playing catch-up!

I am behind on my blog. Been busy trying to finish my papers for the Grad Dip. Three more papers and I am SO done! Sending the first lot off to Australia tomorrow. And hopefully will finish the next three in the coming two weeks or so. KH is flying off to Paris/Casablanca for some training soon - lucky devil! - so I reckon I will have time over the weekend to swot and tie all my stuff together.

Also been busy trying to get the Birthright webby up to speed. Content-wise about 80% done. Just need to make final decision re who to do the stuff. Acidprint is not expensive but the template webbys look sadly dreadful. I do have the option to buy one of those attractive templates from another provider and get some web genius to just upload my info (since I don't have the relevant skills/software to do this). I want to tie this up by this week. Don't want to dilly-dally anymore.

Also in the mood to do major spring-cleaning. Cleaned out the kids' wardrobe and mine over the weekend. As Isaac commented: Mum looks like she is getting organised!

Yes, finally. No kidding. If my kid can see the change, it must be dramatic enough. So now you know what kind of sea-slug I usually am at home. :-)

Meanwhile to update the blog...

Isaac received his two awards - the kumon thing and the Merit Award at SJI Jr. We were there clapping away/snapping photos at his Merit Award ceremony - basically doing the proud-parent routine. After that I treated him to a book at Borders. So he was happy! Mass at SJI Jr with the boys also brought back nostalgic memories of mass in the lovely Marymount Convent chapel in my school days.

Also, Cait and Isaac finally did the runway thing they have been excitedly waiting for! At the recent launch of the book >60 at TP, they were part of the fashion show showing clothes from all ages - kids to matured women. They wore clothes designed by 2nd year students from the Apparel Design and Merchandising course. Inspired by Japanese manga, the clothes looked unique and cute.

So over two days, we spent time at the catwalk rehearsing etc. At first, they were super-stiff. No smile, no wave, no bopping down the catwalk. They looked like scared rabbits caught in headlights. No, actually I think rabbits show more signs of life than those two. Kudos to the very patient show choreographer Hideki, for his patience! Someone once said that working with kids and animals was the hardest job and I agree!

Isaac commented that this modelling thing is harder than he thought! But after much prodding of the lifeless, they finally did me proud on the day itself. They stole the show by being the only kids in the group not to muff the routine, to smile hugely, prancing down, pausing to pose with their props, waving to the VIPs to the delight of the audience. KH was ecstatic, videoing the whole process. I was the proud mama of course - busy thanking God they didn't screw up in front of my colleagues and bosses - kidding! I was just glad they had a good time and a good experience like that. Doesn't come everyday.

And for Isaac, the icing on the cake was being able to chat and shake hands with MCYS Minister, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan after the show. Minister bumped into them while on his rounds to check out the exhibits and stopped to shake hands with the kids. We also had a brief chat about the kids, how many kids we both had, the age gaps etc. As usual, I get the raised eyebrow when I say I have 5 to his 4. Pity I forgot to sell my usual koyok about the baby bonus! Isaac and Cait were so pumped by the encounter that they printed out the photographs of them chatting with the minister and showed their classmates!

Last week was hectic. On Tuesday, I rushed from work to SGH to interview the NM of labour ward for one of my papers. Then rushed to pick up Isaac from school because the silly boy had forgotten totally about staying back for NAPFA as well as his EZ link card and so could not get home by himself. From there, rushed to Gillian's school to listen to the P6 briefing.

I dunno about other parents but it was daunting to hear stuff like: "We encourage our girls to read advanced books. At P5, they should not be reading Enid Blyton! We have girls who have completed The Da Vinci Code and books by Jeffrey Archer!"

Wah. I know that up to the age of 16 or so, I was still flipping my well-loved well-worn copies of Malory Towers, St Clares etc. Yeah, I was reading other stuff but why should Enid Blyton be sniffed at? I'd rather they read Enid Blyton than not read at all! Especially people like Gillian, for example, who loathe to read, would be better off picking up an Enid Blyton (at whatever age) than not reading at all. And come to think of it, why should the Da Vinci Code be considered a good book for impressionable 12-year-olds to read, given the religious controversy?

I thought the presentation on PSLE would be stressful to the parents sitting there. I was almost glad that we didn't have to face all the stress since Gillian is in EM3 and facing a different yardstick. Incidentally, the school wants her to see a counselor. They think she's got self-esteem problems. sigh. I have no objections. I think the school is trying everything they know to boost her chances and I am grateful. I am not sure if counselling is what she needs or if it will help in the short space of time available though. But I do know one thing: she has got very very caring teachers this year and thank God for them at least. Never before have I had so many long chats with the teachers about her progress! Will post more on Gillian in a different post.

Other than that, things are pretty much the same at Riang.

The stray cats still come into our garden to poo. The Incredible Hulk still sits in a corner of my sink glaring at us when we brush our teeth. Polly Pocket's tiny flip-flops and bikinis still lie on my bookshelf. Books still get strewn around the dining table, coffee table, on the cistern in the toilet... I still get stabbed in the back by a Bionicle's sword when I loll around the sofa.

And I still get melted chocolate in my handbag. Yes, a forgotten leftover from Easter. One of the kids left a choc egg in the bag. I don't know which one.

I only re-discovered the long-lost egg (what was left of it) one recent weekday when I was rushing to open my room door in the office and the key came out of the bag smeared with melted choc. Even after I had cleared most of the gooey mess from my bag, my wallet, my keys, etc, the choc still haunted me hours later as I sat in a training room sniffing out the choc trail. Apparently, I missed cleaning my staff pass and dog-tag so I had choc happily smeared onto my white shawl, my clothes etc. Argh!