Trying to Be Green Fingers

I do not have green fingers. I knew this since years back. Meddling with dirt doesn't excite. Our family had attempted to buy several potted plants over the years, much to my reluctance. We easily killed them all. I hated it when the kids had to grow bean spouts. The sight of roots and cotton wood tangling in a mess repulse me. Lil Shauna's school assignment to grow 小白菜 failed so miserably that they never went past the seedling stage. Lil Shauna asked me why and what else she could do. Sorry, I really cannot help you or the 菜.

The green things do look good in brightening up the space. They look so pretty on our shelf.

By the way, if you haven't guessed, the 1st row are fake plants from IKEA. I even asked Daddy Lim to help me pick the most real looking ones. 

We has been chatting about whose Terrarium would die 1st. The fear and pressure are real in being the 1st murderer. I have no doubt that I have high chances but do hope (with the tiniest hope) that it wouldn't be me. Ever since we got them, I have watered them once with just a little water. The aunties had advised again and again that the succulent thrives when neglected. Just dont care about them. 

I has been struggling. I didn't want the kill the Terrariums due to underwatering. However, looking at the plants, I have no idea if it is time to water again. 

This is the closed Terrarium. The staff said that watering is needed when the moss starts to brown. Is this browning? I thought it looks brown but the aunties say not. Haiz, I no longer know what is browning then.

Then, there is the open Terrarium with the succulent. 

There is this petal that looks funny. I was still thinking that it is drying up but the aunties told me that it is symptoms of overwatering. Huh? How?

Auntie TL then showed me how she dried up her succulents that were accidentally overwatered and sent me a video to watch. I have to dig out the succulent, remove the soil, peeled off the affected petal and leave to dry.

Zzzzzzzz... so much work. No way do I want to touch the soil and plant.

Dear Succulent, sorry, your fate is sealed. I will attempt to go sun you. That is the best I can do for you. Pls do not demand more of me. 

Mummy Lim

Happy "Thursday" to Lil Shauna

Daddy Lim sent us home from the rink yday evening after Lil Shauna's SISA class. She excitedly told me that she almost got her double toe and asked me if I saw. No leh, I was busy on the laptop. I asked her what made it ticks and she said that Coach had asked her to wrap her arms and not swing her arms. Huh? They took so long to figure out ah? Hohoho. 

Anyway, while in the car, Lil Shauna suddenly remembered and exclaimed that tomorrow is her birthday! Daddy Lim and I happily continued with the "what day is tomorrow joke". "THURSDAY"! Hoho. 

This morning, while preparing to leave for school, we happily wished her "Happy Thursday"! Hohoho. We are evil.

I am not the only one. I asked Zaky when he woke up this morning if he knows what day is today. "Thursday lor". I asked if there is anything important that is happening today. "Science paper". Hohoho. He did remember shortly and added that it is Jiejie's birthday. 

So Happy Thursday to the teenager of the family!

Mummy Lim

Happy Mother's Day to Me

While in the car on Saturday evening, I reminded the family of the upcoming Mother's Day. Lil Shauna exclaimed in total surprise that Mother's Day was so near. She said that the primary school (and younger) kids would be reminded by the school of Mother's Day. Oh yes, I do recalled the random cards and craft that they used to bring home for Mother's Day. 

However, the older kids (and school) don't care s**t and nobody knows/ remembers when is Mother's Day. Zzzzz... 早知道生一粒石头算了... hoho.

On Sunday late morning, again while in the car in search of lunch, I asked if they remember what day it was. "Sunday... tomorrow got school". Zzzzzz... pui! Hahaha. 

As such, my Mother's Day is just as uneventful/ eventful as any other Sundays. I managed to snap a picture with the "only kid left" while on the way to Chinese tuition.

I didn't even get a picture with the daughter. 

In the evening, we had a lousy dinner. It was my fault, the Japanese eating place had pictures of such nice grill but the reality was so far from it. We ended the night with dessert but for the boy bcos I was so full. 

It is OK, let everyday be Mother's Day to me. #自high

Mummy Lim

Happenings during the Long Weekend

I had been so looking forward to the long weekend. It doesn't matter what PH it is, so long as it is a PH and best if it is a long weekend.

The long weekend started with a RI and then me trying to recover the next day. Lol. We actually had a family dinner date at Timbre X on Saturday night, a reservation that I made after my last Timbre date with the aunties. Lil Shauna forgot to log that in her calendar and ended up missing it. She forgo us for her youths. Zaky happily became the "only child" once again. 

We were too early for our 6.30pm reservation but the threatening rain forced us to go into the restaurant early. 

We were trying to go in as late as possible bcos we wanted to see the band that wouldn't start until 8pm and we know that Zaky is the eat and go type. 

Lil Shauna missed out on the good food. 

As expected, Zaky didn't allow us to stay until 8pm and lamented about how tired he is. Ya right. Zzzz. 

On Sunday morning, Lil Shauna joined us at ECP, which is super rare. While the boys worked out at the skatepark, I made her skate with me and refused to tell her how long the journey is. We made it over the big green bridge, which is like chicken feet to her. 

It is the mother who needed to watch out and be careful not to break a limb. We did about 20km in total; Lil Shauna complained about how tiring it was and did the 梁婆婆 skating style, which she claimed will lessen the wind resistance. Hoho. 

There was a big party at the skatepark. Coach N was also there despite no lesson and they all did that "lining up on the grind bar" drill. Hoho. 

On Monday, we were back at the skatepark. I didn't want to do another 20km on small wheels and brought the big wheel instead. I did the TMCR alone and it was sooooo lonely. The headwind didn't help. At least Daddy Lim helped me with a decent photo. 

The long weekend was so precious and we got much done. The kids met up with their classmate to do project at LV lounge/ meeting room. We met up with my brother's family for Mother's Day dinner. 

We finally got the Terrarium done up too. 

Now, it is to hope very hard that I wouldn't be the 1st to kill the Terrarium. Hoho. 

Mummy Lim

Long Weekend RI

I made the new year resolution to do 1 RI per quarter. The 1st one was done on 28 Jan 22, right before the CNY long weekend. Then I realised that the RI posts get buried in my Strava bcos I exercised too much. Hoho. So, it calls for an audience on my blog. 

I did struggle with this one after a long break from doing a RI.

Then come quarter 2 and another long weekend. Hoho. So, I jioed and did another RI on 14 Apr 22, right before my bday. It felt like some kind of personal bday milestone. 

This one was equally tough bcos we went slightly longer distant and the puller was pulling us at a faster pace in the beginning. 

It became a joke that I must called for a RI when there is a long weekend. This time, it wasn't really me but one of the cyclists asked if we were doing one bcos it was the long weekend. OK lah, due to popular demand...

The 3rd RI of the year on 29 Apr 22, simply bcos it was a long weekend. It almost didn't take place bcos some cyclists who knew the route had to drop out. I agar, agar know the route but didn't trust myself enough. 

It felt easier as compared to the last one as the pace was nicely even out. 

I also realised how I would have a bad night sleep after the RI. Exhausted as I was, I kept waking up and blamed it on the adrenaline. The next day is basically wasted but I had a couple of naps (plus a long afternoon one) bcos Daddy Lim was at work and there was no program until dinner time. I was very much alive by evening time. 

I heard that there is another long weekend coming. Hmmmm... should I be crazy again? Hoho. 

Mummy Lim

A Bigger Gathering

With each relaxation of the covid rule, my heart does a little cartwheel. Hohoho. The possibility to be outdoor without mask is liberating, the increase of group size to 10 is well celebrated. Woohoo!

When we finally resumed the monthly gathering, it was almost an adult only affair bcos of the group size restriction. Only the tiniests of the group get the opportunity to tag along. Our last gathering on Sunday saw a not-at-all tiny addition.

Bcos it was in between church and Chinese tuition and Daddy Lim was at work. Zaky got the chance to meet all the aunties in a long time. He has absolutely grew a lot in the last 2 years; in all directions. 

It was a Terrarium making session. The uninvited Zaky took my spot. 

It was a win-win situation bcos Zaky had a lot of fun. 

I was super glad that I didn't have to manage the soil and the roots. My heart was leaping with joy when I saw Zaky doing that on my behalf. 

I was contented with pictures taking with the end product, as if I was the creator. Hahahaha. Nobody knows...

Zaky was sent in a Grab to tuition right after he has completed the Terrarium. 

I enjoyed part 2 of the gathering a lot more. We went for coffee and desserts and had plenty of catching up. One of the main discussion points was the full force gathering with the removal of group size restriction. We counted, we have 8 adults and 15 kids! More if spouses are included. It feels a little bit like old times CNY gathering at the ah man's house. 

We decided that a function room is absolutely needed. Gathering at somebody's house is as good as helping the person 拆家. I offered our function room. Hahahaha. Nobody wanted to 路途遥远 to come to our place and Auntie J's place was the choice, with ours as a backup (evil grin). 

I am absolutely looking forward to the gathering. It had been 2 years as well since I last saw some of the kiddos in person. I wonder too how the kids would react to one another. Hmmm....

Mummy Lim

New Glasses Day

It is the time again to have the kids' eyesight check. I get so nervous at these times. Not only bcos I hate spending $$ to change their glasses, I am more worried about their eyesight deteriorating. 

Nevertheless, I was prepared to change Zaky's glasses. It is not that I am OK for his eyesight to worsen but his lenses had been 2 years long with multiple scratches bcos he doesn't take care of them. Zzzzz. He had broken and changed multiple frames and the optical shop had given us free exchanges bcos they wanted us to remain loyal plus mummy made enough noises. Hoho.

The last check was in October 2021. Lil Shauna had her glasses last changed in April 2021 bcos her bad eye just refused to be tamed. Zaky's eyesight had been controlled since we changed the kids to Hoya lenses in February 2020. 

The verdict? I like Hoya. Hoho. Their degrees are both controlled. Yay!

Zaky still got to change his glasses bcos they are so scratched. The lenses are already scratched the last round we went for eye checked but I refused to spend the $$. He now complained that he cannot see clearly. The glasses are also getting more expensive. 2 years back, it was $360 per pair. It was $400 when we changed Lil Shauna's glasses in April 21. This time, it is $500! Luckily, I can claimed $400 from the Company's insurance. 

I am hoping this investment will last him for the next 2 years. As for his old glasses, we are keeping them for his aggro skating sessions. 

Mummy Lim

Ice Skating 276: After Competition

Lil Shauna declared a much needed break after the competition. She deserves it and we also arranged her booster jab on the Sunday after her competition. Thus, she had the perfect reason to take a break. 

The 1st lesson after competition was on a Sunday afternoon and I had to miss it for church. Last week, I got to see her finally.

It was jump day having done her spins the previous lesson. She didn't master her double salchow jump before the competition and is still struggling with consistency. This calls for ice studying and a lot of falling. 

The rink's capacity has increased with the covid restrictions relaxation and the public ice was so crowded. It had been more than 2 years since we got to enjoy an emptier ice. I don't even remember how crowded it was before covid but at its peak, it must be more crowded than this.

I was hiding at the spectators seats initially but was chased out when the full capacity was reached. 

R & J were also in the rink. As a result, the 3 of them spent so much time leisurely skating around and round the 1/3 ice and chitchatting. Zzzzzz. It was only when R was having her lesson that Lil Shauna started working a little harder. I got her to do her broken leg spins, which she of course complained, then her double salchow. 

She managed to land several of her double slachow jumps but was telling me, after studying the ice, that it is still not right. Something about needing to be lighter and not so heavy. Huh? 

Anyway, it was great to be able to see Lil Shauna on ice again. 

Mummy Lim

Happy Birthday to Me Part 3

No lah, I didn't buy any more presents for myself. Not that I am done; I just didn't have anything in particular to want to buy now. We still have about half a month more. Hoho.

I am however very happy that it was a long weekend. This basically means an opportunity for my 2nd quarter RI. I had wanted to do 1 RI per quarter and would choose to do it before a long weekend bcos I seriously needed the long weekend to recover. Daddy Lim wasn't keen. He hasn't cycled for months and I didn't want to kill him/ burst his lungs (again) with a RI. I went ahead to plan with the WWF folks and was hoping for good weather on Thursday evening. 

It all went well and this time, nobody tried calling me at 6pm and I managed to be on time for the 7pm meetup. It was a cosy ride with 8 of us, just nice in one train with the relaxed ruling. 

Whenever some cyclists said that it would be a chill ride, don't ever believe them. We were rolling at 30+kmh all the way past Mandai and to Sinopec. Zzzzz. 

Fortunately, the pace did slow down after the 1st leg. Then I coincidentally met Auntie SL at CV and then after TMCR. Both times she called out to me bcos I was already so tired that I don't know what is happening around me. Hoho.

Our very meitu-ed photo. Hoho.

It was about 1.30am when I finally reached home. Sleep was actually difficult. I was physically exhausted but I think the adrenaline was still pumping. Yay, my 2nd RI for 2022 done, 2 more to go. 

On Friday morning, I was up at 6ish, intending to tag along to ECP skatepark for the boys' lessons. It ended up pouring and it turned into a bfast ride. The good part was that I got to do another 2 hours nap before heading out to ECP again. 

Daddy Lim finally decided to join Zaky for the class. He said that he managed to learn and figure out how to jump up the ramp better. Before class, it seems like a ritual for all the students, regardless of age, to wait quietly on the grind bar, like little birds. Hoho. 

The day ended with the ceremonial cake cutting at home. 

I know I looked freaking tired right? I was from the lack of sleep and retired to my room at 8pm. Lil Shauna happily went to the Jurong Lake Garden with the Fs and Aiko. I was drifting in and out of sleep. Old already. 

Happy 25th birthday to me!

Mummy Lim

Solo Ride to Look for the Father and Son

Two Saturdays ago, there was no WWF rides bcos it was our anniversary and we went on a bus tour outing. The boy entertained and accompanied me. It was a Sembawang heritage tour and we got to play tourist for a morning. 

It was a super hot morning. Why Singapore so hot??!! 

When Daddy Lim works on Saturday, Sunday morning becomes a skatepark morning. Like a good wife and good mummy, I tagged along. 

Last Saturday, the ride was canceled when a passing shower derailed the plan. I was already fully geared up. Zzzzzz. I contemplated a solo ride but the roads were constantly wet from the start-stop drizzle that followed. Angry. 

I really wanted to cycle bcos I have jio-ed people to do a RI last evening. I think I needed the mileage to prep. It had been a long while since the last RI. Daddy Lim had plan to bring Zaky to the Kallang skatepark. I ended up cycling to Kallang to look for the boys. 

The skatepark was empty bcos everybody had gone to ECP. 

I continued my ride to ECP skatepark and back, clocking a total of 50km. Not bad for a solo ride in a long time. 

The nice part? The bike went into the  car and I took a car ride home. Hoho.

Mummy Lim