I'm done

Wednesday evening, MZ texted me to say Father was in hospital for lung infection and low oxygen level, and ask me to visit. It sounded like he might not make it. I agreed to go.

But I felt rather apprehensive.

I last met him over 20 years ago, and last spoke in 2020 after he made a maintenance claim on us as his CPF RA* was running out. He called me - my number has not changed since after graduation - to ask for money. But the social worker or MSF sent us a copy of his bank book in the course of the maintenance claim - all the CPF money, ComCare money and money from my siblings and relatives were spent like water. How can a single old man spend more than what my household of six (including helper then) spent on groceries? 

* Btw, I truly believe in CPF. Scammed of all his CPF OA but retirement fund was safe and lasted him 20y!

I’m not a 凯子 and I don't support vice or what woman and children in Batam (?!) so I hung up. I just keep paying my share of the maintenance via MZ every month, even after stopping work.

But actually, I had thought about visiting him some months ago - came about from a dream or something, I forgot. Anyway, I agreed to go so I thought about what to say. I even googled “what to say to estranged parent at deathbed” though he was improving by Wednesday night. And Google was all about peace and reconciliation. WTH.

To be honest, I feel vindictive all this while. I wanted to ask him if he felt sorry for what he had done and what he had not done. I wanted to show him that he had missed out on what could have been a good family life, with a permanent shelter over the head, a good wife and three children doing well. But I also didn't know what my response would be following his reply.

After MZ's text, I was busy with kids (and C drama!) and then grocery shopping and housework on ytd morning. Must finish up everything before I left.

Before I knew it, I was at the hospital. Passed by the room accidentally and turned back to check the door sign. An emaciated old man inside waved me in through the seeing glass. I didn’t recognise this old man. I had to check the name on the board before I was sure I was at the right place.

Turned out he has dementia. Found out from the speech therapist who came in to do a swallowing assessment. Later I learnt that his dementia started after a mild stroke in 2020, shortly after he claimed maintenance. He had since been living in a nursing home.

His speech was a little slurred. He remembered his three children and their names. But I’m not sure he really recognised me; he waved at everyone looking through the door coz his back and legs hurt. So I wasn’t able to get a reply to my question, which I almost shouted into his ear coz he’s hard of hearing. Before that, it was where I lived, did I study, did I work, did I stay with Mother. Repeat. After that, coz I mentioned when he was younger, it was all about billiard, how he played for money. But my school fees went unpaid anyway. Told him billiard was useless. I should have put in a choice adjective before "useless".

He kept complaining that his back and legs were in pain. I couldn't move him. Pain. Took me two trips to finally find an available nurse to help adjust his position. In the end, still pain.

Then YQ arrived and simply acknowledged the billiard bullshit and told me to get used to all the complaints about pain. He definitely recognised him more. Before the maintenance claim, MZ and YQ had already been giving him money just to get him off their backs. Else he would call other relatives who would in turn call them. Worse, he called Mother’s phone and threatened to go to the house! They even paid off a loanshark debt for him. 

I learnt about all this during the maintenance claim as we shared all the dirt. I lived with them for only six years after the divorce before I moved out*. And I spent more time at work and play than at home. Anyway, we don't really talk since we were kids; just not friends, you know. 

* After the divorce was finalised when I was 19, I left straight for Oxford. I didn't know anything while I was away, though I visited him during summer breaks. After university, I also gave him money. The last time was when he wanted to renew his taxi licence or something like that. But of course he squandered the money without ever touching his licence or a taxi. That was the last I saw of him.

I left the hospital shortly after YQ arrived. By then I knew I wasn't able to get anything sensible. Then YQ told me the ward was for TB risk; a nurse told him to go in at his own risk. Tmd. No one told me. Lucky I had a mask on anyway. I was paranoid to get out. What if I spread to my kids?! But later on the train, MZ confirmed that the doctor said negative for TB. I washed down madly anyway when I got home. Came out shortly before the kids came home, and Sito could go fetch Yu from HCL.

So, is there closure for me?

He's losing his mind now. Nothing matters to him now. But I'm still here and clear minded. Kel said it is better for me to think that he was sorry. But I cannot kid myself. 

Now, Sito always reminds Yang to accept distractions and put them aside so that he could focus on what's at hand. Accept. So I accept the fact that I would never know whether he has ever felt sorry. 

Anyway, he is bearing the consequence of his actions now. He's reduced to such a state in old age, with no one to love and holding on to only memories of his useless billiard days.

I still remember how he looked like 20y ago. I even took a photo with him during one summer break. He looked so different with old age and illness. I told Sito it was probably illness. Coz Mother looks way healthier at only three years younger and Sito's grandma is still feisty at over 90yo. YQ said he was thin even before the stroke, coz money went to Batam (and vice), less to eat. "Fucking silly brainless man!" I totally agree.

Ytd, I also scrolled through the WhatsApp chat during the maintenance claim after the visit, and saw one part saying how nosey relatives once tried to tell Mother about him but she stopped them, coz she had no interest in knowing 👏  That's something I could learn from. 

There is no need for me to think about this anymore.

I'm done.

SG60!

Everywhere we go in the past month or so, we see posters saying "HAPPY 60TH BIRTHDAY". But I bet some people see "GOTH" like me, haha!

Although 60年是一甲子，i.e. very significant, I remember SG50 the best, coz my son was a poster boy :p

Yes, that baby is Yang!

That baby is now a big boy of 11 years :)

Anyway, as usual, we like to play NDP songs to hype the kids up for National Day. This year, I expanded my Youtube playlist to include almost all the NDP songs since the 1980s. Played these songs whenever we were seated in the living room with the kids. They still prefer songs from the past few years and the oldies from Papa and Mama's childhood.

Once again, our neighbourhood ND Observance Ceremony was held at the OHV mall. We had breakfast at the hawker centre before going over. Like last year, there were more elderly than kids *.* Hope they all have young grandkids to gift the playdoh sets in the goodie bags...

Long time no eat prata with Milo!

Sito and I had youtiao, him with soy milk and me with kopi siew dai. Happy to get $3 DBS cashback!

Yu took part in a quiz

His baby belly is so cute right? :) Brave little boy had raised his hand a few times before but didn't manage to catch the emcees' attention until we redeemed our ice cream snacks. When I saw him raise his hand again, I told him to jump a bit, and that did it! He just smiled shyly when the emcee highlighted the ice cream on his face, hoho! 

He said he wanted to take part coz he wanted to know what the prize was. Later back home, he wasn't quite pleased to find that the prize - supermarket trolley token (!) - was also given in the goodie bags...

Besides snacks, there were also game stalls and info booths. The kids played all the games. Prizes this time were candies. I don't fancy candy but I think they were more useful (at least can eat!) than random lunchboxes which we got last year and have yet to use.

I was particularly interested in the LTA booth - they're starting to build the traffic light near the bus stop for the road between our and Mum's precincts this quarter!

Some months ago, a jaywalker was fatally knocked down on this road further up - we saw the blue tent covering the body *.* Right after, I wrote in to our MP about the need for a traffic light. Many people including unsupervised primary school kids cross that road to get to the bus stop. MPS staff replied that they were going to build but did not give a timeline. Finally I saw the artist's impression of the crossing at the booth!

My very own VR Man, playing Beat Saber to NDP songs

The kids watched Hossan Leong's "We Live in Singapura" lately and learnt about various things from 20-40y ago, like VR Man. They've also been asking about Yusof Ishak, Lim Yew Hock and Chee Soon Juan. Social studies can't do better than a song 🤷‍♀️ 

Mario Kart - you guy don't play enough at home meh??

Oblivious to our MP watching him play

Nvm, Yang was wearing a headset. But Yu was playing Mario Kart with no headset, and he didn't even realise someone patted his head 🤦‍♀️  Ya, the eyes only on the screen...

Clan Sito all in red for ND!

Gonna leave before the end so no chance to take photo with the stage backdrop so used the smaller version - our tickets!

We were all so full from breakfast and the ice cream snacks that we didn't think much about lunch until I felt like I had to clear the dining table - we brought back hotdog buns and biscuits from the snacks stalls. The four of them ate everything. I couldn't eat anything.

Long time no paste tattoos!

Oh ya, I changed into PJs early in the day coz comfy :p I rubbed off the tattoos last night but I think Yang and Yu still had theirs on their hands :)

So it was quite a fun ND for the kids - nice breakfast, games, hotdogs (instead of my porridge) for lunch, tattoos and clappers and whistles from the goodie bags, yummy Macs for dinner. It was also very noisy, no thanks to the whistles!

We had an early dinner - Macs coz Yang didn't want KFC and there was no good deals at Domino's. Sito bought seven burgers, 24 nuggets, five packs of fries and five drinks. I don't know what combi he used but everything turned out just nice - he and Kai had two burgers each. We finished just in time to watch the NDP show on TV.

I must admit that this year, I wasn't focusing much on the TV coz my new phone arrived in the afternoon! After transferring my data just before dinner, I spent the evening figuring things out and logging in etc. 

But the days after, I watched reels and read news about the NDP. So nice to see more pictures from various angles. Ah, I like ND :)

No yellow face!

When I was a kid, I often heard this term: 黄脸婆

Huh? Yellow-faced old woman? Sallow face - gosh, sounds horrid.

Well, it typically refers to an old housewife. Why? Beats me! A quick search reveals the following possibilities:

1. Hormonal changes can cause changes to the skin in an older woman
2. In the past, cosmetics tended to contain lead which could cause skin pigments to turn yellow; older women were more affected as they were exposed to those products for a longer period of time

"Old" and "yellow skin" aren't words that are flattering to a woman of any age! So this term always carries a negative connotation. But I wouldn't mind it if Sito says that I'm his 黄脸婆 in an endearing manner :) And I do embrace my age.

Still, that doesn't mean I should allow myself to look old or ugly even though I'm *just* a SAHM. Yes, I don't have video conferences, and my interactions with friends are mostly via WhatsApp given that most of us have kiddy commitments.

But Sito sees me - I'm his ex-girlfriend and wife before I'm the mother of his kids. The kids see me - there is no reason I can't be effective at home and presentable in and out of the home too.

So I never dropped my skincare routine. Yes, there have been changes. I dropped cosmetics when I was working from home but I never stopped my sunscreen. Now, I still put on sunscreen on days I don't leave the house. When I do go out, I may even put on some loose powder to even out my skin tone.

From January, I use face masks nearly daily after my evening shower as I bought a few packs from Japan. But I think that's not sustainable as I have to lie down for 10min after putting that on. Some more, I don't think it has made any difference so far. I'm on my last pack and will not buy anymore.

In fact, lately, I've been looking at cheek and lip tints to give myself some colour when I go out. And since the past week, I've been applying facial moisturiser on my perpetually dry lips. Seriously no lip balm works well for me! So far so good. Hope it can help...

Anyway, point is, 内在美固然重要，外在也不可忽略！

Chess trophy for Kai :)

Congrats to Kai for clinching his first trophy, woohoo!!

First runner up for U15 🏆 

This was his 12th tournament already, since he played his first in December. Sito keeps an Excel spreadsheet of all his tournaments and FIDE ratings etc. Yes, we're very OCD. We also love Excel, haha!

Anyway, this round, he met a few friends - from school, Queenstown CC chess club and Bishan chess class. Wait, did I mention he attended a term of chess class after doing well in the NSI? Well, he decided to stop the class this term as his friend S decided to quit he wanted to focus on this studies.

While Sito and Kai were at SMU for the chess tournament, I was at Clementi with Yang and Yu. When they set off for Clementi, we left the library for Swensen's.

Earthquake to celebrate Kai's win!

Courtesy of Swensen's actually, coz we go there so many times and have accumulated a large number of kiddy meals...! Probably no more after this now that the kids have moved beyond kiddy meals... But sometimes Sito and I get kiddy meals instead haha! We also have a free ice cream cake for spending beyond $1k in a year or something. Yes, we eat a lot of Swensen's.

Oops, digressed...

So yesterday, Kai was very pleased. While he was showering, I gave the trophy a wipedown after its exit from the bag, ready for display at home. After his shower, he saw it on the dining table (as I was still wiping down our shopping from Clementi - yes, OCD) and took it back to his room happily. Over lunch, we all* agreed to display it in the living room once I've cleared out some space... 

* His brothers are also very excited over his trophy :)

Kai: But don't block the TV ok?

Of course, my boy :)

Bedtime with the boys

I used to check on my sleeping boys before my own bedtime, just to see their sleeping faces and sometimes cover their blankets properly. Often, I sneaked in a kiss or two, and for Yu, smelled his sweet saliva baby scent.

But I stopped that some time during the June term break. Yu said I didn't close his room door properly when I left and would rather I not go in *.* His room door is difficult to close fully - think the hinge was a bit off but we didn't realise earlier coz it wasn't used for sleeping until just before this year.

They're still alive :p

I'm glad that we still do bedtime with the younger ones. Nowadays, Sito meditates with Yang while I lie down with Yu. Then I turn out the light for Yu and lie down with Yang. If Sito is not around, Yang will do quiet things in his room or hang out with Kai until I'm ready for him. Kai has not wanted me to lie down with him since P5 or P6 - I can't remember exactly when but it was after we moved here in August 2023. He prefers to play chess on the iPad...

Bedtime routine with the boys is like stolen quiet time. Stolen from their little band of rowdiness and complete unawareness of others when they are playing and chatting among themselves. During this bedtime routine, there's only one parent and one child. During this time, little gems of life may emerge from the comfort of the bed and the hugs and snuggles.

With Yu, he likes to hug his fluffy toys as I hug him, and sometimes even talk to me through them. Bedtime chats are usually very light. Like this snippet. More recently, on 26 May, Yu prayed for the toy bear that he lost in Osaka. He said that was the first time he prayed. Mostly, he acts like a baby (or cat?) and 蹭 my arms and face like mad *.* Just like I may remind him to do things, he may also take the chance to remind me to do things for him!

Solo time with Yu when I picked him up after HCL on Thursday

With Yang, there were many memorable moments. When he was in child care, he prayed for a sniffling mama to get well. Once, I found him crying silently coz that day, I decided that I would only speak Mandarin at bedtime and he was afraid he wouldn't be able to understand me!?!

Last night, I was hugging Yang with his back facing me. He really wanted to get better marks so that he could have more phone time during term breaks. I told him how Papa and Mama had seen his good attitude - he may complain that he has no time to play but he would still come to us when we ask him to start work. And how hard he works! 

Yes, we all - parents and Yang himself - may be sad if he doesn't get good marks this year but it's ok if he has put in his best. And if he continues to put in effort, results would come in some form sooner or later. 

Next thing I knew, he rubbed his eyes. I asked if he was crying. He said a little. Awww.... My heart...

I really miss doing this with Kai. Sometimes, I go to his room after I'm done with Yang. Go away, he says, eyes still on the iPad :( He still comes to our room after playing chess. But it's just different from me going to his bed, somehow... Maybe all he talks about is chess which I don't get. I made a note to chat with him today. Hope I get to do it later...

Update 4 August

So I managed to speak with Kai - before I unlocked the iPad :p But on retrospect, it was more of a reminder than a proper random chat.. I should do better...

Then two nights ago, he invited me to his room coz he wanted to spend some time with me. I was so happy! But when I lay down in his bed, he told me to stick out a leg - he just wanted to pluck my leg hair! 🤦‍♀️ 

He targeted my hair after Papa shooed him away!!

But it was his birthday that day so I entertained him - two strands and bye bye! This boy is curious why we have so much hair on our legs, especially Papa, haha! You just wait!

First teenager in the house!

And that's Kai :)

So fast, so big.

He caught up with me in height about March/April - can't be too sure coz he was either slouching or over extending his back 🤦‍♀️ But certainly some time between April and June, he became taller than me. We shall see whether he catches up with Papa this year or next...

Despite growing 20cm in two years, he put on only 6kg. So he's super slim now. I'm very envious of his 小蛮腰 haha!

Birthday celebrations were supposed to start with Macs breakfast but it was raining so I went to pack you tiao (four!) since I had to buy vegetables for our porridge lunch anyway.

Sito bought 12 doughnuts after lunch and I stacked six onto a plate - that's Kai's birthday "cake" since he doesn't like the usual cake. The kids had two doughnuts each - sugar high! Sito and I had one each and the kids took the remaining four the next morning for breakfast. Gone in under 24H :p

Cake but no cake - or no cake but cake?

This year, his birthday fell on a Saturday. It wasn't our usual fortnightly library Saturday but we went to the library anyway before heading to Swensen's, yes, our fave again, for dinner. His kid membership tied to Papa's expired upon his birthday so we signed him up for his own so he could get a firehouse birthday sundae. 

Ice cream is a must!

Thing is the membership uses Telegram, which is a 17+ app so we had to lift the age restriction on his phone to download and use it. When we put back the age restriction, the app disappeared. Looks like we'll do this once a year :p

The next day, we went to Asia Grand at Fairmont for lunch with the grands. Kids had noodles, Peking duck rolls and xlb; they don't eat dim sum much. The adults unfortunately overate dim sum *.* Had to pack quite a bit.

And back at the grands', we ate more! Kids had their usual snacks with TV and adults had coffee/tea. But there's also ice cream for everyone - again, a non-cake "cake".

Candle was supported by blu-tack!

And that wasn't it. Coz the following week was HBL week for Kai due to the sec 4s having "O" and "N" levels orals and listening comprehension. Extended birthday weekend woohoo!

But he had a lot of work, especially on Monday. He had more time to read Harry Potter on other days

Reading before the rest of us woke

Big boy thing? From not wanting to read all these years to reading Harry Potter every day for the past few weeks. He's now at the seventh book. He finished the series last week. Usually, he plays chess on the iPad and came in to nua with us a bit before bedtime. While he was reading the series, he read after his last match - he cannot start a new game after 9pm.

Or is it a Harry Potter thing? :p If so, how to get him hooked on new books?? We shall see...

On Wednesday, we went to Macs for lunch, in a way making up for the missed Macs breakfast on his birthday. He ate two meals minus one drink!

Teen trying to hide from my camera..

Big big boy at playground after Macs

Wanted to bring him out for brunch on Friday but Sito and I were very hungry after our dental appointments (made before the HBL was confirmed) so we ate at Tanglin Halt hawker centre and packed beehoon for him. He had CCA that afternoon and was away until evening. Just like that, HBL week was over! So was his extended birthday weekend!

It's amazing that our firstborn is now a teen. It's bewildering that this 1.7m tall 13yo boy is still coming to our bed almost every night to talk about chess, to nua, to do random things like pluck our leg hairs...!

Naughty boy trying to pluck my leg hairs!

Grow up, boy. But not too fast. Actually, grow up la. But slow down, pleeeease...

Parents are conflictec, sighs...

NE Show

I just realised I didn't mention anything about Kai's NE Show in 2023. Probably busy with his birthday and moving. In fact, I didn't write anything the month we moved!

He has now forgotten much of it but he said he kind of enjoyed it. I know for sure he enjoyed his supper at Macs downstairs after Papa fetched him back!

On his way to NE Show on 15 Jul 2023

Back then, the P5s wore their red level tees for camp and NE Show. But this year, Yang's batch has no level tee and wore the corporate tee instead.

Posing with one clapper - the other one didn't make it home

I was too sleepy last night and didn't take a picture of him coming home with a mobile fan on his neck and a sausage in his mouth/hand - so cute. And way too energetic for 11 pm!

Yes, he got home very late. The school expected 9.30 pm and Sito set off only at 9 pm but the kids didn't get on the bus at Padang until 9.45 pm! Heard from Yang they waited an hour to get on their bus *.*

On the other hand, I saw from Kai's class parents chat that they got back to school about 9.45 pm. But the chat wasn't so active then so it could have been later - Sito said Kai's bus was the last to reach.

Anyway, Yang enjoyed the NE Show :) He showed us his temporary tattoos on his hands last night (and I showed him mine from back in 2006 this morning!) and excitedly took out what remained in his fun pack this morning - he finished up all the snacks and even the NEWater. 

His dinner was super early, in school before they left for Padang, so he was hungry during the show and after. Sito had wanted to get him some nuggets but we went to the pasar malam at Bishan with his brothers earlier and so got him two Taiwan sausages instead. Um, all processed food so eat something less frequently eaten? :p

While in Bishan, Kai was wondering what Yang would have for dinner. He said he had McGriddles in 2023. Turned out Yang had a burger, some "waffle-shaped hashbrowns" and a cake he didn't like, but didn't know what it was from *.*

Anyway, Yang woke quite early this morning at 7.40 am. Still looking energetic. Hope he can sleep more tonight...

Kai's first kitchen session for FCE

I remember that boys started doing home economics since at least YQ's time, i.e. 5y younger than me, coz he brought back some unrecognisable food thingies...

Now it's no longer "home econs" but "food and consumer education" (FCE). I bet no more sewing!!! Sewing was a nightmare back then - I broke Mother's sewing machine more than once, oops... But I ended up top in home econs in Sec 2 💁🏻

Anyway, I saw friends posting their son's culinary adventures in school so I was looking forward to Kai's turn. But when he came home yesterday and pulled out a plastic bag containing some soggy thing out of his pocket, I was honestly quite appalled...

It was supposed to be a burrito but condensation and time (and the plastic bag in his pocket) did nasty things to the presentation... Smells quite good though... Chef Kai begged not to eat it. I claimed a weak stomach - true ok! But Sito gamely tried it and finished it all!

Egg, lettuce, tomato and mushroom with some chilli mayo sauce

The best thing about this? Kai asked me whether I had reheated it to 60degrees 👍  Happy to know he's learnt about food safety!

I must remember to give him his FCE kit and a lunchbox for his next kitchen session! Looking forward to trying his food!

Excursion to JB

Two of us took a little excursion to JB on Wednesday :) Not Legoland, just the malls near the checkpoint.

After Sito did a recce, we brought the kids there twice - once from BP, once from HV. This time, we left the kids in school :p Yu wasn't pleased when he heard about it haha!

After our last trip which saw us waiting ages for the 950 bus from Woodlands, we decided to take the MRT to BP to take one of two buses available there. And it was super fast - according to SimplyGo, we took the MRT at 8.14 am, walked and waited for 10min, boarded 170 at 8.52 am and reached JB checkpoint at 9.37 am. 

Clearing immigrations was a breeze. But most autogates at SG side are for QR code only; I didn't have it so had to use one of the limited number of gates for passport. I immediately downloaded the app for return trip. Over at JB side, we used our passports at autogates too - hope the kids can use them too!

We reached Komtar JBCC before it even opened... Nvm, Macs there was open so we had breakfast while I WhatsApp-ed for a pedicure appointment for 10.15 am. 

Sito went to Popular while I had my toes done. When I was done some 30min later, I found a massage place right next door so Sito came over. And he told me he had explored the mall and I had gone to the wrong place - my appointment was for another nail parlour 🤦‍♀️  The names were too similar! No wonder it was slightly cheaper than online...

Anyway, the massage was very good, gosh... I realised it's the same chain as the one we used to go to in City Square, which is now undergoing renovations.

Lunch at Tony Roma's!

It's not in the picture but of course we had the onion loaf! We skipped the ribs though - not sure about beef ribs...

Then it was time for shopping - a puzzle book at Popular, and some snacks for us and the kids. 

We hopped over to City Square to grab some Ming Ang stuff - so yummy! We bought 10 char siew shao bao, five milk pies, one wife biscuit and one chicken pie, and finished everything yesterday :p Nope, the kids didn't want any.

The journey back was less smooth though. SimplyGo - yes, I like this app - says we started the 4-min bus ride from JB at 2.32 pm, but waited until 3.19 pm for 950 to Woodlands bus interchange! We saw many 160 and 170 buses coming and going. Veteran auntie next to us said usually no more than 15 min. So we were unlucky... Next time, just take the other buses to change at other MRT stations.

But still ok for the kids. Kai got home while we were on the train but the brothers reached home just before us. We reached HV in time for Paradise tea time discount but missed our milk man. So this week, we bought milk from the supermarket instead of having it delivered - 8kg!!!

Quite a nice excursion - enjoyed the pampering, eating and shopping :) The distance and time spent are like going to Jewel but at a fraction of the cost! Can't wait for RTS now :)

Yang turns 11 :)

After P1 when Yang's birthday fell on the day before the start of term 3, it had been during term time until this year - last Friday of term break with a weekend to go before the new term started. So he was very happy :)

And then, I thought we didn't do anything fun during the term break apart from our Legoland trip and was feeling a bit sad for the kids, especially Yang who had been working hard through the break. So we decided kind of last-minute, that we should go cycling!

Got the kids' assurance that they would try to learn. Coz no training wheels for Kai's size, and likely none for Yang's too. So when the weather looked good last Friday, we chop chop set off after breakfast!

The last time we went was two years ago when we were still at BP. So the journey this time was really easier - MRT to Haw Par Villa and changed to a bus which dropped us right at the cycling kiosk. Told JY about it at breakfast and they decided to come along too. 

Just two days ago, we met for dinner at Le Shrimp, and the six boys were running all over Star Vista. Later when I told Yu that Auntie JY said nightmare to have six sons, he gave me a nice retort - twice the cuteness! 💕  This round, the five boys - K1 doing holiday homework - were each busy with cycling so no nightmare :p

I demonstrated how to cycle and then Sito and I stood around to watch them try. It took an hour or so before Yang finally managed to do it! What perseverance, what an achievement! So happy for him! I think this was the best birthday present he could give himself :)

He already took received presents from the grands two weeks ago, and we also got him True Singapore Ghost Stories book 1. Do we count the Lego sword? Ah well...

Anyway, Yang soon cycled (slowly) into Kai who was stationary and sustained some bruises on his legs and an abrasion on his left forearm. Maybe due to that and the heat, he felt very tired.

Resting on the ground under a tree

Kai got it next, after we changed his mountain bike (is that what it's called??) to a city bike, and could eventually go further and more steadily than Yang. Yu couldn't do it and asked for training wheels. We didn't give in. Towards the the of our two hours, he managed to cycle a short distance - he can probably nail it next time!

Said bye bye to our friends and left for lunch at Clementi. These kids like ice cream so it was Swensen's! And this was the first time we had their student deals - very good as it's the same as their usual but cheaper!

Firehouse birthday sundae without whipped cream for Yang :)

After lunch activities included shopping and cutting hair for Yang and Yu - Kai cut his the Saturday before but his brothers refused then 🤷‍♀️ Lucky it was a weekday else it would be very crowded to cut just before a new school term!

Strawberry cake as requested :)

And yes, pyjamas party! Coz they showered and changed before dinner. They all wanted my spaghetti for dinner. I was very tired but it was an easy meal even though I had not defrosted any meat ahead of time - just use my fave IQF minced beef, yeah! I think I have perfected the laziest one-pot, three-ingredient spaghetti, four if you include tomato paste from a tube :p

Cake was a great dessert after dinner and before our usual Friday movie night. All in, a wonderful birthday for Yang, I hope :)

Another strawberry cake as requested!

Ahhh, didn't realised AhYee got blocked - she's the one who gets cakes usually, and these are amazing cakes!

Headed to Crystal Jade La Mian XLB for dinner. We haven't been there since we moved back to HV and it closed after June so we just made it! Kids had their usual kosong noodles and a tray of xlb each. But they were more interested in playing with the grands' phones 🤦‍♀️ 

And yesterday, Facebook reminded me of a photo of Yang and his bear bear from 11 years ago, when his bear bear was bigger than him! I had to ask Yang to recreate the scene :p

How my baby has grown!

In the past few months, Yang has become somewhat meatier. I think Kai put on some meat around this age too but look at his thin frame now... So, Yang, eat more!

But how the bear bear has shrunk, no thanks to my frequent washing since Yang decided to hug this to sleep some time this year! 11yo and still super cute, he would tuck bear bear into his PJs with its head sticking out and snuggling his neck. Too cute, I cannot....

Might as well add another photo from yesterday. Papa has been helping Yang meditate before bedtime for a number of days now, starting during term break? We want him to learn how to focus better. Last night, Yu decided to join them. I thought I heard Yu calling me and thought they were done. 

But I went in and saw this scene ❤️ 

Happy birthday to my sweetest middle child, Yang Yang! Hope you enjoyed your day, and benefit from these usually 1-1 meditation sessions with Papa :)

First extraction; last milk teeth

I had a stressful 45min today.

Kai was starting lunch when he decided to act on a shaking tooth on his left lower jaw. Then it got stuck - hanging out but couldn't be pulled out.

Brought him to the nearest dentist on the same stretch as Fairprice. After having to wait for a while for the grouchy receptionist and giving Kai's IC number, I was told that the earliest he could be seen was 2 pm or it would be tmr. Coz lunch time.

Hello, I reached at 12.40 pm and said his tooth was hanging out! Why couldn't they just tell me lunch time straight away and even ask for his details??!

Ok, our timing also sucks. I gave my details for 2 pm but the moment we stepped out, I asked Sito to help find another one coz my phone low battery.

Sito called three more in our neighbourhood and had two more unfriendly receptionists saying lunch time too. The third sounded very warm and understanding when she heard it was a kid ("Oh, milk teeth?"), and gave us a 1.30 pm appointment. It was barely 1 pm but we walked over immediately. We were registered immediately and beckoned in within five minutes. 

The dentist was a young lady, friendly and helpful. I was afraid Kai might be losing his adult tooth as my records showed I had the milk tooth in that position already, and there was another tooth right in front of it which might be knocking against it. 

But the dentist assured me that it was his baby first molar. She also looked at my picture of Kai's tooth box (which I hurriedly took before leaving the house) and told me that one of the teeth was wrongly placed. 

Phew!

Anyway, she suggested removing the first molar on the right side too as the adult tooth had already erupted in front of it. But we had to convince Kai -  he had never had an extraction before and was afraid it might be painful. In the end, the dangling one was more painful 🤷‍♀️ And the numbing gel tasted like candy :p

So that's it, Kai has no more milk tooth!

I took the opportunity to ask the dentist about braces. She herself does Invisalign for straightforward (ha!) cases; she assessed that Kai might be able to do Invisalign but would need a specialist to confirm.

We were done by 1.15 pm, a good 45min before the silly 2 pm appointment at the other dentist! This dentist is more expensive though. But I don't want Kai to suffer more. 

So now, it's time to research braces... We have time as he still has at least one empty space waiting for its adult tooth to emerge...

Hot hot Legoland

After a wet trip in March, we were rewarded with a super dry trip this time :)

But it was hot. Very hot. Too hot!

Wednesday, 11 June

Used a different car company this time, contact from JY. Car was Innova vs. the usual Starex. It was smaller but no less comfy, especially for a short trip. Best part was that it was a third cheaper plus we didn't need to get off the car to clear immigration. In fact, we tried using QR code for the first time - it was so quick! Good job, ICA!

Ride was smooth. Immigration was quick. Dropped off our suitcase and headed to Legoland!

So hot that even Kai had no objections to the observation tower

Yang and Yu took on the pumping role for the way to the rescue!

Boat cruise with brolly

Yes, my hat couldn't make it. It covered too low and I couldn't see. For this heat, my usual cap also wouldn't help. Happy to have brolly.

Sito sat with girls while his boys were playing a small game outside the city stage

Enough heat. We checked in, unpacked a little and Sito set up a console game that we bought recently just for Legoland stays! The kids played a bit before heading to AEON for dinner at our fave restaurant, Vivo Pizza!

They spotted this display

But we didn't watch the show. No time. Then last night, the Jackie Chan Karate Kid movie from over 10y ago was showing on TV so we watched it. Bought some lok lok - our first time! - and Blackball desserts after our usual massage and went back to the apartment.

They were enjoying themselves

Thursday, 12 June

Day 2 is always water park day! I just got my period, unfortunately, so I didn't get to enjoy the water on such a hot day :( Nvm, just watch the kids ba!

Silly Kai kept getting the bucket to pour water over him!

Waiting for the big bucket ~ every 15min

I hid in the shade while they spent long time in the wave pool

I was shocked to see this small one carrying this down the steps!

Coz Papa found a twin one, and Yu insisted on bringing the single one back instead of leaving it there. He looked so tiny... Later, Yang brought one up to play - he's big enough to do it safely.

The twin float

This time, we went to Paradigm Mall for rock climbing after our usual lunch at Tian Lai - yes, must eat crab :p But this time, I couldn't eat my full share of the two crabs coz I was too full! Anyway, Yang first suggested rock climbing. The brothers were also keen so we ditched AEON this time.

Awww, so sweet! Or just kidding?!

Yang was more fearful of heights so he went up to 4-5m max

Kai managed to reach the top twice - via the pink and then red trails!

Yu went up to about 6m; he couldn't get past the black part in the middle of the photo above. But good first attempt.

We had a funny ride home. I always tell them to put on seatbelts after entering a car. This trip, the driver said nvm, no one would catch us for not wearing seatbelts. Um, hello, I was more concerned about our safety than whether anyone would catch us! 

Kai didn't bother with the seatbelt at first. Then along the way, he suddenly looked for his seatbelt. Later when I told the boys that the uncle wasn't right when he thought I was concerned about being caught, and that it was because at the speed we were going (~100kmh at parts), any accident would be fatal without seatbelts, Kai said he saw the speed on the dashboard so he went for his seatbelt! Hope they all learn the importance of seatbelts..

The uncle also shot his mouth off on other things, like should find a job instead of studying, more important to earn money early. Wth?! But glad the boys weren't listening.

We all slept earlier. Too tired. Probably the sun.

Friday, 13 June

Back to Legoland. But too hot. We left for lunch at the new Nanyang Cafe, went to Sea Life to cool down, and took a few rides before we gave up and left for AEON. This Nanyang Cafe was so good! Sito had char kway teow, I had mee siam and the boys chicken bolognese.

"I'm worthy too!!" :p

Two boys were very bright :p

Watched a show to escape the heat - I like Kai's smile here :)

New flower display at mini land! Smelly Rafflesia

Sito and mf 💕 

Thanks to Yang, we have a nice shot of just the two of us :) This time, I was lazy and didn't gather us all for a family shot. Just play. Anyway, too hot to pose outside!

Top of the board!

Yu got over 300k points on Saturday but he was only third - stronger players present that day... I think I can play until fingers cramp and I still won't hit this kind of score!

Ice cream before dinner :p

Sito brought Kai and Yu to read at Popular while Yang and I sat outside. Yang had an itchy eye and was not feeling too good. We got him some eyedrops and it got better. 

Dinner was at Nando's. First time for the boys and they liked it! Yeah, one more option for us too!

This bola - doughtnut sandwich with custard filling - was yummy!

Went for massage again. Sito and I had even better therapists this time round. He's still not feeling his heels and I'm still feeling the soreness in my arches. Shiok! 

Oh, we also had a free supper at the massage place. Yu ate more siew mai than Sito *.* I didn't have anything this time though I had a nice kueh on Wednesday. Think it was in March that we first had some food before/after massage. The outlet always has them but we didn't try in the earlier years. Wasted haha! Coz quite yummy.

Blackball was on the late supper menu again. The kids said it was the last night so they stayed up late, even later than poor tired Mama!

Saturday, 14 June

Very soon, it was our last day... Like Friday, we split into two groups and I went with Yu. Yu was again the first kid at the boating school. 

Last we took this aeroplane ride was pre-COVID!

While waiting for Yu at the driving school, I thought I was experiencing what it was like to have an only child - there was time to focus on him and observe him. He drove carefully and stuck to the correct lanes. He gave way at junctions and was so pleasant the whole time :)

Sito book robotics slots for Yang and Yu. Yu and I barely made it there in time! This time, the system and sets were slightly different from March. Yu said it was easier in March. 

They had to measure number of wheel rotations etc

Cotton candy finally!

We went for a sit-down lunch at Nanyang Cafe. Sito had mee rubus and the rest of us had toast and polo bun. Yang and Yu had their wish finally - Milo dino! Next trip, we will have breakfast here :)

Fast forward to today...

We just dismantled five LEGO swords of varying sizes, breaking a few pieces here and there. Finally got the kids to agree to dismantling them by getting them actual swords from Legoland!

Posing with his sword before it was taken apart

Time to book our next trip? :)