Sunday Plan

Daddy Lim's friend, Uncle K is getting married today! However, it isn't fun trying to entertain 2 kids at wedding dinner. I barely enjoyed the food at auntie LL's wedding lunch the last time and didn't have to mention about catching up. So we decided that Daddy Lim will bring Lil Shauna and we devised a plan to keep Lil Isaac home. Muahaha.

We went to church in the morning. Lil Shauna had a performance. I was so touched seeing my big girl on stage. Can you see her? In the center of the 1st row. Hehe.

Lil Isaac had fun in church too.

By the way, he was holding on to a scepter that  he made in Sunday class.

Then we headed to Jurong Safra and had 2 hours of fun at the 3-storey high indoor playground. The kids saw 3 storeys of fun while I saw 3 storeys of torture. The mega structure was made for kids which mean that some of the openings and tunnels are so tiny that I have to leopard crawl through. I couldn't be more glad that the kids are now old and independent most of the time.

Then Daddy Lim brought Lil Shauna home for some freshening up and to the wedding dinner while I headed to JP with the boy.

He has exchanged his rights to the wedding dinner for hot wheels toy. Haha.

I heard jiejie had a great time with her friends.

Didi didn't do too badly either.

Mummy Lim

Ninja Turtle

The day that I brought Ninja Turtle out.

The band is super uncomfortable, tickling the eye bcos it wouldn't stay in place until clever mummy secured it with sticky tape especially to keep clothes in place. And we have a very happy turtle.

Mummy Lim

Rabbit

Lil Shauna said.
"Whenever I wear this dress to the park, the red ants wanted to bite me."

"That is bcos they think I am a rabbit and they want to bite a rabbit."

Oh, what blind and saddist red ants.

Mummy Lim

Skating Lesson 4

We did the escape stunt again on Saturday as Daddy Lim had to work. Lil Shauna was up at 7am, way before my alarm clock and was already excited to start her day while her lazy bones mummy tried to snooze whatever minutes there were. Hehe.

We were out of the house by 8am and I was delighted that Lil Isaac was still in lala land. At least I don't have to shake off a crying kid clinging to my leg. The ride to JE with the little girl was just as enjoyable.

And of course, the day has to start with MacDonalds bfast. Our little girl can really eat now and almost finished the entire bfast set. Lil Shauna can be MacDonalds poster girl. Lol.

As usual, we ended up early in the rink and watched the level 3 and 4 skaters go through their classes. Then it was Lil Shauna’s turn and she did great as usual. 

I managed to speak to her instructor at the end of the class, who confirmed that Lil Shauna has no problem passing her level 1 class. We needed that confirmation before we can sign her up for the level 2 holiday classes and couldn't wait for the official results 2 Saturdays later bcos it would be past the school holiday program registration closing date. And tadah, I registered Lil Shauna for the level 2 classes!

The rink was a little crowded on Saturday and Lil Shauna skated alone while I signed her up for the holiday program. She didn't enjoy Saturday free skate as much and said that it was boring bcos nobody skates with her (her teacher was on MC). We spent about an hour more on the ice and we left. 

By the way, for the school holiday program, we have found our baby sitter! This is so exciting. Auntie S’ relative, a poly girl (PY jiejie) will also be on school holiday and will be keen to earn extra pocket $$. Auntie S said that she's responsible, loves kids and could do that hamster round the rink basic skate. Woohoo! I will be Monday and Thursday while PY jiejie will take the rest. The process was very much like a matchmaking. We had to show jiejie PY's picture to Lil Shauna and she gave us the nod. So funny.

Mummy Lim 

Real?

We saw this at Science Center.

LI: Is this real?
LS: No, it is dead.

......

Mummy Lim

Epic Fail

This is my 1st ever credit card. In that era, owning a credit card was a BIG thing, a status symbol, one of the 5Cs that Singaporeans were after. Then, I really believed their “The Men Don't Get It” slogan and was proud to own the card. Despite how the credit card industry had flourished over the years and the banks get more creative over welcome gifts and rewards, I still stick loyally to my “The Men Don't get It” card. I don't use the card often and didn't utilize any of the miserable bonus points that I do earned over the years but still kept a place in my wallet for it and faithfully asked for waiver of annual subscription.

Unfortunately, even good things come to an end and my wallet does get a little too cramp in recent years with all the arcade swipe cards, annual passes and many other cards and papers (but money). On a recent occasion, I used the card to try to get some bonus credit (which I didn't redeem eventually) and was reminded of how stagnant it has been. I have decided that I will terminate the card.

I called the bank yday. Other than verifying my NRIC, I was asked a truckload of questions. Finally, they told me that I have an outstanding bill on the card and have to call back after I cleared the bill to request for cancellation. Alright, I have no qualms about that and I recognized that it is my responsibility. I even went to reactivate my ibanking pin last night for the same bank saving account so as to get ready to pay the outstanding online once I receive the bill. Coincidentally, I received the bill last night and paid for the bill using online banking this morning. I saw that my bank balance was reduced and was notified that the transaction was immediate and successful. Great!

During lunch, I called up the credit card hotline happily and was again asked a truckload of questions. Then, I was told that the balance was still outstanding. I was also told that should I have used the same bank ibanking to pay for the outstanding, the payment is immediate. I panic a little bcos I re-login to my ibanking and had the same success transaction staring at me while the officer told me that it was still outstanding. I was then put on hold and transferred to the banking side. 

I think the officers communicated while putting me on hold bcos I waited quite a while. A different officer spoke to me and I was again asked to wait while the he checked. Then he came back and told me that there was no online transaction tagged to my NRIC number done in the morning. I told the officer that the savings account is a shared account and the ibanking could be applied under my hubby’s name. That was when I had that typical “I NEED TO SPEAK TO YOUR HUSBAND FOR BLOODY VERIFICATION BEFORE I CAN REVEAL MORE INFORMATION” answer. I wanted to throw the handset at him. 

Of course I was pissed and tried to reason with him. The officer then explained that though it is a shared account but individual ibanking account could exist and thus he couldn't reveal more. My foot! Hello, regardless of whose ibanking account, if there were any transactions done, I would still be able to see bcos it is a shared account lah. I had to resort to telling the officer that he can check and don't have to tell me what he sees on his computer screen BUT if there is a bloody transaction to clear the outstanding bill, pls convey the message to his credit card colleague so that I can cancel the credit card. Maybe, “the men really don't get it”, pun intended. I was again put on hold for a long time. 

It was again a different officer when I get to speak again and was told that yes, there was a transaction and maybe the previous officer had missed it. Great! BUT, their banking system is a different system from the credit card system and the $$ will not be immediately reflected in the credit card system though the deduction in the banking system is immediate. Ahh, how efficient and enlightening. I was then told that I should call again tonight to request for the cancellation. By then, the transaction should have been reflected in the credit card system. But of course, if I INSIST, the banking officer can also put up a request through the system to the credit card side so that I need not call again. However, he cannot guarantee if that request will go through. Being a very NICE customer, I didn't insist. I cannot live with the uncertainty if the request has gone through. I will call again tomorrow. I hope that by then, their system will be at least be efficient enough to capture the $$ that had been deducted immediately.

The once loyal credit card holder,
Mummy Lim 

Quest for Babysitters

Babysitter 1

Remember that we had a 23 YO responding to us on our search for babysitter for one of the afternoons where Daddy Lim will be alone with the kids in Geneva ? Ah yee replied her and offered 20 CHF per hour instead of her initiate requested 30 CHF and she agreed! So, we will be hiring her for 5 hours on Tuesday afternoon. The only worry is that she doesn't turn up as agreed. Then Plan B will be for Daddy Lim to bring the kids on his own to an indoor playground in Geneva instead of the museum. We also standby an emergency plan, which is to get my Singaporean colleagues to help. They will arrive in Geneva on Tuesday morning and have no meetings for the day. I hope the babysitter option works out. Then they can do more interesting stuff and I am quite sure that the babysitter will be able to suggest places to see and walk in town.

Babysitter 2

Lil Shauna will be completing her level 1 skate class on 6 Sep 14 (Saturday). There will be a test/ assessment on the last class. I think the assessment wouldn't be too tough and I am so very confident that she would be able to pass easily. There is a holiday program coming up during the school holiday week. Instead of 5 weekend classes of 30 mins, it will be 4 classes of 45 mins, from Monday to Thursday. Then it will be the same 2 hours of free practice skate after the class. This means that she will be able to complete one level (total of 4 levels) within a week. I am tempted. This will help her to accelerate in the program, which will otherwise take forever to complete. We will also have to skip the next set of weekend classes, given that our Europe trip falls right smack in the classes. So if we miss the holiday program, her next lesson will be in mid October. 

The school holiday week is exactly before our Europe trip and I highly suspect that I will be very busy with work. I am not sure how well 4 half days leave will fit into the schedule. I have been toying with the idea of hiring a babysitter to bring Lil Shauna to and back from class. It will be great if the babysitter could skate with Lil Shauna in the rink but otherwise, we just need somebody to help with the ferrying and to keep an eye on her. This arrangement could possibly keep Lil Isaac away from the rink too. Unlike Lil Shauna, he definitely cannot skate alone. The idea of babysitter is so popular in the west but rarely takes place here. Ah yee also recently secured a babysitting arrangement and will be starting to burn some free time for extra income. 

I asked the SHSS girls if they knew of any kids who needed a part time job. I also asked a colleague if her JC brother is interested to earn extra pocket money. Her brother wasn't.. but her homemaker mum is. Hahaha. I have to go back to discuss with Daddy Lim and also to check with Lil Shauna on how comfortable she is. I could take 1 or 2 out of the 4 days and the babysitter could help with the rest. My colleague’s mum definitely cant skate with Lil Shauna but will help with the ferrying and logistics. Hehe.

Mummy Lim

updated - Lil Shauna is comfortable with the idea of a babysitter but Popo isn't.  Faint. We will see how.

Headache Gone

I think it is indeed sinus headache. I deliberately skipped the arcoxia this morning and was prepared to head down to any clinic if the headache still comes back. Apparently, the anti-inflammation medicine did work and I was pain free. Woohoo! How good is that??!! Did you see me do cartwheels? Haha.

It is so good to be free from the dreadful headache. It is even better to know that it is merely a "small" headache, nothing serious and I am back on track. Hehe. The only issue? My body suffered but my appetite remained superbly good and I even put on weight from munching on all the comfort food that I allowed myself. Zzzzzz...

Mummy Lim

Old and New Socks

Lil Isaac is a soft toy boy. On weekends, he will always have a “friend” with him. He also has “friends” in our car. They are so important in helping him to nap on weekends afternoon, though he doesn't nap much frequently now. Most importantly, he has his best friend, nono. We bought nono from Ikea some years back. We also bought an identical one when we saw that nono has become his nightly companion, fearing that the original one couldn't last long. However, they are never the same. So one has become “skinny” from all the hugs and washes while the other one is still fat, new and clean.

Skinny nono used to smell really good (in my opinion). It smelled like Lil Isaac. Popo washes it very frequently, much more than I would like to. But Lil Isaac also isn’t very careful with his best friend as well. I heard that he even peed on it once. Faint. 

And so, skinny nono reeks of pee. So popo washed it and I think it wasn't dried properly (so we can forget about it being sunned). It ended up smelling even worse. Daddy Lim and Lil Shauna made fun of skinny nono and said that it smelled like old socks. Even Lil Isaac agreed and he added on that fat nono smelled like new socks. Lol We even sprayed Febreeze on skinny nono aka old socks and it only helped a little tiny bit. It still smelled bad leading to Lil Isaac abandoning it for a few nights. Poor skinny nono.

Fortunately, best friends will always remain best friends. A few nights back, the little boy is again seen hugging his best friend again. He said that though skinny nono smelled like old socks, he still likes it very much. Awwwwww….

He came into our room this morning and who is with him? His best friend of course.

And where is new socks? 

Poor new socks.

Mummy Lim

Ice Skating Lesson 3

Skating lesson 3 went very well too. 

Daddy Lim managed to get his off too and we had arranged to pick up the new passports. We woke the kids up at about 7am and set out for our ICA appointment at 8.15am. ICA is really efficient and we were done in 15 mins. Then it was a long ride back to JE, where we had our bfast before Lil Shauna headed to her class. Lil Shauna was as enthusiastic about her class as ever and was happily waiting by the gate before it was time. 

The kids were taught how to shift their weight from one leg to another and also spent a large part of their time practicing the skills taught in earlier lessons, perfecting their moves. Most of them could move on the ice already – kids learn really quickly. I have to complement our girl. She is really a great student. She doesn't seek extra attention, but will try her very best to practice and perfect what she has to. Given her hard work and the frequent rollerblading sessions that we had recently, she was probably one of the best skaters in her class. Did you see a proud mummy grinning from ear to ear? Hehe.

Class ended very quickly but the wait was probably very long for the little boy, who couldn't wait to join his jiejie on the rink. Daddy Lim got him a seal this time and he had a wonderful time sitting on the seal while pappy and mummy took turns to push his round the rink. The seal was perfect for the adults to go really fast in the rink too. It is an added support and people all shun the seal given that it wouldn't be fun to be hit by one. Lol. Pardon the lousy picture, they must be too fast for me to capture properly. Lol.

Practice makes perfect and Lil Isaac was also great moving in the rink by himself using the seal after a while, though he was still very much a hazard to the other skaters. He still fell a lot but he did get to practice moving around a fair bit too without the seal. The rink was much less crowded as compared to the last 2 Saturdays and we had much more fun. 

At certain point, Lil Shauna’s instructor, who is also one of the rink’s crew, was performing his crew duties and patrolling the rink. He was like a magnet for the kids and within minutes, the kids in his class were simply glued to him and they skated round and round like a swarm of bees. Lil Shauna was also in the swarm and spent a lot of time skating with her classmates and instructor, without Pappy or mummy. I couldn’t be gladder that she made friends easily and is so independent.  

The kids had so much fun that they didn't wanted to leave and we skated the 2 full hours this time. Daddy Lim and Lil Shauna suffered from blisters. My feet hurt too. The skates were so uncomfortable that even Daddy Lim is convinced that we should get personal skates for Lil Shauna should she is committed to continue her classes. She is looking forward to getting new skates but we will wait until she goes to level 2 classes, where the lessons get more difficult and we will see if she perseveres. She is really committed now. Remembered about my post about the Maths class? Lil Shauna is even willing to forgo going for lessons together with Felicia on Saturday mornings bcos she wanted to go for her skating classes instead. That is really a sacrifice. There is a school holiday program coming up in September and I am really considering if I should send her but that would mean that I would need to take 4 half day leave. Hmmm… let me think about it.   

And the classes of course got people really tired and we have 2 sleeping boys this time while Lil Shauna went for her phonics class. 

Do you know what we did in the afternoon? We had no plans after Lil Shauna’s phonics class and we went for more rollerblading at the Jurong Central park. Haha. Lil Shauna really glided very well now and even Lil Isaac improved a lot after many, many bumps and falls. Soon we should be able to go for rollerblading sessions as a family. Wait, I have to get my new Rollerblades 1st. Hehe.

Mummy Lim

Irritating Headache Part 2

The headache was very bad on Friday. I took the pain killer at about 10 am and I was immobile while waiting for the medicine to take effect. Ouch! There was a dull pain for the rest of the day and tenderness in the same area. It was so irritating. 

We were in JE after work to pick Lil Isaac from class and I figured out that I needed the doctor. I can't go down, definitely not over the weekend and was lucky to find an empty clinic in JE. 

The doctor asked the usual questions, was the office air con too cold, did I sleep too late, did my neck also hurt, was there fever... It was all "no, no, no, no...." My blood pressure was normal too. The doctor was still trying to figure out when I suggested that maybe it is a sinus headache, though I don't think I have sinus. I saw him pause and maybe saw the light too. Lol. I can be a Google doctor already. I was assured that it is probably some inflammation though I have no full flu symptoms and it wasn't that serious. The headache should go away when the inflammation is cleared.

I was given Fluimucil to rid phlegm though I don't remember having lots of them. I was also given anti-inflammatoon medicine and arcoxia, which is a super strong pain killer. I was given that for my wisdom tooth surgery. I was wondering if it is bcos sinus headache is super painful or the doctor just wanted me to be as pain free as possible.

I took the all the medicine along with the arconxia on Saturday morning before I feel any pain and they (or some of them) worked! There was no extreme pain for the entire day and the tenderness on the forehead was barely there. I did the same on Sunday and was pain free too. I was lethargic at times but couldnt tell if my body was sick or i was plain lazy. Hehe. Anyway, it was so good to be away from headache. I hope that it is really sinus headache and I hope it will go away so soon.

Mummy Lim

Irritating Headache Part 1

A sickening headache has been plaguing me since last Tuesday. On Friday morning, I felt it coming back. Pui! It is a throbbing pain on the forehead and increases in intensity for moments when I bend over. Then, my entire forehead, down to the nose bridge between my eyes becomes tender to touch. It will start at about the same time every morning. I had this headache for a period of time when I was a teenager. I specifically remembered the pain given the unique tenderness around the forehead that it felt behind even after the headache was gone. I never heard others complaining of such symptoms before and had always thought that I was strange. I couldn't remember how long I suffered from it then.

The headache came on Tuesday morning and I tried to stay off pain killer until the throbbing pain became so bad that I couldn't concentrate at work. I felt a little light headed after the pain killer and even took a nap while on the way to an external meeting. I had thought that the headache was due to the lack of sleep. I had been turning in very late the previous days, happily watching K drama into the nights. Hohoho. The headache was gone by afternoon but the tenderness remained throughout the day. I specifically turned in early on Tuesday night, thinking that it would help.

The same thing happened on Wednesday morning despite the early night and I did a little google and thought that the symptoms are similar to that of a sinus headache. Wait a minute, I never have sinus and I don't have any other symptoms that accompany sinus inflammation, which leads to the sinus headache.  Well, I do feel this soreness that is similar to a sore throat but upwards from my throat to the back of my nose on Monday and Tuesday and thought that I sounded a tiny winy bit nasal as well. In fact, I do get that soreness infrequently and had always thought that it was a malfunction sore throat bcos I was a weird kid. It didn't take me long before I turned to the painkiller on Wednesday. 

As for Thursday, it was nothing new when the same pain crept up and gripped me – nothing that a pain killer couldn't solve. I had wanted to visit a doctor but there seemed to be important meetings that littered my calendar every day. Moreover, the throbbing pain went into hiding in the afternoon and I wouldn't feel too bad for the rest of the day other than that irritating tenderness on my forehead. Then the headache will hit me again the following morning.

I hope that the worse is over. The headache and the tenderness were probably worse on Wednesday. The pain didn't felt as bad on Thursday or maybe I was cleverer to turn to pain killer earlier. Mummies do not fall sick during weekends.

Mummy Lim

Don't Like Maths!?

Lil Shauna had attended her maths class for coming to a year and she had been doing fine. She likes her teacher N and had been looking forward to her class until last Thursday.

On Thursday night, when we picked her from Centris, she suddenly blurted out that she doesn't want to attend Maths class anymore. I couldn't tell what was the issue. She was really tired having woke up before we left the house for work and went swimming after school. It could be bcos she was exhausted and hadn't completed her homework and therefore trying to avoid class. When I probed, she said that she didn't like one of her classmates, who is always very noisy on class. I have seen how that girl disturbed Lil Shauna on occasions as well.

She agreed when I told her that I would switch her to a different time slot to be away from that classmate. Then, she also said that she didnt want to be in Teacher N's class. Why? I couldnt make sense. Felicia is also attending the same enrichment classes and she would probably be my lifesaver. Lil Shauna loves to attend classes with Felicia. However, that would mean switching her to Saturday morning and that clashes with our skating classes. Boo. And it would be a short lived solution. Felicia will move on in December to the P2 class and they would be separated again.

When I picked her from class yday, Teacher N commented that Lil Shauna was unusually quiet
 I shared about the classmate and was also told that Teacher N would be leaving and her classes taken over by a new teacher. I hope all things turned out fine. Our Saturday mornings are so precious now.

Mummy Lim

Halfway Round the Globe

Last November, I had the opportunity to go to Geneva for a HQ meeting and we toyed with the idea of extending the stay and bringing the family along. The idea didn't materialize given that it is a 13 hrs flight. We cannot imagine having to restraint the kids in the tiny airplane seat for 13 hours. 

The opportunity re-surfaced this year. We haven’t seen ah yee for a long time and the kids are almost one year older. Moreover, Lil Shauna will be in primary one next year and it will be difficult to skip school for holidays. So we took the plunge. Woohoo! We are going to Paris to visit ah yee in September!

The planning started a few months ago. I will be in Geneva for a global meeting from Monday afternoon to Friday with a free day on Wednesday. Ah yee was very kind to come down to Geneva to help Daddy Lim with the kids for the last 2 days. We will need to find some ways for Daddy Lim to survive the kids on Monday afternoon and the entire Tuesday. We thought of hiring a babysitter for Tuesday afternoon and they don't come cheap. Ah yee helped us to source and we so far have a 23 YO student quoting us 30 CHF per hour. Faint. We will then visit Paris and spent 4 days in Paris before taking a train to London and will fly back from London on Saturday. All in all, we will be in Europe for 2 weeks. Hehe.

Ah yee had helped us tremendously for the trips. She will be our tour guide in Paris and had planned the full itinerary for us. She helped us to book the train tickets and even helped us to research on the things to do and to see in Geneva and London. It was almost like we were given a buffet line and we just picked and choose what we wanted to do/ see. Woohoo!

So, the itinerary for the trip is more or less confirmed. It would be autumn when we visit and ah yee is constantly feeding us real live weather condition in Paris to help us with the packing. Apparently, Mr Sun hasn't worked very hard this summer and it has been rainy and cold. Ah yee said that it should be a cold autumn too. I like cold but we need to keep to 2 luggage and are considering if we should ditch the stroller this time. We were told that Europe is generally a stroller unfriendly place. We still have our ergo and could piggy back Lil Isaac in the ergo if really need be.

It is getting more and more exciting. We have been trying to remind the kids that Paris is a long way away and the flight will take very long. Hopefully, this will help to mentally prepare them.

Mummy Lim   

Outdoorsy

We used to pop into USS on lazy weekend afternoons when we have no other programs. Now that our annual memberships had expired, it is sometimes tough thinking of things to do. Staying at home means watching TV and I get super lazy at home while the kids get bored quickly and insist mummy plays with them. Yawn. Mall crawling is boring to the kids too and we usually cannot sustain for long unless it is to one of the toy shops and I will be lucky if we come out empty-handed and I am not usually lucky. Places of interest in Singapore hurts the pocket badly and the weather! Indoor playground is only fun when mummy plays with them and the structures are not meant for adults – ouch, my poor back. The kids love swimming but I hate what the chlorine water do to our hair. 

So, we ended up doing quite some scooting, rollerblading and cycling recently. We bring the gears to the park or just at the void deck and the kids get active, which greatly aid earlier bedtime and it is free! At times when the adults are in the mood, we don on our gears and get a workout together with the kids. 

The ice skating seems to be helping Lil Shauna and she glides very nicely on her rollerblades now. Daddy Lim is teaching her how to use her brake and she is excited to learn new tricks. Lil Isaac is starting to move on his wheels but gets plenty of bumps and falls every practice session, yet he attempts to do tricks (turn, go down the slope, etc) without even mastering the basic. Faint. We made sure that he is fully protected. Rollerblading is more fun now that he is able to move around.

I like it that the kids are enjoying sports. Lil Isaac was impressed when he saw little kids taking Teakwando lessons recently and I am wondering if we should sign him up. However, the uniform cost a bomb and I am worried that he gives up after a few lessons. It wouldn't be nice for him to try out his moves on us too. Hmmm.. let’s see.

Mummy Lim

Ice Skating Lesson 2

It is way too expensive to have the whole family skates every week. But asking Lil Isaac to stay outside of the rink and watch mummy skates with jiejie is mission impossible. Of course he wants to be included, no negotiation. Moreover, Daddy Lim had to work on Saturday and it is too tough trying to keep 2 kids safe in the rink. So, Lil Shauna and I devised an evil plan – we would tip toe out of the house on early Saturday morning while Lil Isaac was still sleeping. This would probably take place for the many more mornings to come. At least I was kind enuff to leave Lil Isaac the ipad, muahahahaha.

To make our plan work, we had to wake up extra early. Lil Shauna was very cooperative and got ready in mere minutes while keeping very quiet. We heaved a loud relief when we succeeded in getting out of the house and even took a celebratory picture. Lol. 

Lil Shauna was clearly happy to spend time alone with mummy. She said that it reminded her of the time before didi came along where mummy would bring her out on weekend morning. Awwwww… poor jiejie must have had large amount of attention showered on her robbed by didi. She was very chatty throughout the short journey to JE and I enjoyed her companion. My sweet baby.

We had bfast at Mac, which she enjoyed tremendously. 

We took our time and were still early and ended up watching the older kids and adults in more advance classes. She was really excited to start her class and kept asking me to help her put on the uncomfortable skates and wanted to stand at the waiting area early to wait. Kids made friends really easily and she was already chatting with some of the class mates who skated with her last week.

Her class finally started and the kids all appeared much steadier. I supposed the 2 hours of free skate practice after class really does help. Half an hour passed really quickly and they learnt some simple controlling of their skates during the lessons. 

We took a rest while waiting for the ice to be re-surfaced before we hit the rink for the 2 hours of practice. Maybe bcos it was a PH, the rink was much crowded and we spent most of the time trying to avoid people. Somebody was even having a birthday party with her troops of kids. Lil Shauna enjoyed the free skate practice and was even confident to go around the rink on her own. It looks like I can probably soon leave her to skate alone in the rink after class. In fact, some of her classmates were already on their own but had other siblings, friends for companion. I think it is quite boring to skate alone.

Lil Shauna still has loads to improve. I somehow think that she shuffles too much and could be steadier with much pushing and gliding. We also saw some kids who were really good. Those kids probably picked up speed skating or something. They went very low and they picked themselves up very quickly when they fall, which is also the beauty of kids – they seem unafraid to fall as compared to adults. 

We almost stayed the full 2 hours and I was amazed how time passed so quickly despite just skating round and round like hamsters. Lil Shauna and I both enjoyed ourselves and I am so glad that Lil Shauna is still passionate about the skating class after 2 lessons. I am already picturing the time when she would be so much better than her parents and I can’t wait for that to come. As for Lil Isaac, he got upset when he woke up and couldn't see Mummy and jiejie. Popo told him that mummy brought jiejie to the doctor and he started crying, fussing to also see the doctor. We have a few more doctor reviews coming up. Hohoho.

Mummy Lim

Driving Confidently

Since about 2 weeks back, I have been trying to drive at least 2 times a week. I am far from confident - I still take forever to park the car and the parked car is seldom straight. I still go "ah!" and "How?!" at road conditions. I still cannot tell very well how big a space is needed for Sixty to squeeze through but in the very least the dreadful sense of fear that used to grip me before I took over the wheels has lessen. Phew.

I think it will take a long while more before I can really drive confidently. One day, I will be there. It reminded me of the time that I started riding. Oh boy, that was like so long ago and such fond memory.

Mummy Lim

Not to Send

We have more or less decided that we will shelf the idea of BASC for one more year, until Lil Shauna goes to Primary 2 and will be in the morning class. The decision was very much due to the fact that she will still be in the afternoon class next year – the damn spoiler that screwed up all our plans. Haiz. 

After looking through all the pros and cons, we concluded that the pros of keeping her at home win. And I think we can put up with the cons for one more year. It had been so many years, one more wouldn't make much different. 

We have spoken to the princess. She hates her current school bus arrangement for some reasons. I think she is always made to sit with Lil Isaac at the first row when all her friends are all sitting behind. Sitting with her brother must be super uncool. Lol. Though she was initially somewhat resistant to the idea of taking school bus when she is in primary one, she quickly took to the idea. More importantly, we also spoke to Popo and she didn't object to the idea of keeping Lil Shauna at home for one more year. Since we told Popo that Lil Shauna would still be in the pm session, Popo has been for the idea of school bus instead of BASC. There is afterall only that couple of hours from the time that Lil Shauna wakes up to the time that she boards the school bus. Then she would be out of the house for the entire pm. Lil Shauna is also capable of self-entertaining most of the time too.

I think things will work out fine. They always do.

Mummy Lim

Dancing on Ice

Ok, I am exaggerating. But I am simply describing how Lil Shauna would be years down the road. Oh my, I am so excited at the thought.

So, we finally got down to what we wanted to do – signed Lil Shauna up for ice skating class. Daddy Lim happened to be off on Saturday and we brought Lil Isaac along. The boy has been bugging to go ice skating since we signed jiejie up. We weren’t too sure how things would turn out for the boy – he usually got bored rollerblading after mere minutes. 

Lil Shauna was so excited that she woke up even before the alarm went off, asking to be changed. Her lesson was starting at 9.45am but we were told to be 30 mins earlier for registration and preparation. The lesson was for 30 mins and then she could do free skate in the rink for 2 hours thereafter. The rink was closed for lessons in the am. I was initially worried and wondering how lessons could be safely conducted given how crowded the rink is usually. The classes were also segregated by age group, which works out great.

It wasn't difficult helping Lil Shauna to change into the skates. They aren’t very different from rollerblades. It was more difficult to explain to Lil Isaac why he had to wait. The lesson started with the young instructors (2 to a class of about 8) teaching the kids to balance and walk in their skates on land before entering the rink. 

Lil Shauna didn’t look confident upon entering the rink. She clung tightly to the rim as per the rest of the kids and followed instructions to walk supported. Some of the kids were much steadier, probably not their 1st encounter walking on ice. Then, there was this boy walking in front of Lil Shauna and was pretty slow, blocking her way. Lol. Soon, the kids were asked to let go of the rim and moved unsupported. Lil Shauna started to realize that ice skating isn’t that much different from rollerblading, which she can already do pretty confidently and started moved on the ice with much ease.

The kids also learned how to fall and to stand up thereafter. Lil Shauna did great. 

Soon, her class ended. By the end of her class, she had tried to walk/ glide across the rink a few times. The kids took a rest while waiting for the ice to be resurfaced. We bought our entry tickets and changed into our skates too. We got a little penguin for Lil Isaac to help him to skate. It had been a long while since I stepped into an ice skating rink and Daddy Lim had never been into one.

The rink grew very crowded soon after it was opened to the public. We were made to go in one direction, pretty much like hamsters running in a big wheel. The center of the rink is usually left to the figure skaters who were practicing their moves or the kids on penguin who are the really young ones and couldn't understand the logic of having to follow directions. Daddy Lim and I took turns to skate with Lil Shauna. She was pretty confident after awhile. 

Lil Isaac had fun with the penguin too – it was like a support to help him move on ice. Even with the support, the boy fell so many times bcos he was so impatient. Faint. The crews were very quick to watch out and help kids who fell. There is always a danger of people bumping into them or going over their little fingers. Daddy Lim eye-witness this exact one case and he had always been really worried about this risk.

We left before the 2 hours were up. We were fine other than suffering from painful feet – the skates are far from comfortable. We had lunch at a restaurant next to the skates and get to see figure skaters practicing in the closed-off session while having our lunch. Lil Shauna was wide-eyed and couldn't wait to learn how to skate like the pros. We also saw the re-surfacing machine did its job at close distance. Lil Isaac said that it was a Christmas machine. Lol. 

And before the rink was totally closed for the re-surfacing, we saw this teenager practiced her move in the almost empty rink and she was great, enjoying the whole rink to almost just herself, moving with such grace and speed. I bet she can feel the eyes on her and was enjoying all the attention as well.

The overall experience was great but really expensive. It cost the rest of us $60 for the 2 hours of skating. The kids both enjoyed the experience and Lil Isaac even asked to come back again. Lil Shauna was very inspired, which I was really glad – I finally found something that she wanted to learn and is inspired to continue with the lessons. I didn't even have to push her. There are many series of classes that Lil Shauna has to go through before she can finally start the figure skating. I haven’t figure how to get there yet but soon will if she continues to maintain her interest. Oh boy, I am so excited too. Hehe.

The skating of course left somebody very tired.

Mummy Lim