Yeeeeha!!
It's the eve of the eve of Chinese New Year and school has let out for a week long break! Hooray!! Sleep in!!!
Muahahahaha...
Gong Xi Fa Chai evereeebodeeee!!!
Friday, January 20, 2012
Chinese class
The kids are having their Chinese lesson now and I'm eavesdropping as usual. Today they are talking about Chinese New Year greetings, traditions and the Chinese zodiac.
Teacher (in Chinese): Claire, what is your Chinese zodiac?
Claire: Ji tan!
Teacher: Ji tan is chicken egg...
Claire: Ji rou!
Teacher: Ji rou is chicken meat!!
......
*sigh*
Close at least... progress I suppose... :)
Teacher (in Chinese): Claire, what is your Chinese zodiac?
Claire: Ji tan!
Teacher: Ji tan is chicken egg...
Claire: Ji rou!
Teacher: Ji rou is chicken meat!!
......
*sigh*
Close at least... progress I suppose... :)
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Banana
Well we're pretty much settling into the new routine now. I think I've finally figured out the best route and sequence of events to streamline our daily schedule.
Anyway, the kids have resumed their twice weekly Chinese classes. The teacher comes over to our home on Mondays and Fridays for an hour and a half each time. The classes are very informal, because I found out, through the dreaded Chinese classes of my youth, that forcing kids to write pages of Chinese characters in little squares once a week amounts to nothing but a huge waste of time! I went for lessons for a couple of years and as of now, I can only write my name! Lol!
I can remember one day, while suffering through Chinese extra class in school, we looked out the window to see a couple of boys from our class climbing over the gate! Lol! How I wished I was escaping with them!!
So anyway, like I said, the kids' classes are very informal. I just want them to be able to converse in mandarin first. So the teacher tells them stories and sings them songs in Chinese and slowly teaches them some words. He's young and fun and can relate to them better than the old Aunty teachers we had ever could! So when they complain about Chinese class, I just threaten to send them to an old Aunty who will make them write pages of characters! That shuts them up pretty quick! :)
Well, my kids are quite "banana", meaning yellow outside, but white inside! When Annie was small, she used to insist that she was "English" not Chinese, because she spoke English! I can't blame them, since neither mummy nor daddy can read and write Chinese!
I guess it is important to know your mother tongue, but I am still in the opinion that English comes first. This is why we did not send them to Chinese school, but it is still important that they can converse in mandarin and hopefully they will learn the written language in the future.
Hubby has had to teach himself mandarin for the sake of his work. I have always spoken mandarin, albeit a rojak version which has some corrupted foochow words mixed in, and even some words from God-knows-where! Which only me and my siblings can comprehend! Lol! Anyway, I at least know bit of mandarin and hokkien, whereas for Hubby, it's mandarin, Hakka and hokkien. The kids however know none, and this is where Lim lau she, their Chinese teacher comes in.
I love eavesdropping on their classes, because they're so clueless, it's hilarious especially when they're guessing the meaning of chinese words! Eg.: Ji tan (chicken egg) can become "tortoise"!
I'll listen out for more funny examples and remember to write them down!
So anyway, this was a funny incident regarding an English word though. The other night the teacher was telling them the story of Moses.
Teacher: Moses was God's servant.
Eva: I know! Kakak!
Hahaha...
Kakak means "sister" in Malay and is what we call our housemaids!
Anyway, the kids have resumed their twice weekly Chinese classes. The teacher comes over to our home on Mondays and Fridays for an hour and a half each time. The classes are very informal, because I found out, through the dreaded Chinese classes of my youth, that forcing kids to write pages of Chinese characters in little squares once a week amounts to nothing but a huge waste of time! I went for lessons for a couple of years and as of now, I can only write my name! Lol!
I can remember one day, while suffering through Chinese extra class in school, we looked out the window to see a couple of boys from our class climbing over the gate! Lol! How I wished I was escaping with them!!
So anyway, like I said, the kids' classes are very informal. I just want them to be able to converse in mandarin first. So the teacher tells them stories and sings them songs in Chinese and slowly teaches them some words. He's young and fun and can relate to them better than the old Aunty teachers we had ever could! So when they complain about Chinese class, I just threaten to send them to an old Aunty who will make them write pages of characters! That shuts them up pretty quick! :)
Well, my kids are quite "banana", meaning yellow outside, but white inside! When Annie was small, she used to insist that she was "English" not Chinese, because she spoke English! I can't blame them, since neither mummy nor daddy can read and write Chinese!
I guess it is important to know your mother tongue, but I am still in the opinion that English comes first. This is why we did not send them to Chinese school, but it is still important that they can converse in mandarin and hopefully they will learn the written language in the future.
Hubby has had to teach himself mandarin for the sake of his work. I have always spoken mandarin, albeit a rojak version which has some corrupted foochow words mixed in, and even some words from God-knows-where! Which only me and my siblings can comprehend! Lol! Anyway, I at least know bit of mandarin and hokkien, whereas for Hubby, it's mandarin, Hakka and hokkien. The kids however know none, and this is where Lim lau she, their Chinese teacher comes in.
I love eavesdropping on their classes, because they're so clueless, it's hilarious especially when they're guessing the meaning of chinese words! Eg.: Ji tan (chicken egg) can become "tortoise"!
I'll listen out for more funny examples and remember to write them down!
So anyway, this was a funny incident regarding an English word though. The other night the teacher was telling them the story of Moses.
Teacher: Moses was God's servant.
Eva: I know! Kakak!
Hahaha...
Kakak means "sister" in Malay and is what we call our housemaids!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Random
I know I've been blogging in spurts! Like it'll be a week of silence, then a diarrhoea of posts! Hahaha...
My apologies. Life is rather irregular at the moment. We are all still adjusting to the new school and extra-curricular activities schedule. I sure hope we get into the swing of things soon. It's all still rather exhausting at the moment. But I'm sure we'll get used to it in time, and then we can switch to 'auto-pilot'! :)
Speaking of 'auto-pilot', sometimes when I'm thinking of something else while I'm driving, I can end up driving to work when I'm supposed to be headed for school! I think I can drive from home to school to work blindfolded! Lol! Does that happen to you?
This absent-mindedness gets worse with age I think. I remember once, after an exceptionally tiring day, I almost put face wash on my toothbrush! Some people say pregnancy makes you forgetful. There is even a term for it, 'placenta brain', I think that's what Big Sis said!
So is the forgetfulness only during pregnancy? Or does it stay on even after pregnancy? And what if you've had multiple pregnancies? Like, am I four times more forgetful than I was before I got pregnant (which was already pretty forgetful to begin with!!)?
Hahaha... Don't mind my rambling... I'm just bored...
I remember my ex-classmate told me about her placenta brain moment. She had put something in the microwave, and when the bell 'ding'ed, she proceeded to open the refrigerator! Hahaha... classic...
So anyway, at least I have four pregnancies to blame for any absent-mindedness eh?! And what was the point of this post?
.......
I don't need a point. It's my blog. hehehe...
Good night y'all!!
My apologies. Life is rather irregular at the moment. We are all still adjusting to the new school and extra-curricular activities schedule. I sure hope we get into the swing of things soon. It's all still rather exhausting at the moment. But I'm sure we'll get used to it in time, and then we can switch to 'auto-pilot'! :)
Speaking of 'auto-pilot', sometimes when I'm thinking of something else while I'm driving, I can end up driving to work when I'm supposed to be headed for school! I think I can drive from home to school to work blindfolded! Lol! Does that happen to you?
This absent-mindedness gets worse with age I think. I remember once, after an exceptionally tiring day, I almost put face wash on my toothbrush! Some people say pregnancy makes you forgetful. There is even a term for it, 'placenta brain', I think that's what Big Sis said!
So is the forgetfulness only during pregnancy? Or does it stay on even after pregnancy? And what if you've had multiple pregnancies? Like, am I four times more forgetful than I was before I got pregnant (which was already pretty forgetful to begin with!!)?
Hahaha... Don't mind my rambling... I'm just bored...
I remember my ex-classmate told me about her placenta brain moment. She had put something in the microwave, and when the bell 'ding'ed, she proceeded to open the refrigerator! Hahaha... classic...
So anyway, at least I have four pregnancies to blame for any absent-mindedness eh?! And what was the point of this post?
.......
I don't need a point. It's my blog. hehehe...
Good night y'all!!
Friday, January 6, 2012
School starts
So school started on Wednesday. It was hard to wake up at 6am again, after more than a month of waking up at 9am!!
Actually, I had to wake up at 5:30 am to send Hubby to the airport!
Kids no.1, 2 and 3 did not have much problem waking up as they were excited to get to school and see their friends! Claire is no longer in kindy and was going over to Annie's school so it was a bigger change for her. Annie and Eva were still with their last year's classmates, so it was just back to business as usual.
Solomon however woke up with a mysterious pain in his ankle! It was a little suspicious, the convenient timing and all... Solomon was to go to Eva's school and start kindy, so it was a major change for him. I thought he might have been faking the limp to escape school!
But after some inspection, the ankle did indeed seem to be slightly swollen. So I let him stay home on the first day of school. Later that day at home, when he said he wanted to play the iPad, I tested him by asking him to come over to my room, and he crawled over! Hahaha! That confirmed that he was not faking! The poor boy...
So anyway, Claire settled in really well in her new class and I've been going over during their lunch break to make sure she's okay. Annie is being a good big sis and takes good care of Claire at school.
Solomon went to school the next day. It was the second day for most of the kids, but the first for Solomon. I was a bit worried that he would cry and cling, like Claire and Eva did, but he just sat down and waved me goodbye!!
I was a bundle of emotions! Happy that he did not cry and I did not have to attend kindergarten! Proud that my little boy was so independent! And sad at the same time, knowing that my baby had grown up and doesn't need Mommy anymore!! *sniff*
Oh yes, that day was also the day that Kuching flooded! There were many areas inundated by flash floods and Kuching practically came to a standstill that morning.There was also a tragedy where a schoolgirl, on the way to school, fell into a storm drain and a man jumped in after her! He was just working at a petrol station nearby and didn't even know how to swim! Both of them were swept away. I do not know if they have found their bodies yet. It's really sad.
It was pouring bucket the night before and the rain just kept coming down relentlessly! By the time we set out for school, parts of the road we had to use were submerged.
Luckily I drive an Avanza, because it's quite elevated and safe from the waters. There were many cars parked by the roadside after breaking down. Many more were turning back! It was getting a bit scary, but we made it to school safely, albeit rather late!
Some schools had to close and it wasn't even king tide yet. I sure hope there isn't any more watery drama to come!!
Anyway, I'm pooped from playing school bus driver. It's a new schedule with more time on the road this year, so I hope I'll get used to it soon!
Happy schooling everyone! :)
Thursday, January 5, 2012
New Year's Eve 2011
So what did you do on New Year's Eve?
Last year, we had dinner at SIL's house, and went home to sleep!! I think we did mumble "Happy New Year" to each other at around midnight when the fireworks were popping away! That made us feel kinda old I think!
It used to be (circa 20 years ago!!!!) that New Year's eve was the event to look forward to the whole year! We were 15 then and Youth Night was the excuse to dress your best and get out! It was organized by the church or school I think and was a party held at the boys' school across the road.
I figure it was our equivalent to a prom night! We would attend the Youth Night, then walk up the hill to Sarawak Club for the teenage disco at the main hall. They would release balloons from the ceiling after the countdown and 'Auld Lang Syne' would be sung. That was nice, I wonder why they don't do that anymore...
I remember Youth Night was when Hubby told me he loved me for the first time!!! <3 We were sitting on the bleachers at the school field!! If I'm not mistaken "End of the Road" by Boys to Men was playing! lol!
*Sigh* that was eons ago....
Anyway... New Year's Eve... Well, ever since then, we would have New Year's Eve dinner with Hubby's gang to usher in the new year and also to celebrate their buddy Jerome's birthday which falls on the first day of the year! It became kind of a yearly tradition, until everyone went their own way and got caught up with their own lives.
So this year, we tried to get together for a dinner once again, but most had family commitments and in the end there were only 5 of us. We had a pleasant dinner at Mr Ho's and went to Backstage after that.
It was nice to hang out and see people whom you have not met for ages, but the place was so crowded I was claustrophobic! People kept coming in and there was barely enough room to stand! In the end the owners had to lock the door to prevent more people from entering!! Patrons were squeezing at the bar to try and buy drinks, waving money at the bartenders' faces!!
Damn! I wish I had a business like that, instead, I have a pharmacy where people ask for discounts on RM5 products and complain that your things are 50 cents more expensive than the shop down the road!!! *Pulls hair*
So anyway, we went to 'open air' for a porridge supper and went home around 3am. It was nice to be out and 'happening' a bit for New Year's Eve. Though I think I've filled my year's quota of second-hand smoke in that one night! (don't sound very happening now do I? lol!)
Wonder what we'll do this year...
Last year, we had dinner at SIL's house, and went home to sleep!! I think we did mumble "Happy New Year" to each other at around midnight when the fireworks were popping away! That made us feel kinda old I think!
It used to be (circa 20 years ago!!!!) that New Year's eve was the event to look forward to the whole year! We were 15 then and Youth Night was the excuse to dress your best and get out! It was organized by the church or school I think and was a party held at the boys' school across the road.
I figure it was our equivalent to a prom night! We would attend the Youth Night, then walk up the hill to Sarawak Club for the teenage disco at the main hall. They would release balloons from the ceiling after the countdown and 'Auld Lang Syne' would be sung. That was nice, I wonder why they don't do that anymore...
I remember Youth Night was when Hubby told me he loved me for the first time!!! <3 We were sitting on the bleachers at the school field!! If I'm not mistaken "End of the Road" by Boys to Men was playing! lol!
*Sigh* that was eons ago....
Anyway... New Year's Eve... Well, ever since then, we would have New Year's Eve dinner with Hubby's gang to usher in the new year and also to celebrate their buddy Jerome's birthday which falls on the first day of the year! It became kind of a yearly tradition, until everyone went their own way and got caught up with their own lives.
So this year, we tried to get together for a dinner once again, but most had family commitments and in the end there were only 5 of us. We had a pleasant dinner at Mr Ho's and went to Backstage after that.
It was nice to hang out and see people whom you have not met for ages, but the place was so crowded I was claustrophobic! People kept coming in and there was barely enough room to stand! In the end the owners had to lock the door to prevent more people from entering!! Patrons were squeezing at the bar to try and buy drinks, waving money at the bartenders' faces!!
Damn! I wish I had a business like that, instead, I have a pharmacy where people ask for discounts on RM5 products and complain that your things are 50 cents more expensive than the shop down the road!!! *Pulls hair*
So anyway, we went to 'open air' for a porridge supper and went home around 3am. It was nice to be out and 'happening' a bit for New Year's Eve. Though I think I've filled my year's quota of second-hand smoke in that one night! (don't sound very happening now do I? lol!)
Wonder what we'll do this year...
Three days of feasting
So the three days of feasting are traditionally:
Christmas Eve - we usually have our family dinner on Christmas eve instead of Christmas day, because it is also our parents' wedding anniversary. Even though mum is no longer with us, we still keep this tradition.
Christmas Day - we have dinner with Hubby's side of the family.
27th December - is ours and sis no.4's wedding anniversary. We got married on the same day.
This year, we celebrated our anniversary a day earlier, on Boxing Day, because sis no.1 and family were leaving the next day. Hubby had already left for Bintulu for work so he missed his own anniversary celebration! I don't even know if he remembers the exact date anyway! Hahaha...
So anyway the photos....
Now the hard part.... to get rid of all that happy fat around the waist!!! Hahahaha...
Christmas Eve - we usually have our family dinner on Christmas eve instead of Christmas day, because it is also our parents' wedding anniversary. Even though mum is no longer with us, we still keep this tradition.
Christmas Day - we have dinner with Hubby's side of the family.
27th December - is ours and sis no.4's wedding anniversary. We got married on the same day.
This year, we celebrated our anniversary a day earlier, on Boxing Day, because sis no.1 and family were leaving the next day. Hubby had already left for Bintulu for work so he missed his own anniversary celebration! I don't even know if he remembers the exact date anyway! Hahaha...
So anyway the photos....
 |
| Grace before meal |
 |
| The adults get to sit down after the kids are done... |
 |
| Lining up for ang pows on Christmas! :) |
 |
| the most anticipated event... |
 |
| demolishing the gingerbread house |
 |
| Brunch at Hainanese Chicken Rice after Christmas morning mass |
 |
| 'old folks' playing Twister at Sis no.2's house on Christmas day! lol! |
 |
| A yummy home-cooked turkey Christmas dinner at Taiku's house |
.JPG) |
| It was fun having Hughie home for the holidays! |
 |
| Boxing Day dinner at Porkies |
Now the hard part.... to get rid of all that happy fat around the waist!!! Hahahaha...
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
December
Due to time constraints, here is the rest of December 2011 in bullet form!!!
Heehee...
(cause it's like, a whole different year already for goodness sake!!)
After all that, the feasting began! With the pigging out and the almost daily Sarawak laksa breakfasts, I dare not buy batteries for my weighing scale which is thankfully dead! Shhhh.... ;)
So the next post is all about eating, eating and more eating!
Heehee...
(cause it's like, a whole different year already for goodness sake!!)
- mini reunion with schoolmates at Basaga (SMB St Teresa graduating class of '94)
- made a gingerbread house and gave it away on my Sugarbaby Cakes Facebook page! Fun!
- the kids had a ball decorating gingerbread men and gingerbread houses
- we made a trip to the planetarium...
- another bowling session, this time including Bryan and Ethan from Singapore.
- there was grandma's birthday at Joyous Shanghai
- we went to watch Alvin and the Chipmunks... was it 2 or 3???
- there was also a Grandpa and grandkids photo session at Jacky's Studio. The last one was 2 years ago and had 2 less grandkids!
- then the annual carolling at Grandpa's house
After all that, the feasting began! With the pigging out and the almost daily Sarawak laksa breakfasts, I dare not buy batteries for my weighing scale which is thankfully dead! Shhhh.... ;)
So the next post is all about eating, eating and more eating!
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