BEWARE!!!! Mum's bragging

Yes, I cannot say enough of my this little son. If this proves too much for you to handle, you can skip and move on to the next post because this is all about a mama's bragging.

Kai is a very intelligent boy but lazy and careless. To him, as long as he finishes his work, nothing else matters. He is so careless to the extent that there was once, he left out a full page of questions unanswered! He never draws a line with a ruler and no, he is not those who can draw a straight line. His idea is always, "a line is a line, nevermind if it is not straight, it is still a line". That's why, his sequence of strokes in writing a Chinese character is seldom correct. To him, the word is correct, so let it be. That brings us to his handwriting. They are untidy. Sometimes, it is good that God sends us "difficult" people. They are put in our lives for a purpose. Kai's Science teacher once made him erase all his wirtings and rewrite again. She also made him erase his lines and redraw them with a ruler. Oh, thank God for her because that made him change considerably. I thought she would made him dislike Science but no, he went on to top his grade for Science during the mid-year exams and again for the final year exams and with an improvement in his grades too.

Before his exams, I set a target for him and that was to come home with 3 A* and a B (for Chinese). I told him you must always aim high, at the end of the day, even if you don't hit your target, it is alright at least you have tried your best to achieve them. And he went for the kill. He came back with 2A* 1A and 1B and a trophy!

For a boy who is so sentimental, I must say that he did extremely well. He shifted from Singapore to US to China. You know every move for him was very difficult. He missed his friends, he wondered why the family must always be on the move. Inspite of all these, he excelled in his studies. Perhaps, these changes in his life have matured him. Sometimes, tough times push a person to his limit and therefore he excels. And I think, Kai is such a person. Even in the area of his Chinese, he has shown vast improvement. I thank his Chinese tutor but he was right in saying that Kai, himself also put in a lot of hard work. 夏凯自己也下了不少功夫！

We live in a society where children as young as two are put into all kinds enrichment classes and tuition classes to prepare them for primary school. I am very proud to say that we chose not to do that to both of our children. We always felt that they deserve to have a happy childhood. Childhood is all about discovering and playng and having fun and looking back, that was a great thing to do because leaving them to grow and bloom at their own pace is the best for them!



Mama's pride

My words of wisdom to my two children (and even to myself) is..."soar like an eagle and don't bum around like a turkey and end up on someone's dinner table. Have you seen an eagle at a dinner table?" They always laugh but they knew what mama means...

My little princess has graduated!

Yes, Ann has finished her pre-school years. She has studied in Singapore, America and China! Her learning experience has opened up her mind far and wide and she has been exposed to all kinds of cultures, customs and school systems. She has an international group of friends. She has adapted very well to each new environment, far exceeded my expectations. Change is difficult but change is good. Ann is now a very confident little girl and she is able to hold a conversation with her teachers and even the head of department... (gosh, do I sound like I am writing remarks for her report book!) Oh yes, she is very bilingual.


The little 'scholar'!

The stage is theirs

People always say "time flies" but to me, I find time just rockets by...

It has been one tough year in Shanghai for me but for the kids, it has been one amazing, happy learning journey. As long as they are happy, mama is happy.

The school term has come an an end and the school did the most courageous thing...gathering 307 gregarious school children to put up a fantastic performance at a theater outside of the school. School children, I don't mean kids who are from just the primary school. I mean kids, as young as two, three years old. If you are a parent, you know how difficult it is to just control one or two of them but a bunch of them, it is not a job for everyone. So, I must salute the teachers, helpers and all staff of the school, who did such a manificent job. Not just controlling them but co-ordinating and enabling them to put up a great show. One of the best school concert I have ever attended.

Kai and Ann were also involved and they were clearly excited since day one of their preparations. Kai was telling me that it would be his first time performing on stage. (Actually, it wasn't his first time, when he was about three, he did a mini piano recital but guess, he was too young then to remember anything). So, to him, this was his first...


The very grand theater and the stage


Ann in her Chinese brush dance. She was such a natural on stage and I really think, the stage is THE place for her


Kai in his 'Chim Chim Cher-ee' performance. Third from your right. He was such a cutie in that costume!



The rest of the performances...

This event will go down as one of the most memorable time for both Kai and Ann. Thank you for the wonderful time.

Guess who came to town?



Krispy Kreme! Bravo!!!

Yes, famous US doughnut chain has opened its first outlet in Shanghai. DH and I went to check them out and yes, they are good. Strangely, when we were in US, we didn't find them as good as those we have tried in Melbourne but those in Shanghai tasted exactly like what we have eaten in Melbourne.

Thanks to whoever has brought them in. Let's just hope that the standard will be maintained!

Can't stop mama now

The strange thing about cooking therapy is that once it has started, it is difficult to end. Looks like an addiction, a good one especially for the family

The Sunday Times (6 June 2010) ran an article on roasted pork belly. It was such an easy recipe and something which the kids love very much. What is there to stop me....


It was really yummy and you know which part was the best? YES! the sinful crackling skin


More food...

Cooking time with Ann...


We made fried wontan together


Seafood galore!

With summer coming and the weather finally getting hotter, seafood is plentiful and when there are abundance, they are cheap!

Went to the wet market and bought these....

Fat scallops. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle garlic and basil, bake till cooked! Delicious! 12 of them for SGD 8


Special breed of hairy crabs, eight of them for SGD 6


Fresh live prawns, a whole lot of them for just SGD 10

Ok, for those of you seafood lovers, I have learned that to cut down on the cholesterol level, good to eat them with good grade black vinegar and Shanghai has some of the best vinegar.


Finally, something healthy


Cranberry cake. DH's favourite

Bon Appetit!

Therapy to my rescue


Kai has been having his final year examinations but my dear boy is as cool as a cucumber. Ask him to study, he said he already know. Yours truly here is stressed and he, who is sitting for the exams is so relax. Oh God, please help me.

What else is there to do but to plunge head-on into my cooking therapy....

People in China drink alot of soya bean milk and they drink home-made ones. Like what they say, when in Rome, do as the Romans do and I say, when in China, do as the Chinese do!

I went to buy a soya bean milk making machine. Very popular here.


The wonderful thing about this machine is that you need not soak the beans. Just throw them in with some rock sugar and add in the
right amount of water and see the machine at work.

Then, I attempted one of my most daring cooking therapy...making one of the nyonya kueh, the 9 layers kueh (九层糕）



Ok, there isn't 9 layers. I did a check, 9 layers kueh doesn't mean it has to be 9 layers. Just means, it has many layers.
Not too bad for someone who is never game for such delicacy. A pat on my shoulder!

It's the "software" that matters


Imagine buying a beautiful laptop. Once home, you started using it, realised that it was taking ions to start-up. You brought it back to the shop, the seller opened up the "brain" and to his horror, the software is XT!



I chanced upon this notice in modern Shanghai. It is hard to believe but it is true and it is real. "Please do not pee or poo in the alley. There is a toilet at the clock tower". That's the message. Perhaps, with this, you could further understand why I often mentioned living in Shanghai is sometimes, harsh.

The city is progressing very fast, in my opinion, faster than the people could handle. Outwardly, it is a nice modern city with all the high-rise buildings, mega malls, branded goods... stripped away all these, you will actually see that people are still living in the past.

This little notice made me think deeper into our lives...

Some homes are such. Five stars condominium living, driving the lastest Merz series (sorry, I am no car expert), dinning at upmarket restaurants, peek behind the facade, you find a family on the brink of splitting. No, nothing wrong with all these. If we could afford them, yes, enjoy it but NEVER allow such things to supersede more important things such as relationships with your spouse and kids. Likewise for some churches, superb buildings, jam-packed services, dug deeper, you find souls lost, souls thirsting for more, dying for the basic love of fellow Christians....

I guess, God knew it from the start, 1 Samuel 16:7 "The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

It's all about the software.

An old town in modern Shanghai

Although Shanghai is known as a modern city, there are still pockets of old town existing and visitng them is pretty interesting.

One weekend, we went to one of the ancient towns still existing in Shanghai. This is Qibao ancient town （七宝古镇）


Walking into the past


I am a true blue Singaporean, I didn't know that Singapore has this mahjong cake?


Hand-made woodden barrel. Very rare now


Part of the Qibao ancient town. Very ancient indeed!


As it is near the rice dumplings festival, rice dumplings are sold everywhere

Another great book from a great man



Wee Kim Wee - Glimpses and Reflections.

Dr Wee Kim Wee was the 4th President of Singapore from 1985 to 1993. With his writing skills and his professionalism as a journalist, he could have written many more good books and I would have collected all of them.

In his one and only book, Glimpses and Reflections an autography of a different sort. He wrote it by sharing his anecdotes, simple philosophies and observations of society and the world. It was a book of short stories but these were life stories, real experiences. He was so right in saying that how many people actually have the time and energy to read a full-length autobiography. Breaking up his whole life into little short essays really made this a very interesting read.

In this book, he talked about the very basics of life. Long-lasting marriage. His own - 67 years of being together with his one and only loving wife. Yes, we ought to make marriage last forever, it was meant to be right from the very beginning of mankind. Acceptance and understanding the different cultures in different countries. This, I am still trying very hard to achieve here. To be content with what we have. Sadly, many have missed this point in life. The more they have, the more they desire to have. Borrowing to live. Because we have failed to be content, we have live a life of borrowing. He was spot on when he mentioned that many working Singaporeans have "pawned" their lives to pay off debt. We cannot live simply anymore.

Although he was the President, head of state, he always made time for the common people. He has invited taxi drivers, PUB meter readers, postmen...to the Istana for tea. As a very humble man, he had imposed a press blackout. He didn't want the unnecessary attention. He felt strongly that every person must be treated like a human being so what he did was just the right thing to do. This kind gesture from the President was known only when a taxi driver had to tell his company that he had to take a day off to be the President's guest!

He was the humble President who always have time for the simple things in life and the common people. He so aptly put it...we should live a full life, not a full material life but just a full life.

He has taught us, nevermind if we are rich or of a higher status, we are all the same, we are all humans and therefore demand the same respect and dignity.

I am glad I have this one and only book written by a very kind late President of Singapore.

Not what I must do...

When I need to take off my glasses to read a book and put it back to see a road sign. When I am constantly watching what I eat and what I cook for the family. When I am more concern with nutrients than calories...when I am doing all these, I know I have arrived....not old age but a new term I have learned - the silver agers! People who have hit the BIG 40 and over of course.

Recently, I came across an article about an executive legal secretary who was in her 40s, suffering from dementia. It all started with her not recognising her colleagues, not able to remember on which floor was her office. It was pretty scary reading about her situation. In the past, dementia was associated only with old age. It used to be a sickness suffered only by people who have hit 70 and above. But reading about it also make me more aware of my own well being.

Experts said that we should start taking good care of our brain once we hit 30. Taking care of our brain? We have heard of taking care of our body, our financial health, our family, our children...our brain? Yes, the very important organ in the human body yet least attention is given to it. Imagine having a botoxed face, toned body but the brain ain't functioning!

When I was younger, I used to list down all the things which I must do. But at this point of time, it is no longer what I must do BUT what I must not do...I have come up with ten 'must NOTs'.

I must NOT
- stop praying, the spirit must be kept alive
- stop reading, it lifts up the soul and the spirit and not forgetting, the brain
- stop writing, even if no one is reading
- being active, even if the kids are big, I must keep on playing
- cooking, no greater joy than to have a good home-cooked meal, comfort food for the one you love
- stop doing Kai's Maths. The best brain stimulator!
- stop learning abacus from Ann. She taught me "Impossible is Nothing"
- be an average...I have to be exceedingly and beyond...
- bum around like a turkey but must soar like an eagle
- stop empathising, the world is in great need of love and comfort....

I must remain fit spiritually, physically and mentally...remember, I must NOT be a burden to my children.