.

I like this song as it makes me want to just hold someone close and do a slow dance.  I also liked his crystal clear voice when I listen to it off his CD.

3.  Give In To Me

I like this for its rock vibes, and of course for Slash’s guitar work.

Just these three songs alone show us the wide range of Michael’s work.  The way his music progressed was just amazing – no one else has matched that yet.  I think the only thing that we have not heard him do is Country and Western – and there was a report I read yesterday, that said he was planning a classical album?  That would have been a blast!

It’s so sad how progressive he was in his work and yet, physically and mentally, he was regressing, killing himself and becoming a form (I find this word most appropriate) that few can understand and appreciate.  Something happened after Thriller, and only he knew what.

Are hypocrite fans like me to blame?  Did he know that we didn’t care if he’s Black or White?  Would he have heard and appreciated us, if we had told him how much we love him (all the time)?  Were we guilty of standing back and doubting when he was accused of child molestation?  Did he know that millions of us were awaiting his comeback?  Were we somehow the cause of his eccentricities?

I’m sure Michael is in a better place now, in his original Thriller form.

Good bye, Michael. 

You’ve left an indelible mark on History.  You have touched more lives (in so many ways) than any mathematician can ever fathom.  How does one calculate the impact of your music, your dance moves and your charitable causes?

And how can I ever get you out of my head? 

You’ll be treasured forever in millions of hearts (and iPods). 

Sob!  Don’t get out of my head!

 

English as it should not be spoken…

I’m not sure if it’s only here in Singapore that you hear some people say:

• irregardless
• in actual fact
• ‘overlook’ instead of ‘oversee’
• ‘I’m boring’ instead of ‘I’m bored’
• ‘low morals’ instead of ‘low morale’ (??!!)

And there are some people who can’t make out when to use:

• ‘fetch’ or ‘send’
• ‘lend’ or  ’borrow’
• ‘see’ or ‘look’
• ‘live’ or ‘stay’
• ‘hear’ or ‘listen’
• ‘close’ or ‘closed’

Yeah, yeah, I should provide some examples to show how we should use those pairs of words above.  I’m just too lazy to do that.  Let me know if you need help, yah?

I’m sure the lists above can be longer, but I don’t want to cringe any more than I had, while writing this.  Help me add to the list if you can.  I’ll appreciate that (and you do the cringing)!

Oh, and please stop pronouncing the letter ‘H’ as ‘heige’! 

Urrgghh!!

 

Do more, do less…

Things I should be doing more of:

• sleeping – it’s 1 a.m. now and I’m blogging!
• blogging – hmmm… sleep less, blog more or blog less, sleep more?
• smiling – how to, when work is so depressing and sleep is so little?
• ironing – sigh!  look at that mountain of crumpled clothes!  I definitely need help!
• exercising – the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, terribly weak…zzzzzzzzz
• drinking (more water, that is) – well, I suppose walking to the ridiculously far-away toilet at my office, more often, could count as a form of exercise?
• reading – hmm… does reading bedtime stories to Little Guy every night, count?
• buying more bags and shoes, and perhaps more wrinkle-free clothes – will need a sponsor for this

Things I should be doing less of:

• slouching
• eating carbo – waistline is getting unflattering!
• surfing the internet past midnight
• hating the boss
• worrying – I’m a worry-wart, well, most women are, right?

Sigh!  I’m sure the lists are much longer than what I can think of right now.  But it’s good that I got them out!

At least I know what I should do now! 

Go to bed, SLEEP!

 

Shell-shocked!

What can be worse than returning to work after a holiday, and finding some of  your colleagues gone forever?

Well, THREE of my colleagues were AXED while I was having my relaxing holiday!

We didn’t even have the chance to say good-bye to each other!

This is a total SHOCK!  They were gone the same day they were told.

I guess I have to be prepared for the next bombing…

 

A Relaxing Time…

Ahh… here I am, blogging in the midst of my relaxing holiday.  If you don’t know where I am from the picture above, hey, where have you been?  It’s time you visited Sentosa!

We wanted a relaxing holiday, which hyperactive Little Guy could also enjoy.  I did consider some nearby Indonesian island resorts but eventually settled on Sentosa, as being familiar with the place does cut down a lot of stress seeking places to go, and things to do.

We’ll be here for two-and-a-half days – too many days, many people had quipped – nothing to do at Sentosa, it’s expensive, boring, blah, blah, blah.  But hey, we are enjoying ourselves!  We don’t want to have many things to do, we want to relax!  (So relaxing that Big and Little Guy are having their afternoon siesta right now!). 

And where we’re staying – The Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa Resort, Little Guy is happy to be able to frolick on the beach and then run to the pool (after a poolside shower, of course).  This guy is very happy with the holiday so far, just playing with sand and water.  The hotel has several pools and many kids enjoy the slides at the kids’ pools right by the beach.  The hotel also gave us a room with a king-sized bed, as we had requested, and the condition of the room is nice and clean and not run-down, as I had read in some reviews.  I read some bad reviews on the internet but decided to trust the Shangri-La brand anyway, and I’m glad I did!  The breakfast buffet had a good spread too, but too bad I’m the type who eats little, and Little Guy is happy with just waffles and pancakes.  Big Guy had no complaints, except for the ‘hard’ chapati.

We went to visit some of the attractions yesterday – we are determined to experience as many of them as possible, since we had always avoided them, as they were deemed expensive.  Previous visits to Sentosa were mostly spent at the beach.  But this time, we are going the whole hog as we want it to be a REAL holiday.  Besides, with the economic downturn, the entrance fees for many of the attractions (and hotel rates, too) have been reduced.  That said, we are  still going to give The Underwater World and Dolphin Lagoon a miss, as we had visited them twice last year.

First stop was the Sentosa 4D Magix attraction.  The 4D movie currently running now is Pirates.  Unfortunately, we are giving this attraction the thumbs-down.  For $18 per adult, it was not worth it.  We had expected better effects than what we had gone through there. 

Next to this was the Sentosa CineBlast attraction.  This is much like the 4D Magix except that this was much more exciting – we sat in ‘cabins’ and had to have safety belts on.  Then off we went on the Extreme Log Ride.  It was great fun and we wished it lasted longer!  All of us gave this the thumbs-up!  We had to miss the Desperados attraction at the same venue,  as Little Guy did not meet the 110cm height requirement.  But it looked like great fun too!  Grow tall quickly, little one!

I’m now waiting for the guys to finish their siesta, then we’ll be off to do the Luge and Skyride.  We will end the day with Songs of the Sea – hope that’ll be good!

So who says you can’t take a holiday in our tiny home country?  And why do you need lots of things to do on a holiday? 

I love holidays where I can take afternoon naps, with no worries about having to meet tour group mates at this place and that time, and all that rush.

Yawn!  I think I’m going to join the guys on the comfy king-sized bed now!

Siesta time!