Sunday, October 31, 2010

Marcus' Piano Update

The last I accompanied Marcus for his piano lesson was sometime in August 2009. That was also the last time I actually practised with him. 

Ever since, the daddy who is the musically-inclined parent of us two, has taken over the responsibility of coaching the boy and ensuring he makes reasonable progress. 

I am clueless to his actual progress and simply can't pinpoint enough technical details to illustrate what and how much he has really learnt. Nothing makes much sense to me, not that I am that motivated to find out, in the first place. 

I know there is progress, because E told me so, and I can see that he is now using more advanced books. But that is all that I can say. So it isn't very exciting really. 

To be frank, Marcus has way too many "projects" and "conquests" that interest him, and they are all very time-consuming. He would also much rather read another book from cover-to-cover, than play a piano piece. 

E is also way too relaxed, in my opinion, to enforce much discipline. As a result, the boy probably clocks less than 30 minutes of practice a week, and up to an hour max on a slightly better week. So he lacks regular piano practices and it takes much persuasion (or even coercion sometimes) before he would drag his feet anywhere near the keyboard. Not a good sign, is it? 

Early this year, we briefly discussed our plans for his piano lessons. I toyed with the idea of him dropping the lessons given the signs of dwindling interest. But E insisted it will only get better in future. After all, our main objective is not for him to collect certificates (not at this age anyway) but on his acquisition of some music training, while cultivating his appreciation for the instrument. 

Granted, I have read/heard of numerous young kids who were made to spend crazy amount of time learning the instrument because of their parents' insistence and growing up regretting the waste of their precious childhood time. But there are also those who grew up grateful for their parents' persistence, when they discover a true love for the instrument later.

It helps that we are not in any hurry to register Marcus for any piano exams in the near future, despite it being an accessible goal, as I have been told on several occasions by his piano teacher. 

If I had to choose between him 
(1) spending a solid 100 hours perfecting techniques just to acquire some certificates to frame my walls, or
(2) channeling those energy to his unstructured play time or reading or anything else that he is super passionate about, 

I would choose the latter in a heartbeat. 

As long as he has a strong foundation and makes good progress, he can always take the exams later and perhaps skipping some levels too.

Oddly, Marcus refuses to give up his lessons too. But then again, he isn't aware there is such a thing called EXAMS! Haha!

So the decision (for now) -  the boy will continue his lessons, with the condition that the daddy commits more time and effort in coaching. And we will reassess next year, depending on his school workload. 



Friday, October 29, 2010

Marcus: The Little Performer

In the past 6 years ago, Poshie has given us countless occasions to celebrate and cheer. From the first word to the first step and then, the first day of school... every little milestone was precious. Every achievement was ingrained in our memory. 

Like most parents, we savour the moments with much pride and smiles and congratulated ourselves on a job well-done. 

Here is another of those moments - attending Marcus' graduation ceremony and watching a delightful performance put by him and his school mates. 

In his school concert last weekend, Marcus played the role of Joseph, in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.




The kids and teachers worked so hard for the plays which had roles for all Kindergarten 1 and 2 students from both morning and afternoon sessions. 8 classes in total. So 8 short plays, each performed by a class, to tell the story of Joseph. 

Marcus' role was that of Joseph in the final part of the story where he planted a cup in Benjamin's bag and got reunited with his brothers and Jacob. I didn't notice this but E was sure that Marcus was the only performer in all 8 plays who spoke live (he had a microphone); everyone else had their lines pre-recorded. 

When he first informed me in August, like an excited pup, that he would play the "most important role" (you know how kids all think they play the most important role) in the school performance and has so many lines to recite, he got me all thrilled with anticipation.

There were so many comical moments in Marcus' performance, as captured by the video. They were all impromptu and he handled them so well. 

What I love the most is seeing how much he was enjoying himself and the obvious ease he had with performing and dancing in front of such a large crowd, without the least hint of any stage fright. 

That said, most of his peers were also very relaxed on stage. Perhaps at this age, they aren't conscious enough to be affected by the presence of large audience. 

This graduation ceremony and concert marked the end of his preschool phase. My boy confesses openly his love for this kindergarten and told me he would miss his friends and teachers and the fun he had with them. 

Beneath the cheeky and precocious demeanour lies a sentimental and sensitive little soul. At the graduation ceremony, I thought I saw him looking emotional and wiping away tears while his schoolmates were giving little well-rehearsed speeches to the audience about their school experiences. 

My little boy has truly blossomed in the recent years. We ought to be grateful for the privileges that he has enjoyed so far. May he be as blessed in the coming years. 



Wednesday, October 27, 2010

From Haze to Fire-Extinguisher

Just a few days ago, I was in a cab with both boys when my 6 years old commented on the colour of the sky. 

I mentioned the haze from the forest fire in Indonesia and how it has affected us in the recent years. The images in their minds must have led them to recall the forest fires in Australia and its devastating effect, a topic which came up in one of dinner table conversations. 

One topic led to another and a discussion was fired up on how fire-fighters have to put out fires from the air etc.. 

By now, both boys were a little too excited and loud in their competition to contribute their voices to the discussion. I had to calm them down with quite a few "Ok, shush now... a little softer please.. you are distracting the uncle (the taxi-driver)". 

I thought I caught the taxi-driver glancing at my chatty/noisy/brilliant/annoying (depending how one would view their interactions) young men via the rear-view mirror. It didn't look like he appreciated the "education" my boys were offering freely within his earshot. 

Oops. 


Then a minute of silence before Marcus continued. 

Marcus: Is there water or gas in the fire extinguisher? 

Me: Hmm.. What do you think? 

Marcus: Gas? But will it be enough? 

Me: Yes, for small fires. And yes, it is gas. I think the gas can be carbon dioxide or nitrogen depending on the type of extinguisher. But I am not sure. We go read up later, ok? And carbon dioxide and nitrogen are just two types of gases in the air. There are a few others, like the oxygen that we breathe in. 

Marcus: How do we separate the gases in the air? And how is the carbon dioxide put into the extinguisher?  (Haha... even I was impressed with his questions!)

Me: Umm...  I don't know. Let's ask daddy later. If he doesn't know too, we go read up! 


I was fascinated by his thought process. It probably went something like this:  

... haze ...   fire ... putting out fire.... with water?...  fire extinguisher .... now, how does it work??


As usual, Marcus was pleased that he has asked yet another "clever" question, a term which I introduced to the kids a while ago. He grinned as he remarked "clever question, huh?

Both boys take immense pleasure in stumping their parents (mostly me, since they spend big part of their day with me) with truckload of clever questions on a daily basis. It is like a game to them. Their sense of satisfaction is often so plainly displayed on their innocent faces when the score reads: 

Boys  1            Mummy 0


They understand that there are no stupid or silly questions. And they have learnt that it is perfectly alright not to have answers to questions straightaway ALL the time. 

The truth is - I enjoy being stumped by their inquisitiveness. It is so precious to be able to play such a big part in their learning process and quest to understand their world. 

I enjoy such moments A LOT!



Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Our Sleep-Inducing Science Centre

We have not been back to the Singapore Science Centre (SSC) since Marcus was 3 years old, I think.

Though it has been one of those weekend attractions I like to check out with the boys for as long as I can remember, it was only struck off my to-do list 3 weeks ago. 

The fact is, the boys do have a fair amount of exposure to a wide range of Science themes and topics on a regular basis through what we do at home and in my lapbooking class. Short of giving them a live animal to dissect, I think they have already gained much appreciation for the fascinating sciences of biology, physics and chemistry as pre-schoolers. Perhaps this is also why we have never felt the need to expose the kids to what the SSC has to offer. 

Having said that, I do enjoy the Imax movies I watched at the Omni-Theatre before. It would be real nice to indulge my kids in some jaw-dropping experiences too. So I persuaded the hubby and kids to go along with my plan one Sunday morning for some exhilarating Science experience! 


What we saw at the entrance wasn't bad at all. A good sign? :> 

After the breakfast at MacDonalds, we headed in with high expectations (not that the breakfast had anything to do with it). 

Unfortunately, it didn't take long for us to realize how much of a disappointment it was going to be. 

There were quite a few interactive displays in the various halls, but overall, something was amiss. Many exhibits were malfunctioning or under repair. It wasn't even very crowded that day and yet, I felt like the whole place was a lot smaller than I had remembered it to be. I felt claustrophobic after a while. 

We kept telling ourselves that there must be something else more exciting that we may have missed. Nope, not according to the "map" we had in hand. 

The saving grace is the Robotics section which has some interesting displays that intrigued Marcus. But according to the London-born, London-bred hubby who is used to the scale of quality exhibits in world-class museums and science centres, even this section is not up to mark and could do with a budget boost. 


A trick to impress grandma. 

A light workout.


Only 20 minutes of wet-play and we didn't even have to persuade the boys to leave. They were so willing to bid farewell.

Popped over to the Omni-Theatre to watch the much anticipated Imax movie on Sea Rex - A Journey to a Pre-historic World

The verdict - it works as well as a sleeping pill, if you need one. 

Sigh. 

Looks like we won't be returning anytime soon! 






Friday, October 22, 2010

2010 Birthday Trip: Hong Kong Disneyland



Sometime in late August, when we were doing last-minute brainstorming on ways to celebrate the boys' birthdays, the hubby suggested splurging the budget on a trip to the Hong Kong Disneyland instead.

I wasn't sure if the boys would be fond of the idea since they don't even watch Mickey Mouse on TV! But E was rather adamant on his plan and went ahead to convince the boys. They were swayed by daddy's persuasiveness and E booked the trip before I could even whisper "Wait a minute!".

Six days later, we checked into the Disney Hollywood Hotel in Hong Kong, all full of excitement and anticipation. Even I was thrilled to be in Disneyland and couldn't wait to try out all the rides! Haha.... signs of a deprived childhood.

First sign of a good holiday - the hotel was great! And the kids had so much fun feasting their eyes on cartoons, cartoons and MORE cartoons. We practically had to drag them out of the hotel room to check out the city.


For the first day, we spent a few hours at the Victoria Peak (one of my favourite spots in HK) to watch sunset and be mesmerized by the changing hues of the magnificent skyline, along with the hundreds of people there. The boys were utterly impressed by the experiential tram rides, as I knew they would, and that alone would have made the stop at the Peak totally worthwhile.


At 5.45pm.

Photo taken by Marcus.




Dinner was yummy giant prawns (Chipsy's special request) at the Bubble Gump (from the Forrest Gump movie) before calling it a day.

A wise decision indeed, considering we ended up spending over 8 hours per day in the park. Lots of walking and overdose of sun exposure and Vitamin D!

Armed with our 2-day passes, we really took our time on the first day, spending most part of the day in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. We were so blessed with the weather AND the queues. Throughout the two days, we didn't have to queue for more than 5 minutes at any attraction.



Chipsy's favourite part of the park is this "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh".

I can understand how amazing and magical it must be for him to come so close to the characters in the story. The narrator's voice, the wobbly "seat", the wind, the smell and all other accompanying sounds are so well-synchronized to make the story come alive! I especially love the way the doors to each scene would open to reveal a new adventure.

The cutest part of it all was how he would wave at Piglet every time he saw him pop up throughout the ride.

It was so enjoyable for him (and I really, really like it too!) that he insisted on going through it for over 15 times!




This particular part of the ride was most memorable to little Chip. He couldn't stop talking about it since the first time he saw it. He remembered it so well that he could even hum the whole Heffalumps and Woozles tune, complete with the sound effects!

For Marcus, the Tea Cups was his favourite. Before I sat in one of these, I thought it would be boring after two tries. Oh I couldn't be more wrong.

He chuckled with a cheeky glint in his eyes when I spun it real fast. The whole time, he just kept ordering "Faster! Faster! Make it go faster, Mummy! His lack of strong biceps meant I had to do all the hard work of spinning!

After our 10th ride, I gladly obliged when he asked for more. The tally - we went for at least 15 times in the two days. :>

I find Carousels boring. Luckily for me, my boys thought so too. Two attempts were enough for them.

Oh and oh, I must not forget to mention the BIG feast for our eyes - the CHARMING parade!



Every moment was magical. The costumes, the moves and the NOISE!! The performers must be melting under those layers, but if they had felt any discomfort, not a sign of it showed. It was an incredible parade of charisma, enchanting all adults and kids alike!

Besides the Toy Story characters, Dumbo and Winnie the Pooh and his gang, my boys were ignorant of the other widely popular Disney characters like Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs etc. So compared to other kids who were jumping up and down with excitement, mine didn't seem particularly impressed.

But the line of stores presented a different kind of attraction and a whole series of temptations.

Well, for a start, E already announced even before we reached HK that my boys would be coming home with a suitcase full of Walt Disney merchandise. Yeah, he is an easy target in touristy places!

In the end (thankfully), we only took home a small loot of a Mickey watch for my Mickey (a.k.a. Marcus), a Piglet pen for my Piggy (a.k.a. Chipsy), two identical collared shirts for the boys and a cooking utensil with Mickey on its handle for me. I needed one of these anyway, so when we saw how cute it looked with a Mickey Mouse handle, it was hard to resist.

When Chipsy saw this little Piglet in one of stores, his eyes just lit up like light bulbs! It turned out to be a fridge magnet. If he had insisted more, I probably would have given in and bought one for him. But as it turned out, he had other plans.

Hmm... will it work just as well if I stick Piggy upside down? How about all in a row?

Oh... how about 2 rows?? :D

My little boy is definitely a cuddly toy lover. I offered to buy him a Chipmunk, but he was quick to decline insisting that he doesn't love the Chipmunk enough to want to bring one home. Fair enough!

But in the end, a smaller version of the Chipmunk made its way back to Singapore with us. The hubby thought I would love (or maybe need) a cuddly toy too, so he smuggled it back in my suitcase without me noticing! Hahaha.... The night the Chipmunk showed up under my duvet covers, Chipsy borrowed it. And ever since, he had claimed ownership of the cutie. I doubt it will ever be returned. :>


Throughout the trip, both boys were really good with waiting. They played enthusiastically the game of "Scissors, paper, stone" whenever they had to wait for something. Then they drew all sorts of things whenever we whipped out papers and stationery. Chipsy was especially entertained by Tic-Tac-Toe and would draw up plenty of "difficult" mazes to challenge us.


I love this photo of them, especially with those expressions. We were all hot and sticky and really thirsty! But instead of looking bothered, their cheekiness was aptly captured.

Crazy 10 minutes of "bubble-shower" and attempting to "pop" the bubbles outside the gift shop while waiting for the fireworks. Bubbles never fail to please!


Tomorrowland was lots of fun too, but we spent most of our time at the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters.

An awesome 15 entries in total to kill the evil Emperor Zurg! Woah! Boys went nuts there. They got to hold a "gun" and actually shoot something without having to worry about being told off by Mummy, because the Mummy was also shooting and killing aliens and apparently having a wild time too! Hee hee ...

Though my boys used to adore Buzz Lightyear, this space ranger has lost his magic on them. Both refused to smile or have their photos taken with him. E and I were probably more thrilled to be standing next to a life-size Buzz.

In fact, the kids were NOT keen at all to join any of the meet-and-greet sessions. So no photos up close and personal with Mickey, Donald and the gang. (Not that I have expected them to anyway. They have never been keen to meet the characters even in Singapore). Perhaps if there was a Piglet, Chipsy could be persuaded.


Oh I love this ride in Tomorrowland. But the adults must really be the one driving if you want a smooth ride.


Posing just before watching Mickey and Donald in 3D! Beware of splashes! *wink*

At the end of two tiring days of walking in the hot sun, even a Mickey-Mouse shaped chocolate ice-cream couldn't bring a smile to my boy's face.

The next few photos were from Adventureland, the part of the park which we spent the least time in. I love the river cruise because it was so full of surprises. But Marcus was so taken by surprise at one point by one of the special effects that he burst into tears. Poor kid!

Unfortunately, Chipsy missed the cruise as he fell asleep. By the time he woke up, we were all too tired and didn't bother to check it out again with him.




This last photo is kind of creepy. Think human sacrifice, cannibalism and massacre!

There were so much more that we had enjoyed - the dazzling fireworks, the enchanting Small World (I think I was the only one who loved this, but it is REALLY a girly attraction), the Dumbo Flying Elephant ride and I also love the hilarious Stitch Encounter. But my boys didn't think highly of it though. They thought Stitch was too ugly! Haha.

When we left the park on the second night, my boys finally realized that the fun was over. They were a little emotional at first, but this time, the blues was nothing that two gigantic cones of ice-cream in an air-conditioned room couldn't chase away.



We feasted for a well-deserved meal to replenish all the calories burnt in the day (umm... though we also stuffed our faces at lunch with giant burgers). Boys were delighted, as you can see. But we also did our best at guaranteeing pleasure really, as we granted permissions all-too-freely for them to partake in a total of 4 ice-creams per child in two days!



Instead of two separate birthday parties, we had heaps of fun and over 400 photos to remember our fun by. And of course, the precious memories of awesome experience.

The boys have been missing Disneyland ever since we left. In the last 7 weeks, they asked "when can we go back to Hong Kong Disneyland" almost on a daily basis.

That is a sure good sign of money well-spent.


(Phew! I am finally done with this post. Because of how much the kids love this holiday, I wanted to document it as best as I could to preserve the memories. Such blogging is real hard work!)

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

How To Kill A Dog

The setting:

Boys were enjoying their roast chicken at dinner. Chipsy hummed a tune while chewing and making a mess. As usual, Marcus nibbled at every morsel in the most gentlemanly manner. 


Chipsy: Umm... do dogs eat chicken? 

Marcus: I don't think so. But dogs eat other kinds of meat, like beef and pork! Oh that is PIG, chipsy! Oh dogs like to eat PIG! (exaggerating the last word in his attempt to annoy the pig-lover)

Chipsy: Ooohhh! Why must they eat pig? Pigs are so sweet and cute.  (sounding a little hurt)

Marcus: Yeah, they love to eat pigs. Pork is yummy! I love to eat pork too! Yummy yummy!

Chipsy: Stop!!  I will kill the dogs and save the pigs! 

Marcus: Yeah? How are you going to kill the dogs? You are so small! 

Chipsy: I am strong! I will cut their necks off, so their heads will roll off. Then I will take the pigs to a safe place. 

Marcus: But the dogs will bite you. They have sharp teeth!

Chipsy: I will walk quietly from behind and push my knife through their necks. 

Marcus: Or you can give them a bone to gnaw, then wait till they are tired and fallen asleep. Then they won't struggle. You can kill them then. 

Chipsy: Yeah, good idea! 

Me: You know, unless the dogs have attacked you, it is wrong to go and kill a dog. 

Marcus: Yeah, the Police will catch you. 

Chipsy: Well, I will kill the Police too! 

Me: Huh? Then they will catch you and throw you into Prison! 

Marcus: Why don't we just leave the dogs alone? Anyway, the dogs won't go and attack the pigs. I am only joking, chipsy. Let's finish our dinner.


Both returned to dinner and Chipsy continued humming. 




Monday, October 18, 2010

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Moments


A smile and a little warmth is all it takes to transform someone's ordinary day into an extraordinary one. 

A little love and tenderness. 

A little care and whisper. 

A little appreciation. 

Not much to ask. 

Or is it? 




One of those favourites .... 

.....  sipping cold white wine while admiring the enchanting red and orange leaves in Autumn. 






Warmth....  

I miss my rock!




Saturday, October 16, 2010

Nicholas @ 4 years old




The day my baby turned 4!

He wanted a really chocolatey cake, so we picked this one for our family celebration to delight him. This was actually his second birthday cake this year. 

The first was a 2kg Piglet cake for his celebration in school. Though he had the same cake last year, he insisted on it again, claiming it to be his favourite. Just seeing a smiley Piglet on the cake and a mega grin on my son's face as a result of it is enough reason for me to buy this same cake for him year after year, if this is what he desires. 

 
It is funny that he just LOVES to blow out the candles on birthday cakes. Makes me smile every time just watching him do it. I am pretty sure we have photos of him in this same pose for the last 3 years too! Hee.. 

It is a cliche, I know, but I am still going to say it - I CAN'T BELIEVE MY BABY IS ALREADY FOUR!!  It seems not that long ago when I blogged about Chipsy @ 26 months old.


I love this photo of my baby Chip. This is the smile I see at least twenty times a day. 

One of the things that I really love about Chip is how he laughs easily and has a really adorable chuckle that is so contagious, it often makes everyone around him laugh. 

He enjoys telling jokes and making up little funny stories and rhymes. In fact, his rhymes are usually extremely hilarious and spontaneous. Like one he made up tonight - pig in a lace, potatoes from space, when he wants to eat them, they fly into his face!

He really shines as a natural performer who finds joy entertaining his audience with funny and witty lines and very cheeky moves. It certainly helps that he is not self-conscious yet, so we can see the innocence in his presentations.

Like Marcus, he has an enormous capacity to keep himself busy for hours. If he is not focusing on the different quiet activities like playing Lego, play doh or other toys, he would be drawing or writing. 



Recently, he is into creating his own little books but the themes so far are mostly related to PIGS and their piggy adventures. :> 

The other passion lies in drawing difficult (sometimes impossible) mazes or games to challenge every adult he meets. Sometimes focusing for 40 min straight just to churn out one maze. His mazes and games are no longer those that require one to simply find a way out. More often than not, there will be all sorts of trap doors, black holes, flesh eating monsters, dragons and predators or thorny carnivorous plants waiting to devour us. 


Laughing at Papa who "died" in the game, after falling into the multiple black holes.


Enjoying one of his favourite quiet activities whenever we visit Vivo City.

Sometimes, he would rearrange all the furniture, pillows and beddings and toys in his room to create an imaginary space such as his 'peace place', 'castle' or 'jungle'. While the whole room looked messy to my untrained eyes, especially with all his stuffed animals strewn all over the room, to my highly imaginative child, every character planted in strategic positions played important roles in his new games. 

Don't mistake him for a minute to be a quiet and introverted boy though. He is definitely not one! In fact, he seems to be the more extroverted child in the family who enjoys to be active, loves the outdoors and is attracted to adventures. He doesn't require much persuasion to give new experiences a try.

At one of his favourite restaurants. 


Once outdoors, he loves to race. He always seems so full of beans. He can never decline an invitation to race, except when he is really tired, though he may not be the best sport you know and will quite easily burst into tears if he loses. Haha! But watching him giving his very best at every race never fails to warm my heart. 


Striking up a conversation with a boy he met at toy shop.

Chipsy is also a sociable boy with loads of self-confidence. He doesn't hesitate speaking to children and adults alike, a trait that I am deeply proud of.  Sometimes he would march up to strangers he is interested in and introduce himself or start a conversation by asking them questions. 

He speaks really well for a child his age, and is able to express his thoughts, opinions and feelings rather clearly and confidently. One thing I have realized he does a lot is listening to conversations in the household, even when he doesn't look like he is. He is always interested in whatever that E and I said to Marcus or vice versa and very often, he would want to join in the chats, contributing his own ideas and surprising us with his depth of understanding and ability to remember details from previous discussions. 

Once in a while, E will tease me for being a little partial to my baby Chip. But I really don't think so. I like to think that I am fair to both and love them just as much. I can't deny though that Chip has a way to tug at my heartstrings by speaking to me in a squeaky little voice when he really wants something from me. The kids learnt a long time ago that screaming, crying and tantrums won't get them anywhere in this household and it is much more effective to speak and ask politely to have their requests considered. 

So his squeaky little voice and polite manner of requesting with his "May I .... please?" combined with big innocent (and sometimes sad looking) eyes does have an effect on me, though there are still requests that I won't accede to. But in those cases, I can usually reason or negotiate with him or work out alternatives and compromises that he can accept. This in itself is testament to how much he has grown and developed cognitively and emotionally. 

He is surely one cool kid to have and I am so proud of him in every way imaginable.  




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