Intrepid travellers

Zurich Airport
Originally uploaded by writerinresidence

Just got back from taking the kiddies on their first trip to Europe - more specifically, three cities in Switzerland,including daytrips to four villages in the alps. Lots of sightseeing, running for trains, and trudging about in snow - all in minus degree weather. And they were about as hardy as we were...troupers on the trip, with hardly any complaints.

Guess it's true that the apples don't fall far from the tree.

Wishing comfort and joy to one and all

IMG_Xmas
Originally uploaded by writerinresidence

this Christmas...

...and the time and space in the day to relish
a spot of silence and contemplate the joyous miracle borne
unto the world!

Noel!
Noelle

Testing the boots

IMG_log
Originally uploaded by writerinresidence

At this point, we had no idea we still had a couple of hours of trekking...

Flashback 2007: New Digs

 

Flashback 2007: Tagaytay

 

Flashback 2007: Highschool Reunion

 

Flashback 2007: Panning Rice in Sing

 

Flashback 2007: Hanoi

 

Flashback 2007: Bali Trip

 

From the treetops

As it happens, we had nothing scheduled today. No errands. No classes. No social doings. It was glorious to sleep in and have a lazy breakfast and pad around in our pajamas, just puttering around. When eleven o'clock rolled around, we decided to get ou and do something physical. C said, "You don't mean hit someone, right?"

We decided to kill two birds with one stone and break in our Switzerland boots by going for a trek at McRitchie and doing the famed treetop walk. K was reluctant - she had done this already. I was somewhat game. The menfolk were eager. So we set off in our gear and caps. The day was surprisingly sunny yet cool. When we entered the forest trails it was 1:00. There were sightings of flying squirrels and monkeys. We had braved the heights of the treetop bridge. We had trekked by streams on trails of rock and mud. The boots held up. And so did we. There were many discussions. There were many jokes told. We sang excerpts from Once on this Island and Sponge Bob Square Pants. We did multiplication tables. There were breaks for water and gingerbread cookies. There was a pebble in one boot and a bit of a tantrum from C who didn't like us singing because it "scared away the nature."

Two and a half hours and apparently 7 kilometres later, we emerged, hot and sweaty but feeling virtuous. Virtuous and starving. Fittingly, that's when it began to drizzle. We climbed into the car and went for a very late lunch at Billy Bomber Burgers in Marina Mall - in our hiking gear and boots and all.

Just another day to be grateful for...of family fun this Christmas season.

Joke on the run

Christmas vacation. We've been watching DVDs. First Akeela & The Bee which I thought was great. Yesterday, we rented and Karate Kid and Clash of the Titans. And then there's Boggle in the evenings - the kids are pretty good, and will sometimes even beat T, on occasion.

And the runs by the canals continue - not every day but frequently enough. Today, K joined us. And C came up with a joke that I thought was pretty good.

Question: What did the Daddy cannibal say to his son, after they went for a morning run?
Answer: See, this is how you get a-head!

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

You would think we'd be used to this after eight years in Singapore - a grey, wet Christmas...

My daughter, the savvy fashion shopper

Sunday night inside a fitting room at Bebe in Vivo City...

ME: Does your Dad know you're with me.
K: Yes, I told him I was going to go to you. He said, 'You're going to Beh Beh,' - (Laughs). He doesn't know it's Beebe
(I laugh and try on a dress that's 70% off)

ME: Well?
K: I like it, but how much is it.
ME: It's $XX...
K: (shocked) What?!>!
ME: (sheepishly) But it used to be $XXX!
K: Hmmm, but how do you know they're not just saying that it used to be $XXX?

[Beat in which I think about this]

ME: Because they're not allowed to do that.
K: But what if it's just marketing?

[Beat in which I think about this]

ME: The first question is does it look good.
K: (Looks at me thoughtfully] It looks good.
ME: OK then. It's 70% off and it fts and it looks good and I need a Christmas dress...
K: It's your money...

My nine-year-old daughter walks away. I pause in the fitting room, wondering if it really is Beebe as I have no idea...

Mom & Son Run

We awoke early this Sunday to bond and run as only a mother and son can. Since I got a new pedometer, I gave him my old one. And that gadget was enough to get him excited about the exercise. woke him at 7:30, and we hit the road, walking over to the connector park by the creek, five minutes away.

The day was cool and bright and lots of people were out, which surprised me, considering it was Sunday. It was green and breezy and we managed to spot a number of colourful birds - one was blue with an orange bill, and there were a couple of cranes. "This is nice," my son murmured as though to himself.

At first, C was reluctant to do more than walk. "I can't run," he said, "I get tired..." So we broke it up into manageable bites. I told him, "Let's just sprint for 10 counts, and then walk, and then sprint again for ten..." He was amenable, and by the time we reached the end, we were running for 15 counts. We also managed three sets of 10 squats. He clocked in 5780 steps - about 3.5 km - 40 minutes of walking. I was very proud of him and he was very proud of himself. So much so that he's game to do it again tomorrow...

What can happen at 40

I'll admit, I was up late last night working and didn't turn in till 2am, so it could be that, too. But I awoke easy and fresh as a daisy to my daughter's bday greeting and a number of sms messages wishing me a happy day. Needless to say, I had to drag a greeting out of C - he who tried three times before he got it right (Goodmorning, Mama, I love you Mama, oh...Happy Birthday Mama). After doing the suburban wife thing and dropping T off at the train, I popped over to M's house where she made me her own version of the Popover Cafe breakfast and we hung out till eleven.

Drove back home to change as T was taking me to lunch. Decided on a white blouse and proceeded to have a rather happy afternoon - a festive birthday lunch, Christmas shopping on Orchard Road, various errands and coffee with a friend outside Borders Bookshop. Last but most important thing on the agenda before dinner out with the kids was to attend 6pm birthday mass at St. Ignatius. I was even early. When I knelt down on the pew before communion, I happened to look down at myself and noticed something odd with my sleeves, in fact, with my entire top.

All of a sudden, the blood rushed to my head and I was flushed with the most embarrassing realisation. Pretty much the entire afternoon, I had been wearing my nifty white blouse - inside out.

This does not bode well...but it was a happy day, anyway...

I've learned my lesson...or have I?

Three weeks. A total of 46 periods.
And now it's over, and I have learned that teaching just isn't my thing.

The other day, an administrator from a business school asked me if I would be interested in teaching Business Communications. "This would be different," he said. "Your students won't be in high school. They'll be motivated adults. And it would be just one class a week."

Hmmmm.

Not so kiddie observation

Upon hearing Carly Simon's You're so Vain for the first time, K pipes up from the backseat:

"This is a dumb song. Of course, the song is about him - she's singing to him!"

Speaking of which, K also proved her pipes and got selected to be part of the Singapore Children's Choir. Her audition piece was "Happiness" from You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown

From the canteen uncle

As I was buying my daily bottle of green tea, I fell into conversation with the canteen uncle. He asked me how I was doing. I told him.

"You know I was a teacher, also. In 1962. They paid me $350 a month. I gave up after three months."

Lessons at School

I accepted a spot of school relief teaching, substituting as instructor for as yet, unhired English teachers. There is a 7th grade class of Japanese and Korean non-English speakers reading 2nd grade English. There is a 9th grade class whose members shuffle in to the classroom but whose eyes glaze over at my every utterance. And there is an angry eleventh grade class who insist on delving into their own irrelevant opinions when they are asked specific questions about an assigned text that they have not really paid attention to. It is thankless and exhausting work, and while I am able to do it, every fibre of my being reacts against it.

It is fitting also that during this period, what is is playing in my DVD player are episodes from Seasons 1 and 2 of Beverly Hills 90210.

It will be over soon.

Easy like Sunday morning - not!

After a late 3am night, we roused ourselves early as we needed to have the kids at the church for the Christmas pageant rehearsal. Trust K and C to actually want to be in the church Christmas pageant.

Unfortunately, even after more than three reminders and a goodly number of threats, C was being stubborn and moving on his own personal time. So what did we do? We left him. And when he realised it, he wailed at the top of his lungs loud and long - and we heard it in the lift on our way down, and even when we landed. In fact, a number of neighbors looked up wondering what was going on. Big sis K took pity on her brother and rode back up to pick him up.

He whimpered throughout the car ride. And in unspoken agreeement that I suppose comes with 15 years, T and I spent the trip talking as though he wasn't there, relating anecdotes about all the people we know who were left behind - on vacations, at school, etc...just because.

These are the lessons that have to be taught.

-o-

For the first time, we had ourselves a spot of brunch at Jones Grocers in the new, hip complex on Dempsey Road, enjoying eggs and sour dough toast alongside our chosen sides of bacon, sausage and sauteed mushrooms. To drink, we had fresh apple juice, iced chocolate for the kids and flat whites for us. Couldn't resist the grocery and bought German salami, Australian back bacon and a loaf of the sour dough. Unbeknownst to me, T also got us a batch of rocky road marshmallow nougat. I resisted the temptation to make purchases from "the largest fromagerie in Singapore" - as we just stocked our cheese section the day prior. But the whole time, I kept thinking about how this kind of approximated our long ago forays at Zabar's and that fateful day in 1991 when I first tasted prociutto and cherry cheese struedel.

-o-

The other high point was dropping in at the Red Sea Gallery next door and finding a gathering of large and beautiful Dao Hai Phongs - my absolute favourite Vietnamese painter. While I was disappointed to learn that he had actually had an exhibition there in September and I missed it (goodness knows my head was buried in work), I was happy to pick up the book so now, I have it to go alongside my "New Town"...

What can I say; it made me very happy.