A4

Spelling Money Away

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12 February 2017, Sunday

Went through my 9-year-old’s Maths file. Her Maths teacher had asked the class to take home their Maths file, to keep at home for revision for upcoming Topical Review as well as Continual Assessment 1. Flipping through the pages and pages of worksheets, I found this!

Learning to write cheques!

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not ridiculing this. Cos it is great! Kiddos see mommy and daddy write cheques. And here they do it in the part of the syllabus where they have to spell out numbers. They’ll then understand why it is just as important to learn to spell out numbers accurately. They’ll see the practicality (the “adultness”) of what they are made to learn. They’ll be less resistant to the learning.

Still, it’s just funny in a cute way, that 9-year-olds are learning to write cheques when it’s another seven or more years before they can legally apply this skill.

The Impossible Affair

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16 November 2016, Wednesday

7:20pm. My mobile rings. It’s A2, asking where I was. … What transpired was so endearingly typical of A2 and so amusing I just had to WhatsApp S about it.

Musings

It’s impossible to have an affair when you have four kids that can check up on you anytime, anywhere!

Then again, it’s a privilege to have close relationship with one’s teens, pre-teen and learner-teen.

Earlier on, after school & stayback

4pm+. The kids’ friends I and H visited for a short impromptu playdate. Cos I offered to take them with me when I took A4 to English tuition at LitPlus, and walk them home (nearby) from there. This would give YY a bit of peace and quiet at home, without anymore send-&-pick duties.

The plan for after the playdate was to just send I and H home, and head home right away. So the boys’ pleas to continue their playdate at I and H’s flat were overridden by YY (I and H’s mom) and me. YY’s rationale that there was school the next day stopped all arguments.

So A2 decided to turn back home, instead of walking with us to the busstop. A3 came with us, and then decided to join me on the entire journey. I did phone A2 to let him know the change of plans, but he still preferred to stay home.

~7:18pm. (I remember it was around 7:15-7:18pm only cos we were looking for the 3rd-night super moon, and A3 figured it was too early to spot the moon) It was after all these drop-offs, after the bus ride home, as A3 and I were walking the last stretch home that A2 phoned.

Doing My Bit for My Girls

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19 August 2016, Friday

Only ONE day left to vote!
By 20 August 2016 (tomorrow).

Please Click + “LIKE” + Spread
My girls will be in a dance competition. 10% of points come from FB LIKEs.

Every LIKE helps!
The scoring scheme puts our groups’ small headcount at a disadvantage. Please help us level the playing field.

A1’s group. They have worked so hard, rehearsing so many nights after long days in school. on non-regearsal nights, the girls have even organised their own practice sessions.

A4’s group. For many of them, this is their first ever competition. despite being so young, they have a rigorous rehearsal schedule to keep to.

 

Competition Scoring Scheme

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19 August 2016, Friday

My girls are participating in a dance competition.
… 10% score comes from FB LIKEs.
… 20% score comes from audience votes.
… 70% score comes from judges’ decisions.

Looking at our groups’ headcount … and then at our competitors’ bigger headcount … we are already disadvantaged.

Their bigger headcount means …
… they have more social networks to tap on for FB LIKEs.
… they will get more audience votes.

Won’t you help us level the playing field and give us your FB LIKEs?

Like these FB posts, please?

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17 August 2016, Wednesday

Only 3 days left. Please help … My girls (A1 and A4) are participating in the 6th Singapore International Youth Dance Festival on 21 August 2016, Sunday. 10% of points come from Facebook LIKEs. Please help click these four links below, and LIKE the photos? Could you help spread the word too? Last day for liking is 20 August 2016, Saturday.

Thank you for all who have helped / will help, and those who tried / will try.

 

Little Miss Maths Whiz

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8 November 2014, Saturday

7:09pm. At a busstop near Queenstown Swimming Complex after A4’s swimming lesson and a subsequent play in the shallow pool(s). Impatient with the wait for a bus we could take. Verbalised my contemplation whether to take a bus or walk to Sheng Siong two busstops away to get ice-cream. Walking would be over a tiring distance, but would take only 8 minutes. Bus would give us aircon comfort, but it would take 11 minutes to arrive and then still need to make its way to our stop. I couldn’t decide which to take.

After a while, A4 said, “But if we walk slower? Then walk will be longer.”

Busy, busy mind

To have said that, she would have had to process these concepts: 8 minutes versus 11; we could possibly end up walking slower; walking slow would extend 8 minutes to more, possibly exceeding 11 minutes; and if that were so, we would be better off doing the longer wait for the bus.

Moment of pride

Her mind registered and worked out numbers, and facts of life, very fast. And for her age too!

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Talks Even When Sleepibg

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3 October 2014, Friday

Wee hours. I had showered and was unable to sleep then. So I continued working.

Around 1am+ (I think) rustling sounds were heard coming from the floor, off the edge of the bed on S’s side. It was A4, shifting about while asleep. Something was said then, but I couldn’t make out what it was. (I think this episode was after I showered for the night. Can’t recall for sure)

She quietened soon after. I thought I had peace for the night now.

But then, after some time, the next voice from behind me. A3. He was sleeping in our bed, on my side, which was right behind me as I worked at my laptop. He was so loud I thought he had woken up.

“Ann, Ann, Ann …
… Ann, wait …
Wait, Ann, wait …”

Wonder what his dream was.

It was I think 1:29am then.

Who Needs a Sweater when …

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14 September 2014, Sunday

A4’s hair was so badly matted after days of not brushing and letting it loose. It took so long to brush through it all that we were all late for church.

Half hour late. Slipped into back-bencher chairs. Less freezing than our usual spot. But still it got cold there.

At one point, A1, patting her lap, asked A4, “Come, A4, wanna sit on jie jie’s (older sister’s) lap?”

A4 obliged, seemingly thinking it was a loving gesture by her older Sis and loving the attention she’d be getting. I am older and wiser, and knew better.

I turned to face A1 on my right, to give her the eye and to flash her a knowing smile. “You are cold, right?” I asked, frankly and almost rhetorically.

A1 smiled back at me with a caught-in-the-act facial expression.

Yeah, that’s right! Who needs a sweater when you can wear a warm body?!

The Art of MC

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12 September 2014, Friday

It must have been about midnight. I had let the kids watch movie in our bedroom, out of my way as I baked belated Teachers’ Day cookies for them to take to their school teachers the following week. They were done before I could finish, and were on to their second movie, that’s why they were still up at this hour. (And it’s school holidays anyway)

I know, A4 shouldn’t be up as she just had a day of fever today, her nose was still runny, and she had early Saturday morning (8:45am) Berries Chinese lesson to make up for the make-up she missed this morning (9:15am) due to fever.

She was well aware that I had let her skip this morning cos she was unwell.

Anyway, so into the kitchen came A4. “Mommy, tomorrow if I am still sick, do I still need to go to Berries?”

“You won’t be. Now, just go to bed and lie down,” I said.

“But what if I am?” A4 pressed on.

“You won’t be.”

“How do you know?”

“Cos your fever subsided long ago.”

“OK, but what if I am sick tomorrow? … Just tell me, what if I am still sick tomorrow?”

Just six years old and she’s already mastered the art of planning to applying for medical leave from “work”!

Definitely male

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12 September 2014, Friday

Who cares what message is sent by what is said, how it’s said? As long as it produces the same desired result, the goal is achieved!

How more male can one get than this? A3 is definitely male!

A need quite easily solved

10/11pm. A3 emerges from watching “How to Train Your Dragon” in our bedroom. He comes to me in the kitchen where I am baking belated Teachers’ Day cookies for the kids to take to their various teachers in the coming week. He says, “Mom, remember to wake me up for badminton tomorrow morning.”

I agree, but that doesn’t reassure him as we have been late before, due to my staying up late to get things done and not being able to wake up in the morning.

A complication almost overlooked

Then I remember: A4 has make-up Chinese enrichment class tomorrow. I’d be cutting timing too fine if I took both kids along to drop A3 at school for badminton, and then hop straight onto a bus – perhaps with a transfer – to get A4 to Chinese class.

A (kinda) quick fix

I further recall: Dad has his off-day tomorrow I think.

“A3, go ask Kong Kong (ie Granddad) if he can take you to badminton tomorrow,” says I.

“Why must I? … You ask!” A3 whines.

“Just go ask! You have to learn to open your mouth and ask,” I goad (threatened), hinting at an ultimatum.

A few more exchanges and I hear A3 reluctantly (I sense Mr Mature-&-Independent is shy about asking for help) saying something to his Kong Kong.

The quick-fix takes a small detour

Fortunately, Dad is a little hard of hearing and A3 has to repeat his request a couple more times, so I get to hear what he is actually saying.

A3: Kong Kong, you have to take me to badminton tomorrow morning.

Kong Kong: What?

A3, a bit louder: You have to take me to badminton tomorrow.

Kong Kong: (He says something)

A3 is exasperated, so now more audible: Mommy says you have to take me to badminton tomorrow.

Fixing the distorted quick-fix in a flash

I fly out from the kitchen to explain things from the kitchen doorway.

I to Dad: What A3 mean is can you take him to badminton tomorrow morning? Cos I will be taking A4 to her make-up Berries class in town.

Dad, as usual, is more than happy to help where I am shorthanded.

Reflection

I had asked A3 to ask Kong Kong if he could send him to class. A3 told Kong Kong I said he had to.

Both approaches would have produced the same result, that is Kong Kong taking A3 to class next morning. Only the meanings behind both messages were poles apart!

A cold, demanding and ungrateful monster! That was what A3 almost made me out to be.