Confirmed Offer

WY was elated when he received SOTA's letter after our long, long wait of over a month! Yes! Confirmed offer of a place is what he has secured for himself at SOTA. Well done!

The question now is how well he will perform at PSLE. And what his choices will be.

Private (And Quiet) Celebration

On WF's birthday itself, the boys went to school as per normal. In the evening, they also had their piano and Maths lessons at Toa Payoh as usual.

Then, after a bulky-grocery shopping at the supermarket, we collected the cake that I had ordered from Crystal Jade Cakery nearby before we headed home for our celebration at home.

After a quick shower, the boys got into action swiftly. We brought out the cakes (see below for the simple reason why we had 2 cakes that night) and after the song-singing, we tucked into the cakes.



The 2 mini-cupcakes (looks are not the same as taste) were complimentary from the Cakery - the staff at the shop really liked WF so much, and were delighted to see him there twice 'in person' on his birthday!

In the morning, WF and I had gone to the Cakery to collect a cake which I had ordered for my colleague, S. S had given WF a red packet for his birthday about a fortnight ago when I visited the office for our PC-changing exercise. So, the staff at the Cakery had recognised WF and kept teasing him about being the birthday boy that day. Hence, the 2 cupcakes.

As for the 2 cakes - the arrangement with regard to WF's Maths class is that he will call me on my handphone when he is done with his work (yes, it is flexi-knock-off time). So, when he called me that evening, I told him that I was collecting the chocolate truffle cake that I had ordered for him. Then, to my utter surprise, he said he wanted something 'vanilla'!!

So, when I went to the Cakery, it so happened that they had this special 'Vanilla Angel' promotional cake on the shelf. So, I also grabbed that, hor.

The Angel turned out to be very light, fluffy and delicious! We, especially WF, loved it so much that we finished it off with no leftovers whatsoever of it. We ended up having to keep some of the chocolate truffle cake for breakfast the next morning.

Let's Bowl at Party!

This year, WF celebrated his birthday outside of his school. (In the previous years, his birthday celebration had always been in his school because that was most logical, logistically speaking.)

After some sourcing around and some SWOT exercise, we decided on a party at Leisure Park, Kallang. The programme was basically a bowling game followed by tea at a casual restaurant in the same building. For a more convenient party for everyone, we decided that the party will be held in advance on the eve of National Day!

About 25 children attended. Only a handful was his school-bus-friends, the rest were his classmates ('the rest' was made up of about 2-thirds of his class). WY invited one of his friends called John. John knew that he was going to help to keep scores in the bowling game, so he even brought his pencil case along! So cute.

Both WY and WF were most excited about the party. WF was also especially excited because he knew his guests would be bringing him presents!

On the day of the party, the boys went for their classes in the morning as usual. We went to meet up with WF's guests only after the lessons had ended. Some of the equally excited children were already at the bowling centre by the time we got there.

After the change of shoes and a little 'briefing' of the safety rules such as 'not going onto the bowling lane itself', the bowling game started. Things were generally ok although some of the children were rather rowdy and unorganised at first. A few were also grouchy fellows who wanted to switch lanes mid-game. They were supposed to be grouped according to the party hats they wore, but it was futile trying to get them to keep to this!

A few parents stayed around to cheer their kids on. When the game ended after 2 hours, 2 of them also helped to bring the children to the toilets.



Then I managed to get them to do a group photo near the entrance to the bowling centre. (Fortunately, the place was not occupied because ours was the only function that afternoon.)

The thing about this party was that the only 'organisers' were R and myself. It was very tough seeing to everything ourselves. CP had declined to attend the event. YP and her gang had something else on.

So, after a toilet break, the children raced to the restaurant called 'IWannaGetStuffed' for the cake and food. I had to get the hungry and excited youngsters settled down at their seats. It was tough work because I had to keep raising my voice above the din they were creating with their chattering!




I conducted a quiz on bowling for the children and WF gave out the prizes. We also had prizes for the individual and team top-score bowlers. Everyone went home with at least their goodie bag comprising an IKEA mug and snacks such as mini TimeOut chocolate bars, Quaker Granola Bites, some gummies and a special pen or pencil (depending on their team placing).

We had ordered WF's birthday cake from our regular bakery, the Creative Bake. In the excitement and all the bustling, I forgot to take a photograph of the cake before getting the kids out for the song-singing!

This was a big mistake on my part, especially since with all the 20+ kids 'securely' surrounding the cake, I also could not take any photo of WF with his cake and/or friends! Anyway, there is nothing we can do now about the 'lack of' photo with the cake. Sigh. I also didn't take any photo of the food we had for the party! Aiyah, double sigh.



Food prepared by the restaurant was ok. Some dishes, like fried rice and sausages, remained the children's perennial favourite and were cleaned out quite quickly. I asked WF which dish his favourite was - as expected, he proclaimed, "The chicken wings!"

The restaurant owner and staff were very helpful. I think it's worthwhile visiting the place again another time. Since I hadn't had any food during the whole time of the party, the staff from the restaurant packed some of the leftover chicken wings and potatoes for me. One young girl also helped to pack for me some very delicious coleslaw that they had prepared for the party, too.

That day, we had arranged to visit YP at her place even though R and I knew that we would have been completely exhausted after the party. WY and WF were delighted to end their very happy day with a visit to 二姨's house - because they were so keen to meet up with WS and WP!

So, we picked up the 4 shopping bags full of presents and gifts, and headed for our quick shower at home, quickly. The tray of chicken wings and potatoes that I had to balance on one hand, was really heavy.

At YP's house, we had some fruit salad prepared by YP. Haha, WF had to be coaxed into taking this because he doesn't like grapes and kiwi fruit in the salad! Our little one just went for the apples. He was more keen to get back to the XBox the boys were on then.

By the time we left YP's place and reached home, it was close to half past 11. We all washed up and changed, then went to bed - but not before WY and WF carefully arranged the mountain of birthday presents WF had received that day, and placed them all in the 'squares' (ie tiles on the floor) that we had specified.

What an activity-packed day we had had!

Racial Harmony Day 2009

The children have many more things that they celebrate in schools these days than during our time. One of the celebrations is Racial Harmony Day.

On this day, the staff and children are encouraged to attend school in the traditional costumes of one of the races in Singapore. According to the school's letter issued to us a fortnight before the Racial Harmony Day, this means the traditional costumes of the Chinese, Malay and Indian races.

It's weird, hor, that they never mentioned the Eurasians when officially, the Eurasians are one of the 4 major races in Singapore. Or aren't they anymore??

Anyway, so the weekend before the Racial Harmonay Day, we went through the wardrobe for any suitable costumes that WY and WF might use for the RHD. WF was at first very reluctant to put on any costumes, insisting that his teacher had said that it would be alright to be in school uniform, too.

I let him try on the vest that WY had used for his K2 graduation concert. I thought it looked not bad, and more importantly, it could be taken off easily and conveniently kept in WF's schoolbag when it was PE lesson that day. WY needed some persuasion at first, but eventually, he agreed to put this on for RHD. I had to explain to him what Eurasians are and how they put on jackets and neck-ties and bow-ties etc because of their 'western part of their culture'.

Then, later in the evening, WY heard about the plan for WF's costume and commented, "Mum, you know ah, actually, the tuxedo is not the traditional costume of the Eurasians, leh. They don't wear jackets or vests like this. I think WF's costume is wrong."

Oops! Is that so? And so, we went through the wardrobe once again, and found a few more choices for WF. These were mainly Chinese costumes used previously and after some trying on, WF decided on the Chinese costume that WY had used for his K2 graduation concert.

WY, on the other hand, was dismayed to find that he has already outgrown all the costumes which he had used to put on for RHDs in the past few years. The green baju, the various Chinese costumes - all cannot fit anymore.

The poor boy wore a clear look of disappointment on his face and I felt so sorry for him that I suggested that we bought a new costume. Or he could just go to school in the school uniform, which he protested, "Then what Racial Harmony Day will that be?"

I told WY that we could try to go and get the new costume only if he managed to finish all his work the next day before 3pm. That lifted his spirits a little, I guess.

Not unexpectedly, the following afternoon, he returned from school and announced heartily, "Mum, I bring great news! I have already finished all my school work for today! So we can go and get the costume, ah?"

Although I felt so lazy about going out in the hot, hot afternoon sun that day, I had no heart to let our little boy down. He has always been very enthusiastic and upbeat about such celebrations, so I shouldn't disappoint him. Besides, it would be wrong not to keep my promise to him, right?

So after a brief lunch and some homework, we set off at about 4pm. Initially, I thought of going to the 'Yokoso' place to buy the Malay costume, but I remember how the Malay shopkeepers had fleeced us off the year we bought the green costume. So, we headed for the newly-opened Geylang Serai market instead - I think the stalls at the market are probably not so pricy.

When we arrived at the market, we were greeted by a whiff of fried banana fitters. Very distinctive but not unpleasant aroma. Over at the clothes section, we were very excited to see many stalls selling all the various types of baju that Malays wear - and those accessories for the ladies - wow, really uncountable varieties and all very glittery!

Eventually, we picked a suit of Malay baju from a Chinese lady. She was very friendly, and even offered to hem up the pants and sleeves if necessary. But her services were not needed because the baju suited WY to a T. My wallet was a good $40 lighter when we left her stall.

Next, we went shopping for a new songkho (I believe this is how the word is spelt). The old black one which WY had previously is now too small for him. After some wandering around and browsing at a stall manned by a Malay woman, we settled for an embroided one which matched WY's new baju.

Our little friend was as happy as a lark when we left the Geyland Serai market. I teased him, "Aha, now no need to worry about not having a costume for tomorrow, right? 放下心中大石了，对吗？" He gave me a gleeful look.

We bought some kueh tutu on our way home. And also bread for breakfast the next morning.

When we got home, I had the new baju washed, dried and ironed all within the night. Talk about efficiency.

The next morning, WY went to school a Kawan Melayu. And later in the afternoon, WF went to school a 华族小朋友! Happy Racial Harmony Day!

Now Hawker Centre's Turn

One day last month, WY came back and told me that the hawker centre was going to be closed until end of the year. I didn't think much about it, especially since CP had also mentioned something about that a little while before that.

What's a 6-month wait? Nothing, and it's not as if we regularly buy food from the hawker centre.

I think the upgrading is probably more of a good thing than bad. Afterall, the hawker centre has come to be in a dilapidated state, so the renovation is most likely going to do it some good.

Then, one day earlier this month, I passed by the hawker centre on our way out. This is how the place (from the outside) looks now.



Suddenly, I miss the hawker centre - because the elderly uncle who sold the best sugarcane juice that I have ever come across in my entire life, may not return when the renovated hawker centre opens! Or will he?

First Time in 3 Decades!

For the first time since we moved to this estate, there was a MacPherson Town Day on 12 July 2009!

The banner went up several days before the event, so we all knew about it. (The fact that the information is available before the event is already a vast improvement compared to the organisers' previous practice of not letting people know about such community events - unenlightened residents often had to guess amongst ourselves what event the RC was holding because there had been no publicity except amongst the organiser's own 'in'-group of RC people.)

On the Thursday evening before the event, WY, WF and I were playing badminton in the open space outside the B121 RC when a truck carrying kiddy rides (helicopters and trains etc) came trundling by. The excited WF suggested that perhaps, the pasar malam was coming to our place?! Then, WY pondered a while and concluded, the rides must be for the MacPherson Town Day! And so, the boys pleaded to be allowed to go join the carnival that day.

That Sunday morning, we had breakfast at home. Then R took WY and WF downstairs to check out the carnival. As WY and WF had lessons at LW and with CP respectively that day, our deal was that they were to return after an hour or so.

But alas, their 'an hour or so' turned out to be much longer - according to R, F gave the boys some tickets and so they happily went about the rides and queued up for some snacks etc. WF later told me that at first, there were no more tickets for sale but Ah-Gong gave them tickets when he saw them at the carnival! How gleeful WF was when he related this to me!



After the boys returned and went about their respective lessons, I took some time off to go take some photos of this never-before spectacle right at our doorstep. As expected, some people stared a bit but probably because everyone was in a 'carnival' mood, there was no unfriendly looks.

It was incredible how long the queue for the various rides were - our people are really this deprived, ah?! Luckily, the weather was great that morning (having a heavy, stormy downpour the night earlier) and in the cooling breeze that came along so often, I guess everyone felt ok even though the queue didn't move very fast.

In the big tent (which we later know was meant for another big community 'prayer' event later that day), the children were riding their stallions! Not bad, hor, how they galloped!



In the compunds of the CC, there were some stalls selling confectionery, cotton candy and some popcorns, but these stalls were relatively quiet by the time I went there. Next to them was a photography stall where families could take photos - I think the A5 digital photo each cost $1.



Then there was a station where children could get stickers 'tattooed' onto their hands. And a balloon-twister man commanding a formidable queue of fans. The balloon-twister had an elderly man kaypoh-ing around (just look at his posture!). They were both just opposite the by-then-almost-empty booth for depositing lucky draw coupons.



The children must be the happiest of all. They giggled a lot, bursting into squeals of laughter every now and then. They were everywhere - on the giant slides, train rides, helicopter rides, and some maze thingy.



I think those in the water-based play stations must have been the happiest because such water-playground was truly a rare treat! (WF told me that he had also gone on the bumping-boat ride earlier.)



Then I took a stroll just before the stalls handing out snacks. I think the donuts must have tasted not too good because I saw several part-eaten ones had been tossed onto the grass under the trees a little away - I cannot imagine anyone doing that to the donuts from Donut Factory, for example.

There were also candy floss, popcorns, Yakult, bottled water etc handed out to people browding around the stalls. Those manning the stalls were the typical 'RC'/'CC' group of people.

Then, I cheekily asked the man at the potong ice-cream stall whether the ice-cream were for sale by cash, he quickly said in a most unfriendly, anxious and irritated voice, "No, no, no! Only for those with coupons!"

The man next to him must have noticed my shock at his colleague's unpleasant demeanour, so he quickly added in a better tone, "Because we have limited supplies, so we must limit to only those with coupons."

Actually, I wasn't really thinking of buying the ice-cream from the stall. It was just that I was so curious that an elderly auntie who had just passed me by had a whole plastic bag of at least 8-10 sticks. Wow, she must have had many coupons to redeem!



Then I saw an 'empty' stall only with some brochures for PassionCard membership - yes, it was the ticket stall! But the sign said it all.



The turn-out at this event was, I believe, quite good although at the time when I was there, the crowd wasn't exactly thick. But it's a good start. A good start to remind the people running this place that MacPherson is not really an old folks' estate only.