Is didi smarter?

I was going through Tessa's science assessment today. She told me she could not answer some of the questions. One of them asked about common characteristics between a Tree and a Tiger. She did not know what is "common characteristics". I explained to her what that meant and asked her what do both Tree and Tiger need to survive. While she was digesting my question, Jacob immediately shouted " water"! - Jacob 1 - Tessa 0

2nd question asked her to name a different characteristic between a tree and a tiger. Before she can say anything, Jacob said " Tiger can move!" Well it was obvious Tessa was not using her common sense while doing the assessment! - Jacob 2, Tessa 0

Another part of the answer to the 2nd question above talks about Tiger hunts for food while the Tree makes food through a process call?? I gave the kids a hint by saying that the word begins with photo and Jacob shouted " photosynthesis"!!! I know TELC teaches them science in k2 but I am still impressed that Jacob remembers the word! Jacob 3- Tessa 0

Is didi really smarter? We shall see next year....

2 blessings in a week

Blessing No.1 - The missing maid

By the time I write this, most of the followers of this blog would have already known the story of my "missing" maid. Yes, Hetty did not board the flight back to Singapore yesterday and we wasted 2 hours of our time waiting for her at the airport. I was so disappointed that I was almost in tears! I had no more leave left for the year and piles of laundry and housework to do after our Hokkaido trip and our maid of 4 years had misplaced out trust! I was calling n "sms"ing friends to vent my anger and in my mind I was worrying the logistics for the kids in the week ahead.

Luckily my angry hubby was calm enough to contact a Hokkaido tour group friend to get her contact at the maid agency. We met this interesting family ( The "A"s - Alvin, Amy and Ashley) that clicked really well with us during the trip. The kids adored Ashley and we spent 1-2 hours chatting with Alvin and Amy every night after dinner. I remember asking God during one of my prayers at night that why did he let them come into our life.

During one of our conversations, we did share with them our worry of the maid not returning. Amy told us to call her if that happens, as she knows someone that can supply good maids. Well, that scenario materialised and God answered my question. Thanks to her help, we got a transfer maid with good attitude within an hour of leaving the airport! This maid has a more likable face than Hetty and she also speaks better English. It seems like a blessing in disguise now that Hetty did not return and we pray that the good attitude of the new maid will last. For now, we are thankful for God's wonderful plan of allowing us to meet the "A"s' family during the trip!

Blessing no.2 - The missing earring

This was not as dramatic as the first blessing. I realised that one of my diamond earrings was missing during one of my Ramen dinner session in Hokkaido. Luckily I was wearing my Gordon Max earrings so I was not too upset about it. I just assumed I may have dropped it at the shopping mall while I was trying clothes ( ie, removing 5 layers of clothes).

On our last night in Hokkaido, our tour leader suddenly shouted before we alight from our tour bus " Who lost a diamond earring?" I was shocked and Amy had to remind me that it was ME! One of the old lady in our tour group dropped her earrings in the bus and she found my diamond earring while searching for hers!! This was totally unexpected and Amy reminded me " You are really blessed!". She is right and I will keep counting my blessings! AMEN!

A good message ...

I like this message on my friend's profile page on FB...

On this day, God wants you to know...

... that difficult people are very important, - they teach you tolerance and acceptance. If all was going your way all the time, you would become a spoiled child, wouldn't everyone? Difficult people are just one of the ways God teaches us to expand beyond our egos and accept other perspectives on life.

Jacob Graduated from TELC!

I can still remember clearly Jacob's first performance when he froze on stage! His teacher had to send me a CD of his rehearsal to show me how well he could dance.

Time flies and 5 performances later, Jacob has become a seasoned performer who does not make any mistakes on stage. I was nearly in tears when I saw he came on stage in his tuxedo. So handsome!!!

I felt very proud of my little boy when I watched his performance on Friday night. At the same time, I also felt sad that we will be leaving this special place that has groomed him well.

I want to say a BIG thank you to all the wonderful teachers at TELC.

Thank you for giving the children a strong foundation for Primary one.

Thank you for all the performance opportunities at Mediacorp.

Thank you for believing in Jacob!

Happy Birthday Michelle...

Michelle

I kept thinking about you today. Every time I look at the date, the image of you comes to my mind. I saw birthday reminders on Facebook and my phone. When I was selecting photos to print today, I came across the pictures of our wonderful KL Genting trip. I still remember your nagging about the lousy Genting hotel and the scene when you asked me to help you scold Julian when he refused to stop his tantrums.

I was talking to my ex-boss just a while ago and he was sharing with me his pain of losing his first dog. He told me he prayed very hard that he did not have to make the decision of putting the dog down. That reminded me of the day in the hospital when you failed the brain stem test. I also prayed very hard that your family would not have make the tough decision.

I think of you every time I drive past Mount E. Those chit chat sessions we had in the ICU still brings a smile, and sometimes tears, to my face.

If I cannot stop thinking about you today, it must be a much tougher day for Sean, Kristy and your parents. I pray for God to grant them strength through this difficult time and hopefully, they will eventually find comfort in the Lord like you did.

Happy Birthday my dear....

Tessa's Ballet Performance

Once again, Tessa has done us proud by doing well in her 2nd ballet performance at MGS's CCA showtime. Look at her pretty costume in pictures below...

Birkin

29 Oct 09 - The day I got my first Birkin!!!!!

It is a beautiful 30cm blue jean that I have been eyeing for last few weeks. My hubby decided to get it for me as an anniversary present, a BIG upgrade from the big soft toy kiki that I received last year! It was a wonderful surprise as all my friends know that my hubby is not supportive of my indulgence in bags.

My heart was pounding all day in the office and I cannot take my eyes and hands off the bag when I reached home. It seems so unreal that I actually have a Birkin sitting in my room. It also reminded me of how blessed I have been in my life. Thank you dear!

30 Oct 09- The day I got on the Birkin waiting list.

I decided to send my Birkin for a bag spa at Hermes. The shop that Ian bought the bag from agrees to give us a refund if the bag is rejected by Hermes. It is a Hermes Policy not to provide authentication of the bag at the store so the only way to authenticate it is to send the bag for the spa. Although we did our own checks based on instructions found on the internet, I think having the receipt from the bag spa will help in case I decided to sell the bag in the future.

I made sure I dressed like a regular Hermes client that day, ie, carrying my Lindy and wearing my Hermes Bangle ( what Frances defined as OTT!). I started a nice conversation with the sales assistant but she went silent when I hinted for her to comment on the authenticity of my bag. The bag spa process takes 2 months so I was hoping save time and $$ if she can tell me " IT IS REAL" on the spot. That failed so I have no choice but to send the bag for the spa. While filling in the forms, I casually asked about the waiting list, as I heard from my colleague recently that it was closed. She gladly informed me that they have just reopened it! Since it is not a firm commitment to buy, I put my name down for a 35 cm black Birkin (1 - 2 yrs wait) and a 32 cm Kelly( 6 mth - 1 yr wait). The fun part is to see how long they will take to call me. Think Ian will get heart attack if they call me before year end!!

Question

Will we be sad if our children forget about us after we passed on? This was a question asked by Sean last week in one of his emails to us. The question keeps coming back to my mind despite the crazy schedule I had at work and at home in the last few days.

Being the hands-on mum like me, I thought my answer would have been a definite YES! After what I have done for my kids while I am alive, the least they can do is to remember me, right? But no, that was not the immediate answer that came to my mind. I pondered over the question over a few days and concluded that these are what I hope to see if I am watching my kids from heaven ( in descending order of importance)

- kids are happy and healthy ( like what we ask for in our daily prayers)

- kids are able to resume their normal life

- kids to show more respect and love for papa and papa not to spoil them.

- kids to do well in their studies and become useful people to the society

The list goes on and on and it is essentially the same list that I would have put down even when I am alive. I think I will be sad if my kids cannot move on and cries for mummy everyday. Moving on does not mean that they do not love me. It means they feel secure enough to adapt to changes and that they are still well loved by a lot of people besides mummy. I wonder if Michelle agrees with me?

Blessings

I have not written anything for a while. Work stress level shot up the day after Michelle's cremation service. It seems like payback time for me after the lack of focus at work during the weeks of Michelle's hospital stay. I felt so stressed that I have to try extra hard to count my blessings. I decided to list a few blessings here as a reminder for myself on my "down" days

- I am healthy and usually happy ( or Ah Q)

- I have a good husband ( who is sourcing for birkin for me!) and 2 beautiful children who loves me unconditionally.

- I have a supportive dad and sis whom I can always count on.

- I have a bunch of lovely friends to hang out with

- I have a lalaland job that supports my indulgence in BAGS

- I have a relationship with GOD

- I have the ability to count my blessings! ( courtesy of Frances)

The Message from Michelle

I feel sad and empty today. Michelle was called home to be with the lord on 11 Oct 09. I have gotten used to our 'cosy corner" at Mount E. It felt weird not having to go there in the evening. I wonder if she saw the huge turnout at the wake in the last 3 days. I hope she liked the impromptu eulogy that we did for her. Just in case I forget the most important line, I have extracted what Liana has typed during our chat yesterday on the strong message that Michelle is giving to me, by choosing to leave on my birthday :-

"I guess she wants you to appreciate life fully and what you have on every single birthday"

Thank you Michelle and I will always remember this.

Good Old JC Days

Michelle, I know these pictures will bring a smile to your face....

Most recent pics of Mich

These are the most recent pictures of Michelle taken at my place. We were celebrating Sean and Amy's birthdays. I am still trying to figure out the scanner that I bought. Will be posting pictures of our JC days...I am sure those will bring a smile to Michelle's face...

Overnight Stay at the Hospital

Huting, Amy and I volunteered for overnight duty at the hospital yesterday. We had the support of Amos and Frances, who provided food and entertainment in the form of CDD. It was nice being able to talk to Mich every other hour. For the first time this week, I did not break down when I see her. I can imagine her laughing along with us during the CDD session.

Last night was also the last day for my favourite boss in the US. He called to tell me the news before it went public. I am going to miss him alot. Both Michelle and him have been my pillars of strength during the last few months when I was dealing with tremendous amount of work stress. When I felt lousy at work, I will remind myself of the pain Michelle was going through. Or I will give my boss a call in the US to pour out the pain and he will always be there to give me sound advice. The thought of potentially losing my 2 pillars of strength this year is scary. Don't think I am ready to give up on a miracle yet....

Mich and Gang

"Mich and gang"- This is what I will put in my calendar for every gathering that we planned. I have just added another entry into my calendar. Sean has suggested a gathering this Sunday for the sake of the kids. Tessa was happy ( and surprised) that she is allowed to play the last weekend before her exams.

At the hospital, it seems like everyone is trying to move on. Kristy told me about her plans to help with the kids on weekdays when Sean goes for his jog. Michelle's mum is not ready to let go yet but she is already talking about Sean should remarry for the sake of the kids and hopes that their stepmother will not ill-treat the children. I am thinking about how to make sure Shyan gets into Nanqiao next year as I know this is one of Michelle's big concerns.

Michelle,

Can you see and hear all these? Is this what you want us to do for you? Are we missing out on anything? Will you be surprising us in the next few days by waking up to say hi and prove all the doctors wrong? One of the girls said you may wake up and ask me to stop buying bags. I wish I can hear you say that. Be strong and fight off the infection, we will be there for you.

Praying For a Miracle

Michelle's brain scan results were not good today. I am not ready to accept this is God's plan for her. I still have the little hope in me that God will use his miraculous touch on her, just like the sunday school stories that I tell my N2 class, and she will suddenly wake up and be her old usual self again. This has been a real test of my faith and I have spent the whole day convincing myself that He knows best. I have to force myself to focus on what she has been blessed with - supportive family, beautiful children, good maid, good colleagues and many good friends. It is not easy. I do not think my faith will waver if this is happening to me but it is just harder to accept when it is happening to a good friend.

Michelle

I hope you have enjoyed our chit chats in the last few days. I have more gossips to share with you and I still need your help to recall the title of the movie that made us real "humbao"s in JC. Diane n Jin Hoe sent their warmest regards today and Huimin will be visiting you tomorrow. I am sure you liked Shyan and Tessa's singing on the tape, interrupted by their heavy breathing! It is heartwarming to see so many visitors at the hospital in the last 7 days. It shows that you and Sean have touched so many people in your life. Whatever happens, we will be there for Sean and your family. U don't have to worry ok?

Michelle

This is my first blog and I am dedicating it to my friend Michelle. I knew Mich in AJC, where we both had the best time of our lives. She had "maggi mee" hair then and she loved to laugh at my crush on Lothar Matthaus. We both love french fries. She likes it with a lot of salt n pepper n chilli while I like it with a lot of salt.We were dancing and dating more than studying then but we both "woke up" before A levels and did well enough to move on to University. She went to Science in NUS while I went to Business in NTU. I certainly did not expect our friendship to remain strong till today. We did silly part time jobs together ( corporate surveys where we learnt how to handle people banging phone on us) during uni days. Her wildest days were during the time I worked in Hong Kong. Even then, we kept in touch and she had to help me dump an old boyfriend after I came back. That scene at NTU still remains clearly in my mind. I was a dumb romantic that had to be dragged away by her. I also remember that day in national library when we sat on the floor and had a long chat, where she shared in detail on her real feelings after her recent breakup. She seem so cool on the surface that I did not realised that she was hurt badly if not for that chat in the library. I remember feeling guilty for not being there for her but our bond certainly strengthened again after that.

I also remember Sean. I was quite against the idea of her dating him as he seem like a "beng" who was not serious about her. I did not expect him to be the responsible man he is today and I am certainly glad that Michelle ignored my bias then.

I snapped at Mich once before. I was pregnant n busy at work n she called to ask about some trivial things. I felt very guilty about my actions and apologised to her after that. I remember it was during that conversation that I asked her to be Tessa's Godma. She not only accepted but also gave me the privilege to be her daughter's god ma 3 years later.

Fast forward to today, she is lying in the hospital bed now. She has been in a coma since Tuesday due to a blood clot in her brain. We are now both mothers of 2 young children. We have a usual gang of 5 families with young kids that meet up almost weekly to exercise and gossip. The last session was on Monday but I did not join as I was doing my holiday duty at work. I am jealous of everyone who had a chance to spend time with her on Monday. I long to hear her laughter and her nagging at my obsession with bags. I want to tell her I went crazy again n got myself an Hermes. I can imagine her glare and her "i give up on you" look. I want to see how excited she gets when I discover new cheap and nice stores for kids clothes. We are suppose to be back at Cotton On checking out their supplies after our sunday badminton session. We are suppose to be going to watch Hossan Leong together on 2 Oct. Now, everything seems meaningless. I am praying very hard for a miracle. I am encouraged by the faith of her closely knit family. I felt happy that she has accepted Christ but I am a greedy child of God. I want more. I want her to be healed and to be part of our group again. Lord, please grant me my wish.