Edusave Character Award

Zac received the Edusave Character Award today...
So proud of our little boy...

Keep up the good work Zac! We are so proud of you!...

When a membership request is denied...

Recently, Zac is so into this new online game called "Disney Club Penguin". With exclusive benefits like inviting other members to his "house" and collecting as many "likes" for the decorations that he has put up, Zac wanted so much to be a member and bugged us to make the payment for registration... Knowing that he will get addicted, we rejected him. But this cheeky monkey sure knows how to make us feel guilty.

Though upset, he continued playing with whatever minimum access that he could get. A while later, he came over to papa and said...

Zac: "Pa, you know... Who visited my house in club penguin today?"
Papa: "Who?"
Zac: "Nobody..." (said with an expressionless look)

Then he went on with...

Zac: "Then you know... 3 people liked my house today too... U know who?"
Papa: "Who?"
Zac: "It's me..." (again said with an expressionless look)

Both mama and papa broke into laughter upon hearing this... Kids!

Character Development Award

Somewhere in late September to October, Zac called me while I was in the office...
Zac: Mama, someone called me to the office today. I thought I did something naughty! When I went in, there were 8 teachers sitting and waiting for me. I was nervous.

Then, the teachers began asking questions.

Teacher: Zac, why do you think your teacher chose you as one of the nominees for the role model?
Zac: Ehmmmm, because I am smart? (as usual, an overconfident reply from Zac... he said the teachers laughed...)
Teacher: Why do you think your classmates picked you as their role model?
Zac: I think because I am caring. I always help my friends.
Teacher: What will you do if your friend tried to copy your work?

Zac: I will tell teacher.
Teacher: But your friend will not want to be your friend anymore if you do so.
Zac: Then I will not tell the teacher. I will give him a second chance and tell him not to copy.
Teacher: Your friend still insist on copying. So how?
Zac: I have no choice but to tell teacher.
Teacher: What about your friend? He's not going to be your friend anymore...
Zac: Never mind, lose this kind of friend is okay.

Teachers applaud when he said that. Zac said he was lost and confused over the teachers' reaction but was glad to walk out with a goodie bag full of yummy tidbits.

For displaying values in line with the school's iCrest Value, Zac was selected as the recipient for the "Character Development Award" for the Care Level (Primary 1).

Over the years, we have worked so hard trying to instill good values in you. We are so proud of you Zac, for keeping up with what has been taught and emphasised. May you grow up to be a good person my dear...

Sweet surprises...

Work-life balance... Is it even possible to achieve that in Singapore?

Everyday, after a tiring day at work, I come home, have dinner and begin my other job. At 8pm daily, I am the kids' personal tutor. Zac and Nana would start on their homework and complete whatever revision they needed to. We made it a point to off the TV when anyone is studying. Tuned to this by now, they will continue this good practice even when I have to work till late or when hubby is on night shift or away for detachment! Keep up the good job guys!

With Zac in P1, I tend to focus more on him. Nana, who is in K1, will be doing her assessment books independently. A smart girl, she at times finds her books boring and would try to complete her brother's assessment books. And she would get it all correct! That truly amazed me...

Little did I know that all this while, she actually feels neglected. She would cry when its bedtime, insisting that she has not seen or talked to me enough. This goes on everyday but I was silly enough not to take note of her feelings. There were occasions when everything was too much for me to handle, and I get impatient towards her...

 

However, being such a sweetie pie, she would just whisper back "but i really miss you." I felt so guilty... and silly... Nana would never bear grudges against me. In fact, she makes an effort to brighten me up with thank you notes. I am touched by the understanding and appreciation that my 5 year old baby has for me...

 

She insisted that I pin these up at my work desk so that I'll be reminded of her all the time. Thank you bb for being such a sweetie pie...

Model Pupil Award

On the last day of Term 3 (31 Aug 2012), Zac mentioned that he has been selected as one of the nominees for the Model Pupil Award, along with 2 other classmates.

His teacher, Mrs Wan, wrote the names of these 3 nominees on the white board and told the class to pick one whom they felt deserves this award. Everyone were told to write their vote on a piece of paper and to hand it back to the teacher. No discussions were allowed. 

Zac talked about this endlessly over dinner... It was obvious that he really wanted to win this. He has always loved competition, but being a kid, there is still so much for him to learn when it comes to coping with failure and disappointment. I was concerned about this and assured him that one of the reason why teacher chose him could be due to the effort which he has put in all this while. To me, this is a form of recognition and to be a nominee has already made him a winner! He thought about it for a while and sensibly replied that he will be happy to win it, but even if he doesn't, it's fine! I was so glad to hear that from him.

Yesterday, after almost a month later, Zac came back from school and happily announced that he will be going on stage today to receive the Model Pupil Award! Look at that smile! 

Mama and Papa are so happy for you! Keep up the good work Zac!

Kids Olympic 2012

First Primary School Sports Day and Zac's team came in 4th for the Hoops Relay! 

Well done kiddos!

Our little man of the house

Papa is away for his first detachment ever since we came back from the States. It's really boring when Papa is not around... 

Anyway, Zac was looking for something to do and decided to play shooting games with Nana. He took out this new gun set which he received as a birthday present from papa's friend. Realising that he needed to put in batteries, our little man of the house took out the tool box - DIY when papa's not around! And he was determined to do it on his own! No help from mama at all!

Marriage

Marriage - a legal contract between people that creates kinship.

• The day when one says to the other about being a constant friend, a faithful partner and a love from that day forward. 
• The day when one offers the other his/ her solemn vow to be a faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow.
• The day when one promises to love unconditionally, to support each other in their goals, to honor and respect, to laugh and cry with, and to cherish each other for as long as they both shall live.

I fought for what I wanted, and till this very day, I am still fighting to get what I want. Marriage has taught me a lot about life. I grew up seeing couples complaining about who does more and who does less in their marriage, and I swear, at that point of time, I promised myself never to do that when I have my own little family. But somehow, humans like me, are weak and the tendency to compare never seem to go away. I used to brag about how much I have done and how lucky he was to get things the easy way out. What happened to the definition of "through thick and thin together?" I never fail to think how unfair this was to me. But honestly, thinking this way didn't help at all. In fact, it put a strain onto the what was once a happy and carefree relationship.

As time pass, I realised that I have gotten it all wrong! Totally wrong! Because in a marriage, it shouldn't be that way. It doesn't matter who does more! Mainly because, at the end of the day, it is the small family that we built is what that matters. So our focus should be on this small family, not on who contributes more or less.  

I thank that special someone who enlightened me when she shared this with me in June last year "You are together because you love each other. So when there is a conflict, always remember that you are not out to harm one another. It is just a difference of views between a couple, and one must learn to compromise! There also shouldn't be any mention of the big D-word in heated disagreement, because it only hurts each other, not solve anything! When one signs on the DOTTED line, they choose to walk this path together. No doubts and no insecurity in the relationship. Just complete trust!"

I learnt all this the hard way... To treasure what I already have instead of always comparing, complaining and taking things for granted.

To my dearest beloved hubby, happy wedding anniversary! I believe things happen for a reason, be it good or bad. Whatever issues that may arise in the future, I know that we are both prepared to fight it together. I ♥ U!

Our cross-eyed family!

Zac and Nana definitely looks like papa! 

Mama is the only normal one in this family! Haha...