How to select a pre-school for your child?

Renee's been kinda 'reminded' about school recently(after I told her that aunty Sharmaine, her PG friend, Wae Shuen's mommy had invited us over to their house) and been telling me she wanna go to her new school hahaha - and she hasnt viewed it yet!(I only showed her its website and told her that the new sch's closed for sch hol and as she still hasn't grasp the concept of that, she said "oh, then go 'old sch' hahaha).

Yes yes, we've yet to view Kinderland(serangoon branch, a pre-school) premise as it's now school holiday(only childcare centres are still operating this period but we do not want her to be in a childcare environment) and we prefer to see the school teachers 'at work' when sessions are in place.

Renee's now still sleeping cos she slept late last nite @11pm and her daddy's on his way to the airport now(I slept at 2am+ and I've been up since 7am+, to boil water/make him coffee and I cant go back to sleep as the cleaner is coming over anytime now arrghhh) - yeah, I'm not going this time, too short a trip(he'll be back on 1/1/08 early AM) and I'm just too sian to go along this time hehehe. Hopefully, by the time he returns and get his deal's matters settled, we can have a little more time to prepare for CNY!

I've been reading this guide(by youngparents) since end last year and am still flipping through it now occasionally(as am looking for a pre-sch now). Here are some guidelines gathered from the various schools'(the good/strong and the 'norm') principals' advices that I personally find very useful and important and after speaking/discussing with some mommies during the last few PG sessions, I thought it'd be good to share here since some mommies also hv no clues as to what to look out for:

1) Is the environment bright, cheerful and fill with children's artwork?
2) What are the teachers' experiences and qualifications?
3) How does the school prepare the child for Primary I?
4) Teacher and child ratio(to ensure your child receives maximum attention) but not just that alone, ensure a constant main teacher is assigned to the child for his/her long-term benefit, instead of him/her being 'looked after' by assistant/floating teachers
5) 1 benefit of yr child in a PCF kindergarten is that he/she will learn to socialise with other children from all backgrounds but 1 concern is : there is only a relatively small proportion of PCF teachers equiped for this new and demanding role of play-based schooling and according to reports published in the S.T., less than 25% of PCF teachers have diplomas, compared to 70% in pte kindergartens(personally, after having gone to view and talk to the people at so many schools/centres, I think this also applies to most of those ard HDB area/void-decks?)
6) Curriculums should not be too stressful(this is what I myself will look out for - not too academically inclined). Some programmes cost lesser and some more, the difference, of course, is in the quality of teachers and the programmes offered. Some of the higher-end centres can offer very specialised programmes and invest in good magterials

One mother interviewed, remarked "although basic literacy and numeracy are essential, I don't want to stress my child out. To me, the most important thing si that she receives stimulation, so I'm willing to pay extra for teacher quality" - I cant agree more on this :)

Personally, I would prefer that the premise has a large playfield of its own(usually the pre-schools/childcare centres on stand-alone premise wld hv) 'cos in today's walled-in urban environment, there are not many opportunities and space for children to run free and easy.

*Okies, that's all for now, if I continue re-flipping the book and see anything worth mentioning, I'll put here, so tune back if u wish(if possible, I'll try cos there're simply just too many in the book)

The mini-pollypocket car

Had planned to let Renee have the cars only upon our return from the coming trip(not sure if I wanna go this time, quite sian but daddy asked why when I said dun feel like going) but couldn't stand her constant pestering : "the pink colour car first, then mommy come back from work work, then buy the sports car"... so here it is :

The minute she saw this(it was unwrapped u see...), she was sooo happy and said "Yes Yes, thank you thank you, mommy" and quickly asked me to open it up!
After playing with it for a short while, she came to the kitchen, and said to me : "thank you mommy for the pink colour car". Sweet isnt it? :)
(and yes, those were her exact words - for those who asked if I've 'edited' any of her speeches posted here lolz)

A while later, she went "oh mommy mommy, I so happy for the pink colour car, becos mommy buy for me and take photo" - huh? hahaha but guess what? after telling me that, she went to play with the helicopter(oh ya, she can control abit already hehehe), geez!!! and sensing me looking at her and the car, she put down the helicopter controller and went back to playing with the car! hahahahaha

Oh, just realised that I've not taken any pics of the gifts given by Renee's aunts/cousins! Most of them are now placed into the cupboard(waiting to be 'explored' later slowly, one by one hehehe) and I'm just plain lazy to take them out again for pics, trust they won't mind that I didn't showcase their pressies here hehehe

X'mas Lunch

Had X'mas lunch with my close friend, Vicky and her bf(Sam) at a restaurant serving authentic Thai food in Funan IT mall. Food's great, shall go there again on our own! :)

Thereafter, as daddy had to go to the temple in jurong, he dropped me and Renee off at Takshimaya S.C. so that I could shop for my x'mas gift at the L.V. boutique, heehee.

We allowed Renee to sleep late last nite at 12:10am for presents opening(kept the biggest one on hold though, planned to let her have it upon our return from the next coming trip hehe) and let her wake up late this morning at 9:45am.
Surprisingly, she couldn't 'tong' as well as usual when she sleeps/wakes up early!!! She almost dozed off in the car whilst on the way to the restaurant and slept in the car on the way to TSC! Usually, she'll wake up the minute I carried her up from the car seat/taxi or when I reached home/destination but today, she slept through!!! Alamak, how to shop for my bag like that? hahaha, bo bian lor, I have to find a place to sit down, so I quickly walked to the benches(opp Guess boutique) but they were already filled up with people resting their feet... I waited a while and no one showed signs of getting up, so I decided to thicken up my skin and asked them if they could spare abit of space for me :) Luckily for me, there's this nice young couple who willingly did that for us and even waved goodbye to me when I thanked them again later as they were leaving.
So, there I was, sitting there with a sleeping Santa Rina on my arms hahaha(but, not for long, this santarina, woke up about 15-20mins later and seeing a 'foreign' place, she became alert immediately...haiz).

There was a suuuper long que outside L.V. boutique and I decided to get some milk bread for Renee's tea break(usually she'll hv milk at home) first and walk around abit before we went back to que hehehe. Whilst walking back towards L.V. boutique, we passed by the main lobby/X'mas tree, Renee exclaimed "huh, this tree again?" hahaha, yet she rushed to the glass fence to look at it again! An idea strucked me and I made her put on the santarina hat and she put on some nice smiles for me to photograph. Many people watched and told me that she's very cute and one nice couple even offered to take pics of me n her together which I had turned down in a haste(n regret later lolz, cos she said "do u want me to help you take a pic with her? cos she's sooooo cute")). Another group of caucasians passed and one of them - a lady, stopped to take pics of her. She was polite enough to ask if I'm ok with it - errmmm, what can I say? Usually I don't quite like it cos heard too much abt child photography abuse, but today's Christmas day! and that lady seemed nice/motherly, so...
*let me know if you wish to see her in the santa rina outfit and I'll email u ya! :) *

Ok, finally got into the boutique(after the bread eating, going to toilet, etc) but couldn't find anything nice arrrrggghhh! They seem to have more 'in-fashion' designs now and I'm actually looking for a simple/classic one. So again, no present for me as yet :P

Went back to Suntec City for our dinner at Tony Romas(as we didn't get to eat last night due to long que) and we both napped in the car on our way home hahaha.

Fairies on a X'mas card

Oh now I remembered! It was this card(sent by a magazine art director friend) that triggered her memory of the butterfly wings set! I recalled asking her, when she came to me asking for the wings and wand, on how she remembered and she told me "the two fairies on mommy's card":

See the 2 cute fairies on the left side top corner?

'Lost' Artwork

I was editing some pics for uploading and chanced upon the folder which I've set up for some of the pics taken by my handphone... And I found this! I don't remember taking this piece of artwork back(luckily I've got it photographed whilst she was doing it - painting with cotton bud):

Oh ya, back to the butterfly fairy wings set... She loved it so much, and like the girl in that movie I've mentioned, she will put it on whenever she's awake/after her shower hahaha. Here's a pic of her wearing it after her nap this afternoon hahaha. When we were about to leave for Compass Pt, I told her to take it off as it's not quite suitable' to wear it there, maybe we'll let her wear when we go downtown and surprisingly, she obeyed :)

'Tang Yuan'

Yes, it is the time of the year again! I was reminded abt this day(yesterday) weeks ago and got the ingredients from my mom... however, I still forgot abt it! Luckily my niece, Lynette told me that my eldest sis was praying when she chatting with me, then I remembered and quickly got the ingredients ready for a round of dumplings making. This year, we have Renee joined in and we, a small family of 3, had a fun time making the dough and dumplings(video-ed it down too)!

I quickly cleaned Renee up when we got home last night so that I could cook up the dumplings(before 11pm). We could have it outside but since I got married, I was told to do it for 'my family', so every year, we'll have it at home with our own families. Needless to say, our dear Renee didn't eat any but was busy feeding her daddy the dumplings(dipped into a specially grind peanut 'powder'), hmmm Yummy! Even though we were all quite full from the earlier feast hehehe.

oh ya, here's a pic of the dumplings we've made - not much though, as we can't eat much:

The small ones are Renee's creations and the 2 longish ones are her 'inny inch worms' - a character from the zoo phonics hahaha

A movie worth watching...

This, is the butterfly fairy set that we've got for Renee when we were in Shanghai many months ago. She wanted to have it initially, but I told her it was too big for her and she willingly allowed me to keep it :)

This afternoon, whilst getting ready to go out, I heard Renee saying to her dad that she wanted to wear slippers and I thought, oh great, then I woudn't be caught in a dilemma as to whether to let her put on the butterfly fairy wings n all(but she came to me and asked for the fairy set! Geez, how she suddenly remembered the set, I really dunno man! She even willingly trade slipper to shoes when I told her it wont match, so I have no choice but to let her wear...)

Why dilemma? Reason is : I knew she'll look lovely but the sight of her wearing the wings especially, will make me recall the scenes/story of a japanese movie I've watched onboard the plane during one of our latest 2 trips. The movie is titled "A Long Walk" and it's a story about a cute young girl(kindergarten age). Her father left and she was abused by her mother and maybe even her good-for-nothing jobless boyfriend(yes or not, not sure as not shown in the movie).

Here's a review(some parts deleted so as to shorten it) on the movie that I've extracted from a website :
A Long Walk. Longtime actor Ken Ogata stars as Matsutaro Yasuda, a retired principal living out the rest of his so-called "golden years" alone, finding himself coping with both the recent death of his alcoholic wife and his bitter estrangement from his now grown-up daughter. Upon his wife's passing, Yasuda moves out of his home and takes up residence in a crummy apartment. At his new home, he meets Sachi (Hana Sugiura), a five-year-old girl dressed in cardboard angel wings on a daily basis. She's a cute kid, but she's quiet and she always wears the same dirty clothes. Yasuda soon discovers that Sachi is the daughter of his next-door neighbor, Mayumi Yamayoko (Saki Takaoka), who could easily win the title of "World's Worst Mother." Not only is she negligent as a parent and emotionally abusive, but she also seems to possess a bitter hatred for her own child. In one harrowing scene, she tries to strangle young Sachi. If that weren't bad enough, Mayumi has a good-for-nothing boyfriend named Koji (Tomokau Ohashi), who is violent and most likely sexually abusive, not only towards Mayumi, but little Sachi herself. It's not an exaggeration to say that Sachi's life is a living hell. Living next door to this dysfunctional family unit soon triggers bad memories for Yasuda himself, as he recalls his past behavior towards his own spouse and child. No longer content to sit idly by as his neighbors destroy Sachi's life, Yasuda decides to become the girl's protector, saving Sachi from further harm while at the same time giving himself a chance for a small measure of redemption. There's little question in his mind that it's the right thing to do. The problem is, however, that to the outside world, what he chooses to do is called kidnapping.But surely, a horrible mother like Sachi's would be relieved to be rid of her daughter, right? Wrong. She reports the child missing, although her lack of any real emotional attachment to the child horrifies the detectives in charge of the case. Although it's never explicitly stated, it almost seems as if Mayumi's desire to get her child back is out of spite. The mere thought of her daughter's possible happiness or freedom elsewhere is just too much to bear.Meanwhile, Sachi accompanies Yasuda on the "Long Walk" of the title, and he quickly learns the extent of her physical abuse. Along the way, this unlikely pair encounters Wataru (Shota Matsuda), a teenage drifter with his own personal demons. After an awkward start, the three of them form a makeshift family, as the girl quickly warms up to both Wataru and Yasuda. Unfortunately, the happy family unit is only temporary, and Yasuda and Sachi must complete the rest of the journey on their own. Pursuing them is Detective Iwai (director Eiji Okuda), who discovers that returning Sachi to her mother may not be the ethical thing to do, even if he is bound by law to do so. Will he arrest Yasuda before he can complete his promise to Sachi? Or will he turn a blind eye to Yasuda's crime and let him escape? The film answers these questions definitively, but while the storyline of A Long Walk comes to a close, the film is still a bit open-ended. If this were a made-for-cable movie, perhaps there would be a series of "Where are they now?" updates prior to the credits, but thankfully, director Eiji Okuda dispenses with this sort of micro-managed closure. Clearly, both the journey and the destination are vitally important to appreciating A Long Walk, but what happens afterwards is somewhat irrelevant and smartly left to the imagination. Whether it's in the form of long takes or a series of wordless scenes, Okuda isn't afraid to take his time. Thankfully, it's a technique that proves to be mesmerizing, rather than tedious or plodding. For instance, early in the film, Yasuda shaves off his hair, begins running, and even forges a makeshift practice sword out of bamboo. Although initially, what all this is building towards seems to be a case of self-discipline and personal health, it's actually something else. And the way in which Okuda simply lets the audience sit back and observe without having Yasuda announce his intentions makes the eventual payoff that much more satisfying. The casting is spot-on, and Ken Ogata delivers a fine act turn as the world-weary Yasuda. While the film is purposely vague about the extent of Yasuda's abuse of his own family, Ogata effectively portrays him as a man haunted by his own behavior and desperate to make amends for it. Okuda is also able to elicit a nice performance from the adorable little Hana Sugiura, who is totally believable as an innocent child damaged by her mother's abuse and neglect. The realistic interplay between Ogata and his little co-star is perhaps the main reason why the film works. In terms of supporting roles, Shota Matsuda makes a welcome appearance as the troubled young man who brightens Sachi's life, if only temporarily. However, his quick departure from the film suggests that there was (or should have been) more to the character, although perhaps that's part of the point in regard to why he makes such an abrupt and enigmatic exit.A real scene stealer is Okuda himself, who is perfect as the no-nonsense cop, a man just trying to make sense of a topsy-turvy world in which returning a kidnapper has a child's best interests at heart. Just as viewers long to see an encounter between the pursuer and the pursued in a quality chase movie (i.e. Tommy Lee Jones and Harrison Ford in The Fugitive), so too will audiences hope for a face-to-face meeting between Iwai and Yasuda - so strong is Okuda's performance.(Sanjuro 2007)

This is a 2006 movie and as usual, it'll take awhile before they finally reach us here in Singapore(if it ever gets here, as it's in Japanese language) - there were a number of movies I've watched onboard the plane end last yr which were only premiered here from mid this year...

If opportunity arises, I urged u to watch this movie(esp. those going onboard airplane soon, check if they have this movie if they have such service hehehe). I tried very very very hard not to cry but end up with uncontrollable tears at the end - the ultimate, when the old man had to surrender to the police and thus unable to fulfil his promise of 'I will not leave you' to the little girl(imagine if I'd watched this at home, sure flood man lolz). It's a very sad movie that has really got to me and even till now, I still feel extremely sad when scenes of the movie flashes across my mind... Maybe it's becos I felt my daughter resembles the little girl(even her aunty Elsie whom had also watched the movie and aunty LiLi, also agreed) or maybe it's the maternal instinct that made me feel soooo much but I must admit that I really felt alot more for this girl(in the movie) as compared to the other sad children stories I've watched so far.

I wondered many times since, how many more children like her out there... :***(

Gift update I

Here's what Wayne's gift is, unwrapped/unboxed :

woah, more stylo than the one we've got ourselves earlier! hahaha, have fun with it, Wayne!

Here's daddy's :)

X'mas Pressies

Couldn't wait, so unwrapped some of the presents for photo-taking last nite hahaha. Hope I'll have the chance to photograph the rest later :)

This is for her cousin, Wayne :

The gift, unwrapped:

This is for her cousin Pearlyn, Wayne's elder sister:

(toiletries from BodyShop)

This is for my close friend, Vicky:

And these, are for our darling Renee! :

This the car she wanted, she saw it when it was advertised on nickleodeon channel. We shopped for it but realised it's kinda big so daddy said better not, as she'll surely be overwhelmed by all the gifts she's gonna get and soon lose interest in this. So, we end up with a miniature version of it but later, I told him that she remembered the car and even described it in details that I don't even realised, he got soft-hearted and decided to buy it for her! The 20% discount was already over by the time we got it and the pkg's got only 1 car, instead of 2 :(

And of cos, not forgetting daddy's :) :

Hair clips

These are the clips we got from Gymboree.com(as u can see, 1 pc was lost from a pair. Culprit? Who else but the 'owner' of it? lolz). Aren't they lovely? :)

Hair

It took 1yr 4 mths for her hair to grow to this length(from the 2nd, and also the proper shave we did for her in last year May):

As her hair's naturally curled, it tend to get entangled when she perspires! And when I tie her hair up, she will pull out her hair clips/rubberbands when she's seated in the car seat or taxi, for comfort. So, a few months back, I took her to a kids salon @united sq- near GUG (1st haircut/trim at a salon) to trim it off to a one length(chin). *Pity, didn't take any pic of the back to show the length, hehehe*

And now, just 3 mths and it's grown to shoulder length and after my recent trimming, it looks like this now(it was one length, so looked kinda 'heavy', so I've given it a soft layer, not too much though otherwise e previous 'problem' will surfice lolz):

Funny, another angle would show the hair colour sooo brown(but this is almost the colour of her re-grown hair when we didn't do a proper shave for her the 1st time):

X'mas Shopping Part III

Brought Renee to Paragon, Takashimaya Shopping Centre yesterday and met up with her aunty LiLi and uncle Ric, took some pics and bought a few more x'mas pressies! Wrapped up the gifts last nite but forgotten to take pics of them lolz, must try and photographed them if they're opened up infront of us! lolz

X'mas Tree at Takashimay SC Lobby

A good girl

Renee is able to feed herself since looooong time ago but months ago, she stopped doing that as she decided that she preferred to be fed! She'll only self-feed occasionally or when I cook her favourite - soup or macaroni.

Yesterday, we had to follow daddy out to do some work and I thought since we are thinking of enrolling her on the 11:15 - 2:15 session with Kinderland(not confirmed yet, as we've still yet to view its premise and find out more abt their curriculum), so I thought to proceed to compass pt for lunch and do abit of shopping. Last min, realised aunty eileen and wayne were both nearby, so we asked them to join us. The restaurant was quite packed when we arrived and by the time we've finished our food/walking around the mall, it was close to 3:30pm already. By the time we got home, we were only left with that little bit of time for her nap and she got cranky when I woke her up at 5:20pm hahaha. However, she surprised us by feeding herself at the table, the whole bowl of porridge! :)

Today, on a last minute spur, I decided to give her hair a little trim - as we've got it cut the 'same length' style at the salon the last time and now that it's grown longer, it looks 'heavy'. She again, surprised me by being so receptive to my cutting of her hair in the toilet, without any complains throughout! So, I took the opportunity to trim abit more of her fringe hehehe.
As I'm typing away now, she's finishing the last of her porridge, all by herself :)
Good job, Renee! And, Keep It Up!!!(crossing fingers lolz)

Lifetime service card?

Went to Eileen's yesterday and was given free coffee! lolz.

Got this card from the eye clinic :

A new baby friend?

We are supposed to meet up with Wae Shuen and her mommy again today at Junction 8, before heading to their house(arranged today cos I've got an eye check up appt this evening and their house is ard the area). However, I've got a strong feeling that the mommy might probably deliver her baby before we get to meet and true enough! She told me she has delivered a huge 8 pounder, measuring 51cm this morning at 2am! Can't pass them the X'mas present and baby gift on time now!
Anyway, congrats and good job, Sharmaine! U've managed to deliver a wonderful sized baby whilst staying slim n beautiful throughout the pregnancy(can only see your tummy growing bigger n bigger, it showed that you're eating well and yr baby is absorbing the good nutrients!) :D

Now I've gotta look for other programme for the day liao - hmmm, how abt visiting Aunty Eileen whom is going to receive their first prize won from Nescafe's lucky draw today?! hahaha

Audios

Oh, I found another long-forgotten audio!!!:

Shopping again?

We went to orchard road yesterday again, to shop? - Oh no no, not so much to shop but more for Renee to view the X'mas light-up there. It was pretty crowded, as expected but we managed to capture a few pics(nice ones too!). Met up with my close friend, Vicky, at paragon - she was there with her boyfriend, shopping for her engagement ring...Congrats, Vick!

Whilst we were in CK Tangs, I 'walked around' with Renee whilst daddy went to browse 'thru the mens' dept.(cos we've both gone there to shop already few days ago). Renee saw a little girl at the ladies' shoes dept. and rushed to her immediately hahaha. This girl turned out to be equally friendly and they both had a great, though short, fun time talking to each other lolz(got it video-ed hehehe). She even wished the girl and her parents "Merry Christmas" when saying goodbye... that's my good girl :)

Later, when we went back to walk around paragon(as we park ard there), Renee was getting tired and chose to be carried by her daddy around whilst I went on my own. Shortly after, when we met up to head home, daddy told me that Renee saw 2 aunties walking towards a bench, planning to rest their feet and Renee went up to them, said "Why are u so tired?" hahaha... that really tickled the two ladies :D (pity I missed it lolz)

Audios

She loves to go onto our bed to play(esp. when she sees her daddy napping there) and this is just one of the occasions :

This is what she'll say when caught doing something she shouldn't :

Artwork display

These are the few last artworks 'created' at GUG(some still missing/not collected lolz):

X'mas Shopping Part II

Went downtown-orchard road for some more X'mas shopping just now hehe (to look for the pink colour toy car Renee saw and requested, from one of the SCV's cartoon channels adverts), but not enough time to explore around, so only managed to take one photo:

I'm not really a fan of the cartoon character-Strawberry Shortcake but I couldn't resist and grabbed these(cup and tumbler) in a haste lolz. Might have bought more if given more time! Intended to give them as X'mas gifts to a couple of Renee's friends when we meet next week but she saw and fell in love with one of them when I took it out of the bag to show her daddy... Guess I'll have to resource for other gifts again hahaha

End of Playgroup Term

This week marks the end of the 'school' term and since Renee's only on the twice a week's schedule, today(or rather, yesterday) was the last day for her class at the centre.

We were told to bring along some new or old books to share and whilst on our way there in the taxi, I took the opportunity to remind her about 'sharing'/'giving'(yesterday, when we were shopping after our breakfast meet/fun-time with her playgroup friend, I've briefly talked to her about 'giving' when I gave her a S$5 note to put into the salvation army donation tin). Its result/effects was even captured in photography during the party! lolz

Over the wkend, when we were at the supermarket, she took a box of X'mas candies and replied YES when I asked if she wanted to get them for her friends. She couldn't wait to distribute them and started asking for them just before the class started and I've to cool her excitement off by assuring her that we can do so during the party or after the session lolz.

The first half of the session was merely a repetition on the last letter of the zoo phonics and songs, followed by the class party to end the day/term.

There were plenty of food, drinks, balloons, bubbles, gifts, goodie bags etc and the kids really really enjoyed themselves sooooo much! :D
Needless to say, lotsa photos and videos were captured by most mommies and I've got some pretty good ones myself hehehe.

A child development assessment book was also given to kid(s) whom has been with the centre for 6 mths and above and since Renee joined in End May/Beginning of June '07, she qualifies for one too!

Ok ok I know, it's time for Renee to go to a school where she can start her academic learning (since I don't teach her at all at home) and not just play and fun like the playgroups in GUG... but I've not decided on which pre-school to send Renee to next year and have yet to retend my research hahaha, so probably will have to enrol her after the CNY break hee hee hee.
I've shortlisted Kinderland though, cos they have very good reviews and they have branches which are non childcare facilities that are nearer to our place. Although their fees is slightly higher(S$1,070 for sch fees only, excl. uniform, etc) than GUG's but at least we get to cut down on the travelling time - the nearest branch that's not a childcare centre's at Serangoon. We've not viewed the school's premise and have yet find out more about its curriculum but the one thing I dun like abt them is their ugly uniform hahaha. However, if it really live up to its reputation, then I guess, the outlook of the uniform would be secondary then... :p

Meantime, we've been invited by some mommies, to meet up for some play-'dates'/parties, so we're just gonna have some fun-time before that!

'Favourite' Friend's Birthday Party

Our humble gift to the birthday girl :)

Renee was soooo excited yesterday, about going to her friend's birthday party finally! My gastric wasn't very well actually but we have to keep to our promise... Good thing we did, as she kept saying she's going to Jeannieve's, whilst on our way there :)

We arrived late(the buffet starts at 12:30pm) at close to 2pm and the magician clown was already there entertaining a group of children on the floor and Renee went to join them. She sat down obediently but being the youngest or rather, the smallest there, she had to stand up in order to watch hahaha.

When the magic show finally began, I was wondering if she'd be able to understand at all, but there she was, laughing heartily at the show and I quickly asked daddy to film it down with our digital camera(which I had wanted to earlier but he suggested eating first, so in the end he has to hold his plate of food with one hand and the camera with the other lolz).

Later, I realised that she was also given a piece of sticker by the Clown(a form of advertisement of his contacts hahaha) and catching us, she signaled and mouthed to me if it was for her. I nodded and she happily held on to it : hahaha - but she lost it in the midst of the show and I saw her looking around for it :p

They were also given sculpted balloons at the end of the show and as a real-life rabbit was brought up during the show, Renee asked for a rabbit balloon.

Here's her goodie bag(the birthday girl's mommy is so thoughtful to even print each child's name on the bag):

This is the cup cake u see in the above pic(s), isn't it lovely? Renee even dipped her finger onto the sides n ate up the pink coloured cream! surprise, surprise ;D

We wanna thank Jeannieve's mommy for the invitation. Renee had a wonderful time(her only disappoint was that she didn't get to hold Jean's hands and/or being photographed with her :>). Also, our compliments to her on the party - it's one that required lotsa preparations and efforts and she's working full-time! Good job, Jen!

Oh ya, I noticed the photographer had captured some pics of Renee, Jen, could you kindly send them to me when they're ready? Thanks!

Audios

I've forgotten about these 2 audios! :

She can now sing this song better, with clearer "wo shi yang" and "ar, yang da ge" hahaha

"New stickers, my favourite..."

Artwork display

Can any of U guess what's this? It's a furry belt! hahahaThis was created with cork, string, straw, ice-cream stick, again, can U tell which is which? :D

Why lasik?

Oh no, this is what I fear! - a post leading to another(under the same topic) resulting from readers' queries... hahaha, just kidding. No worries ya, Lena, in fact, I would rather that you ask me to obtain MY answer instead of going around speculating :) heeeee

Ok, here's why :
I've started wearing spectacles since secondary school days and had switched to wearing contact lens in my early twenties. Contact lens, though more convenient than putting on spectacles, do pose some problems if worn for a long period of time - dryness, eye infections, etc...
In the past, some of my friends would suggest lasik to me when I complain about the trouble of having to put on contact lens when I'm in a hurry but not willing to take the risk, I usually brushed the idea aside.
However, since end last year, my eyes started to feel very dry, even though I've been using the 'quality' daily contact lens as claimed by many optometrists.
So, when an ex-customer told me that she had also gone for it after some hesitation, that I started to consider lasik. At first, when I brought this topic up during one family gathering, my brother and SIL strongly advised me against it, as my SIL's friend who's also an eye surgeon had told her that the 'real effects' of such surgeries will only suffice after 10 years and that really got me worried, so I put the idea aside again...
But, a few more trips within the short period and I began to feel the trouble of contact lens/spectacles wearing whilst travelling and the idea of lasik crossed my mind a couple of times.
Early this year, the same lady recommended me to a lasik clinic at paragon and taking up the suggestion, I went there for a pre-lasik assessment, with the company of my close friend, Vicky(as daddy has to work). During the session, I told the person who did the assessment of what I heard from my SIL and to my surprise, she agreed! This made me hesitated again especially when this clinic appeared to me like they're more keen in making money. So, lasik is pushed aside again...hahaha
Until I spoke to the optometrist whom I used to consult at Y.E.S. (she was the one whom checked and told me about a serious eye condition few years ago) and learnt that she had gone to work for an renowned eye surgeon when he decided to set up his own private practice. After a few discussions with her, I also realised that the continued wearing of contact lens when one's has got super dry eyes condition is as bad, I decided to give it another shot and went to them for another pre-lasik assessment.
At the clinic, sighting the surgeon's newspaper reported credits and they, using a machine that removes the least amount of tissue for every dioptre (100 degrees) of treatment(and the fact that a MP is also with the clinic) reassured me. So, plucking up my courage, I went ahead with the surgery that day(I had told the lady to book the lasik on the same day with the option of being able to back out last min, in case I freak out lolz).

It's now been more than 3 mths since I've had my lasik and I've been able to see clearly with a near perfect vision(tested 6/6 upon my 2nd which is the 1 mth-after follow up check) without the hassle of wearing spectacles/contact lens since then. Praying hard that all stay well :)

Our very first 'separation'

Last nite's display of emotions reminded me on those times when we had to go on the trips and left her in my sis, Eileen's care.

Needless to say, our very first, which was also the longest biz trip, had the worst scenario. We had an early morning flight, so as kindly suggested by Eileen, we brought her over in the early evening. She was still playing with her cousins and waved goodbye to us happily when we left. Obvioulsy, she hadn't know that we'd be leaving her there and when bed time came, she cried soooooooooooo badly and kept asking for mommy that my sister telephoned us., thinking that it'd help soothe her by letting her hear my voice but apparently, it didn't work. I tried to calm her over the telephone but was told later that she was sooo upset that she didn't even wanna listen to the phone after a while. That night, she cried herself to sleep, without her milk ... and I couldn't sleep either :*( so, I went to do some chores. Having slept too late and the alarm clock playing out on me, we both woke up late and missed our flight! ;P

Since our flight was missed and after some hassle, we finally managed to get seats for the next day(all fully booked) and having nothing else to do and both of us missing Renee badly, we decided to drop by at my sis'. At the door, my sis even had the door opened a little and whispered if it's wise for us to go in. Missing her dearly, we took the risk but that gave my sis a hard time later...

Renee was happy but still upset when she saw us. And after her milk in the early aftrnoon, she didn't want to take her nap, I guess, for fear that we'll be gone again. Having no choice, I told her I'll nap with her and initially, remembering what happened last nite, she refused me but after a few 'sayangs', she fell asleep with me beside her. We left...

Later we learnt(luckily my sis only told me abt it when we have returned) that she was very very upset when she woke up from her nap and didn't see us... :(

Upon our return, we immediately rushed over immediately to pick her after quickly putting our luggages down behind the door. Having been informed that we were going to fetch her home, she stood at the door waiting. When she saw her daddy coming, she was sooo happy but immediately pouted and started to cry when she saw me...

Ever since that trip, she began to have this phobia of going to her aunty Eileen's place. And to get her used to it, I have to bring her there for a visit, a few times.

She became more and more receptive later as our trips got more frequent but the last one, we made a mistake by phoning her. My sis Elsie told me over the phone that Renee was missing us - she was playing the 'finger' game with uncle Rick and suddenly, she stopped the game and ran to aunty Lili. Lili said that she must have suddenly remembered her papa as this used to be her favourite game with him. Then later when Elsie carried her and looking out the window, she murmurred : "So late, so dark, where's my mommy?". I almost teared when I heard this and chided Elsie for telling me when I was still there :*(

Private Movie Screening

We're back! yes, again hahaha

Just before we left, Eagle Eye Centre(the clinic where I had gone for my lasik surgery) had invited us to their 1st anniversary celebration today - the day which I was supposed to go for my follow-up check(no wonder they called me up earlier to postpone my appointment hahaha). I declined as I'd thought that it might be too rushing since we would only be back a day before the event and she has playgroup session on the same day too. However, the invitation was extended again yesterday and this time round, I was told that the celebration's to be held at Vivo GV Max Theatre, with the start of a Japanese buffet dinner and a private movie screening of 'Enchanted' thereafter.
Wooo, the idea of going for another private movie screening (the 1st was when Renee was still in my womb :D) was very very tempting, especially when we've never brought her to one yet!

I was still quite hesitant initially 'cos I've heard that kids at this age usually wont sit still and she might want to go to the toilet in the midst of the show. Eventually, after their repeated invitations and also, wanting to give it(bringing renee to a movie) a try, I indicated our attendances.
Daddy was very nice, he picked us up right after her playgroup session and we managed to grab something to eat at the buffet tables, before the show begin.

However, with the little speech by the surgeon and with the long-going advertisements before the show could finally begin, I was quite worried that Renee might not be able to sit thru' the show afterall. But, this girl surprised us by behaving sooo well in the theatre!
The movie started with cartoon characters but proceeded into real life adults and it was during this period that Renee started to find it kinda boring and requested to go home. But that was just that, she did not make a big fuss nor brawl in the theatre when told that she has to wait till the end of the movie. Towards the last half of the movie, I carried her on my lap as she seemed abit restless and we managed to catch the whole movie - good job Renee!