Month: August 2010

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Getting Ready For School

I know – it’s only the 12th and it’s but a month away – but i guess the “asian” mentality – although having been in Canada for 10 yrs now – i still very much believe in getting everything ready before it’s too late and we might miss out on something. So a few weeks ago – PB and I set out to Walmart with Chloe and picked up all her school stuff – from pencils to files and even new shoes. So that’s all done – i’m now debating on whether i should order some fancy labels for her. I know it is not necessary – afterall, who label their pencils right? not like she is in an elite school and a marker which cost less than $1 was good enough to label her book bags and shoes for the last few years.

But that’s not all we are doing to get Chloe ready for school – we are also preparing her for next year’s syllabus – like addition and subtraction and going thru’ a list of words we got from the school website to familiarize her with them. The good thing is she said she misses her school routine – so emotionally we are all set? One can only hope eh! crossed our fingers and crossed our toes! so are you and your kids ready for school yet? yes, i too have to prepare myself for school and not be over-zealous and do the unnecessary (if you know what i mean).

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Slide Show Of Home

While I was enjoying a day at the park with ducks – Chloe had asked me more about home and my parents. I thought of a slide show that I can make for Chloe and decided to do it – to let her know abit more about my parents/siblings and more about where I come from. I gave it a little more thought – as to what I want to show Chloe and thought about my mom and Chloe. You see – Chloe and I are brought up quite differently – Chloe’s childhood if shown on a slide show to her grandchildren in the future would be nothing but happy memories – where else mine wasn’t so much like that.

While i grew up with a screaming mom – who would cane us in public – Chloe has never been harshly dealt with in her entire life. But do I want to show her a slide show of my childhood with so many bad memories? of a childhood without a parent or grandparents to love? A childhood without any toys nor bed to sleep on? I only started to have a decent life after i turned 26 – when i decided that I didn’t want the past to hold me back. That was when my life changed – for the better – but how do i tell my child – who is currently so curious to know who my parents were? I don’t even really know my own father – for he was never home – my slide show for my childhood – is but a very short memory to me. It is a past – i rarely want to remember but it gets trigger back once in a while.

As much as I would love to tell Chloe the whole truth – i feel that she is still very young to understand – my past. For now – I’m putting together a simpler slide show of my past for her – a simplified version just for now. I’m just happy that Chloe’s slide show – of her childhood will be a so much happier and blessed one – for her dad and grandparents are nothing like mine.

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Happy Birthday, Singapore!

Tomorrow, my home country celebrates its 45th birthday – it’s easy to remember because that was the year i was born. And while my home country flourishes every year and become better and bigger and more famous – i ended up in a small town in Canada. Singapore has changed so much since i left 10 years ago. A girlfriend who was in New York for 10 days – told me she missed home so much – the minute she stepped into Changi International Airport – she had a plate of Nasi Lemak before going home – hahahhaha!!! I know how she felt – because that was what i did – but i had mee siam when i first came to Canada for 1.5 months.

Do i missed Singapore? that’s for sure ! the convenience of everything back home – the modernness and efficient government – plus a stable job if you wanna work. But having said all that – I know i would never turn the clock back and change coming to Canada – because i wouldn’t have Chloe if i did. I missed the food, the weather – good friends, cousins and a good job but where/what would i be if I didn’t become a mother? or if i am without Chloe? But that came with a price too of course, I’m not in the best of health here because I can’t get to eat the kind of food i am used to back home – I’m trying hard though. So for those who wants to migrate – think very carefully. Make sure you choose a place where there are lots of Asians – else you will end up like me – wanting to go home every other month. I would love to go home for a visit – soon – my Singapore – soon – i’ll come and see how beautiful you are.

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Of Strange Pets

We don’t really have a pet for Chloe – except for her beta fish – which she calls Goldie – even though the fish isn’t gold in color. But of late – Chloe had been asking for some strange pets – last week she came home with a few worms from her grandparents place and she begged to keep it. I finally agreed and when we got home – she even brought the worms to introduce the worms to her pet goldie and showed the worms all around the house – LOL! A few weeks ago – she came home with a snail and also a ladybug – yes – all she loved and cried when they died. I had wanted to get her a dwarf rabbit to be placed at her grammie’s place – but they had no time for the rabbit – so we had to scrap the idea – maybe next year – maybe then she won’t ask for strange pets – hahaha!

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Plague By Hives

Poor Chloe had been plague by hives again – but not the serious type – every other day we will see one or two bumps coming up – she would scratch it like mad and after we give her some Claritin – it would stopped. But a few days later – we would see a few more bumps. The camp-coordinators had been really good – and keeping an eye on Chloe for us – so we are happy that she is in camp and not exactly loving it but she still would go. Only a few more weeks and she is going back to school. Summer is going by far too fast – the weather is already turning cold here. I’ve also stopped putting on an undershirt on chloe since summer begun. So have i changed or have chloe changed..??

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Upgrading Home & Store

It had been a really busy summer for us – in fact – so busy I had to cancel my pedicure a few times now in the last 2 months. The store is doing some revamping with new fixtures and our home ? we are getting our patio all fixed up with mosquito nets – so that we can enjoy sitting outside without the buzzing of mosquitoes and bugs. The zapper that we had bought a few years ago – didn’t seems to help – so I told PB that we really needed to get the mosquito nets up. Afterall, what is good with having a patio and a golf course for scenery when one don’t get to enjoy it. So off we went looking for some Baldwin hardware for door knobs and other accessories. As for the store – we got new fixtures for the movies and games and cabinets as well. The store is beginning to look “proper” now and most of the handmade shelving by PB were taken down. I think he is a little nostalgic about them – hahahha!! for they had followed him for 11 yrs now. So yes! if i haven’t answered your emails or gone on Facebook – it’s because we are busy running around looking and shopping for stuff to fix up our house and store.