Times flies..End of Primary 1

Time has been zooming by really fast for 2014.

I still vividly remember the many hiccups, fears, anxieties adjustments, and the difficulties we experienced as Deborah entered Primary 1 - worried if her school bag was too heavy, feeling anxious whether she knows how to buy food during recess, worried if she will be bullied in school, upset when a classmate took her pencil, pissed off when a classmate shouted rudely at her, feeling sad when she once told me that no one ate with her during recess and how her classmate was always bossy and loud......

The school ended the year with Deborah putting up a performance for the parents together with her classmates in Pri 1 Joy. It is indeed a very moving and proud moment for me to see how she has gone through the year and grown so much more independent.

Deborah and her classmate put up a little skit in mandarin, then followed by a Chinese song titled "All Mothers are the same".

Then, they demonstrated how they would play with the Chinese character cards and how this could help to improve their mandarin and form sentences. Hence, parents could do this at home during recreation, learning while playing.

This is a "Thank you" card from Deborah to daddy and mommy.

Parent and child bonding time by playing rounds of charade.

 



Having recess with Deborah.

She was so delighted when mommy relaxed the rule and bought her a cup of her favourite mixed soda, as a reward for her wonderful performance earlier. Mommy is also very proud of her excellent conduct and academic results throughout the year.

 

Well done, our sweetie pie.

 



Zhi Yun's Birthday Party (24 Aug 2014)

Deborah's classmate cum partner, Zhi Yun, invited us for her 7th birthday party at The Minton Condominium on 24 Aug 2014.

 

There was a magic show lined up and from the smiles on Deborah's face below, yes, you guessed it... she enjoyed her so, so much. I think she laughed the loudest throughout the show. As usual, she is always so bright and cheery when there is loads of fun. What's more, this was her closest classmate's party... she was really so happy to be there.

 

 

Deborah standing with the birthday girl through out the cake-cutting...erm... cos she wanted to blow out the candles and perhaps, steal some of the limelight...I guess. Haha..

 

And look who is happy too...

 



 

...but he cried when a boy pushed him and his cake fell onto the floor later on.

 

 

And here's Deborah with her best pal & birthday girl, Zhi Yun.

Cavalia (23 Aug 2014)

 

Last weekend, we brought Deborah and David, together with their cousin, Gabrielle, to watch Cavalia. The white tall tentage makes it difficult to miss once you arrive at Bayfront Ave, which is situated right beside Marina Bay Sands.

 

 

It was the kiddos' first cirque performance and of course, we were all very eager and excited. The kids enjoyed the show thoroughly, especially David. He was clapping so enthusiastically every time the horses came on stage. And yes, I was really impressed by the stallions that were obviously well-bred. The silky fur and sturdiness of the stallions were indeed impressive. And I haven't talked about the stunts performed by the trainers with the stallions. Those were simply WOW!

 

We were not allowed to take any photographs or videos during the show... so this was the only photo I managed to steal a shot. This was the finale where half the stage was filled with water, and the horses and their trainers performed their daring stunts.

 

The digital multimedia background that screened breath-taking scenes were projected by 16-18 digital projectors, and it was picture-perfect. A live band (hidden behind the screens) was also among the things that made the entire show spectacular. We did not even realise the music during the entire show was played by the live band until it was nearing the end of the show, when the background was dimmed and the spot lights were turned towards them.

 

It was worth the money we paid. Even daddy commented that this was one of the best acrobat shows he has watched. We paid for seats that cost $98 per person. But we realised the seating capacity is actually limited, so it is alright to pay for the lowest range ticket and still get a good view. Just avoid those seats that are partially blocked by the pillars.

 

For drivers, you may wish to know that we parked at the open space carpark just beside the tentage. Just be there early (at least 30 minutes before the show) so you don't have to queue to get into the carpark.

 

 

 

Sweetie is 7

 

Deborah is 7 years old on 18 Aug 2014.

 

She celebrated her birthday with her friends in Hosanna Kids.

 

 

The Frozen dress that she simply adores and couldn't wait to put it on....

 

Her lovely Sunday School teacher, sister Pearline prepared a birthday celebration. The girls beside Deborah are new friends from Empart (Elder Stephane's daughters).

 

 

We had a simple birthday celebration at home on Sunday, 17 Aug 2014 with our extended families. We ordered dishes from the Zi Char stall along Joo Chiat Road - fried rice, mee goring, coffee pork ribs, mummy's chicken, yam ring, stir-fry kai lan which costs us $132 in total. Much more economical compared to catering a mini buffet which would have cost us at least another $150 more.

 

The highlight was the beautiful Rainbow cake which I ordered online from Room For Dessert (website: www.roomfordessert.com.sg) for $120.00, plus a $15 delivery charge. The cheese coating on the outside makes the cake taste very sweet. But I have to say, the bright rainbow colours made up for it. We could also taste some difference in taste for different coloured layers. There was a very light lemon taste too.

 

 

The final celebration was held in school with her classmates, together with Ezanne and Bernice on 20 Aug 2014. The children had bee hoon, fishballs, fried wan tons and Ribena before the cake cutting.

 

The rainbow doll cake was the best deal I got for all the birthday celebrations. It was an offer from Groupon by iCake Creative. The cake weighs 2 kg and costs me just $83.90, including delivery.

Best of all, it was a rainbow cake. Just look at the many layers of colours it has.

And it was the most delicious cake! The sweetness was just right.



 

 

 

 

Deborah was really happy celebrating her birthday with her classmates.

 

 

 

Bye, Penang - Day 4 (5 June 2014)

It was our final day in Penang. I have kept it a secret from the kids until that morning when I finally let Deborah and David know that we were going to bring them to the Adventure Zone - an indoor playground, located right next to our hotel building. As expected, the moment I announced it to them, their excitement level shot out of the roof!

 

Admission fee to Adventure Zone is at RM22+ for weekdays (Mon-Fri) and RM 33+ for weekend & Public Holiday, for a two-hour session. For more information, you may visit their website http://www.adventurezone.com.my

 

Since we booked our family package through Agoda.com, entrance fee to the playground for Deborah and David had already been included in the package. 1 adult may accompany a child into the playground. Each session is limited to maximum 4 hours, and they are entitled to visit the playground daily during our stay period. The children were also entitled to a free pizza and lunch was also included, but unfortunately we had a plane to catch and couldn't used it.

 

The playground opens at 10am.  When we got there at 9.30am, the kids were getting very impatient.

 

 

So we spent some time enjoying the beach once again...

 

There was a tent by the beach providing massage services. Daddy decided to have a neck and shoulder massage, while I brought the kids to walk on the beach to catch some snapshots.

 



 

At 10am, we entered the Adventure Zone and for the next hour, the kids were busy having fun.

 

Do note that children have to wear long sleeve shirts and socks in the playground. Adults accompanying children into the playground have to put on socks as well.

 

This is how much fun it was

 

 

And there's the more challenging slides. I was caught by surprise when David said he would like to try this steep slide. I was hesitant initially, but did not want to quench his courage, so I encouraged him to go ahead.... and yes, he did it even before Deborah tried it.

 

 

And Deborah went too...

 

 

By 11.15am, we headed back to our room to check out of the hotel. We hired a taxi from the hotel lobby and headed to the Airport. We had our lunch at Secret Recipe at the airport. Then it was some final shopping for mommy, while Daddy checked his emails before we boarded the plane.

 

Bye, Penang. We will be back soon...

 



Penang - Day 3 (4 June 2014)

 

It was a troubling night for me as I had a bad tummy ache which seem like I was going to have runs. Thankfully, I got hubby to get a can of coke from room service and within an hour, the tummy ache was gone. However, I was shivering uncontrollably for the next hour and by 1.00 a.m., I realised I was running a fever.  I quickly pop 2 panadol pills and went back to sleep.

 

Thankfully, I felt much better when we woke up in the morning. And after our buffet breakfast at the hotel, we hired a taxi to Penang Hill Tram Station. It was crowded as it coincide with the Malaysia's three weeks school holiday.

 

Uncle Yap, the taxi uncle who drove us around the day before, told us that the owner of the Toy Museum, in his fifties, is always at the Penang Hill Station distributing the Toy Museum flyers. He looks quite shabby and one would never expect him to be a wealthy museum owner. And yes, I did receive those flyers from him at the station.

 

 

In the tram going uphill...

 

Unfortunately, when we were halfway up the hill, it started pouring very heavily. We walked in the shelter and the only place we could visit was the Owl Museum.

  

  

 

  

 

Scenery at the peak.



 

 

 

As it continued to rain, we decided to head down and proceed for lunch at Straits Marina.

 

 

 

 

 The mall was quiet and nice place for relaxing, rather than shopping.

There are shops to pamper yourself with nail spa session, or just seat at Starbucks for an afternoon tea.

 

Though it was still drizzling, we managed to get out a little to enjoy the scenery where the yachts are parked.

 

 



 

As usual, daddy was fooling around...
But at least, now I know how he will look with a moustache.
 

 



 Hmh, I think it is better to do without one, daddy.

After walking around the mall, we took a short coffee break at Starbucks, and I actually dozed off for a while.... perhaps I was still in my recovering mode. So Daddy suggested heading back to the hotel for a nap.
 

Before heading back to the hotel, we met an Australian couple who took this picture for us at the mall concourse. After which, we hired a cab and returned to the hotel.  The ride from Straits Marina to our hotel at Batu Ferringhi was about 20 minutes.



 

 

Having a nap was indeed a good suggestion. I had a 2 hour power nap and by the time I woke up, I could feel that I had recovered.

 

And finally, the kids got what they were longing for - hitting the hotel's swimming pool with children's water play slide.

 

 

 

 

 '

We are proud that David has overcome his fear of water. It was the first time he didn't need any prep talk to get on the slide or be thrown down forcefully by daddy.  He was going on the water slide again and again on his own, with smiles on his face.

 

Great job, David!

And who can resist the beautiful beach that was just right at the doorstep of our hotel.

 



  

 

 

We had buffet dinner at the hotel since it was included in our package. For the rest of the evening, we just "nua" our time away at the lobby's lounge with our favourite drinks.

 

 

Deborah taking a selfie with my phone...