SU ANN'S FIRSTS

The new school year has just started, and I'm now in Kindergarten One. Quite a few of my old classmates are in my K1 class, and Teacher Inah is once again our form teacher. However, my good friend, Gwen, is no longer in my class and I wonder how she is. I do miss her so.

Su Ann has started twice-a-week lessons at GUG too, and from what I've heard, she's having a ball of a time. She tried her hand at finger-painting for the first time today.

Su Ann's had quite a few firsts lately, including her very first birthday on 10 December 2008. The family celebrated the occasion with a sumptuous buffet dinner at Cafe Brio, Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel. The trainee buffet eater chomped on a grand total of one jelly with her 6 lil' milk teeth. Daddy and Mommy bought her a baby doll as her first birthday present. Su Ann picked the gift herself from Toys R Us. The doll was the only thing in the store which made her laugh.

Su Ann also had her very first tricycle ride recently. We chanced upon a really nice bike trail along Changi Coast Walk one night, after having nasi lemak at the hawker centre in Changi Village. The entrance to Changi Coast Walk is next to the hawker centre. Daddy rewarded Su Ann with chocolate chip ice-cream for her effort.

ZOO, SENTOSA & BIRDPARK

It usually rains cats and dogs in December, but December 2008 had been uncharacteriscally sunny. Perfect weather for outdoor activities.

One afternoon, Mommy decided to take us to the Singapore Zoo. My last visit was about 3 years ago and I was asleep for most of the trip, so have no recollection of it whatsoever. Su Ann has never been before. We arrived at the Zoo at 1300 hrs, and stayed till 1730 hrs.

We moved fairly quickly from one enclosure to the next, and managed to cover all the walking trails. I especially enjoyed watching the free-ranging orang utans swinging from branch to branch, the baboons fighting, those super long and fat snakes slithering away in the reptile house, and two giant tortoises kissing. I got to pat a pony and went up close to a kangaroo. The last I saw a roo was during my trip to South Australia in October 2007.

We caught one animal show, but didn't make it any of the animal feeding sessions. I also played a little while at the newly opened children's play area. We would have stayed much longer, had Mommy brought along my swimwear. What a pity that Mommy didn't know that a large water play area had opened up in the Zoo in November 2008! The water play area looked like oodles of fun. Oh well, we will just have to return to the Zoo one day then!


I thoroughly enjoyed my day out at the Zoo, and Su Ann did too. She was really excited to finally see the animals. Before the trip, she only got to see them on flashcards!

A week after our visit to the Zoo, Mommy took us to Sentosa Island. We parked ourselves at a shady spot on Siloso Beach, and I dug away happily with my spade. I haven't been on a beach since June 2008, so it was a joyous reunion with all the sand I could play. Su Ann had a good time too!
After playing on the beach, we adjourned to the fountain next to the beach for a splashing good time. I didn't want to leave Sentosa Island, but Mommy promised to take me back again to visit the Dolphin Lagoon & Underwater World.


Mommy kept her promise and we returned to Sentosa Island the following week. This time we took the beach tram to Palawan Beach.


We caught the Dolphin show at Dolphin Lagoon, then proceeded to the Underwater World by bus. Transport on Sentosa Island was free.


The Underwater World had two petting pools, one for fishes and a larger one for stingrays. The petting pools were the best bit for us. The fishes liked Su Ann. Whenever she put her hand in the water, they would all swim to her and the rest of us got to touch them. They were really smooth. I was impressed with the giant crabs and luminous jelly fish in the aquarium, more so than the sharks and dugong. A diver dressed as Santa Claus was amongst the fish in the aquarium too. Perhaps he was handing out Christmas pressies to the fishes?

Just after the New Year, Mommy took us to Jurong Birdpark. We saw some really brightly coloured birds, like the blue and yellow macaws and the chilli red scarlet ibises. There was a darkened area where nocturnal birds were kept, and we got to see different species of owls.


We watched two bird shows, the first of which (the Birds & Buddies Show) was highly entertaining. They had trained a parrot to count 1 to 10 in English and Mandarin, and to sing Rasa Sayang, Ke Ren Lai and Happy Birthday. Amazing! The second bird show featured some really big birds like the hawks and vultures. Those birds spooked Mommy when they flew too close to her and brushed their wings against her head.

MY DECEMBER 2008 SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

One day I'll look back at my December 2008 school holidays and think of it as being one of the most carefree times ever. Whilst the world was reeling from a financial meltdown with no recovery in sight, a USD50 billion Ponzi scam by Bernard Madoff, massive job losses, rising global temperatures and sea levels, and war on the Gaza strip, I had no worries at all. No activity sheet to complete, no homework, no lack of playmates; just a whole lot of fun to look forward to each day.

My good friend, Beverly, came over to play. What was even better was being invited to her house to play. Beverly lives on the top floor of a 4-storey block of apartments. When Mommy and I arrived at her block, Beverly and her younger brother, Winston, yelled my name "Su Jin! Su Jin! Su Jin!" down the stairwell with so much excitement that the neighbours came out to look. Mommy and I were overwhelmed by the warm welcome!

Beverly gave me a Princess playset, with a sparkling tiara, necklace, earrings and ring. Beverly had her own Princess playset, and both of us pretended to be Princesses that afternoon. Two Princesses went travelling on the Orient Express, with Winston as the railroad engineer. Beverly wanted to go to Australia on the train, whilst I disembarked at Kuala Lumpur. Beverly got off the train to persuade me to get back on again, whilst Winston went steaming on ahead on our pretend train. :)

I wish I can play with Beverly and Winston more often. We had planned to visit the Science Centre together with their cousins during the school holidays, but I had to attend a wedding on the chosen day. Can't wait to see Beverly again when my ballet lessons resume next week!

My good friend, Gwen, also came over to play. Gwen loves my two cats. She's got five herself!


A fiesty little girl, Gwen's the most up-for-it person I know. We went to the soft play area called Fidgets (http://www.fidgets.com.sg/) in Turf City together, and her infectious energy gave me the courage to try the different playthings there. Gwen took me ice-skating at the temporary rink in Novena Square. We also hung out at the playground in Suntec City with her older brother, Enzo, sliding down the fireman's pole and chasing bubbles.


I'm going to miss Gwen like crazy when school starts. She's been my partner in GUG class for a whole year, but when school starts, she'll be in the afternoon session whilst I remain in the morning session.

Mommy's younger sister, Chia Yee, and her Aussie-born hubby, Uncle Craig, also came to play. Chia Yee returned to Singapore for a 3-week-long vacation. Chia Yee has been residing in the UK for the last 14 years. One of the highlights of their visit was Uncle Toh Lick's wedding to Aunty Ilka on 22 December. Uncle Toh Lick and Aunty Ilka are also resident in the UK, but Aunty Ilka was originally from Germany. My family has become more and more multi-cultural!

The wedding banquet was held at Raffles Hotel. It's been a while since I last played with my cousins, and it was great seeing all of them again at the banquet. At the end of the banquet, Aunty Ilka gathered all the single ladies together for the bouquet throwing session. I joined in and the bouquet came flying towards me, and landed squarely on my feet! Hello S****l... I've got my eyes on you... *blush*


A few days after the wedding, Chia Yee's in-laws from Darwin arrived for a holiday in Singapore. Uncle Craig's older brother, Steven, has 2 kids - Archie (3 years old) and Lara (14 mths old). I met Archie for the first time at dinner at Jumbo Seafood Restaurant and we really hit it off.

We spent the following afternoon playing at Jacob Ballas' Children's Garden, running across the suspension bridge, getting lost in the maze, digging at the sandpit and squealing at the waterplay area. For once, Su Ann had her own playmate - Lara, who's only 2 mths older than her. They got along really well too!
Archie and Lara spent 10 days in Singapore, and they too came over to play at my house. Lara walks with ease, but Su Ann still needs to be supported. Lara is Su Ann's inspiration to walk!