Two kids down with flu. In both cases, cough manifested before fever which seems to fit the H1N1 profile well. And since infection rate has now gone past 50%, it seems likely that they have this. The doctor did an Influenza A test on Owain which came up negative but warned me that the Influenza A test is not infallible (hah!) and has a high 15% false negative rate.

We were sent home with meds to treat symptomatically and to adopt wait-and-see attitude. Owain, in particular, with his asthma background, needs to be watched carefully.

So both are now home from school and pumped with Fedac, Promethazine and Wink To Learn plus Yi Xiu videos - which they enjoy. Trin seems to pick up the Chinese words faster than Owain, her rate of recall is higher. But both do enjoy Yi Xiu, which apart from being fun to watch (even I enjoy it!) and exposing them to Mandarin, is also set in feudal Japan. This allows me to explain Japanese history to Owain through a story that seems more immediate and relevant. The cartoon has scenes of Kinkakuji in Kyoto where we will be going so I was happy to point that out to him. When we do see the actual temple, it would certainly be more meaningful to him.

Cait came home yesterday with her cert from RAD (Royal Academy of Dance) for the ballet exam she took. Not only did she pass, but she passed with a Distinction!

We are very proud of her and happy that she has done well. But once again, we are very mixed about gym vs dance. Although she's already made the decision to stop ballet, this recent development again got me thinking. Are we making a mistake? Should we have let her continue?

If the girl is just passing ballet with a simple pass grade or even with a merit grade, it would be an easier decision to make. She too, is now very mixed up and confessed yesterday that "this is a hard decision mummy."

At the same time, I suppose something's got to give right? Her schedule looks like this:

Monday: School, Gym training from 1pm to 5pm
Tuesday: School, home
Wednesday: School, home, Berries from 4pm to 5.45pm
Thursday: School, Chinese supplementary class from 1.30pm to 3pm
Friday: School, Gym training from 1pm to 5pm
Saturday: Gym training 9am to 12.30pm, Catechism from 2pm to 3.30pm, Swimming class from 4pm to 5pm
Sunday: Gym training from 4pm to 6pm


By the time she gets home, has her bath, dinner, finishes her homework and some revision that we set her, she's seriously tired already. Her only 'free' day is Tuesday but if we include ballet, this would mean Tuesday afternoon slots from 1.30 to 3pm. So there goes the 'free' day. The second slot would clash with Friday gym training too.

Are we overdoing it? But if we don't, are we constraining her total development? I've said that if a child demonstrates a talent, an inclination for something, then as parents, we have to do all we can to let her take it as far as she can go so that she has more choice. Just wondering if, by taking ballet out of the equation now, are we limiting her options/choices?

Japan here we come... again!

Tempted by the MAS offer of S$398 all-inclusive fares Japan, we pressed the 'buy' button last week. The kids fare is slightly less at S$382. We'll have to transit in KLIA but for this sort of fare, ah, okay. I never thought I'd see fares to Japan go as low as this and I thought the earlier NW deal of $498 was already pretty low. SQ's lowest fares to Japan hovers around $598. Amazingly, KH was the one who said book 'em.

Our trip is scheduled for Nov 14 to Nov 28 inclusive. 15 glorious days of autumn in Japan!

This means we will take Caitlin out of school a week before school officially ends for the year. The older kids would already be on holiday since sec schools close for the year earlier than their pri counterparts. We would also not miss O's P1 orientation at SJIJ on Nov 7.

We're all very excited about it and the pleasure of planning has started in earnest.

I am torn between heading along the Inland Sea coast, covering the rural Shikoku island or moving inland to Kanazawa, then Takayama, the Shirakawago World Heritage Site and then down to Tsumago and the old post towns. Or cover Nagano, take in some snow at a highland resort? In late Nov, the ski season has not started in earnest but you could still get some early snowfall in the higher elevations. I know that Karuizawa starts officially on Nov 1 with artificial snow. But Karuizawa is known to be very expensive, so while I am tempted, it does not seem likely.

For sure we will cover a bit of Kyoto again - this time, the rock garden of Ryoanji, Kinkakuji and definitely also, Nara. Spend a day on Ohara - splendid autumn foliage there. Possibly a night on Koya-san? Also definitely on my list is Hiroshima and Miyajima, Himeji. I would also like a day and a night in Kobe and Arima Onsen but might have to sacrifice this for time if we go inland.

Looks like we'll buy the 7-Day JR Pass but also exploring car rental. If we are heading along the Inland Sea coast, stopping at pretty fishing villages, then trains would not be possible. And certainly, a car would allow us to drive through the gorges and valleys of Shikoku as well as rugged cliffs of Shikoku where the trains don't go.

Decisions, decisions... I feel like such a kid in a candy shop!

Mum is coming with us this time and it would be great! She's such an experienced traveller herself and is always gung-ho for something new, fun and different. Definitely not the aches-and-pains, can't-do-this-and-that sort. My sister may just hop along for the ride. The kids are thrilled to be going back too.

Oooh, I am so looking forward to this!! I'll post more on the travel blog.

Caitlin is now training 4 times a week for gym.

Friday, 2pm to 5pm
Saturday 9am to 12.30pm
Sunday 4pm to 6pm
Monday 2pm to 5pm.

She is now in the school team, the training squad. They are gearing her up for the Singapore International Junior Cup competition in Dec to gain some experience in preparation for the Inter-Schools Nationals next year in April. No expectations but good to have some experience in competitions under the belt.

During Sunday training her coach took them through the choreographed routine for the floor exercise. Proud mummy that I am, I think she looks so graceful! Monday training same thing but with music which Cait said was "very funny!" and lasted only for about a minute.

For all this to happen, ballet has been sacrificed. I'm mixed about this because I think it would have been good to keep up ballet and some form of dance training which would (a) keep her options open and (b) benefit gym as well. But I do acknowledge that with Berries re-shuffled to Wed afternoons, ballet 2x a week and gym 4x a week, this will take its toll on her studies. So something has to give.

KH thinks that Cait will have no time for her studies (which have been flagging since the CAs in March). This is true because she comes home from gym tired enough to fall asleep in the car. Once past dinner and a bath and she's out like a light - no time for work. She'll have to learn how to adjust and juggle this better. Learning curve ahead for all of us.

Owain is now officially an SJI Junior boy.

I was toying with the idea of sending him to Maris instead of SJI but he was balking at the thought of too much Chinese. As Sam said, being in a place where disliking chinese is the norm or even 'fashionable', vs a place where chinese is in the environment, is important and can make a difference in terms of one's attitude towards learning the language.

But my gut feel from observing Owain says that SJIJ might be a better fit for him. He's always been the sort who learns best when he is (a) not bored and (b) not discouraged/turned off the subject. As we all do of course. But I read Owain as a bright kid and I would not want to stump his efforts to shine in other areas - which might be hampered if I put him in an environment where he is totally unhappy in. As was the case in Magdalene's Kindy - hence the switch to Lumiere, where he is much happier and has made big strides in learning.

My key worry, be it SJIJ or Maris, is still Chinese. We're going to pump him with as much help as necessary. Berries will continue, Wink to Learn and YiXiu are now household DVD staples and if necessary, we'll have to hire a tutor to keep Chinese going. I don't want Chinese to be the archilles heel that loses him the race in the long run.

Owain, half tongue-in-cheek and half seriously, told me to get him exempted from Chinese like his elder brother and sister. And to be honest, I am considering this. When I work with him for chinese, I can really see the difficulty he has in differentiating the tonal values of each word. He just can't seem to grasp the differences in sound/tone. I saw the same thing in Isaac. Which makes me wonder if his phonological awareness is just as poor as his brother's. We'll only know through a psych eval. I'm not going to do this now, but will keep plugging at it with him, at least till the end of the year or next year.

So while I am not just throwing in the towel just yet for Chinese, I am keeping my options open. With Isaac, I regretted that I did not seek exemption sooner. Had I done that, he might have taken a different path in his primary school life since the kids are 'streamed' into classes of varying ability depending on their overall grades in P2. With Isaac scoring well below 25marks most of the time, his overall grade was natually pulled low and he spent about 2 years in a class which did not match his ability for English, Maths and Science. Still, the boy says those were the best days of his school life in SJIJ.

With Owain, I'll see how it goes for P1. His Chinese teacher in Berries told KH that he cried in class on Saturday. He either could not recognise the word, or pronounced it wrongly. He cried out of frustration. When I worked with him, I saw the same thing - not recognising the same words, not able to retain the meaning and sounds etc. I could see that he was frustrated but I'll say this for him - he has determination and grit. He moaned, groaned and complained about 'doing Chinese' but you could see him trying and trying. I love him for that and I feel for him.

That same grit was seen in swimming class on Saturday.

He was told to swim the length of the pool (50m) - and he did. When he reached the end, he was told to swim back. KH was swimming beside him. Midway through the lap, he noticed that O was gasping up to breathe, clutching at the wall with every stroke. Each stroke was degenerating gradually. Whereupon KH stopped him and asked why he was swimming like that. And only then did he realise that O was in tears. He was too exhausted from swimming the first length and found it "too hard" to do the return lap but had to do it. So he pushed himself but was also so tired and frustrated that he cried.

When he related the story to me, my heart hurt for him and I was rather indignant: "Why did the coach do that? You know his strokes aren't even right yet, so naturally all this takes a toll on him. Two laps for this little boy at this stage is really a bit much!"

To which my dear husband, taking on the boot camp instructor role, retorted: "Good! Toughen him up! He is a BOY. If he does not push himself now, NS would be worse!"

Well, I can't and don't buy that. My heart went out to my little fishball. How to protect him and his spirit?

With all this running through my mind, I registered him for school at SJI on Monday. Owain seems happy and I think I made the right choice. Next step - Orientation on Nov 7.

Owain is finally vaxed.

I think, as a parent, I've done as much as I can to minimise the risk of any adverse reactions happening. These are:

Extended breastfeeding to build immunity
No vaccinations in the first year of life
Delay vaccinations until immune system is stronger - ie 6 to 7 years of age
Vaccinating only what is legally required
Single shots instead of combination vaccines
Supplemented with high levels of Vit C, Vit A, echinecea, probiotics before and after vaccination
Specified needle length
Specified location of shot
Spacing out the shots
Keeping him home from school for better recuperation

I dosed Owain with extra high levels of Vit C and A before the day. He had more than 5000IU of Vit A and I gave him 1000mg of Vit C. This is far above the usual norm recommended for children but for vaccination, which stresses the immune system, this was acceptable.

We went to the Japan Green Clinic yesterday. I promised him ice-cream and sushi if he would not panic and freak out on me. He asked if it was okay if "a little tear" came out and I said, it would be okay for him to cry if it was painful and I would hold his hand.

The doctor was surprised that he was not vaccinated yet and confirmed with me that the measles shot was his primary shot and not a booster. I asked the doctor to verify that the needle used is a 25mm and not a 16mm. He was happy to check the packaging and confirmed that the clinic only uses a 25mm or a 35mm. The needle, being longer, goes deeper and these lengths have been associated with less adverse reactions.

He asked where I would like Owain to be injected and I specified - upper arm. Less pain and swelling reported with an upper arm injection site as compared to the thigh. Doctor grinned and said, "Smart!" heh.

With all this about needle lengths and injection sites and questions on batch nos (I wanted to be sure that the batch nos were clearly reflected and in his notes too), he asked if I were medically trained. No, I said, just a very concerned parent who does her homework. As if to further reassure me I guess, he told me that the Japanese company manufacturing the vaccine has been around for more than a hundred years. Hmm, while that is interesting information, I am not and I guess I will never be, convinced of any vaccine's safety, so 100 years of history notwithstanding, I would not vaccinate unless I absolutely had no more choice but to do so.

The injection itself went smoothly. I think I was more anxious for Owain, as I gripped his little hand. He looked at me and grimaced a bit as the needle went in but otherwise, seemed fine. It looked like there was localised swelling almost immediately but he said it didn't hurt. After that, he was back to his usual self - rough-housing with Isaac, irritating the girls and pinching my butt again. I checked with him several times (paranoid!) but he seemed fine - did not report pain in the arm, no fever yet and his appetite was good (yes I made good on my promise and we took him for some sushi).

The injection, including consultation with the doctor, cost $96.30 (includingGST). Compare this with Raffles Hospital's Children Centre and Olive Tree, which charges around $200 for the whole thing. Moot point anyway because RH and OT both did not have ready stock when I called. As for the diphtheria vax requirement, I will give the DT vax at least a month or more from now. Incidentally, only the Japan Green Clinic has the DT vaccine.

Owain's health book, once pristine and free of any notations on the vaccination page, now has one lone mark in the box tagged 'measles'.

Hopefully this will be enough to get him registered for primary one for now.

Yesterday I did something I had not done in a long time. I went to the post office, bought a congratulatory card, stamps, wrote a message on the card for a friend's daughter, and posted it.

Snail mail.

I enjoyed that. It felt good. Brought back memories of the old days when snail mail was the norm and email unheard of. When I was younger, as a teen, it was always a thrill to open the letter box and find cards and letters. Christmas cards, birthday cards, good luck cards, Valentine's Day cards, Chinese New Year cards. It was all fun to send and to receive.

Back then, we use to send cards for everything we needed to say. Or could not say. So if we were interested in a boy or a girl, ah a sweetly-worded card would say it all. Or tenderly wish a loved one a happy birthday. I remember standing for hours at card racks reading all the mushy messages, trying to find that one perfect meaningful card for a guy I once loved. And receiving one in return. Or getting cards from bashful guys who had a crush on me but never dared say so in person. I still keep them all.

Yes, more often than not, it is not poetry and the words are corny, the sentiment overly-mushy. I don't know about you, but they still touched me very much - but then I am a sentimental romantic at heart!

Seeing someone's handwriting on a card somehow makes it so much more meaningful and personal. We may have fun e-cards today with sophisticated animation and even sound effects and music. But they can't beat the cards of yesteryear for sheer meaning and significance.

It is easier to send a card with just a few clicks today, but for someone to actually buy or make a card, handwrite it, lick and stick on a stamp, there's so much more effort involved and therein, the meaning and the care.