Babywearing

JS’s 2nd birthday. A visit to the zoo. Wearing baby and nursing baby

JS learns to wear her baby, just like what mummy does all the time.

You can wear your toddler too. Mum carrying JS in the sarong sling.

Sarong sling – I love it so much. It’s indispensable, even now baby is no longer baby but an active toddler, I still won’t leave the house without one whenever we have to bring the kids out. It gives a pair of free hand to do work. It wears your baby down and clam a cranky baby easily. Moreover, it’s really light weight and is certainly good for discreet breasftfeeding. You can use it as blanket too, when you’ve forgotten to bring extra sweater or socks. Love it, love it so much. Such a genius invention!

我的学生生涯 Memories Of School Days

Yesterday I was reading through Egghead and Twinsmom‘s blog about school life. It was like finding a key that unlocked my own memory of those old school days. So I’m going to be a copycat and write something about my own school life in a small humble town, Teluk Intan in Perak.

Warning… this is going to be a long 唠叨 post!!

How many schools did I go to?
1) Kindergartens – San Min Kindergarten (三民幼稚园) 5 year old
A semi concrete, semi wooden hut that shares the same compound as the
primary school I attended later. The hut was partitioned into 2 classes. Mum
was teaching at the front class and me attending class next door. What I
learned? Can’t remember.

Tadika Rasa Sayang (启蒙幼儿园) 6 year old
Classes were conducted in English unlike the one I attended earlier. Only
remember having a lot of dance practices.

2) Primary School – SRJK (C) San Min No 2 (三民小学第二校)
The year I attended primary 1, was the year when the ministry introduced the new syllabus, changing all text from traditional chinese to simplified chinese. Subjects were changed too, Stadard 5 exam (5 年级统考) was replaced by Standard 6 UPSR. We were the first batch of guinea pig students to this new syllabus. At our school, students were put into classes not based on their performances, but rather of family background. Those offsprings of well knowned teacher’s, offsprings of local wellknowned (地方名人), son of established businessman (老字号), kids of civil servants were put into the first class and we sticked to the same class throughout the whole 6 years regardless of exam result and we got the best teachers. I was in that class, because my aunt teaches in the same school. For 6 years, my marks for each subjects and each exams were range from 96 – 100, but I’ve never been able to escape the fate of being No 2, second best, there was this girl who always got higher scores than me. I was class monitor and treasurer from standard 3 to 6. And also represent the class for story telling and singing competitions. ( I have never won though). I wasn’t really outstanding and well-rounded, as I never excel in sport and was truly a bookworm. I was very self-consioused, although arrogant outside, but the fact is I was very inferior with my look and physical movements. ( I was the first to wear glasses in my class in year 4, alot of people make fun of the way I walk and run ..etc etc)

School building was very old. Like the kindergarten hut, it was half concrete half wooden.Although there were 2 newly built blocks but the olden part of the school were the same as when my parents attendend primary school there then. All the class rooms has got no fan and every alternate years we have to swap with another school that shares the same premise to be in the afternoon session. Didn’t know how we survive those hot stuffy afternoon. The top floor flooring were made of wood plank with gaps, when students upstairs were pounding and running about, there were always dust and sand pouring down to the ground floor like rain.

Toilet! It was as bad as those found in China, or maybe worst. The cubicles were narrow and elevated leading by steep narrow steps. (squat type) You can’t imagine a 5/6 yr old pre-schoolers that share the same toilet to climb up to the cubicle and squat and with no option to hold the wall for balancing (it’s just too dirty to put your hands there). So they always does their business on the floor. Big or small.. even walls were painted with finger prints of POO!! Worst still, the toilet is HAUNTED!! During Japanese Occupation, our school compound was the commanding ground for the Japanese Troops. The toilet location used to be a mortuary/burial ground of the victims. It gave a super eery feeling whenever one is in there, and I never figured out why there were a few cubicles that were always locked and never allowed to be used, there were always rumours that something is in there. I tried to avoid toilet as often as I could, or begged any of my friends to go with me. There were times that I got food poisoning , and really need the toilet badly and no one can be excused to go with me in the middle of a lesson, I had to rush and close my eyes and pray, I would leave as fast as possible. I dared not look into the mirror facing the cubicles. Whenever I was alone there, I always felt something lingering around the air looking upon me. It was always relieve if I met someone on the way to toilet when I was on my way there alone, and I will try to finish off fast before them so I won’t be left alone. Even now thinking back, it still gives me the shiver and goosebump that I experienced before. There was also another part of the school, which we were not allowed to use. One of the stairwell at the corner. It’s dark and eery and no one evers passes there.

I loves recess. Canteen food was lousy, but I got my own little treat. I spent all my recesses for that 6 years at my mum’s kindergarten eating in front of all the pre-schoolers. Little aunt was assistant teacher at the kindy then, so every night little aunt would telephoned and asked what I want for breaksfast next morning, she would stopped by at the market to get my treat before heading to the school. Everyday, except those days I brought in my mum’s home baked cake, I would have 黄姜饭,糯米饭,咸煎絣,猪肠粉 and other delicacies for recess. Our favourite games before class and during recess were throwing pebbles ( the 5 pebbles game), skipping rope ( very long rope made of rubber bands, and you need at least 3 people to play, 2 to hold, and 1 to jump over at different heights) and 踢踺子 and again I’ve not really mastered these games like my friends.

My transport to school were no mean by my mum’s car. We had 4 chinese primary schools in Teluk Intan. But everyone in my neighbourhood just seems to be in the same school in town as me which is about 7 mins drive from home, other kids that stayed the same block as us would car pool with us. It was like packed sardine in a small 2nd hand Datsun. I will fight with the fatty boy (my classmate who lives opposite my house) to get the front passenger seat, needless to say, I never won, because it’s just too cramp to have a fat boy sits at the back with 6 other children. Our signal in the morning to leave house before we were late, was the steamer train “TUT TUT” sound every morning at 7.10am and the “glong glong glong” sound of the train running on the track.The track was about 3 km away from home, but still the sound is quite loud.

Another vivid impression of school was FLOOD!! Our school was located in town and is very near to the river bank (Sungai Perak). The 3 years when I was in morning session , we couldnt escaped to be caught by the flood every so often. If we knew before hand the next day going to be flooded, we would wear slippers to school but classes carry on. I didn’t know why we find these flood quite fun, to think back now, the water is the most contaminated, as you know it comes from the toilet I have just mentioned above.

2) Secondary School – SMK Sultan Abdul Aziz
Father wanted me to attend a more prestigious school (SM Convent) rather than the one I attended. However my transfer was a bit complicated. First, Convent’s principle wouldn’t want to accept me into Form 1 without an official approval letter from the ministry in order for me to skip Remove Class. (I scored straight As – 7As in my UPSR and that time, being the guinea pig batch it was not confirmed whether straight As student can skip a year). I spent 2 – 3 months in Remove Class in SAA, passing my days in daze. Finally when I was allowed to move up to Form 1, I was already seriously lacking behind. Moreover my Malay is never good, I really suffered alot. Some more they allocated me to a very back seat in the class of about 30 , with my serious short sightness and also no text books (it took about another week for book loan to be approved), I really don’t know what the hell was happening in class.
School then wasn’t fun. Dad was strict, never been allowed to go for movies with friends, never has enough pocket money to share whatever my classmates were into. My classmates/the one I mingled with were never been accepted by my parents. Eventually my classmates just left me alone. I was just weird and an odd man out, never able to blend in with my peers.
I went to school by car pooling with my classmate that lives behind my house. I never spoken to him once throughout the 2 years we went to school together. His mum would drive us to school. When I was in Form 3, mum allows me to cycle to school.I managed to scrap through SRP. No more straight As but still with As but mostly C3. From a top scorer in primary school, I became a nobody. It crushed my confindent and no one able to understand my problem.Needless to say, dad was furious. He then decided I should be transfered to the school that he was teaching.

SM Seri Perak (Form 4 & Form 5)
After Form 3, I was transfered to Seri Perak. Supposingly to be another prestigious school for upper secondary for Science stream students. We, Science students has got our own designated block right at the far end of the school compound. Dad happens to teach in the same block, he teaches Form 6 further maths. Every so often I would bumped into him. We go to school together on my dad’s motorbike. Everyday I have got stares from everyone. “Ooh..Ini Mr.Lee punya daughter!” And everyone was eyeing on me, all KPC on my perfomances because my dad is a reputated teacher in town. Yucks..I hate that. Hell!! I was under alot of pressure during my schooldays and to tell the truth, it was NO NO FUN to grow up in a teaching family, especially for someone who is not very bright and lazy like ME! The best part of being at this school is that I have met good friends , which our friendship still lasted until now.
Before that I have no true friend, during primary, I was very arrogant, lower secondary, I was a loner.
I managed again to pass my SPM exam, but again it was not a result of flying colours. I was then doing Canadian Matrix at Taylor’s college when the result was out, but I was dissapointed by my result and decided to resit. So I stayed home for a year, homestudied and managed to get a better SPM result. Still not straight As.
These goes the 6 years of my secondary school life. A good at nothing, 文不能,武不行, 糊里糊涂, 懵懵查查, 不三不四度过了6年中学生涯. Looking back now, these 6 years were the darkest and lowest point of my life, where I don’t know what I want to achieve and was under tremendous pressure. I was frustrated, felt left out and unworthy and I had a lot of disagreements with my parents at that time for being strict and not understandable and unreasonable. I was very very rebellious at that time. I must be a pain in the ass to my parents and I must have really hurt them very very much.

3) Tertiary studies
Canadian Matriculation Programme (Taylor’s College)
I was there for three months. I was lost, no idea of what I wanted to do in the future and maybe made a mistake of choosing the subjects, moreover dissapointed by my SPM result, I’ve decided to give this a quit.

Western Australian Matriculation (Sunway College)
Manage to go through the 1 year course , with so so result. My best subject was Chinese. This was also the year I started “pak toh” with my 1st ex. I had great freedom that I have yearned for during the past 6 years, leaving the small town and be on myself and somehow I lost control of the freedom my parents entrusted in me.

Edith Cowen Uni (Perth)
Did my first year of computer science studies there. But after one year, I’ve decided to come back. I really don’t know what on earth was in my mind last time. How I forgo all the chances to excel and improve myself. I seems to underlook what’s the priority in my life. What a waste!

Systematic College (Petaling Street)
Did my NCC Higher Diploma. I got the best results in this course compare to all the exams that I have sat over the past 8 years. Parents moved from Teluk Intan to PJ. No more separated, but still I got more freedom now as compared to secondary school days, less curfews. This is where I aquainted my 2nd Ex.

Sunway College
Did graduate diploma. Again in the same college as my dad. Meet a few nice friends, YC, Renee, WL.

Was I the studious nerd, or the last minute hero?
Primary: A studious nerd, bookworm. Mum will do revision with me every night. (倍读)
Secondary: Last minute burning midnight oil, and can’t memorize a single thing because I just simply don’t understand. My Malay comprehension was really very poor and I hated the subject.

Was I the torn in teacher’s eyes or the teachers’ pet?
Primary: Teacher’s pet
Secondary: I don’t think I’ve left any significant impression to any of the teachers during first half of my secondary school life. I was simply just not outstanding.No one pays attention to me. Upper secondary, teachers got to watch out for me as a favour to my dad. So I was neither a pet or a torn at that time.

What was the biggest rule I broke in school?
Primary: NIL. As a goody goody student and role model, you cant be possibily breaking any school rules. If there was, perhaps it was time that I sneaked in to use the teacher’s toilet.
Secondary: 出猫. Cheating during school exams.
There hasn’t been much chances for me to break rules as there is always someone watching behind my back and 打小抱告 (reporting to my parents). Never once I ponteng during my primary and secondary school days. Even when I was so sick with flu, asthma attack and can hardly even breath, I would still have to go to school because my parents just didn’t believe I was really that sick and we hardly visit the doctor when we were sick. Pure suffer!!

Three subjects I enjoyed
Primary:
1) Music: I have been learning piano since age 7. So this is the best and easiest subject
2) Art and craft: I like drawing and I have to beg my class teacher to let me join her art class during weekend. I got what I wish through the “back door” way. I’m proud of making lanterns.
3) English: The most easiet subject. School doesn’t start teaching this subject until Standard 3, but it was still the best and easiest.
Secondary:
I just hated class, hated everything taught in Malay. I only enjoy English.
We had so little time on mandarin classes, lack of teacher and they were not well trained, so I have lost passion of it.

Teacher that impressed me.
1) 王昭霞老师 – My class teacher from standard4 -6. She’s very good at chinese calligraphy and drawing. Regretted that I have not taken up chinese calligraphy class from her. She’s very strict and fierce and will not hesistate to cane her students (wonder why those years, no parents complaint about teacher beating/caning their children) , but she’s a very good and responsible teacher.
2) Mr Oh Teik Bin – Never really taught me in school, but my chemistry and 1119 tuition teacher. He’s just brilliant.

Things I did beside normal school hours
Primary: No tuition for the first 5 years. Only took BM tuition when I was in Standard 6. Had piano lesson, drawing lesson and girl guide. Was I stress free during these 6 years with so few activities? NO. I have been constanly compared with my cousins ( 1 the same year as me, another, 2 years younger) Dad had a lot of expectation on me especially that I was in Chinese school and being looked down by my uncle and aunties (who were teachers also). They would say “dak teng lang che wu ha mit ho, English jin jia cha” ( Not good for attending chinese school as English standard is very low), “wasting one year in remove class” blah blah blah. So I have to really really put on a hard work to proof them wrong and to save my father’s face. Hey! I’m proud that I know how to read and write Mandarin.

Secondary: Skipped whatever activities happen in school after class.别人说母校怎么怎么好,我对母校一点感情也没有.
Had many tuitions. Science and Maths by my uncle from form 1-3, BM tuition.
Form4-6: Physics, Chemistry, 1119 English tuition. BM tuition, what else?? Couldn’t remember.
Something I really looked forward to was Saturday night Youth activities at local buddhist association, I was a librarian there too. Once a year there would be a holiday camp that I look forward to.
I spent most of my secondary school days writing diaries ( because no one hears me out!! because I was a loner! because I can’t communicate with my parents!) , writing letters to pen-pal (my hobby since standard 6 – the joy of receiving a bundle of coulourful envelops in your letter box is just undescribeable) and reading 棽凯伦 love stories and day dream of my prince charming.

Wow…I have gone so far down to memory lane….Looking back now, I really don’t have a very joyful school life. How sad.

Parents!! Please don’t put so much stress on your children, please listen to them and stop comparing them to your relative’s kids or your collegues’s kid. You will only inflict more inferior in them rather than making them excel!! I have to be more cautious not to repeat my parents mistake over my kids. And guess what, parents that are in teaching profession are really a bunch of KIASU people.

Denial

More denial from JS.

JS: No, I didn’t do it
JS: No, I don’t know
JS: No, I accidentally … (eventhough sometimes she really did it on purpose)
JS: No, it … by itself

I’ve noticed that I’ve blog more of the negative side of JS than her positive side. Perhaps I should start paying more attention to the positive things that she have done/said. She can certainly says the darnest thing and make us laugh. It’s just me the bad mummy, didn’t keep in the heart long enough to record down before she has totally forgotten about it.

Separation Anxiety .. No More

For the last 4 schooling days, I’m able to drop JS at the school entrance and let her walk in with her teacher. She even give me a sweet goodbye smile and flying kiss. I’m so proud of her and when I look at her, I have this little sad feeling that my girl has already grown up and she can be independent and won’t need me anymore. Before we realize, she will soon be on her own, and we will have to learn to let go. Such contradicting feeling. During the first 2 months, every morning she will cry once we reached school. I will have to bring her in , and spent about 15 minutes outside the classroom, looking on, and she can really put on a drama with all the cries and asking for kisses and hugs. At that moment, how I dreaded she will be more independent and be joyful like the other kids. Now that she’s overcome the separation anxiety, I am somehow feeling sad.

After she started school , there are a few positive changes in her, even the maid notices it. She’s less cranky, more independent, less moody and certainly more independent.

Breastfeeding Joy

Ever since I was pregnant with JS, I have wanted and made up my mind to fully breastfeed my child. However things didn’t go as easy as I thought it would be. I have naively think that breastfeeding is a very easy task that is at all mums fingertip. I didn’t read up beforehand and have no preparation before the baby comes. Needless to say, I was caught off handed when my girl was born.

The third day when we were home from the hospital, JS cried none stop. Being a first time mum, I tend to get panic easily and my determination waived when everyone in the family is worried and panic. In-laws were particularly concern as being tending to first grandchild. So off I have to send my dear hubby out to buy formula. What formula to buy?? We have not done any research on the formula market. So we just grab one that the nurse had told us that she had fed JS. My milk only came in after 6 days of delivery, and I have to resort to mix feeding JS. Everytime after bottle feed JS, I will supplement with breastmilk. Now I know how wrong was I. Then again, without proper knowledge and support, at 3 months old, 2 weeks after I returned to work, JS has got nipple confusion and refuse to suckle, and I just gave up without pestering her. That comes to the end of my breastfeeding journey with JS.

The 2nd time round, I was more determined than before and thanks to MYMOMSBEST I got to know more about breastfeeding. I manage to exclusively breastfeed WH for the first six months, with a little hiccups at the beginning like sore/cracked nipple during the first 2 weeks, because my milk came in late. WH was spoonfed 10ml of water during his 2nd day stay at the hospital because there were sign of dehydration. Other than that, everything was quite smooth sailing. At six months old, he started solid. I didn’t set a time frame on when to wean him. After he turned 1, he has shown interest in JS bottle milk. When the milk bottle is left on the table, he will pick it up and put in the mouth. So I have introduce him to formula. He takes it quite ok. Now at 17th months, he’s still nursing and take in a maximum of 8oz of formula milk a day. He doesn’t takes more than that, sometimes he even refuse.

Sometimes dear hubby does hint that I should wean WH, saying that my milk is not nutritious , do not have all the AAA , DHA..blah blah blah… and also he claims that because WH is breastfed, that’s why he’s not strong and small. Dear hubby call my boy “katek” , as in shorty…*sigh* but really I don’t have the mean to wean WH just yet. I enjoy the bond. I enjoy holding him and have him near to me.

Of course there were time that I’m on the verge of giving up. Especially on the nights when WH is not feeling well, he will latch on for the whole night, making me feel very very uncomfortable. My favourite sleeping position is to curl up in a ball, hugging my bolster or lying on my stomach, but when I’m nursing, I’m force to lie in an not so comfortable position. These are the nights that I dreaded, I secretly hoping to wean WH off the next morning. But when morning comes, I have forgotten about weaning eventhough I’m sleep deprived, with a sore nipple and stiff neck and aching shoulder blade. Anyhow, I will keep nursing him until he self weaned. There are nights that when WH is half asleep and suckling, he will let out a content chuckle. I really wonder what he’s dreaming about. That chuckle is enough to warm my heart and make me feel that my effort of breastfeeding is worth it.

My Boy’s Growing

Saw this:
WH wanted to reach for his story book at the top shelves. Could reach it. Took a box, stepped on it and manage to grab the book we wants
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WH likes to imitate his sister. Whatever the sister does, he just tags along and copies exactly. One thing he loves to do whenever JS got back from school is to head for his sister’s school bag. He will open the zip and ransack her things.
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JS went to a birthday party of her classmate at McD. Got this happy meal toy.WH saw it, tag along his sister with the longing eyes. So kesian to see him and JS just refused to let him hold or touch. Persuaded JS, finally WH got to hold it for a while. He let out the most beutiful smile. Just for a short while , he’s contented and hand back the toy to his sis. Ooh.. so sweet.
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WH is also a little MR. Vain. He will picks his own cloths and request a few change of cloths in a day. If we pick a shirt for him which he doesn’t like, he will kick a big fuss

List Of Hanh’s Vocubulary

WH doesn’t speak much. His vocub is limited. He can understands all that we say in Mandarin and English, pointing to everything we asked and following our instruction, but he just refused to speak. He prefers :”ng..ng..ng” and singing ” lalalaaa..aaahaha” and alot others baby talk. He prefers baby talk with sign language and body gesture to communicate with us.

Here’s the list of words he can say to date, he’s 17th months:
1) Papa ( his favourite)

ME: Call mummy
WH: Papa
ME: call mummy
WH: Papa, papa
ME: call mummy
WH: papapa

Hopeless!! Both WH and JS started calling their father first then only learn to call mama.

2) Mum mum (eat)

3) Pao pao ( to be carried)

4) Sjie sjie ( Sister)

4) Ka tkak ( kakak)

5) star

6) car

7) there

Off To The Park

The last time I brought the kids to the park was like 6 months ago. Evening time I’m busy cooking and dear hubby don’t usually comes back until the sun has set. Today, the kids were lucky, dear hubby got something on and will have his own dinner and my opposite neighbour has cooked 咸茶 ( I guess is a hakka dish, very delicious and healthy, something I want to learn from my neighbour, yes, we always exchange food) My dinner is settled, no need to cook, got time to bring the kids to the playground. So off we went. Drove them to the playground in the new phase. Bigger and newer than the one near our house. And they had the playground all by themself. WH even added 2 new words to his very limited vocubulary. “Park” and “Up” (Up the slide). He loves the tunnel slide.

They were so happy, shrieking and running about and their laughther echoed through the air.

Camera out of battery, forgotten to charge, have to resort to my palm camera, what a pity.

Pre-School

When we decided last year that JS should start school this year, I had a hard time of finding one to enrol her. Not to say that there’s no pre-school around, but I have my list of expectations on the school she will attend. I always wanted to sent her to a montessori play school where she can learn through play instead of the academic focus one. Unfortunately I can’t find one near our house or maybe I’m just not resourceful. I really wish she could attend a play school like shown in the picture. A very western style, where children can learn in a more relax mode, no stress , no homework with outdoor excursion. To my dissapointment, there is none here. (maybe there are such playschool in Subang/Bangsar).

My criteria: ( I have to say that not all my criterias were met with the current school JS’s attending. Can anyone tell me if there’s any school like the one I’ve expected?)

1. Caring, loving and attentive teachers who pay attention to ALL children.

2. Safe and clean environment, which means the tables and chairs, teaching aids, emergency staircase, toilets, nice playground, and etc are suitable and safe for children.

3. Location, not too far from home. Easy to leave and pick up children, where the kindergarten has a good “Come and Go” system for vehicles.

4. Easy to access or talk to the teachers about our children, if necessary.

5. Montessori Method with outdoor excursions.. Besides academic or homework, there should be some activities which emphasize on a child’s well-being, like teaching them how to dress up, pretend play, sports ie gym and swimming lesson or outdoor activities, songs and dances, and MORAL too.

6. Not too many children in a class. I think 10 children to 1 teacher ratio is good enough. If the number of children exceed 10, then there should be an assistant in the class to help out.

7. Please don’t force children under 3 years old to write, they’re not ready.

8. Homework is given occasionally and reasonably, not to scare children or kill their interest in learning by piling them with lots of writing. spelling test or exams.

9. No labelling of children and arranging their class by academic performance (this is very common)

10. No enforcement of children should stay back at school for tuition class, as most kindergarten teachers would “force” the parents to leave their children for tuition class, if not the kids won’t be able to catch up

11. If not all chinese students. It must be a mixture of other races as all. Which even a English medium school, should also have Mandarin class.

12. Teachers need to be properly trained and have a basic knowledge in first aid, best still have a cert in it. In Malaysia, pre-school teachers are mostly not certified with early childhood education course. They don’t even need to go for basic first aid training to get the cert. Very dissapointing

(I have forgotten to mention that my criteria are similar as Shoppingmum. Sorry shoppingmum for not giving you credits on this)

The place we stay or rather Senawang as a whole is a highly Malay populated area. I’m not biased, but the kindy here is just out of my choice. There is one chinese kindy nearby, but also not my choice because is in a “Kampung Baru Cina”. Don’t know if this is consider kiasu, but I’m just hoping of a standard as in KL, and these kindy does not meet it. There are pre- school of such that is somewhat in par in Seremban Jaya and in Seremban 2, but that’s just too too far away from home. I just couldn’t afford to spent 1/2 hr or more each way, twice a day to sent JS and pick her up. So I have to settle her in a choice I’m less favour or shall I say 2nd best. The only thing that attracts me is that the teacher , student ratio is low. 1:12 max. Currently JS class only 8 students. So she could get more attention from the teacher. They thought Mandarin twice a week, and a mixture of races. Though only 3 chinese gals, one six year old, one five and my girl in a four year old class, she’s actually 3 year old when class started in Jan. Listed in brochure, they have art and craft and Smart Cooking. That makes me think that maybe they are not so academic focus. It’s also near home, about 7 mins drive.

We wanted her to start school this year not so much of pushing her academically. We want her to socialize, mingle with the other kids and learn to be disciplined, be more independent and basically have fun. Because JS has got this endless energy at home that sometimes I can’t keep up with to stimulate her. To us, whatever she learns academically will be a bonus to us, as we really don’t want to push her. But still this school that she attends dissapoint me.

Two weeks before the March holiday, I’ve received a notice, saying that there would be an exam a week before the school holiday and revision paper will be given out and parents are advised to guide/supervise their kids. I was shocked!! An exam for a 3 year old?? School started in Jan, the first 2 weeks of school was orientation for new comers, then follow by a week for CNY break. My girl spent a good 1 1/2 months crying whenever I drop her there ( even she cried, she’ll be alrite after 1/2 hr at school and show happy face when I picked her up) and I don’t now how much she has actually learned. When I received the revision paper, I freaked out. Most of the questions are just too hard for a 3 years old who could barely hold the pencil right. I just don’t know how JS’s going to do it. She’s just a normal child, though sometime quite intelligent, but still she’s not genius. Of course she brought her homework back to do and she does it enthusiatically. The homework were just merely tracing the lines of capital alphabets. Usually the teacher will write about 12 or 8 big capital A in a page for the kids to trace , then the next day move to the next letter without repeating or an exercise of the kids or writing the letter themself. I have never really pay attention to her homework provided she trace it properly. I takes it that it’s meant to train the strenght of her wrist and doesn’t really pressure her much. By my oh my, in the revision paper, she’s suppose to write the letter herself. Fill in blanks of missing letters. some even in small character, which she has never learn before. I wonder what the teacher teaches in school. Besides asking them to trace, do they really teach the proper stroke ahead before giving out the homework. And they expect the kids to know how to write the capital letter from A-K and numbers from 1-6 within 2 months of schooling. Isn’t this pace too fast , especially for a 3 year old??? And worst.. there is spelling.

The question goes like this , fill in the blank.

o_e 1

tw_ 2

t_h__e 3

fo_r 4

f_v_ 5

Are these meant for a 3 year old??? I went to complain, the principal told me that one of my girl’s classmate can already write from A-Z and that I shouldn’t underestimate my child. I left with disgust. Wondering what these other parents or teachers really thinking. Needless to say, I didn’t push my girl for her exam. She went to school just as one of the normal day. ( yeah, there was a exam timetable like primary school, what day, time for what subject) . If I can find a playschool soon or if we could return to Subang for good, I will definately sent JS to a less stressful school.

家庭”煮”妇 A Housewife, A Cook

I must admit that before I became a SAHM, I don’t know a thing about cooking and it has never interested me. However, since I’m full time homemaker, it’s naturally to have me embraced the role of a full time cook for the family as well. Though I have a maid that is able to cook ( she used to cook for the whole family (chinese) during her last employment in PJ), reason being that

1) I don’t want to entrust the job to her and rely on her so much. I have the hygiene concern and also what if when her contract ends and I still have not learn a thing about cooking, who the hell’s going to help me out. If I don’t learn now, I will never going to learn later.

2) My dear hubby has a very delicate tastebud ( ie fussy) , so it’s naturally my responsibility to see that his expectation is met. If I rely on the maid to please my hubby tastebud, than I suppose I’m a lousy wife that failed terribly, who doesn’t even put in the little effort to show the love for her hubby.3) There is a great sastifaction after cooking and the meal been enjoyed and the efford appreciated.

When I was young, I hardly step into the kitchen. My mum has spoilt me too much. I’m not a 千金小姐, but mum just seems a little protective. She will get me go do my studies instead of helping, she will warn me the danger of knife until I was so scared about it and eventually I just stop going into the kitchen. Also at that time, the arrogant, silly me also thought that home science is for less brilliant students ( during schooltime, they put us in class, where the top students were put in commerce and the not so good students in art). The arrogant me doesn’t want to have anything to do with cooking ( how wrong was I and now I’m regretting it). When I was older, my mum did say that I should at least pick up some basic cooking, but I just brushed her off, saying that cooking is un-glamed. Who wants to be seen wearing t-shirts and short, sweating in the kitchen and smelling of fish rather than wearing smart business suits, sitting in air con room smelling of Dior. Ohh…. I was so so wrong. I realized after married that as a women, unless you plan to be single, one way to please your man/love one beside good sex is still warm home cooked food.

When I was in college, I can only cook rice, maggie mee and boiled soup (which ingredients has been earlier prepared by mum) and I cannot even fried an egg, which usually ends up looking “cacat”. My maternal grandma is a great cook and my mum’s humble cooking just taste marvelous, unfortunately I have not inherited any of these skill.

Then off to Australia, when my aunt started to teach me cooking, pasta, zucchini pie , some asian food, but when I came back, due to no practice, I forgotten everything , and got clumsy in the kitchen. I remembered there was once, mum went back to China with granny, and I’m suppose to cook for dad and brother. My dad as being a very easy to please and not fussy person, decided just after 1 meal that it’s better for him to tar pau than eat my petatite cooking. You can just imagine how bad that was.

I have never cooked for any of my Ex-s. And when I was with my then bf, now hubby, I was very pampered by him, and he cooks for me on a few occasions. First year of our marriage we eat out everyday or at my in-laws place when I was pregnant. So basically I have no need to be in the kitchen. I tried to cook for my in-law once, it didn’t leave a very good impression and my SIL still make joke of it a few years later. Later when I needed to cook porriadge for JS, I learned a few things from the sitter. Still I don’t know much and did a very simple thing to ensure there is variety of vege and meat and dumped it in a double boiler.

The journey as a cook started 9 months ago when the current maid arrived. Because there’s someone to help do the preparation and most important clean the mess afterward, so I can at least do something for my dear hubby. I started collecting recipes from magazine, newspaper and asked my mum and now I have also a dozen and more collection of recipe books namely on Perankan Cooking. But still many a times, I’m puzzled what the ingredients look like. I’m too pai seh to go to the wet market to ask: “tau keh, what is …”, so off I go to the hypermarket, everything has got a tag… it’s like going back to school again, learning the name of the veges, different sauces. Oh yes, Woman Weekly’s has got a FOOD ID page, which is very handy too. Before that I dont even know what’s the different between shallot and onion and alot more other stuffs.. ( still I don’t know how a LARD looks like, though I know is pork fat)

This learning process has not been easy, as dear hubby is very hard to please. Not every recipe suited him. There are things that he doesn’t eat that cooks in a certain way, sometimes he’s heaty and cannot cook certain food and most of all have to think of something with taste, look and smell (色香味俱全). His has got his mum’s cooking imprinted in his brain (peranakan cooking with a lot of rempah) and also all the good food tasted in restaurants or hotels over the years. His expectation from me is somehow high until sometime my mum’s humble cooking just wouldn’t do. In the beginning, there were often food untouched with a very long sour face, I really felt lousy and unappreciated. However, I’m glad that now though still no complement from him, there is more approval on his face when he’s eating my food. Still… there’s a long way to go. I wish I could cook like twinsmom, simple and delicious, so so envy.

Beside cooking, I love baking cakes the old way ( no electric mixer), I love making cake in mixer bowl with a wooden spoon. Reminds me alot of my childhood where my mum always bake together with little aunt over the weekends.

Mum plays important role to instil the love of cooking in their kids. I’m not going to repeat my mum’s mistake. I’m going to start JS young by letting her into the kitchen and have fun whenver possible. Of course there are times that I’m angry with the mess she’ve made, but I guess that’s what I’ve paid the maid for… to clean up the mess!!