Our helper arrives!

When I got home on Friday with Pit, I found Amy's items in front of the door. It was about 11:30am and I moved her boxes/suitcases inside our home. We were home for about 5 minutes when I heard a big "hello" and saw a huge smile. And that was that! I offered her to take some time unpacking, settling in but she insisted on starting to get to work with cleaning and washing and cooking. I managed to sit her down long enough to go through our schedule and offered again for her to unpack but she said, "I really want to wash." Ok! Let's get started.

I also told Amy that we wanted to take her out for dinner and she said she was too shy so the Daddy brought home take-out and we all sat around the coffee table chatting. Amy said she could not sit at our diningroom table and so be it. I mentioned a few things...that I always like cold tea in the fridge and there it is, all ready for me to drink. I told her that Frunty's school uniform needed major help. She scrubbed it by hand and it looks brand new. Frunty likes rolling around in the dirt at school, he told me so I told him he has to clean his own uniform. I think I'll let Amy continue that job provided Frunty stops rolling around in the Eco-garden.

Yesterday we went for family walk to Fengshan 85, a nearby market. We all had a drink and then Amy and I collected edibles while Daddy and the boys got some plumbing supplies. Amy insists on carrying everything, doing everything. I gotta tell you...and this may seem weird, but I need to carry things too. It's called keeping my muscles conditioned. And going up and down the stairs is part of my exercise regime too. So Amy will have to get used to me continuing to do different chores around the house. Frunty and Pit will continue their chores too.

What was fantastic was later in the day when we 4 went for a run/cycle followed by jumping into the pool. When we arrived home at 6pm, the delicious smell of chicken Adobo was wafting through the house. I am so grateful that I could swim and not be thinking, I gotta leave and cook. There is always that at the back of my mind. Now I can have breaks from that.

And after dinner, the Daddy and I took the MRT to the EXPO and had a lovely evening, even meeting some really nice people, Fran and Eric, whom we shared a table with at the food area. And when we came home, the house was quiet and clean and the kids were snuggled in their beds.

This morning, Amy tried to cook me breakfast. My goodness...IT'S YOUR DAY OFF! I thanked her for babysitting last night and for our tidy home and off she went on her merry way...to church. Her sister lives nearby so perhaps she is meeting up with her. Whatever...as long as she is happy and relaxing and not getting into any trouble. We are completely responsible for her so are crossing our fingers that all goes well.

What I liked is how many times my kids gave her hugs...to welcome her, to thank her...voluntarily. It really helps that we waved to eachother for several months, she at her sink, me at mine. And because the kids wash the dishes too, they waved also. This means that we are all a little familiar with eachother so the transition is easier. Daddy said, "Great choice, Mommy!" I agree...so far!

New additions

Our house is coming along with new additions here and there: fish, beds, decorative pillows, etc. Little by little, we are making Singapore feel more and more like home. Tomorrow we are welcoming our helper, Amelita Garcia, from the Philipines. We look forward to her help. She and I have been waving to eachother daily since we moved in as she helps in the home behind ours. Before heading to a maid agency, I thought I would ask her if she was ready to transfer and sure enough, Amy was ready and willing. We have had to wait for her for several months but I think it will be worth it. Our kids have been waving to her as well so I feel that they are already comfortable with her a little.

In Singapore, it is very common to hire help and strange if you do not. Apparently, it is life-changing. In this heat, I will especially enjoy the help of a cook. Our kitchen is a sauna with no fan or air-con! I am very grateful to the Daddy, whose idea it is to get a helper. Especially with our challenging diet, I appreciate all the help I can get in the food department. Tomorrow night we will take Amy out for dinner to welcome her. Frunty really wants Mad Jack's, an Australian resto nearby. Sounds fun!

Our blog is a great record for us to remember these very special years with our little ones and I am grateful to Daddy for encouraging me to start it 7 years ago and for contributing fun messages when he has time. Remember that if you want to keep in touch, you can post a message as well. With the time zone differences, it can be hard to connect by phone. Luckily we have blogs/emails these days.

$500 to Eat or Drink

Recently, the four of us went on an excursion so we needed to walk to the MRT station. By the time we boarded our train, Pit was thirsty from the heat and the walk. We gently reminded Pit of the incessant announcements stating, "Eating or drinking in stations and trains is not allowed. Eating or drinking in stations and trains is not allowed." There’s a $500 fine for offenders and no exceptions for children, the elderly or pregnant. So Pit was grumpy as well as thirsty and burst out that he didn’t like Singapore. He said, “I want to go back to Bruxelles so I can drink on the train!” But then Frunty chimed in, “No way! French school in Bruxelles is boring!” Frunty really likes his new school and isn’t looking back.

Science Center

Yesterday was quite "cool" and overcast which I found to be refreshingly pleasant. Still quite hot by Canadian standards but cooler than normal in Singapore. The 4 of us went out for a sushi lunch. "Isushi" is near the food markets and the kids love it. I am happy about this after hearing so many reports about the MSG-laden food at the markets, especially the chicken rice. "All that glitters is not gold." The food tastes very good at the markets. I was wondering why we are almost always the only foreigners eating here though and I think it is because we are all so health conscious. If you do not know about the health repercussions of MSG, check out http://www.mercola.com/.

In a week's time, our helper, Amy, will join our household and then we can eat "out" while eating "in". This means basically that I do not have to cook ever again, unless I choose to do so. Wow! I am looking forward to teaching Amy how to make sushi and follow our allergen-free cooking methods. My latest fun activity with the kids is to juice our favourite fruit and vegs and use the pulp afterwards to make cakes and muffins. The texture is a bit different because the pulp is so fine but the taste is still great and it makes for a very healthy snack. Apple and carrot muffins are delectable!

After Isushi, I took the kids to the Science Center while Daddy returned home to catch up on some chores. At the SC, the kids enjoyed all kinds of experiments. The highlight was playing in the Ecogarden. Frunty loved rubbing the lemon balm plant...smelled so good on his hands. The treehouse was so fun and we pretended to be living in it. We then enjoyed two IMAX films on Bears and the Seas.

Getting to the SC was a sinch, by the way, because Pit had been there with Daddy last week and he literally showed us the way, leading us from the Jurong East MRT station, through the markets and shops, all the way to the center. Sometimes I would ask him if we were on the right track and he would reply, "I guess so." At one point, I was unsure whether he knew the way or not so asked a lady for directions. Indeed, we were on the right path. Pit was an excellent tour guide! And we came home to a yummy dinner prepared by daddy and freshly juiced drinks with cactus!

Cameron Highlands

On Saturday, the 13th, Frunty and I left for our Malaysian jungle trip to Cameron Highlands with a bus load of Singaporeans, Malay and Chinese, and two other foreigners. The night before, Frunty had a temperature and I almost cancelled the trip. When I woke him up for the trip, he was excited to go. He slept most of the way and was able to recover. As a result, we had a great trip to the highlands which are very green and cool. The first night, we had a Steamboat dinner and the next night, we saw fireworks. Chinese New Year is a huge party here that lasts day after day in the same way that Deepavali does for the Tamils. We also saw a Lion Dance on our way back to Singapore.

The visit to the strawberry fields in the Highlands was fine and we bought some strawberries to munch on. We really enjoyed the tea plantation with the rows and rows of plants. It was beautiful. Frunty seemed to enjoy the old, yellow school bus that we took up the mountain to arrive at the plantation. I had a nice hot cup of Peppermint tea and Frunty had an ice cold lemon tea. We met a guy from New Jersey and his Singaporean wife among others who were enjoying their Singaporean respite. I enjoyed the company of Devi who has travelled almost all over the globe and especially to the most famous landmarks.

Frunty's favourite moments were at the Cactus Point Farm and he also laughed his head off with me while watching the new Pink Panther movies on the bus! We got many hours of snuggling in which were my highlight!

Even though it took a long time to arrive to the Cameron Highlands because of CNY traffic jams, it was worth it very much. I enjoyed some one-on-one time and knew that Daddy and Pit were having fun too.

The day after we arrived home we all went together to Wet Wet Wild, a small waterpark in Pasir Ris and guess who we ran into?! Our old friend, Patrick Williamson, a Canadian, whom we met in Switzerland and again in Montreal. It has been years since we saw eachother and here we were, floating around in the "river" together when all of a sudden, I spotted Pat's wife, Cundy. We met their two kids, Sebastian and Vivienne, and discovered they live a few MRT stops away. They have been here for 2.5 years already. What are the chances?!

HAPPY NEY YEAR

It might be Valentines Day in the West but we live in the East now and the big celebration this time is the Lunar New Year. Imagine houses decorated for Christmas and you have an idea of the decoration around some houses here in Singapore. It's the Year of the Tiger and many Chinese families have been sweeping out the 'old' and getting ready for the prosperous 'new'.  Many Chinese families will visit extended family and have celebrations eating and drinking together.

With this in mind, Pit and I thought it would be the best time to take a visit to Pulau Ubin - there wont be so many crowds. In fact, most other visitors we saw today on the outskirt island were Indian. We packed a small day pack and went to the bus stop just before 10am to go to the Changi Point Ferry Terminal to catch a bumboat. And after 15 minutes on the water, we were transports 40 years back in time. At least, that's the tag line the operator of the island, the Singaporean National Parks, would like us to believe. While the island is indeed full of natural (restored) beauty, you can't help hear the rumble of international jet liners overhead, or see the huge container ships a little further out in open water.

Nonetheless, Pit and I had a wonderful outing. Our first stop - the restaurant for an early lunch of sweet and sour chicken and veggies. Next stop, bicycle rental for the best mode of transport. With our 2 wheeler underneath us, we were able to scoot to the coastal boardwalk to put our 2 feet to work. Unfortunately, it was high tide, so the critters of the seagrass lagoon and mangrove were not visible. Since we couldn't see seagras, we did the next best thing and snacked on seaweed. Then we took a quick peak at the Visitor Centre before scooting off further down the island for a view of the North shore. Not that impressive due to the anti-alien fence preventing Malaysians from illegally entering Singapore. To get from the North shore back to the ferry jetty, we had to take a small track through the forest where Pit spotted some wild Red Junglefowl. Pit was tired of sitting on the back of the bicycle, I don't know why, since I was doing all of pedaling. Regardless, it was getting late in the afternoon and it didn't hurt to head home to the pool.

We never made it to the pool because after disembarking from the bumboat, Pit suggested we go to the beach at Changi Village for a swim. And we did just that. The water was warm and more enjoyable to stay under the waves than to feel the cool, late afternoon breeze. Our appetites were fired up so we headed to the food market for a seafood bonanza of clams, mussels, Gong Gong (or Pearl Conch) and coconut drinks. For dessert, we found a chestnut roaster serving up the perfect chestnut treat on a "cool" 28 degree C New Year day! What a fun day! and Pit would like me to write that we saw Fiddler Crabs and that it was "Too much walking!"

Despite the fatigue, when we got home and heard the drums of a Lion Dance in the neighbourhood, we jumped on the bike again to catch a glimpse of the good luck lion to scare away the bad spirits in our lives. We decided to continue the celebration ourselves with some sparklers when we got back home. Happy New Year!

Swimsuits for Science Centre

I packed swimsuits for Pit and I to go to the Science Centre today. Swimsuits? At the Science Centre? Yes indeed! I saw on their website that there was an IMAX theatre showing a movie called Under the Sea! Our timing couldn't have been better. We got there just in time to purchase our annual family membership that allows us unlimited IMAX movie tickets entrance to the museum. With tickets in one hand and popcorn in the other, we sat down in our assigned seats just as the lights were dimming. It was a great movie and the IMAX experience is certainly immersive but I didn't need the swimsuits for that! We left the theatre and went to the Waterworks area of the museum for some play time in water fountains, sprays and jets - each demonstrating some "science" fact. It was good to play in the water because the sun was so hot. The sun was so hot that after Waterworks and some quick lunch, we went back to IMAX for a movie called  Bears in the hopes of the of polar bears scenes to cool us down. For Chinese New Year, Pit was given a Hong Bao with some money that he used to buy a blue spotted stingray from the gift shop. He was excited and tired so it was time to go home after a brief visit to some areas of the museum. Good thing we have all year to visit and see the rest of the Science Centre - we'll definitely be back with Frunty.

Palm Heart

The Mommy and Frunty left the house very early this morning to go on their trip to the Cameron Highlands just north of here. Yes, Scotland is north of here but when I say, just north, I mean the highlands in Malaysia. It will take close to 8 or 9 hours by coach bus and they will stay there 2 nights at the Heritage Hotel which is situated 1500 metres above sea level. Maybe they will experience some cool, highlands climate. They were both feeling a little under the weather though but Frunty was still excited to go despite being very droopy on the sofa.

So now it's just me and Pit for the weekend and we have exciting plans of our own. But first, we some breakfast and we have opened up some canned fruit. Isn't that what guys do when The Mommy is away. Pit is munching right now and saying he loves Palm Heart and wants more. Yum!

Happy Lunar Chinese New Year!

Today I helped out at Pit's kindergarten. Again, I am thrilled to be asked. Very grateful. The school needed help during the Chinese New Year Party and my job was to take the Love 10s to the toilet, as required. We all went to the hall for singing and dancing and eventually, Pit became my partner during these traditional performances. There was even an orange peeling contest. One child was chosen from each class to compete. Just as they were about to begin, a child asked me to take her to the toilet. Shucks! Later Pit told me that a boy from his class, Ethan, was the fastest peeler and won! Yeah, Hope 4s!

Some kids wore beautiful Chinese costumes, others wore Indian-style outfits and finally, some, like Pit, wore whatever they felt like. Pit chose his blue, Gap shirt with collar, a navy pair of shorts and his crocs. Very smart, indeed.

I asked Pit if he enjoyed the party and he said, "No. It was too much." I thought he meant too noisy but it was in fact, too much dancing and singing. After the party, we stayed for snack time outside and some playtime in the little park. Pit has a friend named Kyros and I met his mom who invited us over sometime. Kyros has told Sherin that he has a new friend and that Pit is very, very quiet. You know how he turtles up.

Last night we went out for Korean dinner and both boys took turns telling us the Chinese words they know. It was super. They seem to be adjusting well to our new life here even though at times, it's "too much!" I concur.

Funny tooth episode, again!

If you have been following our blog, you may have remembered the incident in Corsica where Frunty lost one of his teeth at the campground. We thought it was under the table and I dug around like a maniac. There were millions of little, white rocks. In the end, I gave up only to have the Daddy chomp down on something hard. Yes, you guessed it. Somehow the tooth ended up on Daddy's plate! Luckily he did not swallow it.

This time, it seems that Pit somehow kicked Frunty's front tooth out in the pool the other day. Frunty jumped out, blood pouring down his chin. We showered him really quickly and he put his snorkel gear on and jumped right back in. Why? To search for the missing tooth which he, miraculously, found! Don't ask me how this kid could find a tooth at the bottom of the pool but I definitely think he is skilled enough to go snorkeling with confidence on our upcoming trip to the island of the Gods with Gramma and Grampa in March!!

To celebrate all of this tooth business, we are off to see the Tooth Fairy movie tomorrow!! Oh, what fun!

SIngapore Airshow

It was a boys day out today and what a better way to spend it than to see airplanes, jet fighters, and other defence applications. Public transit to the exhibition grounds ran like clockwork and we arrived just in time to hear an F-15 thunder overhead. The flight display was a little disappointing but that's ok because we wouldn't have wanted to stay out so long. It was blistering hot, so we joined the crowds indoors to visit some of the displays from many big and small name companies in the aviation and defence industries. Afterwards, we wandered back outside to the static displays and managed to see the President of Singapore, SR Nathan while looking at an Australian F-111. After 3 hours, Pit had enough of the show so we started to head home just as the second flight display started. For the second time that day, we were treated to the roar of the F-15.

Safari Zoo Run

It was a good day at the Zoo. Frunty was ready. He had trained and he was focused. There were over 100 other kids competing to be the "Fastest Kid" in the 3.2 km Safari run open to 7 to 12 year olds. Many of the other kids were much taller and bigger than Frunty but he wasn't scared. He listened to the instructions of the MC and when the horn blew, he was off like a gazelle. 19:02 minutes later, he crossed the finish line in the top 10. He was having fun and was very proud of himself. Shortly after, I joined the 6.2 km Fun Run and avoided the crowds by scooting to the front and staying there. I think I finished in the top 15 with a time of 26:12. Pretty darn good considering both Frunty and I had trained for less than a month. After the race, we did a speed walk to the Kidsworld zone of the Zoo which has a splash and water park. So we cooled down in the water and built up our appetite even more. As the sun was setting, we again had to do a speed walk to get to the Night Safari restaurants to meet our friends for dinner. The boys ate Bongo burgers, The Mommy had some veggie briyani, and I had spicy sambal stingray. Because we didn't do enough phys. ed., we walked off our dinner calories by visiting the animals in the Night Safari. Probably the most notable were the wild cicadas in the jungle. They were so, so, LOUD that it made our ears hurt. We made it back from the jungle to have some ice cream and sorbets while enjoying the fire-breathing tribal dance show. All in all, we spent over 10 hours walking, running, splashing around and generally having a wild time so by the time the taxi got to the expressway to take us home at 10pm, Pit was fast asleep.

Snuggle Bench

The Mommy jumped on Frunty's bus this morning to help supervise the swim lessons at the school today. This meant that it was up to me to get Pit to school. We left early and as we parked our bicycle Pit must have sensed that we arrived early too because he said, "Papa, we have time to sit on the snuggle bench." And indeed, he was correct because when we went down the stairs he saw that the gate was still closed and so he said, "See, the gate is closed so we can sit on the snuggle bench." And so I got lots of cuddles and hugs from Pit before the gate opened which wasn't long after. As soon as he saw the teachers at the gate, ready to accept some of the other children, he jumped up and said it was time to go. Sometimes he's just a little teddy bear.

Super Snorkel Swimmer

I managed some one on one time with Frunty today. The Mommy and Pit were out doing some shopping and I was able to get home in time for when Frunty's school bus arrived. Just the short 5-10 minute walk from the MRT to home left me dripping and Frunty noticed the heat emanating from the paving stones when he got off the mini-bus. So we decided to quickly go for a dip to cool off. Frunty is a strong swimmer under water and I wonder if he will be just as confident when we go in the open water to look at fish.

Chocolate Covered Meat

Yesterday, Pit was scrutinizing an advert on the MRT. It depicted a dinosaur egg, hatching a dinosaur eating a crunchy, chocolate bar obviously targeting kids. Pit pointed the ad to me and said, "Look at that funny dinosaur eating chocolate." Because of the milk content and other nasty but tasty ingredients, we try to discourage the appeal of chocolate so I said, "Real dinosaurs don't eat chocolate, they eat meat!" And then did a mini T-rex roar. But Pit was quick to rebut and said, "Maybe he's eating chocolate covered meat!?"

PSG Ceremony and our Little Scientist

Yesterday was a pretty special day as I went to Frunty's school for lunch with the principal, Mrs. Wong, and the other EXCO PSG members. I knew that I had become a Parent Support Group member as I bought the t-shirt. What I did not know was that during the ceremony, Mrs. Wong would call my name out as the Vice President!! I went up on stage and the school went wild with clapping and cheering. Honestly, it was so touching. In the sea of faces, there was Frunty looking pretty proud!

(It brought back so many memories of living/working in Japan.)


I don't know exactly how it came to pass that I would become the Vice President. A woman called me and I thought I agreed to heading an English programme at TPS which includes helping students with reading and playing games. Anyway, as long as no one expects me to do anything on Tuesdays (my one day off from both kids!), then fine. I am already volunteering on Thursdays with my English programme and taking the kids swimming on Fridays.

(I have also volunteered to take temperatures/check throats at Pit's school when needed.)

The reason I have Tuesdays off is because Frunty stays all day at school as does Pit. On Tuesdays, Pit has signed up for a special science class. He never seems to want to go even though "uncle" (he calls his teacher, Patrick) is very kind. Afterwards though, he loves showing us his experiments. Like last night before bed, we made time to do The Self-Inflating Balloon which meant fewer stories read before bed but that was okay.

The Self-Inflating Balloon:

Fill a small bottle half full with acetic acid. (vinegar) Fill the balloon with some baking powder. Cap balloon over the mouth of the small bottle. Lift the balloon up to allow the baking powder fall into the acetic acid. The balloon will inflate!

What fun!! Pit was so proud of his work and being able to show us how to do the experiment. We read our shark stories and then off to bed they went.

Today Frunty will continue his training for his first run at the Singapore Zoo this Saturday. Yesterday after the ceremony, we went to the mall and found him a pair of New Balance. (yeah, Grampa!) Blue, white and red. Really nice. With his red, Saucony shirt and a new pair of black, running shorts, he looks really sharp. Pit has been training with him a bit but is too young to register for the race this time.

Must get Pit. We are going shopping to look for dinosaur stickers to finish his room. We still have a lot of jobs in the house but it is coming along. We finalize the paper work with a maid agency and that means that soon, we'll have our very own helper. I am grateful for all of the above, let me tell you!

Swensen's

Today was a special day because The Mommy had to go to Frunty's school because she is a member of the Parent Support Group (PSG) and the school was hosting a luncheon for the PSG. This meant that I had to pick up Pit from his school and then I had a couple of extra hours just with him. So we went to Tampines Mall to meet The Mommy and Frunty after he finished classes. How did we pass our time? We went to Swensen's for dessert! Pit ordered a strawberry sherbert with melted marshmallow topping and a cherry on top. Gluten-free! And I ordered a tall sundae called Nutty Mighty: a mixture of peanuts, macadamias and almonds. Yum! The ever-present music in the background had something pleasant for a change: Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Ice cream and my boy sure made me feel like I had found my pot-o-gold.