Mama proudly presents…

The boys (two sons of a good friend) first did their Lego motion picture. I showed it to Kai and Ann and it inspired them to embark on something similar. During their vacation art lesson, there was a field trip to an animation studio, with all these new ideas flooding their little minds, there must be an avenue to release their energy.  They started on this project together. It was fun for them and us. They wanted to record their dialogue. The kids asked the spouse and I to keep very quiet while they work in the study room. It was fun listening to their speeches and shouting and laughing…the little moments of the joy of parenthood.
They first started creating a scene and took pictures of them. A total of 300 plus altogether, here are some of them.

The whole set-up






Using instructions from e-how they created their first "motion picture".

Mama proudly presents…

Kai and Ann first collaboration

Sometimes, long summer vacation is good. It gives them time to work on things which they never have the time to do during school days. For kids back home, the mid-year and year-end holidays are great time to try this out. (They did some thing special to their names, see if you can spot them)
Now they know that a one-second advertisement involves days of hard work!

p/s: they decided to delete their voices because they think the music is much 'cooler'.

Jitters everywhere

With the down grade of the US economy, stock market went south. I am sure there are anxieties and worries everywhere but…

A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. (Ps 91:7)

Well, it may be a blessing in disguise. To those who have been waiting to buy the first house, your dream may just be within reach. The trend in the past has been…with the fall of the stock market, the next market to slide will be the property market. Will see…

The brother and sister at work

Two more weeks before summer vacation ends. How you can channel their energy is to allow space for creativity. Sometimes it may mean mess in the house but really, it is better than having them play with the tech gizmos. Yesterday, the brother and sister were busy working on this…


Using recycled materials, they created a robot on their remote-control car.  That little box is for them to transport stuff. Example, Ann asked if I needed my specky? She will then placed them in that box and remote-control it to me. Hahaha, so cute! The name of this creation is junk-bot!

Kids do the darnest thing!

Furano Cheese

Bought this wonderful cheese from Furano, Hokkaido. The taste is very light and pleasant. Goes wonderfully well with those mini toast


Make a good light lunch. Wheat mini toast with Furano cheese

Today is National Day
9 August, our National Day. Non event here, it is just me and the two kids…don't like it, suppose to be a celebration for independence...

Happy National Day to all at home! Home is still where I belong.

Yes, it is possible!

Many have asked if it is possible to do a free and easy travel to Japan. Yes, it is! With such friendly and helpful people, an efficient transportation system, safe environment…it is a breeze.This latest trip was our fourth trip to Japan and we have done all four, the free and easy way. Be it big cities like Tokyo and Kyoto or the smaller prefecture in Shizuoka, we have done it free and easy.  Actually, all our trips overseas have been free and easy. We felt that was the best way to see a country.
Few things which you must take note…


Carry bags and luggages that are easy to handle. This will help you to get up and down the train easily


Look for the English button when buying train tickets, have small change ready. Even if you do not have, it is ok. The machine accepts big notes just that you have to carry lots of heavy coins in your pocket when the change is returned from the machine.


Tickets come in various forms. Just remember to keep them well and do not lose them. In some trains, there is a little pocket for you to keep your ticket.

Taking the bus is also a breeze in Japan. I think they have a great system, better than ours. In Japan, you get up the bus from the back (the opposite from ours). You pick up a ticket which show which bus stop you got up. The number on the ticket shows the bus stop number. There is a screen in front of the bus which shows the fare which you have to pay when you are alighting…


Looking at this table, let say you got up at bus stop 2. Now the bus has travelled to bus stop 7 and you will be alighting here. Just look at the bus stop where you got up, if you got up at bus stop 2, you have to pay 320yen, if you got up at bus stop 5, you have to pay 180yen. As you alight from the front, you slot the money into a box placed just beside the driver. That's the way, use the service, then you pay. You don't have to worry if you have been overcharged or you have underpaid. The driver need not keep track of which passenger has underpaid too. Cool isn't it?

Sometimes, having alternative system is good. Keep oneself moulded in the same system only meant, no change and when there is no change, there is no growth. No top dollar but still top talent here!


This little book has been with us since 2008. We use it when the situation calls for it. Example, we need to order cooked food for the kids. Other than occasion like that, you don't really need it. The Japanese are more than willing to offer their help. Always, print a copy of the location of your hotel in Japanese. During our trip to Osaka, we showed the location of our hotel to a passer-by. She made use of the GPS in her handphone and walked with us all the way to the front of the hotel.

So, my friends…pack your bags and head to the land of graciousness…Bon Voyage!

The final lap

Exactly two years ago, I laid foot in China together with the spouse and two children. Actually, I arrived in construction city. It was 2009 and the city was about to host the World Expo and the whole place was under construction. Grey sky, blurred vision, polluted air.  It was an extremely difficult time to settle in.  A factory owner said, "to you, foreigners, this is pollution but to me, this is the smell of money!" *shudders*

And yes, for the first time, I saw a dead body being fished out from a river!

China isn't a place I wanted to visit. You know how we all have a list of places we must go before we die. China isn't in my list. I am neutral towards her. There is no like or dislike. After settling down here for the past two years, I must say that this isn't a place I want to come back. But I am thankful that God sent me here because I saw how tough I could be and it was a place where I could, not only teach my kids but show them real-life examples. It was a place to teach survival skills.

Not sure if this is good or bad but having been here, my perception of the people here have changed completely…majority, not for the better. Especially so for those who belong to the upper class. I have witnessed how the rich intimidated a waitress, a driver, a security guard, an ayi….the list could go on. How being nice means "I can take advantage of you". I have warned kids who tried to bully my children. (It is a big mistake to even have a thought about it).  How people try to win your favour because they see some value in you. Am I an idealist?  I hardly could tolerate hypocrites  but are we not surrounded by them all our lives?

The word 'shell' opened my eyes to a new meaning. Nothing is for real until it is real! My first house here was fantastic…on the outside. Barely into the first month, the pipe under the kitchen sink started leaking and believe me, it didn't stop till the day we moved out. Then the roof leaked, then the flooring popped, then the cornice fell……any one of us could have been hurt but the Grace of God kept us. Truly, the Will of God will not lead us to where the Grace of God cannot keep us. I don't have to go on about the food and the most recent 'rail' mess.

It was here that I realised what happened to all the good teachers in SG…they have all descended on SSIS. I have met some of the cream of the crop teachers. Teachers who are more concerned with the learning than the results. This is the TRUE meaning of education. If good results come with good learning, that's the icing on the cake. But honestly, if there is a good learning process, good results will usually follow. Sadly, SG schools are more concerned with only good results.

However, I have also made friends with some really nice humble people. They are not rich, some are middle-class, some are lower class. They showed me what having a soul is all about. My part-time helper is probably the only local whom I can trust. She has been working for me since day one of my arrival. She doesn't take advantage of me although I have been very nice to her. In fact, she reciprocated my kindness with her generosity. Farm grown peaches, corn, vegetables, water-melons, home-cooked dumplings, spring roll are just some of the things she would share with us. The book seller, the DVD seller made sure we only have the best quality. The fruit-sellers who sell me only the sweetest and the juiciest. The gardeners and the cleaners in my compound. I thank them by giving them my little home-baked cup cakes. I could see their gratitude when they gave me a broad smile showing their white teeth on a sun-burnt, red hot face.   The lines and wrinkles on their face could not hide the kind of tough life they have to go through but it will be worth it. Being able to come to the city to work means having a better life when they return to their hometown.

Yes, this will be the final lap. Looking back, I have indeed come a long way…do I want to return to the land which helped me to see how far I could stretch myself? This is a land of opportunities, a land of wealth…

Nah…however good others may say it is…the truth remains, this is not my HOME.

Mum's proud moments

Something I shared with a good friend, now I share it with you…

Last Friday, my ayi (part-time helper) told me something which made me teared.
太太，夏凯真是个很好的孩子。去年，妹妹生日那天，我不是来帮忙吗？你知道夏凯告诉我，"阿姨所有这些东西都可以吃。你吃吧."

太太，我非常感动。我回家告诉我的家人和朋友，在本地，很难找到一个像他这样的好孩子！

Translated (Mdm, Kai is a very good boy. Last year, during Ann's birthday party, I was here helping you. Kai came to me and said "auntie, all the food (party goodies) here, you can eat too. Go ahead and eat." I was very touched. I went home to tell all my friends and families that in our country,  it is difficult to find a good boy like Kai)

Ann's birthday was in Nov last year, I didn't know about it till now. It was very heart-warming and I teared, to know that what I have constantly taught him, he not just listened but he walked the talk. I have always thought that Kai is too self-absorbed but he has proved me wrong. I am more than glad to be wrong.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just before the school closed for summer, I received an email from Kai's teacher…

I have enjoyed having Kai in the class. He has, as I've told you many times, a great deal of potential. At the same time, he is not a proud child. I like Kai I shall miss him very much…
I wanted to add that I admire the way both you and your husband raise your children. It's very obvious to me that you are not parents who resort to stereotypical means to get your children to produce results. Your children (I see it in your daughter too even though I don't teach her) are open and positive beings. Kai is a very creative individualist and yet, at least at this point, this individualism does not make him an isolationist.

Parenting is all about being involved in a child's life. It starts the day we bring a life to the world. When the kid is young, we get involved by playing with them, when they are older, we get involved by being there. Getting involved isn't holding on and not letting go. Getting involved means be in the know of your child's being. Perfect parents we will never be but being the best parents, we should always strive to be.

When we invest your time and love on our children when they are younger, we will realise that it will be a breeze guiding them when they are older.

Finally, always pray for our children. Pray and pray and pray. No prayers are too many. I pray for more wisdom than knowledge...wisdom to apply knowledge and to know that all things come from the God!

Nice gesture

On the last day, when we checked out of the ryokan, after paying the bill, we were given a little Japanese pouch. In it were little nick –knacks made in Japan. It was really a nice gesture from the ryokan.  A way of saying "we appreciate your business".

All those from the service industry, something for you to think about.

Nothing big or fanciful, nothing expensive but we were touched by their thoughtfulness. We brought home wonderful memories of this beautiful ryokan.

The Japanese

I have not travelled round the whole world but I have been to many places. Honestly, the Japanese are the nicest people I have ever come across. I find them nice not because they are nice to me. I find them nice as in the way they carry themselves, the way they look after the environment, the way they show consideration towards others. No matter where I have my meals, every table will be cleaned up for the next person to use. The people who clean up are the very people who have used the table. The staff are there to wipe the tables only. All utensils are put away by the consumers. Singapore is a clean city (is it still a clean city?) because we have foreign workers to clean up. Japan is a clean country because the people, for years, they have been taught to clean up so others can use. From the very old to the very young, they have cultivated and kept this virtue all through the years. What make them so successful in this area? What did they do right for decades and decades?

Strangers I have met are such wonderful people. Even in Tokyo, a big city, I have not met any hostile people. At most, they just maintained a serious look but they will never be unfriendly. Asking for directions,  if they don't speak English and cannot help, they will be very apologetic.
They are people who love and respect each other. They are people who love and respect their environment…


That morning, we were at the bus station waiting to collect our tickets for the local tour. There was a long Q. What happened was the system broke down and every ticket had to be hand-written. It took a long time for them to issue the tickets to everyone. You know, no one complained, no one got impatient, no one was angry (at least they didn't show it), no one was rude. It was amazing. I can imagine, had it happen in Singapore or Shanghai, the scene would be quite different.



Very clear blue sky. I just can't have enough of it!


Even the night sky is beautiful



Not every place must make way for big malls



Spotlessly clean train station


I would love to stay in one of these…bring me away from the maddening crowd, let me smell the flowers and hear the crickets


This is downtown Sapporo in the morning. Clean street. I am not exaggerating when I say that I could hardly spot a sweeper on the street


What are these people doing heading to the same direction? Yes, to return the dishes. Even mother with young kid is doing the same thing. That's how the young are being educated. For your information, that is a food-court


At the Narita airport, because of the March 11 disaster, they are conserving energy. Lights are dimmed, air-con  usage is being cut down. Fans like the blue one are placed all over the airport for passengers to use. Yes, everyone was doing their part.


So did I….

"Japan...... rife with mystery, beauty, exoticism and grace.

...when you leave a meal, moment, or place not quite completely satisfied, you cherish it that much more because it was ephemeral and left you wanting"  Victoria Abbott Riccardi – Untangling my chopsticks

We will be back…for more.