On The Last Day Of Year 2013

From Gold Coast Tour to Universal Studios Singapore, the kids had a wonderful holidays for this year.

On the last day of Year 2013, they also had 2 activities which have never experienced before.

Usually we played badminton under the void deck and there were a few restrictions like how high we can hit the shuttle-cock and the wind direction. This prompted Hubby to book a badminton court for us.

Thank you Hubby for the last present of the year!

The kids had fun playing but they complained it was too stuffy/hot inside the hall. It was a good exposure and good workout for them, before we attended a dinner party at dad's good friend, Mr D's house.

His house is huge, a 3-Storey terrace house. The kids had not seen such huge house before. It was such an eye-opener for them.

Mr D also invited their common friends. I guess they wanted to have a good gathering with Dad. After dinner, Mr D gave Dad a surprise by arranging his eldest's son's friends to sing a song for him.

One played the guitar while the other sang Dad's favourite song - Love, Me by Collin Raye

I was so touched. I guess Dad will be touched too...

The kids also dropped whatever they were doing to listen to them. It was another mind-blowing experience for them.

Their second song was When You Say Nothing At All by Ronan Keating. Dad was very sporting. He went out to sing along with them. Every one was clapping for him.

For the third song, they were open for request. I requested for Dad's favourite group Bee Gees. They sang To Love Somebody for him.

It was an unforgettable night and a positive booster for Dad.

I really appreciate Mr D's efforts to organize this small party for Dad. Thank you Mr D.

Universal Studios Singapore

Hubby's company had union discount rate for Universal Studios Singapore from 19th to 31st Dec. After much discussion, we decided to purchase the tickets for the kids as their Christmas present.

Our first visit to Universal Studios Singapore was back in July 2010. At that time, Transformers The Ride was not ready yet. So today was their first and they enjoyed very much. 

Ever since Gold Coast Tour, now they are more into thrilling rides. And due to the crowds, we had to queue a minimum of 45 mins for ride. 

There was a Christmas special performance by Sesame Street

But sad to say, the kids were not interested at all. Maybe Sesame Street characters were not part of their growing-up.

Instead, they wanted to have rides again

So we took advantage whereby everyone was hooked on watching the show, we went for rides again. 

Surprisingly, the queue time was shorter than in the afternoon. We queued for 30 mins for our 2nd round of  Transformers The Ride and less than 10 mins for roller coaster (suitable for kids). 

Most of the time we spent in Universal Studios Singapore were for rides rather than taking photo with characters. As a result, they missed a chance to take with Despicables Minions ! Sigh !

I love taking photos...for memories. So I am kinda disappointed for the lack of photos.

Anyhow, despite the lack of photo taking session, we had spent a good quality 12 hour time together (from 10am to 10pm). The kids had enjoyed themselves very much.

Thank you hubby for the Christmas present!

Swimsafer Stage 1 Award

28th November 2013 was their Swimsafer Stage 1 test and they will be tested on the skills as in this site here

From what I observed, it was easy test and I was confident that they can pass.

And they did.

Since 1st December 2013, they are at Swimsafer Stage 2. 

And 2nd December 2013 marked their first swimming anniversary! How times fly...

Today they received their Swimsafer Stage 1 award from the coach. It's their second certificate from swimming. The first was the 25 metres Distance Certificate

And based on the work plan, their next certificate will be Test 3, Swimsafer Stage 2

I wonder when the test will be...but for now, congratulations to the kids !

Gold Coast Tour

We had joy, we had fun during our Gold Coast trip and there were a few experiences for our kids.

Experience #1

This was their first night flight and the whole journey took 7.5 hr. They slept with discomfort on the plane and with only few hours of sleep. They did make a few complaints but fortunately, with games and movies on board, they did not fuss for long.

Experience #2

On our 2nd day at Gold Coast, I was shocked to find my boy having swollen left cheek when I woke him up. His pain tolerance was very high. He kept telling me he was not in pain but yet when I accidentally touched his cheek, he would ouch in pain.

We suspected he might have gum infection or maybe toothache.

Fortunately, on Day 2 afternoon, we were brought to a small shopping area for an hour of shopping. To our relief, there was a clinic. The doctor examined and found an ulcer on his gum and he was given antibiotics to be taken for 5 days. If the cheek was still swollen after antibiotics, he suggested us to bring him to a dentist.

Hubby and me were unfamiliar with their medical system. We were told to pay consultation fee first. After consultation, we needed to bring the doctor prescription to a nearby pharmacy to purchase the medicine.

All these while, our boy followed us quietly..enduring the pain. Each I asked him about the pain, he said he was fine. I must really applaud his level of tolerance. He did not whine a single bit at all.

My heart was already heavy when we came to Gold Coast yet this had happened. I could only pray hard. I pray nothing serious as it was only Day 2 of the trip.

After Day 3 of the medicine, I could see his swell slowly subsiding. I felt so relieved. He could also tell me that he was feeling better.

When I asked him why he did not complain about the pain at first, he just smiled.

I thank Heaven for guarding my boy.

Thank you.

Experience #3

Before we were able to bring him to see a doctor, we went to Paradise Country after checking out Tangalooma Resort. He endured the pain all the way. He was also out of his comfort zone when we asked him if he wanted to carry Koala bear during the photo shot. He agreed instantly.

However, due to his small built, the in-charge told us it would be better to change to an adult as he was afraid boy might let go his hand and Koala bear would get hurt. So in the end, hubby carried the bear during the shot.

Boy also fed the kangaroo and goat. He was so different as compared to years ago when we brought him to the zoo. This time he was not afraid to feed animals.

Experience #4

It was my first time feeding a dolphin, not in a pool but at the sea side.

My boy even wanted to follow me to feed the dolphin while we were at Tangalooma Resort. He was in the queue with me but as the weather was too cold and the wind was strong during the night, I advised him not to go ahead as I was afraid he might catch a cold. So in the end, together with hubby and rest, he stood from the viewing stand to witness me feeding the dolphins. 

I did not have any swim wear on. I braved the cold with my blouse and shorts. The waves hit almost at my waist. I cannot imagine how drenched my boy would be if he was with me to feed the dolphin. It was a great experience for me.

Experience #5

My daughter was afraid of feeding animals. She said she was afraid of the tickle or maybe the animals might suddenly bite her.

But she showed her braveness at Sea World, Movie World and Dreamworld. She took roller coaster ride more than 12 times !!

She had befriended a girl at the tour. She was the same age as my girl and the two of them went for the roller coaster rides together. Our daughter did not need her daddy to be beside her anymore. She was not afraid anymore. But of course, for those very thrilling rides, she had yet to overcome it. But still, a credit to her braveness as even her mummy dared not ride.

Experience #6

Hubby tried out Sand Boarding twice during our Tangalooma Desert Safari Tour. I could see it was quite a dangerous play as he needed to sign an indemnity form. I applauded him and those who dared to do it. Once again, I was not brave enough to try.

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When we were at Gold Coast Australia for 6 days, it felt so great to be able to connect with the nature. I felt the sun, the sand, the breeze, the sea waves and even had the chance to witness sunset.

Sunset at Tangalooma Resort

Morning At Surfers Paradise Beach

Evening At Surfers Paradise Beach

Sunset View from Hotel Grand Chancellor balcony

Sunset View from Hotel Grand Chancellor balcony

Sunset View from Hotel Grand Chancellor balcony

Sunset View from Hotel Grand Chancellor balcony

 

After Sunset from Hotel Grand Chancellor balcony

Aren't these photos so beautiful ....

These good memories will always be inside my heart.

Once again, I would like to say thanks to my dad, who pays for the whole trip. Without your generosity, my kids and us would not have the chance to have overseas experiences (Hong Kong, Legoland Malaysia and Australia Gold Coast)

The kids would like to visit Hong Kong again next year with you. I hope we can go together with you.

Small Gestures Warm My Heart

We just came back from Gold Coast trip and the quality time spent together was so cherished. Taking a break from work, worries, stress for 8 days...and now we are back to reality, how we missed the days of being together every day.

Kids left 2 more weeks to their new school term and we have been spending time playing board games and card games.

Through games, I felt the love the kids had for me.

During Monopoly game, as they observed I was about to lose, either they will give me discount when I pass their houses/hotels or they will lend me money to pay.

During UNO game, they invented two kinds of play. Serious play or Fun play.

For serious play, it means we cannot show our cards out.
For fun play, we will display our cards on the table. 

During fun play, they will try to avoid giving me Draw 4 / Draw 2 to ensure I am not the last.

All these small gestures made me felt so touched, so warmed, by their love.

Thank you children and Mummy love you so much.

PS: I would like to thank close friends' for their never-ending encouraging messages. Your words comfort me, warm my heart and keeps me going on strong. Last but not least, thank you hubby, who has been encouraging me and praying with me every night. Hope. Faith. Miracle.

Healthy And Happy, These Are Most Important

My nephew did well for his PSLE. My daughter commented that she will not be able to obtain his good result because she does not have tuition like him. Among all the good results we have heard from relatives, majority has tuition. 

I rebuked her belief. I gave her a firm pat on her shoulder and told her that without any tuition, You still can do it ! You still can go to Express level !

With the latest sad news about my dad's illness, it further affirmed my focus on the kids: Academic is not the only focus in life. I will not stress them much on studies. As long they can proceed up the next education level, it does not matter if they have average marks. I am still a happy mum.

For now, instead of paying for (academic) tuition, we rather pay to help them to pursue their interests. My boy has already started the journey towards his dream, whereas my daughter is still unsure of what she really likes to do.

As long as they are happy and healthy, these are most important to me. 

Sickness can strike at anyone at anytime.

Life is short.

Spectacle - My Daughter's New Friend

So sad that my daughter needs to wear spectacles now.

On the brighter side, she only needs to wear when she needs to see far like whiteboard in school.

She had her yearly eye check up in school in May this year. So far her eyesight is always stated as 6/9 vision for all these years of eye check and no letter was given to me to bring her to optician for further check.

However, she did confide in me that she seems to be unable to see some words clearly after the eye check in May. So I brought her to an optician and her power was 0.50 per eye. The optician said it was okay not to wear as long she feels comfortable.

She said she was okay and so I did not make any spectacles for her.

Months later, on and off I kept hearing her complaining that she cannot see when she was at my mum's place (a 5-room flat) watching TV program while having meal. Occasionally she also complains she is unable to see the words in the whiteboard

So I decided to make another trip to another optical shop, recommended by hubby's cousin.

This optical shop gives a very thorough check when compare to the usual shop we frequent. To my horror, I was told her eye power has increased to 1.00 right eye and 0.75 left eye.

When testing her to see far, she said she can see clearly with the trial lens. After discussing with her, I decided to make a pair for her. 

I would want her to get used to wearing it before the school starts next year.

Sad....

Cannot avoid the fact that she needs it now. 

Hopefully she will learn how to take care of her eyes. Have asked her to be friends with the new spectacle and never had to change it. Do not wish her eye sight to increase again. =(