Gooly's Piano Lessons

It has been..what? 6 months? 7 months? since Gooly started his piano lessons. Only? Hmm.. Somehow, it had seemed awfully long.

Not that he plays very well, but to me, it's pretty awesome-lah for someone who has just picked up a new skill. More so that I do not have any musical background whatsoever.  He is not even graded yet. And we are so not rushing into that. I just want him to enjoy playing.

Which he does. Some mornings, while waiting for his majesty's masticated fruit/vege juice, he runs his fingers through the Ebony and Ivory, longing to play but is afraid the sound of music would wake his baby sister up. Some days, he couldn't resist.. so he would adjust the pedal for a softer tone, and start to play a song or two. I smile, I honestly do when the music..HIS music stirs the otherwise still and quiet morning.

He does the same when he comes back from school. Straight to the piano, hits the keys and hums a tune. Still in his uniform. I have nagged so much about washing up first to no avail that I finally just relented and let him play in dirt and grime.

When I do house chores, I do enjoy the piano accompaniment. And giving him the task and responsibility to be the sole music provider has given him much pride. So much so that he likes 'performing' for guests.

Now that.................... is .......a.......... bit......tricky.

Cos you see-ah, he is not Mozart level yet-lah, let's admit. I just feel all weirdy that he wants people to hear him play. I dunno.. I have always been told that kids LOATHE being the object or source of entertainment.

*shrug*

So the next time when you bought a ticket to our palace, you may just be requested to sit back and relax and enjoy the music...

of OLD MACDONALD in staccato.

You don't mind, right? Eh the boy very enthusiastic, ok! Don't break his heart ..

ring! ring!

My mom calls everyday. Twice sometimes. In the evening she asks to speak to Gooly.i have stopped picking up the phone in the evenings cos its never for me.

Ok..I dont pick up calls anytime of the day mostly but thats another story.

So..

"Why did nainai call?" I ask for the sake of talking.

"Lonely la. She got nothing to do. Call to chit chat lah" - gooly's reply.

Bless him. No matter how busy he is with his tv (evening after dinner is tv time) he'd answer her same old questions nicely and politely.

"What I eat for dinner ah? Rice lor. Mmm... got ah. Went to the park already. Now watching tv. Mei mei ah...also watching tv.."

And he would even reciprocate the questions.

"You leh? What you eat?"

So endearing. I love him for that. And I thank him for being nice to my mom *who seems to be spying on my motherly role*

And there were times that he called her if she hasnt. I have heard him telling her to drink more water because its a hot day.

I have asked my mom jokingly, "why you call him? So many things to talk ah?"

And guess what her answer is?

"Lonely la him. Call to chit chat with him lah"

*chuckles*

Whoever is lonely doesn't matter. .as long as they keep each other in mind.

messages in snack boxes

I pack bentos for gooly to go to school. When I say bento, its really just some food in different compartments in a tupperware. Nothing fancy. Nothing sissy. Nothing that requires me to wake at 5am to make.

However I had inserted silly jokes in the boxes to surprise him. Really lame jokes I found over the internet. They are so lame that I cant wait till the 18sx ones are suitable for him. But then again, if he still gets notes from me in snack boxes at 18, it would be pretty awkward.

Anyways....

Whenever he got home,  id nudge and wink at him. "DID YOU GET THE JOKE HUH HUH HUH?" *jab jab his rib. And he mumbled something feeble like "yeah~" Ok...so maybe he found them lame too.

So I stopped lah. Searching and writing internet jokes.

And then one day he asked how come I stopped putting in those notes. He missed reading them.

Aha! It was not too lame afterall.

Co incidentally, I read about Sharpie pens. Thinking I could draw (magnificently) instead of writing jokes, I bought half dozen of those pens.

Dengan semangat berkobar kobar, I drew-lah and giggled and put inside his tupperware.

"Guess what's for lunch?" I drew a plate of awesome spaghetti along with a fork and spoon.

He came back and asked, "Are we having chicken drumstick for lunch?"

Fml.

When I told him I was to serve him (awesome) spaghetti,  he laughed out loud at my drawing skill, or rather the lack of it.

And so I continue to draw him ugly drawings so he could chuckle during recess. Apparently they are quite a hit amongst his friends too. Who would have known..my drawings and notes to be worthy to a group of 8-9 year olds.

So Sharpies didnt help create awesome drawings.

But I created awesome memories for my boy. Stupid drawings from mom make school time more bearable. Especially if it contains hard clues on whats for lunch..

she chats now

A little awhile ago. As soon as she hits 2, everyone wondered where her speaking skill went hiding. Maybe I talk a lot, gooly did also at 2 (still does now) and when all Lolly could muster was aboodabidoo, people were puzzled. Ok when I said people, I meant the man in the house - papah, who was expecting a 2 yr old orator. He, who uses huh and hmmmm interchangibly in every needed response. In a situation which warrants it, he will even remain silent or perhaps a grunt. Serious vocabulary limitation he has.

But I wasnt worried the least cos I mean, I talk a lot - to her, to myself, imaginery animals, inanimate objects (if you, pucking lego stab my toes to total numbness again, I will bring out the ipad and tou will be obsolete,  y'hear that?!).. so its just a matter of time she will open her larynx ...to the point of no return, if I dare say. Her father has no impact in this department cos a dorminant gene is a dominant gene.

Always trust a mother's instinct. True to my words and guts, she has began to speak with no brake facility.

Her voice is still stitch -like. Cute maxsimus.

Oh my goush! She uses that expression in mock exasperation. Life is full of drama.

I was quite surprised that she describes things aptly like a gregarious monster. Kiddding!!! Got you there! What the heck is gregarious?  She just used the word 'giant' which is impressive for some one who could only say "uhuk" for milk. She couldnt even say the universal nenen ok..?

Out of nowhere she is also saying, somefink happened. Like something happened thats why the lorryman was late. And somefink also happened cos the living room is in a mess. That somefink has nothing to do with her, her face seems to tell.

"I cant reach" the switch, the book, the toy and oh the chocolate mummy deliberately hides at the topmost cupboard in the attic, she says while tiptoe-ing.

There are many "I dont laikes".

I dont laike this wan.

I dont laike that wan.

I dont laike chye.

I dont like you.

Dont even let me start with NO.

But just for the heck of it, just one example.

NO! I DUN WAN WEAR PANTS.

One more - NO! I dont say sorry even if I hit korkor after snatching the toy which was his!

My lolly pop.  Turning quite a chatter box. Yay! I dont have to talk to the mirror anymore!

lolly at what..29 mths already?

You know what, lolly?

You are beautiful. I will tell you how so.

Your uneven eye lashes. They are cute and only visible when you lower your eyes or have them shut.

Your button nose. It's bulbous.  When you let out a laugh, it scrunches up. With some lines on the top bridge of your nose.

Your smile. Impish yet totally charming.

Your faint dimples at the corner of your mouth. Only noticeable at certain times only to dissappear when I want to look at them longer.

Your whispy hair. Soft. Hard to manage. Smelly at times. But when its tucked neatly behind your ears or clipped neatly, you look radiant.

Your skin. Soft and supple. Makes me wanna squeeze and sayang all the time. Boys dont have smooth skin like girls. Enuff said.

Your voice. Oh! When you talk with your child-like voice, it makes everyone use the shame tone cosh itch sho kiut.

The best thing in the world is to have you nestled in my arms, head buried under my chin,  your arms around my neck.

I love you. I tell you so today.

And oh..give up the chut chut already, wont ya?

anjing sial

I say you never truly had a happy childhood unless you got chased by those buggers. I raised gooly well..he has a tale to tell now. Your turn now, lolly. But cos you are mu sweet lolly-muffin girl, lets just settled with cats. those without scratchy nails n hissy snarls..

The Vanilla

She calls herself and everyone who dances, a 'vanilla' (ballerina)

Oh how she loves to twirl. I bought her a tutu for RM20. I squealed with delight seeing her wearing it. Ya.. I squealed..she was just, "meh.. a poke-y skirt".

The first day she wore it to the park. She twirled so much she was giddy. I smiled just as much. "Look me! Look me!" she would say. Her hands up above her head, a true ballerina pose.

Oh how I looked at her. She was beautiful with her wispy hair blowing in the wind. Her face smug, believing that she is dancing..performing on stage.

The innocence of a child, before MTV, before Miley Cyrus ruins it for us.

Sometimes she asks me to dance with her. "Come, dance with me!" she beckons. Her head cocks slightly with a well-rehearsed smile, hand outstretches. I can't say no, can I? And so I dance. She happiest when I carry her and swing her around. "More! More! she says giggling.

I only have a tiny wish that she stops asking me to dance in public. While she looks cute, I am on the other hand.. you know.. Let's just say, I was born with 3 left feet with opposable toes.

Of late, she has started dancing Modern dance. I think that's what you call it. She rolls on the floor..gets up..hands outstretches pointing to the ceiling..and legs swiftly being lifted up at a difficult angle. That sorta expressive melodramatic moves.

Which ever.. continue dancing, if it brings you joy, lolly.

blog coma

Yup..that says it all. Havent been blogging for so long, if your tities grow, they should reach the ground.

So what happened was that I briefly mentioned about this blog to a new friend, and she gave a very kind remark that made me think, "say..what did I blog that deserved such kind words." And I did what scientists do, read up on what I wrote.

Ah..it was nice reading back the craps.. (worthy craps) I wrote. I should remember that I write to remember.  I shouldnt stop. For me, the kids and the entire human race.

Gosh..it has been a good 6 months since the last post?  Where do I begin? How about telling my trip to Mars that didnt take place? No..that would be braggy.

How about the diary of the 2 yr olds?

And the life of an 8 yr old?

Yes..writing about them. The whole purpose of this blog.

I'm sorry I abandoned you. But ayam back.

I shall log in a proper pc and edit and post pictures. Tonight...we celebrate my love for you ~

my daughter's pappa

Two weeks ago we celebrated lolly's 2nd birthday. Her "pappa" flew in just for the occasion. I wouldnt say he wouldnt fly back exclusively for Gooly's birthday but because his is on a public holiday all over the world, he gets to celebrate it with his papa most years, except a couple years when he was too busy. And we havent really been particular about birthdays n such.

However...on 24th March, for what seemed an ordinary day, he decided days before that he would spend it with his daughter.

It took me by surprise - a bit, cos like I said, we never give two hoots about birthdays. They have always been low key celebrations.

Thus..I knew it. She is indeed so special in his heart.

Well, I mean I knew it all along..the way he smiles the moment he sees her on screen when we facetime each other.  And when she says "hayo pappa", he waves n smiles even broader while replying, "hello meimei".

And he would watch the videos I sent him over and over and whatsap me a thousand times about "she is so silly" or " she is so cute". (Ok, I do that too :p)

When he sleeps, she would call out,"pappa~" and he smiles like he had the most wonderful dream even with his eyes shut.

He asks if she would know how to find a husband she can control in future.. he got worried early there.

Every girl out there is daddy's girl..but we have a daughter's pappa~ here.

It's too cute. Both of them. Together.

Turning into one of them..

Chauffering kids here there everywhere for classes..thats what I am turning into.. one of the regular moms.

Lets recall..

Gooly's first course was at Little Gym in Bangkok. For a term.

And then he attended music class. Not even a full term.

And then he had Mandarin tuition, which was totally neccesary.

Last December, he learned how to swim.

For 7 years of his life, he had much time to muck around. We were both happy that he had time to build rocket ships from cardboxes when others were at piano recitals and collecting medals.

It was ok for a good 7 years.

And then I noticed that he started to lose concentration, lack enthusiasm and interest in many things. He seemed bored. And he remained stagnant in terms of EQ and IQ growth. How can I tell? Easy, conversations with him were not what it used to be.

He doesn't complain about schools, but then there were forgotten homeworks, lost books, misplaced tupperwares. Gosh, it was like he lost his mind and we couldn't seem to find it.

And then it struck me.. that he is under-stimulated. Schools kill creativity, we all know that. And at this point, it was pretty obvious that he needed something to boost his brain.

Thus, piano lessons and math lessons.

After 1 month, I must say, I am very very very happy with the change in him. It's like I got my old Gooly back. He is co-operative, hard-working and motivated.

I must say the changes come because he feels good about being able to do stuff. He is using the abacus, and reading the key-notes - things very new and interesting and exciting for all of us.

Today, we got the ancient piano from my mil. He was so excited that he started practising very simple notes and then attempted to play "Old Mcdonald" and succeeded in doing so even the teacher has not taught him. It was good having music in the house.

It was good seeing him feeling proud of himself. He ought to. Papah and I were beaming so much. It was not so much about talent. It was his attitude that made our hearts swelled with pride.

The same for his math lessons. He cant wait to practise his abacus after every lessson.

I believe because of this "I can do it" experiences, it has helped him in achieving other activities, such as cycling and swimming. He just strives to be better at each activity.

Phew.. so we got ourselves out from the "slump" period. It's all good for now.. until another stage, where we have to re-evaluate the situation and see what we can do.

Parenting.. killing braincells... thats what it does.

The bicycle story

What Gooly is riding now would be his 4th bicycle.

The first one was a yellow canary three wheeler, which he rode to the swimming pool at the old mooban.

ANd then he was upgraded to a four wheeler. An ultraman one. Bought at JJ mall. When he was 4. He continued riding with training wheels until he came back here. (The bike is still at the balcony in BKK covered with rust and dust)

And then I asked for a free bike from whomever wanting to get rid of theirs. I got a spinner BMX. When he saw it, he cried.

Not tears of joy, mind you.

But cos it was too big. For a 5 yr old. There was no way he could cycle it. Bah!

So we bought him a white beauty. There was a bell. And to decorate it, we have a skull with beaming eyes that goes around one of the spokes. But it also came with training wheels. Bah! To be frank, it was slightly oversized but hey, we want it to last a lifetime. Well.. at least till he is 12.. and then to be passed on to someone else (we didnt know Lolly will come along).

So he rode happily at 20 mph, and 10mph at humps.*face palm.  He was definitely not a biker material.

At 6, i said, "Son, its time for you to drive solo. And to pick up your speed to at least 50mph."

He tried and failed, and lost interest. Suddenly it was too hot, too cold, too tired, too scary, too whatever to ride a bike.

At 7, I said, "Son, you gotta ride it. It's the best thing that you will ever learn. Chicks dig boys with bicycles... not quad-cycles"

He tried. He struggled. He failed. I was disappointed that he wasnt determined enough. And then the tyre got punctured. Co-incidence-nyer.... Dunno if HE punctured it or not.

So we left him and the bicycle for a while. Everytime I said to bring it to the shop to fix it, a response of a very tak semangat "ok-eh" came.

Finally, today after selecting the date from the chinese almanac, and double confirmed with the Book of Fengshui, I have the tyre replaced, and sent him out to learn it by hook or by crook.

Heheh...Actually I was very cheer-leaderish. At every full cycle of the pedals, I clapped and encouraged. He was trying very hard. He perspired. He gripped the handle till his knuckles turned white.

I wasnt even sure if my technique was right. I just said, pedal quick, look in front, relax, relax your shoulder, dont worry, you are doing great, balance your body..

and VOILA! He did it!

I jumped with joy literally. Hooray hooray hooray!

Learning to dip his head into the pool was hard. But man...this bicycling was the biggest hurdle. When i saw him tumbling time after time, my heart was heavy.. I almost wanted to say, "Let's go home. We'll try another day. Or maybe you dont need to ride a bike in your life."

But i didnt.

I kept the spirit of YOU CAN DO IT.

And when he did it.. he was so tremondously proud of himself. The feeling must have been awesome. To try and try and try (for years) and to finally made it. He told me, "Failure is the mother of success." Truly, without failure, success is nothing.

So i guess we have another activity to add into our evening fun.

And oh, Lolly was being all supportive of her brother by sleeping soundly in the car during that hour. When she woke, she eye-witnessed her bro's inaugural 100 meter cycle-ton. Perfect!

The little game

EVery night before dozing off to sleep, Lolly and I play this silly game invented by herself.

She would catch something with her bare hands and hold it in her closed palms. It is all pretend, of course. To humour her, I ask, "What did you get this time?"

Sometimes she says it's a butterfly. Well, she cant say 'baherfy' yet..but she gestures the creature by crossing her hands, and making wings with her fingers while interlocking her thumbs. Darn cute.

Sometimes she catches a star and put it in my palm and ask me to 'kwiggly' close it.

Yesterday, she caught..

A KOCKOJ! (cockroach). ANd when my mouth was agape, she popped it into my mouth and shrieked with laughter. Oh she was wickedly funny. Or was it funnilly wicked?

But then, as her 2nd birthday draws nearer, I was so afraid of the infamous terrible twos phase. I thought she was so going to ACE that stage. But to my pleasant surprise, she has some-what mellowed down. She is, as of now, all pretty and nice and all that spice. She listens to instructions better, talks oh so cute and she sways her hips when she walks.

ANd she stops, looks over her shoulder and gives coy smiles.

Just like Princess D. Hehe..

Just today, she cleans up her puzzles, without prompting..She said, "kukap" (clean up), put all the pieces into the box, hung the box over her shoulder like a bag, and waved and said, "babai" to me, and swayed her hips left right left right to the toy chest.

And she has also become more sympathetic. To herself. Like when she fell, she consoled herself saying, "Nehmind" (never mind). Or when I coughed, she said, "U oteh?" (You ok?) while putting a concerned arm over my shoulder. I would have stopped coughing if her over-dramaly face of concerned was not so funny.

Her face is really funny. She has a button nose. Small eyes. Puffy lids. She looks like a Korean boy who cries when his ice cream drops on the ground.

See what I mean? BTW, she feels like a champ wearing that goggles. Especially so when it's on her forehead. Man.. then she is INVINCIBLE!

Brotherly love

There is this book which Gooly writes/draws loads of stuff in it. Mainly sketches of go-knows-what and blue prints of the next greatest inventions. I was flipping through it the other day, and found that there was a mini quiz. There were some basic questions and then there were boxes of answers by people who are honoured to have been asked.

What is your favourite sound?

He knew me so well that under Mom's column, he has written 'the sound of violin'.

What made me really smile was HIS favourite sound.


...... it is 'the sound of laughter from my baby sister.'

He really adores that girl. Another time, she was fast asleep in the car seat. He peeked at her the moment he climbed into the car, and commented, "Her face is so cute when she is sleeping.. I like her eyelashes when her eyes are closed."

And of course he has to make another crucial point, "I dont like it when she screams.."

Yeah me neither.

Lolly, how lucky of you to have the dearest koko.

my secretary

One day, my phone rang. If you know me, I almost dont answer the phone every time it rings. So notorious I am for this unintentional fame that people say, "Wow! You pick up your phone!" in mock admiration when I do.

So that day, I was rescuing a cat from a mouse, when the phone rang and I asked Gooly to answer it. He was one step too late, the phone has stopped ringing its "Shanghai Bund" tune. Never mind, I said. They would have expected an unanswered call.

Much later, I checked the missed call (err.. it must have been after 99 hours or so). I realised that Gooly has typed and sent an sms to the caller.

"Sorry, busy now. Will call you later."

Awesomeness! I have an in house secretary that make empty promises on behalf of me, with full of diplomacy.

Also, he has been using my phone to call the tuition teacher whenever he gets stuck with homework. The teacher would reply via sms, so that he can read the chinese words. I never bother much with what she writes cos.. duuh not like i can read chinese. And one day, I ter-accidentaly read the messages.

Relax......no hanky panky.

I see that Gooly has actually replied each of her smses with "Thank you" or "Have a nice day."

That is nice. Something he does without prompting.

Ring ring.. ring ring... alo?

On the other hand, if you hear "alo" or deep breathing when you call me, that would be Lolly.

His Best Weapon

Quite often Gooly asks me, "How do you think your day is going to be like?"

The first time he asked, I felt odd. But to humour him, I answered nonetheless with something along the line of "Gee.. I dunno. I was tired but when i saw your smile the moment you woke up, I thought it was gonna be good"

And i asked, "Why? How is yours going to be like? Anything interesting happening?"

And the wise-o said, "If i think its going to be great.. it will be great."

And he smiled that great smile.

Today I woke up late. Thus he woke late. And we were all late. Bummer! I forgot to iron his shirt. There was no bread. I had to shit. His socks misplaced. Groan.. dare I say, it's gonna be a baaad day.

And yet..he hopped off the car at the school gate ala Jims Bong with a big wave and smile. It's tgif! Nothing is gonna spoil it for him. Not shitty mom.. barfing sister..stale biscuits.

And when I pick him up from school..every day, I ask, "How was your day?"

"IT WAS A BLAST!"

Seriously dude? I dont think schools are such blasts. You high or sumting, son?

*cackles*

OK-lah.. I just think he has a positive outlook on life. Why dread something that you have to do day in day out? That I gotta learn from him.

Random activity whilei waiting for Mr. Sunshine home - Listening to Beatles with Lolly. Coolsome!

almost 2

But not yet..

Here is a list of things she can do:
1. Drives me nuts, bonkers, bollocks
2. Makes me dig my nails deep into the walls
3. Inspires me to punch the wall
4. Changes my whole perspective of parenting- one that I had not anticipated
5. Pushes the envelope. .well..erm..more like pushing me to the corners
6. Makes frequent blood checks totally neccesary
7. Gives a whole new meaning of "challenging" (now it means 1 more second of screaming and I will hang you like a piece of underwear on the cactus, to me)

Ok..so you get the drift. She totally kills my innards and cells and brain.

To be fair..only when she acts up.

Like that day at the club, she wanted to go to the bb pool which I forbade cos its too cold. She didnt listen like ms. Bawani, as you may have guessed. I suddenly understand the whole notion of "listen seven times". I pulled her outof the pool. No more swimming. As simple as that. Big mama is angwee!

She wailed.and I lectured about "listen to mama" - 7 times.

And yet..

"Do you want to listen to mama?"

Nyok!

And it went on to become Nnnnnnnyyyyook! - a blatant disobedience.

And so I did what I had to do.

"Say yes!"

Nyyokk!

"Go stand there if you dont want to listen to mama."

And she did! After saying, "Oteh!"

Her back faced me. I walked to her and saw that
she was twiddling her fingers, avoiding eye contact.

Omg! Whaat was I to do???

Oh come on! Just say yes and we can all go home.

It totally went from "teaching her a lesson to power struggle to facepalm to epic failure.

Oklah. Finally she did say yes. Actually I dont really think she knows listening to mama means being obedient.
Maybe she is just at the phase of saying nyyok cos its syok to do so.

But oh well, I won!

Uhmm..I did right? Like totally.

Yay!

Lolly at 23 mths

She is definitely speaking more, its just that we havent found the right channel to receive transimission. Despite the sometimes unsuccessful but fun communication, she is trying to string two or three words.

"Loot (at) me."

"Please help me."

"i eat rice."

Very often, she answers your questions with a very thoughful uhm.......which is darn cute. The other day she was colouring/contenging a bear bloody red. So i asked, what colour is that? As if she knows.

She went..uhmm....red.

Woosh! Do not underestimate her. I mean her acting skill cos it turns out every bloody other things are red too.

But there was this one time at the car, i was telling her about clouds..you know evaporation and water density...stuff you tell a two year old all the time. And she went..uhm...white clouds.

Wooosh! Einstein, you have a successor. Never mind Stephen Hawkings yo!

But this girl really cracks me up. When she goes, "Look me" and when i do, i am ever ready to let out a guturral laugh cos she is silly and cheeky like that. Just today she said "look me" and when i turned, she was wearing my oversized (even for me, imagine on her) sunglasses, upside down with a huge wide grin. She looked like Pocoyo. *grin*

she likes saying NO still for the heck of it. Omg. She even sounds like Pocoyo.

Did you poopoo? NYOK!

Go wash your poopoo. NYOK!

Why..do you want to have a smelly butt? YESH.

Do not underestimate her speech.

And oh, she inserts sound effects like, ohnyo! Oei? Ha?

And she is turning two soon. *excited* I'm so asking her to wipe her own arse apart from handling the laundry and cooking the meals. Yay! That will leave me more time to make more babies.

Did I just say the most craxy thing?

Hormones a bitch.

School thus far

So gooly is attending a new school. Everything is new. Schedule, teachers, friends - hamparang new. It started with a slight moan about waking up early. There was just one morning that he got up from the wrong side of the bed and refused to go..even after he had donned his uniform and was already at the school gate. *roll eyes* Did I mention that papa was in charge that morning. Epic fail. I took over and he was kicked out of the car straight into classroom.

Thereinafter every morning has been a smooth sailing one. Id say he throws in greetings and smiles too when he sees me preparing yummies for him at the kitchen. There were some forgotten homeworks but no biggie.

He doesnt particularly says he likes or dislikes this new school. We discussed about this and concluded that there are good and bad stuff at both schools. So cant complain much.

Yesterday he came home and announced two things - 1. His teacher is sick and 2. He would like to join a story telling session.

For (1) he made a card to sympathise with her teacher and hopes that she gets well soon. Everyhing was written in Mandarin. I know there were some grammatical errors. It just didnt sound right to say "everyday you shout at children until no more voice. when you are better you can talk again." Oh well..its the thought that counts. He came back and said the teacher mouthed the word "xie xie" as her throat still hurts. I'd say my boy was really kind and thoughful (and will be getting 100 for all papers marked by the said teacher).

As for (2), this isnt the first time he volunteered to 'perform'. For the record, he isnt the most articulate kind of person. He doesnt blow you away with his speech. In fact he is a bit awkward having to speak to a group of people. So I was utterly awed with his enthusiasm and guts. We practised a few rounds. I gave him some pointers about looking at the audience.. looking confident etc. I dont know if I scared him but to prevent further damage I just let loose and tell myself, "It need not to be perfect." Most important thing is he wants to do it. We can fine tune the performance if he decides speaking in public is what he is comfortable with.

So he did it! Came back with the proudest smile and proclaimed that people wanted to be his friends because he was brave enough to tell a story in front of the class. "WAH, ni jiang ku shi jen yang li hai."

Hehe. Perasan-nyer.

But yeah..I am proud. Peacock proud of you, son.

Potty training mission almost complete

Hmm..how interesting. The topic of potties and poos.If you read it real fast it almost sounds like parties and booze.

Anyways..decided to introduce the whole concept of a clean ass to Lolly. We are ahead of schedule I think cos one usually starts at year 2. I wasnt expecting much or any fast outcome. I just bought her the cheapest spitoon look alike potty - those red ones and asked her to sit on it.

And every freaking time she went au..au..au... and she leaned forward with a forlorn face. And she stood up with a red rimmed ass. So I thought that cheapo potty was not comfortable for her royal butt. Went to ikea and bought her a wider brimmed one.

And....au au au.

Same torturous murmurs.

Was contemplating on those really stupid fancy potty..those which plays music and flushes. But seeing that it doesnt include wiping the arse, I was reluctant.

So I showed her some videos on youtube on potty training. She watched eyes wide with bewilderment. And started potty training her teddy bear.

Once she ran into the back room in a frantic mode obviously looking for something. I asked what was it? She actually said "thish" , holding a diaper. Ah..it was for her bear.

And after a while, she plonked the furry thing on the potty and checked for deposits.

So she was getting the concept right. Just not adventurous to experiment it yet.

And then one night she announced that her bowel movement was at its prime and there she did it. A big pile of dung plopped into the rm3.90 potty. Ah yes.. we are reverting to the cheapo potty though the ikea ones are not that expensive either but she reckons it is more suited for her bear.

So we are done with poos. She has pooped 4/5 times into the plastic throne, to date. But we are not so succesfull with the liquid deposits yet.

She announces poopoo all the time whether its poo,pee or fart. Sometimes its a false alarm. She just sits there pook yin watching haughtyly at her nails. Then she gets up only to pee on the floor. Of course..it happens. *inhale exhale.

But a while ago, she said poopoo and I left her at
yhe throne. She came back and said "yook yook" oh so ok...when I looked..there was liquid in it.

So yipeee...yay yay!

It should be soon that we can strike diapers off the shopping list. Fingers crossed.

Tgif

..and so it was. I decided to chill out a bit and took Lolly to the nearby mall. Just the two of us. She is quite a good companion these days. When i say, "Hold hand.." she extends the body part rightfully and willingly. That co-operation makes outing a whole lot easier now.

At some point, i carried her at the hip, and she said, "Dans" cos the music was funky. She got down and held both my hands gingerly and led the dance. It was a bit of a butt wringling action there. I was a bit shy to follow of course, but i could never say no to that cute and enthusiastic smile of hers. So right there, at Uniqlo we danced. Just a few seconds before being escorted out by the secu before i enticed her with ....

Shoes....oh she loves shoes. Big small flat heels..doesnt matter. She would try on every single pair at sight. *rubs temples*

and i had to pull her away..to lunch. Not that she was interested. Sushi, especially is not on her to-eat list. But we had a good chat. I dont know how to explain this. She doesnt talk much. She makes noises, but we understand each other. A lot.

For example, in the morning she was wearing a silly pirahna swimming cap. She took a photo frame, brought it to me and started yabbering away. So i said, "yeah, i havent put any picture in it yet. Cant decide which one." she tapped on the glass side, and told me something that needed decoding. And i realised that she thought that the picture frame was a mirror. She was staring at her own reflection on the glass side. When i got what she meant, she smiled a genuinely happy smile.

And when i was lying down on the couch supposedly looking for a fine cookie recipe, she came by and popped two mini cereal into my mouth, and asked, "Nice?" i purposely bit (gently) her finger. She yelped a dramatic "Ouch!" and laughed. I did it a few times. She improvised her acting by adding blowing/kissing the pain away.

Something about empathy that encompasses sensitivity which i think she demonstrates at a young age, just like Gooly did. The other morning, we were reading a book, and a picture shows a boy being splashed by water. She exclaimed, "Oh no!" and proceeded to wipe the boy (on paper) with her own shirt. And today she was upset that Pocoyo didnt want to be friends with Plato.

Hmm...

And so it wasnt about tgif per se - the glorified day of the week or the restaurant bearing the same name that i was gonna blog about.

Yeah. Its all about lolly. :)

The impossible

I watched The Impossible alone the other day. It was a movie i knew i had to watch when i saw the trailer. A few reasons, one - it being a true story that happened in Thailand, and two- that it happened end 2004 when i was in hospital while waiting anxiously to hold Gooly in my arms. And the images of the big tidal waves that hit the shores were being repeated on tv. So to see those images again, it was smwhat a bitter sweet nostalgic feeling.

And number three reason would be i am a big sucker for tear jerkers. Maybe i dont cry much in real life. And i believe watching tear jerkers make crying less sissy more justified or acceptable. But thats me..you can cry when you are chopping onions or constipated. I wont judge you.

So i needed my tear ducts cleaned..and so i went alone to the cinema, making sure it was not during prime hours..becuase i knew for sure, i was going to cry like a pig. No offence to the real pigs, or those of you bornin the year of the pig (yes you! The one in a condo with moths and stuff)or any chauvinistic pigs.

Anyways...what i wanted to tell today is how i thought the oldest boy, the star of the show resembled Gooly. Ok, in the movie, he helped his mom, rescued a little boy, and did other heroic stuff. No, im not sure if Gooly can actually save my life in a catastrophic scenerio, but i felt I could count on him to comfort me, like the boy did to his mother in the movie. The bond between the pair is the exact same one that gooly and i, the mother and son team share.

Also, when he spoke to a little boy whom he carried up onto a tree...the way he spoke was so much like Gooly. I cried so much that part.

Golly is really nice to Lolly. Of course there are times he couldnt stand her. I dont blame him cos she is such a diva, that one. But most of the time, he is really sweet. Because i want to remember this proud moment of how the gentle star-boy resembled gooly, i made it a point to remember what he said to lolly (and cousin) today.

Example 1: (stepping out of shower) Be careful, meimei. Its slippery. Do you want to hold my hand? No? Then you walk slowly...thats it....here's your towel.

Example 2: (cousin fell and skinned a little on the shin) You fell down? Painful or not? Let me see..oh..just a bit-lah. Never mind. Later take some water to wash. You can still run?

There should be some more...and as i knew i would, i had forgotten. But these two examples..well iam sure, his identity as a sweet gentle lil boy is approved.

Go watch The Impossible, if you havent already.

Little notes on the table

Yesterday i left a note on Gooly's table:

Dear (insert glamourous name), my favourite boy in the universe,

I want to thank you for taking care of me yesterday when i was sick. I knew you closed the door when i was taking a nap so that the noise outside wont disturb me. How thoughful and nice of you.

Love,

Mom.

Ps: have a great day at school.

Sometimes i am busy (peeling grapes). I forget to say thank you, or tot ell him that he has been a nice boy. Little notes like that help.

Later, i am gonna write another note. Yes..to thank him again for switching off the tv at 8.15pm without being told, and went to bed with no fuss. He completed his homework with minimal supervision. He ate lettuces.

He is nice to my parents. He chit chats with them, making them laugh all the time.

He loves his little sister so much.

Thanks son for being nice. Thank you for being more mature and reponsible than any 8 year olds (or 18 year old) whom I know. Thanks for for smiling even the day has been bad.

Odds and ends

Havent been writing for a while. There should be some stuff that ought to be written. Lolly is taking a nap now. I should write away till she wakes or i myself bore me my soul (and possibly you) to sleep.

We officially moved to the new place. It has been almost a year since the place was done up, but we were just here and there since gooly was still in the old school. But now that he is transferred, so it is here that we are staying put.

It is a whole new world for the affected three - gooly, lolly and i. First its the morning rush to school by 7.10am. And then its cooking two and a half meals, which started off fairly well with 2-3 dishes, but now has dwindled down to one-pot meals.

When there is time, gooly continues reading - non text book materials. His knowledge on animals is so vast, i asked if he should make a career out of it..you know, a zoo keeper or something. "A veterinarian" he suggested, cos he is not very fond of wild animals. But he is also afraid of domesticated dogs. It kinda puzzles me that one who is interested in animals is not fond of them. Does that make sense?

Meanwhile lolly continues to grow into a little tod with ponytails. Heh..thats if and when she allows me to tie them up. This cheekyboo loves to chatter. Bisoo busi buushoo bukiok - she says. Kidding..i dont think whatever that she says is phonectically possible. But she makes really cute sounds. Gooly talks to me, and she would touch my arm, and start yabbering away. I'd answer, "Really?" and she continues with her hard-to-spell words. It makes talking fun cos i just have to say, "uh-huh, and then, wow, ok" interchangibly. She is happy with those responses, thus far.

She also likes this silly games of "copying". Oh no..not the usual monkey see monkey do. The roles are reversed. She do, you copy. Sometimes i super layan cos it makes her smile so much. Other times, i do it cincai-ly. But she would correct me i.e like i didnt fold my thumb up properly as instructed.

Another mood-lifter game is to pretend i am really angry. She would come whisper tsubba tsubhi shibi..with a reallllllly cute face. And when a frown is turned upside down, she skips off happily. You can almost see the bubble speech of "yay" coming from her mouth.

Ok, i successfully killed my brian cells thinking of what i had missed writing the past month. And that makes me sleepy. And hungry.

So..to be continued.