The Exam

Yes, today's the day!

Good thing the location the teacher has chosen wasn't far and thus Renee got to sleep alittle longer than she would on normal school days. She has gone to bed slightly later last night(but she woke up the moment my alarm beeped, :>) 'cos hubby had gone to nap, forgetting to watch over the steaming of her dinner and so, she had to wait abit when we got home. Again, her accompaniment session, having started 10mins late, had ended right on time, haiz...

It seems like she still hasn't fully apprehend the concept of an examination yet and thus, I was told she was still rather calm whilst playing the pieces. But then again, with the examiner's accent(can't rem where she was from, London?), I'm not sure if she was able to give full correct answers, :D. Plus the fact that although she could clap to the rhythm accurately, it was strange that she suddenly has the tendency to give the incorrect/inconsistent answer during the last 2 aural sessions, hahaha.

Whilst we were waiting for her turn, the teachers requested to take photos with her and she being the youngest amongst the crowd of participants, was sorta the 'centre of attention', heee. A hard-working(according to the teacher) primary 2 level girl, taking her grade 4 examination commented that Renee has got a good bowing posture(she said "straighter than mine") and I was alittle shocked 'cos I've always thought Renee's bowing position wasn't entirely straight enough...

Her turn to go in...

Anyway, the examination ordeal, which I had felt myself at the last minute, is now finally over and not considering the slack she had in practice 2 week prior, she's now on a 'practice break' for the next few days, til her next lesson, :D. And it's now, waiting time - for the results to be released.....

We went to hubby's office thereafter and had lunch at Jack's Place where Renee got her additional reward(which initially was a choice btwn a bigger lollipop or a full cup of ice-cream if she's got good results but since we're unable to know instantly, we just let her have it, ;D).

When we left office at around 4pm, we visited my father-in-law and Renee played some songs for him but we didn't stay long there 'cos the weather's got too unbearable for us to do so...

Playing with lipstick?

No...

Guess what she's done? .....

.........


.........



Ta dah!...

Nervous Already?

We had thought that at her age, Renee would not feel any pressure of the coming grading exam since she hasn't gone through any formal(neither informal) test of any form at all.

She was still ok actually, til her piano accompaniment session last Sunday when the 1st sign showed(probably 'cos the exam date is really close now). She had fumbled alittle when tested on the G Major Scales(though Ms Tan said she had recovered fast) when they did the 1st 'exam trial run' after the session.

Today, like usual, we've started her lesson with her playing the 3 exam pieces and this time round, she played the 2nd piece rather badly, even she herself stopped playing after the 2nd line and looked at me sadly. She didn't look anxious nor frightened but still we calmed her down and told her that it's ok and to just start from the top again(however, this would not be allowed dur the exam however young the contestant is, :(). Ms Mok was shocked and asked why this happened, well, I'm not sure either and I could only guess that perhaps she's indeed feeling the pressure, plus the lack of practice over the past 2 weeks might be another element.

She would be having her last piano accompaniment session tomorrow evening and it's going to be only a half hour(in fact it's never really ended with a full session, be it 30 or 45mins, they always ended 5-10mins earlier and I do not wish to hog on like the other parent...) and then it's gonna be 'let's just see how things go on that day' - something which I've been telling myself for many weeks now, :) - (although of cos I'm certainly hoping that on that day, she'd just perform like she wld during her practices, so that her 'potential', if truly as acknowledged by the teachers, can be officially recognised, kekeke)...

Breakfast

Although we've came back earlier by ourselves from sis' last night, hubby had came back at around 10pm and gone out again to the temple til late or should I say, early this morning. On such situation, naturally the duty of sending Renee falls back on me.

Actually, I'd already thought to resume this duty from this week onwards 'cos I've found that the 'going back to sleep' after getting Renee ready for school don't seem to be working very well for me. But, being a late sleeper, I'm not sure if I'd be up to this on a long term basis but I'm going to try...

This morning, after I've sent Renee to school, I drove to H.Mall for some groceries and this time round, I stayed for a Mc's breakfast instead of taking it home since I'd be having it alone anyway even at home(hubby would still be sleeping, which was true, :D).

I was still contemplating if I should wait for hubby to wake up and see if he'd like to pick Renee up but by 10:15am, he was still sleeping soundly and I thought, since I'm not getting any sleep, I might as well go. So, after I've set the soup to boil, I set off again.

Earlier, on my way over to the mall, I've text Nicole's mommy, Vicky but she's misread my sms(she told me so, much later) and asked if we could meet again. I had idea when and am not sure if I'd be up to it tomorrow, but since I couldn't take on her invitation of going over to their house after school tomorrow, I agreed to meet up with her for breakfast.

First Trial Run

Ms Mok called me at noon asking if we'd be coming for the piano accompaniment lesson at 3:15pm('cos due to the previous incident, I've told her to just let e lesson remain at 3:30pm) and good thing I didn't rush to try make it a full hour lesson 'cos when we got there at 3:27pm, the same mother(with the son) was standing at the 'lesson room', still asking/talking non-stop at the door.... - This time, Ms Mok helped controlled the situation by being at the room at the end of their lesson I supposed. Can you imagine she can, without any qualms, kept on with her requests/questions when another student + parent were already standing at the door? :D.

Today, Ms Tan said that we should start trying to make the lessons(left 1 more only) to be more like the exam scenario and so at the last 15mins of our lesson, we got outta room and did the trial run with only Renee going in with her. It's the first time and after the LNY break(lack of practice), I wouldn't say she did well but just ok only. Anyway, we'll just have to see how things go, :).

However, though Renee's forgotten some of the aural lesson, she was more receptive today, and for that, Ms Tan rewarded her with a 'gift' - star hair pins, :).

Artwork Display

They did this @ school, on the eve of LNY's eve, :)

Fast Action

Of all the banks I've contacted regarding the loss of my cards, UOB and DBS reacted the fastest and even my reports to them over the telephone were much swifter. I've a feeling that I might receive some of the cards today but rushing to send Renee to her arts class, I've forgotten to check our mailbox.

Hubby feeling hungry, we went to the imfamous wanton mee stall for our lunch but found nothing special, errm, it not only doesn't taste good, it didn't even look appealing! I don't quite buy all these 'authentic, original' claims lolz and so far, they've all proved to be un-tasty, kekeke.

When Renee's class has ended(they did lollipop today), we went over to Marina Square for a walk but I didn't have any mood to shop and I can't help thinking about the loss of my MS' vouchers, heee.

Not knowing where to head for dinner, I suggested going over to my mom's since we, even Renee, like the food at the local Thai restaurant. This time round, though it's also another last minute arrangement, mom joined us, :).

Checked the mailbox upon reaching home and indeed, UOB and DBS have both sent me the new cards.(still waiting for OCBC's, haiz...)

Prayer Answered!

Couldn't sleep til late last night and then again, at 7am+, I can't resume my sleep.

Hubby needed to go to the office to retrieve some documents, so I decided to follow him and visit my FIL since couping up at home wouldn't do any good. Plus, Renee's skipped school, it would seem a waste to stay home as well.

FIL told us about the 'massage' he went for, which he claimed was good and as hubby had sprained his back during his golf game yesterday, he decided to give it a try. Whilst waiting for his session to end, my mobile rang and I quickly picked it up. It's the staff from Compass Point, informing me that my wallet's been returned and I was elated!

Instead of heading for a meaningless shopping somewhere(no mood to bring Renee to Sentosa anyway), we headed straight back to SK, for me to collect my wallet so I could put my mind at ease that my important documents are truly intact/returned.

The cards, though a couple were jumbled up(different slot from the original position), are all in. My IC and driving licence are also intact but my cash + shopping vouchers amounting to S$300+(even the coins compartment was swiped cleaned! leaving the spare battery I've placed inside - to buy replacements) were all gone. Nevermind, there's nothing I could do about it anyway and in any case, the thief would have to answer for his own 'deed' in his own time. I'm just relieved that I'm able to have my ID card back which is the most important of all my concerns.

I've already written to the various stores last night and just seconds ago, CS called in reply to my email and they're checking my attire to see if they could view any suspect/culprit from their CCTV and I guess I'd have to let the police know that there are indeed CCTVs around in their store('cos they actually asked me about it and said they wanted to check).

Stolen!!!

I had been contemplating if to go out today and finally, when PX was leaving, I decided to just go ahead and bring Renee out since we've planned to let her skip school tomorrow(thinking to bring her somewhere). This proved to be not a wise move as it cost me my important documents !!!

I was shopping for vegetables and my bag, though both handles clasped tightly together on the trolley hook(thus narrowing its opening), was without a zipper and that perhaps, made it easier for the thief to grab whatever they were looking for - in this case, my wallet. I had just turned around to choose the vegetables and something nugged at me to look into my bag and check for my wallet. Then it striked me, it was gone! It's funny, it wasn't that crowded but there were people around, including some staff standing at the 'counter stalls' facing me and it seemed like no one had witnessed anything! A maid standing nearby with a child in stroller said she didn't see anything as well, arrrggggghhhhh...

I approached the Cold Storage staff but they couldn't do anything and not wanting to waste anytime there, I went up to OCBC bank to make a report but was told to use the phone there(placed near the ATM machine) and though they were sympathetic, they took sooo long to complete the cancellation of my cards. After I've informed the other banks, I went down to the mall's customer service and again, they also can't do much I supposed and I only left my particulars and details of my lost items(the important ones) so that in the event that any of the items were returned, they could contact me.

Next, I crossed over to SK hub to file a police report. Again, they took a long time to finish the report and although the officer said that they will investigate into the matter, I doubt there's much they could or even will do about it... It's not a big matter, to them, afterall.

When we got back to the mall, I thought, luckily I still had some red packets in my bag(for standbys) which I could use to pay for the vegetables that we had gone there for in the 1st place and so, we went back to CS. Then whilst que-ing up, Renee said she needed to pee, oh man, this is the 2nd time during our short period there, arrgggh. No choice, I had to put the vege back but good thing was that, they were still at the exact spot when I tried my luck going back there later.

It was at the point when she told me that she needed the loo again that I finally almost broke down out of sheer exhaustion/exasperation, but sensing her fear, I tried my best to control myself. And I told myself thereafter that I have to stay calm as I still need to drive back...

This incident had kinda scared Renee and poor her, gotta follow me around making the reports. She had cried when she learnt of the loss and I tried to calm her down by kept telling her that it's

alright and it's not her fault at all, haiz... She must have been very tired and hving only gone to bed not too long ago, I told hubby that we'll just let her skip tomorrow's class. Besides, I have no mood and I don't think I could sleep tonight - in fact, I'm depending on the chocolates now for some form of comfort...

What I only hope now is that the someone who stole my wallet would PLEASSSE return my IDs and whatever cards/contents that are in it to me. I've just found out that I might have to pay S$300 to have my ID card replaced, not to mention that I'd still need to get another wallet, Oh man!!!

I'm trying to take this incident in good stride in the sense that it might be a case of 'Por Cai Dan Zai' but the loss not only caused me to burn a big hole in my pocket, it's also extremely troublesome for me to have those important documents replaced(gotta wait a few months for the ID to be replaced even!), geez! I really hope I could have at least my ID card(it's the most costly and most troublesome) back! Please, please, pleeeaaassseee, :...(

School Resumes

Having gone to bed alittle later than usual last night, Renee asked, whilst having her breakfast, if she could 'skip' school today. Her reason being "because I'm still sooo sleepy", hahaha. Nevertheless, keen to meet up with her friends after the LNY holiday break, she went anyway, :).

No violin lesson today though, since her teacher's out of town...

Hubby went to 'start work' after sending Renee to school and when they came back later, he asked me if we'd like to go to Li's(but I had already started boiling the soup...). Knowing his intention, I deliberately asked him what for and he said "nothing, just go there 'sit sit' lor". OH PLEEEASSSEEEE, gimme a break, does he really think we'd be that thick not to guess his true intention? hahahahaha.

Earlier, I had already text Elsie and asked if she's got any programme and when I asked if she'd like to go over to li's, that's when the stream of smses began... Finally, we agreed to go over at 3:30pm and when the mahjong session began, Elsie had to fulfill nene's request to "play with me", :D.

Again, both Renee and I had to come home first whilst hubby stayed back to finish up the game.

It's the Lunar New Year!

LNY's Eve

This year, we're having our very own family re-union dinner at home and so, right after lunch, I began to prepare/laminate the 'ingredients' for our dinner, whilst finishing up the balance rounds of laundry(9-10times including yesterday's).

At past 6:30pm, Renee finally got to experience her first steamboat dinner and with a slightly wider range of food selection for her this time round, she's even able to join in the 'fun' by placing her own choice of food into the pot, :D.

Although we've prepared more than enough food, but with only just the 3 of us, it still didn't take us very long to finish our dinner and by before 7:30pm, I was already washing up the pots and dishes(perhaps next year, if we're still doing this, I should consider getting the ready-to-drink broth, kekeke).

Renee had not taken my heed to go for her nap in the afternoon and probably also because she's more used to the early hours now, she's unable to stay awake longer like previous years and had knocked out on my lap at past 12am whilst waiting for her papa to come back, lolz.

1st day of the LNY

During the first few years, we had been asked to go over to my in-laws' early at around 10am(I had to wake up early 'cos of the distance and I've to prepare our breakfast and Renee's lunch) and had always ended up waiting hours for the rest. So, last year, the timing was changed to a later one which suit us better since we tried to upkeep the 'sleep late on the LNY's eve' tradition. However, this year, this was reverted and so, instead of continuing with the visitations to hubby's other extended families' homes, we headed home for a quick nap before heading down to my mom's, since Renee, unable to contain her excitement in meeting her cousins again, had woken up very early this morning as well, :D.

Then again, in great anticipation to meet her aunts again(she's not seen them for weeks now), Renee didn't nap for long and was all geared up to go before we were ready, hahaha.

2nd day of the LNY

Without saying, today's the day we all go to my eldest sis' home and there I say, was where the mahjong and card games began more 'seriously', hahaha and indeed, we didn't leave til about 12:20am and we even came home without hubby(he hitched a ride from 1 of the khakis, lolz). Renee, having lost touch with the timing had suddenly turned manja and cried for papa when I tucked her to bed, lolz. When I told her that it'll only be another hour or so before he comes home(it was 1am then and he's told her he'd be back around 2-3am), she looked at the clock and grinned with embarrassment, hahahahaha.

To make up for the lack of practice these few days, I brought her violin along today since she's promised to play some pieces infront of everyone(in hope that this will help to boost her confidence in playing infront of an audience/strangers) and she did fine(still abit nervous..).

3rd day of the LNY

Today, we gather at my 2nd brother's place and though it's a short one, it's not without the 'games', lolz. As it's a school day the next day, we were the 1st to leave, at around 7:50pm and by around 9pm or so, Renee already knocked out in bed... :).

Actually, something quite funny happened earlier, whilst we were on our way over. Renee had fallen asleep in the car and upon arrival, she was mumbling something when we tried to wake her up. For one moment, I was still thinking that she was answering us but her sudden 'shocked' look when she was awaken told us(hubby told me) that she was actually 'sleep-talking' seconds ago! hahaha.

More Cleaning and an Early Re-union Dinner

After the performance, we went for our breakfast and headed to CS thereafter. It was a good thing that we've gone there early and thus, managed to avoid the bad long que. By the time we've got our stuffs, it was already time to go pick Renee, geez, how time flies. When we got back, I insisted that Renee joined me for a nap before PX arrived, about 35mins later.

Besides all the packing up, there seemed to be alot more spring cleaning work for me to tackle myself this year and by the time I'm done with most of them, I had to rush through showering Renee and got ourselves ready for the re-union dinner with hubby's family.

It's been quite a while since I've last seen my FIL and since his condition diagnosed/confirmed, his condition seemed to deteriorate rather fast, haiz... It's no wonder why the old folks dreaded going to the hospital for any check-up.

On the other hand, Renee had been looking forward to this dinner. In fact, comparing to her performance @ the school, she was more excited about meeting her cousins again and simply couldn't wait, :).

LNY Celebration at School

Renee woke up suuuper early this morning(my clock told me it's 4am+) and (I saw her) checking the time, she knew she couldn't wake me up yet and began to toss and turn on bed, :D.

Finally, at 7am, when my alarm beeped, she quickly walked to my bedside, "mommy, wake up, quick". I would normally get up immediately but today, wanting to tease her, I told her we could lie in alittle til her alarm beep and she said she'd like to lie in beside me, grabbed her pillow and bolster and came over, lolz.

She finished her breakfast reeeally fast too and quickly came to the wardrobe to get changed, lolz.

Yesterday, her host teacher told me to arrive on time or earlier(not that we've been late, in fact, if I'm the one who sends her there, we'd arrive @ ard 7:45-7:50am) 'cos there would be a LNY celebration at the assembly hall and for K1 level, Renee woulld be standing right infront.

It seems like there are more parents staying back to watch the performances compared to the later session(from past years experiences and what I saw when we went to pick her up later) and not only was the carpark compound was overcrowded that most of us have to park elsewhere, even the hall was super packed with adults and it had seemed rather impossible for any of us standing at the back, to take any photo/video at all. And this year, they've even got a professional to train the K2s to perform the lion dance and the children did quite a pretty good job I must say.

Luckily, K1's performance was arranged to be the last and I managed to get a full view of our darling in our video recording, :D.

Excitement Setting In

Yes, I think the excitement of the Lunar New Year is really setting in! heee.

After I've got married, I've never really felt very excited about the LNY til the arrival of our Renee and I began to anticipate the LNY celebration the way my sisters did, :).

Last night, hubby came home with a roll of wall paper from Goodrich and tackled it himself(I can only helped him that tiny much...) til rather late(3am) and I offered to send Renee to school this morning.

Having only gone to bed at around 2am, I had expected myself to rush back and head for the bed immediately but on my way back, I hadn't the 'crave'... Instead, I drove to Hougang Mall to get some breakfast from Mcdonald's and ate a hearty 1st meal before going back to the school with hubby to pick Renee up - so he could send me to Compass Point for my facial appointment... - They tried to 'tempt' me with a renewal(with more credit amount) but I decided to try and only renew my package when the current one is really at its super low value, so I didn't cave in this time(there might be better deals again next time), :D.

With the fatique finally caught up with me when Renee and hubby were having their nap, I fell into dreamland for a good 20mins and today, we've skipped violin practice, heeee.

We've still got quite a few stuffs to get and I hope that CS will be opened earlier tomorrow, so hubby and I can go grab them after sending Renee to school.

As It Is...

Had felt so bored being couped up at home this period due to 'no car'(hahaha) and me being unwell, I decided to bring Renee to the mall for a quick walk after our home violin lesson(no one to look after Ms Mok's dog again...). We chanced upon some items which are what Renee'd like to have and as the amounts are within the set limit, I told her that she could have them as her reward exchange. She was very happy but turned sad when she'd thought that she hadn't got enough stars for the exchange. It's been a while since she's last exchanged her stars for any reward and thus, she must have forgotten that there are actually some more stars on the other side of her card, hahaha.

Not a good time to go to the mall these few days, long que at the taxi stands!

However, she didn't react very well at home during her lesson today and I realised that it's perhaps not so good an idea to have home lessons on a permanent basis(I had tot of asking Ms Mok to come over instead). Again, Ms Mok expressed her fear that this mood swing might cause Renee some impact on her exam results and if that's the case, it'd be such a pity. Haiz, I've already 'resigned' myself to this uncontrollable fact and I told her again that I'll just try to remind her on what will happen during the examination and how she'd be expected to behave(hope it's exactly what I've been told) and we'll just have to let her go through it as it goes...

Bread Princess

Well-named indeed, hahaha(a name 'bestowed 'by her aunt Eileen for loving bread sooo much lolz) and now, she's caught the trick! - not letting the bread down to clip up the bread bag! hahaha :

2nd Piano Accompaniment Lesson

In view of the coming LNY holiday, I proposed to Ms Mok that we extend to a full hour lesson for the piano accompaniment practice + aural lesson. She suggested that we go at 3:15pm today instead of 3:30pm instead as the latter will crash with the next student's. I obliged and we rushed like mad, got there on time today but were made to wait half hour for the prevoius student to end his! Geez. What a complete waste of time and ended up we were only able to do just half an hour for ours and this teacher is not cheap, and her fees do not go proportionately, so we actually lost out alot, due to some inconsiderate parent who delayed her son's lesson(I was told it's becos she kept asking the teacher for 1 more, 1 more....), haiz...(the later student hadn't arrived when we were done and Ms Mok's husband said we could go for extn, but we've alr got our stuff planned and we had to leave, no choice) Ms Mok wasn't in today and if I had known better, I would have just knocked on the door!

I relayed my worry that Renee might not be able to 'catch up' due to insufficient amount of practice, especially on the aural part but Ms Tan assured me again and again that Renee's ready and will pass. In fact, she said that they both(herself and Ms Mok) felt that there's no need for Renee to have any extra lessons(but hey, it's going to be only 3 lessons and today's only 1/2 hr!) since she seems ok but they feared that her unwillingness to perform/speak infront of others will hinder in her examination results. Actually, this is also my concern and that's why I'd thought that more practices to get her more accustomed to how the exam will be like, might help her better.

The Sunday after the LNY holiday week will be the last lesson before her grading exam day and we're left with the possibility of another lesson on a weekday/end that week which might seem abit tough for us to arrange. If there's really no choice, then we'd just have to let Renee go for her exam as it is, after only 3 accompaniment practices and aural lessons, haiz...

One of the exam pieces

1 who's familiar with this piece will spot the couple of 'out of tune' notes Renee had made, Ms Tan, being pitch perfect(as cited by Ms Mok), has definitely spotted it and had even corrected her fingering(which she said was a common prob), lolz.

(actually, when I played the videos back for her, she complained that she din play them nice enough, lolz)

Artwork Display

They were finally allowed to bring their work back today and it's a craft-work - LNY decor

The Phone Call II

Or should I say the phone calls? These 2 girls have been calling each other for I don't know how many times a day! It had seem adorable at first but the frequency has gotten too often for one's liking.

Today, her friend even phoned her at 7:30am! Renee had woken up the minute she heard the phone rang but I had to tell her a white lie that "it's wrong number" and got her to resume her sleep - I let her go to bed later at 9:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays, so I'd rather she doesn't wake up so early.

Her cough's getting better, except for the balance of some phlegm but she coughs more at night the past few days and so we brought her back to the physician. He was actually expecting us to return to him earlier for follow-up but I wasn't aware plus she's still got a couple of doses left... He said that due to her sensitive-ness, this would occur mainly at night(with her 'condition' appearing normal during the day) and another bottle with added allergy/sensitivity clearing herbs powder is now prescribed.

The minute we got home, Renee wanted to phone her friend again(whom has been calling her whilst we were out - I knew 'cos I've got miss call alert messages sent to my mobile) and this went on for a while til this evening, Renee tried to return her friend's call and heard her crying at the back(she was having her shower) but her friend hasn't called her back tonight. Has her mommy also got annoyed with their phone calls to each other already? not surprising, haha. Actually, I don't mind if they call each other say, once a day, preferably, once a few days, but not a few times everyday! hahaha. I've not expected kids this age can enjoy calling each other sooo much and I'm beginning to worry about her teenage or even primary school years... haha.

Total Independence(Toilet Training)

To prepare Renee for total toilet independence for her K1, I've been telling her that she'd have to learn how to clean herself up after poo-ing, when we'd normally wash her. Although the school has told us that in the event that the child is really incapable, can still ask the teacher for help 'cos there're still some whom were not even toilet trained yet(meaning, still having diaper pants on!).

Renee had been unreluctant of 'cos since that would make her come into contact with her own poo remnants, hahaha However, we told her that this is inevitable and everyone has to do it and if she doesn't even want to touch her own, why should others be made to do it, especially when she's capable of handling it herself...

So far, she's never got the chance to poo in school til today I supposed, and she came back & told me that she didn't ask for the teacher's help and did it herself! Good job! Hurray, she's now fully independant in her toileting!

The Phone Call

Since Renee's aunts have been calling her(and vice versa), she has really taken to phone conversations and she's asked me quite a few times to get her friend, Vanessa's phone number(she's asked but Van had never given her).

I've been 'seeing' Vanessa and some of her ex-classmates waiting in the hall('cos they took the school bus so they always arrived alot earlier) and earlier this Monday, Vanessa, whom has always been shy, has finally smiled and waved to me! So, on Tuesday, I approached her and told her of Renee's wish to phone her at home and asked if she could obtain her mommy's permission to give her home number to Renee. She nodded but she has forgotten to bring, even til today... However, Renee has surprised me by bringing home Nicole's home number just now! lolz and when I went to take a quick nap whilst she's having her lunch, I woke up to her talking on the phone... to Nicole! hahaha It's really cute to see her talking to her friend over the phone like that and their conversation's really funny as I could also hear her friend's voice sometimes, heee. Right now, as I'm typing this post, her friend has just returned her call(she's just phoned her right after her practice but Nic was having her shower) and this is the 6th time they're chatting away, hahaha. I'm sure there're gonna be more, :).

Painted Home

Finally, after 3 days(due to hubby going out from time to time), our home is now almost fully coated with fresh paint, with only 1 wall left for wall paper. Hubby had always like wall paper and when I've brought up the topic of repainting our home 2 yrs ago, we had gone to a wall paper supplier but this idea was not fulfilled and now it's coming to his head again. However, after having painted our home all by himself the past few days, he realised that it's easier to just leave 1 wall for that, lolz.

My packing job this year has been been further prompted by this painting work and I tackled more of Renee's 'old clothes' which I've stored in the boxes in our wardrobe. Geez, many of them are 'torn' which I realised from PX, was due them being kept for too long and I should have taken them out for a wash every now and then. Oh man, that would be so troublesome and I'm not going to do that, besides, the woven cotton pieces are the ones most worth keeping and those will survive through... hee.

'Painters' @Home Work

It's been a few years and we thought it'd be a good time to have a fresh coat again for the coming lunar new year.

Actually, it was hubby's idea but his enthusiasiam died down slmost instantly after suggestion and I had to keep asking him before he finally relented, lolz. So today, he got me to send Renee to school together and after our breakfast, we went to get the paints and then it's more packing work for me before I left to pick Renee.

Took Renee to the mall for some groceries before packing lunch back and as usual, she got all excited to see her papa at home. Usually, I'd try to get her to nap asap even when before hubby's gone out but today, seeing her papa painting the ceilings in his cap, she didn't want to(she had answered YES when I asked her on the way if she'd like to nap), hahaha. Hey, this might be a good time to let her try out the 'no-nap' routine I thought and so, stayed awake she did, :).

I was feeling very tired for not having enough sleep, so I decided to skip Renee's vilion practice and helped hubby with the paintwork. I didn't do much, just the touching up of the edges but boy, I still ached like mad 'cos there sure are alot of edges, hahaha.

And whilst we were both busy with painting, Renee couldn't stand the boredom and told me that she wanted to practice her exam pieces herself. Oh woah, it's been awhile since she's done that and although I told her she can rest, she still took out her violin and made me adjust the bow and put on the shoulder rest. Then, she said she wanted to try a new piece which, thanks to the pressure of her forthcoming exam(due to this, she had to learn the 'theory' part more vigorously), she managed to play it! We were happy, needless to say, lolz and I really hope she would not shy away from her examiners on her exam day.