Prince Christian’s Christmas Wish

Mummy Eliz’s little darling just wishes to turn back into an infant and the reason is to justify him breastfeeding for extended hours. He’s still very much attached his Mummy Eliz’s milk-making machines.

Boxing Day Gathering at Elita’s Humble Abode

It’s the once a year gift exchange, and this year, it’s at Elita’s humble abode. With a total of 6 kids, it’s more of a balloon-playing, playground-playing, classic-resversi-game-playing, old-maid-playing bonding time.

When it’s was just the adults, it’s was night out at East Coast Park till dawn, and then proceeding to the Old Marina area for bowling etc. If Mummy Eliz is not wrong, this should be the 16th year this group of friends is spending Christmas together.

Of course, there are new additions of friends and leaving of old friends, but the core group stays more or less the same. While not practically exciting [which is expected, as we cannot possibly chill out at pubs out with the kids right?], this group has a calm, familiar feel to it.

And if we can last 16 years, Mummy Eliz is sure we can go a long way, which is such a comforting thought in the world of constant changes.

~ Prince’s Gift Exchange from Elita, which he simply adores ~

~ Princess enjoying her seaweed ~

~ Princess’ side-view, Mummy Eliz thinks she’s such a beauty! ~

~ The little gals, close to the cake, Prince of coz, is hiding ~

PS:

Thank you, God-Pa Mervin for never forgetting to get them little personalised gifts.

Rapunzel Rapunzel, Let Down Your Hair!

Oh, the fairy-tale with a beautiful ending that totally captured Princess Chelsea’s heart, her whole soul was absorbed into the movie while it played, on the cinema screens of Cathay Cineplex at AMK Hub.

Mummy Eliz’s version is, “Rapunzel Rapunzal, Let Down Your Hair and I’ll cut it with a vengeance!”

Does Mummy Eliz have any issues with Rapunzel’s hair? Well, of course not, but she’s really sick of hair tying, and yet she can’t bear to cut off Princess Chelsea’s hair, so she’s got to vent her frustration on Rapunzel’s hair, and of course, that’s only possible in her dreams!

3 times a day, over 1000 times a year, Princess Chelsea’s been having long hair for over 4 years, so that’s is more than 4000 times, and to add in the shampooing, conditioning etc, argh!!!!

Old-Fashioned Play Builds Serious Skills

Well, more than often, a best Christmas gifts might be just time to engage in free-play, instead of showering the little ones with toys.

Read on to find out why, in a article shared by Ms Carol, an educator online.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19212514

S'pore Home-Sch Group's Visit to Orchid Gdns

Another trip with Uncle Joseph, Daddy Tiong once again, had the honour of escorting Princess Chelsea on the trip.

She came back happy, recounting a practical experience of artificially inseminating the orchid plants using pollen on cotton buds, and from the pictures, one could tell Uncle Joseph managed to make the text-books lessons come alive.

A mummy who also joined the outing commented that thought they stayed on by their own for a while after Uncle Joseph left, the place did not seem as exciting as when he was around.

~ Paying attention to Uncle Joseph ~

~ Playing a game ~

Get off FACEBOOK! ... ... Hidden Dangers Lurk

It's recently reported that out of 10 marriages that needed counselling at Fei Yue Family Service Center, 2-3 were a result of obsessive use of FACEBOOK.

Well, FACEBOOK can't take the blame entirely, but it's always a case of, there are some issues that needed ironing out between the married couples, but as avoidance is often less messy than confrontation, one seeks comfort on FACEBOOK, met a so-called 'soul-mate', met-up in person, and then oops, a failed marriage on the cards.

Mummy Eliz's reasoning is, obsessive use of anything is bad, thus to all out there, smash your computer if you have to.

Family Life Team at Christ the King Church once screened a movie, named Fireproof, it's about saving a marriage that is once the rocks, a marriage where communication had broken down entirely due to many reasons.

And during counselling, and after self-reflecting, the most drastic action taken by the male lead was to smash his computer, and use that time instead to face his wife, doing nothing except praying when being ignored initially.

Well, just in case, you think this post is due to Daddy Tiong's excessive use of FACEBOOK, that's not the case, in fact, both of us FACEBOOK's accounts are in dormant stage, registered with profile pictures, we logged in to read once in a while, but have no time to post.

Toa Payoh North RC Holiday Fun! Farm Visits

Finally, an event is being organised by the Toa Payoh North Resident Committee.

Granny Siew Khim joined us for the half day outing, and it included visits to Organic Vegetables and Fish Farm along the Lim Chu Kang area.

Princess Chelsea, together with Granny tried the Fish Spa, and felt so ticklish throughout.

~ Feeling coy ~

Weekly swim at Toa Payoh Pool

This is a great year, the sister-brother pair can play together for hours, and somehow, week after week, the Toa Payoh Pool seemed to work its magic on them.

They can play from 6pm to 8pm, and then still refuse to leave, not just a one-off incident, but week after week.

Kids can really be easily satisfied, just a pool of water, and their imaginations set off. If only adults can be satisfied just as easily, wouldn’t that be great?

Standard Chartered S'pore Marathon 2010

It’s our 3rd year participating in the event, and it’s the first time Prince Christian ran non-stop all by himself to the finishing line.

It’s no mean feat, 750m non-stop for a 3 year old pampered little fellow! Mummy Eliz jogged beside him, spurring him on with stories of enemies, crocodiles, dragons etc.

He seemed to get his energy drawn from the fact that Mummy Eliz highlighted, that at a war, the enemy is not going to give a care about whether your legs ache, and that while running away from danger, as in away from a crocodile, the crocodile is not going to slow down if your legs ache.

Thus, continuing on despite the ache in the legs is a great away to train up some good strong muscles, and then, in times of war or danger, we can be better equipped to escape safely.

Then, we had a photo taken with the Mascot from Universal Studios, who is also there under the hot sun!

~ The lovely sister-brother pair ~

Laughter-time - Directions for Jesus to the cross

One nice evening, Prince Christian drew a colourful picture of a cross, and mentioned that Jesus likes the cross.

Princess Chelsea then replied that she thought, it is a well-known fact that Jesus died on the cross for mankind, but she was not sure if Jesus liked the cross.

Then Prince Christian’s candid reply, as he was pasting the picture of the cross onto the fridge set all of us into severe fits of laughter.

“I’m putting this picture on the fridge so that Jesus would know where he can die lah!”

Nicholas & Joanne’s Wedding Ceremony

It’s such a joyous occasion; it’s Nicholas and Joanne’s Wedding Day, and the two little ones are the flower kids for the night.

Early last year, Nicholas planned an elaborate proposal for Joanne, at a movie premier event. The stars for the movie was our very own Fann Wong and Christopher Lee, for a few days after, glimpses of the couple could be found in articles covering the event in the major local papers.

Our circle of friends were all kept in the dark, we did not know they were dating till news of Joanne accepting Nicholas’ proposal was out.

Nevertheless, it’s a match made in heavens, both bridge and groom have great personalities, and we are so glad to share in their joy. The kids were so proud and excited to share some of the limelight.

And here’s wishing the couple many great years to come!

~ Princess and Prince having a good laugh ~

~ Princess with Daddy ~

~ Right before the march-in; feeling butterflies in tummy! ~

Pinocchio the Musical, at DBS Arts Centre

Lady luck shone, Mummy Eliz won a pair of tickets to Pinocchio the Musical at DBS Arts Centre, and the sister-brother pair went for the show themselves.

Well, of course, a 5 year old girl cannot possibly bring a 3 year old boy, thus Mummy and Daddy brought them to the venue, and the two of them enjoyed the musical by themselves.

Movie-and-Library date with Audrey Jieh-Jieh

Princess is supposed to go on a movie-and-library date with Audrey Jieh-Jieh, and the morning itself, she exclaimed, “Yeah, today is the day, I am going out with Audrey Jieh-Jieh!”

And every couple of minutes, she went, “How long more before I meet her? I can’t wait!”

And so, she spent a total of 7 hours plus with Audrey Jieh-Jieh alone on Thursday, and when Mummy Eliz picked her up, she went, “Mummy, I’m so sorry, I had so much fun with Audrey Jieh-Jieh that I forgotten to think of you.” *faint*

On Friday, Audrey Jieh-Jieh helped to pick Princess from her cookies-baking class, and Mummy came shortly, Princess grumbled, “Mummy, why did you come so fast?”

Mummy Eliz should let Princess go on a sleepover at Audrey Jieh-Jieh’s place, then that would surely make her day.

Additional Photos from the Pulau Semakau Outing

Mummy Eliz hopes that Princess Chelsea remember this trip, and the valuable lessons learnt in many good years to come, and that she would grow up to be someone who loves, appreciates and protects the natural environment.

~ With Daddy on the ferry ~

~ Staring hard at the starfish ~

Fun, Vibrant Off-Shore Trip to Pulau Semakau

With special thanks to Mervin Khor-Khor, Daddy Tiong and Princess Chelsea had a chance to visit the Pulau Semakau Landfill – an unique offshore landfill with scenic landscaping and vibrant diversity.

The tour included a NEA briefing on landfill operation, a tour of the visitor centre, a landfill tour and a intertidal walk. It’s an eye-opening experience for Princess Chelsea; she got to hold starfishes using her bare hands, and see all kinds of creatures up close.

Princess Chelsea is like a city girl, unused to time under the sun, and thus Mummy Eliz was initially worried that this might be an outing too tiring and boring for her. But she came back all excited and satisfied.

Daddy Tiong came back with heaps of praises for the dedication and professionalism for the guide, Uncle Joseph, who showered Princess Chelsea with attention as she was the only child in the group.

Imagine Mummy Eliz’s surprise when she found out that it’s the same Uncle Joseph Lai from the Singapore Home-schooling group, a Daddy who shown the same dedication towards his kids’ education.

~ Understanding more about the intertidal walk ~

~ Following closely behind Uncle Joseph ~

~ Handling the starfish using bare hands ~

~ Group photo; tired but satisfying day ~

Here’s some quick facts and photos to share about Pulau Semakau:

- Located 8km south of Singapore with an area of 350 hectares, Semakau’s landfill is the world’s first offshore landfill created entirely from the sea space.

- Construction began in 1995 and landfill operation started on 1 April 1999.

- A 7km perimeter bund lined with impermeable membrane contains waste within the landfill area to keep surrounding areas free from waste.

- Currently, about 1,400 tons of incineration ash and 600 tons of non-incinerable waste are disposed off at Semakau landfill daily.

- Through planting and landscaping, western coast of Semakau is now a scenic and idyllic recreational destination with pristine water, fresh air and a green natural environment thriving with vibrant and rich biodiversity.

- Opened up in Jul 05 for sport fishing, intertidal walk, bird watching, stargazing and recreational outing comprising bait fishing, cycling, barbecuing and camping.

Princess caught in action for Sports Day 2010

Thanks to Aunt Apple's husband, the unofficial photographer, we get to view the pictures of Princess in action during the family relay race.

~ Daddy Tiong passing her the baton ~

~ Holding onto the baton ~

~ Running for her life! ~

S’pore Home-School Group Sports Day 2010

Fun! Fun! Fun!

The S’pore Home-Schooling Group had its inaugural Sports Day at the Singapore Sports School located at 1 Champions Way [What a lovely address!].

For the 6 years old and under, they had 3 stations where games such as three-legged race, fill-the-bottle, chairs-across-the-river etc were played and at each station, there was also a free play area for the 3 years and below.

For the 6 years old and above, it’s the typical events like 100m race, 200m race etc. Mummy Eliz and Daddy Tiong also took part in the Daddies and Mummies race, and our whole family was in the family relay event too.

~ Getting ready for the first game, Prince behind Princess ~

~ Pass-the-ball game ~

~ Three-legged race ~

It’s great team-work on display, helpful mummies and strong daddies were around to ease everyone’s burden, and with the workload shared among many parents, everyone had a fun time.

Thank you so much Auntie Shan Shan for the great coordination work, and planning effort.

~ Sun, Clouds and the Blue Sky ~

~ Moment of idling fun ~

~ With their medals; presented upon completion of games ~

PS:

Princess Chelsea really loves the sand, here's a picture of her enjoying extended sand-play while everyone else is attending the award and certificates presentation ceremony.

~ Sand play; Princess’ favourite ~

Our New Sleeping Arrangements

For those of you who had been to our humble place, it is common knowledge that all four of us co-sleep on the same queen-sized bed. Thus one can imagine how packed like sandiness we are, with hardly space to turn.

Aunt Marie passed us a kids’ car racing bed, and it was meant for Princess Chelsea. It is going to be in the same room, and Mummy Eliz’s initial idea was to shift this car racing bed to the next room once Princess Chelsea got used to it.

But, Princess would sneak back every night, and now, it is Daddy Tiong who is enjoying the car bed by himself. The two little ones want to be near Mummy Eliz all the time, even in sleep.

Uncle John’s Graduation Photo Taking

Our family had a photo taken at a photo studio, in conjunction with Uncle John’s graduation from NTU. Here’s a preview, taken after the session, using Daddy Tiong’s camera.

~ Mummy’s two darlings ~

Completion of Great Eastern Woman’s 10km

Progression from a 5km run last year to the completion of a 10km run this year, in 1 hr 31 minutes. Not a fantastic run in terms of timing, but at least a completed one.

It was an enjoyable run this year, thanks to the MP3 player loaned from Aunt Anne.

Disney Halloween Princess Tea Party

Just over the last weekend in October, Princess Chelsea finally got a chance to dress up as Cinderella to attend a Disney Halloween Princess Tea Party at United Square.

It’s a 2 hour program, with games, snacks, craft and a short visit to a miniature horror house. And while there’s no wow factor to the program line-up, it was interesting to see so many little princesses gathered together.

Musical Chairs was played, and a bullying accident happened, an older girl around 9 years old, in her desperate attempt to win, used her bums to push a smaller girl around 4 years old, and she fell hard.

The little one ran crying to her mummy, and the game proceeded on, with the 9 years old girl ultimately emerging the winner, with the desired prize.

The mummy of the little girl spoke to the organiser, who somehow had not witnessed the incident. After discovering the truth, the organiser asked the older girl to give up the prize to the younger one, and also to apologize.

Kudos to this mummy, had it been Mummy Eliz, she would likely have just swallow everything, and walked away instead of having the courage to right the wrong.

~ Princess is standing up, in a Cinderella costume ~

PS:

For Princess Chelsea, she made it into the quarter-final round of the Musical Chairs, and voluntarily gave up the chance to continue for the next round, her reason being that it’s too rough and that she would also enjoy herself dancing to the music on the stage, while waiting for the next activity.

Princess Chelsea’s Idea of A Special Day

Princess Chelsea said, it’s a special day for her when Mummy Eliz bring her to her classes, well, it’s not to say that Mummy Eliz never brings her to swim, ballet, or piano, but that’s her way of expressing how special Mummy Eliz is to her.

Down the memory lane – October 2007

October 2007, Princess was 2 years 4 months old, and Prince was a mere 7 months old.

It’s just so heart-warming to see already how loving they are, at such tender ages. Here’s some shoots that were taken then, found when Mummy Eliz was reviewing old digital images.

~ Helping with the buckle ~

~ Guiding Prince for a shoot ~

~ Feeding her little darling ~

Prince Christian Protecting Mummy’s Photo

There was a night, when at 2am, Prince Christian woke and started asking about death, and started saying things like when Mummy dies, he cannot hug mummy anymore.

He started rambling on, listing a whole list of things that Mummy cannot do with him anyone when she dies, and started sobbing uncontrollably.

Princess Chelsea had this experience too, the fear of losing a loved one. Her experience was being documented here:

http://chelsea-and-christian.blogspot.com/2008/02/birth-age-illness-death-cycle-of-life.html

No amount of consoling worked, when he talked to his contentment, he simply said, when that day comes, he would just kiss Mummy’s photo, and protect it against robbers, enemies etc.

The dedication of a little boy to his mummy is so just sweet and enduring.

Princess' version of Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night

During the September Holidays, Princess attended a ‘Paint Like the Masters’ Art Class, and was treated to a brief introduction to the life of Vincent Van Gogh and his works.

This was conducted by the Sembawang Family Enrichment Network, located just within minutes from the Admiralty Mrt Station, and it’s run by a group a warm and friendly Aunties and Uncles.

They have very interesting programs lined up during the holidays, thus do check them out at http://www.sfen.sg/events.php.

She learnt that although Van Gogh sold only one painting in his life, the aftermath of his work is enormous. Starry Night is one of the most well known images in modern culture as well as being one of the most replicated and sought after prints.

Van Gogh painted Starry Night while in an Asylum at Saint-Remy in 1889. During his younger years (1876-1880) he wanted to dedicate his life to evangelization of those in poverty. Many believe that this religious endeavour may be reflected in the eleven stars of the painting.

~ Princess’ version of Starry Night ~

Yamaha Music Course for Children

Ever since last June, Princess Chelsea had been taking the Yamaha Music Course for Children, it’s a 2-years program, and we are now into Book 3. Book 4 marks the end of the course, and at the end of Book 3, Princess Chelsea is now familiar with two hands coordinated keyboard playing using the following chord patterns:

C Chord – G7 Chord

G Chord – D7 Chord

F Chord – C7 Chord

A7 Chord – Dm Chord

Princess Chelsea has an amiable learning relationship with her music teacher, Ms. Koh, and Mummy Eliz must say, Ms. Koh puts the joy in learning, one can feel the love for music and enthusiasm pouring forward from her.

Unfortunately, as Ms. Koh is going on maternity leave [of course, we are feeling happy for her], Princess Chelsea has to join the next class, she attended one session just over the weekend, and now the joy has been taken out of the learning.

It’s the same sequencing, melody singing, chords recognising etc, but the happy mood in the atmosphere is gone. The teacher in the next class, is a little too serious for comfort, and has an almost joyless face.

Well, maybe that's her personal style, if we had gotten her from the start, there would be no basis for comparison, but we had Ms. Koh, so it was like from the fluffy dreamy clouds to the hard ground.

~ Princess with Ms. Koh ~

Yoga & Art Trial at Little Scholars Academy

Nowadays, Prince Christian would not go anywhere without his guardian angel, Princess Chelsea. To him, Jieh-Jieh is like a lighthouse in the stormy seas, especially when Daddy and Mummy are not around.

But change the setting to the familiar home, the usual love-hate siblings relationship would surface again; more prominently seen when they run out of play ideas.

At the Little Scholars’ Academy, where they had a yoga and art trial class, they certainly had fun.

That was followed by the Dance Appreciation Series of the Sleeping Beauty by the Singapore Dance Theatre at the Esplanade Concert Hall, where we got a VIP Box Office Seat for only $10.

~ A monkey yoga pose ~

~ A rabbit yoga pose ~

~ Drawing a Giraffe ~

~ Prince looking blur ~

Portfolio Based Assessment K1 Term3

"Let’s look at what other information your child’s teachers have for you…"

Chelsea is among the best students in her level. She always seems to know the right answers. She has a positive influence on class activities. She is showing interest and enthusiasm for the things we do. However, she needs to be brought back to attention and refocused often as she gets quite excited at times. I think that if she keeps up the good effort she has been making, she will improve consistently over time. I appreciate the work that she is doing, and I know she will do better.

- Teacher Eva

谢昀静是一个聪明活泼可爱的孩子，能与同学和睦相处。

- 李老师

Youth Olympic Games 2010 Closing Ceremony

Our family had a sauna done at the Marina Floating Platform in the last week of August 2010.

Just kidding, it was not a sauna, but with the stuffy air and great congestion, it would not pale in comparison when likened to a sauna any time of the day.

It was the S’pore Youth Olympic Games 2010 Closing Ceremony; complete with fireworks, but unfortunately, the enthusiasm of the crowd beats the performances hands-down.

Nevertheless, it was a moment in the making of the history of Singapore, along with her as the host country for the first ever Youth Olympic Games. Thus, we were there to give her our utmost support.

Princess Chelsea also attended the Final of the Woman Tennis Singles [S’pore got a silver], and the Preliminary Rounds of Artistic Gymnastics.

~ The crowd! ~

~ Princess Chelsea totally drenched in perspiration ~

Wow! Art Trial Learning Class

The kids went for a trial art class at Wow! Art, and were taught about the usage of lines and dots.

And their creations, one is a butterfly and the other is a dragon, see if you can tell which is which.

~ Paying close attention to the teacher ~

~ Paying close attention to Jieh-Jieh ~

~ Their creations, which is the dragon, which is the butterfly? ~

Sentosa’s Skyride and the Luge

Upon checking out the next day, we went on the Skyride and the Luge, under the hot sun, by the time we were done, we were covered with perspiration.

~ Daddy with Prince Christian ~

~ Daddy with Princess Chelsea ~

~ The kids getting ready for the ride down ~

Sentosa’s best loved spot – Palawan Beach

For those that are unaware, just outside Koufu at Palawan Beach, is a water play feature for the kids.

And it’s free.

Being on Palawan Beach itself, kids can either choose to build sandcastles, bath in the waves, or just have toned-down water play fun at the water feature.

Princess Chelsea and Prince Christian had so much fun there that they were quite reluctant to leave. In fact, we spent more time there than at the paid attraction Underwater World.

Mummy Eliz and Daddy Tiong had a rest at Koufu, while supervising their play. So it’s a win-win situation for all.

~ Excitement at seeing the Beach, Sand and the Waves ~

~ With a mischievous look in his eyes ~

~ My 24-hour playmate, my dearest sister ~

~ Lost in deep thoughts? ~