Yoga with your kids around

I come across this flyer sent by somebody I know.  Though I have not tried it yet, it's kind of interesting to be able to do yoga and at the same time have someone keep an eye on your kid/s, all within close proximity.

Busy mothers or mothers who care for their young children full time should find this kind of activity not only a 'time-out' for themselves but also an opportunity to keep the kids occupied with some hands-on activity 'outside' the house.

Since it's free, there's no harm trying!

The number one mom

The number one mum!

No, I'm not sef-proclaiming that I'm the best! It's a caption on a "miniature trophy" the guys gave me.

I was in disbelief. I thought Wyng was pranking me as he handed me the trophy.

  

My immediate response was ,"Is this from the centre?"  as he just got back from the centre.  Wyng said it's from both of them.  

How much to tell them about pornography ?

Wyng asked me "What's porn? "

I had to pause for a noticeable moment to think of an appropriate response. "Ha.?" then I asked him where he got to learn about this word. He told me the word was brought up during a speech by a speaker who regretted that he was obsessed with porn when he was younger.

I could recall as I was writing this post that I did not give him any accurate answer.  It was kind of disappointing, my verdict of myself of how I handled the situation.

Desperate to find out how to explain this to my son, I even resorted to asking my students when they understood this taboo term.  It was not even a direct answer from them , but all I gathered is they got to know this term around the age of 15 or 16 and could even be earlier.

Still not giving up, I stumbled upon this video on Facebook.  It was just so apt. It's about explaining pornography to our kids.  I shared this video to Wyng via Whatsapp.  Hopefully, he did watch the video and by now has a better idea of what this thing is all about.

His first camp

Am I going to be having peace of mind in the next 3 days 2 nights? Well, it certainly going to be a lot quieter without him around. 

For the first time in almost 13 years, he's gonna be away from home, and for quite long too, 3 days and 2 nights.  

The motherly side of me would be missing him a great deal. That's not surprising at all as he's been with me most of the time ever since he's born. I could also be worried about whether he's having proper meals and what not. 

On the other hand, I really NEED A BREAK. For the next 3 days, at least, I don't have to think what's his meals are, whether he's going to be fussy with his food. I don't need to be bothered if he's on the computer, playing games or if he's with his gadget. I think I won't be peeking into his room the first thing in the morning as soon as I wake up to see if this boy is awake with his gadget or downstairs in front of the TV.  And the daily ritual of Kumon drilling, that will be forgotten for a while. No more questioning and reminding if he's completed his homework. Ahhh... I think this is more of a time-out for Mom than for him. 

For the first time, I'm for this kind of camp.  He needs this kind of exposure, considering his 'not-so-independent' attitude.  He's definitely going to mingle with his friends and learn to get along harmoniously with them.  He's to get physical a little instead of being a couch potato or a mouse potato, not to mention other skills which this camp is supposed to teach the participants.  

Mom can definitely relax for a while. 

Fruits of his labour

Yes! He got straight As in the UPSR!

He could finally taste the fruits of his own labour. The few weeks of sweat and tears were worth the accolade he earns.  He did not really do consistently well in some of the subjects (especially the national language) but with close guidance and monitoring, he peaked in the end!

It was not a smooth-sailing journey as he left his vernacular school for a national controlled school with higher standard in the national language subject.  In about one and a half years, he mastered the language and scored a distinction in the first major examination of primary school. 

Wyng, proudly holding his UPSR result slip, with the principal, Mr Xavier and BM teacher, Encik Ikhwan.

Wyng, along with 10 other straight As scorers of the school.

First day in secondary school

Daddy said Wyng in this photo does not really look like him in person. To me, it does.  Here, he's in his new uniform on the first day of school in secondary years.

He's going to be in a totally new environment with new friends.  He has to start all over again to form his circle of friends as none of his former classmates are going to this school.

He's a little uncomfortable with this idea but I'm quite sure he should be able to adjust pretty fast as with his all other previous schools.

All the best, Wyng!

Late for his IC

He's of ripe age required to hold an IC (identity card).  He's seen here having his photograph taken in the National Registration Department.  It was a breeze going through the procedure, no queue and speedy service.  

Lesson for Mom : We're late for 3 months and as such we had to pay RM10 as something like a penalty.  Fortunately, I realised it not too late like in January next year, otherwise it'd be even a busier period for us.  This also reminds me that Wyng is soon going to be 13, a trying period for him and Mom. 

He's growing impressively well

Wyng complained of a quite disturbing abdominal pain since Monday morning. As his Upsr is so close, I've decided to take him to see our paediatrician.

After a physical examination and a urine test, he's confirmed free from appendicitis and kidney disease as well as being diabetic.

His physical growth, as usual, is very healthy. Measuring 150 cm in height and 50 kg in weight, he's at 90 percentile in weight and 75 percentile in height. For his height, he's 6 kg overweight.

The doctor prescribed colic medicine for him much to my relief since he's been given a clean bill of health except for some wind probably.

Trading in an iPod

He traded in his iPod for a Samsung S3 without our knowledge and consent. Well, it's not that he always gets our consent before making his decisions. My only surprise was the source of the money needed to top up the price difference between the trade-in value and the 'new' phone. And, of course, it was done with quietly without even him mentioning about it. 

When questioned,  he said he went to Low Yat after school and traded it in. I probed and got to know he paid another RM200 to get a second hand S3.  The reasons he gave for doing this was that he needed a better phone than his old one.

Subsequently, I got to know that he got the extra cash from his Chinese New Year angpow money. With a smart phone, I could only foresee more deliquent behaviour from him.

Delinquent Hoe

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to visitors of my blog.

Eager beaver

After commuting between KL and PJ for about 7 months just to send Wyng for his Robotics class, our travelling woes were over when Cr8 has finally opened a franchise outlet in Cheras.  We couldn't say no to an eager beaver like Wyng.  

He will always asks to attend the class on a weekly basis. As the fee is based on attendance, we have the flexibility to come when convenient. Hence, most of the time Wyng attends it on fortnightly basis.  No doubt he asks to attend it on Saturdays and Sundays, ie twice a week, but his wishes never come through!

Mom is a parasite

It happened last month on the second when Hoe's aunty ie my sister dropped by our house.  My sister's daughter ie my niece works in Singapore and occasionally her mom drops by my house and chats with her on my smart phone.

My niece suggested using Hoe's iPod to chat on Facetime as the reception was clearer.  Despite Hoe's objection, I borrowed his iPod.  After chatting for more than one hour, Hoe asked us to hang up as our chatting had caused the wifi connection to be lagging and disrupting his online games.

Of course, we did not bother much and continued chatting. On and off, he came over to us and urged us to end our call which we of course ignored as we were too engrossed in catching up with each other.

At last after two unsuccessful verbal attempts to stop us, he walked over to my sister and 'snatched' his iPod from her hand. He blurted these at the same time, "You took advantage of me. You used my iPod and talked for so long. You are like a parasite."

Lesson to Mom: When the kid is in a computer game, he will do whatever it takes to get undisrupted access to it.  They will not hesitate to tell anyone, be they his parents or siblings, off just so as he can enjoy his games.  Let's put it this way,  kids are 'blind and deaf' to their real surroundings when it comes to being in a game. So, it's best that Mom stay away from them if she doesn't want to get 'hurt' by them. 

I convinced him not to quit - Part 1

I remember drafting this post from my gmail account and sent it to my blogger account on 11 April this year. And, I was glad I documented my conversation with Hoe. After some editing, I am publishing it now, more than 6 months after it happened.

Another bombshell...he broke the news to me. Still in his school pants, half-naked after coming back from school, he was sitting at the staircase trying to catch a moment with me while I was rushing through my dinner before my tuition class with my students.

"Can you do me a favour?"
This question didn't sound good at all.  At that moment, I knew something must have gone really wrong. 

"Can you write a letter to school saying I want to quit IGCSE?"

"Why!"

"I cannot cope. I don't want to waste your money."

"Paying for education is not a waste of money. And, you don't decide that it's wasting our money. What happened?"

"I just don't want to waste your money."

"What happened? What's wrong!"
It was not a tone of concern. Rather it was an impatient tone, searching the truth.

"I can't cope. There's a lot of homework. This teacher gives a lot of homework."

"Why can't you cope when you hardly do your homework? It's not that you stay up until 11pm or midnight to do your homework. What nonsense is this?"

"She asks us to do a lot of work and I can't cope. She walks in and say things like, I don't know what to give you all. Do this..."

"It's not that you can't cope. You are just plain lazy and you are finding excuse to avoid extra work. So, you 

choose to quit."

"IGCSE is a very important subject. You qualify to take it and not many people can enjoy this privilege.

English is your strong subject and now you want to quit."  

"What else are you left with?  You should quit English Lit or other non-core subjects, not IGCSE. People pay a lot to sit for this exam and you want to quit?"

"I will not let you quit." I was very firm.

"If I have to go and see your teacher and Mr Wong to make sure you attend your class, I will do it."

"What about the first class you joined? The teacher kicked you out of this class. Will she accept you back

into her class?"

"I don't know. If can, I want to go back to Puan N."

"She gives you all less homework?"

"Yes."

"You go and see her. Talk to her nicely and politely whether she can accept you back into her class. Never badmouth your teacher in front of Puan N. Just say you want to go back to her because you can't cope with Puan R. If she refuses, then I will go and see her."

"You have to change your attitude. Youngsters change when they are 16.  You don't seem to change for the 

better. "They mature and know what they want as they reach Form 4. But, you are still the same. You always avoid work."

"Don't regret in future."

It was the usual squabble with him. Each such session with him is never easy. I have to relentlessly emphasize

a point. Repeating my message, again and again. It ended with somehow, an expected silence from him. I will take that as an agreement from him to either talk to Puan N or continue on with his usual class.

When things cooled down, I went to him room and speak to him in a comforting tone. 

"Hard work always pays off." 

Whether he listens and decides to turn over a new leaf is yet to be seen. I was greeted with silence, which can be interpreted as something positive. He was at his desk, taking out a few exercise books, as though ready to complete his backlog (I suppose it's backlog as he never does his work).

All I know is I will continue to be by his side to 'remind' him relentlessly.  

Kid's myopia

On 21 April this year, when he got his new pair of glasses due to his broken old pair, his power was

250-150-10 for his right eye and
300-150-10 for his left eye. 

Previously, approximately about 6 months ago, his power was

200-150-10 for his right eye and
250-150-10 for his left eye

No increase in astigmatism but slight increase of 50 in myopia which was considered good for a kid like him, according to the 'optician' at the shop.

Irrepairable.....the string holding the lens was broken 

Aurora as companion

I have not seen such beautiful and colorful sky on a normal day.  I have learnt to appreciate clear blue sky. This scene mesmerised us.

We were having seafood dinner at Kuala Selangor.  We didn't really plan to dine here. This impromptu decision took us to the riverside for a simple dinner.

It was a blessing in disguise actually. The first restaurant we stepped into was full. Adjoining to this is another restaurant where we found a corner table just beside the river. It was unfortunate that nature is not spared by culprits who do not appreciate clear and clean river. The river was sadly polluted.  It looked dull and lifeless with barely any active marine life.

I was about to take my first spoon of rice when a pinkish background behind Daddy caught my attention. My hand phone was what I reached for to capture that rare sight (at least to me) before it faded.

"It's aurora," Wyng told me assuringly. "It's a mixture of red, pink, blue and turquoise," he added.

I feel blessed enough to be having this meal with my family, with the vast colourful sky and river (though murky) as companion.

Indulgence

It's not sushi, it's not white chocolate or any pricey food. It takes just two pieces of nyonya kueh to satisfy my munching urge.

Savouring these in front of our 32" (yes, only 32" for the time being, the movie still is the same) TV felt like heaven.  So easy and cheap to keep this Mom contented.

Cleaning woes are gone

Phew! My saviour has finally emerged. A short and plump lady but with seemingly strong hands from Indonesia.

With her around, my stress has been greatly reduced. Looking at the toilet, cooker hood which by now is coated with a stubborn layer of grease and the unironed clothes does not give me headache anymore.

Our house is sparkling clean and spotless at most corners which used to be covered with dust.  Gone were the browned corners of toilet tiles, the brown rings in the toilet bowls, greasy cooker hood and stained basins, dusty shelves, windows and grills.  No more complaints except that to fork out some money to enjoy a stress-free life.  The money is worth the stressless moments considering that I only see her twice a week, the most.  It's not the same having a stranger at home.

I'm a meatarian

A meatarian!

If a vegetarian eats only vegetables, then you should be able to guess what is a meatarian.

Such is a concoction created by Wyng one morning on the way to school while I was commenting

that he eats only meat and not even a single tiny piece of fibre in his body.

I am glad he can make it home

Not 16 yet, he's going out with his friends to watch a concert at klcc.

Forgetting to give him a curfew time, I took no chance to text him to remind him to be back early. I have to insist that he come back before 12am or he would have to face the music, which I warned him could be disastrous.

He didn't reply me immediately. When he finally did, it was 11+ and he was already in the train. I heaved a sigh of relief.  At least, he could make it back on time.  I don't mind the 'work' to get him to comply, at least this time, it's not so strenous,  mentally for me.  He got back almost on the dot.

I can finally keep his iPod

He finally surrendered his iPod to me.  Breaking his first promise late last year of letting me keep his iPod during the weekdays, this time he had no more excuses.  He was made to agree that his iPod will not be his close companion during the weekdays if he fails to achieve reasonably good result in his first term tests.

As expected, he wasn't able to perform (again, academically) up to expectation.  After a few stern reminders, he had to surrender his gadget to me for safekeeping.  He even bargained that he would be giving it to me on Monday morning when I asked for it on Sunday night.  What difference does it make? Huge difference for him, I suppose.

I hope he will keep his promise and would not 'steal' the gadget from me.  It's now in a secret hiding place, a safe one, I hope.