2016

I am, by nature, not a positive and cheerful person. This year, my challenge is to be the spark that ignites. The first step is changing the voice within me to a more nurturing one. So my mantra for the year...

Love

Compassion

Patience

Gratitude 

Forgiveness

Let's see where this will lead me in 2016. Happy New Year!!!

Perhaps...

Perhaps Alfee isn't meant to be a prim and proper guy who excels academically? Maybe he's the charming, merry making and genuinely happy kind of guy? He's really just interested in music making… I think.

New TV

The kids rarely watch Youtube or videos from the Internet. But now that we have a smart tv, I guess we'll be watching more Youtube videos from now on. The idea that they could watch any videos they like on TV is almost considered 'liberating' to Sophie, especially. She hasn't learnt the full potential of the Internet yet, but I'm sure she'll soon be.

Water Kids

CK wanted to take the kids to do some outdoor activities but it was already 4 plus in the afternoon. So I suggested a swim and the kids liked the idea. Actually I was hoping I could stay home but I guess they wouldn't let me off that easily.

Sophie broke off from us the moment she saw some other children around her age in the pool. I stayed nearby in the pool to watch over her. Even though she could swim already, I still find it necessary to keep an eye on her while she's in the pool. I also talked to the other kids briefly to know where they came from. Occasionally I also have to play the adult and lecture them about pool safety, something that I'm surprised their parents have neglected. 

I like the camera we bought for the kids. It's tough and waterproof so we could take pictures of them in the water. And Sophie was very accommodating when I wanted to take pictures of her. Alfee couldn't swim yet. He's fearful of the water and lacks the confidence to take the leap. Thus, He just stayed in the children's pool and played on his own. Ck stayed with him at the pool and took pictures of him.

Alfee is an excellent photography subject. Almost every photo shot looks great! He was full of energy and enthusiasm and he could do the same thing repeatedly until you got the shot you had hoped for. And he did it while he was having fun himself… wait, he WAS having fun and quite oblivious to the camera at times. However, imagine watching him play like that for almost an hour… I was exhausted. Where did all that energy come from? 

The last shot of the kids were taken after I stopped Sophie playing with the other kids. I thought they were playing too roughly and I couldn't ensure their safety. Although I was only watching Sophie, I felt responsible for the rest as well. After reminding them repeatedly not to do certain things in the pool and getting ignored repeatedly, I felt that I needed to remove Sophie and told her to join her dad and brother.

All in all, it was great fun for the kids. I think we don't need to go fancy places or visit profoundly educational venues. We are just happy doing what we like and that's about all we need to spend the day  together.

Boxing Day

I was very tired today. Apparently I need more than a night's sleep to recuperate from yesterday's celebrations. However, CK was up and about early for his weekly soccer… where did he find the energy to do that? I never know. We decided that we would eat at Jack's Place (Bras Basah) for lunch today. I had to buy Sophie some assessment books for next year.

The kids always crowd and climb over people with electronic devices. Maybe that's because I don't allow them to play any games or watch anything on handphones on their own. Sophie's eyesight has deteriorated over the past 6 months so I guess I ought to be stricter. Or perhaps, nothing much I do matters. 

The funny bit was Sophie got upset with me at Popular because I refused to buy her a few assessment books that she had wanted. I was consciously stopping myself from buying excessively, yet she was upset that she's less work to do? I can never get that little girl.

Merry Christmas!

It has become our yearly tradition to celebrate Christmas Day with the extended Loy family at Uncle Simon's place. Both Uncle Simon and Auntie Adelene are great cooks and the highlight this year was the roasted chicken (Naenae's recipe). Super yummy… that's what the kids said.

After a scrumptious lunch, we talked and played games. It was no surprise that there were even more games to play after the kids opened their presents. It was quite amazing how long they kids could play. 

Soon, it was the evening. We had to go to Uncle Dave's place for dinner so we left. We would have stayed on and join them for dinner otherwise. It was really nice to spend time with family during the festive season. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

AJC 23/93

We met one another in 1993 and spent the next 2 years as classmates in AJC. This was the first gathering I ever attended since graduation. It felt strangely familiar yet awkward at the same time. I realised I was out of place then in 1993 and still have difficulty fitting in now.