Achievement Unlocked with Puffy

We bought a new hamster, Cheesepuff Lim Youtiao. I asked to get him bcos I was feeling so empty whenever I looked at that empty space that Cookie used to occupy

Puffy is a yellow blue pudding hamster. While I wanted to get a hamster, Daddy Lim chose him, selecting the smallest hamster of the lot. I was actually eyeing the other big fat lazy one. Hoho. 

I haven't blogged about Puffy bcos we haven't had much bonding with him. One of our worries was that he wouldn't match up to Cooks and unfortunately it is the case. Cooks was so loving and so willing to be carried while Puffy is totally jumpy and he bites, so much and so hard. We should have gotten the fat lazy one lah.

We had been trying to overcome his biting issue. How ah? Google says to give him time,  not scare him, let him get familiar with us and trust us. This is attempted via multiple bites and some of them are so hard that Daddy Lim and Nana saw blood. Only the 2 of them are brave enough to try over and over again. Nana got so upset one time after a hard bite that she declares that she hates Puffy. Sob. Then she went back trying a few days later. So brave. I think we are not more scare of him than him of us. 

After many, many attempts, Nana recently says that Puffy seems to not bite her when she puts her hand in his cage. Then soon after, she manages to hold him!! 

After Nana tried, Zaky and I did too but were quickly giving him back to Nana in case Puffy changes his mind. 

He did. Soon after, he bit Nana that she dropped him. Then when placing him back into his cage, he bit Nana so hard that he was hanging from her finger while Nana when "ouch, ouch, ouch". Heng not me. Haha

 

Nana is so brave.

Mummy Lim

Cycling, Cycling

I usually don't spend extra on bike accessories. I got plenty of "hand-me-down" from Daddy Lim - the light that doesn't fit his bike, the bike monitor that he is underutilising, the helmet that didn't fit his head bcos it gives him pinch points. Give me, give me, all give me. I would have taken over his jerseys and clip shoes if I could fit them. Hoho. 

I inherited his helmet. Though not the perfect fit, it can be tightened and is usable. The only problem is that I always ended up with a slated helmet while riding. Hohoho. After a good period of use, I have decided that it is time to get my "own" helmet. One that fits my head. 

It took a visit to Trek and some helmet fitting. Helmets are like clothes, expensive clothes, and very dangerous to buy online.

I finally got to don my new helmet 2 Sundays ago.

But it ended up raining so hard, like drenching wet kind. What a way to welcome my new helmet. Very new, no need to wash. Hoho. 

Separately, Daddy Lim finally rode his roadie again last Sunday after months of non-usage. I bet he cleared off layers of dust and destroyed several spiders' home before the ride. 

Daddy Lim said that it was the uncles' 从出江湖 ride. Of the 5, 3 of them had not rode in months, another 1 just recovered from covid. 

I just try to look pretty. I thought I look so slim beside Daddy Lim. Hoho. This angle is so right.

Mummy Lim

SST DSA

For the past week, we had been practicing the show and tell. From the original 3.5 mins, we were down to slightly less than 2 mins. I don't see how else we can further cut it down. You really cannot say much in 1 min. 

Daddy Lim happened to be off yday and was able to send Zaky to SST. We did one final practice and were on our way. 

I was surprised to see the number of students for the selection test in all sorts of uniforms. We dropped Zaky and had to leave the school compound. While driving off, I saw this kid with this very impressive and professional looking charts, something about rubber bands. Our material looks so kiddish in comparison. I gan cheong. 

As we drive off, I started babbling to Daddy Lim bcos I was so anxious. Daddy Lim just ignored me. Lol. I was reminded of the time where I was in their primary school, waiting for jiejie's psle results. Not as bad but gan cheong nevertheless.

Daddy Lim and I had some good shopping before turning back for Zaky. The moment he got into the car, I started bombarding him with details of the session. 

Zaky said that the show and tell was done individually in front of 3 examiners. While he overran the 1 min, he wasn't cut off. There were some questions asked but he can't remember what. Zzzz. He did say that the examiners appeared impressed with his interactive cards. When asked who helped him, he said that mummy helped him to print the pictures and he then "helped me" to complete the work. Wah... whatever lah. So long as the examiners are really impressed. 

After the show the tell, it was a 10 mins brain storming session (alone) on the question - "how do we make the kopitiam toilets cleaner and odorless?", before a group discussion. Zaky said that his team only had 3 pax instead of the normal 4 pax. Finally, it was the presentation of their ideas to the examiners. Zaky said that the discussion went well and one of his ideas was adopted by the group. However, the presentation wasn't bcos everybody was stuttering. Nevertheless, he totally enjoyed the session and now tells me that he would love to go to SST if he is selected, if this is how classes are going to be carried out. 

Zaky told me that the show and tell cards were kept by the school. Aiya, I haven't taken proper pictures. I only have our lead actor sitting at home now. I think it is for confidentiality as there is another session next week. 

The results would be out by 12 Sep. The competition is so stiff! 

Meanwhile, let us work hard. Psle Oral is taking place on 15 Aug (bite nails). Fighting!

Mummy Lim

His Bed, My Bed

Zaky had always been an insecure boy at bedtime. He is always worried about monsters coming after him in the night. Before we moved to LV, I would tuck him to bed but always finding him in our bed in the middle of the night. I gave up at times and simply allowed him to co-sleep with us. He was tiny then and co-sleeping in our queens bed was manageable. But as he grew in size, it became more and more uncomfortable and impossible. 

He didn't at all looked forward to his own room when we moved to LV. To train him to sleep in his own room, I pinky promised that I would sleep with him in his room (on the floor) until when he is ready. I didn't expect him to take so long. For 1.5 years, I was sleeping in his room. Daddy Lim has conveniently taken over our bed. 

However, things changed in the recent weeks. I had been tucking him to bed and then sleeping in my own big bed. I had thought he would creep into our bed like he used to. I am wrong and glad to be wrong. Hoho. 

Somebody told me that there is no need to rush a kid to grow up bcos they naturally would. This is so true. Very soon, I would be missing the times that I co-sleep with him, help Nana braid hair, do stuff for them. I feel a tear dropping. Sob. 

A few months back, I had offered Zaky to stop student care. I am assuming that he would have more time for rest and revision if we do that. He rejected me flat bcos he knew that I would give him extra papers to do. Hoho. With PSLE just around the corner, I had asked if he wanted to skip student care on some days that I WFH so that he could get some extra revisions done under my supervision. This time, he agreed. Then he decided that maybe he should stop student care. 

We have put in the one month's notice to stop his student care. I hope that he really exercise the required discipline at home. 

Zaky doesn't hate the student care like what Nana did. Several years back, he did reject student care as he was forced to take the healthy balanced lunch from the canteen and he refused to eat the vegetables. The compromise was for him to bring his own lunch. 

Now that he is stopping student care, he has generously offered his thermal flask to Daddy Lim, so that he could now tabao and have warm lunches at work. Lol. 

The kids are growing up so quickly.

Mummy Lim

DSA

It never cross my mind to DSA for Nana. There aren't schools that take in ice skaters to begin with. Other than ice skating, I don't see other "talents" that she has that would qualify for DSA. 

Thankfully, she didn't disappoint us and got good results on her own merits. I do remember the last few months that led to PSLE, how she claimed that the school is giving her so much and indirectly warned me to back off. 

It is now 2 years later and we are going through the same nightmare with Zaky. I think Zaky is about jiejie's capability but his inconsistency scares me. He is stronger in Science but so much weaker in his languages. While he whines when I give him practice papers, he takes them in his stride more steadily than Nana. Or maybe it is not time yet and he would soon be screaming at me to back off too. Hoho. 

Unlike the last time, we explored DSA for Zaky this time and I come to realise that every Tom, Dick and Harry had applied for DSA too. Seriously, the idea that once accepted for DSA, the PSLE results matter little is unresistably appealing. It is like buying toto, buying a hope and almost no pain if not selected. 

After much deliberation, I applied for ACSI under Science and SST under Maths and Science. I would love for Zaky to get into ACSI. It is an academically strong school, not too far from our house and affliated to ACJC. Oh yes, I have also realised the value of school affiliations. ACSI is a long shot. I would imagine how many DSA applications they would receive and how low priority the school would give to Science. Moreover, other than what Zaky had done in school, he has no impressive awards or competition results. 买个希望啦 . As expected, we didn't even hear from ACSI. 

SST isn't too far from our house as well and their entire cohort entered solely via DSA. Every student who applied to the school gets to sit for the selection test. I heard that it is a combination of Maths, Science and general aptitude questions. Zaky took the test while I was in Jakarta for business trip. I was a gan cheong spider and called back to check. He said that there were 14 questions to be completed in 2 hours and proudly told me that he knew 4 of them for sure. Huh? Then the remaining 10 how? 

After an antagonising long wait, we finally received the school's notification to attend the Phase 2 selection test on 6 Aug. This is the final round. Previous years, the kids were gathered in small groups to work on questions/ assignments under the observers watchful eyes. This year, we were told to prepare an about 1 min show and tell on any projects/ activities that the students had done related to Science, Technology, Engineering Asthestic and Maths (STEAM). Wah, scratch head. 

We thought about all such activities/ projects he had done and wonder if they were too simple to showcase. Then again, 1 min is super short and it is probably more articulation skills that the school is looking for. In the end, Terrarium emerged victory over the wind propelled car and we started building the materials for the show and tell. 

After several evenings of work... tadah!

The school says up to 3 physical/ digital pictures. We sort of cheated with 3 cards and then interactive flip cards. I hope it is still considered as "3 pictures.". 

Ya, of course I helped. Zaky and I talked through the concept and what he wanted to present and we worked on the craft together. He did most of the coloring. Thought it isn't professionally looking end results, I thought it is very decent and visually interactive. 

He tried it out with Daddy Lim and jiejie. We am quite impressed. When showcasing to jiejie, he actually took 3.5 mins. What can one seriously say in 1 min after the introductions? 

In the next few days, we would be working on getting more fluent on the script (which is in his head, we didn't write one) and shortening some parts of it. I don't supposed we need to strictly stick to 1 min but 3.5 mins is probably too much. 

Zaky is very much looking forward to the selection test. I think the pressure of PSLE is obviously mounting. Just a few days ago, he told me that we should just send him to SST if the school accepts him. Nana is screaming "noooo.. ", she wanted Zaky to go NH too. NH must be so pleased to have such a loyal and prideful student. Haha. 

Mummy Lim

Ice Skating 292: After Forever

It had been so long since I last saw Nana on ice. June had been a super relaxed month. SISA ice had been canceled left, right and center bcos of insufficient skaters. For one, ice skating is an expensive sports (read: affluent parents) and when travel opens up, everybody travels. Then the Zamboni went down and the ice was not ideal for classes. Adding on sprained ankle, Nana basically didn't skate much. 

July isn't any better. It was covid and her school netball competition and she wanted to cut down on ice skating to concentrate on her netball. We didn't do any SISA in July and had classes on Sunday afternoon instead. Bcos of church and to send Zaky for tuition in the afternoon, it is difficult to make time to see her on ice. 

I finally got my chance last Sunday. I dragged Zaky to JCube after church and we taobaoed lunch to eat at the spectator seats. We made it just in time to see Nana in class. Bcos of the infrequent classes, she was lamenting that she had almost lost her axel and for sure lost her double salchow. Her double toe was almost there before June and had now gone into hiding again. 

She got back her axle and managed to land several double salchow. 回来了！

I had hoped to see her practising hard after class. I must be dreaming to think that she would. After her lesson was J's lesson and she was chatting and leisurely skating with R around the rink. Zzzzz. For sure, I cannot expect any hard work from her until R goes for her class. 

Then the 3 of them monkeying around Coach to look at the video of J's attempted axel jump. 

Once upon a time, they were all so tiny. Now, all of them are about the same or taller than Coach. 

As expected, Nana finally agreed to show me some real skating when R was in class. A couple of spins and some jumps later, she told me how her ankle hurts, her head dizzy, her skates loose.. Zzzzzzzzzz. In the same space, I saw this young skater working so hard on her own. Zzzzzzzz. 

After class, we walk around the mall and I fed her late lunch. Then, she happily went to meet her friend and left me her skate bag. #mummy'slife

I headed home via the MRT and wanted to pick up the scooter that Nana has left at the station for days bcos she kept forgetting to pick it up. 

This was what I saw. 

Tell me, what is she trying to lock? The hand rail? Haiz, despite me telling her multiple times to lock the scoot properly. Then again, it is either Singapore is too safe or the scooter is too lousy that nobody cares to steal. I think it is the latter. 

Zaky went to meet jiejie and friend too. As a result, it was just Daddy Lim and me for dinner. 

I was telling Daddy Lim that we must get used to just the 2 of us time soon. We look like we are doing that very well already. Hoho. 

Mummy Lim

Kite "Running"

Zaky came home happily on Friday and said that the student care outdoor activity was kite flying. He loves student care on Friday bcos of the outdoor activity. The kite was gifted by school. He didnt get any bcos he was too late but his friend, who got one, didn't want it and pass it to him. 

He bugged us to bring him kite flying on Saturday. Jiejie was busy with her youth programs and thus the "only kid left" gets whatever he wanted to do. Kite flying it shall be. 

We headed to WCP in the late afternoon when the sun wasn't working so hard. Unfortunately, the wind wasn't working hard too. Zaky showed us how he "flew" the kite in school, which basically involved a lot of running. 

Something doesn't seem right. Kite flying cannot be so tiring, right? We tried googling on how to kite fly but in those videos, the wind was howling and the kite like automatically fly into the sky the moment it was released. Zzzzz. 

We all took turns to fly the kite, but actually more like taking turns to "run" the kite. Lol. It was seriously hard work and we were not the only family "running" the kite. Muahahaha. 

We didn't last very long. Daddy Lim and Zaky were sweating buckets after "flying" the kite for less than 30 mins and we decided that it was time to call it a day. Lol. 

Before we left the park, Zaky asked to climb the spiderweb. 

Once upon a time, the pyramid looked so big with the tiny kids. 

Mummy Lim

I Have a New Crown

 

I finally got my permanent crown after the procedure was delayed by a week due to covid. 

I have come to believe that there is no comfortable dental procedure. This crown fitting was much tolerable but not comfortable. 

I was surprised how easily the temporary crown was yanked out, wasn't it cemented? 

So cute looking, right? It is actually soft. Yes, I touched it. Hoho. 

The dentist had to "clean" the "naked tooth" before trying on the permanent crown. The naked tooth was so sensitive and there was a lot of putting on the crown, taking out to trim, putting back on, hit repeat. Each time the crown was removed, put on, grind test, it hurts. The worse is the cleaning off of glue after the temporary crown was removed and the final cleaning before the permanent crown was cemented. 救命啊. I clenched my fists and hoped so badly for it to be done and over. 

Finally! The permanent crown has a porcelain outering but metal core. The dentist was proudly telling me how that helps the asthestic. I don't care, really. I just want to be pain free and no dental procedure. But it does feel very smooth when I ran my tongue over the crown. The feeling is quite shiok. Hoho. 

So yes, one more item ticked off. I am due to go back to the dreadful chair to replace the old metal filling that is probably accelerating the cracking. Then I think I am done. I cannot live through a root canal and will keep the last cracked tooth until it is time to say goodbye. 

Mummy Lim

Covid Freedom!

I have officially ended my covid confinement at 12pm Monday. Yesh, I am free! 

What pleases me the most is actually not exiting the room but the major clean up. The room was filthy! The bedsheet hasn't been cleaned, the floor not mopped and toilet not washed since Lil Shauna was confined, then I took over. A good 12 days of filth! The floor even felt sticky. Eeeeewwwkkkk... 

I actually started the clean up operations last Thursday. I cannot avoid seeing the thick layer of dust that has accumulated on the windows and the shelves. The toilet and fan were thoroughly washed on Sunday night. Come Monday, it was bedsheet washing in the early morning, then mopping when I finally exited. The floor was sparkling clean and the room smelled so nice. Daddy Lim benefited big time. 

Are we fully recovered? I continue to hear Lil Shauna coughing. My cough has subsided but I had been plagued by this extreme tiredness. I thought I am imagining things but I really struggling to stay awake at times. I am blaming everything on covid now and hope that things will go back to normal soon. Yawn, I am sleepy. 

Mummy Lim

Covid Day 6

It is the bright morning of Day 6 and how had it been? Surviving. 

So far, day 3 had been absolutely worse. The blocked nose and coughing were so bad. I figured out that there must be medicine to treat those symptoms and I need not suffer in vain. Googled, found telemedicine on MOH website for covid cases and made appointment. I used to read about how sick covid patients waited for hours for the telemedicine appointment. Things must have improved bcos I got my appointment instantly. 

I was told to prep my IC and an ART kit and done an online supervised ART test. I was still hoping to be -ve on day 4 but the C line appeared so fast and strong and knock out all of my hopes. 

The appointment was done in less than 10 mins and I have officially become an added number to the Government's statistics. The doctor also prescribed medicine for sore throat, blocked nose and cough. I was told that the medicine for the nose and cough would cause drowsiness but didn't worried too much, thinking to myself that I had lunch time to sleep the drowsiness away. 

The medicine arrived right before lunch, falling nicely in my plan. 

They really work wonders and soon, the blocked nose cleared and the coughing soothed. I was so pleased and took a nap during lunch when I felt the drowsiness hit. 

I have underestimated this "drowsiness". It hit me so hard. I woke up for the afternoon meetings but was grouchy, couldn't concentrate very well and very thin in patience. I wasn't functioning and managed to push a non-critical meeting away. By the last meeting at 4pm, I was ready to doze off. 

Right after, I hit the sack again and slept for another 1 hour. I only felt much better after that. And as the drowsiness wears off, so did the effect of the medicine and the blocked nose and coughing start creeping back. What??!! So, it is a choice of the lesser 2 evils? I learnt and chose to keep the drowsy medicine to only at night. Hoho. Then the low grade fever came back. Why? Why? Why?

I felt like I was on revival mode from Day 4 onwards, just when I was wondering if I was ever going to get better from covid. However, my energy was also depleting from the long week and I was so glad that it was Friday. Never mind that I would be confined during the weekend, I am finally getting some real rest. 

Popo is still standing strong, did her supervised ART on Friday morning and left for the cruise. The moment she was gone, I started happily walking around the house, like a mouse out to play. I figured out that the rest of the family had been covid-ed and had natural immunity against the covid-ing. I did obediently stay in the room most of the time lah. I understand that the family had natural immunity but there is no 100%. 

Day 5 (Saturday) was spent mostly in the room. I had plenty of rest, did some work and even revised 口试 with Zaky for his prelims starting on Monday. Yes, prelims are here. So fast, too fast! Health wise, I was feeling so much better, if not close to normal. 

I will be a free bird tomorrow! Was it tough confined to the room? Not exactly. I had it so much easier than the rest bcos I got to "escape" at times and walk around the house. I do miss the air outside the house though. I want to go out!

Mummy Lim