I find myself pretty uninterested in reading about baby sleep and feed etc. Perhaps I think that I can handle it since this won't be my first time.
Instead, I'm more interested in how to handle a toddler and a newborn - how to nap, how to sleep, how to go out, how to engage both etc. But it's hard to find relevant information - often, articles are more relevant for stay-at-home mums. My concern is more of what happens when I return to work.
Nowadays, ZK gets out of bed at about 6.30 am to have his morning milk. I may lie down on the sofa with him and wash up when he's up playing, or go wash up while he drinks. If he wakes before that, I'll stall for time in bed. If he wakes later, I'll get ready for work first. We usually leave the house between 7.15 am and 7.30 am to get him to playgroup.
ZK usually wants to walk out of the house. I would let him walk the whole way to school but (a) he likes to wander and it's not safe cos of the cars and the huge drains, and (b) he usually wants me to carry at some point and it's damn siong for me now. So I like to coax him into the stroller just past the junction. Usually, we managed to reach school with him in the stroller. A hug and a kiss later, he forgets about me amid breakfast while I leave straight for work. If it's late, I'll say byebye to him at the junction and let Y push him to school.
In the evening, I'll leave office at 6 pm and reach home by 6.45 pm. That gives me just enough time to put his dinner together - everything is cooked but I'll chop up the fried egg, cut up the vegetables and pull apart some meat to mix into his rice. Then he comes home with Y, washes his hands and feet - or rather, has his hands and feet washed! - and gets settled into his high chair.
But with 小马哥, I'll have to nurse and pump in the morning. Either I spend less time with ZK to do that or I spend more time on that and risk an increasingly impatient ZK. Also, it was difficult to prepare for work when ZK was an infant so I usually sent him to school first and returned to prepare. I don't know how it would be like with 小马哥 but it's ok - at most I go to work without makeup or leave my makeup in office.
With 小马哥, ZK can still have the stroller - better to strap down the mobile one! - while I sling his brother. But I have my doubts he will guai guai sit in the stroller - he'll probably want me to carry him instead/too! So the other option is to put 小马哥 into the stroller and walk ZK - he'll be old enough to walk all the way! I only hope he won't be jealous over the stroller! Else I have the umbrella stroller but that will be for ZK only as 小马哥 will still be too fragile for that rocky frame.
And in the evening, I can't have Y pick up two kids on her own, which means that I'll have to reach the school before 7 pm - it can be a rush if I leave work at 6 pm. My hours are 8.30 am to 6 pm, which are already not enough hours to finish up work. I can't usually reach office by 8 am so if I leave work before 6 pm, I'll have to bring laptop home every day! I'm already contemplating digging out the old Samsonite laptop bag for this purpose - it can also hold my pumping essentials. But I remember I was usually quite tired after settling ZK.. And this time, I'll have to settle two kids!
And settling two kids after work! Another challenge! Now I have dinner with ZK, which is really nice. I may have to nurse 小马哥 while ZK eats. Maybe I can feed myself too before he starts solids - see how; if not, dinner will be closer to 9 pm. I can probably send 小马哥 to bed right after nursing. Maybe I'll leave Y to shower ZK while I do that. 小马哥 will get a bath in school in mid afternoon so I won't bother bathing him in the evening for quite a while - I mean, even ZK is not getting an evening shower on weekdays yet, unless he's terribly dirty, like today. But I think he will need a pre-bed shower every day when he turns two and gets even dirtier and sweatier with the hot July weather!
All done, I can finally shower and get down to some work. Will probably need to pump before I turn in. What a long day! Just thinking about the routine and logistical challenges makes my head swell *.*
And I haven't go to the weekends when I'll have both on my hands! On weekends, ZK naps once at about 1 pm or sometimes twice at about 10 am and 4 pm. At the beginning, 小马哥 will just nap whenever but soon, I'll train him to nap twice a day at 10 am and 2 pm. It's best if ZK can nap once at 1 pm so that we can go out after 小马哥 wakes. But it may be difficult keeping him awake when I'm putting his brother down for his morning nap.. Maybe we won't be going out much *.*
And when we go out, we'll probably use public transport - one parent to each kid. We thought of bringing Y out with us. But I just heard from TO that she and her husband never brought her helper out on weekends so that they could spend family time with their FOUR kids, or even when they had only two. Surely we can rise to the challenge? Just messy at meal time. Mum's car won't be able to take Y along anyway. In fact, with 小马哥, I'll probably sling him and strap myself down cos there probably isn't space for a second car seat!
Now unless we get a car ourselves.. But (a) it's so expensive, and (b) Sito doesn't like to drive and I'm a road hazard *.* It's a very tempting thought though, especially if we decide to go for another kid. I always see this father at school, handling three kids on his own. He let the older two out first to wait for him beside the car or at the gate while he picks up the infant - fuss free. But wait, his older two are GIRLS, not boys, not ZK *.*
Finally, night sleep! ZK slept alone at five weeks. But I don't think I can put 小马哥 in his bed in the same room as ZK at five weeks. First of all, they will probably wake each other up in the middle of the night. Second, ZK does like to sayang young babies but he may not be aware of his relative strength, which could be dangerous for my littler one! So we'll probably keep 小马哥 in the bassinet a little longer. I just hope that wouldn't pose a problem when we eventually transit him to the other room..
So, yes, all my logistical challenges in one long post! Hope to get things settled out and rehearsed during my maternity leave... And then, after a while, we can decide if a third kid will complete or kill us!
Wednesday, 28 May 2014
Tuesday, 27 May 2014
Update at 34w2d
Went to see the doc again today. I gained 1.5 kg in three weeks, of which 0.5 kg went to baby. Baby is now 2.3 kg, with less than six weeks to go. Also did pre-admissions today. Came home with some antibiotics cos I had strep B the last time. So I was told to the meds from 36 weeks.
Decided to take sick leave today to rest - had gastric from about 4 pm yesterday. And last night, the older boy started banging on his door when he heard Sito at about 11 pm. We went in and he wanted to join us in our room: "一起", he said. And when I told him he gotta sleep on his own, he started crying. So poor thing, how to reject him further? So we brought him into our bed. When Sito went out to do work, he asked for him - he's so used to us flanking him now!
ZK fell asleep by midnight but it wasn't until at least 1 am that I dozed off - (a) space was scarce, and (b) little baby was having a great time dancing inside! And when I woke at 3 am to turn my poor body aching from trying to accommodate ZK, his brother started dancing again! I think he likes having ZK around?
The one inside has been super active since yesterday. I could feel my belly stretched in funny ways the entire day, even when I was on the move. I think that could have accounted for his umbilical cord going round the back of his neck now. The doc didn't seem concerned; he just said we would monitor. Anyway, little baby is still having fun now. Will be back to see the doc in two weeks.
Oh, I was saying I'm on sick leave today. But I took a little tour around Orchard to get some toiletries. And I did foot reflexology on the way home :) I like this auntie's massage style but she couldn't stop talking. Although at one point, I was glad to hear that 我保养得好 - my face is not swollen, neither are my feet! I remember the last time with ZK, I had balloons for feet by now..
Made myself some mee sua soup for lunch and had to step out again to go to M1 to recontract our fibre broadband cos I called the company after lunch to ask about a bill item and found that I would be billed for some stuff after contract ends next month - and the current promo ends tmr! Argh! Lost two hours work-wise; thought I could work on some stuff at home without any disturbance..
Anyway, better get started on work. Want to take a shower before ZK comes home so that I can send him to bed tonight :)
Update the next day
Was cutting my nails and remembered something - with ZK inside, my nails grew super fast; with 小马哥 inside, my nails are super white, as in I've got french manicure less the shine!
And, I'm feeling kind of paranoid about my belly button - it feels as if it's going to leap off me anytime *.*
Update the 30 min later
I'm trying to work but this little baby is such a cute distraction - my belly is being contorted into various shapes. And when I respond by pushing my belly, he pushes back! I'm so looking forward to him :) And I'm thinking of extending my leave - just found that I miscalculated earlier and could afford to take three more weeks of leave!
Decided to take sick leave today to rest - had gastric from about 4 pm yesterday. And last night, the older boy started banging on his door when he heard Sito at about 11 pm. We went in and he wanted to join us in our room: "一起", he said. And when I told him he gotta sleep on his own, he started crying. So poor thing, how to reject him further? So we brought him into our bed. When Sito went out to do work, he asked for him - he's so used to us flanking him now!
ZK fell asleep by midnight but it wasn't until at least 1 am that I dozed off - (a) space was scarce, and (b) little baby was having a great time dancing inside! And when I woke at 3 am to turn my poor body aching from trying to accommodate ZK, his brother started dancing again! I think he likes having ZK around?
The one inside has been super active since yesterday. I could feel my belly stretched in funny ways the entire day, even when I was on the move. I think that could have accounted for his umbilical cord going round the back of his neck now. The doc didn't seem concerned; he just said we would monitor. Anyway, little baby is still having fun now. Will be back to see the doc in two weeks.
Oh, I was saying I'm on sick leave today. But I took a little tour around Orchard to get some toiletries. And I did foot reflexology on the way home :) I like this auntie's massage style but she couldn't stop talking. Although at one point, I was glad to hear that 我保养得好 - my face is not swollen, neither are my feet! I remember the last time with ZK, I had balloons for feet by now..
Made myself some mee sua soup for lunch and had to step out again to go to M1 to recontract our fibre broadband cos I called the company after lunch to ask about a bill item and found that I would be billed for some stuff after contract ends next month - and the current promo ends tmr! Argh! Lost two hours work-wise; thought I could work on some stuff at home without any disturbance..
Anyway, better get started on work. Want to take a shower before ZK comes home so that I can send him to bed tonight :)
Update the next day
Was cutting my nails and remembered something - with ZK inside, my nails grew super fast; with 小马哥 inside, my nails are super white, as in I've got french manicure less the shine!
And, I'm feeling kind of paranoid about my belly button - it feels as if it's going to leap off me anytime *.*
Update the 30 min later
I'm trying to work but this little baby is such a cute distraction - my belly is being contorted into various shapes. And when I respond by pushing my belly, he pushes back! I'm so looking forward to him :) And I'm thinking of extending my leave - just found that I miscalculated earlier and could afford to take three more weeks of leave!
Thursday, 22 May 2014
ZK at over 22 months
The past couple of months have been hectic. Yesterday, I finally finished my last (hopefully!) presentation before I go off to be a cow later next month. Finally I have some time to upload photos and give some update on my ever-growing ZK.
25 April
ZK opened his mouth for the toothbrushes! Yes, two toothbrushes! One was a training toothbrush whose bristles had been bitten off here and there, and the other was a rubber one that should go on my finger but ended up over his training toothbrush, if that makes any sense at all...
Perfect chance to examine his gums through all that giggling. And I did find his right lateral incisor and right bottom molar peeking through his bottom gums!
My baby is so much more smiley now compared to his early days :) And what a lovely smile he has! :)
26 April
Put up a koi streamer for ZK :) It's so much better than the homemade one last year - and it's only $2. No prize for guessing where I got it from :p
Sito lined the blocks horizontally and caught ZK's interest. He lined them up and pushed them around like trains - boys!
We ended up at Waraku@Vivocity for dinner. ZK had curry udon! I tried to cut up my chicken cutlet for him but he pointed to it and went "big" *.* So I gave him a chunk to hold in his hand - he ate it!
He entertained himself with Sito's wallet and cards while waiting for food. He was being very OCD about aligning the cards and pushing them off into my hands *.*
He was fussing at the end of dinner and the staff gave him a pack of six airplanes! He was happy! I gave him one to play with and he swiftly broke a wing *.*
There was some dance thing just outside the restaurant and we stopped to watch a bit. Then, ZK started dancing in Papa's arms! He has been dancing to the radio at home too. And with good rhythm ok!
Looking grouchy here...
28 April
Cockroach in the house early in the morning :( This was the second one already! The first was tiny but this one was bigger! I told ZK to stay on the sofa with me while Y got rid of the pest. ZK said "cockroach... 要!" *.*
The reno upstairs must be driving the pests everywhere :( But just this Monday morning, I woke to find a cockroach in the bedroom - that was probably due to the downpour at dawn. ZK also 要...
30 April
My poor baby was looking down at my old phone and walked into the edge of the door frame :( The spot bulged up almost immediately. I felt so 心痛! Y said the swelling would go down the next day - and it did. But that night, I had a big scare when I was googling about bumps to the head. ZK suddenly had a running nose after the bump. I read how brainjuice fluid could leak due to a head injury! But thankfully, it was once-off and ZK did have some running nose for a few days after, with yellow snot, yucks..
1 May
He messed up the meesua box! I can't remember whether he started throwing them away or I told him to *.*
And on this day, I saw him eat his own boogers *.* We were on the train to Kel's place. He was quite well-behaved despite the long journey. He even sang the whole "twinkle twinkle little star"! And then, he dug something out and ate it! He dug out another bit but I caught it in time and wiped it off him. He said 要 *.*
I was a little sad that he could manage twinkle but not the Mandarin version - after all the Mandarin I spoke in almost two years, he seems better at English after being in playgroup for a few months!
He snacked a lot at Kel's place - OCK curry puff, yam cake, spring roll, chiffon cake, brownies. And he didn't nap until we got on the cab - by then he was awake for some eight hours! Record! He woke some time after we met the rest of the family at Serangoon Gardens to celebrate Dad's birthday.
What's going on??
Caught this at the end of a smile as the candle was blown - he was starting to enjoy it when it ended!
But wait, there's still the yummy chocolate cake! The staff were very nice - gave him first and a big piece at that!
On this day, he said his first four-letter word: 还没有到 :) It sounded more like 还谬到 for 还没到!
Later I realised he said bear bear biscuit before but well, that has a repeated word :p
3 May
We had a good dinner at the new ramen place downstairs. Good as in ZK ate very well! :) Then he went dancing in Cold Storage to some latin tunes. I think he likes Spanish - the next day, he was dancing to the ABC song in Spanish. Was it because I was learning Spanish in early pregnancy?? :)
Sang twinkle to him in Mandarin and realised he knew the Mandarin version too! Just not the whole thing, but still, phew!
6 May
This morning, we let him sleep on our bed after he woke and started banging on his door, refusing to go back to sleep. And he slept until 7.30 am!
He woke well rested and happy, and became happier when he saw a door at our lift landing and another downstairs!
This day, the school invite Queenstown NPC to teach the kids about the police! Teacher D sent me a picture of ZK wearing a police cap - no wonder he has been quite keen to wear his cap these days! I saw more pictures in school - the older kids got to sit in the policy car! So fun :)
Source: Teacher D
7 May
I was teaching him about tails - Penguin has a tail, DD has a tail, MM has a tail; does ZK have a tail? He would touch his backside ^.^ This evening, I asked him if the giraffe on his wall decal had a tail, and he pointed to its tail!
10 May
Sorted out his work from school this morning while he was in school. My fave:
The other day, he suddenly said what sounded like "doctor" - be my guest! Haha!
Spent some time at home colouring - love it when he says "colour paper" :)
He started singing the complete ABC song - in tune but with funny pronunciations and oh so cute! It would have been even cuter if he had sung it during normal waking time, not when he was supposed to nap!
We had dinner at JPot and he was very very happy after that, running around in Vivocity and screaming happy little screams!
Of course he was happy - he ate almost all the pho that came with the set! We had to go out for some carbs after settling him in bed. But before that, we gave him a disastrous haircut with a new hair shaver that just arrived this morning :(
13 May
Vesak Day! Went to AhYee's place for Gramps' death anniversary rites. Managed to catch up with the cousins cos ZK took a nice little nap! And when he woke, he impressed everyone by feeding himself *proud mama*
We went home to rest and play. ZK brought back a second Hello Kitty toy from Macs so we gave it to ZK - it was just nice for him as it was a monkey! I'm keeping My Melody :p I stuffed the kitty into ZK's shirt :p
Then it was time for Mum's birthday dinner. By now, I have taught ZK the happy birthday song and having to blow the candle out so he enjoyed himself a lot!
19 May
Found the bottom left lateral incisor and molar :)
This week
He's still sleeping on the floor *.* Usually, he goes down...
Then, he moves...
I ask him every evening where he should sleep at night - he would point to the door or the floor :( And two Sundays ago, he decided that he wanted to nap on our floor too!
And also on his...
Besides sleeping on the floor, he has also taken to coming over into our bed in the morning. I really wonder how he knows it's near morning already and refused to go back to sleep! Cos in the middle of the night, he always gets up, quietly brings all his toys to the door and sleeps there! I saw him do that once. And then I also saw him wake up, bring everything back to his bed, and start banging at the door *.*
Here's a shot of him with his kitty, I think...
Sito left for Hong Kong on Monday. Tuesday morning, when he came onto our bed, I told him to stay still and wait for me while I went to shhh shhh. He went "怕怕" so I comforted him that it was ok but then he stared at Sito's spot and repeated himself. Then I realised he was saying Papa! Told him Papa was away and went to the toilet. Needless to say, he followed.. And he stood at the toilet - I had to keep the door open so he wouldn't cry, yup... This morning, he told me to go shhh shhh the moment we left his room *.*
Ah well, we are quite fine with him coming into our bed in the morning. It's quite nice to have him with us - when he isn't abusing either or both of us! It's particularly good if it buys him more sleep. And with 小马哥 on the way, letting him lie with us in the morning may help quench any fear of being relinquished of his baby position. He's still our baby, our big baby :)
25 April
ZK opened his mouth for the toothbrushes! Yes, two toothbrushes! One was a training toothbrush whose bristles had been bitten off here and there, and the other was a rubber one that should go on my finger but ended up over his training toothbrush, if that makes any sense at all...
Perfect chance to examine his gums through all that giggling. And I did find his right lateral incisor and right bottom molar peeking through his bottom gums!
My baby is so much more smiley now compared to his early days :) And what a lovely smile he has! :)
26 April
Put up a koi streamer for ZK :) It's so much better than the homemade one last year - and it's only $2. No prize for guessing where I got it from :p
Sito lined the blocks horizontally and caught ZK's interest. He lined them up and pushed them around like trains - boys!
We ended up at Waraku@Vivocity for dinner. ZK had curry udon! I tried to cut up my chicken cutlet for him but he pointed to it and went "big" *.* So I gave him a chunk to hold in his hand - he ate it!
He entertained himself with Sito's wallet and cards while waiting for food. He was being very OCD about aligning the cards and pushing them off into my hands *.*
He was fussing at the end of dinner and the staff gave him a pack of six airplanes! He was happy! I gave him one to play with and he swiftly broke a wing *.*
There was some dance thing just outside the restaurant and we stopped to watch a bit. Then, ZK started dancing in Papa's arms! He has been dancing to the radio at home too. And with good rhythm ok!
Looking grouchy here...
28 April
Cockroach in the house early in the morning :( This was the second one already! The first was tiny but this one was bigger! I told ZK to stay on the sofa with me while Y got rid of the pest. ZK said "cockroach... 要!" *.*
The reno upstairs must be driving the pests everywhere :( But just this Monday morning, I woke to find a cockroach in the bedroom - that was probably due to the downpour at dawn. ZK also 要...
30 April
My poor baby was looking down at my old phone and walked into the edge of the door frame :( The spot bulged up almost immediately. I felt so 心痛! Y said the swelling would go down the next day - and it did. But that night, I had a big scare when I was googling about bumps to the head. ZK suddenly had a running nose after the bump. I read how brain
1 May
He messed up the meesua box! I can't remember whether he started throwing them away or I told him to *.*
And on this day, I saw him eat his own boogers *.* We were on the train to Kel's place. He was quite well-behaved despite the long journey. He even sang the whole "twinkle twinkle little star"! And then, he dug something out and ate it! He dug out another bit but I caught it in time and wiped it off him. He said 要 *.*
I was a little sad that he could manage twinkle but not the Mandarin version - after all the Mandarin I spoke in almost two years, he seems better at English after being in playgroup for a few months!
He snacked a lot at Kel's place - OCK curry puff, yam cake, spring roll, chiffon cake, brownies. And he didn't nap until we got on the cab - by then he was awake for some eight hours! Record! He woke some time after we met the rest of the family at Serangoon Gardens to celebrate Dad's birthday.
What's going on??
Caught this at the end of a smile as the candle was blown - he was starting to enjoy it when it ended!
But wait, there's still the yummy chocolate cake! The staff were very nice - gave him first and a big piece at that!
On this day, he said his first four-letter word: 还没有到 :) It sounded more like 还谬到 for 还没到!
Later I realised he said bear bear biscuit before but well, that has a repeated word :p
3 May
We had a good dinner at the new ramen place downstairs. Good as in ZK ate very well! :) Then he went dancing in Cold Storage to some latin tunes. I think he likes Spanish - the next day, he was dancing to the ABC song in Spanish. Was it because I was learning Spanish in early pregnancy?? :)
Sang twinkle to him in Mandarin and realised he knew the Mandarin version too! Just not the whole thing, but still, phew!
6 May
This morning, we let him sleep on our bed after he woke and started banging on his door, refusing to go back to sleep. And he slept until 7.30 am!
He woke well rested and happy, and became happier when he saw a door at our lift landing and another downstairs!
This day, the school invite Queenstown NPC to teach the kids about the police! Teacher D sent me a picture of ZK wearing a police cap - no wonder he has been quite keen to wear his cap these days! I saw more pictures in school - the older kids got to sit in the policy car! So fun :)
Source: Teacher D
7 May
I was teaching him about tails - Penguin has a tail, DD has a tail, MM has a tail; does ZK have a tail? He would touch his backside ^.^ This evening, I asked him if the giraffe on his wall decal had a tail, and he pointed to its tail!
10 May
Sorted out his work from school this morning while he was in school. My fave:
The other day, he suddenly said what sounded like "doctor" - be my guest! Haha!
Spent some time at home colouring - love it when he says "colour paper" :)
He started singing the complete ABC song - in tune but with funny pronunciations and oh so cute! It would have been even cuter if he had sung it during normal waking time, not when he was supposed to nap!
We had dinner at JPot and he was very very happy after that, running around in Vivocity and screaming happy little screams!
Of course he was happy - he ate almost all the pho that came with the set! We had to go out for some carbs after settling him in bed. But before that, we gave him a disastrous haircut with a new hair shaver that just arrived this morning :(
13 May
Vesak Day! Went to AhYee's place for Gramps' death anniversary rites. Managed to catch up with the cousins cos ZK took a nice little nap! And when he woke, he impressed everyone by feeding himself *proud mama*
We went home to rest and play. ZK brought back a second Hello Kitty toy from Macs so we gave it to ZK - it was just nice for him as it was a monkey! I'm keeping My Melody :p I stuffed the kitty into ZK's shirt :p
Then it was time for Mum's birthday dinner. By now, I have taught ZK the happy birthday song and having to blow the candle out so he enjoyed himself a lot!
19 May
Found the bottom left lateral incisor and molar :)
This week
He's still sleeping on the floor *.* Usually, he goes down...
Then, he moves...
I ask him every evening where he should sleep at night - he would point to the door or the floor :( And two Sundays ago, he decided that he wanted to nap on our floor too!
And also on his...
Besides sleeping on the floor, he has also taken to coming over into our bed in the morning. I really wonder how he knows it's near morning already and refused to go back to sleep! Cos in the middle of the night, he always gets up, quietly brings all his toys to the door and sleeps there! I saw him do that once. And then I also saw him wake up, bring everything back to his bed, and start banging at the door *.*
Here's a shot of him with his kitty, I think...
Sito left for Hong Kong on Monday. Tuesday morning, when he came onto our bed, I told him to stay still and wait for me while I went to shhh shhh. He went "怕怕" so I comforted him that it was ok but then he stared at Sito's spot and repeated himself. Then I realised he was saying Papa! Told him Papa was away and went to the toilet. Needless to say, he followed.. And he stood at the toilet - I had to keep the door open so he wouldn't cry, yup... This morning, he told me to go shhh shhh the moment we left his room *.*
Ah well, we are quite fine with him coming into our bed in the morning. It's quite nice to have him with us - when he isn't abusing either or both of us! It's particularly good if it buys him more sleep. And with 小马哥 on the way, letting him lie with us in the morning may help quench any fear of being relinquished of his baby position. He's still our baby, our big baby :)
Wednesday, 21 May 2014
Under the sea!
We were going to bring our monkey to see monkeys on Sunday but it decided to pour so crazily that we had a last-minute change of plans to go to the SEA Aquarium!
Left for lunch downstairs after his morning nap and took one of the most pleasant MRT trips ever, with ZK happily watching AN EXCAVATOR EXCAVATING SAND *.* AGAIN AND AGAIN *.* *.*
Boy... *Mama rolls eyes*
The one he was watching wasn't his fave. His fave is this, which he can dance to:
Yup... So, anyway... :)
It was ZK's first trip to Sentosa, woohoo! Get happier, little one, just one stop away on this little train!
Passed by that gigantic candy store. Doesn't he look like a little man here? "You, go there!"
High five!
We bought our tickets - at $38 per pax! - at Vivocity and skipped the long queues at the aquarium. But we still had to queue a little to go in.
There was an exhibition on Zheng He before we reached the aqaurium proper, and ZK seemed to have been scared by the big head on the junk, complete with blinking red eyes and moving mouth. He became a koala bear from there. Awww...
We managed to coax him down when we got to the fish though!
Fish galore! And most of them were quite ugly...
Our only family shot! ZK remained grouchy..
Dolphins seemed to make him happier! But he kept missing them... Hey, look to your right la! *.*
And then there was no turning back - he was running all over the place! Sometimes, we managed to get hold of him, like here with the sea urchin.
But most of the time, he was running free and happy. Unfortunately, those times are so difficult to capture on camera, argh!
There was some drama at the gift shop cos ZK adores fluffy toys. Yes, in addition to excavators! And he didn't want to leave! We had to remove him physically, and very soon, he forgot all the toys - to think that I almost wanted to get him a dolphin!
We spent only some 90 minutes at the aquarium. By the time we came out, the rain had stopped. We went in search of the Malaysian Food Street to grab a snack - fried Hokkien mee and chendol! ZK had some chendol, with some mess of course.
Then, it was back to Vivocity, where he fell asleep rather quickly - the poor boy was no less tired than us!
Roamed the mall for a while. Sito got a present for ZK's second birthday! Under $10! And combined with my $1.20 present, I think we would have won some most thrifty parent award or something!
We woke him up near dinner time at Waraku - our second time at this outlet, and ZK had curry there again! It was a very easy dinner for two reasons - (a) nothing to complain about curry rice and fried pork cutlet! And (b) EXCAVATOR video!!!
We were out for only half a day but we were so stoned! The parents gave the phone to the kid and stoned the entire journey home. And when we got back, even ZK was tired; he wasn't rowdy at bed time and just rolled quietly until he fell asleep.
Monday morning past 5 am, he came into our room as usual (more on that later) and fell asleep past 6 am. Unfortunately, he woke up shortly cos of a cockroach commotion - I woke to find a roach near the door :( Must be due to the early morning downpour.. Overdid the insecticide but at least the scary thing died. ZK just went "cockroach"... So cute.. Next time, you help me catch ok? :)
Left for lunch downstairs after his morning nap and took one of the most pleasant MRT trips ever, with ZK happily watching AN EXCAVATOR EXCAVATING SAND *.* AGAIN AND AGAIN *.* *.*
Boy... *Mama rolls eyes*
The one he was watching wasn't his fave. His fave is this, which he can dance to:
Yup... So, anyway... :)
It was ZK's first trip to Sentosa, woohoo! Get happier, little one, just one stop away on this little train!
Passed by that gigantic candy store. Doesn't he look like a little man here? "You, go there!"
High five!
We bought our tickets - at $38 per pax! - at Vivocity and skipped the long queues at the aquarium. But we still had to queue a little to go in.
There was an exhibition on Zheng He before we reached the aqaurium proper, and ZK seemed to have been scared by the big head on the junk, complete with blinking red eyes and moving mouth. He became a koala bear from there. Awww...
We managed to coax him down when we got to the fish though!
Fish galore! And most of them were quite ugly...
Our only family shot! ZK remained grouchy..
Dolphins seemed to make him happier! But he kept missing them... Hey, look to your right la! *.*
And then there was no turning back - he was running all over the place! Sometimes, we managed to get hold of him, like here with the sea urchin.
But most of the time, he was running free and happy. Unfortunately, those times are so difficult to capture on camera, argh!
There was some drama at the gift shop cos ZK adores fluffy toys. Yes, in addition to excavators! And he didn't want to leave! We had to remove him physically, and very soon, he forgot all the toys - to think that I almost wanted to get him a dolphin!
We spent only some 90 minutes at the aquarium. By the time we came out, the rain had stopped. We went in search of the Malaysian Food Street to grab a snack - fried Hokkien mee and chendol! ZK had some chendol, with some mess of course.
Then, it was back to Vivocity, where he fell asleep rather quickly - the poor boy was no less tired than us!
Roamed the mall for a while. Sito got a present for ZK's second birthday! Under $10! And combined with my $1.20 present, I think we would have won some most thrifty parent award or something!
We woke him up near dinner time at Waraku - our second time at this outlet, and ZK had curry there again! It was a very easy dinner for two reasons - (a) nothing to complain about curry rice and fried pork cutlet! And (b) EXCAVATOR video!!!
We were out for only half a day but we were so stoned! The parents gave the phone to the kid and stoned the entire journey home. And when we got back, even ZK was tired; he wasn't rowdy at bed time and just rolled quietly until he fell asleep.
Monday morning past 5 am, he came into our room as usual (more on that later) and fell asleep past 6 am. Unfortunately, he woke up shortly cos of a cockroach commotion - I woke to find a roach near the door :( Must be due to the early morning downpour.. Overdid the insecticide but at least the scary thing died. ZK just went "cockroach"... So cute.. Next time, you help me catch ok? :)
Tuesday, 20 May 2014
Flood of emotions
Kel's father passed away on Friday. Sito and I went to the wake on Saturday. I took some time off to go to the funeral service today, and thought of some things on the way back to office after that.
I realised that parents are the least talked about among friends, except when we're complaining. Or at least, that's the case for me. I like to meet my friends' parents - perhaps because I'm always envious of people's relationships with their parents and my closer friends have such nice parents.
Growing up, I saw CY's parents a lot. Such doting parents with gentle voices. Back in those days when people still called the common landline instead of the mobile, I had a long chat - mostly about goldfish - with her father when I called looking for her but she wasn't in. And I'll never forget how auntie convinced Mother to let me go to the class outing after PSLE. We used to visit each other's parents at LNY until ZK came along and it became logistically challenging.
I met Kel's parents in Cambridge when I camped over for his graduation - kind and pleasant folks who fussed over a son who bullied them. I remember chiding him for that. A few years ago, his mother gave me useful advice on preparing for our customary wedding. The last time I saw them together was a few months ago in Vivocity foodcourt, so sweet, out pak tor-ing. Auntie was so warm to us and especially ZK. Uncle was the quieter one but no less smiley.
Sito said the first thing that came to mind when he heard was that we really should spend more time with family. True, we never know when things can change drastically. Kel and I were still chatting rubbish over Whatsapp the day before and the next day, his world suddenly became different.
Weren't we just starting to attend weddings and kids' first month and birthday celebrations? Suddenly, we're also attending another rite of passage - the final one.
Actually, I have not been to a funeral for years, partly because I tend to avoid them especially when I don't know the deceased. But mainly, it was because I missed the funeral of a very important person. And this thought haunts me every now and then, and especially when I know of a funeral. Today, I couldn't stop tearing on the bus back to office cos Grams was in my mind. I saw how Kel's father was sent on his final journey in this world, and thought that Grams must have been sent off with a lot of love as well.
Just told Sito about it over Skype - he's in Hong Kong this week - and started crying again. I realise that I always get emo when I think of my dear Ahmah or talk about her, even if it was just about how kind she was...
I realised that parents are the least talked about among friends, except when we're complaining. Or at least, that's the case for me. I like to meet my friends' parents - perhaps because I'm always envious of people's relationships with their parents and my closer friends have such nice parents.
Growing up, I saw CY's parents a lot. Such doting parents with gentle voices. Back in those days when people still called the common landline instead of the mobile, I had a long chat - mostly about goldfish - with her father when I called looking for her but she wasn't in. And I'll never forget how auntie convinced Mother to let me go to the class outing after PSLE. We used to visit each other's parents at LNY until ZK came along and it became logistically challenging.
I met Kel's parents in Cambridge when I camped over for his graduation - kind and pleasant folks who fussed over a son who bullied them. I remember chiding him for that. A few years ago, his mother gave me useful advice on preparing for our customary wedding. The last time I saw them together was a few months ago in Vivocity foodcourt, so sweet, out pak tor-ing. Auntie was so warm to us and especially ZK. Uncle was the quieter one but no less smiley.
Sito said the first thing that came to mind when he heard was that we really should spend more time with family. True, we never know when things can change drastically. Kel and I were still chatting rubbish over Whatsapp the day before and the next day, his world suddenly became different.
Weren't we just starting to attend weddings and kids' first month and birthday celebrations? Suddenly, we're also attending another rite of passage - the final one.
Actually, I have not been to a funeral for years, partly because I tend to avoid them especially when I don't know the deceased. But mainly, it was because I missed the funeral of a very important person. And this thought haunts me every now and then, and especially when I know of a funeral. Today, I couldn't stop tearing on the bus back to office cos Grams was in my mind. I saw how Kel's father was sent on his final journey in this world, and thought that Grams must have been sent off with a lot of love as well.
Just told Sito about it over Skype - he's in Hong Kong this week - and started crying again. I realise that I always get emo when I think of my dear Ahmah or talk about her, even if it was just about how kind she was...
Monday, 19 May 2014
mf-ism leh?
CY commented that my blog is all about ZK now. It's true. All those random postings of yore seldom make their appearance now. Perhaps I'm to pre-occupied with ZK and work to remember random thoughts, which do still pop into my mind here and there. In fact, I have collected a whole lot of random pictures but I haven't had time for prioritised writing about them.
And today is not the day to write about my random pictures. My thumbdrive is waiting to be read :( It's been a really busy time at work. And just when I thought I could do certain things, other things keep popping up. And I'm a ticking time bomb where you only hear the ticking but see no clock!
Anyway.. So I'm here just for a quick one - cos I noticed fewer blackheads on my nose after using Hazeline snow cream for some weeks! May they never come back!
(And may mf-ism return soon!)
And today is not the day to write about my random pictures. My thumbdrive is waiting to be read :( It's been a really busy time at work. And just when I thought I could do certain things, other things keep popping up. And I'm a ticking time bomb where you only hear the ticking but see no clock!
Anyway.. So I'm here just for a quick one - cos I noticed fewer blackheads on my nose after using Hazeline snow cream for some weeks! May they never come back!
(And may mf-ism return soon!)
Sunday, 11 May 2014
Happy ZK, happy Mama
I made up a little song for ZK in his first week with us, on a night he kept crying and couldn't sleep. It sounded a little sad cos I was a little sad then. I continued to sing that to him often to lull him to sleep for a few months after, but I haven't sung it for quite a while until just now.
The first time I sang it, he sat up and listened. Then he fell back now on his pillow and listened. And suddenly, he burst out crying! It was only a couple of seconds but he was crying! I sayang-ed his little head and he told me to lie back down and continue singing - "some more", "again". And again and again I went. Eventually, I told him no more, he should sleep. And he did.
I wondered why he cried. But I guess I'll never know..
He has been very happy these two days, especially after dinner. Yesterday, he ate a lot at JPOT and then ran around Vivocity with a wrapped candy in his hand and happy little screams. Today, he was quite content to watch Mother Goose Club while we finished up our dinner.
I'm not one to celebrate Mother's Day etc in a big way, but I must say this has been a happy Mother's Day weekend :)
I took morning leave on Friday to attend the celebration in school, despite having a presentation at an important meeting in the afternoon. I decided that I wouldn't let my son be the only kid whose mum wasn't present. But my worries were kind of unfounded - fewer than half the mums showed up.
But I didn't regret going. I purposely kept ZK at home until 9 am so we could go to school together, and I was the first mum to arrive. A few kids came over to me curiously and smiled at me. Two of them were ZK's classmates since infant care time so I believe they recognise me. A third kid was happily hanging around us until his own mum arrived - he was absolutely elated when he saw her! A couple of kids were crying when their mums left. Even though ZK wasn't his usual self in school ("he sings to the kids!") and was on me almost the whole time, he appeared quite happy :)
We played games!
ZK's blur look - he didn't want to leave until he too had a shower cap on his head!
He was supposed to catch some bubbles but he just looked on, blur blur. Anyway, I only managed one pathetic bubble cos the solution was running out *.*
We were over-achievers - made two flower crowns instead of one!
There was another activity before painting - the teachers had us throw brown sugar cubes into little cupcake cups and when that happened, they poured tea into the cups for the kids to serve tea to their mummies. ZK threw everything too hard as usual so I didn't get any tea haha!
So happy during snack time! He had at least two biscuits and two sandwiches.
We had our very own photo! He chose that sign ok, not me! :)
Then we tried to take a group photo. But with some 12-15 kids, the sheer logistics were simply daunting. Must really give it to the two teachers. ZK took a while to leave me and join them.
He was running about here and there, and even wandered into an adjoining room where a young baby was sleeping - it was his classmate's brother. I liked that he was curious and sweet to the sleep baby :) But I was so scared he would be too rough so I chased him out to join his friends.
Eventually, he settled into a seat, phew!
But when a tray of biscuits arrived, all the kids got off their seat to flock to the tray!
At the end of the celebration, some kids went home with their mums. So it got a little less crowded. And guess what the little boy did? He happily went to grab a sandwich and sat down happily munching away!
Lunch was next - quite immediately! And he still seemed hungry *.* It was yummy chicken rice! He said it was hot so I told him to blow at his rice to cool it a bit..
That was when I said byebye - I knew he would be ok with me leaving when there was food *.*
It was the first time I stayed in school with him for so long. I saw how the teachers handled so many kids at the same time; I saw how the chef and the cleaning lady both like him a lot; I saw him interacting (somewhat) with his classmates; I saw how angmoh kids could say his name; I saw how he bullied Aisaac whose only crime was to be near me;. A was so cute actually - he kept inviting ZK to go sit down with him and go jumping with him, but my kid just wanted to be with his mama that day. Poor A! And H was so sweet too - she would smile at me shyly and walk away.
It was so fun! It was also very tiring to be in the company of so many kids at the same time! I'm already looking forward to the next school celebration - Halloween, I think?
The first time I sang it, he sat up and listened. Then he fell back now on his pillow and listened. And suddenly, he burst out crying! It was only a couple of seconds but he was crying! I sayang-ed his little head and he told me to lie back down and continue singing - "some more", "again". And again and again I went. Eventually, I told him no more, he should sleep. And he did.
I wondered why he cried. But I guess I'll never know..
He has been very happy these two days, especially after dinner. Yesterday, he ate a lot at JPOT and then ran around Vivocity with a wrapped candy in his hand and happy little screams. Today, he was quite content to watch Mother Goose Club while we finished up our dinner.
I'm not one to celebrate Mother's Day etc in a big way, but I must say this has been a happy Mother's Day weekend :)
I took morning leave on Friday to attend the celebration in school, despite having a presentation at an important meeting in the afternoon. I decided that I wouldn't let my son be the only kid whose mum wasn't present. But my worries were kind of unfounded - fewer than half the mums showed up.
But I didn't regret going. I purposely kept ZK at home until 9 am so we could go to school together, and I was the first mum to arrive. A few kids came over to me curiously and smiled at me. Two of them were ZK's classmates since infant care time so I believe they recognise me. A third kid was happily hanging around us until his own mum arrived - he was absolutely elated when he saw her! A couple of kids were crying when their mums left. Even though ZK wasn't his usual self in school ("he sings to the kids!") and was on me almost the whole time, he appeared quite happy :)
We played games!
ZK's blur look - he didn't want to leave until he too had a shower cap on his head!
He was supposed to catch some bubbles but he just looked on, blur blur. Anyway, I only managed one pathetic bubble cos the solution was running out *.*
We were over-achievers - made two flower crowns instead of one!
There was another activity before painting - the teachers had us throw brown sugar cubes into little cupcake cups and when that happened, they poured tea into the cups for the kids to serve tea to their mummies. ZK threw everything too hard as usual so I didn't get any tea haha!
So happy during snack time! He had at least two biscuits and two sandwiches.
We had our very own photo! He chose that sign ok, not me! :)
Then we tried to take a group photo. But with some 12-15 kids, the sheer logistics were simply daunting. Must really give it to the two teachers. ZK took a while to leave me and join them.
He was running about here and there, and even wandered into an adjoining room where a young baby was sleeping - it was his classmate's brother. I liked that he was curious and sweet to the sleep baby :) But I was so scared he would be too rough so I chased him out to join his friends.
Eventually, he settled into a seat, phew!
But when a tray of biscuits arrived, all the kids got off their seat to flock to the tray!
At the end of the celebration, some kids went home with their mums. So it got a little less crowded. And guess what the little boy did? He happily went to grab a sandwich and sat down happily munching away!
Lunch was next - quite immediately! And he still seemed hungry *.* It was yummy chicken rice! He said it was hot so I told him to blow at his rice to cool it a bit..
That was when I said byebye - I knew he would be ok with me leaving when there was food *.*
It was the first time I stayed in school with him for so long. I saw how the teachers handled so many kids at the same time; I saw how the chef and the cleaning lady both like him a lot; I saw him interacting (somewhat) with his classmates; I saw how angmoh kids could say his name; I saw how he bullied Aisaac whose only crime was to be near me;. A was so cute actually - he kept inviting ZK to go sit down with him and go jumping with him, but my kid just wanted to be with his mama that day. Poor A! And H was so sweet too - she would smile at me shyly and walk away.
It was so fun! It was also very tiring to be in the company of so many kids at the same time! I'm already looking forward to the next school celebration - Halloween, I think?
Wednesday, 7 May 2014
Update at 31w3d
Yesterday, after much apprehension, I found that I gained only 2kg in five weeks - yeah!
Doc: Good, so no more holiday hur? No more unhealthy food..
Yes, sir, I cut back on fried beehoon too! I'm very proud of myself :)
And best, baby measured 1.8 kg - that's almost a full kilo heavier than the last visit five weeks ago! Means only 1 kg came to me, heh heh :p
Still, I have busted the 70-kg mark - 70.1 kg now! I'm hoping that I won't go beyond 75 kg.. Please, let me not be heavier than Sito!!
But I was so happy about the tiny weight gain that I over-indulged that very day.. I got myself a low-fat, decaf cappuccino from McCafe on the way to office. Then, even though I was spared having to attend a brown bag lunch event as I was busy with other stuff, they kindly brought me a sandwich set. I didn't realise it but I must have been craving for that cos I felt soooo good after that! It was relatively healthy - ciabatta with turkey ham and cheese, with salad. What wasn't so healthy was that I had another sandwich cos my colleague was detoxing - I didn't eat all the bread though cos some parts were too crusty. And after a long afternoon meeting, I returned to my desk to find another sandwich leftover from lunch! I had most of it *.*
Today, I wanted to eat better but failed - had fried beehoon for breakfast cos I was very hungry *.* And now, as I'm typing, I'm hungry!!
Anyway, back to baby.. Baby measured one week ahead so the doc told me to be prepared in case he decides to greet me earlier. Well, we shall see. ZK measured ahead as well and he was only two days early - and because I was induced. Hope this one is on time..
I thought baby doesn't look very much like ZK. He seems fiercer :p Sito said ZK looked fierce too. ZK is now quite smiley :) Then Sito was trying to figure out an ultrasound scan and when he heard it was the nose, he said baby has triangular nostrils! But of course! He's your son, Dear! :p Same thing with ZK when he was born - I noticed his nostrils very early. But I haven't taken a look lately - not at the shape anyway, just see snot *.*
Was trying to upload some ultrasound scans when I realised that the doc had given me some funny ultrasound file that requires Windows and a special programme to read it! Argh, ask him to give me again three weeks later..
Does he look like his brother? :)
Also asked the doc about the pain in my left upper thigh. He said baby's head is probably pressing on something, and told me to fidget more at work. Still so painful sometimes, though it's not crippling like two weeks ago..
I've been having Braxton Hicks like crazy. And it's mighty uncomfy. Baby has been bullying me as well though I enjoy his movements. Doc said he's head down, facing left with his butt high up. I notice that he moves a lot when ZK is near! He wants to play too! Haha! :)
Adding a video of little baby moving! :)
Doc: Good, so no more holiday hur? No more unhealthy food..
Yes, sir, I cut back on fried beehoon too! I'm very proud of myself :)
And best, baby measured 1.8 kg - that's almost a full kilo heavier than the last visit five weeks ago! Means only 1 kg came to me, heh heh :p
Still, I have busted the 70-kg mark - 70.1 kg now! I'm hoping that I won't go beyond 75 kg.. Please, let me not be heavier than Sito!!
But I was so happy about the tiny weight gain that I over-indulged that very day.. I got myself a low-fat, decaf cappuccino from McCafe on the way to office. Then, even though I was spared having to attend a brown bag lunch event as I was busy with other stuff, they kindly brought me a sandwich set. I didn't realise it but I must have been craving for that cos I felt soooo good after that! It was relatively healthy - ciabatta with turkey ham and cheese, with salad. What wasn't so healthy was that I had another sandwich cos my colleague was detoxing - I didn't eat all the bread though cos some parts were too crusty. And after a long afternoon meeting, I returned to my desk to find another sandwich leftover from lunch! I had most of it *.*
Today, I wanted to eat better but failed - had fried beehoon for breakfast cos I was very hungry *.* And now, as I'm typing, I'm hungry!!
Anyway, back to baby.. Baby measured one week ahead so the doc told me to be prepared in case he decides to greet me earlier. Well, we shall see. ZK measured ahead as well and he was only two days early - and because I was induced. Hope this one is on time..
I thought baby doesn't look very much like ZK. He seems fiercer :p Sito said ZK looked fierce too. ZK is now quite smiley :) Then Sito was trying to figure out an ultrasound scan and when he heard it was the nose, he said baby has triangular nostrils! But of course! He's your son, Dear! :p Same thing with ZK when he was born - I noticed his nostrils very early. But I haven't taken a look lately - not at the shape anyway, just see snot *.*
Does he look like his brother? :)
Also asked the doc about the pain in my left upper thigh. He said baby's head is probably pressing on something, and told me to fidget more at work. Still so painful sometimes, though it's not crippling like two weeks ago..
I've been having Braxton Hicks like crazy. And it's mighty uncomfy. Baby has been bullying me as well though I enjoy his movements. Doc said he's head down, facing left with his butt high up. I notice that he moves a lot when ZK is near! He wants to play too! Haha! :)
Adding a video of little baby moving! :)
天冷就回来
Sito and I caught a Chinese musical on 20 April! It's called 天冷就回来 and full of familiar 新谣 tunes. It's the first time that I know most of the songs in a musical when watching it! And Sito enjoyed it even though he knew few songs! Overall a great experience!
I grew up listening to many of these songs: 一步一步来，让夜轻轻落下，恋之憩，如果你不小心想起我，从你回眸那天起, and many others not in the show. There were newer songs too, all composed by 梁文福 and sung by artistes local and otherwise.
But it was the older ones that really tugged at my heartstrings. I didn't think too much about them growing up, but when these songs faded out of the radio, replaced by the pop songs of the day, I pretty much forgot about most of them until Oxford, when somehow I got reacquainted with them through, um, mp3s. Just how many hours have I spent listening to these in the solitude of my room, until I could sing so many of them from memory.
Since the early 2000s, there have been various resurgences of 新谣 and I never really caught them until now, being rather slow to catch on until my single source of news aka Facebook alerted me to this one in time for me to get tickets!
And watching it really brought back memories of CLDDS, some of the best though tiring memories of JC life.
Got into the CLDDS singing team by serendipity. I didn't even understand what I was getting myself into! But what ensued were days and nights of rehearsing for our annual variety night 叶串之声 in which I sang 你的倒影 with I think six others. We had "foreign talent" from across the road who helped with guitar accompaniment - this chap is now my colleague!
We had two great nights of nerve wrecking performances. We were the only singing team; the rest included 相声 and plays - I don't remember the details cos I was too focused on my part!
The following year, 叶串 was no longer a variety show but focused on plays. I wasn't really involved until I was roped in to co-direct a play where an actress needed help with a singing scene. I went on to do more than the singing scene; I still feel my greatest contribution was at the last scene. Oh and the voice-over announcement for ticket sales during assembly one morning.
Found an old photo from second year:
After I graduated, as I was a relief teacher at NJ, I went to help out a little at the 叶串 that year. I think I watched it too. But the feeling was of course very different.
I was trying to remember the 叶串 song but couldn't remember everything, sighs.. Think it goes something like this:
想用歌声交换你的心
想用音符牵动你的情
？？？？？？？？？
想用？？声声打动你
我们要燃起每一天
我们要随着心情飞舞
我们要向世界欢呼
我们要？？？？？
我们要继续这个信念
我们要？？？？？
But I found this picture of our CLDDS tee, with the lyrics of a song from my second year!
I didn't think of it during the musical but now I suddenly remember a music camp I went to at the end of Sec 3 - 第四届全国新乐营. There were four of us from Anderson - Jo and me from our batch, and two from the Sec two batch. I can't remember the girl's voice but the guy had a really good voice!
We spent a few days holed up in Hwa Chong campus learning about composing, Mando pop scene and even copyrights. The final project was for each of the 10 teams to either change the lyrics or the tune of 恰似你的温柔. My team, the over-achiever, did both :p We were also the youngest team, with many of us in JC or uni; Jo and I were the youngest members.
I think I presented the version with the changed lyrics but I got confused at one point and sang wrongly *.* Nevermind, re-did that part. My first time in front of some 100 people! Of course I looked down ALL the time!
And I still remember the comment by one of the judges - that I sang like Faye Wong cos of my stuffed nose. Huh?! You think I want stuffed nose?!
It was sponsored by my school so we had to submit individual reports of the experience. I still have my report with me, along with some notes from the camp :)
I grew up listening to many of these songs: 一步一步来，让夜轻轻落下，恋之憩，如果你不小心想起我，从你回眸那天起, and many others not in the show. There were newer songs too, all composed by 梁文福 and sung by artistes local and otherwise.
But it was the older ones that really tugged at my heartstrings. I didn't think too much about them growing up, but when these songs faded out of the radio, replaced by the pop songs of the day, I pretty much forgot about most of them until Oxford, when somehow I got reacquainted with them through, um, mp3s. Just how many hours have I spent listening to these in the solitude of my room, until I could sing so many of them from memory.
Since the early 2000s, there have been various resurgences of 新谣 and I never really caught them until now, being rather slow to catch on until my single source of news aka Facebook alerted me to this one in time for me to get tickets!
And watching it really brought back memories of CLDDS, some of the best though tiring memories of JC life.
Got into the CLDDS singing team by serendipity. I didn't even understand what I was getting myself into! But what ensued were days and nights of rehearsing for our annual variety night 叶串之声 in which I sang 你的倒影 with I think six others. We had "foreign talent" from across the road who helped with guitar accompaniment - this chap is now my colleague!
We had two great nights of nerve wrecking performances. We were the only singing team; the rest included 相声 and plays - I don't remember the details cos I was too focused on my part!
The following year, 叶串 was no longer a variety show but focused on plays. I wasn't really involved until I was roped in to co-direct a play where an actress needed help with a singing scene. I went on to do more than the singing scene; I still feel my greatest contribution was at the last scene. Oh and the voice-over announcement for ticket sales during assembly one morning.
Found an old photo from second year:
After I graduated, as I was a relief teacher at NJ, I went to help out a little at the 叶串 that year. I think I watched it too. But the feeling was of course very different.
I was trying to remember the 叶串 song but couldn't remember everything, sighs.. Think it goes something like this:
想用歌声交换你的心
想用音符牵动你的情
？？？？？？？？？
想用？？声声打动你
我们要燃起每一天
我们要随着心情飞舞
我们要向世界欢呼
我们要？？？？？
我们要继续这个信念
我们要？？？？？
But I found this picture of our CLDDS tee, with the lyrics of a song from my second year!
I didn't think of it during the musical but now I suddenly remember a music camp I went to at the end of Sec 3 - 第四届全国新乐营. There were four of us from Anderson - Jo and me from our batch, and two from the Sec two batch. I can't remember the girl's voice but the guy had a really good voice!
We spent a few days holed up in Hwa Chong campus learning about composing, Mando pop scene and even copyrights. The final project was for each of the 10 teams to either change the lyrics or the tune of 恰似你的温柔. My team, the over-achiever, did both :p We were also the youngest team, with many of us in JC or uni; Jo and I were the youngest members.
I think I presented the version with the changed lyrics but I got confused at one point and sang wrongly *.* Nevermind, re-did that part. My first time in front of some 100 people! Of course I looked down ALL the time!
And I still remember the comment by one of the judges - that I sang like Faye Wong cos of my stuffed nose. Huh?! You think I want stuffed nose?!
It was sponsored by my school so we had to submit individual reports of the experience. I still have my report with me, along with some notes from the camp :)
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