it never occured to us when we got married and bought a house and had babies, that at some point in time, they would soon reach the ripe schooling age of seven and there would be the issue of registering them in a primary school.

we kinda overlooked that part, really. back then, we only had the short-term view of ensuring that our location of residence would be in close proximity to my parents, for many reasons (other than the $40k grant) – the convenience of checking in on each other, the supply of home-cooked food, the default caregiver to our kids… in short, we chose our house solely for the family support factor, and nothing else. (well, we DO like this particular area a lot for the aesthetics too.)

only in later years did we realise, there were in fact many parents who chose/moved/rented houses for the sole purpose of being in close proximity to good, reputable schools, thereby increasing their chances of placing their young child/ren in them. it was a radical jolt to my system, this piece of info. i mean, we seriously never thought about it. “like, really? people would go to such lengths?” well that just goes to show how, err, ill-prepared we were with the realities of being parents of school-going children in singapore.

so then i heard about this whole fantastical system called the Primary One Registration that had these things called phases, and it was again, another rude shock to my shelled oyster. “what? there are priorities given to register kids in school OTHER than proximity?!” my mom never told me thaaaaat. (ok maybe she did but i wasn’t listening, and besides, times have changed since she retired… i think.)

all the horror stories began to fill my ears, of parents who lived across the road from a particular school but did not succeed in obtaining a place for their kid, of parents who performed volunteer work religiously yet did not get through the balloting, of HOW HARD it is to get into that particular school because it’s so reputable, neighbourhood status notwithstanding, that it’s oversubscribed every year.

i’m sure there are just as many, if not more, parents who don’t think much of primary schools, and are just boggled over the fuss in the first place. “it’s just PRIMARY school, many kids come out of normal, nondescript ones doing well too, big deal.” they’re right, of course. i admire that kind of brave confidence, actually – that their kids CAN do well no matter where they go to, that it’s only in secondary school where they’ll ‘bloom’.

my parents, for some reason, had sent me to a particular girls’ school in the east, which was, in that era, a somewhat popular one. i remember going to school together with her on the bus and watching her by the school gate as she leaves – that particular image of her still stirs in me that same sad feeling to this very day. (separation anxiety, you may call it.) and if anything, that’s testament to how powerful your emotions and experiences are in the primary years, that it stays with you throughout your life. and i guess that’s the point i’m making; i had such deep, long-lasting impressions in my formative years in primary school – of friends and teachers, and importantly, of learning (i had such excellent language teachers, and i have them to thank for planting the seed that eventually became my strength) – that those six years were the most memorable ones for me. they weren’t all necessarily good ones, but i think, important ones. (though, ironically, the one thing i still can’t fully grasp, despite ten freaking years in a girls’ school, is dealing with the dynamics in a group of girls, ha haha.)

in any case, i wouldn’t be able to put aniq in a girls’ school, so the parents-as-alumni priority phase is out.

i looked around and realised, while there were a few neighbourhood schools that weren’t too bad, on account of the accolades they proudly blaze on banners outside their school gates, i sorta wish for my kid to go to nicer-sounding ones, with established history and long track record, and i don’t know, knowing actual people who came out of there and had promising/successful paths, you know? i guess all that sounds superficial and unreliable as basis for my choice, because i’ve NO idea what would work for my kid, whether he’ll thrive or survive regardless of the environment, what kind of teachers he’ll get, what kind of friends he’ll be surrounded with. then of course, there’s still the matter of convenience and proximity and sheer logistics… (by now, you’d have me for the typical overthinking, worrywart of a first-time parent, and you’d be right – bah!)

for all the uncertainties, i figure, the least i could do is try to get him into a school which he could one day thank me for, one that will hopefully leave a positive influence on him, and who knows, i could create a legacy for him, some day make it easier for him when the time comes to register for his kids’ when they reach the ripe schooling age of seven. (forward thinking lah, right.)

and because i need some sense of being in control, i chose to do the beaten path of parent volunteering, a concept i never imagined i’d embrace (just like exercising – 2010 seems to be a year of new discoveries, it would seem).

we were duly warned that there were no guarantees despite clocking in that 40 hours of PV (or more, as some have done). i’m not even sure if it’s worth doing it, really. it’s not say, the top school (if anything, i’m easily intimidated by competition), it’s not affiliated to any secondary schools, and it’s technically a neighbourhood school which is out of our 2km range… but i have my reasons for choosing it.

i’m going in with no high hopes, in case this is all a futile exercise. heck, i don’t even know if i’ll be able to complete the 40 hours! i’ll just take it as… experience? experiment? yeah, just go with it.

anyway, clocked in my first four hours at their annual funfair on friday. that’s me, in a badge that says ‘parent volunteer’, sweating under a hot tent, touting and doling out food which the other parents contributed. the REAL, hardcore parent volunteers, the NON-40-hour ones, mothers AND fathers who’ve been at this for years! omg i’ve never known such a thing as their enthusiasm and devotion to a parent volunteering network, i’m a little.. overwhelmed.

so, dear aniq, this better be worth my 40 hours….

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as i’ve mentioned more than enough times, i’ve never been much of a sports person, but since the beginning of 2010 (see post on New Year’s resolution) and the realisation that my body is in slow but certain deterioration (my bones creak every time i bend down these days, what’s that about?!), i’ve taken to gearing my activities to the less sedentary. well, as much as i can, anyway. (i STILL can’t cycle.)

and i sorta had an epiphany – maaaaybe the reason why i never warmed up to this whole active lifestyle was because my parents didn’t really bring me out to do sporty activities as a kid, or supported my school sports’ events? i don’t know, just a theory. (so what DID we do then? i think i was indoors a lot. my childhood’s a little hazy – and apparently, lazy.)

anyway, the kids’ school had a sports league thingy, in line with their theme and i suppose, the upcoming youth olympic games, and i thought, what the heck, it’s one saturday morning that’s already thought-out for us. (we’re always racking our brains thinking up of things to make them tired on weekends, so they’d turn in early at the end of the day – not that it ever works.)

hey do you remember your school sports days?? the only thing i remember is the ICE COLD MILO they used to give out in small plastic cups! it tasted SO delicious back then, for some reason. of course, the rest of my memory is of hiding in corners of the bleachers with other anti-sports friends. heh.

speaking of friends, each school had displays of what they did to tie in with the theme, and guess who aniq introduced us to…

… the mysterious girfriend he’s always talking about. she IS real.

i liked that they highlighted little anecdotes and photos as evidence of what they did or talked about in class, coz i think most times, we parents have little idea what they do in there, five days a week. my daily question of “what did you do in school today?” has them invariably answering in the standard “i eat” / “i play toys” / “i donno”, or if i’m lucky, random ramblings of who pushed who, or who was naughty.

and importantly, we also got to see who they hang out with, five days a week.

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P1100376, originally uploaded by izadd.

we’ve actually long stopped buying formula for him, and he’s been drinking fresh milk for a while (even that, upon request). oh well. have never been a big fan of powdered milk… though we were reminiscing fondly how we used to drink this particular brand as a kid, KLIM, which we only realised later in life, was MILK spelt backwards. anyone remembers that? now-defunct. probably because someone found out it STUNTED GROWTH. (ok, just a theory, so don’t quote me, lest nestle comes after me for defamation…)

anyway, this event was timely coz we’d run out of auni’s milk (yes, she still drinks it, of course, wouldn’t want to risk stunting HER growth), and being kiasu parents (don’t judge, you’ll know when you become economical parents), got a good deal, $99 for 6 tins. and confession: sometimes we give aniq her milk. i mean, milk is milk lah right? (another theory – different packaging for different age range, other than for infants’ milk, is just a marketing ploy… but again, don’t quote me.)

so, err, bottoms up…

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maybe i should send the kids for proper music lessons… (coz i don’t have a musical bone in my body, couldn’t even carry a tune on the recorder in school! and would take at least ten minutes to figure out the entire ‘twinkle twinkle little star’ on a toy piano/xylophone.)

oh well, i’ll just stick to being a groupie.

and happy birthday to the rockstar-to-be…

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the organisation had its Family Day last weekend. with discounted tickets, considerable food vouchers AND retail vouchers, how could i not go?

brought not two but three kids who were excellent company, with nary a whimper or complaint despite the slightly schizo weather and long, snaking queues.

20- to 90-minute queues for 3-minute rides! we ended up on most of the kiddy rides, as you can see.

we had the most fun at Shrek’s Far Far Away land, especially the 4D show. and what’s with everything going 3D these days? saw a whole set of fairy tale books at Times the other day with 3D glasses, i mean, what’s next, assessment books in 3D?!

anyway, aniq and adam had their first taste of the rollercoaster. a junior one, short but thrilling nonetheless – and i think they were fairly traumatised. no tears but a little dazed at the end, and when asked if they wanna go on a rollercoaster again, they unanimously went “DOWAN!”. dem wussies, i tell you.

so we were wondering, with the current hype on Shrek 3, all the wonderful details in Far Far Away land, and obviously a lot of money poured into building it, will our Universal Studios be stuck with this theme forever after? the Jurassic Park theme already feels dated, the last movie was what, almost 10 years ago?, and even the merchandise weren’t so compelling (except for that $15 dinosaur tumbler thingy we bought – with our free voucher of course – similar to one my parents got me when we went to Universal Studios in LA a loooong time ago! #relivingmychildhood).

look, Gingy and 2 donkeys! (Gingy’s my favourite character, btw. he just looks… delicious.)

Ancient Egypt, where i could not help but ogle at the model on stilts with perfectly smooth and sculpted washboard abs, and OH, that pelvis (if it were a Greek theme, he’d be Adonis). the other highlight was the Revenge of The Mummy ride, which was the only adult ride izad and i managed to go on while the kids were in another queue. tip for mums and dads – strategise your rides!

2 of the Battlestar Galactica rides in Sci-fi City were down, which was probably why we were compensated with all those free vouchers. i’m quite a sucker for rollercoasters, so it was quite a bummer. but the kids loved this one, an updated version of the spinning teacup.

feeling New York…

and Hollywood…

the rides and shows end at 7pm, which was about the time we came back to the starting point. you’d think the kids would be pooped by now…

but nooo, especially when there’s a Hershey’s chocolate store outside. and the wonderful smell of Garrett’s caramel popcorn!

some points:
- i liked that most of the restaurants are certified halal, so we didn’t need to lug around a picnic basket, and with active and perpetually hungry kids, the food joints were convenient for a quick meal on the go or while waiting in queues.
- wish the rides were generally longer, but i suppose if they were designed longer, waiting time would double, and besides, sentosa’s too land-scarce as it is to build any bigger backlots. but perhaps they could do tram ride tours or something to ease the queues?
- i hear that you can enter from 7pm-9pm for $2 on fridays and saturdays, just to walk around, eat and shop. that sounds like a cheap yet fabulous date! coz it’s quite nice at night, lively and scenic.
- ouh, parking at the place itself, while convenient, was costly. goodbye $20 from our cashcard, lol. and that didn’t include the $7 entrance fee at sentosa. there are shuttle buses, of course, but we were too lazy to lug around the kids and stroller, etc up and down buses. SPOILT lor!
- i’d probably go again. maybe without kids the next time. :p

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remind me to make a dental appointment, been having so much cake lately…

rayhan’s 4th:

damdils’ 4th:

fina’s xth:

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sometimes it’d be kinda nice to have a mute button for the shrill “I WANT MUMMY! I WANT MUMMY!” (repeat x 18356 times) coming out of the children, and a delete button for their individual ways of driving me up the wall. or even a reboot button on exasperating days.

but oh well. am thankful nonetheless. srsly.

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remembering aniq’s 2nd birthday where we somehow managed to get almost all the guests to dress up their kids as superheroes, i had a sudden flash of inspiration for auni’s 2nd and thought, maaaybe they’d humour me again this time round.

i’d developed a ‘fascination‘ with the fairy tale classics in the recent months, having realised what a treasure trove of rather twisted, backdated values, ideals and morals they represented, as i re-read (and over-analyse) them as an adult. it made me question how relevant these stories are in our modern times, and whether they are worth being retold, being so far removed from that world – where characters lived in woods amongst preying creatures; where occupations were predominantly menial; where the females were mostly depicted as being vapid, preoccupied with beauty, and matrimony was the ultimate goal; and where the males were the overall archetypal saviour. there was so much going on in those stories that the more i read them, the more i baulked at the logic, but LOL-ed at them anyway because come on hana, THEY’RE JUST STORIES FOR CHILDREN, right? who cares if Father Bear and Mother Bear slept on separate beds, or whether Rapunzel’s hair could actually withstand the weight of a grown man, or why anyone would want to kiss a dead woman in a glass coffin unless he’s a serial necrophiliac?

but the moralist nazi in me says, all stories MUST have a moral, dammit! so i wrangle them out as best as i can after every “The End”. i mean, surely there’s value to these classics for them to be so time-honoured, however preposterous they may appear to such a sceptic reader. and i do get that the universality of the themes of these western tales serve the purpose of creating a kind of collective consciousness. plus, anything that promotes literacy and the love of literature wins points in my books any time.

so anyway, for me, the one story that stands out the most with its richness in symbols is the tale of Little Red Riding Hood. from the colour red, to the chasteness of the cloak, to the naivety of the girl, to the wolf’s nature and true intention…

man, i could go on, but i won’t! coz for now, let’s just focus on HOW CUTE the children at the fairytale party were, shall we?

let me introduce to you the characters who appeared:

here’s Peter Pan, who flew in specially from Never Never Land for the party.

Snow White, who took time-off from the slavedriving dwarves. (btw, she won Best Dressed for her mummy’s excellent effort in creating and sewing her costume from scratch. kudos! the non-domestic goddess me is still in total awe.)

I think Alice’s Queen of Hearts’ husband, the King of Hearts, came in his mommy’s best shawl and brooch.

Aye aye, Captain Hook! where’s ye eye-patch, matey?

The Wild Thing put on his best brandon flowers’-inspired guyliner for the occasion. “let the wild rumpus begin!”

The Three Blind Mice. See where they, err, hide.

2 out of the 7 Dwarves came with their chaperone. (along with 4 Giants.)

a little fairy who was supposed to be Puss in Boots (notty pussycat!) but i guess her footwear was sent for mending at the Elves and the Shoemaker’s.

the activities kept them busy…

attempt at group photo. call in the trolls!

Gingerbread Boys and Girls, thanks to Kak Chomel, esah’s sister. off you go, into the baskets, before the greedy foxes eat you up.

special thanks to Keatar, my SIL’s BIL, for making these masks with his own bare hands. (ok, i’m sure there were scissors and glue involved, heh.)

special thanks to Ayu aka Simply Cupcakes @justjetaime, for presenting us with the cake.

“and i’ll HUFF, and i’ll PUFF, and i’ll BLOW THE CANDLE OUT!”

to family and friends who came to share the fun, on behalf of auni – THANK YOU! we’ll make darned sure auni remembers this birthday for the rest of her life. she’s already said “i LIKE!” when we asked if she liked her birthday party. (we also just reminded aniq of *his* 2nd superhero party by showing him the photos as evidence of our equal effort – he kinda forgot but now he’s really pleased with his parents, so.. yey us? ha ha.)

ps: special mention to the Daddy for his kickass side dish of homemade mexican chilli beans in taco shells and wraps. (trivia: his original plan was to cook kachang pool and nasi lemak, but i convinced him otherwise – lol.)

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My heart is yours.
It’s you that I hold on to.
That’s what I’ll do…..

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Once upon a time, not so long ago (two years, to be exact), a bald-ish baby girl was born. She lived in a forest of (tam)pines, along with her father, mother and brother. She began to grow into a fiesty, fearless and, quite frankly, funny-looking little girl.

One day, she was told to send a basket of food to her Grandmother living on the other side of the forest.

“Remember, keep to the path and do not – i repeat – DO NOT talk to any strangers along the way!” the mother reminded her little girl. “Yes, mother,” promised the little girl as she donned her favourite red hoodie.

Along the way, she inevitably meandered away from the path, lured by shrieks of excitement from the playground nearby her intended destination, promptly forgetting her mother’s reminder.

“Why, hello there, delicious little girl. And what are you up to on this fine day?” a hairy creature slurred suddenly from behind the slippery see-saw. “Oh, just, ya know, chillaxing…” the girl in red replied, more interested in the swings and slides than the hairy creature who, unfortunately, looked nothing like Jacob Black in The Twilight Saga: New Moon…

*press pause*

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