MARCH & APRIL 2009
In April, Mommy and Daddy's friend from Norway, Uncle Jon, came to Singapore with his family. The last time Uncle Jon saw me, I was just one month old! Uncle Jon's mom is a schoolteacher. Ah Ma told her about my first ski trip to Whistler, and she said that cross-country skiing was part of the curriculum at the school she was teaching at. Wow! She said kids from age 2 learnt to ski at her workplace. Impressive!
April was also when Ben & Jerry's held their annual Free Cone Day. The event was from 1200 to 1900 hrs, but Mommy only learnt about it at 1730 hrs. She woke me up from my nap, grabbed the car keys and we made it to the outlet at United Square just before 1800 hrs. There was a sea of people waiting for free ice-cream, and Mommy didn't think we had a chance before the staff stopped scooping at 1900 hrs. She contemplated quitting the queue, but Ah Ma stood firm. She wasn't leaving till she got her free ice-cream! Fortunately, we managed to get one scoop each before the staff called it a day. Mommy's strategy for next year is to start lining up by 1130 hrs and eat it to her heart's content! Needless to say, Ah Ma has already marked her calendar and applied for leave. :)
Sorry for hitting the "Pause" button for so long. As I speak, the world is still in recession, a swine flu pandemic is about to be declared by the WHO, travel advisories are up urging people to stay home, so what better time than this for one to pick up some really good airline offers? If everything goes as planned, Su Ann and I will be digging for clams on a desserted white sand beach by the end of May. I can't wait! :)
Meanwhile, I've been good. Going to school everyday, completing my schoolwork, enjoying my ballet class every Monday, trying my best at swim school every Tuesday and paying attention during my violin lesson at the Magic Fiddler every Thursday.
In March, Mommy turned 34. Grandma Nancy suggested that we celebrate the occasion at the Feast @ East Buffet Restaurant in the Grand Mercure Roxy Hotel. Everyone gleefully went along with the idea. Birthdays are this family's favourite excuse for overeating.
Cousin Emmalyn and her youngest sister, Lynn, also celebrated their birthdays in March. Their parents booked the Function Rooms at the Singapore Island Country Club, splashed out on a yummilicious buffet spread, and hired a pastry chef to conduct a baking session for the kiddies. For the first time in my life, I made a batch of cookies.
Meanwhile, I've been good. Going to school everyday, completing my schoolwork, enjoying my ballet class every Monday, trying my best at swim school every Tuesday and paying attention during my violin lesson at the Magic Fiddler every Thursday.
In March, Mommy turned 34. Grandma Nancy suggested that we celebrate the occasion at the Feast @ East Buffet Restaurant in the Grand Mercure Roxy Hotel. Everyone gleefully went along with the idea. Birthdays are this family's favourite excuse for overeating.
Cousin Emmalyn and her youngest sister, Lynn, also celebrated their birthdays in March. Their parents booked the Function Rooms at the Singapore Island Country Club, splashed out on a yummilicious buffet spread, and hired a pastry chef to conduct a baking session for the kiddies. For the first time in my life, I made a batch of cookies.
In April, Mommy and Daddy's friend from Norway, Uncle Jon, came to Singapore with his family. The last time Uncle Jon saw me, I was just one month old! Uncle Jon's mom is a schoolteacher. Ah Ma told her about my first ski trip to Whistler, and she said that cross-country skiing was part of the curriculum at the school she was teaching at. Wow! She said kids from age 2 learnt to ski at her workplace. Impressive!
April was also when Ben & Jerry's held their annual Free Cone Day. The event was from 1200 to 1900 hrs, but Mommy only learnt about it at 1730 hrs. She woke me up from my nap, grabbed the car keys and we made it to the outlet at United Square just before 1800 hrs. There was a sea of people waiting for free ice-cream, and Mommy didn't think we had a chance before the staff stopped scooping at 1900 hrs. She contemplated quitting the queue, but Ah Ma stood firm. She wasn't leaving till she got her free ice-cream! Fortunately, we managed to get one scoop each before the staff called it a day. Mommy's strategy for next year is to start lining up by 1130 hrs and eat it to her heart's content! Needless to say, Ah Ma has already marked her calendar and applied for leave. :)
Su Ann became a lot more demanding and talkative after her trip to Shanghai. The locals' art of arguing must have rubbed off on her. It started with "Gibbe! Gibbe! Gibbe!" in a cute, adorable way. Then it progressed to "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" in a more no-nonsense way. If I don't co-operate, she'll sometimes say "Gimme pea..." (as in "Give me please"). And if I still don't give it to her, she'll let out a bloodcurdling "GIVE ME!!!"
She likes my pearl necklace. When I give it to her, she'll wear it, flash her toothy grin and announce: "Necklace. Pretty." Lately, she's been hogging my dressing table playset, pretending to put make-up on, and she sometimes walks around the house with a tiara on her head.
I used to be able to snatch things right out of her hands without any protest, but the era of "Su Ann The Pushover" is now long gone... *sigh* She will even put her foot down in class when she doesn't want to do something. She doesn't like getting her hands dirty, so she'll refuse to participate in finger-painting in her GUG class. When her teacher tried to get her to do it, Su Ann wouldn't budge. "I don't want!", she said with such clarity that it stunned her teacher.
She's quite the stickler for cleanliness. She once picked up a grain of rice from the floor. Mommy thought she was going to put it in her mouth, but Su Ann said: "Yeee.... yeee.... Dirty. Throw." When the table's wet, she'll point to the puddle and say: "Wet." She'll then look for a piece of cloth, wipe down the table and say: "Wipe." She likes to push the Magic Clean broom around the house too. When Mommy and Ning Che Che tells her to put her toys away, she'll comply by putting them back in exactly the same position as she'd found them.
For a 16-mth-old, she can be quite polite. If you're blocking her way, she'll say: "Excuse me" (pronounced "Accu me"). She thanks people by saying "Ye Ye" (her way of pronouncing "Xie Xie", which is Thank You in Mandarin). Once when we were out, she accidentally walked into a lady. She looked up at the lady and said: "Knock. Yoyee." (her way of pronouncing "Sorry"). The lady couldn't believe her ears. She picked Su Ann up and gave her a cuddle.
I must say we get along very well these days. Her verbal vocab has expanded quite significantly, so it's possible to hold simple conversations with her. Everyone tells me she misses me a lot when I'm in school, and will constantly ask for me. It's great to come home from school each day to see her perched on her highchair beaming from ear to ear and yelling: "Che Che! Che Che!"
She likes my pearl necklace. When I give it to her, she'll wear it, flash her toothy grin and announce: "Necklace. Pretty." Lately, she's been hogging my dressing table playset, pretending to put make-up on, and she sometimes walks around the house with a tiara on her head.
I used to be able to snatch things right out of her hands without any protest, but the era of "Su Ann The Pushover" is now long gone... *sigh* She will even put her foot down in class when she doesn't want to do something. She doesn't like getting her hands dirty, so she'll refuse to participate in finger-painting in her GUG class. When her teacher tried to get her to do it, Su Ann wouldn't budge. "I don't want!", she said with such clarity that it stunned her teacher.
She's quite the stickler for cleanliness. She once picked up a grain of rice from the floor. Mommy thought she was going to put it in her mouth, but Su Ann said: "Yeee.... yeee.... Dirty. Throw." When the table's wet, she'll point to the puddle and say: "Wet." She'll then look for a piece of cloth, wipe down the table and say: "Wipe." She likes to push the Magic Clean broom around the house too. When Mommy and Ning Che Che tells her to put her toys away, she'll comply by putting them back in exactly the same position as she'd found them.
For a 16-mth-old, she can be quite polite. If you're blocking her way, she'll say: "Excuse me" (pronounced "Accu me"). She thanks people by saying "Ye Ye" (her way of pronouncing "Xie Xie", which is Thank You in Mandarin). Once when we were out, she accidentally walked into a lady. She looked up at the lady and said: "Knock. Yoyee." (her way of pronouncing "Sorry"). The lady couldn't believe her ears. She picked Su Ann up and gave her a cuddle.
I must say we get along very well these days. Her verbal vocab has expanded quite significantly, so it's possible to hold simple conversations with her. Everyone tells me she misses me a lot when I'm in school, and will constantly ask for me. It's great to come home from school each day to see her perched on her highchair beaming from ear to ear and yelling: "Che Che! Che Che!"
posted by jinjin at 9:21 AM
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